At the same time, beleaguered Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri should know full well the dire consequences of his actions and his lack of governance and efficiency. When he dismissed 600 protesting soldiers several weeks ago, most of them from the country's west, he was opening a Pandora's Box as regards the unity of the young nation.

Before its independence, such civil conflict was not uncommon at all in East Timor. The country is now literally divided between the people living in the country's east, who fought for independence from Indonesia under the Fretilin guerrilla movement, whose political party now controls the country, and people from the west who have been accused of supporting the 24-year occupation by Indonesia. These are the young people who speak the Indonesian language, not Portuguese like their leaders. Lots of youngsters are unemployed and frustrated that the dividends of peace have not reached them. Adding to all these complications is the dynamism of domestic politics and the troubled personal ties between the prime minister and the president, Xanana Gusmao. Both used to fight for the same cause, now they seem to be on different wavelengths.

So far Alkatiri has stood firm, saying that he will stay on even though there is growing pressure to quit from within the government and his ruling party. Gusmao has been reluctant to say outright that he wants his colleague out. But his intervention in the past weeks was crucial to providing stability in a situation that could easily get out of hand. Thanks to the international peacekeeping forces invited by the East Timor government, they have been able to keep Dili, the capital city, calm and neutralised the conflict. Troops from Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and Portugal have done a good job so far in maintaining peace and stability in East Timor. But it is still a dangerous place. Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer has asked for more international troops to participate in the peacekeeping and stopping violence in Dili. So far, Australia has dispatched 1,300 troops, the largest peacekeeping contingent, and more are expected in the future if the situation warrants.

The saddest thing about East Timor is the low level of engagement that the new nation has with the rest of the region, Asean in particular. In past years, East Timor has treated its ties with Asean in a superficial manner. Dili has not worked hard to cement cooperation with the grouping. Its leaders still place more importance on Pacific links. So far, East Timor has expressed the desire to accede to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation, which it should have done long ago, but does not want to become a member of Asean.

During the peacekeeping period back in 1999, many Asean countries including Thailand and the Philippines dispatched troops to keep order in East Timor. However, the lack of regional enthusiasm to help East Timor this time around is indicative of Dili's ambivalence towards the grouping. Certainly, without a formal invitation, most Asean members are not getting involved. Indeed, East Timor should be feeling more at home in the region but so far it has not. Ever since independence East Timor's leaders have said they are more a part of the South Pacific than Southeast Asia. This lack of enthusiasm has also delayed full cooperation between East Timor and Asean.

Like it or not, East Timor's situation continues to remind Asean as a whole of its future relevance regarding conflict resolution and management within the region. The grouping urgently needs to engage with peace-making and peacekeeping efforts because the crisis in East Timor will not be the last. This is a challenge that should be addressed by Asean.