Daniel Flitton – A ruling could be delivered within the month on Australia's claim that a special international commission has no jurisdiction to hear a complaint by East Timor.

East Timor has sought a "conciliation" with Australia under a never-before invoked article of the international law of the sea in a bid to win a greater slice of oil and gas revenue from the Timor Sea.

Australia needs to play by the rules in the East Timor boundary dispute or risk losing credibility when it weighs into the South China Sea saga, federal Labor warns.

Penny Wong – The Turnbull's government rejection of an international commission's jurisdiction over the maritime boundary dispute with Timor-Leste is a deeply disappointing development.

Ryan Dagur and Siktus Harson, Jakarta – Rights groups have said the governments of Indonesia and Timor-Leste have failed to find, document and reunite Timorese separated from their families when they were children during the Indonesian occupation (1975-1999) as recommended by an official commission in 2008.

Jakarta – "I had mixed feelings of sadness and anger when I learned that I already had my own grave in Timor Leste," Victor da Costa, 41, said on Tuesday.

He is one of Timor Leste's generation of "stolen children", who were forcibly taken away from their families during the Indonesian occupation of what was then the province of East Timor.

Donald K. Anton – It is reasonable to suppose that for much of the time between 2007 and 2013, those responsible for managing Australia's diplomatic relationship with Timor-Leste rested easy about the potential irritant represented by the unresolved dispute involving the delimitation of the Timor Sea maritime boundary that divides the opposite coastlines of both countries.

Steve Cannane – The former president of East Timor has told a commission sitting at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague that Australia exploited a vulnerable nation while negotiating treaties over oil and gas revenue in the disputed territory.

Although East Timor is doing much better than it was, it is still very fragile. And the Timor Sea dispute could undo much of the progress that has been made.

Timor-Leste once agreed to let the maritime boundary question rest for 50 years. What changed?

Ben Doherty – Timor-Leste has urged Australia not to "turn its back on the law" and to negotiate over the Timor Sea maritime boundary, but Australia has claimed the commission it has been brought before has no jurisdiction to hear the matter and said that any decision it makes will be not be binding on Australia.

Jan van der MadeIssued – East Timor is asking the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague to help resolve a dispute with Australia over a maritime border that cuts through lucrative oil and gas fields in the Timor Sea. But Australia has rejected the claims, saying that existing agreements are good enough.

This week's conciliation talks in The Hague give Australia a new chance to do the right thing by East Timor to help it secure its future

Steve Cannane – The ongoing dispute between Australia and East Timor over maritime boundaries could be resolved in a landmark case that begins in the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague on Monday.

Australia has injected last-minute intrigue into the opening of compulsory conciliation proceedings over the unsettled maritime border with Timor-Leste.

The utterances came – more or less out of the blue – ahead of hearings which are due to start in The Hague on Monday evening (AEST).

Amanda Hodge, Jakarta – Australia and East Timor will face off in The Hague on Monday in their territorial dispute over maritime boundaries in the Timor Sea – the first nations to use a last-chance international conciliation process under the UN Law of the Sea.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) this Monday asked the Prime Minister of Timor-Lest to stop defamation charges against two Timor Post journalists and to immediately release them.

Hamish McDonald, Dili – The biggest private sector employer in Timor-Leste has two names on his business card. One is Eduardo Belo Saores, his legal name, and the other is a more enigmatic one, Gattot.

Abi Sarwanto, Jakarta – Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Wiranto met with the Minister of Planning, Development and Investment of East Timor, Xanana Gusmao on Sunday (21/8) night.

Wiranto said in a closed meeting that lasted for more than two hours that they discussed many things, one of which is the border between Indonesia and Timor Leste.

Lindsay Murdoch – Try to picture this: almost every man, women and child forced from their homes, often at gunpoint, usually because of the sheer terror of staying.

Entire towns and villages turned into wastelands. Everything of value stolen and loaded onto trucks by the military, police or their anointed thugs.

On the eve of Bali's terror summit, Justice Minister Michael Keenan said he'd "welcome" convicted war criminal Wiranto to Australia effectively closing the Turnbull Government's book on the East Timor genocide. Dr Adam Henry reports.

Paulina Quintao – The Caucus organization has provided training to 180 potential female candidates in rural areas to help prepare them for the suku (village) elections to be held in October.

Program Coordinator for Capacity Building Pascoal da Cruz Gomes said the training was important to encourage women to participate in the development process by taking on a leadership role.

Thomas Ora, Dili, Timor Leste – The Catholic Church has moved to support the people of Timor-Leste in their dispute with Australia over maritime boundaries involving billions of dollars in oil and gas reserves.

Venidora Oliveira – The Civil registry has granted 680 foreigners Timorese citizenship, mostly from Indonesia.

Department head Manuel Gama said the applicants had fulfilled the criteria under citizenship laws N. 9/2012 and n. 1/2004. He said the majority were originally from Indonesia and were getting married to Timorese citizens.

Quratul-Ain Bandial, Bandar Seri Begawan – Timor Leste is keen to reap the potential benefits of tariff-free trade once it joins the ASEAN bloc, said the country's commerce, industry and environment minister on Tuesday.

Paulina Quintao – Increased reporting of domestic violence cases and the establishment of more shelters are the two major achievements during the implementation of the national action plan on gender-based violence (NPA-GBV) over the past three years.

Paulina Quintao – The Caucus organization is providing training to 30 potential female political candidates, which have been registered in the National Election Commission (NCE), in preparation for the 2017 general elections.

Dili, Timor-Leste – Participants of ASEAN Peoples' Forum (APF) have stated their commitment and supports of a fair settlement for the Timorese peoples' unfinished struggle to achieve their full sovereignty as the newest country in South East Asia. ASEAN civil society pledged to propose a campaign on the Timor Sea issue, so that the Timorese people could achieve their full sovereignty.

Paulina Quintao – The Mobile Library Program being implemented in the country through the Alola Foundation is aiming to develop a culture of reading among pupils.

Alola's Program Manager for Education Emma de Sousa said many pupils were participating in the program and enjoyed reading the different books.

Paulina Quintao – Prime Minister Rui Maria de Araujo has urged ministers and secretaries of state to include gender issues in the annual action plan and the 2017 budget to ensure both women and men benefit from government programs.

Introduction

Venidora Oliveira – Communities are continuing to build houses on protected land, even though it has been banned by the government.

National MP Fernanda Lay said the fourth constitutional government had already identified environmentally sensitive land for protection and asked communities not to build homes in these areas.

Thomas Ora, Dili, Timor Leste – Indonesian Christians have pledged help for hundreds of Timor-Leste farmers whose crops have been ravaged by the El Nino weather pattern.

The assistance follows an appeal by the head of the church's social action arm in Timor-Leste.

Paulina Quintao – The policy of equivalent education has been criticized as being unfair to dropout youths due to the learning environment, which is different to the formal system.

Dylan Amirio, Dili, Timor Leste – Timor Leste is probably not on the average list when it comes to destinations for spiritual tourism, or even tourism in general.

Most people, particularly Indonesians, view Timor Leste only as that little country that struggled and endured the brutal and murderous 30-plus year occupation by Indonesia's Soeharto regime.

Paulina Quintao – The Ministry of Social Solidarity (MSS) has acknowledged that it was difficult for victims of sexual abuse, particularly incest, to return to their families and society.

Paulina Quintao – The Health Ministry (MH) has launched a public awareness campaign since the President approved the new tobacco control law on June 2.

The Chief of the Department of Non-infectious Diseases, Dr Helder Juvinal, said they had six months to communicate the law to the wider community before it was formally implemented.

The Hague tribunal decision last week in the South China Sea case will have far reaching implications, finding that any 'historic rights' China claimed within the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) of other states were extinguished by UNCLOS itself, and China's subsequent ratification of the treaty in 1996.

Djemi Amnifu, Kupang – Many Timor Leste citizens remain stranded in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), years after a UN referendum that resulted in Timor Leste's independence.

Timor Aswa'in Union Congress (Untas) in Kupang revealed that the many residents of both countries had been deprived of their right to welfare.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins the South East Asia Journalist Unions (SEAJU), along with the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Freedom House, in reiterating its call for the Prime Minister of Timor Leste, Dr. Rui Maria de Araujo, to immediately drop the criminal charges against journalist Oki Raimundos and Lorenco Martins from the Timor Post.

Ruby Taylor – The Pacific Islands Development Forum (PIDF) has welcomed Timor Leste as part of the growing country members of the forum.

This followed the signing of the instrument of accession by HE Hernani Coelho da Silva, Foreign Affairs Minister of Timor Leste on July 14, signalling their formal admission to the PIDF Charter.

Amanda Hodge, Jakarta – The East Timor government has accused Australia of hypocrisy for appealing to China to use international law to resolve its disputes with Asian neighbours over the South China Sea while refusing to do so itself in its ongoing tussle over the Timor Sea.

Venidora Oliveira – Timor-Leste's mobile court has resolved 1143 cases since being established in 2010, representing significant progress, according to the Timor-Leste Country Director of United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Claudio Providas.

Tom Clarke – Territorial aggression. Refusal to abide by the rule book. It's a challenging set of behaviours.

Thomas Ora, Dili – The director of the youth commission for Dili Diocese has criticized the Timor-Leste government for not doing enough to curb unemployment.

"Unemployment increases but the government does not create any [plan] to reduce it," Father Joao Soares ucanews.com on July 13, responding to a recent government report on Timor-Leste's high unemployment rate.

Sarina Locke – For a Timorese family, owning a cow is a luxury and owning a herd of cattle is a sign of wealth. Most of East Timor's cattle are skinny and riddled with parasites and diseases.

Chronic malnutrition is holding back growth in East Timor, with more than 40 per cent of its population living below the poverty line.

Paulina Quintao – Concerns have been raised about the effectiveness of the National Directorate for Food and Economy Inspection as food products continue to be sold past their expiry date.

National MP Jorge da Conceicao Teme called on the Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Environment (MCIE) to implement more regular controls, adding that consuming may cause harm to people's health.

Paulina Quintao – The National Directorate for Food and Economy Inspection has identified 58 stores in Dili selling food past the expiry date in the last six months up until June.

Most of the stores in question were foreign-owned. The inspections were conducted under law decree no. 23/2009 implemented to ensure food safety for consumers.

The response from Australia's foreign minister, Julie Bishop, to the ruling from the Permanent Court of Arbitration against China highlights a central contradiction in Australia's foreign policy.

Venidora Oliveira – The Ministry of Social Solidarity proposed the law on social security contribution for the workers in Timor-Leste for their retirement or in case of injury.

Paulina Quintao – The Ministry of Education (ME) has established nine community centers this year aimed at improving study opportunities for illiterate people.

National Director of Adult Education Miguel Godinho Martins said one of the major problems faced in the past was that there were no suitable or permanent places for learning.