East Timor
Dateline: 08/30/99Monday, August 30 is an important day for the former Portuguese colony of East Timor (regional map). On this day, approximately 450,000 people, over half of the territory's population, will head to the polls to determine whether to officially annex themselves to occupying Indonesia or to become an independent country.
This island of Timor (island map) lies in the Malay Archipelago and is one of 13,000 islands that comprise the country of Indonesia. Timor is the largest of the Lesser Sunda Islands and is 450 km (280 miles) long and 105 km (65 miles) wide. The western portion of the island is part of Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara Province but the eastern portion of the island, East Timor (Dili is the capital), has been the source of international strife for decades.
Portugal held East Timor as a colony from the 16th century until 1975. After Portugal's withdrawal, on November 27, 1975 East Timor declared itself an independent country. Ten days later (December 7), Indonesia invaded East Timor and established it as the Timor Timur province. Approximately 100,000 people are believed to have been killed or died in the invasion.
Due to its Portuguese influence, East Timor (home to 860,000 people) is predominantly Catholic, a sharp contrast to Indonesia, the world's largest Islamic country. Portuguese is East Timor's primary language.
Despite the fact that the United Nations does not recognize Indonesia's sovereignty of East Timor, Indonesia has continued to occupy the province continuously since their invasion. Finally, almost twenty-four years later, the Timorese will have the opportunity to determine their future through Monday's referendum.
Voters will have an opportunity to accept or reject a plan for official incorporation into Indonesia, with guarantees of autonomy. If that plan is rejected by voters, East Timor will become independent. With either outcome, there will likely be continued violence and bloodshed.
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To stay updated about the elections and the transition or for information about East Timor and Indonesia in general, visit the excellent sites below:
- BBC News: East Timor Special Report
- Sydney Morning Herald: Timor Towards Independence
- Question of East Timor: United Nations Mission in East Timor
- Yahoo Full Coverage: East Timor
- Flags of the World: East Timor
- U.S. State Department: Indonesia - East Timor Vote Press Statement
- Geography and Maps of Indonesia
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