East Timor: Political Dynamics, Development, and International Involvement Congressional Research Service Summary The situation in the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, which is also known as simply Timor-Leste or East Timor, is relatively calm compared with … At that time, Indonesia had military, economic and political support from countries such as UK, USA and Australia, for various reasons including the oil and gas reserves, a strategic location, various trade and cheap labor related interests. A former Portuguese colony, East Timor (now Timor-Leste) is located on the Eastern half of the island of Timor (the western half became a part of Indonesia immediately following independence). Isaacson gives a figure of 100,000 deaths resulting from the occupation, or one-seventh of the population, and there are good judges who put this estimate on the low side. 12 Dec. 2001. Trenton, NJ: Red Sea Press. And therefore, East Timorese people decided to declare independence from Portugal. Alternatively, copy/paste the following MLA citation format for this page: Shah, Anup. Genocide Factor Collection, Oral History Program, Tampa Library. This video was originally produced by Media Entertainment, Inc., for the 2000 documentary The Genocide Factor. Much of East Timor was destroyed and at some points there were estimates from 200,000 to 300,000 refugees created with up to 600,000 people displaced. During the East Timor conflict, many reliable reports detailed executions of pregnant women, the killing of infants, and the torture of countless men. During World War II, the country was occupied by Japan, but again became a Portuguese colony after the war. The next several years were full of strive and unrest in the country as rebels tried to hold off the Indonesian invasion. Most mainstream coverage failed to trace back the root causes for such gross violations (i.e. Here, there may have been an even greater need for similar international involvement in helping diffuse the crisis. East Timor was ruled by Portugal for about 3 centuries. East Timor or Timor-Leste is a sovereign state in Maritime Southeast Asia.. So from 1975 up till now, East Timor has been occupied by the Indonesian troops. To print all information (e.g. Some 1,400 civilians are believed to have died. This writing will aim to provide a critical and analytical explication on the East Timor crisis, and subsequently attempt to understand its underlying origins and sources from a Cold War theoretical perspective. It has been pointed out that the ethnic cleansing in East Timor was a tactical move to lure people into West Timor, which, unlike East Timor, is part of Indonesia. Leading up to this and after the vote where there was an overwhelming majority who voted for independence, Indonesian military-backed militia and paramilitaries went on a terror campaign with slow international reaction. 08 Dec. 2020. Indonesia invades East Timor Early in the morning, Indonesian forces launch a massive invasion of the former Portuguese half of the island of Timor, which lies near Australia in the Timor Sea… When Indonesia invaded East Timor in 1975, it was with the OK from the then US President, Ford. Locations and members of the pro-independence National Council of Timorese Resistance (CNRT) were […] Events involving East Timor's government are complicating the … East Timor used to be a Portuguese colony for about 500 years; and in 1975, Portugal withdrew from East Timor because of the revolution in Portugal, on April 25, 1974. Exposure of the tragedy of East Timor–and of the U.S. government role–is essential to the future of the East Timorese people. It is also in the process of rebuilding and recovering from the violence it has suffered. Oral history video clip featuring Constâncio Pinto, East Timor survivor. Both nations sought imperialistic agendas towards Timor. In 1975, November 1975, the East Timorese declare de facto independence for East Timor. . But briefly, I’d like to say that there was an occupation. Just a few months earlier, the international (West) community led a campaign in Kosovo on the grounds of humanitarian intervention. Portuguese take the eastern half. So the situation is, I would say, comparable to what’s happening in Kuwait when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait. So Portugal in fact lost its power, its control over the colonies—so that’s in Africa, including East Timor. During World War II, thousands of East Timorese lost their lives helping Australia forces fight against the Japanese. the fact that East Timor has oil, timber and other rich resources and that Indonesia is strongly anti-Communist, which has helped western backers ignore brutal crimes and therefore continue "business as normal"). The 2006 East Timorese crisis began as a conflict between elements of the military of East Timor over discrimination within the military, and expanded to a coup attempt and general violence throughout the country, centred in the capital Dili.The crisis prompted a military intervention by several other countries and led to the resignation of the Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri Prime Minister Ruak of East Timor resigns due to intra-government conflict February 25 19:09. There were numerous questions about the UN and the UN Security Council's ability to swiftly respond to this crisis. Web. One of the most troubling but least studied features of mass political violence is why violence often recurs in the same place over long periods of time. In 1975, November 1975, the East Timorese declare de facto independence for East Timor. Business interests have been a factor in the slow response. Many of the militias were not East Timorese people themselves, but also Indonesian troops in a bid to discredit and disrupt the referendums and independence movements. 17 For a (rare) legal analysis of whether the conflict in East Timor between 1975 and 1981 was Australia's much needed peace-keeping was also slow going as they also have additional interests in East Timor. Unfortunately, the general media silence on East Timor has left the U.S. public in the dark, helping to facilitate one of the great genocides of the late 20th century. Meanwhile human rights abuses continued. Most of the violence occurred in the capital Dili.. 1749 - Timor split following battle between Portuguese and Dutch. This had been known for a long time, months before the voting began, when killings were already occurring and the global media were not covering it. Approximately 800 Australian nationals were in East Timor at the beginning of conflict. The 1999 East Timorese crisis began with attacks of general violence throughout the country, centered in the capital Dili. The conflict soon ended and peace was restored in East Timor; the humanitarian situation was enough to justify international intervention as the Indonesian-sponsored militias attacked, tortured, and killed thousands of East Timor civilians during the conflict. [December 12, 2001 Update: Recently declassified documents from the U.S. and available at by the George Washington University's National Security Archive project web site confirm that "[Former U.S. President Gerald] Ford and [former Secratary of State Henry] Kissinger Gave Green Light to Indonesia's Invasion of East Timor, 1975"]. Reports of other areas of Indonesia suffering similar rights violations are also emerging. The 1999 East Timorese crisis was a conflict. East Timor. East Timor Retrospective Noam Chomsky Le Monde diplomatique, October, 1999. As well as West Timor, there have been fears … Over the next two decades, tens of thousands of East Timorese died (some observers claim as many as 200,000 perished) resisting the Indonesian occupation and annexation or as a result of famine and disease. 200,000 people are said to have been killed since 1975 -- one third of the entire East Timorese population. Unfortunately, nine days later, Indonesia invaded the country. 1600s - Portuguese invade Timor, set up trading post and use island as source of sandalwood. However, as in many other regions around the world, it was affected by the power politics of the more influential countries in the UN. The troubles in Timor-Leste are widely discerned as a salient case study to explore in the field of conflict resolution. “Bad ideas flourish because they are in the interest of powerful groups.” — Paul Krugman, What Indonesias Local Elections Mean for National Politics, How Artificial Intelligence Could Widen Gap Between Rich & Poor Nations, Urgently Needed Deficit Financing No Excuse for More Fiscal Abuse, https://www.globalissues.org/article/92/crisis-in-east-timor, https://www.globalissues.org/print/article/92. Well, that is a very long story. The tumultuous history of East Timor has affected cultural production in the country profoundly and nowhere is this more evident than in the distinctive street art and graffiti produced by East Timorese artists. And as a result of the invasion, more than 250,000 people were killed: either they were killed in the battlefields or in the refugee camps by the Indonesian army. The UK has also provided training and military arms in the past to Indonedisa. It has also been reported that Washington trained death squads, sponsored by the Clinton Administration. Conflict Profile: East Timor / page 2 Ramos-Horta, José (1987) The Unfinished Saga of East Timor. Genocide (1998); John Taylor, East Timor: The Price of Freedom (1999); James Dunn, Timor: A People Betrayed (1983); Arnold Kohen and John Taylor, An Act of Genocide: Indonesia’s Invasion of East Timor (1979). The violence started after the result of an election was independence from Indonesia.About 1400 people are thought to have died. Media Entertainment, Inc., “The Causes of the East Timor Conflict,”, Special & Digital Collections | University of South Florida Tampa Library, http://exhibits.lib.usf.edu/items/show/628, 4088A_Pinto_The Causes of the East Timor Conflict.mp4. This was the day after U.S. President Ford's visit to Indonesia, with what people have suspected as being a "green light" to invade. Bookmark or share this with others using some popular social bookmarking web sites: Copy/paste the following HTML code to your page: Anup Shah, Crisis in East Timor, Global Issues, Updated: December 12, 2001. East Timor was ruled by Portugal for about 3 centuries. In 1974 Portugal decided to pull out of East Timor and the neighboring country of Indonesia soon invaded. Countries like the US who owe a lot of payment to the UN (and often refuse to pay) criticize it for being ineffective. “Crisis in East Timor.” Global Issues. expanded side notes, shows alternative links), use the print version: August 1999 saw a vote on self determination in East Timor. Throughout the East Timor crisis, the federal government and Downer were infuriated by a series of leaks of classified documents highlighting Australia’s duplicity on … Douglas Kammen explores this pattern in Three Centuries of Conflict in East Timor, studying that region’s tragic past, focusing on the small district of Maubara. Ever since then, the US, UK and Australia have been criticized for their support of the regime. Unfortunately, yet predictably, there was one-sided media coverage of the crisis in East Timor by major media institutions in the West (especially from nations that continuously supported the often brutal regime). Unfortunately, nine days later, Indonesia invaded the country. 1999 East Timorese crisis Part of the Indonesian invasion of East Timor … The US provided military support even to this latest crackdown. It is not easy to write with feigned calm and dispassion about the events that have been unfolding in East Timor. Two distinct but interrelated conflicts have caused mass displacement in the country over the past 12 years, but displacement was not a new phenomenon for the … A UN-authorized force consisting mainly of Australian Defence Force personnel was deployed to East Timor to establish and maintain peace. Early in December Indonesian forces invaded and occupied the area, and in 1976 Indonesia declared it to be an integral part of that country as the province of East Timor (Timor Timur). The International Forces East Timor (INTERFET) coalition began deploying to East Timor on 20 September 1999, as a non-UN force operating in accordance with UN Resolutions. The western mainstream media and politicians from countries like the United States made an observation after the Kosovo crisis about how national sovereignty cannot hide war crimes etc. Even with the diverse security agreements, established to ensure that the Indonesian Army (TNI) would protect the organization of the ballot and to constrain the activities of militias, violent episodes took place in East Timor during the months leading to the consultation. In East Timor the same people suggested that Indonesian sovereignty needs to be maintained and they need to be responsible in the peace process. Led by Australia, who contributed 5,500 personnel and the force commander, Major General Peter Cosgrove , it was tasked with restoring peace and security, protecting and supporting UNAMET, and facilitating humanitarian … Check out our new website for more incredible history documentaries: HD and ad-free. So from 1975 up till now, East Timor has been occupied by the Indonesian … Portugal and the Netherlands are responsible for the 17th-21st century conflict in East Timor. A brief introduction. (But, Indonesia itself is well-equipped and well trained by the US, UK etc., which may help to explain why the "international community" was slow to respond.). Pro-integration paramilitaries in East Timor were armed and supported by the Indonesian government and military. Hill, Hal (2001) “Tiny, Poor and War-Torn: Development Policy Challenges for East Portuguese rule. The NATO nations still insisted on Kosovo being autonomous rather than independent, whereas East Timor had been an occupied country since 1975. The violence erupted after a majority of eligible East Timorese voters chose independence from Indonesia. East Timor's Prime Minister Luak has announced his intention to step down as Prime Minister Luak of the coalition over the leadership in the coalition has led to confusion as the … East Timor was then invaded by Indonesia shortly after Portugal abruptly left, in 1975. The official name of the country is the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste.. East Timor is now an independent nation, officially. Washington, D.C., August 28, 2019 – The U.S. government was aware for months that the Indonesian military had created, and was arming and directing paramilitary militias in East Timor in the leadup to the territory’s historic August 30, 1999, independence referendum, according to recently declassified documents posted today by the National Security Archive based at The George … Social, Political, Economic and Environmental Issues That Affect Us All. Documentary evidence of an Indonesian army-supported "scorched earth policy" to wipe out the independence movement has also emerged, and yet the international community had hardly done anything regarding this. The rest of the island of Timor, and the other islands that were later to become Indonesia, were colonised by the Dutch between the 17th and 19th centuries, and were known as the Dutch East Indies. Gross human rights violations occurred almost every day in East Timor. Militia who did not like the independence in East Timor started the conflict when they attacked civilians.These attacks led to more violence all over the country. Tampa, Fla. : University of South Florida Tampa Library. Consequently, East Timorese in West Timor still face oppression and human rights abuses as journalists and the UN peacekeeping forces have been only in East Timor. From the 16th century onwards, East Timor was a Portuguese colony known as Portuguese Timor. East Timor was then invaded by Indonesia shortly after Portugal abruptly left, in 1975. One of the most troubling but least studied features of mass political violence is why violence often recurs in the same place over long periods of time. And as a result of the invasion, more than 250,000 people were killed: either they were killed in the battlefields or in the refugee camps by the Indonesian army. The day after Kissinger left Djakarta in 1975, the Armed Forces of Indonesia employed American weapons to invade and subjugate the independent former Portuguese colony of East Timor. During World War II, thousands of East Timorese lost their lives helping Australia forces fight against the Japanese. Douglas Kammen explores this pattern in Three Centuries of Conflict in East Timor, studying that region’s tragic past, focusing on the small district of Maubara. 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