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The idea of a regional processing centre for asylum seekers requires a lot of detailed diplomatic work. If Gillard is elected Prime Minister, it could be Kevin Rudd's first test as Foreign Minister. Whoever is elected, and wherever such a centre is located, it will not be East Timor.
Julia Gillard said 'people like my own parents who have worked hard all their lives can't abide the idea that others might get an inside track to special privileges'. Managing similar perceptions in East Timor, where there is a tide of resentment against Australia among parts of the population, will be a challenge.
There's good reason for East Timor to opt for a tribunal to deliver justice for past crimes. But Australia cannot expect to receive a special hearing. Our attempts to push for justice for the sake of stability would be perceived as a promotion of our own self-interest.
Ten years ago, the East Timorese voted overwhelmingly via UN referendum for independence from Indonesia. The euphoria would not last. By nightfall there were over a hundred refugees seeking shelter in the backyard of the UN house where we were staying.
'Cinema,' says director Robert Connolly, 'can take the audience and show them a tragedy in a way that creates empathy. I was interested in exploring the ability of this country to compel people to tell its story. It's hard not to start caring for what happened there.'
The first feature length film about Indonesia's invasion of East Timor and the deaths of six Australian journalists fails to inform the audience of the diplomatic dirty tricks, and Australian and American complicity.
Life in Dili has improved greatly over the past 18 months. The government has directed large amounts of money into the economy, much of it into the hands of the poor. By contrast, Australia's substantial contribution often appears passive and reactive.
Post-traumatic stress syndrome affects one third of the population of East Timor. Some survive as empathetic, generous and forgiving people. Others, such as late rebel leader Alfredo Reinado, do not.
The outbreak of violence in East Timor April 2006 showed that the UN had not reached first base in its efforts to lay the foundation for a small but robust nation. Now the Rudd Government has provided a template that may be of significant use to those involved with nation building in East Timor.
Eighteen months on from the 2006 unrest, Australian and New Zealand troops are still patrolling the streets of Dili. There has been no imperative for them to exchange berets and operate under UN auspices as occurred with the original INTERFET engagement.
A potentially unstable coalition government with few detailed policies and weak administrative ability is now certain to emerge following the fragmented result in the recent election. But grounds for hope remain.
The vote in East Timor's presidential election has unified the nation, and given democracy a second change, after the fractious violence of 2006. It underscores the depth of the antipathy towards the Fretilin government after it badly managed the country’s post-independence development and sparked renewed violence last year.
13-24 out of 31 results.