EAST TIMOR - E Timor sacks one third of army

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Friday, 17 March 2006,

06:25 GMT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

E

Timor sacks one third of army

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Tim Johnston

BBC correspondent in

Jakarta

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Many of the

disaffected troops are thought to be former insurgents

 

 

 

East Timor has sacked more than a third of its army after soldiers went absent

without leave to protest against poor conditions and rules of promotion.

The soldiers said they wanted an end to " nepotism and

injustice " in the force.

They refused to end the month-long stand-off despite an offer by

President Xanana Gusmao of a government inquiry.

The dismissal of nearly 600 soldiers is a serious blow to the

1,400-strong force, set up after East Timor gained independence

from Indonesia in 1999.

Most of the servicemen involved in the protest were said to be

former insurgents whose 25-year fight for independence from Indonesia finally came

to an end with the 1999 UN-organised referendum.

'Breeding

resentment'

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The soldiers have had trouble adapting

to peace-time conditions and many feel they have not been given the

recognition they deserve for their past sacrifices.

East Timor is the world's newest nation

but with only one million people it is also one of the smallest. Independence from Indonesia has not

protected it from poverty and social problems.

A recent UN report said although East Timor has made some

impressive gains over the past four years, it also has deeply entrenched

problems.

It is the poorest country in the region with some 40% of the

population living in poverty, and after years of under-development there is

an acute shortage of skilled people.

An influx of foreign advisors and expatriate Timorese who are

occupying crucial jobs has bred resentment among many people who were

expecting more tangible rewards for the hardships they endured before

independence.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4815654.stm

 

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