Ironically enough I learnt about Timor Loro Sae through my interest, study and travels in Indonesia (which was also the case for their first lady Kirsty Sword Gusmao).

While I really like the Indonesian people I have met, and love their culture, there is no way of condoning their history in East Timor. I try to maintain a divide in my head between the government (more so the past soeharto government) and military, and the people as individuals and a community. Soeharto was never really elected, so you can’t blame the people for him, and there was a lot of brainwashing and media censorship going on for a long long time. But still, it’s so sad what has happened there.

I first heard of Timor as a dangerous place, without hearing much else. Then I started to hear of the violence, the Santa Cruz massacre, the takover in 1975. Incidentally my dad went there when it was still run by the portuguese – and they didn’t treat it fantastically either, but i’ve heard they weren’t as bad as the indonesian government. Then out of nowhere the soeharto government fell and Habibi was pretty much forced by international pressure to agree to the independence/autonomy referrendum, but had no control over the military and militias, and military involvement with the militias (or will to control? i’m not sure which), but despite everything, they finally got independence!!! 73% of the vote, with 90% of eligible voters registering. Considering the circumstances I think they have done well since independence, despite poverty and the recent conflict – when you consider they were left with pretty much nothing but a history of violence (and that we screwed them over the timor gap treaty).

Through all this, it sounds like a beautiful place (the beaches and mountains), with beautiful people.

Viva Timor Loro Sae!