Whose Land Law? Analysis of the Timor-Leste Transitional Land Law

Abstract

Thirteen years after Independence, Timor-Leste has still not approved policy or legislation regulating land ownership or the resolution of the layers of conflicting land claims that have resulted from colonial injustice, brutal occupation, and multiple waves of conflict and land expropriation. Due to conflicting claims, different perceptions of land in urban and rural areas, and increasing corruption, land policy remains highly contentious. This paper is an analysis of the Transitional Land Law in Timor-Leste. Show more