THE FIRST ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM (ARF) MEETING IN TIMOR-LESTE

The 5^th Meeting of Experts and Eminent Persons (EEP) of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) took place in Dili on 27 and 28 of January 2011. This was the first ARF Meeting convened in Timor-Leste since Timor-Leste joined the ARF in 2005.

The Meeting was held in the Conference Hall of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Timor-Leste, co-chaired by Timor-Leste and Thailand.

“Timor-Leste was honored and privileged to host the meeting where more than fifty experts and eminent persons from ARF Participants attended. This demonstrates yet again the firm commitment of Timor-Leste to contribute actively to the region and to become a member of ASEAN “, said the Director General for Cooperation and Regional Integration and ARF Senior Officials’ Meeting Leader of Timor –Leste, Dr. Marciano da Silva.

Senior Officials’ Meeting Leader of Timor –Leste,

Dr. Marciano da Silva

Dr Marciano da Silva also said that “The Meeting aimed to generate innovative ideas on practical and feasible Preventive Diplomacy (PD) measures, building on the discussions of the 4^th Meeting of the ARF EEP in Bali in 2009 and also explore ideas on the future direction of the ARF as a pivotal pillar in the emerging regional security architecture”.

General Boonsrang Niumpradit -ARF EEP,

Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr.Zacarias Albano da Costa

and Dr. Marciano da Silva

The ASEAN Regional Forum, established in 1994, is a consultation and dialogue forum for the Asia Pacific region on political and security issues. It comprises 27 Participants: 10 ASEAN Member States (Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, The Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam), 10 ASEAN Dialogue Partners (Australia, Canada, China, European Union, India, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea , Russia and the United States), Bangladesh, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Timor-Leste.

The Meeting was assisted by the ASEAN Secretariat.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of The Kingdom of Thailand in Timor-Leste

The Foreign Minister of The Kingdom of Thailand, Dr Kasit Piromya paid an official visit to the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste on 13-15 January 2011.

The purpose of this visit was to strengthen further more the diplomatic and bilateral relations between both countries .



On the occasion, the Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Zacarias Albano da Costa received in his office for a “Tete a Tete” conversation his counterpart the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand, Dr Kasit Piromya


Followed by a bilateral meeting where both ministers for Foreign Affairs and delegations discussed areas of cooperation between both countries and matters of importance for the region ;


After the bilateral meeting in a Press Conference, Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya confirmed Thailand’s support for Timor-Leste’s membership in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), given the country’s location in Southeast Asia, and its leadership in promoting democracy and human rights recognized by the international community


Minister Zacarias Albano da Costa said that the “Meeting was very positive and that Foreign Minister Kasit has assured that Thailand is ready to support the development of Timor-Leste in areas such as : Exchange of experiences in economic and social development: Timor-Leste is rich in natural resources; however, the country still needs proper management and is currently drafting it’s national development strategy; Support for human resource development in the agricultural sector: Thailand implemented training for Timorese agricultural officials on the philosophy of Sufficiency Economy and its application in a pilot village project; Export of rice to Timor-Leste; Sharing of Thailand’s experiences as a regional processing center for migrants, displaced persons and victims of human trafficking”.

Furthermore, Minister Kasit Piromya said that “Thailand is ready to cooperate with Timor-Leste in infrastructure development in sectors such as ports, shipbuilding, travel, trade, investment, and fisheries. In order to promote and encourage trade and investment in Timor-Leste, Thailand encourages Timor-Leste to organize seminars in Thailand.”

During the visit Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya paid courtsy visits to:

President of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste Dr. Jose Ramos-Horta;

President of the National Assembly ,Mr. Fernando La Sama de Araujo;

and Deputy Prime Minister,Dr. Jose Luis Guterres;

Thai Foreign Minister’s visit to the UNMIT Headquarter in Timor-Leste

During the last day of his official visit, Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya paid a visit to the Dili District Police Station, where some Thai police officers serve in UNPOL and UNMIT

Minister Piromya also met with Ms. Ameerah Haq, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Timor-Leste at the Headquarter of the UNMIT (UN Mission in Timor-Leste) in Dili.

MFA and IOM discuss the issue of Human Trafficking in Timor-Leste

H.E. the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Zacarias Albano da Costa, and

the Head of Mission for IOM in Timor-Leste, Dr. Norberto Celestino

H.E. the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Zacarias Albano da Costa, met today the Head of Mission for the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Timor-Leste, Dr. Norberto Celestino.

The scope of this meeting, which included technical staff of both the MFA and the IOM, was to address the issue of human trafficking in Timor-Leste.

“At the present moment there isn’t still exact data regarding human trafficking in Timor-Leste. I just want to refer that the situation is alarming although there aren’t yet exact figures regarding the number of trafficked people in Timor-Leste”. This was stated by the Head of Mission of IOM in Timor-Leste, Dr. Norberto Celestino.

Technical staff of both the MFA and the IOM

In order to address the issue of Human Trafficking in Timor-Leste, a Technical Group was established in 2003. The activities of this group were intensified after 2007, under the leadership of the current Foreign Minister, Dr. Zacarias Albano da Costa.

“This Group has involved, besides the partnership between the MoFA and the IOM, the District Attorneys Office, the Ombudsman for Human Rights, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry for Social Solidarity, the Secretary of State for the Promotion of Equality, the Secretary of State for security, the Secretary of State for Professional Training and Employment, and also non-governmental organizations, including Focupers, the Alola Foundation, Pradet, among others” said Minister Zacarias da Costa .

It should also be referred that Timor-Leste on the 5th of November, 2009, Timor-Leste acceded to the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime; the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime; and the Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime.

The Group also recognized the importance of producing a National Action Plan for Fighting Human Trafficking and the adoption of initiatives in the legal area.

“The Group has been working quite effectively and has drafted a law for the Prevention, Suppression and Punishment of Human Trafficking in Timor-Leste; the Plan refers strategies and concrete measures for the prevention and prosecution in this area. The drafting of the Law is at a stage of consultation, in the districts, and it is expected to be presented at the Council of Ministers at the beginning of March. This Draft Law, like the National Plan, will be implemented in a second stage that will again involve the governmental departments and non governmental organizations mentioned above”, said Minister Zacarias da Costa.

The IOM has offered its support to Timor-Leste since the beginning of the work of this Group, offering a budget, managed by that organization, for several activities, including the training of human resources, for relevant ministries and national agencies responsible for the implementation of the strategies agreed upon, and also the reassignment of consultants for the Consular Affairs division of the MFA, through the Project of Strengthening Migration Management.