CALL FOR PAPERS: The organisers now call for papers addressing any aspect of social science/ humanities/ scientific research related to Timor-Leste. The conference organisers welcome papers from academics, researchers, activists, community groups and policy makers. A refereed conference proceedings publication may be published. Conference sub-themes will include, but are not limited to the following:

Politics and International relations
History and Heritage
Culture and Society
Anthropology and Archaeology
Economics, business and trade
International Development Assistance
Development policy
Agriculture
Health policy
Gender issues
Language and Linguistics
Education (including a series of papers on adult and popular education)

ABSTRACT SUBMISSION: Please send all proposals for 20 minutes papers, with a 150-word abstract by 27 March 2009 to Dr. Michael Leach (Swinburne University of Technology) via email:mleach@swin.edu.au

CONFERENCE LANGUAGES: Papers may be presented in English, Tetum, Portuguese or Bahasa Indonesia.
—    Tetum language papers should also be sent cc: Antero da Silva, National University of Timor-Lorosae. anterob@gmail.com  
—    Portuguese language papers should also be sent cc: Prof Nuno Canas Mendes, Technical University of Lisbon. ncm@iscsp.utl.pt 
—    Bahasa Indonesian language papers should also be sent cc: Setyo Budi. budi@infoxchange.net.au  

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Registration
*NEW* The conference registration form is available here

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Accommodation and travel
Some useful information on accommodation options in Dili is available here. http://www.turismotimorleste.com/en/directory/

Travel: Direct flights to Dili depart from three locations:
Darwin, Australia: Airnorth http://www.airnorth.com.au/ or Timor Air (ask your travel agent if this service has commenced)
Denpasar, Indonesia: Merpati http://www.merpati.co.id/ or Timor Air (ask your travel agent if this service has commenced)
Singapore: Austasia http://www.austasiaairlines.com/

*NEW* Also note that the new (2nd) edition of the Lonely Planet Travel Guide for East Timor is available here, via print on demand.

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RELATED EVENTS
TRANSFORMING TIMOR-LESTE CONFERENCE
Dili, 6-7 July 2009
The Transforming Timor-Leste conference follows the Understanding Timor-Leste research conference. Timor-Leste now has relative peace, money in its Petroleum Fund and large numbers of people undergoing education and training. But Timorese institutions need to be built and young people motivated to engage in the difficult work of preparing themselves to build the country so that a real transformation can take place. How can Timor-Leste’s institutions of education, both formal and non-formal best prepare people to engage in the future development of the country? How can the Millennium Development Goals be reached and surpassed? This conference will be organized by Victoria University and the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences at the Universidade Nacional Timor Loro Sa’e (UNTL). It will enable Timorese Ministers to convey their visions to participants, and for staff and students of all Timorese universities, together with civil society members and other players, to engage in dialogue with them. Case studies of good practice elsewhere will also be debated. For further information please contact Dr Helen Hill via email helen.hill@vu.edu.au  

This conferences and the TLSA conference are linked and discounted co-registration will be available for those who attend both.

EXPOS
Saturday and Sunday 4-5 July 2009
In order to give participants in the conference a broad overview of the multitude of activities being done in Timor-Leste by educational organizations, NGOs and government departments, on the weekend between these two conferences a number of Expos will take place on Sustainable Livelihoods, Timorese History, Education, Health, Languages, Literacy and Literature, and other themes. These will be open to all and it is hoped that young people, secondary students, in particular, will visit them, to gain an idea of fields in which they might like to work.

Finally, conference registrants may also be interested in the separately organised NATION BUILDING ACROSS URBAN AND RURAL TIMOR-LESTE conference in Dili, 8-10 July 2009. For details visit http://www.timor-leste.org/events/nationbuilding.html

These three conferences have distinct aims and audiences, but have been sequenced and co-ordinated by the respective organisers to permit maximum participation for those coming to Dili in July.