east timor

1998
(Post Suharto, Pre Independence Vote Announcement)

After Suharto resigned as Indonesia’s President in May 1998, his successor Dr B.J. Habibe spoke of a form of special autonomy for Indonesian occupied East Timor. This led to a number of East Timorese organisations and members of the population to openly and courageously push for a referendum on independence. The Dili University’s Student Solidarity Council began traveling out to the rural areas of East Timor in large convoys to conduct “dialogues” to inform the population and to campaign for a referendum for independence. In the streets of Dili there were large pro independence marches and for the first time since the Santa Cruz Cemetery Massacre of November 1991 there was a commemoration march and ceremony that was attended by thousands of East Timorese. As these events were taking place, in the rural areas the human rights abuses by the Indonesian Military were continuing. It was also a time when the names of pro-independence supporters and activists were being recorded and the build up and arming of pro integration militias was taking place. Very little attention was paid to these events by the international community or media.

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