A very brief History of Timor-Leste: Part II

Timor-Leste, or East Timor, was colonized by the Portuguese in the 16th century. The Portuguese minimally invested in health, education, and infrastructure yet, extracted almost all of the sandalwood and exported the coffee.  You can still see some Portuguese influences in architecture and the Tetum language. 

Around 1974 Portugal began to withdraw from East Timor to deal with a revolution back home. Portugal encouraged the decolonization of East Timor and helped organize political parties for the first election. The two largest parties were Fretilin and the Timorese Democratic Union Party (UDT). Fretilin was gaining power and was criticized by Western governments as being Marxist.  In August 1975, the UDT attempted a coup to stop the increasing popularity of Fretilin. Indonesia portrayed this conflict as a state of anarchy and chaos, making a case to invade to restore order and integrate East Timor into Indonesia. The United States supported this integration, as the threat of a left-wing country in the Indonesian archipelago seemed too risky during the height of the Cold War and the end of the Vietnam War.On December 7, 1975 the Indonesian military launched a massive air and sea invasion, known as "Operation Lotus" almost entirely using US supplied equipment. On the day before the invasion, President Gerald Ford and Henry Kissinger met with Indonesia's Suharto and, according to declassified documents, gave the green light for the invasion.  60,000 Timorese were dead by February 1976. Thousands more died from forced starvation and disease. During the 24 years of Indonesian occupation estimates of the number of deaths range from 100,000 to 200,000—out of a total East Timorese population of only 800,000. 

Unlike the Portuguese, the Indonesians favored strong rule, which was never accepted by the Timorese people who were determined to preserve their culture. Possibly in an attempt to differentiate themselves from Muslim Indonesia, the Catholic Church played an important role for the East Timorese people. In 1975 20% of the population was Catholic, but only 10 years later 95% called themselves Catholic.  Pope John Paul II's visit to East Timor in 1989 brought attention to the occupation and encouraged independence activists to seek global support.  

A turning point of the occupation was the Santa Cruz Massacre on November 12, 1991. Protesters of the Indonesian Occupation marched by the Santa Cruz cemetery and a fight broke out between Indonesian military and supporters of Independence. Over 200 East Timorese were killed and the events were caught on video and televised around the world. However, when the news of the massacre spread, the Indonesian government only admitted to killing 19 people.  At this time, U.S. and Australia cut off all ties with the Indonesian government. Here is a clip  

In 1999, under strong international pressure, the Indonesian government let East Timor vote for independence. Indonesia threatened that a vote would be disastrous for the country and even paid some Timorese to fight against their own people. However, in September 1999 98.6% of registered voters cast a ballot, and 78% voted for independence. The Timorese knew they wanted freedom and were willing to fight for it at all costs. Directly after the vote Indonesian soldiers violently retaliated. Approximately 1,400 Timorese were killed and 300,000 were forced into West Timor as refugees. The majority of the country's infrastructure, including homes, irrigation systems, water supply systems, schools, and nearly 100% of the country's electrical grid were destroyed. Even after all the tragedy and destruction the Timorese people were proud be a free nation.   

Shortly after the vote the UN took over for the transition into independence. East Timor became formally independent on May 20, 2002 and Xanana Gusmão was sworn in as the country's President.Shortly after the vote the UN took over for the transition into independence. East Timor became formally independent on May 20th 2002 and Xanana (Shah-na-na) Gusmão was sworn in as the country's President.The UN peacekeeping mission ended in December 2012 as they felt the Timorese were capable to govern on their own. However, after independence, Timor-Leste still faces many challenges. The scars of the occupation are still visible; burnt and gutted buildings are left standing throughout every neighborhood. Many of the skilled workers were either displaced or killed during the occupation. Poverty, unemployment, low literacy rates, and malnutrition continue to be main issues. But these are issues that are being addressed and there are signs that things are improving. The number of people living below the poverty line has dropped from 50% in 2007 to 41% in 2010.  The international community has helped tremendously to get this country back on it's feet and stable; Australia's AusAid plans to donate $116.7 million in 2013. The government of Timor-Leste has also come out with a promising Strategic Development Plan for the next 20 years which outlines many positive investments for the country.  These priorities include increasing access to health and education, improving rural infrastructure such as roads and water systems, boosting agricultural productivity and strengthening governance. All very promising for a country with such great potential.