East Timor today

East Timor’s debut, on 20 May 2002, as a sovereign member of the international community, was the culmination of a long and hard fight for independence against more than four centuries of Portuguese colonisation, Japanese occupation during World War II, and 24 years of brutal Indonesian annexation.

East Timor’s independence has given the newly emerged state a rare opportunity to rebuild civil society according to clearly defined values, integrating development goals into the nation-building process.

• Portuguese Colonial Rule

• Japanese Occupation

• Indonesian Invasion

• The independence ballot

• Scorched earth

• Restoration of peace

• UNDP Report Human Development Report

Portuguese Colonial Rule

In 1515 the Portuguese arrived in Oecussi (now an enclave of East Timor, sitting within the land mass of Indonesian West Timor), founding a colony that lasted over 400 years.

The Portuguese empire exported sandalwood, native to the area, from Timor but introduced coffee and sugar cane in 1815, when sandalwood reserves were depleted.

Japanese Occupation

During the Second World War, East Timor was of strategic importance. Australian and Dutch forces landed in Dili, the capital, uninvited by the Portuguese. The Japanese followed, invading in February 1942 and staying until September 1945. At the end of the war, Timor had been reduced to ruins, with approximately 50,000 Timorese dead as a result of occupation.

The years that followed the war saw Portugal attempt to rebuild East Timor. “A non-self governing territory under Portuguese administration”, as decreed by the UN, was not administered by colonial civil servants, as in other colonies, but rather by using the traditional hierarchical structures of Timorese society, Although this enabled traditional culture to remain intact, continuing riots and attacks on Portuguese posts indicated anti-colonial feelings from the Timorese.

Indonesian Invasion

A change in Portuguese domestic politics in 1974 saw the people of East Timor develop their own political parties for the first time. Meanwhile, Indonesia began a covert destabilisation operation using tactics such as subversive radio broadcasts from across the border.
On August 11, 1975, civil war broke out and bloodshed ensued, with 2,000 lives lost. A further 20,000 took refuge in Indonesian West Timor. On November 28 1975 the East Timorese declared the República Democrática de Timor Leste (RDTL). Nine days later on 7 December 1975 Indonesian troops launched a full-scale invasion of Dili. The invasion was condemned by the UN, but no other action was taken to reverse it. In the first 4 years of occupation, some 200,000 East Timorese – one-third of the pre-invasion population – were killed. The ensuing years were characterised by human rights abuses including summary executions, public massacres, torture, intimidation, rape, abduction, forced deportation and flight, and denial of women’s reproductive freedoms.
Despite continuing condemnation from the UN, human rights groups from around the world and from the Timorese resistance, Indonesia continued to occupy the country and began to receive assumed legitimacy in its negotiations with other nations, particularly over oil and sovereignty.
In 1989 a Portuguese Parliamentary Delegation was invited to visit East Timor. In the lead up to the visit in 1991 a pro-independence activist was killed. At his funeral hundreds of civilian mourners were massacred by Indonesian troops. This became a turning point for East Timor’s struggle as news of this event received media coverage world wide. Resistance leader, Xanana Gusmao, imprisoned in the following year, also highlighted the humanitarian oppression of the regime. In 1996, two Timorese leaders, Dr. Jose Ramos-Horta and Bishop Ximenes Bello, were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, further raising the profile of the beleaguered country.

The independence ballot

Following the 1998 collapse of the Indonesian President Soeharto’s regime the new government was not as willing to continue to support the situation in East Timor. On 5 May 1999 an agreement was reached between Indonesia and Portugal, setting out the framework for the conduct of a popular referendum of East Timorese on the options of special autonomy for East Timor within the State of the Republic of Indonesia, or a rejection of autonomy leading to full independence. The UN administered ballot was held on 30 August 1999, with 78.5 per cent of the electorate rejecting autonomy in favour of national sovereignty.

Scorched earth

Within hours of the announcement of these results on 3 September 1999, Indonesian military and pro-Indonesia militias launched an orchestrated campaign of retribution across the territory. This included assassination of pro-independence supporters and other acts of violence and destruction against people and property. An estimated 70% of essential infrastructure and public and private buildings were damaged or destroyed, leaving the people of East Timor without access to utilities, shelter, healthcare or education services. Between 1,000 and 2,000 people were killed, and more than two thirds of the population (of 850,000) was displaced due to mass deportations to West Timor, forced dislocation, abduction and flight to shelter in the mountains. Many East Timorese are still being forcibly detained in refugee camps in West Timor.

The departure of Indonesian officials, who occupied virtually all key positions in the country, also brought government institutions to a standstill. Most economic sectors, including the agriculture sector, were decimated leading to a 45% decline in the gross domestic product (GDP) in 1999.

James Dunn, Crimes Investigator for the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET), concluded that this “was not the spontaneous response of those who favoured integration, but the outcome of a decision by [Indonesian] generals to counter the surge of popular support in East Timor for independence, by means of intimidation and violence, and to prevent the loss of the province to the Republic of Indonesia. The campaign of massive destruction, deportation and killings in September was essentially an operation planned and carried out by the [Indonesian military], with militia participation, to punish the people of East Timor for their vote against integration.” Then Indonesian President Suharto had poured millions of dollars of development funds into his new “province”, and the Indonesian military determined that if Indonesia were to lose the territory, the East Timorese people would lose the benefit of that investment.

It has been estimated that, as a result of the ruin and trauma that East Timor and her people suffered, the country’s development was effectively set back more than a generation. The East Timorese women’s development agenda is therefore competing to some extent with the rebuilding of the nation, and while this also offers the opportunity to incorporate gender mainstreaming into the process, addressing women specific needs and attempting to promote a more foundational institutional change requires the allocation of separate resources and a clear political will. Organisations working for women’s rights however, have encountered criticism from those who believe that its members should be using their energy and influence for other “more pressing” developmental issues such as poverty, livelihoods and economic empowerment. [cross link to women’s section]

Restoration of peace

The UN Security Council authorised the Australian led-multinational force (INTERFET) to restore peace and security. Humanitarian aid followed. The last Indonesian troops left East Timor on 1 November 1999.

On 30 August, 2001, East Timor held its first free elections ever - for representatives who were charged with writing a new Constitution. This was transformed into Timor’s first government. At midnight on 19 May 2002, the new flag of East Timor was raised and the new national anthem was sung.

On 20 May 2002, East Timor became the world's newest democracy and the first new country of the third millennium. The celebrations took place at Taci Tolu just outside Dili, a former mass grave site, and were attended by dignitaries including United Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan, former President of the United States, Bill Clinton, and perhaps most significantly, President Megawati of Indonesia.

UNDP Human Development Report 2006

The April-May 2006 crisis in Timor-Leste has highlighted the severity of the impact that conflict has on women and children. The crisis highlights the current absence of women in leadership and decision making roles in Timor-Leste and the need to develop the capacity and opportunity for women to take leadership roles in promoting peace and reconciliation in post conflict times. The recent crisis also highlights the urgent need to actively engage young people of Timor-Leste in the development of the country, given that 50% of the population is under 18 years of age .

The Alola Foundation is ideally placed to work with women and young people across Timor-Leste to build peace, reconciliation and, in the process, restore economic independence and develop women and children’s rights across the country.
• AF has facilitated the establishment of 18 Mother Support Groups in six districts which provide peer support in breastfeeding, maternal and child health and nutrition.
• The AF Handcraft Industry program works with 22 women’s producer groups located in ten districts. These women’s groups weave traditional Timor Leste tais. The program aims to provide social and economic empowerment for its members.
• The AF Scholarships Program provides financial support to approximately 800 primary and high school students located in all 13 districts. The program particularly targets girls and aims to encourage the girls and their families to place a higher priority on education for girls.
• The AF Friendship Schools Program (FSP) operates in 60 schools in Timor-Leste, developing literacy amongst students and teacher education skills. The FSP encourages participation, creativity in the classroom and cross cultural exchange.

The participation of women and young people in the development of Timor-Leste is essential to deliver sustainable outcomes in peace and reconciliation, justice and equality, economic development and the eradication of poverty. The 2006 UNDP Human Development Report on Timor-Leste was titled The Path out of Poverty: Integrated rural development. The report summarises the current social and economic situation in Timor-Leste and provides a rationale for the Alola Foundation program approach.

In recent years, the people of Timor-Leste have made impressive gains - particularly in social and political development. This is largely due to their own efforts. They survived centuries of colonial rule, overcame a 24 year occupation, and became independent only after enduring phenomenal suffering and making tremendous sacrifices. But economic progress has been much slower. This is the poorest country in the region, with a per capita income of only USD370 per year. And it is getting poorer: following the withdrawal of the UN personnel and other aid workers the economy has continued to shrink. Life expectancy is short, education levels are low and a high proportion of the population live below the poverty line.

• Life expectancy in 2004 was estimated at 55.5 years, 54 for males and 56.6 for females
• Half the population do not have access to safe drinking water and 60% do not have adequate sanitation
• For every 1000 live births, 90 infants die before their first birthday
• Maternal mortality is 800 per 100,000 live births
• Adult literacy rate is 50.1%, with two-thirds of women aged 15-60 illiterate (compared with less than half for men)
• Up to 30% of primary school age children are not in school and less than half complete 6 years of school
• Fertility rate is almost 8 for each woman
• Over half the population is under 15 years of age
• The Timor-Leste HDI of 0.426 is the lowest among the ASEAN countries

The report identifies the “strengthening of civil society to deliver services and encouraging local organisations” as two of four options for the way forward for the development of Timor-Leste.

To view the UNDP's report, 'Timor-Leste: Path Out Of Poverty', please click here.