ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the roots of land conflict in Timor-Leste in the complex situation arising from its post-conflict, post-colonial and economic development experiences. It reviews policies such as the new land law and peoples efforts to achieve a just and sustainable society in Timor-Leste. The Ministry of Social Solidarity formed dialogue teams and dispatched them to internally displaced person (IDP) camps to encourage IDPs to return, and to the recipient communities to facilitate their acceptance. In rural areas outside the capital, land claims relate to customary land held by families or clans, and hence without in-depth anthropological studies this registration system will only foster new disputes within and among communities. Colonialism and foreign occupation have caused massive dislocation and displacement; have disconnected people from the customary land system. The chapter describes grassroots efforts to resolve land disputes. People have been struggling to find what they think is a just solution to their complex problems.
