Veterans Brief

Background

Timor-Leste has addressed the difficult challenge of developing policies to honor and assist veterans of the resistance in a timely and systematic fashion. Timor-Leste's successful 24-year resistance to its occupation by Indonesia was characterized by near universal popular support and successful coordination across the three arms of the resistance: the armed combatants of the Forças Armadas de Liberatação National de Timor-Leste (Falintil), clandestine civilian support networks, and the diplomatic front charged with international advocacy. In February 2001, Falintil was disbanded and Timor-Leste’s new national army, the Falintil-Forca Defese de Timor-Leste (F-FDTL) was created. 650 Falintil members formed the first battalion of F-FDTL, and the remaining 1,250 were demobilized. Recognizing the destabilizing effect of disillusionment among veterans and the broad community demand for their recognition, in 2002 President Gusmao appointed two commissions to register the veterans of the armed resistance. In 2004 a further commission was appointed to register veterans of the civilian resistance. The effort to recognize members of the civilian resistance is unusual among post-conflict countries, but reflects the strong community demand that the civilian as well as armed resistance be recognized.

Key achievements to date include:

• Systematic and transparent registration, including safeguards to forestall false claims and the publication in communities of lists of those who registered. 
• Registration of 80,000 veterans, including 37,000 from the armed front and 43,000 from the civilian front. 
• Creation of veterans database, to be completed and transferred from commissions to Government in mid-2006.  
• Community consultations on veterans policy in 24 locations involving over 8,000 participations nationwide.
• Veterans law drafted by National Parliament based on recommendations of veterans commissions, expected to be passed in early 2006.
• Establishment of Secretariat of State for Veterans and Former Combatants (SEAVAC), under the Ministry of Labor and Community Reinsertion as Government entity responsible for policy implementation.
• Training, medical assistance, and building of Garden of Heroes memorial park undertaken by SEAVAC.

The veterans commission process has brought about immediate and tangible gains in stability and nation-building. The months surrounding independence in May 2002 saw growing agitation by groups purporting to represent veterans’ interests, causing tension in communities and fueling fears of potential manipulation of veterans issues for political ends. With the start of the registration, such activities quickly ceased as veterans and the community at large saw the new state moving to address the issue. Social groups which had previously rejected initiatives of the central Government joined the registration, helping to consolidate identification with the new nation. The commission process has also contributed to reconciliation and healing. In some cases families have been able to locate the remains of members lost during the struggle through the work of the commission.

The Government strategy with respect to veterans is to emphasize recognition and socio-economic integration over financial assistance. Recognition measures may include medals, certificates, the right to wear uniforms and participate in official ceremonies, veterans cemeteries, and memorials. Under the draft law, all veterans will receive recognition, while only the oldest, longest serving, and disabled, as well as widows and orphans will receive financial assistance. The law also foresees subsidized education for veterans and their children, recognizing the educational opportunities foregone by many former members of the resistance. Ceremonies of recognition are planned for August 2006.

Key Sector Issues

• If Government remains committed to a policy of financial benefits for only the oldest and longest serving, assistance programs will be sustainable. Few of Timor-Leste’s veterans served for long periods – only 2.5 percent served for more than five years in the armed resistance.

Veterans of the armed front by years served in the resistance:

• The greatest challenge affecting the process has consistently been coordination across the veterans commissions under the Office of the President, the National Parliament, and Government. For example, in late 2005 Government announced that it would start providing financial assistance to 36 long-serving veterans. However, the list of names was not taken from the commissions, and no attempt was made to vet the list with the commissions.
• The announcement of assistance for the 36 underlines the danger of rival lists emerging, which would pose a serious threat to the transparency of veterans assistance programs, leaving it open to the political manipulation that the transparency of the veterans registration process was designed to forestall.
• Finally, there is some risk that veterans issues could be politicized in the upcoming 2007 elections. Recognizing this risk, the President and veterans commissions are seeking to have the entire registration wrapped up and recognition measures commenced well before the elections.

World Bank Program

• Past Bank support in this area includes the co-financing, together with USAID and Japan, of the Falintil Reinsertion Assistance Program (FRAP) with a grant from the Post-Conflict Fund. FRAP assisted the 1,250 former fighters who were not integrated into F-FDTL. The program provided transport to home communities, five monthly transitional support payments totaling US$ 500 per soldier, and individually designed small livelihoods projects, as well as vocational training and medical referrals as needed.
• Ongoing Bank support includes Post-Conflict Fund grants to support the veterans commissions, together with UNDP, Development Cooperation Ireland, UK, AusAid, and USAID. The Bank has also provided Government with an IDF grant of to develop the institutional capacity of SEAVAC.
• To document Timor-Leste’s innovative approach to addressing veterans issues, the task team is writing a study of Timor-Leste’s experience entitled “Defining Heroes: the Creation of Veterans Policy in Timor-Leste.” Finally the Bank’s Innovation Fund has contributed, together with the United Kingdom, to a documentary film about veterans issues in post-conflict Timor-Leste, “After the Victory” by award-winning film-maker Max Stahl.