Several groups fought a civil war for the independence of East Timor, during which many atrocities and human rights violations by the Indonesian army were reported. A sad highpoint was the killing of many East Timorese youngsters (reportedly over 250) at a cemetary in Dili on November 12, 1991. In total, estimates of the number of deaths in this war range from 100,000 to 350,000 - on a total East Timorese population of only 700,000. In 1996, [Carlos Felipe Ximenes Belo]? and [Jose Ramos-Horta]?, two East Timorese peace fighters received the Nobel Peace Prize.
In 1999, the Indonesian government decided, under international pressure, to hold a referendum? about the future of East Timor. The referendum, held on 30 August, gave a clear majority (78.5%) in favor of independence, rejecting the alternative offer of being an autonomous province within Indonesia.
After the referendum, administration of East Timor was taken over by the United Nations, through the United Nations Transitional Administration for East Timor. Elections were held in late 2001 for a national assembly to draft a constitution which is supposed to be finished by mid-December 2001; East Timor is expected to achieve independence on 20 May 2002.
Country code (Top level domain): TP
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