The Wire

As the Australian Defence Force helps with the clean up in the Solomons after the Tsunami there, ADF personnel are also cleaning up in East Timor’s capital, Dili. Just days out from presidential elections political tensions between rival parties spilled into violence yesterday as members of the ruling Fretilin party were pelted with rocks. East Timor has experienced significant social unrest since ousting Mari Alkitiri as Prime Minister last year and the fledgling nation continues to struggle with its independence. International organisations, including the militaries of several countries have kept guard over the increasingly violent situation in East Timor. Associate Professor Damien Kingsbury is a senior lecturer in the school of international and political studies at Deakin University and is in East Timor as an election observer for the Victorian Local Governance Association. He spoke to The Wire from the capital, Dili.