I realised the other day when I was thinking about Timor that I am still learning so much about its history, and not just it’s recent history. I thought you might also be interested in learning a little bit about East Timor and what has been happening here for the last few hundred years…
In the 1500 and 1600’s the Dutch and the Portuguese were taking a look around this little patch of the world and both wanted a piece of the island of Timor. After some scuffles the island was divided up by treaty in 1860. The Portuguese got the East and the Dutch got most of the west, all except for a little enclave on the coast of the western part of the island, Oe-Cusse. The Portuguese held on to that. Apparently it had good Cod restaurants and the Portuguese weren’t willing to give those up. No, Oe-cusse was the first Portuguese settlement on the island and they wanted to hold onto it.
During World War II Australian and Japanese soldiers fought in East Timor. Around 50,000 Timorese died as a result of a Japanese occupation from 1942 - 1945, which was a staggering 13% of the population (or thereabouts). My friend Kirra tells me that she met people in the mountains near Baucau that tell stories of the Australian Soldiers, this is I guess the beginning of a great affinity between the Timorese people and the Australian people. Near Venilale in the mountains in the East there are caves that the Timorese were forced to build for the Japanese to store ammunition.
In 1949 the Dutch withdrew from its colonies in the region and Indonesia was born! East Timor remained a Portuguese Colony until 1975, when a change of Portuguese government meant a change of policy, and so, after around 450 years of colonisation East Timor was left to defend for itself. An independence movement had begun with East Timor (Fretliin) and an independent East Timor was established on the 28th November 1975. Portugal, Indonesia and Australia did not accept the Declaration of Independence…
Nine days (yes, 9 days) later East Timor was invaded by sea and air in a brutal and bloody operation by the Indonesians (using equipment supplied by the US). This invasion was sanctioned by many countries, including the USA and the occupation lasted until 1999. During this times many Timorese died, estimates are in the vicinity of 180,000 people dying from massacres, torture and starvation. (Considering the current population of East Timor is hovering around the 1 million mark, and this in the middle of a population boom, this number is astounding.)
East Timor was officially annexed into Indonesia in July 1976, although the UN never accepted this annexation.
While the Resistance Movement for freedom continued in East Timor with support in may other countries, the world continued on its merry way not thinking too much about what was happening on half of a little island 800kms north of Australia… until November 12 1991 when footage from the Santa Cruz Massacre was smuggled out of the country and shown to the world. The Massacre occurred at the Santa Cruz Cemetery in Dili at a memorial of a young man who had been killed by the Indonesian troops several weeks before. 270 East Timorese were killed.
This event was a turning point in many ways, as it captured the attention of the world.
In 1996 Jose Ramos Horta and Bishop Belo received the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts in seeking independence for East Timor, and with the departure of President Sueharto from Indonesian politics in 1998 the Independence movement gathered momentum, resulting in the UN run referendum in August 1999. The year or so leading up to this referendum was marred with incredible violence and horrific fighting and murders. However, at the end of August 1999 98% of the 451,000 registered voters turned up to vote in the face of significant intimidation and threats of violence from the militia. 78% of the voters sought to sever ties with Indonesia and be an independent nation. The result was a outbreak of violence by the militia, to which the UN sent peacekeepers to try and restore order.
In the weeks and months leading up to and following the referendum thousands of Timorese were killed across East Timor. There were several massacres and many smaller attacks. Approximately 200,000 Timorese people fled to the mountains or crossed the border into Indonesia as they were understandably scared for their life.
Indonesian troops withdrew from East Timor from East to West destroying almost everything they could in the process - the scorched earth policy. I see the ruins of buildings everyday, and often my friends will tell me stories about different places around Maliana.
20th May 2002 is the official date for nationhood of the Democratic Republic of East Timor, (or Timor Leste or Timor Lora’sae). Timor Leste has since faced a myriad of challenges…which need several entries on themselves!
