whoops... Newly declassified documents have revealed that Australia appeared driven by a desire for oil and gas rights when it was deciding to legitimise the Indonesian occupation of Timor-Leste. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/may/07/oil-and-gas-had-hidden-role-in-australias-response-to-indonesian-invasion-of-timor-leste
Since then, a guerilla war has been waged between the separatist Fretlin against the Indonesian Armed Forces, with atrocities committed by both sides that resulted in the killings of tens of thousands of people.
Despite the resistance, the Indonesian government tried to incorporate its newest province and develop it. Roads, schools, health centres were built. Even a giant statue of Jesus Christ was given to the East Timorese as a gift from President Soeharto. It's one of the tallest Christ statues in the world actually. However, this does not erase the fact that the presence of the Indonesian Military was abundant and that many human rights atrocities have been committed. Case in Point: The Santa Cruz Massacre.
Finally, during the downfall of the New Order government, as part of Reformasi, a referendum was held in East Timor to ask whether they wished to remain in Indonesia with increased autonomy or become independent. More than 70% of the population chose the latter.
Today, the small country of Timor-Leste is struggling to develop itself. Worse of all, Australia, a country that Timor-Leste thought was its ally against Indonesia, was discovered to have spied on Timor-Leste in order to gain leverage over negotiations on the exploitation of natural resources in the Timor Sea.
So with all of this in mind, what are your thoughts on Timor-Leste?
I will share with you my very own thoughts about our relationship with them:
I myself have never encountered or talked with an East Timorese before. However, on 2014 in the city of Yogyakarta, I got in contact with a friend from Spain who worked for the United Nations mission in Timor-Leste. She said that she was sent there to work with the East Timorese government regarding the development of schools an education for a couple of years.
She said that most of the infrastructure that was in tact in Timor Leste was built during the Indonesian era, especially the schools. However, what struck me was that she said that many people in East Timor were very surprised that they actually got independence from Indonesia. She told me that there were certain groups in East Timor who
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I am writing a project about East Timor and need historical viewpoints to analyse and critique. So far I have the work of Chomsky and some other secondary sources that basically agree with Chomsky. Can anyone find/ has anyone seen anything defending the USA or painting Indonesia as acting more autonomously than Chomsky? So far I can't find a single person... though I'm sure there are apologists and puppets out there who have written something I can use. In a nutshell, I just need something from a historian that disagrees with Chomsky. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
Flash floods unleashed by torrential heavy rains early today killed 23 people on Indonesia’s island of Flores, injuring nine while five went missing, as the tiny neighboring nation of East Timor recorded eight deaths.
So not much is known about East Timor as they are a new country who recently became independent from Indonesia as of 1999. They are the only Portuguese speaking colony in SE Asia and majority being Catholic as well. They have recently joined the ASEAN as the 11th member
Now look at this story below. Once again an older white male, going their to "help" the country aka help himself to the poor. Sick bastard needs to be executed for the entire world to see in my opinion
https://www.yahoo.com/news/american-ex-priest-east-timor-025149204.html
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