East Timor takes Australia to task over education aid
Updated
Dr Ramos Horta says Canberra's current stand on offering education place is "embarrassing". [Reuters]
East Timor's president Jose Ramos Horta has called on Australia to be much more generous in providing access for East Timorese to work and study in Australia.
Dr Horta has described Canberra's current stand as "embarrassing", and says he is disappointed with Australia's efforts, which are lagging far behind that of Portugal, the United States and even Cuba.
He has told Australia Network's Jim Middleton while Australia is the biggest aid donor to East Timor, when it comes to education, it is falling behind.
"Unfortunately, even though Australia is our closest neighbour, Australia still provides very, very few places, no more than ten or 20 a year, compare that with Cuba, a poor country, 20,000 miles away, has received almost 700 Timorese students to study in the medical field," he said.
"Now if Australia wants to really assist Timor Leste... it should be more generous and more expeditious in allowing Timorese students in greater numbers to study in Australia and to allow guest workers from Timor, including youth, to come Australia."
The call comes a day after a former Victorian Premier and now East Timor political advisor, Steve Bracks, called on the Australian government to add East Timor to the list of countries in a proposed Pacific guest worker scheme.
Dr Horta says an increase in work and education places is important not only for the development of East Timor, but for greater regional cooperation between Australia and his country.
"We are no longer strangers in the same region," he said.
"It builds tremendous bridges of affinity, of understanding."
