East Timor
East Timor, or otherwise known as Timor-Leste is a sovereign state in South East Asia right next to Indonesia. The country was previously known to be a colony of Portugal. But centuries before the Europeans walked up its shores, East Timor was occupied by waves of migrants such as Chinese, Arab and Gujerati with its local inhabitants. The location was known for its prized valuable, the sandalwood. By 1566, the Portuguese had settled on a nearby island to enhance the sandalwood trade, soon followed by the Dutch who gained control of what we now know as Indonesia. For over 2 decades, the Indonesian government subjected the indigenous population to routine tortures, massacres and deliberate deprivation of all resources.
In 1702, the Portuguese established a colonial administration in Timor and for the next few hundred years, fought over the control with the Dutch. By 1913, the two sides agreed to sign a peace agreement with Portugal taking the east and Dutch taking the west part of the …show more content…
In 1981, “Operation Final Cleansing” was initiated to round up men between 8 to 50 across the island and were chained together. This operation was used to flush out the opposition and groups of men were forced to be captured and eventually killed. “An eye-witness who had been a member of the human chain reported: it was a ghastly sight. There were a great many bodies, men, women, little children strewn everywhere, unburied, along the river banks, on the mountain slopes.” Other operations were also conducted in the months to come with similar affects. This type of continuous treatment certainly sprouted a general sense of rage with the indigenous culture. Over the next decade and a half, the number of violent campaigns decreased. Fueled by the same desire to gain their self-identity with the aid of strong oppositions, East Timor finally gained their independence in May of
East Timor, or otherwise known as Timor-Leste is a sovereign state in South East Asia right next to Indonesia. The country was previously known to be a colony of Portugal. But centuries before the Europeans walked up its shores, East Timor was occupied by waves of migrants such as Chinese, Arab and Gujerati with its local inhabitants. The location was known for its prized valuable, the sandalwood. By 1566, the Portuguese had settled on a nearby island to enhance the sandalwood trade, soon followed by the Dutch who gained control of what we now know as Indonesia. For over 2 decades, the Indonesian government subjected the indigenous population to routine tortures, massacres and deliberate deprivation of all resources.
In 1702, the Portuguese established a colonial administration in Timor and for the next few hundred years, fought over the control with the Dutch. By 1913, the two sides agreed to sign a peace agreement with Portugal taking the east and Dutch taking the west part of the …show more content…
In 1981, “Operation Final Cleansing” was initiated to round up men between 8 to 50 across the island and were chained together. This operation was used to flush out the opposition and groups of men were forced to be captured and eventually killed. “An eye-witness who had been a member of the human chain reported: it was a ghastly sight. There were a great many bodies, men, women, little children strewn everywhere, unburied, along the river banks, on the mountain slopes.” Other operations were also conducted in the months to come with similar affects. This type of continuous treatment certainly sprouted a general sense of rage with the indigenous culture. Over the next decade and a half, the number of violent campaigns decreased. Fueled by the same desire to gain their self-identity with the aid of strong oppositions, East Timor finally gained their independence in May of