In a couple of weeks, Aceh will hold its second gubernatorial elections since the 2005 peace agreement that ended almost three decades of separatist war.
East timor
Come in Spinner: From scrolls to codices to iPads — welcome @thePope
While the Christians lead the way with the codex, they are catching up, a bit late, with the next piece of revolutionary technology — the digital pad.
Queue jumping in East Timor
While there’s been increased support in the top East Timor government ranks for a refugee processing centre to be built in the country, most of the population is against the plan. Shona Hawkes in Dili explains the complex problems.
Timor-Leste: mohawks and a touch of the untouched
Timor-Leste is not for the unadventurous — it has little tourist infrastructure, the language barrier can be a challenge, the US dollar means that it’s expensive when the Aussie dollar’s not doing so well, it’s hot and dirty. But there’s much beauty amongst it, discovers Rebecca Arnold.
Will there be an East Timor Solution or not?
Daily Media Wrap: The above question is a simple one, perhaps, but not one the government appears to be capable of answering.
Oh — you meant you *might* build a centre in East Timor. Sorry, our mistake.
In Julia Gillard’s frantic dash to the election, good policy and consultation have been abandoned.
Checking the docket on offshore processing
The cost of outsourcing our handling of asylum seekers is said to be enormous. Pinning it down, however, is a little more difficult.
Someone forgot to tell East Timor
The view within Dili on Gillard’s border protection proposal, and East Timor’s role, was one of surprise — no one seems to have been forewarned, much less consulted about this proposal.
Gillard on asylum seekers: time for an East Timor Solution
Julia Gillard has committed to stopping the boats from coming to Australia by removing the incentive to come here. Her approach is a lot like that of John Howard.
Timor’s simmering small towns are about to blow
Over a decade since East Timor gained its independence, many of its rural towns are still little more than shanty towns, simmering with gang violence, crime — and ninjas. It’s just a matter of time before it all boils over, says James Scambary.
Did Australia actually save East Timor?
Australia loves to cling to a belief that we ‘saved’ East Timor twice in the 20th century. But it’s a myth of Australian history, constantly perpetuated by our governments, writes Clinton Fernandes.
Balibo banned in Indonesia
The Australian film Balibo was supposed to be shown at the Jakarta International Film Festival on Tuesday, but was blocked last minute by the Indonesian censorship board.
Climate aid to developing nations: what’s in it for us?
In the lead-up to Copenhagen, watch for countries such as Australia to unveil big-dollar commitments of climate aid to developing countries, particularly by proposing a strong “mutual obligation” framework.
Timor history gets a Howard washing: spin and deny
Ex PM John Howard rewrote history with the claims of his and Downer’s secret support of East Timor’s independence, says Bruce Haigh. What about public opinion and the actions of the US?
A tale of two Timors
Is East Timor a great example of a young independent nation, with one of the world’s fastest growing economies? Or is it a nation struggling to maintain peace, let alone jobs or roads? It’s both, writes Sara Everingham.
Your Say: Daily Mail readers' feedback: Paul Kelly, John Howard and East Timor
Crikey readers weigh in on John Howard’s involvement in East Timor’s independence, the lobbyist to MP ratio and Senator Steve Fielding’s spelling.
Your Say: Daily Mail readers' feedback: Mungo McCallum killed Michael Jackson?
Crikey readers weigh in on East Timor and if Kevin Rudd saved the economy with the stimulus package, then did Mungo McCallum kill Michael Jackson?
Howard and Kelly rewrite history on East Timor
Damien Kingsbury wonders why former PM John Howard finds it necessary to create a palpable fiction over his commitment to East Timor’s independence.
East Timor: billions given but poverty remains
Billions spent on East Timor’s U.N nation building effort may have helped preserve the peace, but most of the money went to international security forces, not to the Timorese economy or its people.
Howard hits the headlines again
Former PM John Howard is back in the media again, thanks to Paul Kelly’s new book. So what have we learnt? Crikey takes a look at the revelations from Children Overboard to Hating Peter Costello.
Downer’s historical imaginings of East Timor
The Australian’s editor-at-large Paul Kelly is claiming in his new book that the Howard government made covert plans to work for East Timor’s independence in 1999. But this ignores some key historical facts, writes Peter Brent.
West Papua: like a pre-independent East Timor?
Ten years after East Timor’s bloody struggle for independence, Indonesia has never prosecuted for the crimes committed during their occupation of East Timor. What’s to discourage them from similar action in West Papua? asks Marni Cordell
East Timor’s media ‘blackout’ or just a lack of research?
There isn’t a ‘media blackout’ occurring in East Timor, rather lots of factually incorrect stories that ignore the East Timorese government’s focus on anti-corruption campaigns.
East Timor’s media blackout is a pox on the nation
East Timor this week celebrates 10 years of independence, but it seems the nation’s government is struggling to grasp basic democratic principles, writes Steve Holland.
Balibo: the truth is even more brutal
The film Balibo, based on Roger East and the Balibo Five in East Timor, is a fairly accurate historical document of the 1975 invasion, but the real violence was even worse.
