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.