East Timor Favorite Tips by bkoon Top 5 Page for this destination

Under the TREE

Favorite thing: Funnily enough, when we first reached Atauro, we were greeted by the huge huge tree and that was the place where locals gather to buy / sell stuffs. All the activities were under the big tree. At this marketplace, you will see dried salted fishes, clothes, fresh fruits, vegetables, etc. The buzz is only there during days when there are ferries docking.

Timor-Leste's History

Favorite thing: ... continued from above ...

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1996 - Bishop Carlos Felipe Ximenes Belo and Jose Ramos-Horta, 2 leading East Timorese activists for peace and independence, received the Nobel Peace Prize and this gained some limelight in the world arena.

1998 - Suharto was forced to resign and Habibie took over the Presidency of Indonesia. Economy outlook of Indonesia was extremely bleak and Habibie did not want to invest much in East Timor. Hence, East Timor was offered "independence" within the Indonesian states.

1999 - With much international pressure, the Indonesian government decided to hold a referendum with the assistance from the UN. United Nations Assistance Mission for Timor-Leste, UNAMET was formed for this purpose.

September 1999 - 78% of East Timorese voted for independence instead of being just an autonomous province within Indonesia. Unfortunately, immediately after this, the Indonesian troops attacked and killed 2000 and much of the country's infrastructure was destroyed.

UN Assistance - Indonesia at that time was "threatened" by the US to stop the brutality and it was then a UN multinational force led by Australia landed in East Timor. Hence, administration of East Timor was thus looked after by the United Nations Transitional Administration for East Timor (UNTAET) for the transition period towards independence.

30 Aug 2001 - East Timor's first elections. A new Constitution was drafted after that by the new general assembly.

20 May 2002 - East Timor became formerly independent, the president being Xanana Gusmão. The new flag was raised and the National anthem was sung.

27Sep 2002 - East Timor became a member of the UN.

Understanding Timor-Leste's History

Favorite thing: It is always good to understand the history of East Timor. So, here goes.

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16th Century - Under the Portuguese rule while the rest of the land was under the Dutch. Known as Portuguese Timor then.

WWII - When the Japanese troops invaded, Portuguese Timor was "taken over" by the Australians and the Dutch. After the war when the Japanese were defeated, it was "given back" to the Portuguese.

1974 - The fall of the Portuguese Fascist Regime and Portugal became a Democratic country. A new governor was appointed. Due to the emphasis on democracy, Portuguese Timor was given a "chance" to fight for independence. Political parties were formed.

11 Aug 1975 - A coup was mounted by 1 of the political parties, Timorese Democratic Union (União Democrática Timorense - UDT) attempting to take over East Timor from the Portuguese and also to prevent Fretilin (Frente Revolucionaria de Timor Leste Independente - Revolutionary Front of Independent East Timor) from gaining power. Situation between the 2 parties turned bad resulting in 2000 deaths.

28 Nov 1975 - Fretilin declared East Timor as independent but recognised by few countries only.

10 Days Later on 7 Dec 1975 - Indonesian troops invaded and took over East Timor. By mid-Feb in 1976, 60,000 were killed as they fought against Indonesian control.

Indonesian Time - The Indonesian government invested much to boost the economy of Timor-Leste (unlike the Portuguese). The economy improved. However, the East Timorese were still very keen to gain independence and hence, they fought on.

12 Nov 1991 - One of the bloodiest massacre happened. More than 200 people were killed at the Santa Cruz Cemetery. The killing was a result of a demonstration against the Indonesian Government who killed one of the young students who protested against them. The Santa Cruz Massacre was thus a turning point for the East Timorese whereby they gained sympathy from other countries.

VISA Application

Favorite thing: You will most probably need a visa to get into the country. The visa can be purchased when you arrive at the airport.

Fee : USD$30

Currency Used in Timor Leste

Favorite thing: In Timor Leste, the currency used is the USD. That makes everything very expensive, even for travellers. The East Timorese cannot afford to buy things as the USD is so expensive and hence living standard becomes very unbalanced. Well, this is a political choice and I guess after a while when the country settles down, they will use their own currency.