Perth's Colleen Thornton-Ward and Murray Thornton were on the ground as East Timor struggled for independence in 1999. The memories of that year are still fresh in their minds.

Canberra – Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced a "maritime security package" for Timor-Leste including a revamped military base, Xinhua news agency reported, quoting

Ivo Mateus Goncalves, Canberra – Today, the people of Timor-Leste will commemorate the 20th anniversary of the popular consultation, through which the nation restored the independence

Ali MC, Dili, East Timor – It's a Saturday morning in downtown Dili, the bustling port city and capital of one of the youngest nations in the world, East Timor.

Paul Daley – Australia's precise role in bringing independence to Timor-Leste two decades ago continues to simmer as unsettled business at the heart of modern Australian diplomatic and

James Massola, Dili – Prime Minister Scott Morrison has dismissed calls for the Australian government to drop the prosecution of whistleblowers Bernard Collaery and Witness K.

Australia will not compensate East Timor for an alleged $5 billion in gas revenue it collected during a previous treaty signed after it spied on the country by bugging its offices.

James Massola, Dili – Senior figures from the East Timorese government and opposition say they would welcome Chinese investment in the huge Tasi Mane infrastructure project, which incl

David Fickling – Given a sad history of exploitation by foreigners, the young democracy of Timor-Leste can hardly be blamed for being hell-bent on self-sufficiency.

Anthony Stewart and Erwin Renaldi – Kuon Nhen Lay had just joined the resistance movement against Indonesia's invasion of Timor-Leste in December 1975, when his wife went into labour t

Paul Karp – Counsel for the former spy Witness K has launched a broadside at Legal Aid ACT, accusing it of an "extraordinary unexplained roadblock" in approving funding for the whistle

Timor-Leste's Nobel Peace Prize-winning former Prime Minister Jose Ramos-Horta says Australia "should get over it" and drop charges against two whistleblowers who revealed covert spyin

Helen Davidson – An "infuriated" Alexander Downer tried to get US officials to back up his response to leaks revealing Australia rejected a US request to join a peacekeeping force in E

James Massola, Dili – The Morrison government will throw East Timor a digital lifeline and spend millions to fund the laying of a first sub-sea fibre optic cable connection to the tiny

Anne Barker – Newly published intelligence documents, declassified by the US, shed new light on the turbulent events surrounding the 1999 independence referendum in Timor Leste, when I

Rod McGuirk – A former Australian spy charged with conspiring to reveal classified information about an allegation that Australia bugged East Timor's government during negotiations ove

James Massola, Dili – Some of East Timor's most respected political leaders are demanding the Morrison government drop the prosecution of Australian whistleblowers Bernard Collaery and

Helen Davidson – The US government knew for months that Indonesia's military was supporting and arming militias in East Timor in the lead-up to the 1999 independence referendum but con

Anthony Whealy – The prosecution of witness K, a former intelligence agent, and his lawyer Bernard Collaery has raised considerable outrage.

Steve Cannane, ABC Investigations and Peter Cronau – The former prime minister of Timor Leste, Xanana Gusmao, says he wants to travel to Canberra to give evidence in court on behalf of

Sara Niner – On August 30, Timor-Leste will celebrate the referendum that gave it independence from Indonesia.

Michael Leach – On August 30, Timor-Leste will celebrate the referendum that gave it independence from Indonesia.

Laurentina Barreto Soares, Melbourne – This month, Timor-Leste is in a festive mood, celebrating the 20th anniversary of its independence referendum.

The former president of East Timor wants to give evidence on behalf of two Australians charged with sharing secret information.

Hannah Sinclair – Two decades on from the historic referendum in Southeast Asia – which saw at least 1,400 people lose their lives and Australia forced to step in – SBS News meets an a

Randy Mulyanto and Meaghan Tobin – Sceptics of East Timor's relations with China should know it is not a "new, fragile country" that can be easily swayed by others, its foreign ministe

A lawyer at the centre of a diplomatically sensitive bugging scandal involving Australia and East Timor has returned to court.

Paulina Quintao – The Minister of Justice (MJ), Manuel Carceres da Costa said a specific law on adoption for Timor-Leste has not been established, but that parts of the civil code cont

The Pro-Rector for Cooperation at the National University of Timor Lorosa'e (UNTL), Eduardo Aniceto Serrao said the university has established a good cooperation with Cuba, to support

Paulina Quintao – The General Director for Water and Sanitation (DNSA), Gustavo da Cruz said there is no legal basis to control the consumption of ground water, and that water producti

Paulina Quintao – The National Director for Integrated Gender Political Approach and Women's Capacity at the Secretariat of State for Equality and Inclusion (SEII), Maria Filomena Babo

Paulina Quintao – Member of the Commission D (Economic and Development issues) of the National Parliament, MP Mariano Assanami Sabino said the banking system in Timor-Leste is too weak

Paulina Quintao – Farmers' groups urged the National Parliament to create a law to control and regulate the importing and the use of chemical pesticides in Timor-Leste to safeguard peo

Paulina Quintao – The President of the Women's Business Association in Timor-Leste (AMETL), Hergui Luina Fernandes said the government needs to create infrastructure with good conditio

Dian Kurniati, Jakarta – The Presidential Palace invited 55 members of the Nanggala Team to the commemoration of the 74th anniversary of Indonesia's proclamation of Independence at the

Mica Barreto Soares – This month, Timor-Leste is in a festive mood, celebrating the 20th anniversary of its independence referendum.

Christopher Knaus – Peter Galbraith was playing a high-stakes game.

Alexandra Back – More than a year after the former spy Witness K and his lawyer Bernard Collaery were charged over the exposure of an Australian bugging operation on the tiny nation of

Sydney (AFP) – A former Australian spy announced a surprise guilty plea on Tuesday (Aug 6) for exposing an alleged 2004 bugging operation against Timor Leste officials, after years of

An ex-spy known as "Witness K" has indicated he will plead guilty to breaching the Intelligence Services Act, but his lawyer Bernard Collaery will continue to fight the charge in a cas

Rod McGuirk – A former Australian spy will plead guilty to conspiring to reveal classified information about an allegation that Australia bugged East Timoe AKA Timor-Leste's government

Kornchanok Raksaseri – It has been eight years since Timor-Leste submitted a formal application to be a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) but so far, the reg

Meaghan Tobin – When work began on East Timor's US$490 million deep water port, things went with a bang – literally.

Meaghan Tobin – Many saw it as the latest example of China's growing diplomatic and economic clout in the 17-year-old nation, which lies just 500km off the north coast of Australia.

Khoo Ying Hooi – More than eight years have gone by since Timor-Leste's formal membership application to the ASEAN on March 4, 2011.

Jose Ramos-Horta – As Timorese and Australians work round the clock preparing to celebrate two milestones in Timor-Leste's recent history – the independence vote on 30 August and the a

Australia's Parliament has approved the ratification of a maritime boundary treaty signed with East Timor 16 months ago and the government is now under pressure to return tens of milli

Melbourne (Reuters) – Australia passed a legislation that sets down maritime boundaries with Timor-Leste on Monday (July 29), providing a framework for the two countries to split reven

Australia's parliament voted Monday to implement a maritime border treaty with East Timor, potentially unlocking billions in offshore oil and gas revenue after a bitter decade-long dis

Paulina Quintao – The National Director for Veterinary at the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAP), Joanita Bendita da Costa said she does not guarantee the quality and security