In the eastern city of Los Palos, a mob attacked a power station, beating the two employees inside, because they mistakenly thought that power was being routed only to the part of town where many U.N. workers stay. On Jan. 15, at the U.N. compound in Dili, part of a 7,000-strong crowd of job seekers hurled stones at Interfet soldiers when they learned that some English was essential for the 2,000 U.N. positions available. The U.N. reports that crime is on the increase, not a surprising development given that jobless East Timorese rub elbows daily with Australian businessmen, U.N. officials and NGO workers whose hefty per diems and shiny new land cruisers have created strata of 'haves' and 'have nots' in Dili. While the U.N. has accomplished a great deal, it has also come under fire for moving too slowly. Nothing of what has been done has actually improved the life of the East Timorese in a visible way.
Unemployment is rampant.
Infrastructure has been destroyed and yet to be rebuilt. Materials are scarce. Malaria is endemic. We were united in a common objective. The East Timorese are steering their own course, but it promises to be a bumpy ride .