EAST TIMOR: XANANA SAYS 'THANKS'
MELBOURNE: 12th July -- The Saturday edition of the 'Age', Melbourne's most prestigious daily paper, ran an article on a visit to Don Bosco Fatumaca by Xanana Gusmao, President of East Timor, officially to present prizes to graduates of the Technical Centre but unofficially, it seems, to offer a warm thanks to Salesians who had supported him and his fellow combatants in difficult times. 'The Age' appears to have had no difficulty in identifying who those Salesians were and some details of meetings and events during those times.
The wider context of the meeting between Gusmao and men who had sought to broker peace or fight daily injustices affecting the lives of the poor and the ordinary people appears to be a new law proposed by the ruling Fretilin Party. Gusmao has used his power of veto to block the Bill, at least for the moment, which proposes that foreigners 'cannot provide religious assistance to defence and security forces'. As Xanana Gusmao put it, 'The problem is that today we're speaking of restricitng foreigner's rights to defend state security and national interests, but tomorrow we might be talking about restricting our own citizen's rights'.
Legislation in the fledgling state of East Timor is already severely hampering efforts by the Salesians and other missionaries inasmuch as the cost of working with the people by remaining in the country is being 'measured' at $30 per month.
