Timor Leste (2005...2017)

Timor is an island in the Indonesian archipelago, located 500 km north of Australia, between the islands of Java to the east and New Guinea to the west. It is the largest of the Sunda Islands. During colonisation, the island was divided in two: the western part became part of the Dutch East Indies, which later became Indonesia. The eastern part was annexed by Portugal, which withdrew in 1975. East Timor then proclaimed its independence, but was invaded seven days later by Indonesia, which carried out a policy of bloody repression against its opponents during the 25 years of its occupation. More than 250,000 East Timorese died in the fighting and orchestrated famine, and vast transmigration schemes from the overpopulated islands of Java and Sumatra were set up to replace the indigenous population. 

In 1998, General Suharto, President of Indonesia, was forced to resign by popular demonstrations. His successor, Habibie, granted East Timor the right to hold a referendum on self-determination under UN auspices. Despite the violence that accompanied the referendum, over 78% of Timorese voted for independence. L’armée indonésienne et les milice timoraises se retirent du pays dans la violence, et le Timor est placé en octobre 1999 sous gestion administrative transitoire de l’ONU. Le pays (République Démocratique du Timor Oriental ou du Timor-Leste) devient officiellement indépendant le 20 mai 2002, et des élections présidentielles ont lieu. Quatre ans après l’obtention de sa pleine souveraineté, le Timor Oriental est à nouveau frappé par la violence d’un conflit, interne cette fois, causant des déplacements massifs de population à travers le pays.