Perth Norg - Wednesday, 17th October 2007
I recently found myself in Dili, Timor-Leste (East Timor) and discovered that the plight of the average person on the street is no different than it was before independance.
There were rumors of violence between the two UNHCR encampments that are on either side of the major road in and out of Dili and UNPOL (United Nations Police) were highly visible at every intersection and on every roundabout. As I walked along the side streets of Dili, children played along side burnt out cars and semi-demolished houses while heavily armed Australian troops patrolled through the area. It was almost surreal seeing these soldiers walking what could be an outer suburb of Perth or any Australian city for that matter, with fingers on trigger guards and a very nervous air about them.
What is happening to the millions of dollars of oil and gas money that is flowing into Timor-Leste? Per capita, this fledgling country is one of the wealthiest in the region now and yet there is no health care, housing is poor, sanitation worse, roads are in places impassible in the center of the city and there IS a new Presidential Palace, the new Foreign Ministry Complex cost half of this years expected GDP to complete and there is now no cement left in the country!
Have we forgotten these people? Where is the pressure from the International Community to stop this corruption and blatant waste of money.
quinta-feira, outubro 18, 2007
The forgotten Timor-Leste
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O esquecido Timor-Leste
Perth Norg - Quarta-feira, 17 Outubro 2007
Encontrei-me recentemente em Dili, Timor-Leste, e descobri que a luta de uma pessoa comum na rua não é diferente do que era antes da independência.
Houve muitos rumores de violência entre os dois campos de deslocados da UNHCR que estão em cada um dos lados da estrada principal de Dili e a UNPOL é altamente visível em cada cruzamento e em cada rotunda. Enquanto caminhava nas estradas laterais de Dili, crianças brincavam ao lado de sítios com carros queimados e casas semi-demolidas enquanto tropas Australianas pesadamente armadas patrulhavam a área. Era quase surreal ver estes soldados a caminhar no que podia ser um subúrbio fora de Perth ou de qualquer cidade Australiana, caso isso importasse, com dedos nos gatilhos de segurança e com um ar muito nervoso.
O que é que está a acontecer aos milhões de dólares do dinheiro do petróleo e do gás que está a entrar em Timor-Leste? Per capita, este novo país é agora um dos mais ricos na região e contudo não há cuidados de saúde, a habitação é pobre, a sanidade pior, as estradas nalguns sítios são intransitáveis no centro da cidade e há um novo Palácio Presidencial, falta completar o novo Complexo dos Negócios Estrangeiros que custa metade do PIB esperado para este ano e não há mais cimento no país!
Esquecemos esta gente? Onde está a pressão da Comunidade Internacional para parar esta corrupção e descarado estragar de dinheiro.
Dear Peter,
Get your information right first please.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs building is being constructed and fully funded by the People's Republic of China. They only do these in kind gifts to nations and they like these big buidlign type projects. Why look agift horse in the mouth is what the Timorese auhtorities must have said.
And as for the Presidential Palace, it was fully funded by the Union of Cities from Portuguese Speaking Countries. I would rather not have it too but you should speak to ramos Horta about that as he was the one who agreed to extend the works for what will become a truly grand residency. Ask the President for the poor my dear friend.
So stop sensationalising things when you cannot even get your facts right.
And before you get carried away on your next visit, go and check out the Presidential office also being constructed by the Chinese government as a gift. No Timorese money going into that.
Marcos Riba Tuun Malai.
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