A link between Border Problems and Calls for Justice

Here is an inside look into United Nations thinking on the matter of Timorese leadership opinion on the matter of justice, and the relationship between justice and border disputes. As well as a few other issues.

What did they all do?

UNMIT Photo of the Day: Oceans and Power?

Do Heavy Oil Power Plants in coastal areas count as "human activity"?

From: Rama RAZY [mailto:razy@un.org] On Behalf Of UNMIT-MEDIA
Sent: Monday, June 08, 2009 10:17 AM
Subject: UNMIT Photo of the Day -- 08 June 2009

Human activity has taken a terrible toll on the world’s oceans. Vulnerable ecosystems and fisheries are being damaged by over-exploitation, alien species and pollution. Increases in sea temperatures, sea-level rises and ocean acidification caused by climate change pose a further threat. June 8, 2009 marks the first observance of World Oceans Day; a day to highlight the importance of oceans and to recognize the considerable challenges in preserving them.
Photo by Martine Perret/UNMIT.

Dakota Indians in Timor?

For all those who have done work with, work for, have some suspicions of, or want their idealism crushed of the UN (or many NGOs or government offices), read on. This is pretty close to accurate:

Something to bear in mind……..

Tribal wisdoms of the Dakota Indians, passed on from generation to generation, say that 'when you discover that you are riding a dead horse, the best strategy is to dismount'. However, in the UN and a range of other organisations a range of far more advanced strategies are often employed, such as:

Changing riders;

Appointing a committee to study the horse;

Arranging to visit other countries to see how others ride dead horses;

Lowering the standards so that dead horses can be included;

Reclassifying the dead horse as 'living impaired';

Hiring outside contractors to ride the dead horse;

Harnessing several dead horses together to increase the speed;

Providing additional funding and/or training to increase the dead horse's performance;

Doing a productivity study to see if lighter riders would improve the dead horse's performance;

Declaring that as the dead horse does not have to be fed, it is less costly, carries lower overhead, and therefore contributes substantially more to the mission of the organization than do some other horses;

Rewriting the expected performance requirements for all horses;

Preparing a workshop with paid attendants on the subject of experience gained in riding dead horses in post war settings;

Preparing a second workshop on environmental hazards caused by horse sh*t, and the advantage on using dead horses which are therefore of no hazard to the environment.

Key UNMIT Landmark: Castaways

FW: Security Broadcast - Closure of Illegal Street Vendors - Dili

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From: UNMIT-SOC [mailto:unmit-soc@un.org] On Behalf Of Security BROADCAST-UNMIT
Sent: Tuesday, March 03, 2009 2:20 PM
To: undisclosed-recipients:
Subject: Security Broadcast - Closure of Illegal Street Vendors - Dili

All staff members are advised that there is a strong possibility that elements of the Civil Security supported up by the PNTL Task Force may carry out operations from tomorrow, Wednesday 4th March 2009 to clear, so called, illegal street vendors from the following areas;
Comoro Road,
Taibessi,
Bidau Lecidere.
Traffic congestion may be caused if these operations take place and there is also a slight possibility that some disturbances may occur during these clearances.
Staff members should report all incidents as soon as possible to the SOC and maintain a situational awareness while these operations are taking place.

UN Security

-------------------------------

Zone Map of Dili with numbered main roads: http://intranet.unmit.org/dili-zone-map.pdf

Rape: A case for traditional justice

Seems that the Director of the Governance Support Unit, United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT) made serious gaffe in an internal staff meeting recently. Seemingly he was suggesting that sexual assault/rape were crimes that should be dealt with via traditional justice means. Very much against the official UN position. Some people quite rightly were more than a little annoyed. Oh well give him his due he did apologise, which was the right thing to due. Perhaps it was just a gaffe. Oh well it is good to know UNMIT has experts to help guide TL on its way into the future.

Joint Mission Analysis....

The most useless UN document ever? (download it!)

October 13, 2008 Richard Gowan More on Asia, Conflict and security, Off topic, Terrorism
http://www.globaldashboard.org/terrorism/the-most-useless-un-document-ever/

I have read some useless UN documents in my time. Few, if any, match “The Crocodile Threat in Timor-Leste”, prepared by the Joint Mission Analysis Cell (the UN intelligence unit) in Dili. This 1,400-word document (”not a definitive report on the subject”) was drawn up in September but is unavailable to the public. This is a pity, as while parts of it (”Legend of East Timor: Crocodile Story”) have been cut-and-paste from the Lonely Planet, it contains some - er - explosive prose…

The larger the animal grows, the greater the variety of animals it includes in its diet. Capable of explosive bursts of speed when launching an attack from the water, many species of crocodile are also capable of fast land-movement. Many crocodiles are capable of explosive charges that can carry them nearly as fast as a running human.

That’s got me, and presumably a whole lot of UN staffers, worried. What to do?

There is a sensitive flap in a crocodile’s throat, known as the glottis, which they use for breathing. As a result, as with some other predators, forcing the arm into the throat may encourage release, although this is not certain by any means and may instead lead to the arm being severed.

Any less risky options available?

The eyes of a crocodile are weak sensitive areas, with several attacks on humans being foiled by poking and gauging (sic) the eyes.

Right, I’m not convinced by that one either. The use of force basically looks like non-starter. But fear not, the UN has an answer: monitor the situation!

There is a real danger for UNMIT personnel swimming in waters around Timor-Leste of being attacked by a crocodile. Fatal attacks on humans have and continue to occur in the waters of Timor-Leste. Some areas are more risky than others, but all areas have the potential for crocodiles to be present. Crocodiles are just as likely to be present in clear water as in murky water. Due to the stealthy nature of the crocodile, visual sightings of a crocodile may not occur prior to an attack. All personnel engaging in swimming in the ocean and positioned close to the waters edge, especially at night, should be aware of the risk of crocodiles and always maintain constant vigilance.

Yep, read those last two lines over again and put them into English: you won’t see the crocodile coming, but you should watch out for it anyway! Pure, pure UN…

UNMIT: Families Not Our Problem, "Please be Guided Accordingly"