The Crisis in East Timor
Background reading about the current crisis, Fall 1999.
(Adapted from Keeping the Peace in an Age of Conflict: Debating the U.S. Role)
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In early September, 1999, a surge of violence broke out in East Timor, chasing in a matter of days more than a quarter of the 800,000 inhabitants from their homes and killing others. On August 30, the people of East Timor had voted by a margin of almost 4 to 1 to become independent from Indonesia, a country that had occupied the former Portuguese colony for the past 24 years. Even as people in the small, Southeast Asian island community prepared to go to the polls, the threat of such violence hung over the island. But vote they did, complying with an offer made earlier in the year by the Indonesian government in Jakarta to hold a popular referendum calling either for independence or for autonomy within the Indonesian state.
What follows is a brief history of East Timor, providing background to help students understand the foundations of the current crisis. The material is excerpted from Keeping the Peace in an Age of Conflict: Debating the U.S. Role, a one-week supplemental curriculum unit developed by the Choices for the 21st Century Education Project at Brown University.
A Brief History of East Timor
How did East Timor become a part
of Indonesia?
Beginning in 1975, the East Timorese fell victim to an invasion by Indonesia. As many as 200,000 people died at the hands of the Indonesian army. At the time it could be said that the people of East Timor also fell victim to the Cold War. Although the UN Security Council officially called for the invading troops to withdraw, in fact the United States and its leading allies did not take a firm stance to halt the slaughter in East Timor.
Why did the international community involve itself in Congo, Cyprus, and South Africa, while ignoring the plight of East Timor? Several factors account for East Timor's fate. In the international arena of the mid-1970s, East Timor's suffering was outweighed by the importance of the Indonesian government. Indonesia's President Suharto ruled over a collection of 17,000 islands in Southeast Asia. The country was rich in oil, gas, and other natural resources, and was seen as a key American ally in the struggle against communism. Trade ties between Indonesia and the West were growing, especially as Suharto sought to build up his military. Meanwhile, the fewer than 700,000 people of East Timor -- half of a remote island located 300 miles north of Australia -- attracted little outside interest.
Why did East Timor's struggle for independence lead to conflict?
The story of the conflict in East Timor has its origins in the region's colonial past. For more than 400 years, East Timor was controlled by Portugal. Meanwhile, the western half of the island, along with the other islands that today make up Indonesia, was under Dutch rule. The Indonesians gained independence from the Netherlands in 1949 and for the next sixteen years grappled with mounting political instability. The turmoil erupted into civil war in 1965. As head of the Indonesian army, Suharto led the military to victory over Soviet-backed rebels. At least 300,000 rebels were killed in Suharto's effort to crush opposition to his regime.
East Timor was shielded from the violence in Indonesia. In 1974, however, Portuguese colonial rule over East Timor suddenly ended after Portugal's dictatorial government fell from power. The East Timorese hoped that the collapse of the Portuguese empire would allow them to achieve independence. Suharto, though, had other plans for East Timor. In December 1975, he ordered his army to invade the island. At the time, only one foreign journalist was present in East Timor, and he too was killed shortly after the invasion. Human rights groups later gathered evidence to show that the Indonesian forces massacred thousands of unarmed civilians. In the months and years that followed, entire villages were destroyed in air attacks. Farmers were herded into military camps, where they often died of starvation and disease. In addition, the teaching of the Timorese language was banned and Indonesians were brought in to repopulate the island.
What was U.S. policy toward the East Timor crisis?
In his campaign to absorb East Timor into Indonesia, Suharto encountered only mild opposition from the international community. Two days before Indonesia's invasion, President Gerald Ford and Secretary of State of Henry Kissinger visited Indonesia to meet their anti-communist ally, Suharto. The meeting was viewed as a sign of U.S. support for the Suharto regime. When the UN General Assembly passed a resolution a few days later condemning the invasion, the United States, Britain, Germany, France, and Australia abstained from the voting, while Japan opposed the resolution. A UN Security Council resolution calling on "all states to respect the territorial integrity of East Timor" was later accepted by the Western countries.
With the international community largely silent, Suharto ignored the UN resolutions and tightened Indonesia's occupation of East Timor. The East Timorese, however, did not give up their struggle. Even as foreign investment fueled Indonesia's rapid economic growth in the early 1990s, they continued to campaign for independence, both in the diplomatic arena and on the ground against the Indonesian army.
Why has the East Timor question re-emerged?
In 1998, a severe economic downturn forced Suharto to resign and suddenly opened up new opportunities for the East Timorese. Suharto's successor, B.J. Habibie promised to transform Indonesia into a democracy. As part of his reform program, he declared his support for a plan to allow the East Timorese to decide their political future. With Habibie's consent, the UN scheduled a referendum in the province in August 1999. Habibie's pledge was welcomed by East Timorese nationalists, but it also raised many serious doubts. Within East Timor, a substantial minority opposes independence. In the run up to the referendum, armed groups representing both sides of the independence question staged attacks. Indonesia's military frequently turned its weapons against the independence movement. Finances present another problem. Funding from Indonesia's central government has accounted for roughly half of East Timor's backward economy.
Indonesian officials have also been concerned about the repercussions of an independent East Timor. They fear that other parts of their island nation may seek to follow East Timor's example. At the same time, many are uneasy that East Timor has once again become an international issue.
What happened after the referendum?
On August 30, the referendum was held and, not unexpectedly, 79 percent of the population cast their votes for independence. There were hopes in the first days after the vote that the outcome would be accepted and calm would prevail. Within days, violence erupted.