ABSTRACT
The newly independent East Timor is a post-conflict society facing complex social and economic challenges as it attempts to rebuild itself as a modern nation state (Fox, 2001; Hill and Saldanha, 2001; Philpott, 2006). The occupation of the country by Indonesia from 1975, following centuries of Portuguese colonial rule, resulted in the disruption of traditional land uses and lifestyles through ongoing military surveillance and conflict with Timorese resistance forces (CAVR, 2006). The Indonesian occupation included large numbers of civil servants and troops, as well as armed militias and, in some regions, the implantation of transmigrants and the construction of new settlements through forced internal migration. The Timorese suffered abuses of human rights and the widespread loss of life – approximately 200,000 individuals (CAVR, 2006) – and property during and after their guerrilla campaign (Tanter et al ., 2006; Nevins, 2005). Since that time, two United Nations peacekeeping and state-building missions (1999-2002; 2006-2012) and the independent government of Timor Leste (2002-present) have struggled with enormous development and reconstruction challenges.
