Steady As She Goes

14/2/2008

Things are better.
We're still wound tight. But Timor has been remarkably - almost supiciously - peaceful.
Regular updates on the radio (they've ditched the "remain calm" guy) and SMSed news clippings from friends in Singapore have made the story clearer.

From CNN.com:
[[DILI, East Timor (AP) -- East Timor declared a state of emergency Tuesday... assassination attempt Monday against President Jose Ramos-Horta and the failed attack on Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao.
The country's top fugitive, Alfredo Reinado, and one of his men were killed in the attack on the president. One of the president's guards also died.
...international soldiers and police patrolled the streets of the capital, Dili, where many shops and businesses were closed. There were no immediate reports of unrest.
Reinado was among 600 mutinous soldiers dismissed by the government in 2006 -- a move that triggered gunbattles between security forces that later spilled over into gang fighting and ethnic unrest.
At least 37 people were killed and more than 150,000 people forced from their homes in the unrest, which also led to the resignation of the country's first post-independence prime minister.
Reinado was arrested but escaped from prison after several months.
He was charged with murder in connection with the 2006 violence, but had remained in hiding and had threatened armed insurrection against the government.
The streets of Dili were calm after the attacks, and Gusmao said an overnight curfew was in place. The United Nations, which controls security in the country, said checkpoints had been set up on main roads.]]

I had to squeak through two checkpoints, getting to Dili today.
Just outside laid-back Liquica, it's all smiles, backslapping and "how-ya'-doin". But Dili's fortified checkpoint greets me with the less-than-neighbourly barrel of an M-60.
The Portuguese UN troops immediately single me out for interrogation - the only foreigner, and a bestubbled one with a fancy laptop computer at that. The furrowed eyebrows, unslung rifles and clipped tones quickly dissipate, however, upon a shameless flourish of my stethoscope. Ah, a medic! I'm merrily planted back on my truck with fresh smiles. And another backslap.

Timor's not out of the deep waters yet, but the crisis appears to be over. We're drifting back toward normality.

- raj