History of East Timor
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{{History of East Timor}}
'''East Timor''' is a small country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco. The first people's are thought to be descendant of [[Australoid]] and [[Melanesia]]n peoples. The [[Portugal|Portuguese]] began to trade with the island of [[Timor]] in the early 16th century and colonized it in mid-century. Skirmishing with the Dutch in the region eventually resulted in an 1859 treaty in which Portugal ceded the western portion of the island. Imperial [[Japan]] occupied East Timor from 1942 to 1945, but Portugal resumed colonial authority after the Japanese defeat in [[World War II]].
[[East Timor]] declared itself independent from Portugal on [[28 November]] [[1975]] and was invaded and occupied by [[Indonesia]]n forces nine days later. It was incorporated into Indonesia in July 1976 as the province of East Timor. During the subsequent [[Indonesian occupation of East Timor|24-year occupation]] a campaign of pacification ensued. Between 1974 and 1999, there were an estimated 102,800 conflict-related deaths (approximately 18,600 killings and 84,200 'excess' deaths from hunger and illness), the majority of which occurred during the Indonesian occupation.
On [[30 August]] [[1999]], in a [[East Timor Special Autonomy Referendum|UN-sponsored referendum]], an overwhelming majority of East Timor voted for independence from Indonesia. Immediately following the referendum, [[Pro-Indonesia militia|anti-independence Timorese militias]] — organised and supported by the Indonesian military — commenced a punitive scorched-earth campaign. The militias killed approximately 1,400 Timorese and forcibly pushed 300,000 people into West Timor as refugees. The majority of the country's infrastructure was destroyed. On [[20 September]] [[1999]] the [[International Force for East Timor]] (INTERFET) was deployed to the country and brought the violence to an end. Following a [[East Timor (transition)|United Nations-administer transition period]], East Timor was internationally recognised as an independent state in 2002.
==Pre-colonial history==
{{main|Pre-colonial Timor (pre-1515)}}
The island of [[Timor]] was populated as part of the human migrations that have shaped Australasia more generally. It is believed that survivors from three waves of migration still live in the country. The first is described by anthropologists as people of the Vedo-[[Australoid]] type, who arrived from the north and west approximately 40,000 to 20,000 years BC. Others of this type include the [[Wanniyala-Aetto]] (''Veddas'') of [[Sri Lanka]]. Around 3000 BC, a second migration brought Melanesians. The earlier Vedo-Australoid peoples withdrew at this time to the mountainous interior. Finally, proto-Malays arrived from south [[China]] and north [[Indochina]]. Hakka traders are among those descended from this final group.<ref name = "TL">[http://www.timor-leste.gov.tl/AboutTimorleste/history.htm Timor Leste History], [http://timor-leste.gov.tl./ official website].</ref> Timorese origin myths tell of ancestors that sailed around the eastern end of Timor arriving on land in the south. Some stories recount Timorese ancestors journeying from [[Malay Peninsula]] or the [[Minangkabau]] Highlands of [[Sumatra]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Taylor |first=Jean Gelman |title=Indonesia: Peoples and Histories |pages=page 378|publisher=Yale University Press |year=2003 |location= New Haven and London |isbn=0-300-10518-5}}</ref>
The Timorese were not seafarers, rather they were land focussed peoples who did not make contact with other islands and peoples by sea. Timor was part of a region of small islands with small populations of similarly land-focussed peoples that now make up eastern Indonesia. Contact with the outside world was via networks of foreign seafaring traders from as far as China and India that served the archipelago. Outside products brought to the region included metal goods, rice, fine textiles, and coins exchanged for local spices, [[sandalwood]], deer horn, bees' wax, and slaves.<ref>{{cite book |last=Taylor |first=Jean Gelman |title=Indonesia: Peoples and Histories |pages=page 378|publisher=Yale University Press |year=2003 |location= New Haven and London |isbn=0-300-10518-5}}</ref>
Early European explorers report that the island had a number of small chiefdoms or princedoms in the early 16th century. One of the most significant is the [[Wehale kingdom]] in central Timor, to which the [[Tetum]], [[Bunaq]] and [[Kemak people|Kemak]] ethnic groups were aligned.<ref name = "Precolonial">[http://www.seasite.niu.edu/EastTimor/precolonial.htm Precolonial East Timor].</ref>
{{Expand-section|date=June 2008}}
==Portuguese rule==
{{main|Portuguese Timor}}
The first Europeans to arrive in the area were the [[Portugal|Portuguese]], who landed near modern [[Pante Macassar]]. In 1556 a group of [[Dominican Order|Dominican]] [[Dominican friar|friars]] established the village of [[Lifau]] there. In 1702 the territory officially became a Portuguese colony, known as [[Portuguese Timor]], when [[Lisbon]] sent its first governor, with [[Lifau]] as its capital. Portuguese control over the territory was tenuous particularly in the mountainous interior. [[Dominican]] friars, the occasional Dutch raid, and the Timorese themselves provided opposition to the Portuguese. The control of colonial administrators was largely restricted to [[Dili]] had to rely on traditional tribal chieftains for control and influence.<ref>{{cite book |last=Schwarz |first=A. |year=1994 |title=A Nation in Waiting: Indonesia in the 1990s |pages=page 198|publisher=Westview Press |isbn=1-86373-635-2}}</ref>
For the Portuguese, East Timor remained little more than a neglected trading post until the late nineteenth century. Investment in infrastructure, health, and education was minimal. Sandalwood remained the main export crop with coffee exports becoming significant in the mid-nineteenth century. In places where Portuguese rule was asserted, it tended to be brutal and exploitative. At the beginning of the twentieth century, a faltering home economy prompted the Portuguese to extract greater wealth from its colonies.<ref>{{cite book |last=Schwarz |first=A. |year=1994 |title=A Nation in Waiting: Indonesia in the 1990s |pages=page 198|publisher=Westview Press |isbn=1-86373-635-2}}</ref>
The capital was moved to [[Dili]] in 1767, due to attacks from the Dutch, who were colonizing the rest of the island and the surrounding archipelago that is now [[Indonesia]]. The border between Portuguese Timor and the Dutch East Indies was formally decided in 1859 with the [[Treaty of Lisbon (1859)|Treaty of Lisbon]]. The definitive border was drawn by [[the Hague]] in 1916, and it remains the international boundary between the modern states of East Timor and Indonesia.
Although Portugal was neutral during [[World War II]], in December 1941, Portuguese Timor was occupied by [[Australia]]n and Dutch forces, which were expecting a [[Empire of Japan|Japanese]] invasion. When the Japanese did occupy Timor, in February 1942, a 400-strong Dutch-Australian force and large numbers of Timorese volunteers engaged them in [[Battle of Timor (1942–43)|a one-year guerilla campaign]]. After the allied evacuation in February [[1943]] the East Timorese continued fighting the Japanese, with comparatively little [[collaborationism|collaboration]] with the enemy taking place. This assistance cost the civilian population dearly: Japanese forces burned many villages and seized food supplies. The Japanese occupation resulted in the deaths of 40,000–70,000 Timorese.
Portuguese Timor was handed back to Portugal after the war, but Portugal continued to neglect the colony. Very little investment was made in infrastructure, education and healthcare. The colony was declared an 'Overseas Province' of the Portuguese Republic in 1955. Locally, authority rested with the Portuguese Governor and the Legislative Council, as well as local chiefs or ''liurai''. Only a small minority of Timorese were educated, and even fewer went on to university in Portugal (there were no universities in the territory until 2000).
During this time, [[Indonesia]] did not express any interest in Portuguese Timor, despite the anti-colonial rhetoric of President [[Sukarno]]. This was partly as Indonesia was preoccupied with gaining control of [[West Irian]], now called Papua, which had been retained by the [[Netherlands]] after Indonesian independence. In fact, at the [[United Nations]], Indonesian diplomats stressed that their country did not seek control over any territory outside the former Netherlands East Indies, explicitly mentioning Portuguese Timor.
==Decolonisation, coup, and independence ==
After [[Carnation Revolution|the fall of the Portuguese regime]] in 1974, independence was encouraged by the new, democratic Portuguese government.
One of the first acts of the new government in [[Lisbon]] was to appoint a new Governor for the colony on [[November 18]], [[1974]], in the form of [[Mário Lemos Pires]], who would ultimately be, as events were to prove, the last Governor of Portuguese Timor.
One of his first decrees made upon his arrival in [[Dili]] was to legalise political parties in preparation for elections to a [[Constituent Assembly]] in 1976. Three main political parties were formed:
* The ''União Democrática Timorense'' ([[Timorese Democratic Union|Timorese Democratic Union or UDT]]), was supported by the traditional elites, initially argued for a continued association with Lisbon, or as they put it in [[Tetum]], ''mate bandera hum'' — 'in the shadow of the [Portuguese] flag', but later adopted a 'gradualist' approach to independence. One of its leaders, Mário Viegas Carrascalão, one of the few Timorese to have been educated at university in [[Portugal]], later became [[Indonesia]]n Governor of East Timor during the 1980s and early 1990s, although with the demise of Indonesian rule, he would change to supporting independence.
* The ''Associação Social Democrática Timorense'' (Timorese Social Democratic Association ASDT) supported a rapid movement to independence. It later changed its name to ''Frente Revolucionária de Timor-Leste Independente'' (Revolutionary Front of Independent East Timor or [[Fretilin]]). Fretilin was criticised by many in [[Australia]] and [[Indonesia]] as being Marxist, its name sounding reminiscent of [[FRELIMO]] in [[Mozambique]] but it was more influenced by [[Africa]]n nationalists like [[Amílcar Cabral]] in [[Portuguese Guinea]] (now [[Guinea-Bissau]]) and [[Cape Verde]].
* The ''Associação Popular Democrática Timorense'' (Timorese Popular Democratic Association or [[Apodeti]]) supported integration with Indonesia, as an autonomous province, but had very little grassroots support. One of its leaders, Abílio Osório Soares, later served as the last Indonesian-appointed Governor of East Timor. Apodeti drew support from a few ''liurai'' in the border region, some of whom had collaborated with the [[Japan]]ese during the [[Second World War]]. It also had some support in the small [[Muslim]] minority, although [[Marí Alkatiri]], a Muslim, was a prominent Fretilin leader, and became Prime Minister in 2002.
Other smaller parties included ''Klibur Oan Timur Asuwain'' or KOTA whose name translated from the [[Tetum]] language as 'Sons of the Mountain Warriors', which sought to create a form of [[monarchy]] involving the local ''liurai'', and the ''Partido Trabalhista'' or Labour Party, but neither had any significant support. They would, however, collaborate with Indonesia. The ''Associação Democrática para a Integração de Timor-Leste na Austrália'' (ADITLA), advocated integration with [[Australia]], but folded after the [[Australia]]n government emphatically ruled out the idea.
===Parties Compete, Foreign Powers Take Interest===
Developments in Portuguese Timor during 1974 and 1975 were watched closely by [[Indonesia]] and [[Australia]]. [[Suharto]]'s [[New Order (Indonesia)|"New Order"]], which had effectively eliminated Indonesia's Communist Party [[Communist Party of Indonesia|PKI]] in 1965, was alarmed by what it saw as the increasingly left-leaning Fretilin, and by the prospect of a small state in the midst of the sprawling archipelago serving as an inspiration to independence-minded provinces of the Republic such as [[Aceh]], [[West Irian]] and the [[Moluccas]].
Australia's Labor Prime Minister, [[Gough Whitlam]], had developed a close working relationship with the Indonesian leader, and also followed events with concern. At a meeting in the [[Javanese language|Java]]nese town of [[Wonosobo]] in 1974, he told Suharto that an independent Portuguese Timor would be 'an unviable state, and a potential threat to the stability of the region'. While recognising the need for an act of self-determination, he considered integration with Indonesia to be in Portuguese Timor's best interests.
In local elections on [[13 March]] [[1975]], Fretilin and UDT emerged as the largest parties, having previously formed an alliance to campaign for independence.
Indonesian military intelligence, known as BAKIN, began attempting to cause divisions between the pro-independence parties, and promote the support of Apodeti. This was known as ''Operasi Komodo'' or 'Operation Komodo' after the giant [[Komodo dragon|Komodo]] lizard found in the eastern Indonesian island of the same name. Many Indonesian military figures held meetings with UDT leaders, who made it plain that [[Jakarta]] would not tolerate a Fretilin-led administration in an independent East Timor. The coalition between Fretilin and UDT later broke up.
During the course of 1975, Portugal became increasingly detached from political developments in its colony, becoming embroiled in civil unrest and political crises, and more concerned with decolonisation in its [[Africa]]n colonies of [[Angola]] and [[Mozambique]] than with Portuguese Timor. Many local leaders saw independence as unrealistic, and were open to discussions with Jakarta over Portuguese Timor's incorporation into the Indonesian state.
The [[United States]] had also expressed concerns over Portuguese Timor in the wake of the war in [[Vietnam]]. Having gained Indonesia as an ally, Washington did not want to see the vast archipelago destabilised by a left-wing regime in its midst. {{Fact|date=February 2007}}
===The Coup===
On [[August 11]], [[1975]], the UDT mounted a coup, in a bid to halt the increasing popularity of Fretilin. Governor Pires fled to the offshore island of [[Atauro]], north of the capital, [[Dili]], from where he later attempted to broker an agreement between the two sides. He was urged by Fretilin to return and resume the decolonisation process, but he insisted that he was awaiting instructions from the government in Lisbon, now increasingly uninterested.
Indonesia sought to portray the conflict as a civil war, which had plunged Portuguese Timor into chaos, but after only a month, aid and relief agencies from [[Australia]] and elsewhere visited the territory, and reported that the situation was stable. Nevertheless, many UDT supporters had fled across the border into Indonesian Timor, where they were coerced into supporting integration with Indonesia. In October 1975, in the border town of [[Balibo]], two Australian television crews (the "[[Balibo Five]]") reporting on the conflict were killed by Indonesian forces, after they witnessed Indonesian incursions into Portuguese Timor.
===Break from Portugal===
While Fretilin had sought the return of the Portuguese Governor, pointedly flying the Portuguese flag from government offices, the deteriorating situation meant that it had to make an appeal to the world for international support, independently of Portugal.
On [[November 28]], [[1975]], Fretilin made a [[unilateral declaration of independence]] of the ''Democratic Republic of East Timor'' (Republica Democrática de Timor-Leste in Portuguese). This was not recognised by either Portugal, Indonesia, or Australia; however, the new state received formal diplomatic recognition from six countries, namely [[Albania]], [[Cape Verde]], [[Guinea]], [[Guinea-Bissau]], [[Mozambique]], and [[São Tomé and Príncipe]]. Fretilin's [[Francisco Xavier do Amaral]] became the first President, while Fretilin leader [[Nicolau dos Reis Lobato]] was Prime Minister.
Indonesia's response was to have UDT, Apodeti, KOTA and Trabalhista leaders sign a declaration calling for integration with Indonesia called the ''[[Balibo]] Declaration'', although it was drafted by Indonesian intelligence and signed in [[Bali]], Indonesia not Balibo, Portuguese Timor. [[Xanana Gusmão]], now the country's President, described this as the 'Balibohong Declaration', a [[pun]] on the [[Indonesian language|Indonesian]] word for 'lie'.
===East Timor solidarity movement===
An international ''East Timor solidarity movement'' arose in response to the [[Indonesian invasion of East Timor|1975 invasion]] of East Timor by Indonesia and the occupation that followed. The movement was supported by churches, human rights groups, and peace campaigners, but developed its own organizations and infrastructure in many countries. Many demonstrations and vigils backed legislative actions to cut off military supplies to Indonesia. The movement was most extensive in neighboring [[Australia]], in [[Portugal]], and the former Portuguese colonies in Africa, but had significant force in the [[United States]], [[Canada]] and [[Europe]].
[[José Ramos-Horta]], current President of East Timor, stated in a 2007 interview that the solidarity movement "was instrumental. They were like our peaceful foot soldiers, and fought many battles for us."
==Indonesian invasion and annexation==
{{main|Indonesian invasion of East Timor}}
The Indonesian invasion of East Timor began on [[December 7]] 1975. [[Indonesia]]n forces launched a massive air and sea invasion, known as ''Operasi Seroja'', or 'Operation Komodo', almost entirely using US-supplied equipment.<ref>[http://www.gwu.edu/%7Ensarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB174/1010.pdf gwu.edu]</ref> Reported death tolls from the 24-year occupation range from 60,000 to 200,000. <ref name="aiusa01">[http://www.amnestyusa.org/document.php?lang=e&id=30AE6F0E6ABBA62A802569A60060395F "Indonesia/East Timor: Seven East Timorese Still in Danger"]. ''[[Amnesty International USA]]''. Retrieved on [[August 16]], [[2007]].</ref> A detailed statistical report prepared for the [[Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation in East Timor]] cited a lower range of 102,800 conflict-related deaths in the period 1974-1999, namely, approximately 18,600 killings and 84,200 'excess' deaths from hunger and illness.<ref>{{cite web |author=Benetech Human Rights Data Analysis Group |title=The Profile of Human Rights Violations in Timor-Leste, 1974-1999 |work=A Report to the Commission on Reception, Truth and Reconciliation of Timor-Leste |publisher=Human Rights Data Analysis Group (HRDAG) |date=[[9 February]] [[2006]] |url=http://www.hrdag.org/resources/timor_chapter_graphs/timor_chapter_page_02.shtml}}</ref>
A [[puppet government|puppet]] <nowiki>''Provisional Government of East Timor''</nowiki> was installed in mid-December, consisting of Apodeti and UDT leaders. Attempts by the [[United Nations Secretary General]]'s Special Representative, [[Vittorio Winspeare Guicciardi]] to visit Fretilin-held areas from [[Darwin, Northern Territory|Darwin, Australia]] were obstructed by the Indonesian military, which blockaded East Timor. On [[May 31]] [[1976]], a 'People's Assembly' in Dili, selected by Indonesian intelligence, unanimously endorsed an 'Act of Integration', and on [[July 17]], East Timor officially became the 27th province of the Republic of Indonesia. Although the [[United Nations]] had not responded to the Indonesian annexation of [[West Irian]] some years previously, the occupation of East Timor remained a public issue in many nations, Portugal in particular, and the UN never recognised either the regime installed by the Indonesians or the subsequent annexation.
== Towards independence ==
[[Image:East Timor Demo.jpg|right|thumb|Demonstration against Indonesian occupation of East Timor, September 10, 1999.]]
Timorese groups fought a campaign of resistance against Indonesian forces for the independence of East Timor, during which many atrocities and [[human rights]] violations by the Indonesian army were reported. The Indonesian army is reported to have trained and supplied militias imported from Indonesia to [[terrorism|terrorise]] the population. Foreign powers such as the [[Australia]]n government worked to prevent the push for independence, and assisted the Indonesian government in obscuring and discouraging media reporting on atrocities committed by Indonesian militias.<ref>Fernandes, Clinton (2004) Reluctant Saviour: Australia, Indonesia and East Timor.</ref>
===Effects of the Dili Massacre===
The [[Dili Massacre]] on [[12 November]], [[1991]] was a turning point for sympathy for pro-independence East Timorese. A burgeoning [[East Timor solidarity movement]] grew in Portugal, Australia, and the United States. After the Santa Cruz massacre, the US Congress voted to cut off funding for IMET training of Indonesian military personnel. However, arms sales continued from the US to TNI.<ref name = "ETAN01">[http://etan.org/timor/uspolicy.htm ETAN: U.S. Policy toward East Timor], [http://etan.org/ East Timor and Indonesia Action Network].</ref> President [[Bill Clinton|Clinton]] cut off all US military ties with the Indonesian military in 1999.<ref name = "ETAN02">[http://etan.org/news/2002a/05back.htm ETAN Backgrounder for May 20 Independence], [http://etan.org/ East Timor and Indonesia Action Network].</ref> The Australian government promoted a strong connection with the Indonesian military at the time of the massacre, but also cut off ties in 1999.<ref name = "Reuters">[http://www.etan.org/et2004/november/01-07/04adf.htm "Australia should avoid ties with Indonesia military: Study"]. ''[[Reuters]]''. Retrieved on [[August 16]] [[2007]].</ref>
The Massacre had a profound effect on public opinion in [[Portugal]], especially after television footage showing East Timorese praying in [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]], and independence leader [[Xanana Gusmão]] gained widespread respect, being awarded the Portugal's highest honour in 1993, after he had been captured and imprisoned by the Indonesians.
In [[Australia]], there was also widespread public outrage, and criticism of Canberra's close relationship with the Suharto regime and recognition of Jakarta's sovereignty over East Timor. This caused the Australian government embarrassment, but Foreign Minister [[Gareth Evans]] played down the killings, describing them as 'an aberration, not an act of state policy'. Gareth Evans and Prime Minister Keating, along with subsequent Prime Minister [[John Howard]] and Foreign Affairs minister [[Alexander Downer]], sought to maintain close relations with Indonesia. Neither Liberal nor Labor ministers challenged the persecution of the East Timorese until the [[Australian Labor Party]] member [[Laurie Brereton]] spoke out in 1999, and he was quickly discredited by both the Howard Government and [[Kevin Rudd]]<ref>Fernandes, Clinton (2004) Reluctant Saviour: Australia, Indonesia and East Timor.</ref>.
===International lobbying===
[[Image:carlosbelo.jpg|upright|thumb|[[Bishop Carlos Belo]], winner of the 1996 [[Nobel Peace Prize]].]]
[[Image:EastTimor.JoseRamosHorta.01.jpg|upright|thumb|[[José Ramos-Horta]], 1996 [[Nobel Peace Prize]] winner, fomer Prime Minister and present President of East Timor.]]
Portugal started to apply international pressure unsuccessfully, constantly raising the issue with its fellow [[European Union]] members in their dealings with [[Indonesia]]. However, other EU countries like the UK had close economic relations with Indonesia, including arms sales, and saw no advantage in forcefully raising the issue.
In 1996, Bishop [[Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo]] and José Ramos-Horta, two leading East Timorese activists for peace and independence, received the [[Nobel Peace Prize]].
In the mid-1990s, the pro-democracy People's Democratic Party (PRD) in Indonesia called for withdrawal from East Timor. The party's leadership was arrested in July 1996.[http://www.solidarity-us.org/atc/miah72.html]
In July 1997, visiting [[South Africa]]n President [[Nelson Mandela]] visited Suharto as well as the imprisoned [[Xanana Gusmão]]. He urged the freeing of all East Timorese leaders in a note reading, "We can never normalize the situation in East Timor unless all political leaders, including Mr. Gusmão, are freed. They are the ones who must bring about a solution." Indonesia's government refused but did announce that it would take three months off Gusmão's 20-year sentence.[http://www.solidarity-us.org/atc/miah72.html]
In 1998, following the resignation of Suharto and his replacement by President Habibie, Jakarta moved towards offering East Timor autonomy within the Indonesian state, although ruled out independence, and stated that Portugal and the UN must recognise Indonesian sovereignty.
===Referendum for independence, violence===
{{main|East Timor Special Autonomy Referendum|1999 East Timorese crisis}}
However in 1999, the Indonesian government decided, under strong international pressure, to hold a referendum on the future of East Timor. Portugal had started to gain some political allies firstly in the EU, and after that in other places of the world to pressure Indonesia. The [[East Timor Special Autonomy Referendum|referendum]], held on [[August 30]], gave a clear majority (78.5%) in favour of independence, rejecting the alternative offer of being an autonomous province within Indonesia, to be known as the Special Autonomous Region of East Timor (SARET).
Directly after this, Indonesian military-supported [[Pro-Indonesia militia|East Timorese pro-integration militia]] and Indonesian soldiers carried out a campaign of violence and terrorism in retaliation. Approximately 1,400 Timorese were killed and 300,000 and forcibly pushed into West Timor as refugees. The majority of the country's infrastructure, including homes, irrigation systems, water supply systems, and schools, and nearly 100% of the country's electrical grid were destroyed. According to [[Noam Chomsky]], "In one month, this massive military operation murdered some 2,000 people, raped hundreds of women and girls, displaced three-quarters of the population, and demolished 75 percent of the country's infrastructure" (''Radical Priorities'', 72).
On [[20 September]] [[1999]] the Australian-led peacekeeping troops of the [[International Force for East Timor]] (INTERFET) deployed to the country and brought the violence to an end. Activists in Portugal, Australia, the United States, and elsewhere pressured their governments to take action, with US President [[Bill Clinton]] eventually threatening Indonesia, in [[Asian financial crisis|dire economic straits]] already, with the withdrawal of [[IMF]] loans. The Indonesian government consented to withdraw its troops and allow a multinational force into Timor to stabilize the area. It was clear that the UN did not have sufficient resources to combat the paramilitary forces directly. Instead, the UN authorised the creation of a multinational military force known as [[INTERFET]] (International Force for East Timor), with [http://daccessdds.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N99/264/81/PDF/N9926481.pdf?OpenElement Security Council Resolution 1264]. Troops were contributed by 17 nations, about 9,900 in total. 4,400 came from Australia, the remainder mostly from South-East Asia [http://www.pm.gov.au/news/speeches/1999/easttimor2311.htm]. The force was led by Major-General (now General) [[Peter Cosgrove]]. Troops landed in East Timor on [[September 20]], [[1999]].
==The independent republic==
[[Image:President gusmao.jpg|upright|thumb|[[Xanana Gusmão]], first President of East Timor and present Prime Minister.]]
The administration of East Timor was taken over by the UN through the [[United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor]] (UNTAET), established on [[October 25]] [[1999]] [http://www.un.org/peace/etimor/etimor.htm]. The INTERFET deployment ended on [[February 14]], [[2000]] with the transfer of military command to the UN [http://www.etan.org/et2000a/february/13-19/14untake.htm]. Elections were held in late 2001 for a constituent assembly to draft a constitution, a task finished in February 2002. East Timor became formally independent on [[May 20]], 2002. [[Xanana Gusmão]] was sworn in as the country's President. East Timor became a member of the UN on [[September 27]], 2002.
On [[December 4]], 2002, after a student had been arrested the previous day, rioting students set fire to the house of the Prime Minister [[Marí Alkatiri]] and advanced on the police station. The police opened fire and one student was killed, whose body the students carried to the National Parliament building. There they fought the police, set a supermarket on fire and plundered shops. The police opened fire again and four more students were killed. Alkatiri called an inquiry and blamed foreign influence for the violence.
Relations with Australia have been strained by disputes over the maritime boundary between the two countries. Canberra claims petroleum and natural gas fields in an area known as the 'Timor Gap', which East Timor regards as lying within its maritime boundaries.
===2006 crisis===
{{main|2006 East Timor crisis}}
Unrest started in the country in April 2006 following the riots in Dili. A rally in support of 600 East Timorese soldiers, who were dismissed for deserting their barracks, turned into rioting where five people were killed and over 20,000 fled their homes. Fierce fighting between pro-government troops and disaffected Falintil troops broke out in May 2006.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5012640.stm BBC]</ref> While unclear, the motives behind the fighting appears to be the distribution of oil funds and the poor organization of the Timorese army and police, which includes former Indonesian-trained police and former Timorese rebels. Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri has called the violence a "coup" and has welcomed offers of foreign military assistance from several nations.<ref>[http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/australia-cant-find-timor-leaders/2006/05/25/1148524816847.html Sydney Morning Herald]; [http://www.rte.ie/news/2006/0525/easttimor.html rte.ie]</ref>. As of [[May 25]], [[2006]], Australia, Portugal, New Zealand, and Malaysia have sent troops to Timor, attempting to quell the violence.<ref>[http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=3&art_id=qw1148547965206B254 iol.co.za]; [http://www.rte.ie/news/2006/0525/easttimor.html rte.ie]</ref> At least 23 deaths occurred as a result of the violence.
On [[June 21]], [[2006]], President Xanana Gusmao formally requested Prime Minister Minister Alkatiri step down. A majority of Fretilin party members demanded the prime minister's resignation, accusing him of lying about distributing weapons to civilians.<ref>[http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/timor-pm-likely-to-resign-tomorrow/2006/06/21/1150845238271.html Sydney Morning Herald]</ref>. On [[June 26]], [[2006]] Prime Minister [[Mari Alkatiri]] resigned stating, "I declare I am ready to resign my position as prime minister of the government… so as to avoid the resignation of His Excellency the President of the Republic". In August, rebel leader [[Alfredo Reinado]] escaped from Becora Prison, in Dili. Tensions were later raised after armed clashes between youth gangs forced the closure of [[Presidente Nicolau Lobato International Airport]] in late October.<ref>[http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/597D41F8-AB46-400E-9E2E-45C187D549EA.htm Deadly clashes erupt in E Timor], [[Al Jazeera]], [[25 October]] [[2005]]</ref>
===United Nations missions===
* UNAMET [[United Nations Mission in East Timor]] June—October 1999
* UNTAET [[United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor]] October 1999—May 2002
* UNMISET [[United Nations Mission of Support to East Timor]] May 2002—May 2005
* UNOTIL [[United Nations Office in Timor Leste]] May 2005—August 2006
* UNMIT [[United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste]] August 2006 - present
== Notes and references ==
{{reflist|2}}
==External links==
* The National Security Archive, [http://www2.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB62/ East Timor Revisited: Ford, Kissinger and the Indonesian Invasion] document 4, pp 9,10
* The Documentary ''Death of a Nation — The Timor Conspiracy'' [http://onebigtorrent.org/details.php?id=108&hit=1] produced by John Pilger in 1994 details the occupation period and exposes the involvement of Western governments in providing essential weapons systems, financial aid and the political cover for the Indonesian regime.
*[http://etan.org/ East Timor Action Network]
*[http://www.laohamutuk.org/ East Timor Institute for Reconstruction Monitoring and Analysis (La'o Hamutuk)]
*[http://hrw.org/doc/?t=asia_pub&c=eastti Human Rights Watch publications on East Timor]
*[http://www.zmag.org/chomsky/audio/9511timor.html Noam Chomsky on East Timor (audio)]
*[http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/EE21Ae06.html Timor's Tutorial in Oil Politics]
{{History of Asia}}
{{History of Oceania}}
[[Category:History of East Timor| ]]
[[Category:National histories|East Timor]]
{{Link FA|de}}
[[de:Geschichte Osttimors]]
[[es:Historia de Timor Oriental]]
[[fr:Histoire du Timor oriental]]
[[gl:Historia de Timor Leste]]
[[id:Sejarah Timor Timur]]
[[he:היסטוריה של מזרח טימור]]
[[hu:Kelet-Timor történelme]]
[[pt:História de Timor-Leste]]
[[ru:История Восточного Тимора]]
[[sv:Östtimors historia]]
[[vi:Lịch sử Đông Timor]]
[[zh-yue:東帝汶歷史]]
[[zh:东帝汶历史]]