East Timor, which declared independence on May 20, 2002 after almost 500 years of colonization, has to deal with a host of complicated problems and toil for a bright future. The Jakarta Post's Pandaya recently visited Indonesia's new neighbor to look at some crucial issues in the new nation.

The following is a report on East Timorese refugees still holed up in Indonesia's West Timor after almost three years. More reports on other issues will appear on this page next week.