REGISTRASAUN VETERANUS BOSOK IHA COVA LIMA…

Registrasaun Veteranus Bosok iha Covalima Hatudu Asuntu ne’ebe Seidauk hotu ho Suporta husi Veteranus Nasional

Fundasaun Mahein nia monitorizasaun fó sai ona katak grupu ida ne’ebe latemi nia naran iha sidade Covalima hala’o ona planu rejistrasaun hodi bosok veteranus iha area Covalima kona-bá osan no rekursu sira. Grupu ida ne’e reklama hanesan konsellu operasaun ba veteranus ida hala’o rejistu nomos halo rejistrasaun fila-fali ba veteranus FALINTIL iha sistema pagamentu nasional nian. Alende ne’e “Konsellu” ne’e reklama katak hetan suporta husi Rai Lakan, eis komandante FALINTIL ida ne’ebé fila mai Timor-Leste husi Indonesia tinan hirak liu ba. Ida ne’e maneira ida hodi bosok veteranus hasai sira nia osan, grupu ida ne’e laiha dalan seluk hodi invole komisaun nasional rejistrasaun ba veteranus. FM nia investigasaun hetan ona katak grupu ne’e halo ona operasaun iha Covalima besik fulan rua ona no sei kontinua nafatin hanesan publika iha relatoriu ida ne’e.

Grupu ne’e nia tarjetu opersaun maka ba veteranus tuan sira iha area Covalima. Grupu ne’e rasik halo ona promosaun hanesan konsellu veteranus ida ne’ebé oferese halo rejistrasaun fasil no simplifika rejistrasaun ba pensaun veteranus hotu-hotu nian iha area refere. Grupu ne’e reklama mos hetan suporta husi Taur Matan Ruak, Prezidenti Republika Timor-Leste nian, eis Primeru Ministru no Lere Anan Timur, Chefi Major Jeneral F-FDTL nian. Grupu ne’e reklama tan katak entre sira na’in tolu ne’e sei pesoalmente hola fatin kona-bá rejistrasaun iha Covalima no oferese pensaun ba veteranus iha area refere.

FM koalia ho veteranus tuan balu ne’ebe inklui iha grupu ida ne’e ho esperansa boot ba prosesu rejistrasaun ne’ebé fasil ba fundu pensaun veteranus nasional nian. Tuir fontes FM nian, grupu ida ne’e espalla ona informasaun ba publiku liu-liu ba veteranus-sira iha area neba, no husu veternaus atu mai Covalima hodi halo rejistrasaun ba pensaun veteranus nian. Maibe, wainhira veteranus sira hasoru ho grupu ida ne’e, sira mos husu taxa ba “rejistrasaun” – tipu montate ne’ebé veteranus sira lori ba rejistu maizmenus $5, $20 and $30, maibe karik mos inklui Karau Timor . Fundasaun Mahein fiar katak iha fulan rua nia laran dezde grupu ne’e komesa nia opersaun ilegal, sira na’ok kuaze veteranus 200 iha area Covalima nian.

FM nia investigasaun iha Suai hetan katak seidauk iha asaun ruma hasoru grupu ida ne’e husi Governu no polisia. FM nia fontes hato’o ona katak mezmu PNTL iha Covalima hatene ona kona-bá operasaun ilegal ida ne’e, laiha asaun konkretu ida husi PNTL halo identifikasaun ba kriminozu sira ne’ebé responsavel ba asaun rejistrasaun ida ne’e. Aat liu tan administrasaun lokal ba komisaun homenajen, supervisaun ba rejistu no rekursu (CHSRR), komisaun nasional responsavel ba identifikasaun no rejistu veteranus kona-bá pensaun, la hatene kona-ba ejistensia operasun ida ne’e nian, wainhira FM kontaktu sira.

Tanbasa veteranus iha Covalima fasil liu hodi tama ba iha maneira rejistrasaun ne’e? FM fiar ida ne’e kontinuasaun sigundu produsaun inefikasia husi Komisaun Nasional (CHSRR), no inatividade prezente husi Governu no ofisiais seguransa hodi hakotu opersaun ho maneira bosok ne’e.

Fundasaun Mahein publika ona relatoriu ho detaila ba kestaun ne’ebe mosu dadauk ne’e ho rejistrasaun nasional veteranus nian. Prosesu ne’e lao neneik no la efikasia nomos husik veteranus barak iha liur husi prosesu rejistrasaun ne’e. Numeru balu husi veteranus iha distritu sira la rejistu hela ho fundu pensaun nasional, nomos ho dokumentasaun ne’ebé lakompletu ka falta komunikasaun ho komisaun. Mezmu CHSRR servisu ona ba rejistrasaun durante tinan 10, iha veteranus tuan barak loloos iha area Covalima ne’ebe sei haree asistensia husi governu ho nune’e fasil liu hetan manipulasaun husi grupu ida ne’e.

Segundu, operasaun ne’e kontinua nafatin iha Covalima, seidauk iha intervensaun husi autoridades sira. PNTL sidauk esforsu hodi investiga asuntu ne’e no prevene manipulasaun kontinuasaun ba veteranus tuan sira husi grupu ida ne’e. Karik ida ne’e maka sei kontinua, alende veteranus barak ne’ebe sei bosok husi maneira falsu ne’e kona-bá rejistrasaun pensaun nian.

FM rekomenda katak:

1. PNTL no governu lokal foti papel ativu ida hodi investiga grupu ne’e no ejije justisa ba veteranus Timor-Leste nian ne’ebé hetan manipulasaun husi grupu ida ne’e.

2. CHSRR haree fila-fali ninia esforsu, iha Covalima no mos iha nivel nasional, ho komunikasaun propriu ho edukasaun ba veteranus tuan sira iha prosesu rejistrasaun pensaun nian. 

Veteran Registration Fraud in Covalima Reveals Ongoing Issues with National Veteran Support

Fundasaun Mahein monitoring has revealed that an unnamed group in the city of Covalima has been running a fraudulent veteran registration scheme to cheat veterans in the greater Covalima area of money and resources. The group has claimed to be an operating council of veterans conducting registration and re-registration for FALINTIL veterans in the national pension system. In addition, the “council” has claimed to be supported by Rai Lakan, a former FALINTIL commander who returned to Timor-Leste from Indonesia a few years ago. This is a fraud to cheat veterans out of their money—this group is in no way involved with the National Commission for registration of veterans. FM’s investigation has revealed that the group has been operating in Covalima for approximately two months, and is continuing unabated as of the publication of this report.

The group’s operation is targeting older veterans in the Covalima area. The group has been promoting itself as a council of veterans offering easy and simplified registration for veteran pensions for all veterans in the area. The group also claims to have the backing of Taur Matan Ruak, President of the Republic of Timor-Leste; Xanana Gusmao, former Prime Minister of Timor-Leste; and Lere Anan Timur, Chief Major General of the F-FDTL. The group has claimed that these three will personally be taking charge of the registrations in Covalima and offering pensions to veterans in the area.

FM spoke to several older veterans who engaged with this group in the hopes of an easy registration process for the national veterans’ pension fund. According to FM’s sources, the group has advertised itself publicly to veterans in the area, and asked veterans to come to Covalima for registration for veterans’ pensions. When the veterans arrive in Covalima from their hometowns, they are charged “registration” fees for the pension fund by this group—typical amounts charged to veterans for the registration ranged between $5, $20, and $50. (One source was even forced to provide a buffalo for his “registration.”) Fundasaun Mahein estimates in just two months’ time since the group began its illegal operations, they have already approached and swindled over 200 veterans in the larger Covalima area.

FM’s investigation into the matter in Suai revealed that no action has yet been taken against this group by the government nor the police. FM’s sources have reported that although the PNTL in Covalima is aware of the illegal operation, no efforts have been made to identify the criminals behind the scheme. Even worse, the local administration of Comissão de Homenagem, Supervisão de Registo e Recurso (CHSRR), the national commission responsible for identifying and registering veterans for pensions, was completely unaware of the operation’s existence when FM reached out for further information.

Why have veterans in Covalima been so easily drawn into this false registration scheme? FM believes this is both the product of continued inefficiency from the national commission (CHSRR), and a present inactivity from government and security officials to put an end to this fraudulent operation.

Fundasaun Mahein has published reports in the past detailing the ongoing issues with national registration of veterans. The process has been slow and inefficient, and left many veterans on the outside of the registration process. A large number of veterans in the districts remain unregistered with the national pension fund, either due to incomplete documentation or a lack of communication with the commission. Even though the CHSRR has been working on registration for ten years, there are clearly many older veterans in the Covalima area who are still seeking assistance from the government, and thus have been easily manipulated by this group.

Secondly, the operation has continued unabated in Covalima without any pushback from authorities. The PNTL as of 10 May, 2016, has made no effort to investigate the matter and prevent further manipulation of older veterans by this illegal group. If this continues, even more veterans who will be cheated over false hopes of pension registration.

FM recommends that:

1. The PNTL and local government take an active role in investigating this operation and pursuing justice for Timor-Leste’s veterans who have been manipulated by this group;

2. The CHSRR refocus its efforts, both in Covalima and on a national level, on proper communication with and education of older veterans on the pension registration process.

Fundasaun Mahein