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Opinion | Asean’s newest prospective member confronts a Chinese triad threat
A senior official’s claims, backed by a UN report, allege triad gangs from China and Southeast Asia are corrupting East Timor’s democracy
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Two decades after East Timor gained its independence, the country is a complicated and qualified success story. Poverty and deep economic problems persist, but it boasts a thriving democracy. Its ascension to the Asean regional bloc is set to come later this month.
As this milestone approaches, however, a senior official with oversight over the national intelligence agency has gone public with explosive claims that Timorese institutions are allegedly being bought by organised crime.
His concerns come after a recent UN report that describes in vivid detail a sophisticated attempt by figures linked to triad gangs in China and Southeast Asia to allegedly establish a base of operations in the Timorese region of Oecusse-Ambeno.
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If the allegations are true, they could pose one of the greatest tests for East Timor in its short history. Is its democracy robust enough to confront the challenge?
On September 21, Agio Pereira – one of the most powerful elected officials in East Timor – published on social media what he called “A Manifesto for the Defence of Timor-Leste”.
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