East Timor (province)

East Timor
*Timor Timur* (Indonesian)
*Timor Lorosa'e* (Tetum)
East Timor Timor Timur (Indonesian); Timor Lorosa'e (Tetum)
1976–1999
	Coat of arms
	Motto: Houri Otas, Houri Wain, Oan Timor Asswa'in (Tetum); "From the past and from today, we are Timorese warriors"
	Location of East Timor Province
Status	Province of Indonesia ( de facto ) [1] ; Overseas province of Portugal ( de jure )
Capital and largest city	Dili
Official languages	Indonesian
Recognised regional languages	Balinese, Fataluku, Javanese, Tetum, Sundanese, Uab Meto, other indigenous languages
Religion	Catholicism (majority); Protestantism ; Islam ; Hinduism ; Buddhism ; Animism ; East Timorese indigenous religions;
Government	Overseas province within a unitary semi-presidential constitutional republic, under military occupation ( de jure ) [1] ; Province within a unitary presidential constitutional republic (under a dominant-party authoritarian military dictatorship) ( de facto )
President of Indonesia
• 1976–1998	Suharto
• 1998–1999	B. J. Habibie
Governor
• 1976–1978 (first)	Arnaldo dos Reis Araújo
• 1992–1999 (last)	José Abílio Osório Soares
Vice Governor
• 1976–1981 (first)	Francisco Xavier Lopes da Cruz
• 1998–1999 (last)	Musiran Darmosuwito
Legislature	East Timor Regional House of Representatives (DPRD Timor Timur)
Historical era	New Order
• Operation Lotus	17 July 1976
• Santa Cruz massacre	12 November 1991
• Independence referendum	30 August 1999
• UNTAET established	25 October 1999
Area
• Total	15,007 km2 (5,794 sq mi)
• Water (%)	negligible
Population
• 1980	555,350
• 1990	747,750
Currency	Indonesian rupiah (Rp) (IDR)
Time zone	UTC+8 (Central Indonesia Time)
Date format	dd-mm-yyyy
Drives on	Left [2]
Calling code	+62 377 (Viqueque); +62 378 (Pante Makasar); +62 379 (Suai); +62 390 (Dili); +62 394 (Maliana); +62 396 (Lospalos); +62 398 (Ermera); +62 399 (Baucau)
ISO 3166 code	ID-TT
Internet TLD	.id
Preceded by	Succeeded by
	Provisional Government of East Timor
United Nations Administered East Timor
Today part of	East Timor
	Notes ^ East Timor was legalized by Indonesian law as the 27th province, but seen by the UN and several countries (including Portugal) as a "military occupation" (see Indonesian occupation of East Timor). Thus, it was de jure a Portuguese territory under Indonesian occupation from the standpoint of international law, but operated de facto as an Indonesian province (and considered by Indonesia's own laws as a de jure province as well).; ^ Used RHT along with Portugal from 1928–1976, back to LHT since 1976.;

Last updated January 02, 2025

East Timor (Indonesian : Timor Timur) was a province of Indonesia between 1976 and 1999, during the Indonesian occupation of the country. Its territory corresponded to the previous Portuguese Timor and to the present-day independent country of East Timor.

From 1702 to 1975, East Timor was an overseas territory of Portugal, called "Portuguese Timor". In 1974, Portugal initiated a gradual decolonisation process of its remaining overseas territories, including Portuguese Timor. During the process, a civil conflict between the different Timorese parties erupted. Indonesia invaded East Timor in 1975 and formally annexed the territory in 1976, declaring it Indonesia's 27th province and renaming it "Timor Timur". The United Nations, however, declared this occupation illegal, continuing to consider Portugal as the legitimate administering power of East Timor. Following the end of Indonesian occupation in 1999, as well as a United Nations administered transition period, East Timor became formally independent of Portugal in 2002 and adopted the official name of Timor-Leste.

Background

From 1702 to 1975, East Timor was an overseas territory of Portugal, in the later years being officially the Portuguese overseas province of Timor, usually referred as "Portuguese Timor". Following the Carnation Revolution of 1974, the new Government of Portugal initiated a gradual decolonization process of its overseas territories, including Portuguese Timor. During the process, a civil conflict erupted between several Timorese political parties, with the left-wing Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor (Fretilin) prevailing and gaining control the capital Dili, obliging the Portuguese governor and his staff to move his seat to Atauro Island.

On the 28 November 1975, Fretilin unilaterally declared the independence of the Democratic Republic of East Timor (Portuguese: República Democrática de Timor-Leste) from Portugal. Portugal did not recognize the declaration and the Portuguese governor continued to formally administer the province from Atauro, albeit with limited authority over the rest of East Timor.

Nine days later, Indonesia began an invasion of East Timor proper. Following the invasion, the Portuguese governor and his staff left Atauro aboard two Portuguese warships. As a statement of Portuguese sovereignty, Portugal maintained those warships patrolling the waters around East Timor until May 1976.

On 17 July 1976, Indonesia formally annexed East Timor as its 27th province and changed its official name to Timor Timur, the Indonesian translation of "East Timor". The use of the Portuguese language was then forbidden, as it was seen as a relic of colonisation.

The annexation was not recognised by the United Nations and was only recognised by one country Australia in 1979.^[1]^[2] The United Nations continued to recognise Portugal as the legitimate administering power of East Timor.^[1]

The Indonesians left in 1999 and East Timor came under the administration of the United Nations.

After the re-establishment of the independence of East Timor in 2002, the East Timorese government requested that the name Timor-Leste be used in place of "East Timor". This is to avoid the Indonesian term and its reminder of the Indonesian occupation.^{[ citation needed ]}

Government

As with all provinces of Indonesia, executive authority was vested in a Governor and Vice-Governor elected by the Regional Representative Council (Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat Daerah, DPRD) every five years. Legislative authority was vested in the DPRD, both in province and regency level.

Governors

Below are governors of East Timor Province from 1976 to 1999:

Governors of Timor Timur during Indonesian occupation
No.	Portrait	Officeholders	Tenure		Notes	Head of state (Term)
No.	Portrait	Officeholders	From	Until	Notes	Head of state (Term)
130		Arnaldo dos Reis Araújo Governor	3 August 1976	19 September 1978		Suharto President of Indonesia (27 March 1968 – 21 May 1998) B. J. Habibie President of Indonesia (21 May 1998 – 20 October 1999)
131		Guilherme Maria Gonçalves Governor	19 September 1978	17 September 1981
132		Mário Viegas Carrascalão Governor	18 September 1981	18 September 1992

133		José Abílio Osório Soares Governor	18 September 1992	19 October 1999

Regional Representative Council

Composition of the Regional Representative Council between 1980 and 1999:

Regional Representative Council of Timor Timur
Year	PPP	Golkar	PDI	ABRI	Total
1980	0	25	0	0	25
1981	0	24	0	0	24
1982	0	32	0	4	36
1987	0	34	2	9	45
1988	0	34	2	9	45
1989	0	33	2	9	44
1990	0	34	2	9	45
1991	0	34	2	9	45
1992	2	29	5	9	45
1997	1	30	5	9	45

Government and administrative divisions

The province was divided into thirteen regencies ( kabupaten ) and one administrative city (kota administratif). These are listed below along with their districts (kecamatan), per December 1981:^[3]^[4]

Dili Administrative City, served as the capital of East Timor, also the capital and part of Dili Regency, consisted of East Dili (Dili Timur) and West Dili (Dili Barat) districts, which formerly belonged to Dili Regency before the creation of the administrative city status in November 1981.
Dili Regency, consisted of Dili Administrative City, Atauro and Metinaro districts.
Baucau Regency, with its capital at Baucau, consisted of Baucau, Vemasse, Laga, Baguia, Venilale, and Quelicai districts.
Manatuto Regency, with its capital at Manatuto, consisted of Manatuto, Laclubar, Barique, Laclo, and Laleia districts.
Lautem Regency, with its capital at Lospalos, consisted of Lospalos, Luro, Iliomar, Lautem, and Tutuala districts.
Viqueque Regency, with its capital at Viqueque, consisted of Viqueque, Ossu, Uato-Lari, Lacluta, and Uato-Carbau districts.
Ainaro Regency, with its capital at Ainaro, consisted of Ainaro, Maubisse, Hatu-Bullico, Hato-Hudo, and Mape districts.
Manufahi Regency, with its capital at Same, consisted of Same, Alas, Fato-Berliu, and Turiscai districts.
Kova-Lima Regency, with its capital at Suai, consisted of Suai, Tilomar, Fohorem, Fatu-Lulic, and Fatu-Mean districts.
Ambeno Regency, with its capital at Pante-Makassar, consisted of Pante-Makassar, Oe-Silo, Nitibe, and Passabe districts.
Bobonaro Regency, with its capital at Maliana, consisted of Maliana, Bobonaro, Lolotoi, Atabai, Balibo, and Cailaco districts.
Liquica Regency, with its capital at Liquica, consisted of Liquica, Bazar-Tete, and Maubara districts.
Ermera Regency, with its capital at Gleno, consisted of Ermera, Atsabe, Hatolia, Lete-Foho, and Railaco districts.
Aileu Regency, with its capital at Aileu, consisted of Aileu, Remexio, Laulara, and Lequidoe districts.

Gallery

The East Timor Museum (formerly East Timor Pavilion) in Taman Mini Indonesia Indah which was built in 1980 (by then, East Timor was part of Indonesia); depicted here is its traditional house.

Related Research Articles

Timor is an island at the southern end of Maritime Southeast Asia, in the north of the Timor Sea. The island is divided between the sovereign states of East Timor in the eastern part and Indonesia in the western part. The Indonesian part, known as West Timor, constitutes part of the province of East Nusa Tenggara. Within West Timor lies an exclave of East Timor called Oecusse District. The island covers an area of 30,777 square kilometres. The name is a variant of timur, Malay for "east"; it is so called because it lies at the eastern end of the Lesser Sunda Islands. Mainland Australia is less than 500 km away, separated by the Timor Sea.

The political system in Timor-Leste is a unitary semi-presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the Prime Minister of Timor-Leste is the head of government and the President of Timor-Leste functions as head of state. Timor-Leste has a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the president and the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the National Parliament. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. The East Timorese constitution was modelled on that of Portugal, with lesser power given to the president. The country is still in the process of building its administration and governmental institutions. The Economist Intelligence Unit rated East Timor a "flawed democracy" in 2022.

In Timor-Leste, transportation is reduced due to the nation's poverty, poor transportation infrastructure.

The national flag of Timor-Leste consists of a red field with the black isosceles triangle based on the hoist-side bearing a white five-pointed star in the center superimposed on the larger yellow triangle, also based on the hoist-side, that extends to the center of the flag.

East Timor is divided into 14 municipalities, which are former districts. One municipality is also a Special Administrative Region (SAR). The municipalities are divided into administrative posts, and further subdivided into sucos (villages). Atauro Island was initially a part of Dili Municipality, but became a separate municipality on 1 January 2022. The borders between Cova Lima and Ainaro and between Baucau and Viqueque were changed in 2003.

Bobonaro is a municipality in the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste commonly known as East Timor. It is the second-most western municipality on the east half of the island. It has a population of 92,045 and an area of 1,376 km².

Aileu is a municipality, and was formerly a district, of East Timor. It has a population of 48,554 and an area of 737 km². The municipality's capital is also named Aileu. Its administrative posts are Aileu, Laulara, Lequidoe and Remexio.

Dili Municipality is one of the 14 municipalities, formerly districts, of Timor-Leste, and includes the national capital Dili. The municipality had a population of 277,279 as of 2015, most of whom live in the capital city.

The national emblem of Timor-Leste, also known as the Belak, is one of the national symbols of the country.

The North Laclo River is the longest river in East Timor. It flows northeast into Wetar Strait, reaching the coast near the city of Manatuto. It has no connection to the South Laclo River, which flows into the Timor Sea.

Taça Digicel was a football championship organized by the East Timor Football Federation. It was replaced by Taça 12 de Novembro in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mambai language (Timor)</span> Austronesian language spoken in East Timor

Mambai, also called Mambae or Manbae, is a language spoken by the Mambai people, the second largest ethnic group in the island country of East Timor.

Transportes Aéreos de Timor or TAT was an airline of the then colony of Portuguese Timor, headquartered in Dili. It operated between 1939 and 1975.

United Nations Administered East Timor refers to the period between 25 October 1999 and 20 May 2002 when East Timor was administered by the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor as a United Nations protectorate.

The Democratic Republic of East Timor, was a state that was unilaterally proclaimed on the territory of present-day East Timor on 28 November 1975 by Fretilin prior to the Indonesian invasion of East Timor nine days later on 7 December 1975.

Loro Sae is the name of the eastern part of East Timor. This leads to confusion, as the official name of the country in the official language Tetum is "Timór Loro Sa'e". Loro Sae means rising sun or simply east. The inhabitants of Loro Sae are called Firaku, regardless of their other ethnic affiliations. In contrast, the western part of the country is called Loro Munu and its inhabitants Kaladi. The country's capital, Dili, is a melting pot of the country's different ethnic groups and is the scene of regular street fights between gangs from the east and the west.

Loro Munu refers to the western part of East Timor. In the past, the name was used for the western part of the island of Timor, as "Loro Munu" means setting sun or simply west.

References

1 2 Benzing, Markus (2005). "Midwifing a New State: The United Nations in East Timor" (PDF). Max Planck Yearbook of United Nations Law. 9: 317. doi:10.1163/187574105X00084 . Retrieved 5 August 2024.
↑ Rogers, Felicity (2005). "The International Force in East Timor - Legal Aspects of Maritime Operations". University of New South Wales Law Journal. 28 (2). Retrieved 5 August 2024– via Austlii.
↑ Peraturan Pemerintah Republik Indonesia Nomor 19 Tahun 1976 tentang Pemerintahan Propinsi Daerah Tingkat I Timor Timur dan Kabupaten-Kabupaten Daerah Tingkat II di Timor Timur (in Indonesian). 30 July 1976. Retrieved 30 June 2022. Archived 30 June 2022 at the Wayback Machine
↑ Peraturan Pemerintah Republik Indonesia Nomor 41 Tahun 1981 tentang Pembentukan Kota Administratif Dili (in Indonesian). 19 November 1981. Retrieved 30 June 2022. Archived 30 June 2022 at the Wayback Machine

External links

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[Benzing-1] 1 2 Benzing, Markus (2005). "Midwifing a New State: The United Nations in East Timor" (PDF). Max Planck Yearbook of United Nations Law. 9: 317. doi:10.1163/187574105X00084 . Retrieved 5 August 2024.

[2] Rogers, Felicity (2005). "The International Force in East Timor - Legal Aspects of Maritime Operations". University of New South Wales Law Journal. 28 (2). Retrieved 5 August 2024– via Austlii.

[3] Peraturan Pemerintah Republik Indonesia Nomor 19 Tahun 1976 tentang Pemerintahan Propinsi Daerah Tingkat I Timor Timur dan Kabupaten-Kabupaten Daerah Tingkat II di Timor Timur (in Indonesian). 30 July 1976. Retrieved 30 June 2022. Archived 30 June 2022 at the Wayback Machine

[4] Peraturan Pemerintah Republik Indonesia Nomor 41 Tahun 1981 tentang Pembentukan Kota Administratif Dili (in Indonesian). 19 November 1981. Retrieved 30 June 2022. Archived 30 June 2022 at the Wayback Machine

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