Timor Leste
The Portuguese began to trade with the island of Timor in the early
16th century and colonized it in mid-century. Skirmishing with the
Dutch in the region eventually resulted in an 1859 treaty in which
Portugal ceded the western portion of the island. Imperial Japan
occupied Portuguese Timor from 1942 to 1945, but Portugal resumed
colonial authority after the Japanese defeat in World War II. East
Timor declared itself independent from Portugal on 28 November 1975
and was invaded and occupied by Indonesian forces nine days later.
It was incorporated into Indonesia in July 1976 as the province
of Timor Timur (East Timor). An unsuccessful campaign of pacification
followed over the next two decades, during which an estimated 100,000
to 250,000 individuals lost their lives. On 30 August 1999, in a
UN-supervised popular referendum, an overwhelming majority of the
people of Timor-Leste voted for independence from Indonesia. Between
the referendum and the arrival of a multinational peacekeeping force
in late September 1999, anti-independence Timorese militias - organized
and supported by the Indonesian military - commenced a large-scale,
scorched-earth campaign of retribution. The militias killed approximately
1,400 Timorese and forcibly pushed 300,000 people into western Timor
as refugees. Most of the country's infrastructure, including homes,
irrigation systems, water supply systems, and schools, and nearly
100% of the country's electrical grid were destroyed. On 20 September
1999, the Australian-led peacekeeping troops of the International
Force for East Timor (INTERFET) deployed to the country and brought
the violence to an end. On 20 May 2002, Timor-Leste was internationally
recognized as an independent state. In 2006, internal tensions threatened
the new nation's security when a military strike led to violence
and a breakdown of law and order. At Dili's request, an Australian-led
International Stabilization Force (ISF) deployed to Timor-Leste,
and the UN Security Council established the UN Integrated Mission
in Timor-Leste (UNMIT), which included an authorized police presence
of over 1,600 personnel. The ISF and UNMIT restored stability, allowing
for presidential and parliamentary elections in 2007 in a largely
peaceful atmosphere. In February 2008, a rebel group staged an unsuccessful
attack against the president and prime minister. The ringleader
was killed in the attack and most of the rebels surrendered in April
2008. Since the unsuccessful attacks the government has enjoyed
one of its longest periods of post-independence stability.
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