20 years after independence, more challenges ahead: E. Timor hero

Reflecting on his country's 20 years of independence, East Timor's first president and former guerilla leader Xanana Gusmao sees that the way ahead will still not be easy despite some progress made in terms of developing the economy and raising people's standard of living."We did some progress, but we have also some failures, meaning that we will have more challenges in the future," Gusmao told Kyodo News in an interview in the capital Dili over the weekend.The famed icon of East Timor, who has been regarded as the national hero, shared difficulties he had to deal with in the first years of…READ FULL ARTICLE