Since the dawn of time justice in East Timor has been measured in water buffalo. Generally a goat theft costs one buffalo and a rape is worth two, although it varies from town to town.
Though traditional justice was never institutionalized, it has remained an underpinning of village life here. Before Indonesia’s 1975 invasion Timor was a Portuguese colon…
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Asia Sentinel to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.