Intro to cover story

This coming Wednesday marks the 20th anniversary of East Timor's integration into Indonesia.

On July 17, 1976, President Soeharto signed into law a legislation enacted by the House of Representatives a day earlier which accepted an East Timorese petition to join the republic.

The petition itself was signed by tribal leaders representing the majority of East Timorese in December 1975 at the height of a bloody civil war which erupted in the wake of the hasty withdrawal of the Portuguese colonial administration.

In the last 20 years, Indonesia has poured billions of rupiah into East Timor to build infrastructure which was virtually nonexistent at the time of integration. The money went towards the construction of roads, schools, hospitals, places of worship and other facilities.

The government, however, continues to face dissension from East Timorese within and outside the province. Members of Fretilin, an armed group seeking a separate state, continue to wage a sporadic guerrilla battle from their jungle hideout. There is also strong discontent among urban youths, which in recent years has often translated into riots, sometimes with racial or religious intonations.

Then there is also the question of the absence of international recognition of the integration. The diplomatic battle is far from being resolved and it is now being waged through the United Nations, which still regards Lisbon as the administering power.

In connection with the anniversary, The Jakarta Post presents a series of articles on this page and pages 9, 10 and 11.