About Timor-Leste

Timor-Leste is a half island nation located about five hundred kilometres north of Australia. Rich in traditional culture Timor-Leste is almost untouched by tourism. The sacred landscape boasts diverse untouched natural beauty ranging from pristine coral reefs to tropical forests and large mountain ranges. Despite this, the legacy of colonisation, occupation and war has left a huge toll on the young nation. In 2002 Timor-Leste emerged from ashes to become the first independent state of the 21st century. In the years since independence Timor-Leste has made enormous progress, however, as the poorest country in Southeast Asia, the nation is still faces many obstacles.

Ancient Kingdoms

The island of Timor has a rich history and culture that developed over centuries. Archeological evidence suggests settlement dates back to over 40,000 years ago. Successive waves of migrants from Asia and Melanesia, settled on the island bringing agriculture to the original inhabitants of hunters and gatherers. Over time, Timor divided into a number of small kingdoms ruled by leaders known as rajas or liurai.

Colonisation

In the early 16th century European settlers began arriving on the island attracted by the abundance of sandalwood. West Timor was colonised by the Dutch, while East Timor became a Portuguese colony known as Portuguese Timor. Portuguese rule was exploitative and neglectful, for over 400 years little was invested in infrastructure, health and education. Colonial missionaries introduced the Catholic faith, however, as the Portuguese were mostly concerned with trade in the coastal regions the traditional lifestyle and animist beliefs were mainly practised by the Timorese throughout Portuguese rule.

Second World War

During the Second World War, the Allies (Australians and Dutch), occupied Timor and engaged in bitter fighting with Japanese forces. As a Portuguese colony, the East Timorese people were technically neutral, however many Timorese offered lifesaving support to the Allies as they struggled to survive in the rugged terrain. Some even took up arms and fought side-by-side with the Australians. Many Timorese were executed by the Japanese for providing assistance to the Allies. At the end of the war, Portuguese rule was restored in Portuguese Timor.

Indonesian Occupation

Following the fall of the fascist regime in Portugal in 1974-75, the new government began to dismantle its colonies. Timor-Leste declared independence on November 28, 1975. Nine days later Indonesia invaded declaring Timor-Leste as its twenty-seventh province. Over the next 24 years Timorese groups fought a guerrilla war with the support of a clandestine network for self-determination. The war severely affected the lives of all East Timorese people. Cut off from the outside world civilians suffered massively from the brutal assaults and cruelty of the Indonesian military. It is conservatively estimated that a third of the population perished during the conflict. During the Indonesian occupation the Catholic Church was a strong and active defender of the East Timorese people and an influential advocate for independence. As a result, Baptised Catholics rose from 25-30% of the population in 1975 to over 90% in the 1990s.

Turning Point

A turning point in the war came in 1991 when Indonesian forces opened fire on a peaceful demonstration at the Santa Cruz Cemetery in Dili. The procession was both honouring and protesting against the death of Sebastião Gomez, a young pro-independence student slain by the Indonesian military. Well over 200 people were murdered in the massacre. Unlike many other atrocities committed during the occupation the shootings were witnessed by international observers. A video recording of the massacre by Max Stahl was smuggled out of the country capturing international attention and reigniting world-wide action for the cause of East Timorese resistance to Indonesian occupation.

Referendum and Independence

Under mounting international pressure, Indonesia’s President Habibie, allowed a United Nations supervised referendum about the future of Timor-Leste to take place in 1999. Despite an undercurrent of intimidation and violence carried out by the Indonesian Military and local militias they had armed and trained, overwhelmingly the Timorese people voted for independence. In retaliation, a systematic campaign of violence and terrorism was carried out by the Indonesian-backed militia, who murdered more than a thousand independence supporters, displaced three-quarters of the population and destroyed 75% of the country’s infrastructure. An international peacekeeping force, led by Australia, finally forced the Indonesian military and local militias to withdraw and the country returned to stability. A United Nations authority (UNTAET) governed until May 2002 when the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste was finally recognised as an independent state.

The Crisis

The first years of independence were difficult for Timor-Leste. The new nation had to literally build itself from scratch. Peace was disrupted in 2006–07 during a period known as the ‘Crisis’. The Crisis was the result of an internal military dispute combined with tensions between the eastern and western districts. This resulted in mass protests and ‘gang’ violence in the capital Dili displacing more than 150,000 people, the loss of two hundred lives and led to the return of international peacekeepers.

Road to the Future

In the last decade Timor-Leste has made rapid progress. There have now been a number of peaceful elections, and the Australia-led International Stabilisation Force has withdrawn as have the United Nations peacekeeping mission. However, significant challenges still remain in health, education, employment, empowerment for women and peace building. Against the odds, however, the warmth, resilience and determination of the Timorese people to improve their country, qualities that allowed the tiny nation to win the war of independence, continue to inspire and resonate universally.