This is a summary of the fourth day of the Student Solidarity Conference 2010 in Dili, East Timor.
On Thursday morning we were proud to present Jose Ramos-Horta, current president of Timor Leste and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate of 2006, to our Laureates. He spent one and a half hour together with us and shared histories from his time as a central figure in the Timorese resistant movement against the Indonesian occupation. He also talked about his role as a President of a young nation trying to cope with a difficult past, both psychologically and physically. At the end he answered questions from the Laureates regarding their own countries situation, especially Burma and Western-Sahara. Timor-Leste and president Horta is actively supporting the Western Saharawees demand for self determination and the Burmese wish for a new and democratic regime. He explained some of the complex nature of international relations, as well as the challenges national leaders meet regarding diplomacy.
We were honored to have him with us during the conference.
After Hortas session we were invited to the parliament were we got a tour and met with various MPs including the president of the parliament and the opposition leader. Once again the Laureates got to present their history to influential politicians, and were able to lobby their cause. The media was present and interviewed some of the Student Peace Prize organizers as well as the Laureates. During our stay here we have gotten good media coverage and have appeared both on national television and in the newspapers. Information sharing is a central part of the Laureates work, and the good media coverage by the Timorese media has been unexpected – but much appreciated.
Jonas Soennesyn
