ABSTRACT
The consequences of the tumultuous events of 2006 continue to plague Timor Leste. During 2007 and 2008, the new government was not able to move ahead with restoring order and getting down to the business of effective governance, in spite of the presence of international forces on its soil. In this chapter, I look at the challenges of this period, particularly as these pertain to issues of security, the erosion of faith in the political elite, internal power struggles, and the continued tensions within the country and between Timor and Australia over gas and oil resources and revenues. The problem of security will be considered in relation to the Reinado problem, the Petitioners and the 2008 shootings of the president and prime minister, as well as the tensions between the international security forces and Timorese security forces. The International Crisis Group observed in October 2007 that the new coalition government set nine short-term goals, and three of these focused on “the ‘Reinado problem’, the IDPs, and the petitioners” (www.crisisgroup.org/ home/index.cfm?id=5900). This chapter will explore these issues and highlight the utter failure
of the newly elected government of 2007 to effectively deal with these serious problems.
