Timor-Leste's Displacement Crisis

INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP - NEW REPORT

Timor-Leste's Displacement Crisis

Dili/Brussels, 31 March 2008: If Timor-Leste, which was rocked with violence in 2006 and whose president was seriously shot earlier this year, is to avoid conflict in future, it needs to do more and faster to solve a festering problem that has kept a tenth of its population displaced.

Timor-Leste’s Displacement Crisis,* the latest report from the International Crisis Group, explores why 100,000 people remain displaced, two years after political and sectarian violence drove them from their homes. It notes that some of the IDPs fear renewed violence; some have no home to return to, or are unable to reclaim their property because of inadequate property registration and dispute-resolution mechanisms; others stay in camps for the free rice.

Like the recent rebel attack on President Jose Ramos-Horta, the IDPs are a direct result of the 2006 crisis, and a reminder that the problems which led to that crisis – including problems within the security forces and sectarian antagonism – have not been tackled.

“The IDP camps in Dili are not just a humanitarian disaster zone, but also a visible reminder of the failure of the government and international forces to create a secure environment”, says John Virgoe, Crisis Group’s South East Asia Project Director. “Resolving the displacement crisis is essential if Timor is to move beyond the 2006 conflict”.

The government finally has a plan – the national recovery strategy – which contains many of the elements needed to promote IDP returns. But only the first pillar – rebuilding houses – is funded in the 2008 budget. No money has been provided for the equally important non-infrastructure elements, such as bolstering security, livelihood support, reconciliation and social safety nets. These elements are important to reduce the risk that social jealousy will obstruct the resettlement process and to promote reconciliation within communities.

The strategy also excludes important issues. It does not address options for rebuilding those properties – the majority – that are the subject of ownership disputes. Timor badly needs a functioning land and property regime. Its absence, coupled with the general pressure on housing, lay behind many displacements, with people taking advantage of the 2006 chaos to chase neighbours out of their houses. Draft land laws exist, but successive governments have considered them too controversial. They need to be passed, but, important as it is, land law reform will take time and alternative solutions are needed for IDPs whose houses are the subject of ownership disputes.

The recovery strategy also overlooks the need to bring arsonists and the authors of the 2006 violence to justice – important for deterring future displacements. None of those responsible for the violence are behind bars, and several remain in senior leadership positions.

“Arson and displacements have become almost routine events in Timor-Leste,” says Robert Templer, Crisis Group’s Asia Program Director. “The cycle of impunity must be broken, and potential arsonists need to feel that they may face punishment for their actions”.

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Contacts: Andrew Stroehlein (Brussels) +32 (0) 2 541 1635
Kimberly Abbott (Washington) +1 202 785 1601
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*Read the full Crisis Group report on our website: http://www.crisisgroup.org