Although East Timor finally overthrew one imperialistic dictator of a governing power, it was only lighting the fuse for an even greater and more deadly conflict that was still to come. The harsh dictatorship that developed over East Timor at the hands of their brutal overlords, the Portuguese, reached its boundary in 1974, when it became so overbearing that the Portuguese government was overthrown in a “bloodless military coup”. Following this ousting of East Timor’s authoritarian governing power, numerous political parties of varying and drastically opposing views formed, leading to the eruption of a civil war in 1975, sprung by military intelligence operations and the declaration of independence by FRETILIN (Revolutionary Front for the Independence of East Timor). Recognizing the instability and unrest of East Timor during this turbulent time, Indonesia took advantage of the weakness of East Timor and invaded with its forces in 1975. By the following year, Indonesia had proclaimed East Timor its 27th province, but the United Nations rejected this flagrant claim, and recognized East Timor as an independent nation.
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East Timor would be destroyed by bloody warfare throughout 1999, with the conflict between those seeking independence and that of the ruthless Indonesian military. It is estimated that over 200,000 East Timorese were killed throughout the course of 24 years. The air force of Indonesia heavily bombarded East Timor from 1977-78, and the years following were dominated by brutal guerilla warfare. The crimes committed during 1999 to the East Timorese people were so horrific that in 2002 they held a Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation to try and convict those who committed such serious crimes, proof of the sheer horror and physical and mental scars this time period left of the victims:
"The commission concluded that gross human rights violations, in the forms of crimes against humanity, did occur in East Timor in 1999 and that these violations included murder, rape and other forms of sexual violence, torture, illegal detention, and forcible transfer and deportation carried out against the civilian population."
Decolonization and the right to self-determination finally prevailed in 1988, when the European Union (EU) voted in favor of East Timorese independence, with the United Nations (UN) following in 1989, but despite this auspicious event, Indonesia continued to refuse to back down on its claim of the nation. In 1991, at the Santa Cruz Cemetery of East Timor’s capital city, the Indonesian Army murdered over 250 protestors and mourners. Even though the Indonesian government publically investigated the incident, even going as far as to, in 1992, convict the military, behind closed doors the protestors were given in some cases 10 years behind bars, while the military was let off with, in essence, hardly more than warnings. Shortly following the incident, in 1993, Konis Santana became substitute leader of FRETILIN, when Xanana Gusmão was caught and sentenced 20-years imprisonment.
The presence Indonesian military in East Timor increased throughout the 1990s. In 1997, violence prevailed once more when the Indonesian military once more attacked protestors at pro-independence demonstrations. However, this violent action triggered the Catholic Church to organize a form of peace talks in 1998, in an effort to reconcile the Portuguese, Indonesia, and East Timor, and to finally end the brutal violence and political truculence.
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On May 5th, 1999, at the UN, Portugal, Indonesia, and those with leadership over East Timor signed an agreement over the crisis, triggering further actions to help prevent further needless bloodshed and warfare, but this was yet the end to political turmoil in the nation. UNAMET (United Nations Mission in East Timor) was established on June 11th, 1999, with the hopes of aiding in a people’s vote over the issue of the independence of East Timor. The vote was held on August 30th, 1999, and on September 4th, 1999, the results were announced. 78.5% of East Timorese people voted to be completely independent from Indonesia, leaving only 21.5% voting to remain under Indonesian rule. This historic and miraculous event, however, proved to be devoid of result and termination to the incessant violence, as Indonesia armed the 21.5% of East Timorese, provoking a brutal massacre of independence fighters and believers, and East Timor’s 2nd Civil War since its “independence”. In the horrific violence of 1999, it has been estimated that of East Timor’s total buildings, 85%, consisting mostly of businesses and schools, were demolished. It has also been estimated that about 1 million East Timorese fled East Timor to its neighbor, West Timor, other islands within Indonesia, and Australia, whom East Timor had assisted in World War II. INTERFET (International Force for East Timor), formed by the UN, on September 20th, 1999, traveled to East Timor to protect UNAMET in its effort to carry out independence of East Timor and to restore peace and order to the region. The UN created another organization on October 25th, 1999, a United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET), to form as a government until elections could be held for the independent nation of East Timor.
The year of 2002 proved to be a final relief to the stricken and tired East Timorese after years of militaristic and political turmoil and ghastly bloodshed and crime. In 2002, East Timor, under United Nations supervision, was declared an independent nonself-governing territory. The stand-in government, in February 2002, began drafting a constitution, which in April 2002 permitted the fitting release of Xanana Gusmão, the imprisoned leader of FRETILIN, who was subsequently elected the first president of East Timor. After residing under the oppressive hold of two aggressive nations and under the grip of violence and terror, at long last, on May 20th, 2002, East Timor became a fully independent nation.
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