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Marie Claire, May 2004 From the series “So we went to war, was it worth it?” East Timor After more than 450 years as a Portuguese colony East Timor was granted independence in 1975. Nine days later Indonesia invaded. What followed was 24 years of brutal Indonesian rule. Anyone suspected of sympathising with pro-independence fighters was would be tortured or killed, their body dumped into the sea. An estimated 200,000 people were killed during the Indonesian occupation. Then in 1999 Indonesia agreed to allow the East Timorese to vote. Seventy-eight percent of the voters chose independence, but the excitement was short-lived. Two days after the election anti-independence militia, assisted by the Indonesian military, resumed a campaign of terror that left more than 1000 people dead and forced a quarter of the population to flee to West Timor. After three weeks of violence, international peacekeepers led by Australia arrived. What’s the situation like now? It’s a muggy December afternoon, and two dozen East Timorese police officers with three four wheel-drives are manning a single road block into Dili. Two officers briefly glance into a passing vehicle, then wave it on as the other 20-odd officers stand around chatting. This is, after all, only a one-lane highway. A day earlier, a gang fight broke out in the central market—22 people were injured and 4 died—and this is part of the response. The incident drew attention to something people across the tiny country have been increasingly concerned about: security. The last major bouts of violence in Dili occurred a year before, and the UN has been gradually withdrawing its forces for months, hoping to be gone completely by the time the nation celebrates its second birthday on May 20. But now that’s not looking so likely. Three days after the killings at the market, and the obviously confused police response that followed, East Timor’s government spoke up to say it hoped the UN would keep some sort of presence, and not long afterward UN secretary general Kofi Annan said he agreed. Of the 5700 Australian troops stationed in East Timor at the height of Australian involvement, 500 remain. The country has come along way since the violence that ravaged it in 1999: Much of Dili has been rebuilt, and though battle scarred buildings remain, new hotels, restaurants and even scuba diving centres have opened up beside them. The hospital has been refurbished, and several doctors have come from overseas to lend a hand. There are programs in place to combat tuberculosis and to vaccinate children. Around the country 2780 new classrooms have been built and school enrolment has risen dramatically. But the fight in the market was a small reminder: East Timor still has a long way to go. Many citizens are eager to work, but few have qualifications, training or skills. About 50 percent of young people are unemployed, and 60 percent of adults are illiterate. Malnutrition is common—almost 43 percent of children under 5 are moderately or severely underweight. * * * Mary Hornay, 38, Lives in Dili Although she often finds it financially difficult to care for her four young children, Mary remains hopeful about the future. She recently started to help with the housekeeping at her brother-in-law’s guest house in Dili. ‘The TNI (Indonesian soldiers) were terrible. One day when we were in Viqueque it was early in the morning and we were still in bed. The TNI came knocking on our door. It took us a minute to get up and they were angry when we got there. Where is your ID? They had their weapons out and they were shouting. I was so afraid I could not remember where my wallet was and they followed me around the house with their guns pointed at me the whole time I looked for it. Why can’t you find it? What are you hiding from us? ‘ ‘I told them I wasn’t hiding anything and that it was 4 a.m and I was half asleep. I didn’t understand why they were there or what was happening. They were just there to scare us I guess. When I finally found my identification I showed them the card and then they went., but I was still terrified.’ ‘When the Indonesians were here we were not allowed to travel, we could not talk to foreigners. We couldn’t even go out at night. Every night I just stayed home and opened the dictionary and taught myself English—that’s how I learned English, on my own. I wanted independence more than anything. I needed it. When violence erupted after the election we fled to Kupang in West Timor. When we returned a month later our house had been torched so we stayed with my husband’s family. Shortly after, he accepted a teaching job in Viqueque while I stayed in Dili to finish my nursing degree. ‘I completed a yearlong contract with the UN’s Serious Crimes Unit but for the past year I’ve been unable to find work.’ ‘There are still difficulties. The electricity is turned off every night. I don’t understand it. We pay the bills, and yet every night they turn it off. Unemployment is also very high… but even with these problems things are better. I am happier.’ ‘Now we are free. We are free to come and go as we please, to travel to different towns without fear of being stopped. My children have opportunities.’ ‘East Timor is a young nation but in 10 years time, we will be alright. We just need a little more time.’ Facts:
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