The on-oil economy of Timor-Leste (East Timor) contracted by 1.8% in 2017, mainly the country's economy, according to a World Bank report.

Oki Raimundos, Dili, East Timor – Three political parties that brought down East Timor's minority government say they will campaign under one umbrella for new elections due in May.

The parties in the grouping, which calls itself the Alliance for Change and Progress, on Friday announced their official lists of candidates.

Donald Rothwell – The 2018 Timor Sea Treaty signed in New York between Australia and Timor Leste on 6 March 2018 is a landmark agreement between the two countries and provides a pathway for the final settlement of the continental shelf and exclusive economic zone (EEZ) maritime boundaries between the countries.

Simone Rensch – Timor-Leste spends the least amount of money on healthcare than any other country in the world, a new map has revealed.

Alan Boyd – Indonesia's long-held resentment over Australia's sprawling maritime claims along their ill-defined border have spilled into the diplomatic arena following a recent settlement of a parallel dispute in neighboring Timor Leste, also known as East Timor.

Mike Head – Acrimonious disputes are continuing between the governments of Australia and the tiny neighouring state of East Timor despite last week's signing at the UN in New York of what the media misleadingly called an "historic" maritime boundary treaty covering the oil-and gas-rich Timor Sea.

Jose Belo, Dili – Timor-Leste's former president and prime minister Xanana Gusmao returned home in triumph on March 11 with a new maritime treaty with Australia, but warned the battle to win a favorable oil and gas deal with the country's giant neighbor remained far from over.

"The Commission instead opted for the easiest way out, which is a shame as in my perception it reveals a lack of impartiality on your behalf!" – Chief East Timorese negotiator, Xanana Gusmao, Feb 28, 2018

Mike Bruce – In 2005, Australian businessman Ian Melrose spent $3.5 million of his own money to support Timor-Leste's fight with Australia over lucrative oil and gas fields in the Timor Sea.

At long last Australia has done something like the right thing by East Timor in the dispute over the maritime boundary the countries share. But it has done so only after trying every other alternative for nearly five decades.

James Massola, Jakarta – The Turnbull government has pushed back at Indonesia, saying it was unnecessary to renegotiate the maritime boundary between the two countries, a day after a senior official in Jakarta flagged the possibility.

Peter Milne – Woodside's Sunrise LNG project remains stalled as East Timor slams negotiations to agree on a development concept and dismisses incentives to send the gas to Darwin that include a share of the project and $US300 million towards a gas pipeline to the impoverished nation.

Michael Leach – When Timor-Leste terminated the CMATS treaty with Australia early last year, it overturned its fifty-year moratorium on boundary negotiations. Ending the decade-old agreement was essential to securing its objective of a permanent maritime boundary.

James Massola, Jakarta – The Indonesian government wants Australia to re-open discussions on maritime boundaries after a deal was finally struck to resolve a similar dispute between East Timor and Australia.

Christopher Knaus – The spy who blew the whistle on Australia's bugging of Timor-Leste's cabinet room during sensitive oil and gas negotiations is still under "effective house arrest" and has been treated disgracefully by Australia in retaliation for his actions, his lawyer says.

Helen Davidson and Christopher Knaus – Australia has received billions of dollars in revenue from contested oil and gas fields which a new border treaty officially confirms belonged to Timor-Leste, civil society groups have claimed.

Peter Job – As announced by the Permanent Court of Arbitration on February 25, there appears to be hope at last for a settlement of the prolonged legal battle between Australia and Timor-Leste over the Timor Sea.

Damon Evans – Findings from UN-backed Conciliation Commission show development of Greater Sunrise oil and gas in East Timor is unviable, contrary to what East Timor's government claims.

Donald R. Rothwell – After nearly two years of a facilitated conciliation process initiated under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, Australia and Timor Leste have finally reached agreement on a maritime boundary in the Timor Sea.

Clive Schofield – The signing of a treaty between Australia and Timor-Leste marking maritime boundaries in the Timor Sea represents a huge step forward in resolving the two states' long-standing disputes.

Anne Barker – A landmark agreement to be signed in New York tomorrow (AEDT) will close the door on the long and bitter dispute between Australia and East Timor over their maritime boundary.

But it could lead to a new legal wrangle for Australia if Indonesia tries to use the deal to renegotiate its own outdated boundaries with Australia.

Peter Lloyd – East Timor's chief negotiator Xanana Gusmao has accused Australia of essentially colluding with oil companies to ensure Greater Sunrise oil and gas gets piped to Darwin instead of East Timor.

Tom Clarke – East Timor and Australia will sign a maritime boundary agreement at the UN headquarters in New York tomorrow, putting their long-running border dispute to rest.

Simon Roughneen, Singapore – After a saga lasting nearly two decades, Australia will on March 6 sign a boundary treaty with East Timor that will allow the Southeast Asian country to earn much-needed revenue from gas fields under the Timor Sea.

Frank Brennan – On Tuesday the governments of Timor Leste and Australia will sign a maritime boundary treaty in New York in the presence of Antonio Guterres, the Secretary General of the United Nations. This day has been a long time coming.

Luke Hunt – Earlier this week, Australia and Timor-Leste finally reached an expected agreement that defined the maritime boundary between the two countries.

Giacomo Tognini – Timor-Leste will go to the polls on May 12 for the second time in less than a year, with the country's politicians calling upon voters to break a stalemate that ended almost a decade of hard-earned political stability.

Damon Evans – Reports that East Timor is set to bank tens of billions of dollars from the potential development of the Woodside Petroleum-operated Greater Sunrise oil and gas fields that straddle the Australian and East Timorese seabed are wide of the mark.

Since last July, Timor-Leste has endured political gridlock that has kept attention on political parties and sidelined the development of policies that could benefit the people of Timor-Leste.

Grant Wyeth – Earlier this week Australia and Timor-Leste reached an agreement for a treaty on their disputed maritime border at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague. The agreement will establish a maritime boundary between the two countries in the Timor Sea for the first time.

Michael Sainsbury – In January, after half a year of political gridlock, Timor-Leste's president Francisco "Lu Olo" Guterres set the date for its 730,000 registered voters to head to the polls.

East Timor's decision to drag the Australian Government to "compulsory conciliation" at the UN has paid off – a new and better treaty is set to be signed next week.

Angela Macdonald-Smith – A deal struck between the Australian and Timor-Leste governments has opened the door for progress on Woodside Petroleum's long-stalled $US13 billion Sunrise LNG project but any development still looks years away amid ongoing disagreement on how to develop the large offshore field.

Lindsay Murdoch, Bangkok – Australia and East Timor will sign a landmark agreement aimed at opening the way to share revenue from the $50 billion Greater Sunrise oil and gas field in the Timor Sea at the United Nations next week.

East Timor and Australia have reached an agreement for a treaty on their disputed maritime border and on a "pathway" to develop the giant Greater Sunrise offshore gas fields, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague says.

Anne Barker – For a man held up as a national hero, relatively little is written about Nicolau dos Reis Lobato – especially outside East Timor. But some Timorese are hoping one chapter – about Lobato's death – might soon be complete.

Thomas Ora, Dili – Negotiations have resumed between Timor-Leste and Australia to determine exploration and revenue sharing issues for the multibillion-dollar Greater Sunrise oil and gas fields.

Kim McGrath – The UN Compulsory Conciliation between Australia and Timor-Leste, which aims to set a boundary in the Timor Sea, appears to be inching towards resolution, with details emerging in the Portuguese media last week of a deal involving a median line boundary and a revenue-sharing arrangement for the Greater Sunrise fields.

Viji Menon – The oil and gas sector is the mainstay of Timor-Leste's economy, with almost 90% of government revenue coming from oil. The non-petroleum economy, which scarcely existed at Independence is still very small, only about a quarter of the GDP. It is mostly generated by state spending for public administration, procurement, and infrastructure construction.

Celestina Soares – Currently 787 people with disabilities have access to formal education from Lospalos, Ainaro, Aileu and including the special administrative region of Oe-Cusse.

Paulina Quintao – The family and patients gave thanks to the Chinese soldiers for providing aid in Timor-Leste, through delivering free health assistance to the communities.

Celestina Soares – Currently, 396 teachers have received inclusive education training; from this number 70 people have their Masters in this area.

Lindsay Murdoch – East Timor could receive up to 80 per cent of revenue from the $50 billion Greater Sunrise oil and gas field in the Timor Sea under a still-secret agreement with Australia, according to a report from the country's capital of Dili.

The Turnbull Government will be watching with interest and angst for a soon-to-be-released book which sheds light on an extraordinary chapter of Australian-East Timor history, writes Alex Mitchell.

Siktus Harson, Kupang – For nearly two decades, life has never been a celebration for Maria Pereira. Since she fled her home in Timor-Leste due to conflict in 1999 that led to the country's independence in 2002, her life has not improved.

Luke Hunt – ASEAN aspirant Timor-Leste is being democratically tested today, with new elections slated after the minority government formed just last year failed to get its budget and policy platform passed by parliament.

Timor-Leste (East Timor) and Australia are due to sign the new maritime border treaty between the two countries on 6 March, but the model of exploration of the Greater Sunrise oil fields may not be resolved by that date, Portuguese news agency Lusa reported, citing sources familiar with the process.

Jose Belo, Dili – As Timor-Leste's minority government lost control over parliament in the four months since it was installed by President Francisco Guterres Lu Olo in September 2017, caretaker prime minister Mari Alkatiri turned to Facebook to try and get his message out and threaten censorship.

Victims of serious human rights violations committed during the Indonesian occupation (1975-1999) continued to demand justice and reparations. Security forces were accused of ill-treatment. Journalists faced defamation charges for carrying out their work.

Background

Michael Sainsbury – Timor-Leste President Francisco Lu Olo Guterres' move to end a six-month political deadlock and call fresh elections for the second time in nine months comes at an awkward time for the nation's renegotiation of its maritime boundary with Australia.