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After 450 Years Of Occupation, East Timor Is A Free Nation
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east timor |
DILI, May 19 (IslamOnline
& News Agencies) - East Timor declared independence Sunday after
450 years of oppressive foreign rule and a freedom struggle which cost
tens of thousands of lives.
East Timor's new flag was
raised as parliament speaker Francisco "Lu Olo" Guterres
proclaimed the birth of the world's newest nation, Agence
France-Presse (AFP) reported.
World leaders attending the
celebrations in the capital, Dili, included UN Secretary General Kofi
Annan, who handed over authority to the new government, BBC online
news service reported. More than 600 delegates from 92 nations also
attended the event.
The black, red and gold flag
was the symbol of the resistance during a bloody 24-year Indonesian
occupation which ended in October 1999 when the United Nations took
over the devastated territory to prepare it for independence.
Annan said East Timor's
struggle for freedom had inspired the world. "I salute you,
people of East Timor, for the courage and perseverance you have
shown," he told a euphoric crowd of tens of thousands at a
massive lakeside celebration party, AFP reported.
"Yours has not been an
easy path to independence. You should be very proud of your
achievement. That a small nation is able to inspire the world and be
the focus of our attention is the highest tribute that I can
pay," he added.
According to AFP, former U.S.
president Bill Clinton, who is representing President George W. Bush,
said earlier Sunday the 750,000 people of the poverty-stricken
territory had taught the world a lesson.
After four centuries of
neglectful rule by Portugal, East Timor proclaimed independence in
November 1975. Nine days later, Indonesian troops invaded. During
Jakarta's occupation at least 100,000 East Timorese died amid a
guerrilla revolt, AFP said.
Indonesian President Megawati
Sukarnoputri attended the ceremony despite opposition from hardliner
Jakarta politicians, bitter about the loss of the country's 27th
province.
Her powerful military cast a
cloud over the celebrations by sending a large naval force carrying
armed troops to Dili, ostensibly to protect her. Four of the six ships
were withdrawn after a protest from Dili, AFP said.
AFP said the territory's
people had voted in August 1999 for independence despite a bloody
campaign of intimidation by pro-Jakarta militias, supported by the
Indonesian military.
Days later, the vote
militiamen went on the rampage, killing hundreds of independence
supporters and cutting a swathe of arson and destruction through the
territory.
Annan spoke moments before the
blue UN flag was lowered, marking the end of a unique 32-month
experiment in nation-building, AFP reported.
People in the staunchly
Catholic territory packed the stadium at Taci Tolo on Dili's outskirts
to celebrate in joyful but reverential mood.
Around sunset, a procession of
red-robed bishops and white-clad priests and altar boys carrying
crucifixes and candles entered the stadium. A choir of nuns and church
groups burst into a hymn as the hushed crowd listened, AFP reported.
Hundreds of worshippers
attended morning mass at the house of the Bishop of Dili, Carlos Belo,
whose home was recently rebuilt after being burnt down by the
pro-Indonesian militias that went on a rampage after the independence
referendum, BBC reported.
According to BBC, he said in
his sermon: "We celebrate this day of independence by thanking
God. If God had not been with us, we could not have achieved it. We
could not have survived."
AFP said a spectacular cultural show
featuring tribal traditions and involving some 3,000 performers was
staged in the arena before the declaration.
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