East Timor

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{{Infobox Country or territory|native_name = Repúblika Demokrátika Timór Lorosa'eRepública Democrática de Timor-Leste|conventional_long_name = Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste|common_name = East Timor|image_flag = Flag of East Timor.svg|image_coat = Timor-leste coa.svg|image_map = LocationEastTimor.svg|national_motto = "Unidade, Acção, Progresso"(Portuguese language)"Unity, Action, Progress"|national_anthem = Pátria] and Portuguese language|working_languages = Indonesian language, English languagesup>1|capital = Dili|leader_title1 = [President of East Timor|leader_title2 = Prime Minister of East Timor|leader_name1 = José Ramos Horta|area_rank = 158th|area_magnitude = 1 E10|area_km2 = 15,007|area_sq_mi = 5,743 -->|population_density_rank = 132nd|GDP_PPP = $1.68 billion|GDP_PPP_rank = 206|GDP_PPP_year = 2005|GDP_PPP_per_capita = $800|GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 188|sovereignty_type = Independence|sovereignty_note = from Portugal, [1975, [2002³|currency_code = USD|country_code =|time_zone =|utc_offset = +9|time_zone_DST =|utc_offset_DST =|cctld = [.tl4] and English language are recognised by the Constitution as "working languages".] invaded East Timor on December 7, 1975 and left in 1999.] also used.|footnote4 = .tp is being phased out.-->East Timor (officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste) is a country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro Island and Jaco (East Timor), and Oecussi-Ambeno, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor. The small country of 15,007 km² (5,376 mi²) is located about 640 km (400 mi) northwest of Darwin, Northern Territory.

East Timor was colonised by Portugal since the 16th century, and was known as Portuguese Timor until Portugal's decolonisation of the country. In late 1975 East Timor declared its independence but was promptly invaded and Military occupation by Indonesia, and declared that country's 27th province the following year. In 1999, following the United Nations-sponsored act of self-determination, Indonesia relinquished control of the territory and East Timor became the first new list of sovereign states of the twenty-first century and of the third millennium on May 20, 2002. Alongside the Philippines, East Timor is one of only two predominantly Roman Catholic countries in Asia.

At $800, the per capita Gross domestic product (Purchasing Power Parity adjusted) of East Timor is one of the lowest in the world. Its Human Development Index (HDI), however, corresponds to a medium degree of human development and places East Timor List of countries by Human Development Index among the world's nations.

Etymology The island is known as East Timor in English, Timor-Leste in Portugese, and Timór Lorosa'e in Tetum. "Timor" derives from timur, the word for "east" in Indonesian language and Malay language which became Timor in Portuguese language and hence English. Lorosa'e is also the word for "east" in Tetum (literally "rising sun").

The Portuguese name Timor-Leste (Pronunciation. ) (or Timor Leste, without a hyphen), and the unofficial Tetum name are sometimes used in English language . The United Nations officially calls the island Timor-Leste in English. United Nations Member States

History Early history Timor was originally populated as part of the human migrations that have shaped Australasia more generally. It is believed that descendants from at least three waves of migration still live in the country. The first were related to the principal indigenous groups of New Guinea and Australia, and arrived before 40,000 years ago. Around 3000 BC, a second migration brought Austronesians, who later continued eastward and colonized Island Oceania, and are possibly associated with the development of agriculture on Timor. Finally, proto-Proto Malays arrived from south China and north Indochina. The mountainous nature of the country meant that these groups could remain separate, and explains why there is so much Languages of East Timor today.

Timor was incorporated into Chinese and Indian trading networks of the fourteenth century as an exporter of aromatic sandalwood, slaverys, honey and wax. Early European explorers report that the island had a number of small chiefdoms or princedoms in the early sixteenth century. One of the most significant is the Wehale kingdom in central Timor, with its capital at Laran, West Timor, to which the Tetum, Bunaq and Kemak people ethnic groups were aligned.

Portuguese colonization The Portuguese people were the first Europeans to colonize South-East Asia when they arrived in the sixteenth century. They established outposts in Timor as well as in several of the surrounding islands. However, during the House of Habsburg's rule over Portugal (1580-1640), all the surrounding outposts were lost and eventually came under Netherlands control by the mid-seventeenth century. The area became a colony in 1702 with the arrival of the first governor from Lisbon. In the eighteenth century, the Netherlands gained a foothold on the Western half of the island, and formally received West Timor in 1859 through the Treaty of Lisbon (1859). The definitive border was established by the Hague Treaty of 1916, and it remains the international boundary between the successor states East Timor and Indonesia.

In late 1941, Portuguese Timor was briefly occupied by Dutch and Australian troops in an attempt to preempt a Empire of Japan invasion of the island. The Portuguese Governor protested the invasion, and the Dutch forces returned to the Dutch side of the island. When the Japanese landed and drove the small Australian force out of Dili, the mountainous interior became the scene of a Guerrilla warfare campaign, known as the Battle of Timor (1942–43), waged by Allied forces and Timorese volunteers against the Japanese. The struggle resulted in the deaths of between 40,000 and 70,000 Timorese. Following the end of the war, Portuguese control was reinstated.

The process of decolonisation in Portuguese Timor began in 1974, following the change of government in Portugal in the wake of the Carnation Revolution. Owing to political instability and more pressing concerns over the decolonisation of Angola and Mozambique, Portugal effectively abandoned East Timor and it unilaterally Unilateral declaration of independence on November 28, 1975. Nine days later, it was invaded and occupied by Indonesian forces before the declaration could be internationally recognised.

Indonesian occupation Indonesia alleged that the East Timorese FRETILIN party, which received some vocal support from the People's Republic of China, was communist. Fearing a Communist domino effect in Southeast Asia—and in the wake of its failed South Vietnam campaign—the United States, along with its ally Australia, supported the pro-Western world Indonesian government's actions.

An Indonesian invasion of East Timor was launched over the western border on 7 December, 1975. Two days before the invasion of Dili and subsequent annexation, U.S. President Gerald Ford and US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger met President Suharto in Jakarta where Ford made it clear that "We will understand and will not press you on the issue. We understand the problem and the intentions you have." Kissinger added: "It is important that whatever you do succeeds quickly the use of US-made arms could create problems."William Burr and Michael L. Evans (eds.), "East Timor Revisited", National Security Archive, December 6, 2001 U.S. arms sales to Indonesia continued well into the Clinton Administration, although the U.S. did eventually discontinue its support of Suharto's regime. As "Timor Timur", the territory was declared the twenty-seventh province of Indonesia in July 1976. Its nominal status in the UN remained that of a "non-self-governing territory under Portuguese administration."

The East Timorese guerrilla force, Falintil, fought a campaign against the Indonesian forces from 1975 to 1999, some members being trained in Portugal by Portuguese special forces.

Indonesian rule in East Timor was often marked by extreme violence and brutality, such as the Dili massacre and the Liquiçá Church Massacre. From 1975 until 1993, attacks on civilian populations were only nominally reported in the Western press. Death tolls reported during the occupation varied from 60,000 to 200,000. A detailed statistical report prepared for the Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation in East Timor cited a lower range of 102,800 conflict-related deaths in the period 1974-1999, namely, approximately 18,600 killings and 84,200 'excess' deaths from hunger and illness. Since each data source used under-reports actual deaths, this is considered a minimum. Amnesty International estimated deaths at 200,000.

Ben Kiernan has written in War, Genocide, and Resistance in East Timor, 1975–99: Comparative Reflections on Cambodia that "the crimes committed ... in East Timor, with a toll of 150,000 in a population of 650,000, clearly meet a range of sociological definitions of genocide used by most scholars of the phenomenon, who see both political and ethnic groups as possible victims of Genocides in history. The victims in East Timor included not only that substantial 'part' of the Timorese 'national group' targeted for destruction because of their resistance to Indonesian annexation—along with their relatives, as we shall see—but also most members of the twenty-thousand strong ethnic Overseas Chinese minority prominent in the towns of East Timor, whom Indonesian forces singled out for destruction, apparently because of their ethnicity 'as such.'"Ben Kiernam , Chapter 9 page 202Ben Kiernam footnotes "clearly meet a range of sociological definitions of genocide ..." with – Lou Kuper, Genocide (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1981), pages 174-175

Independence Following a UN-sponsored agreement between Indonesia, Portugal and the United States and a surprise decision by the Indonesian President B. J. Habibie, a UN-supervised popular referendum was held on August 30, 1999. The East Timorese voted for full independence from Indonesia, but violent clashes, instigated primarily by the Indonesian military (see Timor-Leste Scorched Earth) and aided by Timorese pro-Indonesia militias led by Eurico Guterres, broke out soon afterwards. A peacekeeping force (INTERFET, led by Australia) intervened to restore order.

Militias fled across the border into Indonesia, from which they attempted sporadic armed raids, particularly along the southern half of the main border held by the New Zealand Army. As these raids were repelled and international moral opinion forced Indonesia to withdraw tacit support, the militias dispersed. INTERFET was replaced by a UN force of International Police, the mission became known as UNTAET, and the UNTAET Crime Scene Detachment was formed to investigate alleged atrocities. The result of these actions caused Osama Bin Laden to place a fatwa on Australia and Australian interests.{{Cite news ] to Lisbon, Portugal agreed to recognise East Timor's independence on May 20 2002. On September 27, East Timor joined the United Nations.

2006 crisis Unrest started in the country in April 2006, following riots in Dili. A riot broke out during a rally in support of 591 East Timorese soldiers who had been dismissed for deserting their barracks; 500 people were killed and over 20,000 fled their homes. Fierce fighting between pro-government troops and disaffected Falintil troops broke out in May 2006. BBC News While unclear, the motives behind the fighting appeared to be the distribution of oil funds and the poor organization of the Timorese army and the Policia Nacional de Timor-Leste, including former Indonesian police and former Timorese rebels. Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri called the violence a "coup" and welcomed offers of foreign military assistance from several nations. The Sydney Morning Herald, RTE News By May 25 2006, Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, and Portugal sent troops to Timor, attempting to quell the violence. www.iol.co.za, RTE News

On June 22, 2006, President Xanana Gusmão delivered an ultimatum on a national television broadcast, saying that he would resign as President the following day if Prime Minister Alkatiri did not resign. Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri replied that he would only resign if Fretilin wanted him to do so. On 25 June, a meeting of Fretilin leaders confirmed Alkatiri's status as Prime Minister and in response, Foreign and Defence Minister José Ramos Horta resigned from office. The Age Pressure was mounting on Mari Alkatiri as 8 more ministers threatened to resign the next day, June 26. On the same day, Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri resigned, stating, "I declare I am ready to resign my position as prime minister of the government... so as to avoid the resignation of His Excellency the President of the Republic". Herald Sun José Ramos Horta was appointed as his successor on July 8, 2006. ABC News Online

In the build-up to the East Timorese presidential election, 2007 there were renewed outbreaks of violence in February and March 2007, particularly in the city of Same (East Timor). At this point people that had fled the 2006 violence in Dili were still displaced, living in camps around the country. José Ramos Horta was inaugurated as President of East Timor on May 20, 2007 following his election win in the second round. guardian.co.uk

United Nations history

UNAMET United Nations Mission in East Timor June—October 1999
UNTAET United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor October 1999—May 2002
UNMISET United Nations Mission of Support to East Timor May 2002—May 2005
UNOTIL United Nations Office in Timor Leste May 2005—August 2006
UNMIT United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste August 2006 - present

Government departments

Politics The Head of state of the East Timorese republic is the president, who is elected by popular vote for a five-year term. Although the role is largely symbolic, the president does have veto power over certain types of legislation. Following elections, the president appoints the leader of the majority party or majority coalition as the prime minister. As head of government, the prime minister presides over the Council of State or cabinet.

The unicameral Timorese parliament is the National Parliament of East Timor or Parlamento Nacional, whose members are elected by popular vote to a five-year term. The number of seats can vary from a minimum of fifty-two to a maximum of sixty-five, though it exceptionally has eighty-eight members at present, due to this being its first term of office. The East Timorese constitution was modelled on that of Portugal. The country is still in the process of building its administration and governmental institutions.

Districts, subdistricts, and sucos East Timor is divided into thirteen administrative districts:{{columns|col1 =1. Lautém2. Baucau (district)3. Viqueque (district)4. Manatuto (district)5. Dili (district)|col2 =6. Aileu (district)7. Manufahi8. Liquiçá (district)9. Ermera11. [Bobonaro12. Cova-Lima13. Oecussi-Ambeno-->

The districts are subdivided into 65 subdistricts, 443 sucos and 2,336 towns, villages and hamlets.

Geography The island of Timor is part of the Malay archipelago and the largest and easternmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. To the north of the mountainous island are the Ombai Strait and Wetar Strait, to the south the Timor Sea separates the island from Australia, while to the west lies the Provinces of Indonesia of East Nusa Tenggara. The highest point of East Timor is Mount Ramelau (also known as Mount Tatamailau) at 2,963 meters (9,721 ft).

The local climate is tropical and generally hot and humid, characterised by distinct rainy and dry seasons. The capital, largest city and main port is Dili, and the second-largest city is the eastern town of Baucau. Dili has the only functioning international airport, though there are airstrips in Baucau, Suai and Oecusse used for domestic flights. Dili's airport runway is unable to accommodate large aircraft.A Boeing 737 or C-130 Hercules is the largest aircraft that can be accommodated at Dili's airport.

Economy Prior to and during colonisation, Timor was best known for its sandalwood. In late 1999, about 70% of the economic infrastructure of East Timor was laid waste by Military of Indonesia and anti-independence militias, and 260,000 people fled westward. Over the next three years a massive international program led by the UN, manned by civilian advisers, 5,000 peacekeepers (8,000 at peak) and 1,300 police officers, led to substantial reconstruction in both urban and rural areas. By mid-2002, all but about 50,000 of the refugees had returned. This successful UN effort was headed by Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General Sérgio Vieira de Mello, later to become High Commissioner for Human Rights (and subsequently killed in Baghdad, August 2003).

The country faces great challenges in continuing to rebuild the infrastructure and strengthen the infant civil administration. One promising long-term project is the joint development with Australia of petroleum and natural gas resources in the waters southeast of Timor.

The Portuguese colonial administration granted a concession to Oceanic Exploration Corporation of Denver, Colorado to develop the petroleum deposits of the Timor Sea. Before the concession could begin to be developed, the Indonesian invasion made it impossible.

Timor Sea petroleum resources were divided between Indonesia and Australia by the Timor Gap Treaty in 1989, which established guidelines for joint exploitation of seabed resources in the area of the "gap" left by then-Portuguese Timor in the maritime boundary agreed between the two countries in 1972. Revenues from the "joint" area were to be divided 50%-50%. Woodside Petroleum and ConocoPhillips began development of some resources in the Timor Gap on behalf of the two governments in 1992.

OCEX currently has a $30 billion lawsuit against ConocoPhillips pending in US District Court in New York. This lawsuit is the company's sole significant asset; to fund the suit, it relies on the deep pockets of its majority owner, James Neal Blue, who also owns General Atomics (maker of the RQ-1 Predator drone aircraft).

East Timor inherited no permanent maritime boundaries when it attained independence, repudiating the Timor Gap Treaty as illegal. A provisional agreement (the Timor Sea Treaty, signed when East Timor became independent on 20 May 2002) defined a Joint Petroleum Development Area (JPDA), and awarded 90% of revenues from existing projects in that area to East Timor and 10% to Australia. The first significant new development in the JPDA since Timorese independence is the largest petroleum resource in the Timor Sea, the Greater Sunrise gas field. Its exploitation was the subject of separate agreements in 2003 and 2005. Only 20% of the field lies within the JPDA and the rest in waters not subject to the treaty (though claimed by both countries). The initial, temporary agreement gave 82% of revenues to Australia and only 18% to East Timor.

The Government of East Timor has sought to negotiate a definite boundary with Australia at the halfway line between the countries, in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The Government of Australia preferred to establish the boundary at the end of the wide Australian continental shelf, as agreed with Indonesia in 1972 and 1991. Normally a dispute such as this could be referred to the International Court of Justice or the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea for an impartial decision, but the Australian government had withdrawn itself from these international jurisdictions (solely on matters relating to maritime boundaries) shortly before Timorese independence. Nevertheless, under public and diplomatic pressure, the Australian government offered instead a last-minute concession on Greater Sunrise gas field royalties alone. On July 7, 2005, an agreement was signed under which both countries would set aside the dispute over the maritime boundary, and East Timor would receive 50% of the revenues (estimated at Australian Dollar26 billion or about United States Dollar20 billion over the lifetime of the project ) from the Greater Sunrise development. Other developments within waters claimed by East Timor but outside the JPDA (Laminaria-Corallina and Buffalo) continue to be exploited unilaterally by Australia, however.

East Timor also has a large and potentially lucrative coffee industry, which sells organic coffee to numerous Fair Trade retailers and on the open market.

Currently three foreign banks have a branch in Dili: Australia's Australia and New Zealand Banking Group, Portugal's Banco Nacional Ultramarino, and Indonesia's Bank Mandiri.

Demographics The population of East Timor is about one million. It has grown considerably recently, because of a high birth rate, but also because of the return of refugees. The population is especially concentrated in the area around Dili.

The Timorese are called Maubere collectively by some of their political organizations, an originally derogatory name turned into a name of pride by Fretilin. They consist of a number of distinct ethnic groups, most of whom are of mixed Austronesian and Melanesian/Papuan descent. The largest Malayo-Polynesian ethnic groups are the Tetun (or Tetum) (100,000), primarily in the north coast and around Dili; the Mambae (80,000), in the central mountains; the Tukudede (63,170), in the area around Maubara and Liquiçá; the Galoli (50,000), between the tribes of Mambae and Makasae; the Kemak (50,000) in north-central Timor island; and the Baikeno (20,000), in the area around Pante Macassar. The main tribes of predominantly Papuan origin include the Bunak (50,000), in the central interior of Timor island; the Fataluku (30,000), at the eastern tip of the island near Lospalos; and the Makasae, toward the eastern end of the island. In addition, like other former Portuguese colonies where interracial marriage was common, there is a smaller population of people of mixed Timorese and Portuguese origin, known in Portuguese as mestiços. The East Timorese mestiços best-known internationally are Xanana Gusmão, the resistance fighter and national hero, and now Prime Minister of East Timor; and José Ramos Horta, the spokesman for the resistance movement in exile, and now President of East Timor. Mário Viegas Carrascalão, Indonesia's appointed governor between 1987 and 1992, is also a mestiço. East Timor has also tiny overseas Chinese and Portuguese minorities (most of them left the area after the Indonesian invasion).

Religion Upon independence, East Timor became one of only three predominantly Roman Catholic Christianity countries in Asia (along with the Philippines and Papua New Guinea). The population predominantly identifies as Roman Catholic (90%), though local animism traditions have a persistent and strong influence on the culture. Religious minorities include Muslims (5%) (including former Prime Minister of East Timor Mari Alkatiri) and Protestants (3%). Smaller Hinduism (0.3%), Buddhism (0.1%) and traditional animist minorities make up the remainder. Church membership grew considerably under Indonesian rule, as Indonesia's state ideology Pancasila Indonesia does not recognize traditional beliefs and requires all citizens to believe in God. Although the struggle was not about religion, as a deep-rooted local institution the Church not only symbolized East Timor's distinction from predominantly Muslim Indonesia, but also played a significant role in the resistance movement, as personified by Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo, the 1996 Nobel Peace Prize laureate.See also Liquiçá Church Massacre. The constitution acknowledges the Church's role among the East Timorese people although it also stipulates a secular state that guarantees freedom of religion to everyone.

Languages East Timor's two official languages are Portuguese language and Tetum, a local Austronesian languages. The predominant form of Tetum, known as Tetun-Dili, grew out of the dialect favored by the colonizers at Dili, and thus has considerable Portuguese influence, but other dialects of Tetum are also widely used in the country, including Tetun-Terik which is spoken along the southwestern coast. Indonesian and English are defined as working languages under the Constitution in the Final and Transitional Provisions, without setting a final date. Although the country has about 1 million inhabitants (August 2005; estimate made by UNDP census consultant in Dili), another fifteen indigenous languages are spoken: Bekais, Bunak, Dawan, Fataluku, Galoli, Habun, Idalaka, Kawaimina, Kemak, Lovaia, Makalero, Makasai, Mambai, Tokodede and Wetarese.

Under Indonesian rule, the use of Portuguese was banned, but it was used by the clandestine resistance, especially in communicating with the outside world. The language, along with Tetum, gained importance as a symbol of resistance and freedom and was adopted as one of the two official languages for this reason, and as a link to nations in other parts of the world. It is now being taught and promoted widely with the help of Brazil, Portugal and the Latin Union, although its prominence in official and public spheres has been met with some hostility from younger Indonesian-educated Timorese.

According to the 2006 UN Development Report (using data from official census), under 5% of the Timorese population is proficient in Portuguese. However, the validity of this report has been questioned by members of the Timorese National Institute of Linguistics, Dr. Geoffrey Hull's reply to the article "The article by Alfred Deakin and the reply from Geoffrey Hull deserve comment", by Sean Foley which maintains that Portuguese is spoken by up to 25% of Timorese, with the number of speakers more than doubling in the last five years. Along with other local languages, Tetum remains the most common means of communication between ordinary Timorese, while Indonesian is still widely used in the media and school from high school to university. A large proportion of words in Tetum are derived from Portuguese, but it also shares many Malay-derived words with Indonesian. Many Indonesian words are still in common use in Tetum and other Timorese languages, particularly numbers.

East Timor is a member of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP), also known as the Lusophone Commonwealth, and a member of the Latin Union. It is the only independent state in Asia with Portuguese language as an official language, although this is also one of the official languages of People's Republic of China Special Administrative Region of Macau.

Culture The culture of East Timor reflects numerous influences, including Portuguese, Roman Catholic, and Malay, on the indigenous Austronesian people and Melanesian cultures of Timor. Legend has it that a giant crocodile was transformed into the island of Timor, or Crocodile Island, as it is often called. East Timorese culture is heavily influenced by Austronesian legends, although the Catholic influence is also strong.

Illiteracy is still widespread, but there is a strong tradition of poetry. President Xanana Gusmão, for example, is a distinguished poet. As for architecture, some Portuguese-style buildings can be found, along with the traditional totem houses of the eastern region. These are known as uma lulik (sacred houses) in Tetum, and lee teinu (houses with legs) in Fataluku. Craftsmanship is also widespread, as is the weaving of traditional scarves or tais.

Sports International sports associations East Timor has joined many international sport associations, including the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The IOC board has granted full recognition to the East Timorese Olympic Games Committee (COTL). The IOC had allowed a mainly symbolic four-member team to take part in the 2000 Sydney Games under the Olympic flag as "Independent Olympic Athletes." The Federação de Timor-Leste de Atletismo has joined the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). The Federação de Badminton de Timor-Leste joined the International Badminton Federation (IBF) in April 2003. The East Timor Cycling Federation has joined the Union Cycliste Internationale. The Confederação do Desporto de Timor Leste has joined the International Weightlifting Federation. East Timor is also a full member of the International Table-Tennis Federation (ITTF). In September 2005, East Timor national football team joined FIFA.

Participation in international events East Timor has taken part in several sporting events. Although the athletes came back with no medals, East Timorese athletes had the opportunity to compete with other Southeast Asian athletes in the 2003 Southeast Asian Games held in Vietnam in 2003. Most of their equipment was lent by the other nations competing. In the 2003 ASEAN Paralympics Games, also held in Vietnam, East Timor won a bronze medal. In the 2004 Summer Olympics, six athletes participated in three sports: athletics, weightlifting and boxing).

On East Timor's performance in the 2003 Southeast Asian Games in 2003, karate coach (sport) Austo Aparício remarked, "This was an opportunity for our athletes to gain experience. East Timor is still young, so it has lots of financial problems." He also commented on his team's karate performance, "We are fairly good at karate and we can make sure that we win a medal in the Philippines in 2005." East Timor went on to Timor Leste at the 2005 Southeast Asian Games in Arnis at the 2005 Southeast Asian Games.

East Timor was also one of the competing nations in the 2006 Lusophony Games Lusophony Games, winning a bronze medal in the women's volleyball competition (finishing third out of three teams), despite the fact the team had lost all its three games.

Public holidays East Timor now has public holidays that commemorate historic events in the liberation struggle, as well as those associated with Catholicism. They are defined in .

{] || New Year's Day ] || | March-April || Good Friday ] || Labour Day ] || Independence Restoration Day || Anniversary of transfer of sovereignty from the United Nations transitional government, 2002 ] || | August 30 ] || All Saints || | November 2 ] || | November 12 ], 1991 | November 28 ] || | December 7 ] || Immaculate Conception ] || Christmas Day ]| March-April || Maundy Thursday| May-June || Ascension| June 1 ] || Day of the Armed Forces for the National Liberation of Timor-Leste (FALINTIL)| November 3 ] || Human Rights Day|}

See also {{columns |width=220px|col1 =

Communications in East Timor
Foreign relations of East Timor
Great Timor
Indonesia
Military of East Timor

|col2 =

Associação dos Escuteiros de Timor Lorosae
Sports in East Timor
Timor
Transport in East Timor
West Timor

-->

Lists

References External links Government

Timor-Leste.gov Official government site
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Timor-Leste
Permanent Mission of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste to the United Nations in Geneva
East Timor National Election Commission website

Other

Better World Links on East Timor
Freedom House report on East Timor: examining government accountability, civil liberties, rule of law, and anticorruption efforts
East Timor Tourism
East Timor and Indonesia on the World-Wide Web (ETAN) link directory
CIA World Factbook on East Timor
East Timor Institute for Reconstruction Monitoring and Analysis (La'o Hamutuk)
Timeline of Timor Sea boundary negotiations (Radio Australia)
"Death of a Nation - The Timor Conspiracy" documentary produced by John Pilger in 1994.
"Minding the Timor Gap" article on East Timor natural resources in Dollars & Sense
A document exploring the fundamental elements that constitute Timorese national identity
"Dispelling the Myths of Timor"
Images of Timor Lorosae / Timor-Leste
Violence and martial arts in East Timor
East Timor article by Noam Chomsky
East Timor Retrospective by Noam Chomsky
East Timor Questions & Answers

{{Template group|title = Geographic locale|list = -->{{Template group|title = International membership and history|list =-->

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