Timor

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Timor

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition | 2008 | The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright 2008 Columbia University Press. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

Timor [Malay,=east], island (1990 est. pop. 3,900,000), c.13,200 sq mi/34,200 sq km, largest and easternmost of the Lesser Sundas, in the Malay Archipelago. Timor is divided politically between Indonesia and East Timor (Timor-Leste). The island is long, narrow, and almost wholly mountainous. Rice, coconuts, and coffee are grown, and stretches of grassland support cattle. There are oil and gas fields off East Timor's southern coast. The inhabitants are of predominantly Malay and Papuan descent.

The Portuguese were the first Europeans to establish themselves in Timor; their claim to the island was disputed by the Dutch, who arrived in 1613. By a treaty of 1859, modified in 1893 and finally made effective in 1914, the border between the Dutch and Portuguese territories was settled. In World War II, Timor was occupied (early 1942) by the Japanese. With the creation of the Republic of Indonesia in 1950, Dutch Timor became Indonesian territory and is now part of Nusa Tenggara Timur province.

In 1975, Portuguese Timor declared itself independent as East Timor . Indonesia invaded, however, and annexed the region. Sporadic guerrilla warfare continued into 1999, when Indonesia agreed to permit a referendum in which voters chose independence. Pro-Indonesian militias and the army subsequently engaged in a campaign of terror and brutality, but under international pressure Indonesia asked for UN peacekeepers, and, following a period of transitional UN administration, East Timor became independent in 2002.

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Timor

A Dictionary of World History | 2000 | © A Dictionary of World History 2000, originally published by Oxford University Press 2000. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

Timor The largest of the Lesser Sunda Islands in the southern Malay Archipelago. The island was formerly divided into Dutch West Timor and Portuguese East Timor. In 1950 West Timor was absorbed into the newly formed Republic of Indonesia, becoming part of the province of Nusa Tenggara Timur. In 1975 East Timor briefly declared itself independent from Portugal but was invaded and occupied by Indonesia. In 1976, against the wishes of the inhabitants, Indonesia formally annexed East Timor and administered it as the province of Timur Timur or Loro Sae. The independence movement was violently suppressed. A referendum, supervised by the UN, in 1999 overwhelmingly supported independence from Indonesia. However, a pro-Indonesian militia murdered many of those who voted for independence and devastated the capital, Dili. Thousands of people fled or went into hiding and a UN peacekeeping force was sent in.

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Free newspaper and magazine articles

Free Article Timor oil pressure: independence comes at a high price. (East Timor).(Brief Article)
Magazine article from: New Internationalist; 6/1/2002
Free Article East Timor activists win Nobel Prize. (News)
Magazine article from: The Christian Century; 10/30/1996
Free Article EAST TIMOR: ON THE ROAD TO INDEPENDENCE.
Magazine article from: Contemporary Review; 3/1/2001

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Timor Chronology
Newspaper article from: AAP General News (Australia); 1/12/1999; 700+ words ; ...General News (Australia) 01-12-1999 Timor Chronology CANBERRA, Jan 12 AAP - Key...an act of self-determination for East Timor. April 1974: Left-wing officers stage...Portugal's empire, which includes East Timor. Aug 1975: Pro-independence nationalist...
Timor-Leste Opens ASEAN National Secretariat to Intensify its Preparations to Join ASEAN
News Wire article from: Targeted News Service; 2/2/2009; 700+ words ; ...Nations issued the following news release: Timor-Leste last Thursday launched its "ASEAN...members of the diplomatic corps in Dili and Timor-Leste Members of Parliament attended...had received reassurances of support for Timor-Leste's eventual admission into ASEAN...
TIMOR GAP NEGOTIATIONS REACH STALEMATE.
News Wire article from: AsiaPulse News; 6/18/2001; 666 words ; ...Negotiations between Australia and East Timor on an agreement over oil and gas reserves in the Timor Sea have become bogged down despite high hopes...The talks on a framework agreement for the Timor Gap were stuck on three central issues, East...
East Timor: Survival, oil, and sovereignty
Magazine article from: Peacework; 6/1/2003; ; 700+ words ; ...strategy consisted of surviving." People in Timor gave this answer to an Oil-watch delegation...even told us that the president of East Timor, Xanana Gusmao, acted as a magician to...1992. He owes his life to magic. East Timor became an independent Republic on 20 May...
EAST TIMOR: CAMPAIGN FOR SELF-RULE THROUGH BOOKS AND SONGS
News Wire article from: Inter Press Service English News Wire; 3/3/1997; ; 700+ words ; ...Mar. 3 (IPS) -- Campaigners for East Timor's self-rule from Indonesia are lobbying...books and song. In a new booklet on East Timor, Nobel Peace Prize winner and resistance...years there has been an ongoing war in East Timor." "The world has mostly looked away...
EAST TIMOR: ASEAN'S COMMITMENT TO NEW NATION TESTED
News Wire article from: Inter Press Service English News Wire; 1/31/2000; ; 700+ words ; ...English News Wire 01-31-2000 DILI, East Timor, Jan. 31 (IPS) -- Previously hostile toward East Timor, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations...newest nation state in the region. East Timor's independence leader Xanana Gusmao and...
E. Timor Sovereignty Could Hinge on Coffee; Crop's Return May Fuel Economic Boom
Newspaper article from: The Washington Post; 2/20/1999; ; 700+ words ; ...unexpected boon to the tiny territory of East Timor, and one that may be the key to its hotly...month that it would consider cutting East Timor loose as early as next year. But the viability...archipelago, armed conflict has shielded East Timor's rich coffee fields from the intrusion...
East Timor looks for Olympic recognition this year
News Wire article from: AP Worldstream; 5/24/2002; ; 700+ words ; ...It's been only a few days since East Timor celebrated its independence, but the island...oppression by foreign occupiers, East Timor became the world's newest independent...Committee delegation assigned with helping East Timor set up its own national Olympic body and...
RP, Timor Leste sign accords on training, education, fisheries.(Main News)
Newspaper article from: Manila Bulletin; 8/13/2008; 700+ words ; President Arroyo and visiting Timor Leste President Jose Ramos-Horta witnessed...involves the acceptance of junior diplomats of Timor Leste in the Foreign Service Officers...training programs customized for the needs of Timor Leste diplomats. The agreement on marine...
EAST TIMOR: WORLD BANK FACES ENORMOUS RECONSTRUCTION TASK
News Wire article from: Inter Press Service English News Wire; 10/28/1999; ; 700+ words ; ...A World Bank mission travels to East Timor to examine what needs to be done to rebuild...city of Darwin, 500 kilometers from East Timor, along with an East Timorese contingent...Everything's the focus starting with East Timor's urgent humanitarian needs, which is...

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