East Timor Help Australian Flood Victims

Tempo Semanal-Dili, 17.01.2011

Former australian PM Kevin Rudds and Xanana
shakes hands in Dili (Photo File).

The Queensland Premier Anna Bligh has announced a commission of inquiry into the state's devastating floods, as she confirmed the death toll in the disaster has risen to 20 people. The announcement comes as the Premier confirmed a man found in a vehicle in Ipswich last week died of flood-related causes, and another body had been found in Grantham in the Lockyer Valley. There are more than 10 people still missing.

While the Dili government through an extra ordinary council Ministers seating on (14/01) Friday last weekdecided to donnated some amount of $500,000.00 to Australian Flood Victims.

"In the sequence of the flooding that is affecting Australia in a devastating way, particularly the State of Queensland, the Council of Ministers, in an act of solidarity, fraternity and support towards the people and the authorities of that country, approved the financial aid attribution of 500 thousand American dollars, to help overcome the human and material lost," said in a press Released put by the Secretariat of state of the Council of Ministers.

During a joint Press Conference together with Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan, the Premier of Queensland Anna Bligh said that every penny from the fund would go to flood victims.

"It will help rebuild homes, replace property, and set Queensland families back on their feet," said Ms Bligh.

"Initial estimates show that well in excess of 28,000 properties have been affected by the Queensland floods and, as our wet season continues, more may follow."

East Timorese have received a handfull support from Australian people during the struggle to get it's independence and the biggest turned out of the Australian ordinary people in the cities in Australia during the 1999 militias violance had put a huge pressure on their government to brought to TL an Australian led INTERFET interventions after east Timorese overwhelming voted out Indonesian soldiers from East timor.

"I think it's time for us to show our self as a nation with moral and dignity. Even many people said we are the poor country in this reason but I agreed totally with the Government decission to send our solidarity to our friend in Australia who hit by these natural disastre," Said Mariana da C. Pereira, a senior high student Bekora Dili. 

She continue send her own message some students in queensland.

"To my dear school friends who may not able to attend their class cause of this flood. I wish they always be strength. And Hopefully the Government could help clean up their schools so allow them to get back to their class," Mariana added. (TS).