Power Solutions in Dili and in Oecusse

Electricity was a continuing theme during the month of October as city power interruptions in Dili created disruptions at ICFJ. The generator that ICFJ has used for the past four years is wearing out and no longer capable of handling the “load.” Translation: some computers and all air conditioners have to be turned off during the power interruptions. As a result, some staffers were unable to work.

With no funds to procure a new powerful generator, the goal was to find a low cost solution. The answer was a used generator that ICFJ was able to rent at a reasonable cost. This new “used” generator weighed a ton and had to be lifted into the compound with a crane. It was delivered during a driving rain storm – with ICFJ staffers donning plastic bags and umbrellas as they guided the generator into place on a giant concrete slab.

The generator immediately solved ICFJ’s power issues. The piece of equipment is so powerful that it can easily handle all the computers – and even the air conditioners – which is seen as a luxury since the old generator had never been able to do so.

ICFJ’s Oscar Selly and Fernando da Silva solved another electricity issue, this one at the Media House in Oecusse. City power is available in Oecusse only from 6 p.m. each night until approximately midnight. As a result, the Media House has to rely on a generator during the entire day – a costly option in terms of diesel fuel.

A solution was found next door – at the Dominican Convent.

The nuns had installed a powerful solar panel system and had more electricity than they needed for their own use. What the convent didn’t have was internet access. ICFJ’s Oscar Selly proposed a barter agreement: the media house would supply the convent with internet, and the convent would supply the media house with 24 hour-a-day electricity.

It’s a win-win situation for everybody. The solar panel system supplies power to the media house server and the VSAT hardware which will ultimately supply internet to the convent.

Design Plans

The planned National Press Center moved another giant step forward in October as the architect revealed the blueprints for the structure. The NPC will house office space for the five journalism associations and will serve as the Dili Media House once ICFJ departs. In addition to the office space, the facility will include a training/computer room.

A ground breaking ceremony is planned for mid-November, with construction to begin shortly thereafter. The plan is to have the NPC completed by the middle of the first quarter of 2011.

Trainings

Australian intern Peter Kesina, a third year journalism student at Charles Sturt University, traveled to Suai to conduct a three-day journalism training at the Media House. He worked with radio and print reporters. The areas that Peter focused on during his visit were interviewing techniques, working with quotes, and story structure.

The trip to and from Suai is an adventure unto itself – given that it is perhaps the worst road in the country. It’s a 16-hour roundtrip journey and oftentimes there are further delays due to washouts from the unseasonably heavy rains over the past six months. Peter was lucky – the roads were open, but there was a bit of uncertainty as they were about to cross a wooden bridge. The ICFJ driver suggested the passengers walk across – just in case. Driver and truck made it across safely – Whew!

In addition to his training session in Suai, Peter also mentored journalists at The Dili Weekly and collaborated on stories with reporters from Timortoday.com during his three week internship.

Another Australian intern, Natalie Whiting, wrapped up her three-week internship at ICFJ on the first of October – completing a three-day training at the Maubisse Media House/Community Radio Station. She helped the volunteers at the station develop plans for a talk show – unfortunately, the scheduled guest canceled at the last moment.

Natalie also assisted the staff in producing some station promos, showing them how to do it on digital editing software – and she suggested they do a program in which a volunteer reads articles from the newspaper over the air. Natalie said her station back home in Australia offered such a program and called it The Talking Newspaper. The radio volunteers told her they plan to do so – ICFJ regularly sends up newspapers to the Maubisse Media House, a three hour drive from Dili.

Media Law Trainings

The media law team traveled to the Media House in Maubisse in mid-October to conduct a two-day training session on media law and the Journalists' Code of Ethics. This training was attended by eight participants who were mainly volunteers from the local community radio station. They were very interested to hear about the Code of Ethics and asked many practical questions about the application of the Code in their daily lives.

The Media Legal Adviser, Sarah Harmelink, and Media Law Coordinator, Francisco Pinto, met with the Legal Adviser to the Secretary of State, to discuss their involvement in the upcoming workshop on the Code of Ethics for Journalists. It was requested that the Media Legal Adviser conduct a session in this all-day workshop on the system of media regulation in Australia. This idea was then discussed with KOLKOS (Commission for Legislation for Social Communication) for their input and it was agreed to participate in the workshop. The workshop has been tentatively scheduled for November 9th in Dili.

Training of Trainers

With guidance from ICFJ trainers, the original crop of TOTs conducted twice-weekly trainings in October for the new group of TOTs – they joined the program in mid-September. The original TOTs are assisted by Frances Suni and Chloe Adams as they conduct classes using a soon-to-be published training manual for TOTs. The manual was developed by Chloe Adams with input from the TOTs – it contains numerous examples of work by Timorese journalists. The manual is to be published in mid-November.

Meet the Press

On October 21, ICFJ’s Frances Suni moderated an edition of “Meet the Press” that focused on the confusion over the issue of suspension of immunity for two government ministers. The guests were Camilo Almeida, a political science professor at UNTL, and Robert Pacheco, the head of the Research and Legal Analysis Unit at JSMP (Judicial System Monitoring Programme – a Timorese NGO based in Dili). Nearly two dozen reporters took part in the program.

“Meet the Press” aims to provide lively discussion on timely issues and attempts to bring all sides to the table so that journalists can get each side of the story.

Balibo Five Ceremony

Gil Guterres, the president of the Center for Journalism Investigations Timor-Leste (CJITL), organized a small memorial service in Dili on October 16th to mark the 35th anniversary of the murder of five journalists covering the invasion of Timor by Indonesian forces. ICFJ’s Chuck Rice also took part in the ceremony. The five reporters worked for Australian-based TV stations. Bouquets of flowers were placed in the waters near the Dili port – where a sixth reporter, Roger East, was also murdered. East had come to Timor-Leste in 1975 to investigate the disappearance of the five other journalists. Their story was told in a movie released last year in Australia titled ‘Balibo’ (in the US: ‘The Balibo Conspiracy’). It was filmed in Timor-Leste.

Departures

It is always a sad time when someone’s involvement with the SIMPTL project comes to an end – and such was the case on September 30th: we said goodbye to Program Officer Paulo Amaral. He’s been a familiar face around ICFJ Timor-Leste for the past four years. He worked in the Special Projects Unit and was involved in a variety of projects, including the distribution of the weekly radio program to community radio stations, the high school wall newspaper competition, and working on Timortoday.com’s Daybook page.

Paulo, we’ll miss you!