Comments on: Timor-Leste heats up: Australian SAS in armed siege

By: JT

JT — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 20:01:38 +0000

kinda sad, Australia never wanted to become involved with the whole independance movement in Timor Leste (ET) but for our sins we became involved and now find ourselves responsible for a state that wants to kick the spokes out of its own wheels then blame everyone else.

If people in Timor could get along Australia wouldnt be there the UN wouldnt be there.

We arnt in Timor to repress or bully, we are there to hopefully prevent more civilian deaths.

By: Dr.Angela Freitas/Leader of Trabalhista Party

Dr.Angela Freitas/Leader of Trabalhista Party — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 15:31:32 +0000

I am redraw my name as Presidential candidate Timor Leste for election 9 of April 2007,in regard to the weapons charges against former Prime Minister,Mari Alkatiri,being dropped,this is a classic example of who really is in charge in East Timor.Another grave concern of mine is the amount of weapons currently being brought into East Timor,described as highly sophisticated weapons.I believe that these weapons have already been distributed throughout the country.Why the Government need these weapons,unless they are planning to use them.I am deeply concerned for the safety of my people and that of the peacekeeping force from Australia and New Zealand,who are currently trying to maintain security,especially in Dili,they are doing excellent job,but now instead of facing an enemy armed with rocks,spears,knives and pipe guns at the worst,they now are very likely to confront heavily armed Goverment santioned gangs who are primarily responsible for most of the trouble since Independence.Enough blood has already been spilt in East Timor,but now I fear futher bloodshed as the election draw near.Election is not the solution in East Timor right now,the only way to resolve the problem UN have to step in restore Unity Government according with resolution UN 1272/2001.By doing this,can avoid the bloodshed.

By: Dr.Angela Freitas

Dr.Angela Freitas — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 14:13:13 +0000

East Timor when independence was granted five years ago,the people of East Timor had,for the first time in hundredds of years,the change to lead a normal life,free of oppression,fear and intimidation.Sadly this has not eventuated.In fact today’s situation in East Timor can only be described as shameful and disgaceful.Humanitarian crisis is happening under the of the currend Marxist Fretelin Goverment,the UN,and the Australia Goverment.Thousands of hungry people are displaced,living in refugee camps all over my country,children are dying everyday from malnutrition and disease,and the million of dollars in Aid that poured in over the past fiv years has not even begun trickling down to the people.The Government corruption began five years ago,when we earned our Independence,and has now spread like a rampant cancer throughout the system.This has to stop.

By: Phil

Phil — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 06:22:19 +0000

THanks for your comments. Peter, I would be very interested to read more about your experiences in East Timor.

You raise an interesting point about whether this is normal tribal violence. It seems to me that the tribes have been weakened considerably by the Indonesian occupation, and the youth groups, gangs etc hold a lot of the power and loyalty that the tribes once controlled, especially among men of combat age. High-powered weaponry does seem to destroy the limited, ritualized nature of tribal conflict. Another example (with PNG) is the sudden change in the balance of power among Maori iwi in the 1820-30s, as some tribes obtained muskets. The resulted wars were unlimited and unrestrained.

It’s also interesting that tribal war, despite being ritualized, can be incredibly deadly. Many studies on Venezuelan and New Guinean tribes have found an up to 30% KIA rate for adult tribesmen. The comparable rate for 20th century Westerners, even with modern technology and two world wars, is more like 1%. And yet warfare has supposedly changed from ritualized combat to “total war”.

I’d take the same bet. But while there will be periods of relative calm, I doubt the central government will hold much real power.

By: The strategist

The strategist — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 22:18:01 +0000

This is a good post Phil. I was in East Timor in 1992, and the situation seems so different now to what it was then – not only the fact that the Indonesians are long gone, but also that the lid on simmering tensions has been lifted.

The question that your post raises for me is whether the strife you describe is abnormal or part and parcel of a Melanesian/Malay society? Tribal fighting has long been a feature of such societies, before, during and after colonization (witness the PNG highlands). In an anarchic society inter-clan violence is often a ritualized way of settling differences and obtaining justice for wrongs done – in other words, it has a stabilizing effect.

The danger is when this combines with other factors: access to high powered weaponry, organized crime, urbanization, high youth unemployment and unrealized expectations, and rifts within the political system and the security forces.

It will be interesting to see if things in Timor Leste deteriorate further, or if a pattern of sudden flare-ups settling back to periods of calm ensues. My bet is the latter.

By: A.E.

A.E. — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 21:50:29 +0000

Thanks for the in-depth look. With East Timor, Kosovo, Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan all unable to govern themselves without Western military forces, it appears that the international community’s nation-building track record is rather poor.