Firearm News
Solomon Islands,Australia,Papua New Guinea,Timor-Leste
Spread of Guns a 'Disease at the Heart of Society,' says Australia
12 November 2013
ABC Radio Australia (Shortwave)
Australia's Foreign Minister Julie Bishop says the international humanitarian system must improve its efficiency, quality and reach.
Ms Bishop told delegates at the International Red Cross and Red Crescent societies conference in Sydney that the system is being increasingly stretched by conflicts and crises.
The new types of conflict are leading to more attacks targeting aid workers.
Ms Bishop says the independent non-combatant status of the Red Cross and Red... (GunPolicy.org)
Timor-Leste,Thailand,Sri Lanka,Myanmar,Indonesia,South Asia,South East Asia,Israel,Iran,Cuba,United States,Japan,China,Brunei,Philippines,Pakistan,India,Asia
UN Urges Asian Nations to Help Curb Global Trade in Illegal Guns
6 March 2012
Jakarta Post
The United Nations is urging all nations in the Asia region to implement concrete solutions to stop illegal trading in small arms and light weapons.
"Over the past decades, trade has made this region grow so phenomenally. If you are a region where international trade is what makes you tick, you better also make sure that you are seen as doing trade in the right way," UN disarmament affairs official Daniel Prins told reporters on the sidelines of opening the Asian... (GunPolicy.org)
Portugal,Angola,Brazil,Cabo Verde,Guinea-Bissau,Mozambique,Sao Tome & Principe,Timor-Leste
Police Chiefs of Portuguese-speaking Nations Meet to Curb Gun Running
12 June 2009
Diario de Noticias (Lisbon)
CPLP (Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries) police chiefs have created a committee to fight arms trafficking through tighter controls of legal arms sales.
The PSP (Portuguese Public Security Police) has suggested to the CPLP chiefs of police a harmonization of legislation relating to the trade and transport of firearms. The objective is to prevent the considerable number of weapons circulating legally between these countries falling into criminal hands.
The CPLP... (GunPolicy.org)
Protection Rackets, Violent Martial Arts Gangs on the Rise in Timor-Leste
15 April 2009
Australian (Sydney)
Protection rackets run by so-called martial arts gangs are an increasing part of life in the East Timorese capital, Dili, with up to 20,000 paid-up members available for standover work and rent-a-crowd destruction.
Gang specialist James Scambary will publish today a report on gangs and armed violence in East Timor, with the backing of Austcare and the Geneva-based Small Arms Survey. It claims gangs are increasing their grip on social and political life in Dili.
Mr... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Control, Leakage of Police, Military Weapons Still Haunt East Timor
17 November 2008
ABC Radio Australia (Shortwave), Transcript
STEPHANIE MARCH: The mismanagement of government stockpiles of weapons by authorities is a common thread throughout East Timor's relationship with small arms over the past 50 years. Most recently, soldier turned rebel Alfredo Reinado and his followers who were in possession of police weapons shot and seriously injured President Jose Ramos Horta in February this year.
Weak government gun control first became a problem in 1959 in the mountain district of Viqueque when a... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Control, Leakage of Police, Military Weapons Still Haunt East Timor
17 November 2008
ABC Radio Australia (Shortwave)
A new report by the Small Arms Survey group says East Timor still has a serious problem with controlling weapons.
Weapons collections and an attempt to introduce gun control legislation to parliament are signs the government is aware there is a problem, the report's author says.
However, it is the current and previous government's lack of small arms control within the security forces that poses the greatest danger.
In June, the government introduced a new gun law... (GunPolicy.org)
Guns in Civilian Hands a Major Concern for Development in Timor-Leste
12 November 2008
IRIN (UN News)
DILI — Poor management of government weapon stockpiles and an unknown number of small arms in the hands of civilians were potential triggers for violence in the fledgling nation, according to a new report.
Since the 1959 Viqueque rebellion, when anti-imperialist rebels stole Portuguese weapons and launched an unsuccessful coup, civilians have used weapons from government stores to wreak havoc in the tiny nation, according to the Small Arms Survey report, Dealing... (GunPolicy.org)
Timor's Controversial Gun Amnesty 'A Bit Pointless,' No Real Success
2 September 2008
ABC Radio Australia (Shortwave)
East Timor's six-month gun amnesty has ended, but the controversery surrounding the program has not.
The police operation to collect illegal weapons from civilians began immediately after the president was shot by a gang of armed rebels in February.
Under the operation, citizens who handed in weapons of their own volition would not be prosecuted.
Interim Police Commander Afonso De Jesus says the task force assigned to the operation netted mostly antique and home... (GunPolicy.org)
Lawmakers Polarised as East Timor Debates Permitting Gun Ownership
1 September 2008
ABC Radio Australia (Shortwave), Transcript
East Timor's six month gun amnesty has ended. The opposition is describing it as pointless, saying the government should be trying to recover the weapons taken from police during the 2006 crisis. But the government is now focusing on getting its new gun law through parliament.
Presenter: Stephanie March
Speakers: Afonso De Jesus, East Timor's Interim Police Commander; Estanislau Da Silva, former interim prime minister and current Freitilin MP.
MARCH: The police... (GunPolicy.org)
Fight Over New Gun Law in East Timor Parliament 'Almost Physical'
2 July 2008
Australian (Sydney) / AAP
East Timor's Prime Minister is supporting a new law that would allow civilians to own guns, less than five months after illegally armed rebel soldiers tried to kill him and the president
The proposal has sparked heated scenes in parliament, with MPs almost coming to blows over what some say is a dangerous development that could threaten the nation's fragile security.
Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao last week introduced the proposed gun law to parliament for "urgent... (GunPolicy.org)
Police Boss Says Gun Buy-back Worked in Australia, Could Help East Timor
22 December 2006
Australian / AAP
A gun buy-back scheme in East Timor could work to reduce the amount of violence in the troubled nation, Australian Federal Police Commissioner Mick Keelty says.
"What is clearly apparent in East Timor is that there are far too many weapons on the street," Mr Keelty said ABC Radio.
Australia's nearest neighbour has been wracked by violence since the sacking of 600 soldiers in April by then prime minister Mari Alkatiri.
Rival police and army factions battled in the... (GunPolicy.org)
East Timor MPs Remind Government of Pledge Not to Buy Guns, Ammo
23 November 2006
UNMIT Daily Media Review / SDT
MPs question the pledge of Prime Minister Ramos-Horta to purchase ammunition for F-FDTL.
According to MP Leandro Isac, Ramos-Horta had stated in the National Parliament that the government under his leadership would not buy more guns and ammunition for Timor-Leste Defence Forces.
Contrary to a document the Parliament received, the government had ordered 15 tonnes or two containers of ammunition for F-FDTL.
Isac said the current priority is to resolve the internal... (GunPolicy.org)
Australia Fails to Collect Illegal Guns, Says East Timorese Rebel Leader
9 October 2006
Sydney Morning Herald
DARWIN — Alfredo Reinado, the East Timorese army rebel who escaped from a Dili jail in August, has lashed out at Australian and other international troops and police, accusing them of failing to confiscate scores of illegal weapons in the hands of militants.
The Herald has learnt that a report by the United Nations inquiry into the violence in East Timor in April was completed on Saturday and lists pages and pages of weapons that remain unaccounted for.
The report,... (GunPolicy.org)
Frightened Police Surrender Pilfered Guns to East Timorese Peacekeepers
25 July 2006
Agence France Presse
East Timorese police who had illegally kept weapons in their homes for protection during weeks of unrest surrendered dozens of firearms to Australian peacekeepers today, the head of the force said.
The policemen, who stashed the weapons out of fear of attacks by renegade soldiers in May, handed in more than 50 firearms, including M-16s, AK-33s and pistols, Brigadier Mick Slater said.
"They are smart people because they realise that the weapons should not be in their... (GunPolicy.org)
In Quest for Peace, East Timor Rebels Hand In Looted Army Guns
5 July 2006
BBC / AP
A third group of rebel soldiers in East Timor has surrendered its weapons — part of an initiative to restore order in the troubled nation.
Major Augusto Araujo, who heads the rebel faction, said: "We don't want to fight anymore and we support peace."
Many of the rebels still holed up in hills around the capital, Dili, are part of a group of 600 soldiers who were fired from their jobs in March.
The sackings sparked street violence which killed at least 21 people.... (GunPolicy.org)
Peacekeeping Chief Hails East Timor Gun Handover
5 July 2006
Herald Sun (Melbourne)
Autralian-led peacekeepers in East Timor believe they have most of the military-style weapons that had been listed as missing or in the hands of renegade security forces.
Taskforce commander Brig. Mick Slater has rejected rumours that vast illegal weapon stocks are hidden in the countryside and pose an ongoing threat to peace.
"If that was the case, I would have expected to have found some of those by now. There's been no physical evidence that I've seen," he said... (GunPolicy.org)
2,000-plus Assault Rifles, Handguns, SMGs Looted from East Timor Police
5 July 2006
Sydney Morning Herald / AAP
DILI — East Timor's ruling Fretilin party has called for an immediate audit of arms looted from the police armoury, saying it fears many weapons are in the hands of police who deserted their posts.
Stanislau da Silva, a senior member of Fretilin's central committee and the Minister for Agriculture, told the Herald the party was "very, very worried about the number of high-powered weapons" taken by police when the 3000-strong force disintegrated during the violence in... (GunPolicy.org)
In East Timor Violence, Popular President Makes Gun Amnesty a Priority
25 June 2006
Sunday Telegraph (Sydney)
At his home yesterday, East Timor's President Xanana Gusmao accepted weapons handed over by civilians.
Mr Gusmao said he expected more people to turn in their arms as the political crisis dragged on.
The popular president, embroiled in a stand-off with Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri over recent violence, was handed seven rifles by civilians.
However, he declined to allow the civilians to be named or be photographed.
"The priority of this government is to have all... (GunPolicy.org)
Former East Timor Interior Minister Hunted for Supplying Hit Squad Guns
21 June 2006
Sydney Morning Herald
DILI — Prosecutors in East Timor have ordered the arrest of the dismissed interior minister, Rogerio Lobato, on charges of distributing high-powered police guns to an alleged political hit-squad.
Mr Lobato had attempted to flee the country on Monday afternoon, high-level government sources said yesterday.
His name was listed on the passenger manifest of an Air North flight to Darwin, but it is understood he was unable to board because Canberra had blocked his entry... (GunPolicy.org)
East Timor Politician Imported Guns, Ammunition to Equip Private Army
19 June 2006
Sydney Morning Herald
DILI — New details have emerged about an East Timorese Government minister's efforts to turn police into a private army for the ruling Fretilin party and arm civilian hit squads to cow voters and rivals before next year's elections.
The former interior minister, Rogerio Lobato, arranged to secretly import high-powered weapons for the East Timor National Police, who are responsible to the Interior Ministry, on a visit to Kuwait with the Prime Minister, Mari Alkatiri,... (GunPolicy.org)