The Wire

East Timor’s prime minister, Mari Alkatiri has accused Australia of stealing a million dollars a day in petroleum royalties from his impoverished nation, as the two countries resumed discussions over disputed maritime boundaries. The Howard Government is refusing to submit the maritime boundary dispute to the International Court of Justice and under interim revenue sharing arrangement, Australia takes 72% of the petroleum revenues in the Timor Sea. If these arrangements were to continue Australia could gain around 7 billion U.S. dollars at the expense of East Timor, over 30 years. Many local groups in Timor are strongly opposed to Australia’s actions and last week there were a series of demonstrations outside the Australian Embassy in Dili. Cinnamon Nippard caught up with Dan Nicholson, spokesperson from the Melbourne-based, Timor Sea Justice Campaign.

Timor Sea Justice
East Timor Action Network