Australia needs to do more in East Timor: report
![A report finds more needs to be done to curb gangs in East Timor. [Reuters]](http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200810/r307039_1343264.jpg "A report finds more needs to be done to curb gangs in East Timor. [Reuters]")
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A report finds more needs to be done to curb gangs in East Timor. [Reuters]
Stephanie March
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Australia may have to spend more money on aid and security in East Timor because of a failure to curb criminal activities by martial arts gangs in the fledgling nation, a new report has found.
The joint report from non-governmental organisation Austcare and the Geneva-based Small Arms Survey says the gangs responsible for the majority of the violence that plagued East Timor in 2006 are still active.
The report's author James Scambary says extortion and protection rackets in East Timor's commercial sector are exacerbated by the large number of foreigners contributing to the economy.
"The mass of foregin presence is providing a boom in constuction, in hospitality, prostitution, gambling and a range of other activities so there's a lot of profits to be made," he said.
He says Australia may be forced to make a long term police and military comittment to East Timor if the gang problem is not resolved.
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