East Timor blows up - again

[Teiwaz]

http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/articles/2006/05/30/foreign_peacekeepers_move_to_quell_violence_in_eas t_timor/

The Aussies have had to go back in to try to calm down the neighbours. It's a mess up there. Indonesia is a close neighbour and trading partner, but also the biggest Muslim country in the world, lots of Australians have been killed in the 2 Bali Bombings. 7 years ago the East Timorese declared independence from Indonesia, and we keep getting dragged back up there to help calm things down. The whole thing worries me.

What is it with the island nations around here? Fiji, East Timor, Samoa, Papua New Guinea - all squander what resources they have through political ineptitude and corruption, in-fighting, you name it. Nothing ever seems to improve, despite all the aid and assistance from places like Australia, New Zealand etc. They are small economies sure, but they don't do themselves any favours. They can't seem to get out of their own way.

["shazbat"]

It's the same way in all nations small or large.
The wealthy or powerful (often both) take control and leave the peaons to fend for themselves.

[Teiwaz]

You know, I just don't see that. You seem a little twitter and bisted about things. I look around, and I don't see the peaons all fending for themselves.

["shazbat"]

I'm refering mostly about smaller countries.
Africa and South and central America are as we say "eat up" with nations controlled by a strong arm governments that take all and give nothing back to the people. Then you get the "good samaritan" nations providing aid which often never gets beyond the strong arm governement. The UN gets involved or not depending on the political climate. Local warlords, terrorists or guerrilla groups rape, burn, pillage (you know the routine).
I don't know tha particulars about East Timor, as it doesn't make the news on this side of the world as it must where you are.
Makes the world seem somewhat like a Rubiks Cube that has one tile that doesn't match any others. It just keeps getting shuffled about disrupting things in whatever quadrant it lands.

[Teiwaz]

I agree completely with what you say about the "smaller", developing or third world countries. What I love about the term "developing" is that some of these countries are far older than ours, and whilst they labour under adverse circumstances (like climate, etc) so do many others who manage to stand on their own 2 feet without despotism and corruption running rife while the general population languish in poverty or are killed en masse.

[nelson]

East Timor president 'to stay on'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/5108658.stm

East Timor's President Xanana Gusmao appeared to take a step back from his threat to resign, a day after issuing an ultimatum to his prime minister.

Mr Gusmao had demanded that PM Mari Alkatiri step down and said if he refused, he would leave office himself.

But after hours of tension, Mr Gusmao told thousands of supporters gathered in the capital, Dili, that he would "honour the constitution".

"I will fulfil my obligations based on your demands," he told the crowd.

Earlier in the week, Mr Gusmao had sent a letter to Mr Alkatiri demanding he step down in the wake of East Timor's worst violence since independence in 1999.

But Mr Alkatiri on Thursday appeared to have the support of ruling Fretilin party members and said he was standing firm.

'Alkatiri to blame'

Some 4,000 chanting supporters had gathered in Dili amid tight security to back Mr Gusmao.


"The president should not step down," one of the protest organisers, Agosto Junio, told AFP news agency.

"Mari Alkatiri is the one to blame for the trouble. He is a communist, a criminal."

But there were signs earlier in the day that Mr Gusmao was reconsidering. He met a senior bishop, Alberto Ricardo da Silva, who said after the meeting that Mr Gusmao had "agreed to a rethink".

The president is a widely respected former guerrilla leader, seen as perhaps the only unifying figure amongst East Timor's leaders.

Mr Alkatiri, although backed by his party, is increasingly unpopular. Many people have blamed him for failing to prevent recent unrest in which at least 21 people have died. Thousands have fled their homes.

He has also been hit by allegations that he helped recruit a "hit squad" to act against his political opponents - accusations he denies but which Mr Gusmao said contributed to his loss of confidence in his prime minister.

Fears

The Fretilin central committee is due to meet on Saturday and various options will be discussed, including replacing Mr Alkatiri or the resignation of the entire government, Fretilin sources told Lusa news agency.

But there were growing fears that the ongoing political crisis could spark further unrest.

"I'm afraid it could become violent; more shooting and burning of houses," said protest organizer Augusto Junior Tridade.

There now a number of armed factions, some originating in the army and police, who are backing one side or the other, says the BBC's Jonathan Head.

In these conditions the United Nations must somehow try to start a new mission to help rebuild the country's damaged institutions.

The prospects for success look unpromising at the moment, our correspondent says.