Issue 76
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Sowing seeds to fight poverty and cultivate peace
Since East Timor became an independent nation in May 2002, the people have been re-building their country and working towards achieving lasting peace and a sustainable future. East Timor remains one of the poorest countries in the world. Caritas Australia continues to work in partnership with the people of East Timor in an effort to alleviate this poverty. Meet Maria, a coordinator of a women's garden group in Oecussi, whose work is supported by Caritas Australia .

Come on Aussie - do the right thing?
Australia has been embroiled in controversy over its negotiations with East Timor in relation to its oil fields. ABC

East Timor praised
The United Nations has praised East Timor on its progress on the path to achieving self-sufficiency. Kofi Annan calls for the UN mission to be extended another year. BBC

Peacekeepers or police?
While East Timor and the UN support an extension to the peacekeeping presence in East Timor , other countries including Australia , believe a police presence alone is adequate. This story features a discussion with the ET Ambassador to the UN, Australia 's Foreign Minister Alexander Downer and an academic from ANU. ABC

Bribery allegations in relation to Timor oil
The East Timorese Prime Minister, Mari Alkatiri, denies bribery allegations over Timor Sea oil. Jose Ramos Horta discusses the incident. ABC

More on the maritime boundaries issue
The United States House of Representatives has sent a letter to the Australian Government urging a fairer deal on maritime boundary negotiations with East Timor . This also features the actual letter to Prime Minister John Howard. JSMP

Are the trials fair?
Human Rights Watch says the acquittal of five men over the Suai church massacre in 1999 highlights the need for a United Nations mechanism to bring justice to the nation. Indonesia is criticised for its ad-hoc court and refusal to extradite anyone to UN-backed Dili courts. HRW

East Timor Action Network/U.S.
This American-based organisation acts as a watchdog on East Timor as it emerges as a new nation. It gives a good history of events, covers important issues such as labour rights, human rights and debt and has a Take Action section where browsers can undertake an immediate action for support for East Timor . Includes a link to archived articles and reports.
www.etan.org

A Prayer for East Timor
"All powerful and ever-present God: look with love on the people of East Timor , as they await the dawning of a new life for their country. Send your  Spirit to guide them on their journey to self-determination."
Catholic Justice and Peace Commission

Have your say about the media
Join in a web-dialogue now and have your say on the media with young people from all over the world. The discussion is hosted by UNICEF and the results will be presented at the 4th World Summit on Media for Children and Adolescents which will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from 19-23 April.
www.unicef.org/voy/explore/media/explore_646.html

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Caritas Latest

Catch up with Anita from East Timor, who featured last year in Caritas Australia's Project Compassion campaign. Anita works for the Human Rights training team based in Dili, East Timor. She has just had her second baby but will return from maternity leave to rejoin the Caritas team which continue their work raising awareness of violence and sexual assault.

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