Timor-Leste Encouraged To Create Future Press Council

Government Encourages Organisation Of Timor-Leste Press To Create Future Press Council

DILI (Timor-Leste Government/ETAN/Pacific Media Watch): The government of Timor-Leste, through the Secretariat of State of the Council of Ministers (Portuguese acronym SECM), has encouraged the Timor-Leste press to participate in a comparative study in the Indonesian Press Council. This initiative, with the purpose of gaining experience for the future creation of the Timor-Leste Press Council, took place in Jakarta between February 21-24.

“At the moment, Timor-Leste is in the phase of creating regulations regarding the mass media communication activities. As SECM General-Director, the responsible institution for the mass media communications area, I’m confidant that, through this study, the Timor-Leste press delegation can obtain more experience”, said Victor Maia.

In this initiative, the president of the Indonesian Press Council, Bagir Manan, said: “The experience that the Timor-Leste delegation was able to obtain in this study can serve as reference in the future, for the creation of the Timor-Leste Press Council, where the Indonesian Press Council promises to cooperate.”

The Timor-Leste delegation sought to understand about:

* The experience and the history of the creation of the council, namely in what concerns the member’s composition;

* the independence in the functional context;

* the Indonesian subsidiary law;

* the relevance with the process of creation of the Timor-Leste Press Council;

* the budget;

* the process of elaborating the Journalistic Code of Conduct;

* the resolution model that refers the rights of journalists:

* who the journalists are;

* what is the relation between the Press Council and the State;

* the number of existing press organisations; and the owners of the companies where the journalists work.

Besides visiting to the Indonesian Press Council in Jakarta, the Timor-Leste delegation also carried out a visit to the Independent Journalists Alliance and to the Indonesian Journalists Unity.

The Timor-Leste delegation that participated in this study comprised SECM General-Director Victor Maia; SECM International Legal Adviser for Mass Communication Sofia Calado; SECM National Legal Adviser for Mass Communication Gina Lopes; SECM Chief of Department for Mass Communication from the National Direction for Dissemination of Information Orlando da Conceição; National Advisor for Mass Communication from the Prime Minister Office António Ramos Naikoli; Press Club General-Secretary, Mouzinho Lopes; President of the Timor-Leste Journalist Union Otelio Ote; Vice-President of the Timor-Leste Journalists Association; Rosário Martins and the President interim of the RTTL Council of Administration, Expedito Dias Ximenes.

ENDS

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