East Timor

The small country 5,794 square miles (15,007 square kilometers) now known as the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, or more commonly as East Timor, has been alternately occupied by the Portuguese, the Dutch, and the Japanese. The most repressive occupation, however, occurred in the 20th century when the United States, Canada, Britain, and Australia supported Indonesia's brutal military occupation of East Timor from 1975 to 1999. Estimates of lives lost during this occupation vary from 100,000 to 250,000. Following the 1999 bid for independence, Indonesia retaliated by launching a military backlash and a scorched-earth policy. Around 1,300 Timorese were subsequently killed and 300,000 were forced to seek refuge in West Timor.

Part of the Malay Archipelago, East Timor is a set of islands located in southeastern Asia at the eastern end of the Indonesian archipelago. In addition to the eastern half of Timor, the nation encompasses the Ambeno region in the northwest portion [Page 503]of Timor and the islands of Pulau Atauro and Pulau Jaco. Bordering on the shared waters of the Timor, Banda, and Savu Seas, East Timor has a 438-mile (706-kilometer) coastline. The climate is tropical with distinct rainy and dry seasons, and the country is subject to frequent flooding and landslides and to occasional earthquakes, tsunamis, and tropical cyclones. The terrain is mountainous with elevations ranging from sea level to 9,717 feet (2,963 meters). Natural resources include gold, petroleum, natural gas, manganese, and marble.

The Indonesian occupation left East Timor with an annihilated infrastructure that included massive destruction to irrigation systems, water supplies, schools, and homes. The entire electric grid of the country was wiped out. On September 20, 1999, Australian troops led the International Force for East Timor in restoring peace to the islands. In 2002, East Timor became the first nation to establish independence in the 21st century. The infrastructure is in the process of being restored, and all but 30,000 or so refugees have returned. Current Timorese population estimates range from 800,000 to 1,000,000. Oil and gas resources are being developed, and a petroleum reserve fund has been created.