James Massola, Dili – Senior figures from the East Timorese government and opposition say they would welcome Chinese investment in the huge Tasi Mane infrastructure project, which includes development of the $50 billion Greater Sunrise oil and gas field.

Anthony Whealy – The prosecution of witness K, a former intelligence agent, and his lawyer Bernard Collaery has raised considerable outrage.

Helen Davidson – The US government knew for months that Indonesia's military was supporting and arming militias in East Timor in the lead-up to the 1999 independence referendum but continued to push for stronger military ties, declassified documents have revealed.

James Massola, Dili – Some of East Timor's most respected political leaders are demanding the Morrison government drop the prosecution of Australian whistleblowers Bernard Collaery and former spy Witness K, as the Prime Minister prepares to land in East Timor on Friday.

Michael Leach – On August 30, Timor-Leste will celebrate the referendum that gave it independence from Indonesia. For the people of this small island, it has been a long battle – and one that continues today. You can read our companion story on the island nation's struggle for independence here.

Sara Niner – On August 30, Timor-Leste will celebrate the referendum that gave it independence from Indonesia. For the people of this small island, it has been a long battle – one that continues today. You can read our companion story on the island nation's vexed relationship with Australia here.

Steve Cannane, ABC Investigations and Peter Cronau – The former prime minister of Timor Leste, Xanana Gusmao, says he wants to travel to Canberra to give evidence in court on behalf of former spy Witness K and lawyer Bernard Collaery if their prosecution continues.

The former president of East Timor wants to give evidence on behalf of two Australians charged with sharing secret information.

Xanana Gusmao has warned his evidence is likely to embarrass the Australian government, renewing calls for Canberra to drop the prosecutions instead.

Laurentina Barreto Soares, Melbourne – This month, Timor-Leste is in a festive mood, celebrating the 20th anniversary of its independence referendum.

On Aug 30, 1999, the people of Timor-Leste cast their ballots in a United Nations – administered popular consultation to determine the fate of the country, with 78.5 per cent voting to separate from Indonesia.

Hannah Sinclair – Two decades on from the historic referendum in Southeast Asia – which saw at least 1,400 people lose their lives and Australia forced to step in – SBS News meets an activist, a diplomat and a journalist who witnessed the crisis unfold.

The activist: Abel Guterres was in danger, fighting for independence

Randy Mulyanto and Meaghan Tobin – Sceptics of East Timor's relations with China should know it is not a "new, fragile country" that can be easily swayed by others, its foreign minister said, citing how the nation handled its border dispute with larger neighbour Australia.

A lawyer at the centre of a diplomatically sensitive bugging scandal involving Australia and East Timor has returned to court.

Bernard Collaery appeared before the ACT Supreme Court on Thursday for the last in a series of preliminary hearings.

Paulina Quintao – The General Director for Water and Sanitation (DNSA), Gustavo da Cruz said there is no legal basis to control the consumption of ground water, and that water production enterprises in the country produce gallons and small bottles of drinking water from ground water resources.

The Pro-Rector for Cooperation at the National University of Timor Lorosa'e (UNTL), Eduardo Aniceto Serrao said the university has established a good cooperation with Cuba, to support teachers and to prepare youths in the medical sector and equip them with high ability to respond with quality of care to people's needs.

Paulina Quintao – The Minister of Justice (MJ), Manuel Carceres da Costa said a specific law on adoption for Timor-Leste has not been established, but that parts of the civil code contain articles that can be used by the courts to decide on an adoption case.

Paulina Quintao – The National Director for Integrated Gender Political Approach and Women's Capacity at the Secretariat of State for Equality and Inclusion (SEII), Maria Filomena Babo Martins said the government has established an inter-ministerial commission to implement the national action plan for Gender Based-Violence (GBV), that will guarantee society is free from discriminat

Paulina Quintao – Member of the Commission D (Economic and Development issues) of the National Parliament, MP Mariano Assanami Sabino said the banking system in Timor-Leste is too weak, and he is concerned because international tourists cannot withdraw their money at the local banks.

Paulina Quintao – Farmers' groups urged the National Parliament to create a law to control and regulate the importing and the use of chemical pesticides in Timor-Leste to safeguard people's health.

Paulina Quintao – The President of the Women's Business Association in Timor-Leste (AMETL), Hergui Luina Fernandes said the government needs to create infrastructure with good conditions, including a laboratory, to grant certificates to livestock products and to facilitate organic certification so the private sector can export these products overseas.

Dian Kurniati, Jakarta – The Presidential Palace invited 55 members of the Nanggala Team to the commemoration of the 74th anniversary of Indonesia's proclamation of Independence at the Presidential Palace on Saturday August 17.

Mica Barreto Soares – This month, Timor-Leste is in a festive mood, celebrating the 20th anniversary of its independence referendum. On 30 August 1999, the people of Timor-Leste cast their ballots in a United Nations – administered popular consultation to determine the fate of the country, with 78.5% voting to separate from Indonesia.

Christopher Knaus – Peter Galbraith was playing a high-stakes game. It was 2004 and, in the Dili heat, the distinguished US diplomat sat opposite Australian officials, bartering over a nation's future.

An ex-spy known as "Witness K" has indicated he will plead guilty to breaching the Intelligence Services Act, but his lawyer Bernard Collaery will continue to fight the charge in a case that was today committed to trial in the ACT Supreme Court.

Alexandra Back – More than a year after the former spy Witness K and his lawyer Bernard Collaery were charged over the exposure of an Australian bugging operation on the tiny nation of East Timor, the pair have parted ways, with the spy to plead guilty and the lawyer to fight what he called a "contemptible" charge.

Sydney (AFP) – A former Australian spy announced a surprise guilty plea on Tuesday (Aug 6) for exposing an alleged 2004 bugging operation against Timor Leste officials, after years of fighting the charges.

Rod McGuirk – A former Australian spy will plead guilty to conspiring to reveal classified information about an allegation that Australia bugged East Timoe AKA Timor-Leste's government during negotiations over the sharing of billions of dollars in oil and gas revenue in 2004, splitting his case from his lawyer and alleged co-conspirator who will fight the charge, a court was told T

Meaghan Tobin – When work began on East Timor's US$490 million deep water port, things went with a bang – literally.

Kornchanok Raksaseri – It has been eight years since Timor-Leste submitted a formal application to be a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) but so far, the regional bloc has not accepted what would be its 11th member.

Meaghan Tobin – Many saw it as the latest example of China's growing diplomatic and economic clout in the 17-year-old nation, which lies just 500km off the north coast of Australia.

Khoo Ying Hooi – More than eight years have gone by since Timor-Leste's formal membership application to the ASEAN on March 4, 2011. In 2017, I wrote about this topic, with the title "Unlocking Timor-Leste's Road to ASEAN." Time has proven that the road is not just long and narrow but bumpy as well.

Jose Ramos-Horta – As Timorese and Australians work round the clock preparing to celebrate two milestones in Timor-Leste's recent history – the independence vote on 30 August and the arrival of peacekeeping troops on 20 September 1999, intimately connecting the two countries like an umbilical chord – two brave Australians are on trial for exposing a perfidy unworthy of a great coun

Australia's Parliament has approved the ratification of a maritime boundary treaty signed with East Timor 16 months ago and the government is now under pressure to return tens of millions of dollars in royalties from a seabed gas field that it concedes solely belongs to the poor half-island nation.

Melbourne (Reuters) – Australia passed a legislation that sets down maritime boundaries with Timor-Leste on Monday (July 29), providing a framework for the two countries to split revenue from the offshore Greater Sunrise natural gas field.

Australia's parliament voted Monday to implement a maritime border treaty with East Timor, potentially unlocking billions in offshore oil and gas revenue after a bitter decade-long dispute.

Paulina Quintao – Rede ba Rai is urging the government to temporarily stop the land registration process being conducted throughout the territory and to establish an independent team to evaluate the quality of the work undertaken so far before the work is complete.

Australia's attorney-general has shot down suggestions of dropping spy charges in a Commonwealth case involving East Timor.

The former president of East Timor, Xanana Gusmao, has urged the government to abandon its prosecution against a former spy known as Witness K and Canberra lawyer Bernard Collaery.

Oki Raimundos – The parliament of Timor-Leste voted in favor Tuesday of ratifying a maritime boundary treaty with Australia that governs how the two countries will share billions of dollars of oil and gas riches lying beneath the Timor Sea.

Paulina Quintao – The National Director for Veterinary at the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAP), Joanita Bendita da Costa said she does not guarantee the quality and security of pork being sold in the markets, because a pig slaughterhouse does not exist where the pig's meat can be inspected prior to entering the market.

Celestina Soares – The Timorese government through the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MEJD) indicated it will include Tetum sign language in public schools as part of learning activities, given most Timorese speak Tetum.

Paulina Quintao – The National Director for Public Health at the Ministry of Health (MoH), Pedro Canisio said from January to May 2019, health professionals have detected 58 new positive cases for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) through laboratory testing.

Anne Barker and Michael Barnett in Suai, Timor-Leste – At the Xanana Gusmao International Airport on Timor-Leste's picturesque south coast, a morning flight comes in to land.

In fact, it is the only plane scheduled for the day. The next regular flight will not be for another four days.

Andrew M Potts – East Timor, also known as Timor Leste, has celebrated LGBTQI pride for a third year in a row, with a Pride March taking place in the capital, Dili, on July 12.

An estimated 3,000 people took part in the "Marsa Diversidade" (Diversity March), six times the number of people who took part in the first East Timor Pride Parade in 2017.

Paulina Quintao – Inspection activities of Parliamentary Commission D (Economy and Development) in Manatuto Municipality recently identified that many rice fields have been abandoned for years, because of insufficient water distribution to the rice fields due to poor conditions of the irrigation infrastructure.

Paulina Quintao – The National Commission for Combating HIV/AIDS in Timor-Leste (KNKS-TL) is standing by its decision to not socialize about condom use to the public as a prevention method for HIV transmission despite receiving strong critiques from organizations and groups.

Kuala Lumpur – Malaysia is always consistent in its support for the admission of Timor Leste as a new member in ASEAN since the country is located in the Southeast Asia region.

Aw Cheng Wei, Singapore – The young South-east Asian nation of Timor Leste is hoping that Singapore will play a bigger role in its development story as it strives to become an upper middle-income country by 2030.

Viji Menon – The political gridlock in parliament in 2017-2018, which resulted in its inability to pass the 2018 budget, led to the second general election in May 2018.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison is not ruling out dropping spying charges in a commonwealth case involving East Timor.

The former president of East Timor, Xanana Gusmao, has urged the federal government to abandon its prosecution against a former spy known as Witness K and Canberra lawyer Bernard Collaery.

Tempo Timor, Dili – Proposals to make defamation a crime in Timor-Leste have sparked public debate about a controversial law that could see people jailed for their opinions on popular platforms like Facebook.

Helen Davidson – Timor-Leste's state-owned gas company has rejected reports it is set to take a $16bn loan from China's Exim bank to finance the Greater Sunrise project.