Stories about Timor-Leste from November, 2011
East Timor: Building One Country Out of Many Languages
When East Timor became an independent country in 2002, both the Tetum and Portuguese languages were chosen as official for the newborn country. Nevertheless, the number of national languages is up to 16 and dozens of other dialects are used on a daily basis by Timorese citizens.
Petition for ‘Support a Debt-Free Timor-Leste’
An online petition opposes the plan of the East Timor government to obtain foreign loans next year. East Timor is urged to learn from the mistakes of other developing countries whose economies were crippled by huge foreign debt.
East Timor Budget Deliberations
East Timor’s Parliament has initially approved the government’s proposed 2012 budget and deliberations will continue until the final voting on November 25. Local NGO La’o Hamutuk has set-up a special page on its website to track the budget discussions while providing the public with pertinent budget documents, analysis, and policy reforms
East Timor Transparency Portal
The government of Timor Leste has created the Timor Transparency Portal which provides access to state expenditures and transactions on Budget, Aid, Procurement, and Government Results.
East Timor: Cries for justice 20 years after massacre
On the 20th anniversary of the infamous Santa Cruz massacre by the Indonesian military in Dili, East Timor, long-time activist Charles Scheiner reflects. Founding member of the East Timor Action Network and NGO La'o Hamutuk, he writes “if we want justice, we have to demand it – it will not...
