East Timor looks to the pope's visit as a reward after 20 years of fragile stability

DILI, East Timor (AP) — East Timor is in a festive mood as it prepares for the arrival of Pope Francis on his first trip to the deeply Catholic country, hard on the heels of the 25th anniversary of the referendum on independence from Indonesia.

Francis is due to arrive Monday in one of the world's poorest countries of 1.3 million people, also known as Timor-Leste, following visits to Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. Banners and billboards have filled the streets of the seaside capital, Dili, to welcome the pontiff.

“The pope’s visit is the biggest, the best marketing anyone can aspire to promote the country, to put the country on the tourist map,” East Timor’s President Jose Ramos-Horta said in an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday.

The 74-year-old former independence fighter and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who returned to the presidency in 2022, said the papal visit is a “reward” for the depth of faith shown by the Timorese, some 98% of whom identify as Catholic, and recognition of the progress toward peace in recent years.

The World Bank in its semi-annual report in February praised East Timor as a peaceful, democratic nation. For more than 10 years, free and fair elections have been held despite tensions between the two largest parties that have occasionally erupted into violence.

The country's path to statehood has been traumatic.

The Timorese first declared their independence from Portugal, the colonial ruler, on Nov. 28, 1975, but that move was crushed nine days later when neighboring Indonesia invaded. As many as 200,000 people were killed during the 24 years of Indonesian rule.

On Aug. 30, 1999, Timorese cast their ballots in a United Nations-backed referendum that backed independence from Indonesia with 78.5% of the vote. Indonesia’s military responded with a scorched-earth campaign that shocked the world. About 1,500 people were killed, more than 300,000 were displaced and over 80% of East Timor’s infrastructure was destroyed.

An international force led by Australia intervened to restore security. After a period of direct U.N. governance, East Timor finally became an independent state on May 20, 2002.

The transition to democracy has been rocky, with leaders battling poverty, unemployment and corruption. East Timor’s economy is heavily dependent on energy resources in the Timor Sea, but according to the U.N. Human Development Index, oil and gas income is falling as reserves are depleted, and the economy is not yet diversified.

About 42% of the population lives below the poverty line, according to the U.N. Development Program. Unemployment is high, job opportunities in the formal sector are generally limited and most people are subsistence farmers with no steady income.

In the health sector, 47% of children still suffer from stunting and for every 1,000 babies born in East Timor, 49 died before their 5th birthday due to malnutrition, according to the U.N.'s Group for Child Mortality Estimation. Nearly all medicines must be imported and supplies sometimes run out. Patients seek more advanced care overseas.

“Achieving national independence and managing the country afterward are not easy tasks,” Koji Sakane, the director of Global Peacebuilding Association of Japan, said in his February study. “In other words, it is not easy for less experienced figures and organizations to provide the people with a stable living environment and gain their trust.”

Out of necessity, Sakane said, the country was run by leaders and organizations who lacked experience in key areas, including coordination between competing political parties and control of ex-combatants and weapons from the struggle for independence.

While poverty levels remain high, East Timor joined the World Trade Organization last month as its 166th member, after 7 1/2 years of negotiations.

It also applied for a full membership in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. It currently has observer status, and wealthier members of the regional bloc like Singapore had feared it would be a burden and delay the creation of an ASEAN Economic Community.

Both East Timor's Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao and Ramos-Horta highlighted the importance of joining the 10-nation grouping of more than 700 million people to give foreign companies and investors the confidence and security to invest in the country. Last

In 2023, ASEAN member states adopted a roadmap for East Timor's full membership. It includes a requirement for East Timor to prepare a special budget to meet its obligations, such as building infrastructure to host ASEAN meetings and accommodate delegates.

As an ASEAN member, the island nation would have to attend 1,300 meetings a year, host summits, and contribute $2.5 million per year to the group’s budget.

“I can assure you that it's on the right track,” said Milena Maria da Costa Rangel, East Timor's vice foreign minister for ASEAN affairs, adding that the government is involving the private sector and civil society to meet the criteria in the roadmap.

Ramos-Horta expects that East Timor will become a full member of ASEAN in 2025, under Malaysia's chairmanship.

However, economic analyst Fernando Dias Gusmao, from the Peace University in Dili, was more downbeat, saying the government has moved slowly to implement the roadmap.

East Timor continues to face challenges in terms of infrastructure, including the airports, accommodations and IT network necessary to host high-level meetings, Gusmao said.

“It was a big wish but the steps to make that wish come true are not yet optimal,” Gusmao said.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

A billboard welcoming Pope Francis is seen in Dili, East Timor Friday, Sept. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)

Girls stand in front a wall photo welcoming Pope Francis in Dili, East Timor on Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)

Nuns walk pass banners welcoming Pope Francis in Dili, East Timor on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)

FILE- President of East Timor José Ramos-Horta speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the Presidential Palace in Dili, East Timor, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)

People paint the wall of a house in Dili, East Timor, Friday, Sept. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)

A man waits for customers in his three wheel transportation in Dili, East Timor, Friday, Sept. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)

A vendor sells chicken at a market in Dili, East Timor, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)

A man stands in front of his house in Dili, East Timor, Friday, Sept. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)

A miner digs a dry river bed for sand in Dili, East Timor, Friday, Sept. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)

A woman carries plastic cans to buy water at a market in Dili, East Timor on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)

A man distributes water at a market in Dili, East Timor on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)

A fisherman repairs his boat, with his daughters sitting beside him at a beach in Dili, East Timor, Friday, Sept. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)

Shanties crowd a locality in Dili, East Timor on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)

Children dance in a classroom in Dili, East Timor on Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)

Ana Darojo stands inside her shop with her son in Dili, East Timor, Friday, Sept. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)

East Timor Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão walks with children in Dili, East Timor, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)

Children eat a meal distributed in schools as part of a free meal program in Dili, East Timor, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)

Students raise their hands in class in Dili, East Timor, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)

A school teacher sweeps the floor of a classroom before the start of classes in Dili, East Timor, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)

LONDON (AP) — Former BBC news anchor Huw Edwards, once one of the most prominent media figures in Britain, was given a suspended prison sentence Monday for images of child sexual abuse on his phone.

Edwards, 63, pleaded guilty in Westminster Magistrates’ Court in July to three counts of making indecent images of children, a charge related to photos sent to him on the WhatsApp messaging service by a man convicted of distributing images of child sex abuse.

Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring sentenced Edwards to a six-month prison term suspended for two years. He will be listed on a sex offenders register for seven years.

“It is not an exaggeration to say your long-earned reputation is in tatters,” Goldspring said.

Edwards' fall from grace over the past year has caused turmoil for the BBC after it was revealed the publicly funded broadcaster paid him about 200,000 pounds ($263,000) for five months of his salary after he had been arrested in November while on leave. The BBC has asked him to pay it back.

“We are appalled by his crimes,” the BBC said in a statement after the sentencing. “He has betrayed not just the BBC, but audiences who put their trust in him.”

Edwards had been one of the BBC’s top earners when he was suspended in July 2023 over separate claims made last year involving a teenager he allegedly paid for sexually explicit photos. Police investigated and decided not to bring charges.

Although Edwards was not publicly named at the time those allegations surfaced, his wife later revealed he was the news presenter investigated and said he was hospitalized for serious mental health issues.

He never returned to the air but the BBC kept him on the payroll until he resigned in April for health reasons.

Edwards began his BBC career in Wales four decades ago. He went on to become lead anchor on the nighttime news for two decades and led the coverage of the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022 as well as election coverage.

The BBC said at the time of his guilty plea that it was shocked to hear the details of the charges against him.

More than 375 sexual images were sent to him on WhatsApp between December 2020 and August 2021. More than 40 were indecent images of children, including seven classified as “category A” — the most indecent — with children estimated to be between 13 and 15. One child was aged between 7 and 9.

In chats with Alex Williams, who was later convicted of distributing child sex abuse images, Edwards was asked if he wanted sexual images of a person whose “age could be discerned as being between 14 and 16,” and Edwards replied, “yes xxx,” prosecutor Ian Hope said.

“From that chat in December 2020, Alex Williams said that he had ‘a file of vids and pics for you of someone special,’” Hope said.

Edwards asked who the subject and was then sent three images that appeared to be the same person who appeared to be aged 14 to 16, Hope said.

Williams later sent Edwards a video in February 2021 that involved two children, one possibly as young as seven and the other no older than 13, involving penetration, Hope said.

Edwards did not respond, but when asked by Williams if the material was too young, he said, “don’t send underage.” He also said he didn’t want him to send anything illegal.

Defense lawyer Philip Evans said Edwards was “truly sorry” for the offenses and the damage he had done to his family.

“He apologizes sincerely and he makes it clear that he has the utmost regret and he recognizes that he has betrayed the priceless trust and faith of so many people,” Evans said.

Evans said Williams had reached out to Edwards on Instagram at a time when he was mentally vulnerable and began sending him images. He said Edwards never received gratification from the images and hadn’t saved them or sent them to anyone.

Hope said Edwards paid Williams “not insignificant sums of money,” as gifts that Williams used while studying at a university.

At one point, Williams asked for a “Christmas gift after all the hot videos” he had sent. Edwards remarked that some of the images were “amazing,” Hope said.

Williams, 25, was given a suspended 1-year sentence in March for possessing and distributing indecent images as well as possessing prohibited images of children.

Huw Edwards an ex-BBC news presenter arrives at Westminster Magistrate's Court for sentencing after he pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children in London, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

A small number of protesters wait for Huw Edwards an ex-BBC news presenter to arrive at Westminster Magistrate's Court for sentencing after he pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children in London, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

A small number of protesters wait for Huw Edwards an ex-BBC news presenter to arrive at Westminster Magistrate's Court for sentencing after he pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children in London, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

Huw Edwards an ex-BBC news presenter arrives at Westminster Magistrate's Court for sentencing after he pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children in London, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

Huw Edwards an ex-BBC news presenter arrives at Westminster Magistrate's Court for sentencing after he pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children in London, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

Huw Edwards an ex-BBC news presenter arrives at Westminster Magistrate's Court for sentencing after he pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children in London, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

Huw Edwards an ex-BBC news presenter arrives at Westminster Magistrate's Court for sentencing after he pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children in London, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

Huw Edwards an ex-BBC news presenter arrives at Westminster Magistrate's Court for sentencing after he pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children in London, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)