East Timor

Take a chill pill Matt. I think we should do more for the people of Timor. For instance helping establish the oil fields off the coast so their government has some money to start rebuilding.

Cheers

Yep thought as much...just another troll from behind your safe computer. Rather than sprout off....DO SOMETHING....anything? Go on, volunteer your time for 6 months rather than just troll for responses on a 4WD website then profess to being sympathetic to their needs.


Nah didnt think so.

Get Stuffed

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." (Edmund Burke)

All that I saw when I looked through his ear, was light coming from the other side.

LOL

Blue One

And for years after

Quite a few of our political icons (from both sides) with blood on their hands.

Not wrong. I used to feel a deep sense of shame, and would become verbal and loud over the situation. The general feeling back then seemed to be "so what?" Amazing how times change.

Well, we do have an international reputation for bending over to be shafted by Indonesia.

I guess when you have a country of 400 million people with a different culture and religion, many of them dirt poor and suspicious of non believers just across the ditch.....it makes things ...difficult.
If they were Kiwis, they'd already be over here LOL

Why? Their boats sink and they can't swim. What's the problem :)))

Terrorism doesn't see the ditch.
Our tourists are the problem. And our Embassies. And our commercial flights over the country. And our trade shipping. etc etc. Whether we like it or not, it's a global community and we're Westerners in Asia.

I'd better get off the soap box now. It's not exactly 4wd related :))

Understand that all too well, however, a firmer stand on some issues would gain us some respect. Are you going to seriously argue that Indonesia/Malaysia/etc etc respects us? If yes, then I think this belongs in the Friday Funnies post.

Respects us ? Certainly not. But how do we gain that respect, and is it worth trying? I'd suggest that certain expertises and resources are respected, hey for a nation of 20 odd million we're punching well above our weight.
But our way of life might not be as well respected. You don't have to look outside this country to find that.
Do our tourists behave in a manner that commands respect? I think that in many cases that they don't.
Does our colonial past command respect in those countries? Nope.
Do we respect those countries and their way of life? Hmmmm....

Respect doesn't always come from the barrel of a gun.
Perhaps if our ex PM's didn't have Indonesian business interests?

Anyway, to know us is to love us :))

Now Footy, why does "a firmer stand on some issues" equate to "Respect doesn't always come from the barrel of a gun" ???

I think you've skipped a couple of steps :)))

East Timorese have been through a lot on their way to democracy. I reckon we should stick by them.

On the other hand, the Indonesians give me the creeps. They are a Muslim state, the risk being, a hard line nutter seizes power and all of a sudden we have a jihad on our back door step.

NUKE 'EM BEFORE THEY DO IT TO US

Cheers.....Lionel.

Al, now look what ya done :)))))

If we are doing such a great job over ther, How come we havent fixed it?? Or is just another basket case and unfixable?? Michael