Every Day Is Special: East Timor

Showing posts with label East Timor. Show all posts

May 20 - Independence Day in East Timor

Posted on May 20, 2022

This is an update of my post published on May 20, 2011:

East Timor, also known as Timor-Leste, is one of the youngest nations on earth. Having been colonized by Portugal rather than by the Netherlands, as surrounding islands of Indonesia were, East Timor did not welcome rule by Indonesia after the colonizers left. Unfortunately, there was violence between the people of East Timor and Indonesia for decades before East Timor finally became independent on May 20, 2002.

It's interesting to see how language and religious differences are dealt with during times of conflict. You may know that more Muslims live in Indonesia than anywhere else in the world; East Timor, on the other hand, is one of only two Asian nations that is predominantly Roman Catholic. (Can you guess the other?) The Portuguese language, alone with Tetum, is widely spoken in East Timor, but when Indonesia ruled over East Timor, Portuguese was banned! The language was still used by the resistance forces, however, and it became a symbol of freedom. Isn't it ironic that the language of a conquering / colonizing force (Portugal) -- which squelched freedom for centuries -- became a symbol of freedom against another invasive force?

Check out some of the natural beauty of East Timor:

East Timor is part of the so-called Coral Triangle, an area of coral reefs with the highest coral diversity in the world.

See the triangle of red dots,

which show three national parks?

That's the Coral Triangle!

Note that East Timor is called Osttimor.

Ost means “east.”

Check out coral!

You probably already know that coral reefs are built by tiny animals that are cousins of jellyfish. Coral polyps secrete calcium carbonate to built a hard skeleton, and there are many different colors and shapes of living corals. Coral reefs provide great homes to many other creatures such as mollusks and fish.

Art Predator has gathered together some links to help kids learn about coral reefs.

The Reef Education Network has a website with info and activities and opportunities to make a difference in the worldwide efforts to protect coral reefs.

Also on this date:

Editor and Icelandic patriot Bergur Sigurbjörnsson's birthday

Weights and Measures Day

Eliza Doolittle Day

Cameroon's National Day

Birthday of actor / singer Cher

Emancipation Day in Florida

World Bee Day

First solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean

First woman to fly solo nonstop across the Atlantic Ocean

Endangered Species Day

(Third Friday in May)

O. Henry Pun-Off Day

(Third Friday in May)

National Pizza Party Day

(3rd Friday in May)

Plan ahead:

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And here are my Pinterest boards for:

November 12 – Youth Day in East Timor

Posted on November 12, 2018

The name "Youth Day" makes me think of a happy holiday of sports and entertainment. But this particular Youth Day has a tragic origin: On this date in 1991, brave people - including many young people - demonstrated in Dili, in East Timor. They were both demanding independence and honoring an independence leader who had been murdered.

But, when the young people began to sing and wave patriotic banners, Indonesian troops shot into the unarmed crowd!

I checked three sources, and I cannot find any sources that say that the protesters started the violence. As a matter of fact, a British and two American journalists all report that it was the soldiers who began assaulting the crowd. Both of the American journalists were beaten when they tried to protect the unarmed protesters by standing in front of them!

At least 250 East Timorese were killed in the massacre - and I'm sure many were injured. At the time, the Indonesian government defended the use of force against people they called "delinquents" and "agitators."

It was of course a lose-lose situation. The protesters who died lost their lives, the people of East Timor lost their loved ones - and certainly many who died were among the most passionate and principled, I imagine! - and Indonesia itself lost even more worldwide respect for its violent suppression. Less than a decade later, East Timor won its independence!

Today is the day to solemnly honor the martyrs who died in that senseless massacre.

Here are some beautiful photos of East Timor to help us get through the tragic history of Youth Day:

Also on this date:

Chinese leader Sun Yat-sen's birthday

Birth of Baha'u'llah

Over and Under Day (a day to celebrate tunnels and bridges)

Anniversary of the first salvage operation in space

Anniversary of National Gaming Day

Birthday of gymnast Nadia Comăneci

Fancy Rat and Mouse Day

Birthday of women's rights activist Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Plan ahead:

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November holidays
November birthdays
Historical anniversaries in November

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December holidays
December birthdays
Historical anniversaries in December

August 30 – Popular Constitution Day in East Timor

Posted on August 30, 2016

Why is an island that is about the size of Maryland divided into two nations?

History. Religion. Language.

The Southeastern Asian island of Timor was settled by both Dutch and Portuguese colonizers. The two European nations squabbled over control of the island until a treaty signed in 1859 divided the island into Dutch Timor and Portuguese Timor.

Of course, the Asian descendants of the peoples who lived on the island long before Europeans arrived wanted to be independent. After World War II, the Dutch portion of the island and thousands of other nearby islands gained independence as Indonesia. It wasn't until 1975 that residents of Portuguese Timor declared their independence from Portugal.

Just nine days after this declaration, East Timor was invaded and occupied by Indonesia! After years of violence, the United Nations finally stepped in and helped hammer out a peace agreement. Indonesia gave up its claim for the other half of the island, and East Timor (also known as Timor-Leste) became the first new nation of the 21^st Century!

(By the way, in case you were wondering about the religious differences, Indonesia is predominantly Muslim, and East Timor is predominantly Catholic.)

Check out East Timor:

Mt. Ramelau (aka Tatamailau) is the highest mountain on the island.

Dili is the capital and largest city in East Timor.

The smaller islands that are part of East Timor include Atauro Island...

...and Jaco Island.

There is a little divot, called an exclave, on the Indonesian half of Timor that belongs to East Timor. This portion, pictured in red below, includes the city of Pante Makasar.