Today, the International Crisis Group (whatever that is) released a report called “Resolving East Timor’s Crisis”. I will get around to reading it a bit more carefully soon but basically it seems to cover a lot of the issues related to the current problems.
The report (36 page PDF document and 860kb in size) is available here at crisisgroup.org
I am not sure where it fits into the big picture as the UN report on the recent troubles is due before the end of October. This is often talked about around town as it is supposed to name names and provide a starting point for prosecution of people who have done the wrong thing (whatever that is).
Some information on this special commission of inquiry is available at reliefweb
There has been a lot of conjecture about town whether the details of the UN report will cause trouble. At the very least, there will be a lot of squirming but I would assume that all the potentially guilty parties already have a good idea of what to expect. At the same time, I am fairly certain the foreign military and police forces already know the names of those who will be named. So I think there may be a lid on any really bad stuff but one would have to expect some issues coming out of left field somewhere.
I know the day the report is released will be a good day to plan for a nice meal at home and some stiff gin and tonics just to be on the safe side.
Could you answer a few questions that I don’t see covered in your archives? If you ride your bike to the store or for a coffee then where do you put the bike so that it is not stolen? I see pictures of vegetables being sold. Are they safe to eat raw? What about the green leafy vegetables? Is there a special way to wash them or do you just forget about it and dig in? Did you ever get over the sweating issue or is it still as bad as when you arrived? Do you have a fence and security guards around the place you live? I understand this is common to have? Do you work or are you retired? I have not come across an archive that mentions what you do there? Thank you for your time.
I park my bike outside and lock it with a modest lock and chain. Some of the supermarkets have their own guards and I trust these. Many other places have guardhouses out the front and leaving a bicycle is no problem. At other places, I sometimes park my bike IN the shop or at least within line of sight.
I buy and eat fruit and vegetables and generally regard them as safe. I do not give them any special treatment. I am a sweater and it is only the dry season that has saved me from bulk discomfort. The wet season is coming and I expect to be in a lather over that.
Most expats (but not all) live in some form of accommodation with a fence and/or guard. I am in that category but the guard has no gun and is no bigger than a 12-year old child (where I come from) so I am not sure how much protection that really offers.
As for what I do, I see no need to define myself by answering the age-old introductory question “what do you do?”. Particularly since the times I answered that one a couple of times to people who instantly walked away because they considered me not interesting enough to talk to – just because of what I did. I have a similar allergy to the “where are you from?” (ie birthplace) question and the ensuing line of questions which make no sense when you haven’t lived in that place for most of your life.