[Re posting re Ausaid to East Timor in the form of working with the Indonesian government to aid East Timor, specifically in the area of agriculture.]

1. Ausaid cannot assist areas without approval from the Indonesian government to assist those areas. What happens in practice, is that Ausaid office in Dili will recommend improvements to an area, for example supplying water, then give those recommendations to the Indonesian government (in East Timor) to approve. IF THE IMPROVEMENTS ARE RECOMMENDED FOR AREAS OF HIGH TRANS-MIGRANT POPULATION, THAT IS, AREAS WHICH ARE NOT PERCEIVED TO BE ANTI-INTEGRATION/HELPING THE GUERILLAS/FIGHTING IN THE RESISTANCE, THEN THE INDONESIAN GOVERNMENT WILL PROBABLY ENDORSE THE RECOMMENDATIONS. IF AUSAID RECOMMENDS IMPROVEMENTS FOR AREAS POPULATED BY EAST TIMORESE - IE, MOST AREAS IN EAST TIMOR, ALMOST ALL MOUNTAINOUS AREAS, AND THE BY FAR WORSE AREAS IN TERMS OF HEALTH, ROADS, LACK OF ELECTRICITY AND WATER SUPPLIES - THE INDONESIAN GOVERNMENT WILL NOT ENDORSE THE RECOMMENDATION.

Therefore, Ausaid, although it might mean well, is only assisting Indonesia, and not the people of East Timor.

For proof of the above, contact the westerners working in the Ausaid office in Dili (although they might not be able to openly tell you what is happening); I was told about this situation by an Ausaid employee, by East Timorese in from the mountains of East Timor, and by East Timorese from Dili.

2. Also, the following is an account by a Dili resident of Indonesia's way of showing its "developments" to western diplomats: There ARE indeed developments underway to supply water to remote areas, even pro-Resistance areas. However,one such development has been under way for 8 years. When a senator or diplomat from the west visits East Timor, he is taken to the partly-constructed pipe, where lots of people are working, to show the ongoing developments, Indonesia's work to supply water to the East Timorese. When his visit to the site is over, work ceases again. I would like proof of just ONE area populated by East Timorese (and not by a majority of transmigrants) which has had water supplies or electricity given to them by Ausaid or the Indonesian government.