DeeKnow’s Grotto

Picture this: A largely poor populace spends a couple of decades under the tyranny of a bully-boy neighbour that eventually terrorises them with violence until a couple of regional western powers intervene and liberate them to international aplaud. But with the oppressed peoples independance resinstated, the liberators turn their attention towards oil reserves within the freed nation's borders.

Sound familar?  And no, we're not talking about Iraq and the US here.

The Australian government is copping some flak at the moment from the East Timorese over a stand-off between the two nations concering oil and gas reserves in the floor of the Timor Sea that lies between them. It turns out there's a considerable resource (billions of dollars worth) in a channel near the edge of the Australian continental plate and the Aussies claim their entitled to tap it because of that very geographical detail.

The conflict has arisen however because the area in question lies well inside what would normally be Timorese territory by usual international convention. The Timorese claim the Aussies should stick to their side of an equi-distant borderline between them, but that would totally exclude Australia from the oil rich territory.

The Australians have since withdrawn from the dispute resolution process and are now wingeing about how ungrateful the Timorese are being considering they (and New Zealand) bailed them out of their conflict with Indonesian west-Timor. At the same time however Australia is happily making a cool million-dollars-a-day tapping the resource.

Time is running out for East Timor, the resource wont last forever and there really is noone who's gonna support them on this issue. Especially not the Indonesians as they've got a claim on the maritime area as well.

What a balls-up !!!

10:41:54 PM