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Article: Timor oil pressure: independence comes at a high price. (East Timor).(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- New Internationalist
- Article date:
- June 1, 2002
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 New Internationalist Magazine. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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AFTER 500 years of colonialism 2002 marks an outstanding victory for self-determination in East Timor. But in the world's newest nation, the struggle for economic independence is just beginning.
Since the cataclysmic end to Indonesian occupation in 1999, East Timor's economy has been reliant on donations from countries, most of which supported its annexation. That should change in 2005 when enough oil and gas revenues from the Timor Sea come online to sustain Government expenditure. In the meantime, international donors are being asked by the East Timor Government to save the country from going into debt by bridging its expected 'gap' (a third of its budget) with ...