E. Timor: World's youngest nation

E. Timor: World's youngest nation

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

When East Timor becomes the world's youngest nation midnight
Sunday, its people may heave a sigh of relief as it looks back on
its long history of colonization and war.

Colonization of the Timor island began at the start of the
16th century by the Portuguese. Previously, it had been under the
influence of the Javanese empires of Sriwijaya and Majapahit.

In 1613 the Dutch attacked Timor to take control of the
sandalwood trade. Five years later they set up their first
settlement in Kupang, West Timor.

During the next century the Dutch gained more and more power
in Southeast Asia, especially against their competitor Portugal.
After the British occupied West Timor for a short period, the
Netherlands again took control of the island in 1816.

Ever since the Portuguese and Dutch recognized each others'
rights and split the island as West Timor and East Timor.

Both sides agreed not to give any rights on the territory to a
third party. This is why Portugal could hold East Timor, which is
half the size of Belgium, for such a long time without any
pressure from other powers.

During World War II, Timor -- only 620 kilometers away from
Australia -- became an important strategic position. Ten days
after the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, the Australian and
Dutch forces invaded Timor and before fleeing from the Japanese
troops in February 1943. Japan started occupying the country in
February 1942 and held it until the end of the Pacific War in
1945.

Despite the armed resistance of the Timorese people, the
Portuguese reestablished their administration after the Japanese
withdrawal. On June 11, 1951 East Timor was declared an overseas
province of Portugal.

In 1975 Portugal's fascist regime collapsed resulting in armed
conflicts between organized forces of the Revolutionary Front for
an Independent East Timor (Fretilin) on one hand and the
Democratic Union of Timorese (UDT) together with the Popular
Democratic Association of Timorese (Apodeti) on the other. Both
the UDT and Apodeti as well as some smaller splinter groups
wanted to become part of Indonesia.

Fretilin, who eventually controlled most of the territory,
proclaimed the "Democratic People's Republic of East Timor" on
Nov. 28, 1975.

The next day pro-Indonesian groups responded with a
declaration of integration with the Indonesian Republic and
formed a temporary government on Dec. 17, 1975. This move was
backed by Indonesian troops which had intervened in the civil war
and occupied East Timor ten days earlier.

Although the United Nations demanded the withdrawal of the
Indonesian Armed Forces, Indonesia declared East Timor as its
27th province on July 17, 1976.

Portugal told the United Nations on April 1977, that it had
not pursued its sovereignty over East Timor since August 1976 but
would not accept it being annexed by Indonesia.

The United Nations issued a number of resolutions from 1977 to
1979 confirming the right to self-determination and independence
for the people of East Timor, thus offering the people the
legitimacy to fight for these rights.

But it was not until 1999 that the East Timorese secured
permission from then Indonesian President B.J. Habibie to choose
either for independence or an independent state.

During the time elapse, the Indonesian government built more
than 2,000 kilometer roads, 60 schools, 10 hospitals, hundreds of
community health clinics, providing clean water access in 13
towns and pushing the living standards of the East Timorese
people higher than those in West Timor, according to a 1997
government data.

Habibie finally accepted and respected the referendum's result
in which nearly 80 percent of voters chose independence for East
Timor and released Fretilin leader Xanana Gusmao in September
1999 after he had spent seven years in jail.

However pro-Indonesian militias wreaked havoc in East Timor
under the eyes of the Indonesian Military in the aftermath of the
vote for independence from Indonesia in October 1999.

The United Nations, which sent in its peacekeeping forces on
Sept. 20, 1999, estimates more than 1,000 people were killed
before and after the vote. The UN has administered East Timor and
its 740,000 people ever since.

Indonesia finally recognized the independence of East Timor
only a short time before Abdurrahman Wahid was elected as
president of Indonesia in October 1999. Nevertheless, the
militias' terror continued.

After more than two years under UN administration, East Timor
is going to become the world's 192nd independent nation on May
20, 2002. It will be led by its first democratically elected
President, the former Jakarta prisoner and guerrilla fighter
Xanana Gusmao.

A smaller UN mission will assist the embryonic state towards
establishing itself as a full-blown nation stewarded by an
elected president, legislature and council of ministers.