Timor-Leste Basic Information

Official Name: República Democrática de Timor-Leste (Portuguese); Repúblika Demockrática Timor-Leste (Tetum) - Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste

Location: Southeastern Asia, northwest of Australia in the Lesser Sunda Islands at the eastern end of the Indonesian archipelago. Timor-Leste includes the eastern half of the island of Timor, the Oecusse enclave in West Timor, and the islands of Ataúro and Jaco

Area: 14.609 sq Km

Capital City: Dili

Administrative Districts: 13 (Aileu, Ainaro, Baucau, Bobonaro, Cova Lima, Dili, Ermera, Lautém, Liquiçá, Manatuto, Manufahi, Oecusse and Viqueque). The districts are subdivided in 65 subdistricts, 442 sucos and 2,228 hamlets

Population: 925.000 (estimate)

Languages: Portuguese and Tetum (official), Indonesian and English (working languages). Other dialects used by different ethnic groups, including Mambae, Makassae, Kemak, Galoli, Tokodede, Bunak and Fataluku

Religion: Catholic (over 90%) plus small Protestant, Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist communities

Life Expectancy: 57 years (Male: 55.6 years; Female: 59.2 years)

Literacy Rate: More than half of the population is illiterate (49% male and 64% female)

Income: Timor-Leste is the poorest nation in Asia, and approximately 41% of the population lives in income poverty (less than $0.55 per person per day)

Currency: US Dollar

Natural Resources: Gold, oil, natural gas, manganese, marble

Main Exports: coffee and offshore oil and gas in the Timor Sea

Internet Domain: .tl

International Dialing Code: +670

International Airport: Comoro, Dili

Airline: No. Merpati ( Indonesia) and Air North ( Australia) airlines have regular flights to the country

Climate: Tropical (Dry season: May to November - Wet season: December to April)

Etymology: The name “ Timor” derives from timor or timur, the word for “east” in Malay and Indonesian which became “timor” in Portuguese. Lorosae (the word for “east” in Tetum) literally means “rising sun”.

Brief history:

According to anthropological investigations, the island of Timor was populated in three waves: the first people to arrive were of the Vedo-Australoide type, similar to the Veda of Ceylon, in approximately 40,000 BC, followed by Melanesians in 3000 BC, and by “proto-malays” (people from South China and North Indochina) in around 2500 BC.

Under Portuguese rule

The Portuguese arrived in Timor (at Lifau, in the coast of Oecusse) in around 1515-1520, but an effective colonial administration was not installed until the beginning of the 1700s. In the 17 th century, the Dutch took control of the western part of Timor, after having claimed many of the surrounding islands previously under Portuguese rule (such as Flores, Alor and Solor).

Portugal and the Netherlands fought over the island until an 1860 treaty divided Timor, granting to the Portuguese the eastern half of the island as well as the western enclave of Oecusse.

During World War II, Timor was occupied by Japan (1942-1945), following the Japanese declaration that Portugal’s neutrality was null and void, due to the presence of Australian troops in the territory. Between 50,000 and 60,000 people were killed during this period, and Timor was heavily destroyed at the end of the war.

In 1949, the Netherlands gave up its colonies in the Dutch East Indies, including West Timor, which became the Republic of Indonesia.

On 14 December 1960, the United Nations declared Timor-Leste a non-self governing territory under Portuguese administration.

Indonesian invasion and annexation

Following Portugal’s Revolution of 25 April 1974, a process of decolonization began that resulted in the independence of its African colonies, and promised a process of self-determination to the Timorese. In August 1975, a civil war between Fretilin, UDT and Apodeti political parties started in Dili. The Portuguese administration took refuge in Atauro island, and never returned to Dili.

On November 28, 1975, Fretilin unilaterally declared the independence of the República Democrática de Timor-Leste. Only a few days later, on December 7, Indonesian forces invaded and annexed Timor-Leste, which became the 27 th province of Indonesia (under the name of Timor Timur) in July 1976. This decision was never recognized by the United Nations, Portugal, and the generality of the international community. During the 24 years of Indonesian occupation, more than 180,000 Timorese died in the ensuing violence and chaos, including famine. Xanana Gusmão took over the leadership of the resistance movement following the death of Nicolau Lobato in 1978.

On 12 November 1991, Indonesian soldiers opened fire on a group of housands of demonstrators at a cemetery in Dili, killing more than 200 in what has become known as the Santa Cruz Massacre.

One year later, Indonesian soldiers captured Xanana Gusmão in Dili. In 1993, he was sentenced to life imprisonment (later reduced to 20 years).

Indonesia’s human rights abuses in Timor-Leste began receiving international attention, and in 1996, Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo and José Ramos-Horta received the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to gain freedom peacefully.

Vote for independence

After the resignation of Indonesian President Suharto in May 1998, his successor, BJ Habibie, agreed that the people of Timor-Leste should be given a chance to vote on the future of the territory. In May 1999, Portugal and Indonesia signed an agreement for the United Nations to conduct a ballot on the future political status of Timor-Leste.

In February 1999, Xanana Gusmão was moved from prison to house arrest in Jakarta, where he stayed until being released in October.

On 30 August 1999, the Timorese were asked to accept or reject a proposal of autonomy within Indonesia. More than 98% of the registered voters participated in the referendum and 78.5% rejected Indonesia’s proposal, opening the path to independence.

Violence by pro-integrationist militia groups was widespread before and after the popular consultation but escalated after the results of the ballot were announced on 4 September. Amid allegations of collusion between the militias and some elements of the Indonesian Armed Forces, the militias killed more than 1000 people, and forced hundreds of thousands of civilians into West Timor. Looting and burning resulted in the destruction of 80% of the infrastructure of the territory. Under international pressure, the Indonesian president accepted the deployment to Timor-Leste of a multi-national force under UN auspices (INTERFET) to restore order, and renounced Jakarta’s claims to the territory.

UN transitional administration and independence

United Nations Security Council Resolution 1272 of 25 October 1999 established the United Nations Transitional Administration of East Timor (UNTAET, led by the Brazilian Sérgio Vieira de Mello), with a mandate to administrate Timor-Leste and prepare it for self-government.

On 30 August 2001, Fretilin won the elections for the Constituent Assembly (which was transformed into the National Parliament after independence), gaining 55 of the 88 seats. The Constitution was adopted on 22 March 2002.

Xanana Gusmão was elected President on 14 April 2002, receiving 82.69% of the valid votes, against 17.31% for his only opponent, Francisco Xavier do Amaral.

On 20 May 2002, Timor-Leste became independent during a ceremony in Dili witnessed by the then UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, and it was admitted as the 191 st member of the United Nations on 22 September 2002.

(Sources: UN, World Bank, BBC, Wikipedia)