East Timor was granted independence in 2002

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The flags of East Timor and the United Nations on Independence Day 2014

On May 20, 2002 , East Timor was released into independence after three years of interim administration by the United Nations for East Timor (UNTAET). From East Timor's point of view , this was the restoration of national independence after independence from Portugal was proclaimed on November 28, 1975 and the Indonesian occupation nine days later. May 20th is a national holiday in East Timor as Independence Day or “Independence Restoration Day” .

background

After 24 years of occupation and guerrilla warfare against the Indonesians , in a referendum on August 30, 1999, under the supervision of the United Nations , the population clearly spoke out in favor of independence. After the last wave of violence by the Indonesians, which almost completely destroyed the country's infrastructure and made a quarter of the population refugees, the International Armed Forces East Timor (INTERFET) intervened under Australian leadership on September 20. On February 28, 2000, INTERFET handed over responsibility to UNTAET. The United Nations built state structures, held elections to the constituent assembly and held the first presidential elections in East Timor in 2002 .

The day before

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan (2002)

Shortly before the appointment, there was diplomatic resentment. Six Indonesian warships appeared in East Timorese territorial waters on Friday, May 17. The official justification for this was the necessary protection for President Megawati Sukarnoputri , although thousands of UN soldiers in East Timor guaranteed protection for the Indonesian head of state. The East Timorese interim government permitted the Indonesian landing ship Teluk Sampit to enter the port of Dili under certain conditions , but it had 120 instead of 15 armed soldiers on board. The ship therefore left the port again and anchored a few hundred meters from the coast.

On Sunday May 19, Dilis Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo celebrated a mass in his residence at 7 a.m. to which all members of the future government and the national parliament were invited. Bishop Belo blessed the flag of East Timor , which was to be raised at midnight.

Delegations from all over the world arrived in East Timor during the day. For example, from Angola with Foreign Minister João Bernardo de Miranda , from Australia with Prime Minister John Howard , from the United States with former President Bill Clinton , from Brazil with Foreign Minister Celso Lafer , from Portugal with Prime Minister José Manuel Barroso and President Jorge Sampaio and from New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark . UN Secretary General Kofi Annan landed in the capital Dili that afternoon . A total of 300 guests of honor from 90 countries took part in the independence ceremony.

At 1 p.m., East Timorese demonstrated against Australia in front of the old city market . The reason was the dispute over the demarcation in the Timor Gap . Later the “Expo Esperança” (“Exhibition of Hope”) opened there, with Prime Minister John Howard and East Timorese Chief Minister and Prime Minister- designate Marí Bin Amude Alkatiri . At 5:45 p.m., Kofi Annan opened the Parque de Paz (Peace Park) in Lecidere .

The ceremony

The Avenida 20 de Maio in Dili reminiscent of Independence Day
Independence Day celebrations in Maubisse (2018)

At 6 p.m., a mass was held in the Tasitolu area of ​​the celebration and lasted until 8:30 p.m. The official ceremony for the release of independence began at 9:30 p.m. Among the spectators were many East Timorese in traditional costume with headdresses, swords ( surik ) and colorful Tais fabrics. There were folklore performances and traditional ceremonies. The 13 districts and the island of Atauro were presented as well as the creation legend of the good crocodile from which the island of Timor is said to have originated. The memory of the martyrs of the war against the Indonesian occupation began with the poem "Um minuto do silêncio" by the national poet Francisco Borja da Costa . Hundreds of candles were carried to the fairground and a traditional funeral song was played. The pictures shown in the television broadcast included photos of well-known fallen Timorese fighters as well as photos of the Balibo Five and the memorial for the massacre in Aileu in 1942 . The entry of the former FALINTIL fighters followed. At around 11:20 p.m., the East Timorese Nobel Peace Prize Laureate José Ramos-Horta welcomed those present and the future President of East Timorese Xanana Gusmão and his Indonesian counterpart Megawati, who were demonstratively arriving together . Other folkloric performances followed.

At 11:40 p.m. the formal ceremony of the transfer of power from the United Nations to the new East Timorese government began with a speech by Han Seung-soo , President of the United Nations General Assembly . This was followed by a speech by UN Secretary General Annan, which he completed with the words “Parabens, Boa Sorte, e obrigado barak! Viva Timor Leste! ”(“ All the best, good luck and thank you! Long live East Timor! ”) Ended exactly at midnight. Gusmão then joined Annan at the lectern and Annan explained:

"As Secretary General of the United Nations, I am honored to transfer the executive power of the United Nations Interim Administration (UNTAET) to the institutions of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste."

Annan hugged Gusmão and the East Timorese Parliament President Francisco Guterres . The United Nations flag was lowered by UN blue helmet soldiers and the American soprano and UN Goodwill Ambassador Barbara Hendricks sang “ Oh, Freedom ”, an Afro-American song from the time after the American Civil War , and the gospel “ We Shall Overcome” ". She was the only non-Timorese artist and came at the invitation of UN administrators Sérgio Vieira de Mello and José Ramos-Horta.

Flag of East Timor

Former FALINTIL fighters carried the East Timor flag into the center of the fairground. One of the guerrillas kissed the flag and handed it to the seven soldiers of the New East Timorese Defense Forces (F-FDTL). President Guterres then declared the country's independence:

"Declaro a restauração da República Democrática de Timor-Leste como país independente e soberano com a legitimidade conferida pelo seu povo eo reconhecimento internacional a partir de 20 de May de 2002."

"I declare the restoration of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste as an independent and sovereign country with popular legitimacy and international recognition from May 20, 2002."

While playing the national anthem Pátria , the flag of East Timor was set at 12:24 a.m. This was followed by the swearing in of Xanana Gusmão as President of East Timor by Guterres.

“Juro, por Deus, pelo Povo e por minha honra, cumprir com lealdade as funções em que sou investido, cumprir e fazer cumprir a Constituição e as leis e dedicar todas as minhas energias e capacidades à defesa e consolidação da independência e da unidade nacion . "

“I swear by God, by the people and by my honor, to loyally fulfill the functions in which I am appointed, to fulfill and enforce the Constitution and the laws, and all my powers and abilities to defend and consolidate national independence and unity to dedicate."

Guterres hung a tais in the national colors around Gusmão's neck. After Gusmão's speech on the future of the country in English and Tetum , the national anthem was heard again, a large national flag was set and fireworks were shot. A concert with Timorese artists followed. At 3 o'clock the event in Tasitolu ended. A total of 120,000 people celebrated in the suburb of Dili.

Start of political work

Flag traders on the streets of Dilis on the national holiday 2018

The government swearing-in ceremony was held at 9:15 am on the morning of May 20. The opening session of the National Parliament, the previous constituent assembly, followed at 10:30 am. An hour later the heads of government of East Timor and Australia signed the Timor Sea Treaty to settle the border disputes in the Timor Sea . But there were still some points left open.

At 2:30 p.m., East Timor was admitted to the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP) at a special meeting . The People's Republic of China was the first country to officially establish diplomatic relations with East Timor, with Cuba immediately following. A comprehensive cooperation agreement has been signed with Portugal. The embassy in Lisbon was the first East Timorese mission abroad. The accession to the United Nations as 191st member took place on September 27th.

Videos

Individual evidence

  1. ^ The Guardian: East Timor celebrates becoming a nation , May 20, 2002 ; accessed May 20, 2020.
  2. ↑ a b c The Age: East Timor celebrates as a nation is born , May 20, 2002 , accessed May 20, 2020.
  3. ↑ The Straits Times: TNI's Timor Show of Might A Miscalculation , May 19, 2002 , accessed May 20, 2020.
  4. ↑ a b c d e f g h i António Sampaio, Lusa: Timor-Leste / Independência: Os dois dias de maior intensidade - calendário , accessed on May 20, 2020.
  5. ↑ a b c d e António Sampaio, Lusa: Cores da bandeira de Timor Leste representam fases da história do país , UOL, May 19, 2002 (Brazilian local time) , accessed on May 20, 2020.
  6. ↑ a b UNMISET: East Timor - UNMISET - Background , accessed on May 20, 2020.
  7. ↑ Birdlife IBA Factsheet - Tasitolu Peace Park
  8. ↑ a b c according to the live broadcast of the RTP independence ceremony.
  9. ↑ United Nations: 'THE UNITED NATIONS WILL STAY… YOUR FRIENDS WILL CONTINUE TO HELP', SAYS SECRETARY-GENERAL IN SALUTE TO INDEPENDENT EAST TIMOR , May 20, 2002 , accessed on May 20, 2020.
  10. ↑ UNHCR: A song of freedom for East Timor , May 22, 2002 , accessed May 20, 2020.
  11. ↑ BBC Brasil: Multidão festja a independência do Timor Leste , May 19, 2002 , accessed on May 20, 2020.
  12. ^ Timor Sea Treaty between the Government of East Timor and the Government of Australia . In: Australasian Legal Information Institute - Australian Treaty Series . 2003. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  13. ↑ Loro Horta : Timor-Leste - The Dragon's Newest Friend , 2009 (PDF file; 100 kB)
  14. ↑ Loro Horta : The Caiman and the Crocodile; Timor Leste and Cuba , Prensa Latina, May 18, 2017 , accessed May 18, 2017.
  15. ↑ PDF download of the agreement (port.), Documentation and legal archive of the Portuguese Public Prosecutor's Office, accessed on March 27, 2017.
  16. ↑ Publico: Primeira embaixada de Timor-Leste abre hoje em Lisboa , July 5, 2002 , accessed on April 23, 2016.