The Wire

Instability has plagued East Timor for decades. A small UN force was deployed before the referendum in 1999 and in 2002 the tiny nation finally gained independence from Indonesia. But loyalist Indonesian Militia still cause unrest. Peace keepers came out of Timor in 2005, but last year Australian troops returned to ease tensions over government conspiracy allegations. Kirsty Sword Gusmao, the Australian born wife of East Timor’s President Xanana Gusmao, supports the involvement of Australia, and says timorese women hold the key to peace.