[The following comment was posted on the East Timor list in response to a May 14 report that appeared in Green Left Weekly titled "East Timor: Governing coalition on brink of collapse".]

The factual inaccuracy of this report is worrying. The AMP government is not on the "brink of collapse". It may be challenged next year – the "brink" is still some way off.

Australia was quiescent in Indonesia's invasion of East Timor in 1975, but it was not an "Australian-backed" invasion; there was no logistical support for it.

Lu-Olo was not the "restorer of independence". He was one of among many who came together in the original CNRT which restored independence via the ballot in 1999.

There is no doubt the East Timor death toll under Indonesia was horrific. The CAVR report indicates that 180,000 died. The number might be a little more – maybe 200,000 or a bit over – but no-one claims 300,000. To do so is nonsense.

East Timoris "awash with rumors"? Well, that would be something new... not. While some rumors are more credible than others and may be worth investigating, none can be taken on face value. Reporting rumors is exceptionally poor journalism. Repeating rumors as "journalism" is even worse.

Arson "increased after the deployment of the ISF" in 2006? Really? Evidence for this? Arson continued, but was significantly reduced, and eventually stopped.

Alkatiri has claimed that Fretilin has photographs? Uhuh. How come these photographs have not been released? And of course, it is easy to doctor photos - even amateurs can use Photoshop.

One could go on, but the point is that this compilation of drivel only denigrates was has occasionally been a useful "news" service. GLW has done much better that this in the past. Hopefully it will do much better in the future.