Casa Vizinha

This lovely (?) sun-drenched 'edifice' is (as you may be able to see)
the burnt-out shell of our neighbour's house. I say "our neighbour"
but, of course, I don't know who used to live there. Actually, I know
all the other neighbours (on each side of the school, both sides of
the road) but not the people who live here. (Because people do live
around this house now, but not in it. I'm pretty sure they're not the
same people who lived there before it was burnt.) Although to be
honest I was talking to some people up the street and they're now
living in the building beside their burnt-out house...so it could be the
same people.

Anyhow, I don't know when this house was burned. It could have
been in 2006 or 1999. Most recently, this past August (three months
ago), at least 300 houses were burned down in Baucau (an hour or
more east of Dili) and a few (but not as many) in Dili. This was due
to anger over Xanana Gusmao being named Prime Minister. I should
be more specific here (I'm editing this on Dec. 21). The anger was
not necessarily so much personal as political. FRETILIN won more
votes than any other opposition party, but Xanana and his party
(the CNRT) formed a coalition with, I believe, two other parties.
And then he was named Prime Minister. For more information
about the 2006 Crisis, click on

http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?id=4438&l=1

In fact, this report is also a good general history of Timor-L, from
the early 1970's on. It's very well-done and informative (thank-you,
International Crisis Group!). It's actually quite difficult to find
reading material on East Timor here in East Timor, oddly enough.
The Xanana Gusmao Reading Room has a number of books, but
they can't be borrowed. And as far as I know there aren't really
any bookstores (some stationary stores, that may sell dictionaries...)
Correct me if I'm wrong - if you can - please. So it's good to "have
a clue" so to speak. A found this report on the blog Dili-Dallying;
Two Years in Timor-Leste, which is also worth reading and not
just getting jealous about the name.