FPCD's Dr. Kaiser and His Team's Discoveries Launch Creation of Timorese Stamps

When FPCD International Advisory Board Member  Dr. Hinrich Kaiser and his team visited Timor-Leste in January 2010, Dr. Kaiser’s friend and collaborator Mark O’Shea proposed to create a set of postage stamps for the country, to commemorate 2010 as the Year of Biodiversity and to display some of the more spectacular examples of Timor-Leste’s reptiles and amphibians. Mr. O'Shea and Dr. Kaiser made this suggestion to Ágio Pereira, Secretary of State for the Council of Ministers in Timor-Leste, who suggested that the two create a design for submission to the Council of Ministers.

They did this in a manner that raises the profile of the country’s biodiversity, and by underlining in the design with the national flag of Timor-Leste that these animals are a common treasure for all citizens of Timor-Leste. The design was presented to Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão and his Council of Ministers during the summer, and it was approved unanimously. The commemorative stamp sheet was officially launched on 28 November 2010, with the actual postage stamps being released in the near future.
 
Dr. Kaiser, who is also Associate Professor, Department of Biology, Victor Valley College and a Research Collaborator for the National Museum of Natural History sent this touching message to Timor-Leste on the occasion of the Official Launch:

"Your Excellency, Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao, Your Excellency, President Lasama, Excellencies on the Council of Ministers, Honorable Members of Parliament, Esteemed Guests.
 The stamps launched by you today were created first and foremost as a symbol of a united Timor-Leste. Throughout the history of this nation, you have vanquished your common enemies, and each time you have moved closer to national unity. You have now emerged as a united democratic republic, and you are displaying an iron will to succeed in this unity. This body is a testament to this will and to a people on a path of progress. Maybe the common enemies of the past can be replaced by nature, as a common friend. The animals depicted on these stamps are familiar to all the people of Timor-Leste, some ingrained even in the national spirit. May this spirit soar today, as you remember your original Declaration of Independence. I am humbled that I have been able to contribute in a small way to this day, and I am looking forward to my return in January.


Viva Timor-Leste!"



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