Lisa: New Zealand has committed peacekeepers to Timor Leste for 13 years and lost five soldiers there.

We still give the country $14 million a year in aid. But the oil's running out. Petroleum revenues have halved in a year and some are concerned the country could be broke inside a decade.

Paulina Quintso – Executive Secretary of Human Capital Development Fund (FDCH), Ismenio Martins da Silva, said Timor-Leste still lacks in human resources in the discipline of the natural sciences which he hopes to be able to improve in 2016 through the fund.

The government of Timor Leste (East Timor) has approved the purchase of the stake owned by Brazil's OIi telecommunications company Timor Telecom, a source from the Timorese government said Thursday in Dili.

In a series of recent posts on The Interpreter, Stephen Grenville has suggested that if Australia agreed to enter into maritime boundary negotiations with Timor-Leste and, if necessary, allow an international umpire to determine a maritime boundary in the Timor Sea, Timor-Leste would somehow be worse off.

This is a strange assertion given the facts.

Samantha Yap, Dili, Timor-Leste – More than a decade after gaining their independence, the people of Timor-Leste are fighting another battle. This time, there are billions of dollars at stake.

On 8 March 2016, Timor-Leste celebrates International Women's Day. This is an important day where we acknowledge the contribution of Timorese women and women from other countries and the challenges they face in achieving gender equality.

There are a couple of issues from the The Interpreter discussion of the maritime border with Timor Leste that merit more exploration. First, the relevance of 'rules-based order'; second, the ASIS spying.Rules-based order

To mark the anniversary of Australian Government's unscrupulous decision to withdraw its recognition of the maritime boundary jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice, various protest actions will be held around the world.

Australia took advantage of East Timor's weakness and is now dodging its international obligations over the disputed marine border, a Timorese MP says.

The Australian Governor-General, Peter Cosgrove, has turned down a request by a Timor Sea civil society group to meet during his short tour of Timor-Leste seeking a "frank and open" discussion about the maritime boundary dispute.

Sadachika Watanabe, Jakarta – Satisfying your craving for Western-style fast food is getting easier in East Timor.

U.S. chain Burger King plans to double its stable of stores there to around eight or more over the next five years. And Beard Papa, a Japanese chain of cream puff shops, plans to open its first outlet in the Southeast Asian country in March.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate Timor Lorosa'e Journalists' Association (AJTL) in strongly criticizing the defamation suit filed by the Timor Leste Prime Minister against a journalist. The IFJ joins AJTL is calling on the Prime Minister to immediately withdraw the charges and guarantee the Press Law.

Australia has closed the door on reopening talks with East Timor about a maritime boundary dispute and a carve-up of oil and gas reserves.

East Timor Prime Minister Rui Maria Araujo wrote to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull seeking new negotiations.

Tom Allard – Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has offered to hold "frank and open" discussions with East Timor about the unresolved maritime boundary between the two countries but stopped short of the fledgling state's request for formal and discrete talks to settle the impasse.

Tom Allard – East Timor's president has compared former prime ministers Xanana Gusmao and Mari Alkatiri to the Indonesian dictator Suharto, saying there was "widespread discontent" among the public that their families were benefiting from lucrative government contracts.

Sam King – A large and angry demonstration was held outside the Australian Embassy in Dili on 23 February, against the Australian government's refusal negotiate a permanent international border with East Timor.

Kupang, E Nusa Tenggara – Ferdi Tanoni, an observer of the Timor Sea issue, expressed support to the people of Timor Leste for demanding the establishment of maritime boundaries and for urging Australia to end its occupation of Timor Sea.

John Pilger – Out of a population of almost a million, up to a third were extinguished. Secret documents found in the Australian National Archives provide a glimpse of how one of the greatest crimes of the 20th century was executed and covered up. They also help us understand how and for whom the world is run.

Paulina Quintso – The Director of Caucus (Women in Politics) Foundation Paula Corte Real urged women's associations across the 12 municipalities to stand firm and work together to encourage women with potential to take a more active role in national development efforts.

Paulina Quintso – The Director of CAUCUS (Women in Politics) Foundation, Paula Corte Real said the foundation is committed to continue to prepare women with potential for decision making roles.

She said she believes women's potential is never-ending so it is important to enable them to acquire new knowledge every day and to ensure women are represented in decision-making positions.

Thomas Ora, Dili, Timor Leste – About 3,000 people marched to the Australian embassy in the Timor-Leste capital of Dili on Feb. 23, demanding that the Australian government settle a maritime dispute.

The demonstrators walked 500 meters from the Australian-owned Tiger refueling station to the embassy carrying banners that read "We want justice, we want it now."

Protesters rallied Tuesday outside the Australian embassy in the East Timor capital Dili, demanding Canberra come to the table "in good faith" to end a long-running dispute over major oil and gasfields in the Timor Sea.

Daniel Flitton – Protesters have gathered outside Australia's embassy in Dili to demand an end to the bitter dispute with East Timor over undersea oil and gas fields.

"We want Australia to come to the table in good faith," said Juvinal Dias, an organiser for the rally.

Timor Leste's prime minister has filed a defamation suit against a journalist, who learned of the legal action against him last month.

[The following statement is from the Movement Against the Occupation of the Timor Sea, a civil society coalition which has organized a peaceful march and vigil in Dili today, across the street from the Australian Embassy.]

A protest action will take place this morning outside the Australian Embassy in Dili, East Timor, calling for the establishment of permanent maritime boundaries along the 'median line' half way between Australia and East Timor.

Impunity persisted for gross human rights violations committed during the Indonesian occupation (1975-1999). Security forces were accused of arbitrary arrests and unnecessary or excessive use of force during security operations in Baucau district. Levels of domestic violence remained high.

Background

Bryer C. Sousa – Following Hillary Clinton's recent invocation of the former National Security Advisor and Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger, under President Nixon and President Ford, during the most recent Democratic debate, it felt morally obligatory to reflect upon the genocide that began in East Timor, while the Machiavellian Kissinger served as Secretary of State.

Paulina Quintso – The Education Director for the Municipality of Viqueque, Emilio Amaral said in the new school year of 2016-2017 the school feeding program has not yet been implemented because government funds have not yet been released.

Paulina Quintso – The Director of the National Optical Centre (NOC) Belmeiro Jeronimo said the institution would not provide medical consultations and eye surgery in all municipalities because it does not have sufficient human resources.

Emilia Terzon – From Cyclone Tracy to the Bali bombings, the small tropical city of Darwin has on a few rare, yet memorable occasions become an epicentre of a major international event.

Venidora Oliveira – The National Parliament (NP) approved $28,931 million in the 2016 state budget to improve the welfare of members of the national police force PNTL.

Member of Parliament MP Cesar Valente said police officers make many sacrifices that go largely unrecognised to be present and safeguard the security and freedom of citizens.

Venidora Oliveira – Member of Parliament MP Arao Noe said many village offices established across the 13 municipalities of Timor-Leste that are damaged are still waiting for the government to fix them.

Lindsay Murdoch, Bangkok – MPs from East Timor's major political parties are moving to impeach the country's President as tensions rise again in the former Indonesian-controlled island nation.

Daniel Flitton – Not one senior Australian politician has visited East Timor since the Coalition won power in 2013, a dramatic illustration of just how tense the stand-off between the two countries has become. Every other close neighbour has had an Australian minister drop by their capital in the same period, most several times. It's the usual way high-level diplomacy is done.

Tom Allard – Australian diplomats in the Jakarta embassy mocked reports of the rape, torture and execution of East Timorese after the invasion of Indonesia, remarking that it "sounds like fun" and "the population must be in raptures".

The handwritten annotations are on a memo sent to the embassy in November 1976, less than a year after Indonesia seized East Timor by force.

Timor-Leste (East Timor) offers tax advantages and other incentives to those who want to invest in the country and is working to overcome the shortcomings that still exist in terms of legislation, the country's Trade Minister said Thursday in Dili.

Havana – The former President of Timor-Leste, Jose Manuel Ramos-Horta, said today in Havana that no other organization or group of people in the world deserves the Nobel Peace Prize as much as the Cuban medical brigade.

Angela Macdonald-Smith – US oil giant ConocoPhillips has settled the biggest part of its long-running tax disputes with the Timor-Leste government, clearing the air for potential further investment in the region down the track.

A joint statement issued late Wednesday by the two parties didn't disclose the terms of the settlement, which they said was confidential.

The Timor Sea Justice Campaign will hold a protest action in Melbourne at 12:30pm on Thursday 24 March outside the Department of Foreign Affairs in solidarity with a series of protests taking place outside Australia's embassy in Dili, East Timor.

Tanya Plibersek – Australia regularly calls on other countries to abide by international laws and norms to settle disputes. On whaling, on the settling of international trade disputes, and in the 1970s on French nuclear testing, we insist others play by the rules.

The shift in Labor's position in regard to Australia's long running maritime border dispute with East Timor will likely appeal to diplomatic conventions and notions of equity but, of greater significance, the new policy is also consistent with promoting Australia's long-term geopolitical interests.

Tanya Plibersek's announcement committing a future Labor government to good faith negotiations over a maritime boundary with Timor-Leste, with international dispute settlement in reserve, represents a significant shift in the status quo. The position was foreshadowed by a motion passed at last year's ALP Conference, sponsored by former MP and long-time advocate Janelle Saffin.

Daniel Flitton – East Timor has hinted its international spying case against Australia could be abandoned should the two countries negotiate a new treaty to divide rich undersea oil and gas fields.

Tom Allard – East Timor's Prime Minister has written to his Australian counterpart Malcolm Turnbull asking him to open talks on a permanent maritime boundary between the two countries.

Kate Stanton, Dili, East Timor – Cesar Gaio loves cooking in the open air. He hovers over a gas stove next to the winding road that edges the sea in Dili, East Timor, preparing wraps filled with purple sweet potato and fresh fish.

The foreign affairs department insists a decision to deny a passport to a former-spy-turned-whistleblower is not aimed at stopping him from giving evidence in arbitration proceedings in a dispute between Australia and East Timor.

The foreign affairs department was not consulted before Labor announced a new policy to reopen good faith maritime boundary talks with East Timor.

Labor did not consult the foreign affairs department before it pledged to reopen good-faith talks with East Timor on maritime boundaries with Australia.

Paulina Quintso, – The Inspector General for Labour (IJT) and Secretary of State for Vocational Training Policy and Employment (SEPFOPE) Aniceto Leto Soro said in 2015 some 2,190 foreigners received work permit visas to work in Timor-Leste.

Venidora Oliveira – The Minister of Public Works, Transport and Communication (MOPTC) Gastso de Sousa said the government has allocated $10 million out of the 2016 state budget for rural roads rehabilitation.