East Timor is a long-time Portuguese colony that was occupied by the Indonesians just as the Portuguese were preparing to grant it independence in 1975. Under UN auspices, the East Timorese voted overwhelmingly for independence from Indonesia on August 30, 1999, after which some of those opposed to independence went on a rampage and destroyed most of East Timor. Visiting Bosnia this summer was good preparation for the destruction that is evident everywhere, except that I didn't see the scorch marks in Bosnia that I'm seeing everywhere here: the estimate is that 80 percent or more of the structures in the country were burned, with the figure rising to 90 percent or more in some areas. There are more than 100,000 refugees currently living in West Timor (still part of Indonesia), and many of those who are in East Timor are displaced from their homes.
The UN returned to East Timor late last year and has set up a transitional government, with the level of Timorese participation constantly increasing. We're working towards an election in the third quarter of 2001, though it's not yet clear what the vote will be for -- a constitutional assembly, president, a legislature, approving a draft constitution, or some combination of the above. It's a fascinating opportunity to think through and put into practice much of what I've learned over the last ten years in the elections field. I actually started working on Monday (having gone through a long and sometimes frustrating "check in" process on Wednesday and spent Thursday, Friday, and Saturday learning about Mission life and East Timor during a three-day staff orientation) and am enjoying working with one of the UN's most experienced election specialists. I'm also fascinated to be working in such a multi-cultural environment and enjoying making acquaintances from all over the world. In my orientation group alone, there were people from Australia, India, Jordan, Croatia, Japan, Kenya (she's actually first cousin of another Kenyan I know!), Zimbabwe, Tajikistan, South Africa, the Philippines, and Cambodia. Well over 100 countries are represented in UNTAET, and there are people from a wide variety of NGOs here in Dili as well. I went to a yoga class on Monday evening and will start a course in Tetum, the local language, in a few weeks; in the meantime, I'm speaking Portuguese with as many people as I can.
Given the level of destruction from last year, lodging the large international community here called for some unusual measures. While some people are braving life on land, slowly rebuilding houses that were burned out shells a year ago and enduring shortages (or absence) of water, electricity, cooling, etc. and an abundance of mosquitos, I'm playing it safe and comfortable, staying in a floating hotel (Hotel Olympia) docked just a block from the office. The Olympia has apparently appeared in a number of other locations over the years where there was a sudden need to house large numbers of people.... There are three meals served buffet-style in the dining room every day -- institutional food, to be sure, but it's OK for the most part. There are more and more restaurants opening in Dili, ranging from very questionable-looking snack bars to a couple of places that are actually pretty nice. The hotel also has a small gym, a small convenience store, a branch of a Portuguese bank, a small downstairs bar, and a spacious open-air bar on the top deck with a large screen for weekly movie screenings. I'm not anxious to move to a house, but I am looking at a new floating hotel that just opened a bit farther up the waterfront. It's a little more expensive but looks much nicer.
Just a block on the other side of the office is Dili's first supermarket, "Hello Mister." It's not much by US standards, but for here it's very extravagant -- too much so for most of the locals to afford, with things like M&Ms and Pringles that just aren't part of most Timorese's frame of reference. Although the US dollar is the official currency here, prices at the supermarket and in many other places are quoted in (and change is given in) Australian dollars, though if you go to the market place the prices are still quoted in Indonesian rupiah. There are probably lots of people making lots of money off of all the foreign exchange transactions taking place here. The supermarket, for example, takes US dollars at a rate of Aus$1.65, while the bank will take US dollars at Aus$1.80 (and sell US dollars at Aus$1.99....)
For those who expressed concern over the security situation here, let me say (knocking on wood just in case...) that traffic accidents and mosquito-borne illnesses are a much more real and present danger than are anti-independence militias. First, they drive on the "wrong" side of the road here, so I have to be really careful when crossing to look the "right" way first. Second, there's no such thing as a drivers license or vehicle license plate here yet, and so there are an incredible number of REALLY BAD drivers and unsafe vehicles on the streets. There's supposed to be a police crackdown on infractions beginning next week, but I'm not overly optimistic as to how much good it will do. On the subject of vehicles, I have to say that the thing that has probably shocked me the most is what passes for a gas station here - a table full of (probably highly unsafe) plastic containers (no tops) sitting on a table at the side of the road, either in full sun or shaded by an umbrella. It's a wonder one or more of these things haven't spontaneously burst into flames from the heat!
The Timorese people are a fascinating lot. There were something like 32 tribes that originally settled the island of Timor, and there are 22 indigenous languages spoken on the island, some of them completely unrelated to the others. The principal indigenous language in East Timor is Tetum. (As I mentioned earlier, I'm planning to start Tetum classes the next time the class cycle starts. Given that it has been heavily influenced by Portuguese, I'll have some vocabulary from the outset.) Also spoken in East Timor are Portuguese (spoken by the older generation schooled during the Portuguese colonial era) and Indonesian (spoken by the younger generation schooled during the Indonesian occupation). The people are a mixture of Austronesian (related to the ancient inhabitants of Taiwan), Malay, Melanesian, Arab (from ancient traders who operated in the area), and Portuguese. Most of the people are quite poor; many areas of the country are almost impossible to reach during the rainy season (December - March). Coffee is East Timor's largest export.
I don't have Internet access at my desk yet and don't have any idea of when that will happen; they don't even have a computer for me at this point -- I'm using my own laptop for now in the office and using the UNTAET "Internet Cafe" (no food or drink permitted) to check my e-mail.
If you'd like to send regular mail (including small packages), address it
J. Ray Kennedy
Dept. of Political, Constitutional, & Electoral Affairs
UNTAET
P.O. Box 2436
Darwin, NT 0801
AUSTRALIA
