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| EAST TIMOR: UNDER INDONESIAN RULE | |
 April 2002 |
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East Timor's 1999 independence vote was the culmination of a decades-long struggle for self-determination -- first with its colonial ruler Portugal, then against Indonesia. In recent decades, the territory's bid for self-rule led to frequent violent outbursts as separatists battled against pro-Jakarta militants. |
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On August 30, 1999, hundreds of thousands of East Timorese ignored threats of a militia rampage, forming long lines at polling stations to participate in the half-island territory's landmark vote to decide whether it should remain an Indonesian province. The vote was scheduled by Indonesia's then-president B.J. Habibie and monitored by the United Nations. It was the culmination of years of grassroots efforts, violent militia clashes and international diplomatic pressure on Indonesia to allow East Timor to choose its own destiny after decades as one of the vast archipelago's most unwilling member territories. Ahead of the referendum, armed paramilitary groups from both sides of the debate roamed the streets of East Timor's towns in an attempt to sway the vote through intimidation.
In all, nearly 99 percent of the 430,000 registered voters flooded polling centers. "This is a very important day because now our time has come to make our own choice about our lives," voter Sebastian da Costa told The New York Times as he stood outside a polling station. Once the votes were tallied, U.N. officials announced that, as expected, a wide majority of East Timorese, 78.5 percent, chose to break with Indonesia. The decision was as dangerous as it was historic. Pro-Indonesia militants -- allegedly supported by Indonesia's military -- sought to punish the East Timorese for choosing to secede. Militants killed some 1,000 East Timorese and drove hundreds of thousands from their homes. But it was only one chapter in the history of deadly conflict inside East Timor over the territory's Indonesian rulers. |
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| An uneasy history | ||||||||||||||||||||
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While the Dutch maintained control over the larger area of Indonesia and the western half of Timor island into the 20th century, the Portuguese held claim over East Timor. The division of the island between the two powers stood firm until World War II, when the advancing Japanese army enveloped the region, including East Timor, despite a Portuguese declaration of neutrality. At the war's end, the Dutch territories, including the western half of Timor, declared their independence and formed the nation of Indonesia. Timor's eastern half remained a Portuguese colony. After nearly three decades of agitation from the East Timorese, the territory's colonial governor allowed citizens to organize political parties in 1974 -- but the move only strengthened calls for independence. In late 1975, the Portuguese colonial government decided not to continue
fighting militant separatists and turned over power to a leftist faction.
The group declared East Timor's independence from Portugal, but not
before other parties began battling for supremacy. Full independence did not last long. The new government, in disarray
because of violent factional fighting, was left vulnerable to outside
strikes. And only days after the new government had formed, military
forces from Indonesia took the island and, by 1976, took control of
the island. According to Indonesian accounts, it was East Timor's elected government that made the decision to join Indonesia. Jakarta said its military response came at the behest of local leaders
who needed outside assistance to quell internal violence. From there,
the elected People's Assembly of East Timor reportedly submitted a resolution
to Indonesia's House of Representatives asking to become a province.
Foreign observers disagree, however, saying Indonesia forcibly steered
East Timor into annexation. The United Nations and all western countries
except Australia ignored the annexation altogether, and continued to
recognize East Timor as a Portuguese possession. From either side, it is clear incorporation did not come easily. After
East Timor formally joined Indonesia in 1976, guerrilla forces mounted
a fierce resistance against Indonesian troops in pockets of the island's
mountainous landscape -- a battle that continued nearly uninterrupted
for 23 years. An atmosphere of repression and violence in East Timor since the annexation
has been widely reported by western news organizations. More than 200,000
East Timorese are believed to have died from famine and frequent crackdowns
on separatist movements. In 1981, the United Nations issued a resolution calling for East Timor's independence. Citing an increase in famine and disease in the region, the U.N. asked Indonesia and Portugal, still East Timor's widely-recognized administrator, to allow the Timorese people to determine their own destiny. Nonetheless, the Indonesian government, under the strong-armed rule of dictator Suharto, retained its claim over the region. |
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| Grabbing the world's attention | ||||||||||||||||||||
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The Indonesian government hotly criticized the decision. "I am quite astounded at the choice of the Nobel Committee this
time, and I wonder what the criteria are for such a choice," Indonesian
Foreign Minister Ali Alatas said at the time. In 1997, Indonesia, including East Timor, was especially hard hit by
the Asian economic crisis. Those troubles fed a brewing instability
throughout Indonesia that finally resulted in President Suharto's 1998
resignation after 32 years at Indonesia's helm. His successor, B.J. Habibie, inherited many of Suharto's political woes, including the unrest in East Timor. The violence only worsened after Habibie's January 1999 decision to allow an East Timor independence vote. The move sparked increasingly frequent clashes between pro-Indonesia and separatist militias. Deadly revolts twice caused the U.N. to reschedule the referendum. Although
East Timor's warring factions signed an accord Aug. 9 that banned violence
and intimidation before the referendum, many East Timor watchers, including
Bishop Belo, warned that bloodshed would continue. Belo's concerns proved well-founded. Even the Indonesian government's
pledge to release Xanana Gusmao, a prominent pro-independence leader,
in early September did little to quell the riots in East Timor's streets.
"With absolute audacity, under the eyes of the international media
and with U.N. personnel on the ground, the Indonesian army continues to
provide weapons to the militias," he told the BBC. Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, whose Carter Center observed preparations
for the vote, underscored Ramos Horta's allegations. "Indonesian military and other government agencies are supporting,
directing and arming pro-integration militias to create a climate of
fear and violence," Carter said. In a speech to Indonesia's parliament, President Habibie said he would
press for order within the country and warned the rest of Indonesia's
provinces that unlawful secession would not be tolerated. "Political actions that are against the constitution - for example,
breaking away from the republic of Indonesia - we cannot tolerate at
all," he said. "Democracy and freedom must follow the constitution,
law, ethics and morality that were laid down by the founders of the
Indonesian republic." Although the referendum's results made East Timorese intentions clear, it would take a month of rampant violence, intervention by a U.N. peacekeeping team and years of reorganization before the territory's dreams of independence would be realized. -- By Greg Barber, Online NewsHour |
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Despite
widespread violence ahead of the polls opening, the vote passed with
little bloodshed. The only serious violence on the day of the vote was
the death of an East Timorese United Nations worker who was stabbed
in the western town of Ermera. 
In
the days of active European colonization during the 19th and early 20th
centuries, the island of Timor became a disputed area wedged between
Portuguese and Dutch territorial claims. 
It
wasn't until 1996 that East Timor reemerged on the world stage. That
year, exiled resistance leader Jose Ramos Horta and East Timorese Catholic
bishop Carlos Belo received the Nobel Peace Prize -- a move seen as
an attempt to focus international attention on East Timor's separatist
struggle. 
Following
reports that the Indonesian military supplied weapons to pro-Jakarta
militias, separatist leader Jose Ramos Horta publicly denounced the
Habibie government.
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