Seven Oaks Magazine.

1. Tell us about the anniversary being celebrated by East Timorese and their allies this week.

August 30 is the fifth anniversary of East Timor's vote for independence. After 24 years of illegal Indonesian occupation, the East Timorese were finally able to exercise their long-delayed right to self-determination and overwhelmingly voted for independence. Despite Indonesia's campaign of violent intimidation, over 98 per cent of registered voters turned out. Following the vote, the Indonesian military and its militia proxies enacted a ruthless revenge, literally destroying much of the country; driving more than three-quarters of the population from their homes; and killing, raping and injuring many.

2. What have been some of the major challenges faced in post-independence East Timor?

As a new and impoverished nation, East Timor's challenges are many-fold. They need to rebuild their physical infrastructure and create many institutions from scratch, including the judiciary and health care. As the poorest country in Asia, unemployment remains high, contributing to occasional unrest. In addition, East Timor needs more trained people in all spheres. It needs to build relationships with its large neighbors, Indonesia and Australia. Militia biding their time in Indonesian West Timor are also a concern.

3. What role is being played today in the governance of East Timor by those prominent figures who fought for its independence?

Many prominent exiles have returned to take top positions, including Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri. His Fretilin party, the main advocate for independence prior to Indonesia's 1975 invasion, dominated East Timor's first post-referendum election. The Foreign Minister is Nobel Peace Laureate Jose Ramos-Horta. Xanana Gusmao, the leader of East Timor's resistance movement, who was in an Indonesian prison during the last 7 years of the occupation, is President.

The UN continues its mission in East Timor, though much reduced since East Timor gained formal independence in May 2002. The formal peacekeeping mission is scheduled to end next May, when the last UN troops will leave. The UN's support for the serious crimes process aimed at prosecuting those responsible for crimes against humanity in 1999 will also end. Many of those indicted, including top Indonesian generals, remain out of reach and we are advocating a formal international tribunal to replace it. UN assistance via its development agencies will continue under bi-lateral agreements.

5. When we think of oil wars, we tend to think of the Middle East. Can you say a few words about the role of oil in the Timorese situation?

There are large reserves of natural gas and oil under the waters between Australia and East Timor. The two countries are currently negotiating a permanent maritime boundary in the Timor Sea that should determine who owns them. Under current international law, most of the disputed resources, worth billions, should belong to East Timor. Australia is resisting international arbitration to settle the dispute, but tremendous international and domestic pressure may lead Australia to agree to grant more of the revenue to East Timor, even as it stalls on the permanent boundary.

6. We know that the Howard government in Australia has been an eager war party in Bush's so-called "War on Terror." Can you talk about Australia's role in pillaging East Timor?

Australia did little to discourage an Indonesian invasion, going so far as to help cover up the murders by Indonesian troops of five Australian journalists 6 weeks before the invasion. Australia, the U.S., Canada and others then provided international political backing, along with weapons and military training, making them complicit with Indonesia in the genocide. Australia was the only country to sign a treaty formally recognizing Indonesian sovereignty over East Timor. Even the U.S. never went that far. The illegal treaty granted Australia a lion's share of the then projected revenue from the Timor Sea. That treaty serves as the basis for Australia's current negotiating stance. Once East Timor voted, Australia did press Indonesia to recognize the result and organized the initial peacekeeping mission, and provided humanitarian and other aid. But the costs of these efforts pale in comparison to the revenue it has and will earn from the theft of East Timor's petroleum resources.

7. East Timor has definitely lost its prominence as a front burner issue for progressives in North America. What can we do to keep the Timorese struggle on the map in terms of people's consciousness?

First, I would urge activists not to have the same short attention span as the media and many politicians. East Timor's freedom struggle is by no means over as its boundaries are not yet finalized and it doesn't have full control of its resources. To promote human rights, we need to follow through on East Timor's cries for justice, by urging the prosecution of those responsible for the many crimes committed in East Timor since 1975. East Timor needs help in facing down pressures from institutions like the World Bank and the IMF as it struggles to remain debt free. Lastly, East Timor's independence is a tremendous victory. Popular pressure -- in East Timor, Indonesia and here -- lead to changes that only a decade ago were portrayed as idealistic and impossible dreams. We need to build on that victory, take hope from it and recognize that for East Timor independence is just a beginning.