Fed: 10 years on, Aust troops find East Timor on the mend

AAP General News (Australia)
04-22-2010
Fed: 10 years on, Aust troops find East Timor on the mend

By Max Blenkin, Defence Correspondent

CANBERRA, April 22 AAP - Just over a decade ago, Australian troops arrived in the East
Timor capital of Dili finding a devastated city still smouldering from the militia rampage.

Much of the population had scattered and those remaining huddled destitute in makeshift camps.

This Sunday their replacements will commemorate a 10th Anzac Day in East Timor and
their commander, Colonel Simon Stuart, is cautiously optimistic the young nation has turned
a corner - to a point where all Australian forces could withdraw by 2012.

Australia's ongoing mission in East Timor, overshadowed by Afghanistan and border protection,
has gone right off the national radar.

Australian and other troops haven't been called to assist East Timor's security forces
since the attempted assassination of President Jose Ramos Horta in February 2008.

The security situation was sufficiently benign for troop numbers to be reduced from
600 to 400 between December-February.

The International Stabilisation Force (ISF) in East Timor, commanded by Colonel Stuart,
now numbers 550, including 150 New Zealanders.

On the face of a much diminished threat, Australia withdrew its armoured personnel
carriers last year and troops now occasionally undertake patrols by bicycle.

Colonel Stuart does not want to paint the situation as completely rosy but said there
were encouraging signs of progress in a nation that remains one of the world's poorest.

"There is a real sense of national pride here," he told AAP from East Timor.

"A very resilient people are getting on with the business of improving their lives
after a pretty hard-won independence.

"The good thing is their capacity and resilience - every time there is something to
deal with, it increases."

The time taken to recover from those sorts of things was reducing and their capacity
to address the base issues and then move on was also increasing.

"But we need to be quite realistic. There's a way to go and there will be challenges
along the way."

Australia's contribution to the ISF is mostly drawn from Brisbane-based 8/9 battalion
(8/9RAR), only re-raised in 2008 and now undertaking its first operational deployments.

Other members of 8/9 are in Afghanistan while some are assisting with border protection duties.

Colonel Stuart said East Timor's police, supported by UN police, were now primarily
responsible for national security with the ISF only called to assist in case of emergency.

"So our role has shifted from one of purely a security focus to now standing alongside
our colleagues in the East Timorese defence force and doing some training and capacity
building with them," he said.

However, the ISF remains ready and willing to respond if necessary.

"We are very capable and have a significant force still here but we haven't been required
for two years now and the longer that situation goes on the better for everyone," he said.

One manifestation of East Timor's high unemployment, particularly among young people,
is the rise of so-called martial arts groups, variously linked to criminal gangs and to
various political factions as on-call muscle.

But Colonel Stuart doesn't view them as posing a clear and present danger.

A key challenge for East Timor was creating work for a growing population of under 25s, he said.

"A lot of the martial arts groups are exactly that, a focus for young people who can
go along and do some kind of community activity or some kind of martial arts," he said.

"There is no doubt that previously some of them have been involved in politically motivated
activities normally ending up in violence.

"But I think it's more a case of them being an easy target to manipulate rather than
being a problem in themselves."

So when might Australia end a military involvement which started in September 1999
and peaked at more than 5000 troops?

Troop numbers have been reduced progressively, but in 2006 and 2008 civil unrest prompted
rapid reinforcement.

Colonel Stuart said the future of the ISF was really a matter for the government of
East Timor in consultation with Australia and New Zealand.

"But I think most people are looking at the 2012 elections as perhaps a natural point
where those decisions might be considered," he said.

AAP mb/rl/maur/mn

KEYWORD: TIMOR AUST (AAP BACKGROUNDER) (REQUESTED RPT)

� 2010 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.