July 28, 2007: East Timor has become a money pit for foreign aid, without good prospects of the place ever becoming self-sustaining. The UN is having a hard time getting donor nations to contribute, since there are other areas where the money can be sent, that will have a more positive outcome. The UN is also upset with the East Timor governments amnesty plan, that would forgive everyone who committed violent acts during the years of fighting for independence. The UN is particularly upset that this would mean the killers of UN personnel would not be punished.

July 22, 2007: In East Timor, gangs battled in the streets of the capital. Police and peacekeepers used tear gas and rubber bullets to break up the violence and restore order. With the unemployment rate over fifty percent, the large, tribe based gangs are a major source of work for many unskilled and morally ambiguous young men. Australia and New Zealand have agreed to keep their peacekeepers in East Timor for "as long as needed." At the moment, this appears to be a perpetual responsibility.