DOCSLIB.ORG

Timor-Leste's Displacement Crisis

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Timor-Leste's Displacement Crisis TIMOR-LESTE’S DISPLACEMENT CRISIS Asia Report N°148 – 31 March 2008 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS................................................. i I. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 1 II. THE ORIGINS OF THE IDP CRISIS ......................................................................... 2 III. WHO ARE THE IDPS? ................................................................................................. 3 IV. CONDITIONS IN THE CAMPS .................................................................................. 4 V. PREVIOUS GOVERNMENTS’ EFFORTS TO ADDRESS THE CRISIS.............. 6 VI. OBSTACLES TO RETURN.......................................................................................... 7 A. FEAR/SECURITY....................................................................................................................7 B. PULL FACTORS......................................................................................................................8 C. POLITICISATION AND CRIMINALISATION OF THE CAMPS........................................................9 D. LACK OF HOUSING ALTERNATIVES .......................................................................................9 1. Failure to rebuild houses..........................................................................................10 2. Land issues...............................................................................................................10 VII. GOVERNMENT STRATEGY.................................................................................... 12 A. THE RECOVERY STRATEGY HAMUTUK HARI’I FUTURU........................................................13 1. Building homes........................................................................................................14 3. Building stability .....................................................................................................15 4. Building social economy .........................................................................................15 5. Building trust ...........................................................................................................15 VIII. CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................. 16 APPENDICES A. MAP OF TIMOR-LESTE ........................................................................................................17 B. ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP .......................................................................18 C. INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP REPORTS AND BRIEFINGS ON ASIA SINCE 2005..................19 D. INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP BOARD OF TRUSTEES.........................................................21 Asia Report N°148 31 March 2008 TIMOR-LESTE’S DISPLACEMENT CRISIS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS The shooting of President José Ramos-Horta in not sparked the unrest among his urban supporters and February 2008 underscored the urgency of addressing sympathisers that many predicted, though there is still sources of conflict and violence in Timor-Leste. The potential for trouble after the curfew and state of siege unresolved displacement crisis is one of the important are lifted. But Reinado was a manifestation, not the problems, both a consequence of past conflict and a cause, of Timor’s divisions. The government needs to potential source of future trouble. Nearly two years address fundamental drivers of conflict, such as after the country descended into civil conflict in April communal tensions, problems within the security 2006, more than 100,000 people remain displaced. forces and lack of economic opportunities – before Successive governments and their international partners the next Reinado appears. have failed to bring about the conditions in which they might return home or to prevent further waves of Secondly, the provision of free food and shelter makes displacements. The new government’s national recovery life in a camp in some respects more attractive than the strategy needs to be properly funded and accompanied alternatives. A further factor that makes IDPs from the by a number of other crucial elements, most significantly countryside reluctant to leave the camps in Dili is that the creation of a fair and functioning land and property the capital offers many more economic opportunities. regime, an increase in overall housing stock, an end to Thirdly, some of the camps are in effect run by individuals the cycle of impunity and reform of the justice and and groups that have vested interests in keeping numbers security sectors. high, either because they control the black market for reselling food aid or because they believe greater numbers With 30,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) living give them more political weight. In a few instances, they in camps in the capital, Dili, the displaced are highly have intimidated or prevented people from leaving. visible evidence of the failure to provide security and enforce the rule of law. As well as a humanitarian Finally, many displaced do not have homes to go back tragedy, they are a conflict risk in their own right. The to. Destroyed or damaged houses have not been rebuilt, 70,000 living outside camps, with families and friends, and others are subject to ownership disputes that cannot may be less visible but are a significant burden on their be settled under Timor-Leste’s incomplete and inadequate hosts. system of land law. More generally, housing stock is simply not sufficient for the country’s population. Four main obstacles prevent the IDPs from going home. Unless more houses are built and systems introduced First, many continue to fear further violence from their for resolving ownership disputes and providing secure neighbours and do not trust the security forces to tenure, the sheer demand for homes will continue to guarantee their safety. This needs to be tackled by be an impediment to resettling displaced persons and speeding up security sector reform, including prioritising a driver for further displacements. community policing; prosecuting arsonists and violent criminals; and promoting a process of local and national Little beyond humanitarian aid was done in 2006-2007 dialogue and reconciliation. Still, in some cases, it will to address the displacement crisis, but the government not be possible for people to return to their original that assumed office in August 2007 has a more vigorous community, and alternatives will need to be provided. approach. It is phasing out universal food distribution in the camps and has not backed down despite protests and The attacks on 11 February 2008 on President Ramos- fears of unrest after Reinado’s death. It now is moving Horta and Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão, which left on a government-wide plan – the national recovery the former seriously injured, showed why many people strategy – which addresses many, though not all, aspects fear further violence. However, the death of rebel leader of the problem. Some senior officials still retain unrealistic Alfredo Reinado may help reduce fear, particularly if expectations about the ease and speed with which IDPs his remaining fighters can be dealt with. His death has can be induced to go home. However, the government Timor-Leste’s Displacement Crisis Crisis Group Asia Report N°148, 31 March 2008 Page ii as a whole is beginning to understand the complexity each line ministry, is allocated at least some and is planning on a more realistic multi-year basis. funding from central government resources, with the balance made up from international While the new national recovery strategy contains many concessional lending and external donor support. of the elements needed for reintegrating IDPs into their communities or, where not possible, moving them into 3. Restart the social solidarity ministry’s dialogue new homes, the government has not allocated sufficient processes, focusing on communities where resources to it. Only the first pillar – rebuilding houses violence displaced large numbers of people, to – is funded in the 2008 budget, and that inadequately. encourage them to accept IDP returns and allocate No money has been provided for the equally important additional resources to the ministry for this purpose. non-infrastructure elements, such as bolstering security, 4. Disseminate and adopt the recommendations of livelihood support, reconciliation and social safety nets. the Commission of Reception, Truth and Reconciliation’s Chega! (Enough!) report, as a The strategy also does not address options for rebuilding contribution to national dialogue and reconciliation. those properties – the majority – that are the subject of ownership disputes. Timor badly needs new land 5. Bring those primarily responsible for the 2006 laws, a land register, a system for issuing titles, and violence, including arsonists, to justice and ensure mediation and dispute-resolution mechanisms. Most land that the crime of arson is treated seriously by the ownership records were destroyed in 1999, and many justice system. people never had them in the first place; there are also conflicts between traditional, Portuguese and 6. Accelerate the process of security sector Indonesian land regimes. These problems underlie reform, giving priority to community policing many displacements – people took advantage of the and protection of vulnerable persons, while 2006 chaos to chase neighbours
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Timor-Leste: No Time for Complacency
    Update Briefing Asia Briefing N°87 Dili/Brussels, 9 February 2009 Timor-Leste: No Time for Complacency I. OVERVIEW saw a stream of human rights abuses, stemming from ill-discipline and a sense of being above the law. There are tensions between the Timorese and the international A year after the near-fatal shooting of President José security forces, with the Timorese police increasingly Ramos-Horta, security in Timor-Leste is strikingly resisting UN supervision. There are also signs of wor- improved. Armed rebels are no longer at large. The rying disdain for the justice system and civilian con- atmosphere on the streets of Dili is far less tense. The trol over the army. The police and army depend too government does not seem to be facing any serious heavily on a few individuals and on personal relation- political threat to its survival. It has, at least temporar- ships that have been able to hold the security forces ily, been able to address several of the most pressing together. security threats, in large part by buying off those it sees as potential troublemakers. Nevertheless, the cur- Presidential interventions in cases involving political rent period of calm is not cause for complacency. Secu- violence have undermined an already weak justice sys- rity sector reform is lagging, the justice system is weak, tem. They send a signal that those involved, especially the government shows signs of intolerance towards the elite, will not be held to account, creating resent- dissenting voices, and it has not got a grip on corrup- ment among the victims and failing to create a deter- tion.
    [Show full text]
  • Report of the Official Parliamentary Delegation
    The Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia Report of the Official Parliamentary Delegation Visit to Papua New Guinea and East Timor October – November 2008 December 2008 © Commonwealth of Australia 2008 ISBN 978-1-74229-021-8 This document was prepared by the Parliamentary Education Office and printed by the Printing and Delivery Services section of the Department of the Senate, Parliament House, Canberra. ii Contents Preface ..........................................................................................1 Membership of the Delegation ....................................................4 1 Introduction ......................................................................... 5 Objectives ............................................................................................5 Acknowledgments ...............................................................................6 Papua New Guinea – background information ...................................13 East Timor – background information .................................................16 2 Delegation visit to Papua New Guinea ................................ 21 Strengthening ties between Australian and PNG Parliaments .............21 Meetings with Government ......................................................................... 21 Parliament-to-Parliament ties ...................................................................... 23 Strongim Gavman Program .......................................................................... 23 Contemporary political, economic
    [Show full text]
  • Idss Commentaries
    18/2008 RSIS COMMENTARIES RSIS Commentaries are intended to provide timely and, where appropriate, policy relevant background and analysis of contemporary developments. The views of the authors are their own and do not represent the official position of the S.Rajaratnam School of International Studies, NTU. These commentaries may be reproduced electronically or in print with prior permission from RSIS. Due recognition must be given to the author or authors and RSIS. Please email: [email protected] or call 6790 6982 to speak to the Editor RSIS Commentaries, Yang Razali Kassim. __________________________________________________________________________________________________ Assassination attempts in Timor-Leste: Tragedy of a Young Nation Loro Horta 21 February 2008 On 11 February 2008, renegade soldiers led by former army Major Alfredo Reinado attacked the presidential villa in Timor Leste in a pre-dawn attack. The president, Jose Ramos Horta, was seriously injured and hanged on to dear life. An incredulous nation asks how things could have gone this far. THE ATTEMPTS on the lives of Timor-Leste’s top two leaders – President Jose Ramos Horta and Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao -- were shocking and tragic. For a young nation still struggling to stand on its feet, the attempted killings were the most serious manifestation of the Timorese leadership’s failure in nation-building. Sadly, the perpetrators -- Major Alfredo Reinado and his group -- are the result of the political infighting between Prime Minister Gusmao and Fretilin, the former party in power, that characterised Timorese politics from the early days of its independence. Both Xanana and Fretilin created their own cadres of loyal supporters within the military and the police leading to the factionalisation of the security forces from the birth of the nation.
    [Show full text]
  • Title of Article UNITY08 TALKS to INDEPENDENTS PAGE 10 FULANI
    Title of Article FULANI SAYS: “ W H O D E C I D E D H I L L A R Y I S B E S T F O R T H E BLACK COMMUNITY?” PA G E 3 3 THE KUCINICH FACTOR: MANGIA BUILDS A BRIDGE PA G E 2 3 U N I T Y 0 8 TA L K S TO INDEPENDENTS PA G E 1 0 N E W H A M P S H I R E INDEPENDENTS SPEAK OUT PA G E 1 7 G R I F F I N A N D O B A M A : CHANGE IS IN THE AIR $6.95 PA G E 1 4 WINTER 2007/2008 THE NEO-INDEPENDENT I WINTER 2007 / 2008 V o l 4 . N 0 . 2 $6.95 TH E P OL ITI C S O F B ECOM I N G New Hampshire Goes Independent Dennis Kucinich At The Threshold Barack Obama On The Move Ron Paul Against the Odds GW Addresses Major Party Doug Bailey On Unity08 Corruption It’s Those Parties! (And I’ll Cry If I Want To) JACQUELINE SALIT Title of Article adj. 1 of, or pertaining to, the movement of independent voters for political recognition and popular power __ n. an independent voter in the post-Perot era, without traditional ideological attachments, seeking the overthrow of bipartisan political corruption __ adj. 2 of, or pertaining to, an independent political force styling itself as a postmodern progressive counterweight to neo-conservatism, or the neo-cons WINTER 2007/2008 THE NEO-INDEPENDENT III IT’S A SNORE By the time you read this note, the 2008 presiden- out that way.
    [Show full text]
  • In Bissilau^Ajleu (Area) on 16Th This Month Falantil Ambushed the Enemy and Killed Ko Indonesian Soldiers
    - -'..-. •.-'• -•• -••. :.••'/; \s< ..:'-:: u. z^ T" .o::--. first floor, 232 Casilereagh St..Sydney NSW aoOO^ phoner-2b'l?0't Pecerabex * PRESS RELEASE " 1^,000 INDONESIANS KILLED SINCE DECEMBER 7 1975" Radio Maubere on November . 19 claimed in a broadcast that Falantil (National Liberation Forces of East Timor) "has killed over 1*f,000 Indonesian troops since December 7, 1975." This news was contained in a communique from the Ministry of Information and National Security , read in English in the form in which messages' were, previously sent to Telecom Darwin, Prime Minister Eraser ordered Telecom to no longer pass on messages received from Fretilin inside East - Timor on Outpost Radio Darwin. The last message sent on- by Telecom was on November 14. The text of the message read on Radio Maubere on November 19 is as follows ( due to poor reception, some parts were indecipherable and are marked by dots) Democratic Republic of East Timor Ministry of Information and National Security Indonesia is increasing strongly its aggression in East Timor. Through the territory ,fierce fighting is still going on. Falantil has killed over 14,000 Indonesian troops since December 7 1975. In Bissilau^Ajleu (area) on 16th this month Falantil ambushed the enemy and killed kO Indonesian soldiers. Indonesian warplanes,ships and heavy artillery are still bombarding the territory.... The peace can be restored by the withdrawal of all Indonesian soldiers. The The world should not remain indifferent to the human suffering of the people of ^ast Timor Indonesian authorities .... heroic people of East Timor under the leadership of Fretilin .... €* Fernandes, Minister of Information and National Security.
    [Show full text]
  • FEC's Motion for Summary Judgment
    Case 1:15-cv-01397-TSC Document 90 Filed 10/13/17 Page 1 of 56 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA ) LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD, et al., ) ) Plaintiffs, ) Civ. No. 15-1397 (TSC) ) v. ) ) FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION, ) MOTION FOR SUMMARY ) JUDGMENT Defendant. ) ) FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION’S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT In accordance with the Court’s Minute Order of August 17, 2017, defendant Federal Election Commission (“Commission”) respectfully cross-moves this Court for an order (1) granting summary judgment to the Commission pursuant to Rule 56 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and Local Civil Rule 7(h), and (2) denying plaintiffs’ motion for summary judgment (Docket No. 83). In support of this motion, the Commission is filing a Memorandum in Support of Its Motion for Summary Judgment and in Opposition to Plaintiffs’ Motion for Summary Judgment and a Proposed Order. Respectfully submitted, Lisa J. Stevenson (D.C. Bar No. 457628) /s/ Robert W. Bonham III Acting General Counsel Robert W. Bonham III (D.C. Bar No. 397859) [email protected] Senior Attorney [email protected] Kevin Deeley Associate General Counsel Haven G. Ward (D.C. Bar No. 976090) [email protected] Attorney [email protected] Charles Kitcher (D.C. Bar No. 986226) Acting Assistant General Counsel COUNSEL FOR DEFENDANT [email protected] FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION 999 E Street, N.W. Case 1:15-cv-01397-TSC Document 90 Filed 10/13/17 Page 2 of 56 Washington, DC 20463 October 13, 2017 (202) 694-1650 2 Case 1:15-cv-01397-TSC Document 90 Filed 10/13/17 Page 3 of 56 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA ) LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD, et al., ) ) Plaintiffs, ) Civ.
    [Show full text]
  • JSS-Vol-7-Issue-2
    Vol.7,No.2 December 2016 Patron Prof. Dr. Muhammad Ali (T.I.) Vice Chancellor, Government College University Faisalabad Editor Dr. Ghulam Murtaza Co-Editors Dr. Ali Usman Saleem Dr. Abdul Qadir Mushtaq Advisory Editorial Board Prof. Dr. Holbrook Mahn, Department of Language, Literacy and Sociocultural Studies (LLSS), University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NMN, USA Dr. Adele M. Barker, Assistant Professor of Russian/Slavic Studies, University of Arizona, America Prof. Dr. Saiqa Imtiaz Asif, Chairperson, Department of English, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan Dr. Shaheena Ayub Bhatti, Associate Professor, HoD Research and Publication Cell, National University of Modern Languages, Islamabad Prof. Dr. Nicholas J. Cull, Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA Prof. Dr Kim Youen, Hanyang University, Korea Dr. Pippa Virdee, Lecturer in History, Demount ford, England Dr. Virinder S. Kalra, PhD, University of Manchester, Visiting Associate Professor, LUMS, Lahore, Senior Lecturer Manchester University, Lecturer (B), Leicester University Dr. Ishtiaq Ahmad, Prof. Emeritus, Stockholm University, Sweden Prof. Dr. Susan Buck-Morrs, Government Cornell University, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden Prof. Dr. Sikandar Hayat, Directing Staff at the National Management College (formerly Pakistan Administrative Staff College), Lahore The Journal of Social Sciences is published annually by Government College University Faisalabad, Pakistan. All correspondence should be addressed to the Editor, Journal of Social Sciences, Government College University, Allama Iqbal Road, 38000-Faisalabad, Pakistan. ISSN: 1812-0687 Subscriptions: Pakistan: Annual Rs. 300 Foreign: Annual US $ 20 All rights reserved Copyright © 2016 by the Journal of Social Sciences Printed by: Misaal Publishers, Fsd. 041-2615359, 2613841, [email protected] CONTENTS EFFECT OF DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES ON SAVING AND SPENDING 1 HABITS OF YOUTH: A CASE STUDY OF PAKISTAN Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • Security Sector Reform Monitor Timor-Leste January 2011 • No.4
    SECURITY SECTOR REFORM MONITOR TIMOR-LESTE JANUARY 2011 • NO.4 INSIDE INTRODUCTION Introduction 1 The third edition of the Security Sector Reform (SSR) Monitor: Timor-Leste The Gift of Reconciliation 2 acknowledged that the national justice system continues to face major obstacles, The Politics of Pardons 7 even though recent strategic planning and initial efforts to improve access to justice The Culture of Impunity 13 have showed promising signs for future justice system development (see The Centre The Future of Impunity 17 for International Governance Innovation [CIGI], 2011). Two increasingly serious Conclusion 19 challenges to the justice system — and also the broader security sector — are the Works Cited 21 political intervention in the justice system and the lack of accountability for both ISSN 1920-1087 past crimes and more recent crimes associated with the 2006 internal crisis. The opinions expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Centre for International Governance Innovation or its In the years following the Indonesian occupation, the national political leadership Operating Board of Directors or International Board of Governors. — primarily former President Gusmao and then Foreign Minister Ramos-Horta Copyright ©2011, The Centre for International — pragmatically promoted political reconciliation rather than prosecutorial justice Governance Innovation. This work was carried out with the support of The Centre for International for crimes against humanity cases from 1999, as well as crimes resulting from the conflict with Indonesia. Following the 2006 crisis and his election in 2007, President Governance Innovation (CIGI), Waterloo, Ontario, Ramos-Horta’s political use of pardons to resolve high-profile cases has undermined Canada (www.cigionline.org).
    [Show full text]
  • The Interviews
    Jeff Schechtman Interviews December 1995 to April 2017 2017 Marcus du Soutay 4/10/17 Mark Zupan Inside Job: How Government Insiders Subvert the Public Interest 4/6/17 Johnathan Letham More Alive and Less Lonely: On Books and Writers 4/6/17 Ali Almossawi Bad Choices: How Algorithms Can Help You Think Smarter and Live Happier 4/5/17 Steven Vladick Prof. of Law at UT Austin 3/31/17 Nick Middleton An Atals of Countries that Don’t Exist 3/30/16 Hope Jahren Lab Girl 3/28/17 Mary Otto Theeth: The Story of Beauty, Inequality and the Struggle for Oral Health 3/28/17 Lawrence Weschler Waves Passing in the Night: Walter Murch in the Land of the Astrophysicists 3/28/17 Mark Olshaker Deadliest Enemy: Our War Against Killer Germs 3/24/17 Geoffrey Stone Sex and Constitution 3/24/17 Bill Hayes Insomniac City: New York, Oliver and Me 3/21/17 Basharat Peer A Question of Order: India, Turkey and the Return of the Strongmen 3/21/17 Cass Sunstein #Republic: Divided Democracy in the Age of Social Media 3/17/17 Glenn Frankel High Noon: The Hollywood Blacklist and the Making of an American Classic 3/15/17 Sloman & Fernbach The Knowledge Illusion: Why We Think Alone 3/15/17 Subir Chowdhury The Difference: When Good Enough Isn’t Enough 3/14/17 Peter Moskowitz How To Kill A City: Gentrification, Inequality and the Fight for the Neighborhood 3/14/17 Bruce Cannon Gibney A Generation of Sociopaths: How the Baby Boomers Betrayed America 3/10/17 Pam Jenoff The Orphan's Tale: A Novel 3/10/17 L.A.
    [Show full text]
  • Before the Federal Election Commission
    BEFORE THE FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION In the Matter of Commission on.Presidential Debates, Frank Fahrenkopf, Jr., Michael D. McCurry, Howard G. Buffett, John C. Danforth, John Griffen, Antonia Hernandez, John I. Jenkins, Newton N. Minow, Richard D. Parsons, Dorothy Ridings, Alan K. Simpson, and Janet Brown COMPLAINT SHAPIRO, ARATO &, ISSERLES LLP 500 Fifth Avenue 40th Floor New York, New York lOIlO Phone: (212)257-4880 Fax: (212)202-6417 Attorneys for Complainants Level the Playing Field and Peter Ackerman TABLE OF CONTENTS Page TABLE OF CONTENTS i TABLE OF EXHIBITS iii PRELIMINARY STATEMENT I BACKGROUND 6 A. The Parties , 6 B. Regulatory Framework 8 C. The Commission On Presidential Debates As Debate Sponsor 11 THE CPD VIOLATES THE PEG'S DEBATE STAGING RULES 14 I. THE CPD IS NOT A NONPARTISAN ORGANIZATION; IT SUPPORTS THE DEMOCRATIC AND REPUBLICAN PARTIES AND OPPOSES THIRD PARTIES AND INDEPENDENtS 15 A. The Democratic And Republican Parties Created The CPD As A Partisan Organization 16 B. The CPD Has Consistently Supported The Democratic And Republican Parties And Opposed Third Parties And Independents 20 C. The CPD Is Designed To Further Democratic And Republican Interests 25 II. THE CPD USES SUBJECTIVE CANDIDATE SELECTION CRITERIA THAT ARE DESIGNED TO EXCLUDE THIRD-PARTY AND INDEPENDENT CANDIDATES 32 A. The 15% Rule Is Not Objective 33 1. The 15% Rule Is Designed To Select Republican And Democratic Candidates And Exclude Third-Party And Independent Candidates 34 2. The CPD's 15% Rule Is Biased Because It Systematically Disfavors Third-Party And Independent Candidates 40 3. The Timing Of The CPD's Determination Is Biased And Designed To Exclude Third-Party And Independent Candidates 44 4.
    [Show full text]
  • Timor-Leste’S Security Sector Collapsed and the Fledgling the Security Sector Nation Lurched Toward Civil War
    AddressingSECURITY International Governance Challenges SECURITYSECTOR SECTORREFORM RMEFORMONITOR MONITOR TIMOR-LEEAST TIMORSTE Decemberoctober 20092009 •• No.1No.1 INSIDE INTRODUCTION Introduction 1 Historical Background of 2 In mid-2006, large parts of Timor-Leste’s security sector collapsed and the fledgling the Security Sector nation lurched toward civil war. The country’s police (Polícia Nacional de Timor Leste - Security Environment 4 PNTL) and military (Forças de Defesa de Timor-Leste - F-FDTL) were at best incapable The United Nations and 6 of controlling, and at worst complicit in fomenting crime and lawlessness, requiring SSR the government to request an Australian-led peacekeeping force and international Policing 6 policing presence to restore public order. Justice Sector 10 Armed Forces 10 The tragic events of April–June 2006—in which 37 died in the violence and over Conclusion 11 150,000 were driven from their homes—laid bare the dysfunctions of the security Works Cited 12 sector. “The Crisis,” as the events of 2006 are now known, revealed that there was ISSN 1920-1087. little substance to many parts of the security sector beyond uniforms and weapons. The opinions expressed in this It became clear that Timor-Leste required a comprehensive and far-reaching security paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Centre for International Governance sector reform (SSR) process. Innovation or its Board of Directors and/or Board of Governors. Copyright © 2009, The Centre for International Governance Innovation. This work was carried out There have been significant changes in the Timorese security sector since 2006, with the support of The Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI), Waterloo, Ontario, Canada (www.cigionline.org).
    [Show full text]
  • 2012 a Great Leap Forward for 'Third Parties'? | the Bloomington Alternative
    2/20/12 2012 a great leap forward for 'third parties'? | The Bloomington Alternative SOCIAL ACTIVISM | POLITICS | OCCUPY! | ECONOMIC JUSTICE | ALTERNATIVE PARTIES 2012 a great leap forward for 'third parties'? Some could be influential; ballot access will be a key factor by Steven Higgs February 19, 2012 Americans' faith in the two-party system of governance may have plummeted to the point where alternative candidates and parties like Dr. Jill Stein and the Green Party, former Democratic Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson and his new Justice Party, renegade Republican Congressman Ron Paul and/or his former Libertarian Party, or the Socialist Party USA just might have a impact. "The mood of the country is toxic," Daily Beast contributor Douglas Schoen wrote on Feb. 14, 2012, echoing a growing conversation about the roles "third parties" might play in this year's presidential election. The day before, Huffington Post bloggers Sheri and Allan Rivlin posted what they called a "bold" prediction that there will be multiple alternative party surges before votes are finally cast on Nov. 6. "There will not be one 'third party' candidate in 2012," they wrote, stressing that the phrase is a misnomer anyway. "There will be lots of minor party and independent candidates for president. Several of them may seem like a pretty big deal, at "Dissatisfaction with the least for a period of a few weeks, in the long campaign cycle yet to unfold." state of our country is at One that is getting national attention is Americans Elect, the record levels. Seventy- subject of Schoen's piece, which rejects the idea of parties altogether.
    [Show full text]