The filmmakers behind the political thriller Balibo have been awarded East Timor's Presidential Medal of Merit in recognition for their contribution to the country.

To Ex. Dr. Longuinos Monteiro,
General Commander of the Timor-Leste National Police

1 September 2009

The kiosks at the Mercado Market tell the whole story: almost everything here, from toothpaste and household appliances, to clothing to seasoning commodities like turmeric, comes from I

Dili – An Indonesian man allegedly involved in crimes against humanity in East Timor when the country voted for independence has been released from a Dili prison, the United Nations sai

Lindsay Murdoch, Dili – The President of East Timor, Jose Ramos-Horta, has called on the United Nations to stop gathering evidence against the killers of hundreds of Timorese, saying hi

Geoff Thompson, Indonesia – As East Timor celebrates a decade of self-rule, President Jose Ramos-Horta has called for an end to all United Nations-led investigations into the serious cr

East Timorese President Jose Ramos-Horta is out of touch with the people over his refusal to accept an international tribunal to try perpetrators of past atrocities, the opposition said

Pandaya and Yemris Fointuna, Dili – Timor Leste President Jose Ramos-Horta asked Indonesia on Sunday to return the remains of its independence fighters who died in Indonesia.

Mark Dodd – The first act in the birth of the world's newest nation – its 1999 vote for independence – began for me before daybreak in East Timor's western border town of Maliana.

Sunanda Creagh, Dili – As a student activist in Jakarta, Avelino Coelho da Silva sought refuge in the Austrian embassy to avoid capture by Indonesian troops.

A decade after the devastation that surrounded the vote for independence, there are some promising signs.

Lindsay Murdoch, Dili – East Timor is under pressure to release an Indonesian citizen accused of leading one of the country's worst massacres, as hundreds of East Timorese attended a ce

Yemris Fointuna – On Saturday, Dili's main streets and spotless government office complexes overlooking the touristy Dili beach were awash with colorful flags and banners.

Yemris Fointuna, Dili – After 10 years of independence, two presidents and two prime ministers, Timor Leste has not changed much, at least on the surface.

Ezki Suyanto – As East Timorese celebrate the 10th anniversary of the referendum that led to the country's independence, the Jakarta Globe presents contributor Ezki Suyanto's interview

Sara Everingham, Dili – East Timor's President says Australia should spend more of its aid money helping educate East Timorese.

Ezki Suyanto – History might show that for more than two decades, the fates of East Timor and its giant neighbor Indonesia were inextricably woven together, but for many from both natio

Ten years ago tomorrow, the people of East Timor voted for independence from Indonesia in a popular referendum sanctioned by the United Nations.

Ten years after voting for independence, the Timorese have little to show for supposed freedom. Lindsay Murdoch paid a visit.

Australia is still atoning for East Timor's suffering 10 years after the independence vote. No nation has paid a higher price for independence than East Timor.

Joe Kelly – Ten years ago East Timor voted for its independence, triggering a contentious Australian military intervention that transformed the nation's regional profile and provoked ho

Matt Crook, Dili – After three years behind bars as a political prisoner in Indonesia, British human rights campaigner Carmel Budiardjo saw firsthand the viciousness of former President

Meredyth Tamsyn – The day, like most others in East Timor, started very early. But it was not the chickens or motorbikes that woke us that day, it was heart-pounding excitement.

John Aglion, Dili – Jose Ramos-Horta, East Timor's president, has called for those responsible for the death of Sander Thoenes, the Financial Times journalist killed during 1999 violenc

Sara Everingham – East Timor's President Jose Ramos-Horta has dismissed calls by Amnesty International to establish a war crimes tribunal to investigate human rights violations there du

The United Nations is preparing for a gradual withdrawal from East Timor early next year and expects Australia will begin to reduce its troop numbers at the same time.

Sara Everingham – Thousands of refugees in East Timor displaced during the 2006 military crisis have been moving back to their communities, with only a few remaining in makeshift camps

East Timor's stability is threatened by the failure to prosecute those behind the 1999 violence.

Long-term development in East Timor – which celebrates the tenth anniversary of its vote for independence on Sunday 29 August 2009 – will be "seriously hindered" if justice for past cri

Sunanda Creagh, Jakarta – The United Nations Security council should set up an international criminal tribunal to investigate abuses in East Timor both under Indonesian rule and in the

A decade after Timor-Leste voted for independence, a culture of impunity continues to haunt the country's people.

Havana – The National Parliament of the Democratic Republic of East Timor has passed a resolution to constitute the Parliamentarian Solidarity with Cuba Group.

Lindsay Murdoch, Dili – Madalena is 16 but weighs just 13 kilograms, her arms and legs thin and twisted. If she could speak, she would say how happy she is to see Sister Florencia.

Yemris Fointuna, Dili – A solidarity network for Timor Leste will hold a conference in Dili from Aug.

Mark Dodd – East Timor has called for an end to delays over the development of the oil and gas-rich Greater Sunrise field in the Timor Sea after new interest from investors in Malaysia,

Australian governments, both Labor and Coalition, knew what was happening.

Dili – Ten years after East Timor's historic independence referendum, victims are still waiting for justice for crimes and rights abuses committed during Indonesia's brutal 24-year occu

East Timor's president says corruption is still a serious problem in his country but he is committed to stamping it out.

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – The country's top naval official said on Sunday that Indonesia would provide training and possibly sell equipment to East Timor's Navy as part of a broadening

Paul Stewart recalls the day in 1975 when a newspaper banner shouted "Five Newsman Missing In Timor".

John Pilger – On August 30 it will be a decade since the people of East Timor defied the genocidal occupiers of their country to take part in a United Nations referendum and vote for th

East Timor voted for independence 10 years ago, but its people await a better life, writes Lindsay Murdoch in Dili.

Paul Monk – Robert Connolly's film Balibo graphically reconstructs the murder by Indonesian special forces, on October 16, 1975, of Greg Shackleton, Gary Cunningham, Tony Stewart, Malco

Comando Falintil-Forca defeza Timor-Leste (F-FDTL), the armed forces of Timor-Leste, celebrated its 34th anniversary here on Thursday.

Jonathan Pearlman – The United Nations is preparing gradually to wind down its mission in East Timor and believes Australia could do the same, says the mission's chief of staff, Gerard

Lindsay Murdoch, Darwin – Australian forensic experts have identified the remains of three victims of an Indonesian army massacre that took place in East Timor 18 years ago.

Caroline Overington – The family of one of the Balibo Five believes the Rudd government has deliberately inflamed a wrenching dispute over the remains of the dead to avoid having to con

[A new film has opened political and cultural wounds. Author Paul Cleary and filmmaker, Robert Connolly present two informed views on its portrayal of history.]

Caroline Overington – A federal police probe into the death of five newsmen in Balibo in 1975 has stalled due to a dispute between the families over whether the remains of the bodies, w

Eras Poke, Kupang – Authorities in East Timor arrested an Indonesian on Sunday over his alleged role in a deadly attack at a church there during the upheaval experienced after the count