East Timor, a land long brutalized by foreign occupiers, was declared independent last night in a joyous ceremony in the seaside capital of Dili, and took its place among the community of nations.
The world's newest country came into being with a solemn declaration of independence by parliamentary speaker Fransisco Guterres and a speech by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.
"I declare the establishment of the Democratic Republic of East Timor as an independent and sovereign state," Guterres said. "Glory to the heroes of our liberation."
PHOTO: REUTERS
Minutes later, former guerrilla commander Xanana Gusmao was declared the country's first president. Last month, the 55-year-old poet won the overwhelming majority of votes in a UN-supervised presidential election.
"Independence! As a people, as a territory, as a nation! One body, one mind, one wish!" Gusmao said, in a prepared speech. "Our independence will have no value, if all the people in East Timor continue to live in poverty and continue to suffer all kinds of difficulties."
The blue UN flag was lowered by a peacekeeper. The new national flag was escorted into the arena by a platoon of soldiers from East Timor's nascent defense force. It was raised as a choir sang East Timor's national anthem.
"I salute you -- people of East Timor -- for the courage and perseverance you have shown," Annan told an exuberant crowd as the UN officially transferred authority over the half-island territory.
"Yours has not been an easy path to independence," Annan said. "You should be very proud of your achievement. That a small nation is able to inspire the world and be the focus of our attention is the highest tribute that I can pay."
Thousands of East Timorese smiled, cheered and hugged each other in an outpouring of emotion marking the end of four centuries of Portuguese colonial rule, 24 years of brutal Indonesian occupation and two and a half years of interim rule by the UN.
Thirty minutes earlier, Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri arrived at the venue accompanied by Gusmao. They held hands and raised them aloft, as the crowd cheered and clapped.
Attending the festivities were former US president Bill Clinton, who officially represented the US, Australian Prime Minister John Howard and Portuguese President Jorge Sampaio.
Jose Ramos-Horta, the new East Timorese foreign minister who shared the 1996 Nobel Peace Prize with Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo, told reporters that now is a time for "peace, tolerance and forgiveness."
"We are very happy. We are a proud and simple people who deserve peace, who deserve freedom," he said.
FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION: The UK would continue to reinforce ties with Taiwan ‘in a wide range of areas’ as a part of a ‘strong unofficial relationship,’ a paper said The UK plans to conduct more freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. British Member of Parliament Desmond Swayne said that the Royal Navy’s HMS Spey had passed through the Taiwan Strait “in pursuit of vital international freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.” Swayne asked Lammy whether he agreed that it was “proper and lawful” to do so, and if the UK would continue to carry out similar operations. Lammy replied “yes” to both questions. The
Two US House of Representatives committees yesterday condemned China’s attempt to orchestrate a crash involving Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim’s (蕭美琴) car when she visited the Czech Republic last year as vice president-elect. Czech local media in March last year reported that a Chinese diplomat had run a red light while following Hsiao’s car from the airport, and Czech intelligence last week told local media that Chinese diplomats and agents had also planned to stage a demonstrative car collision. Hsiao on Saturday shared a Reuters news report on the incident through her account on social media platform X and wrote: “I
SHIFT PRIORITIES: The US should first help Taiwan respond to actions China is already taking, instead of focusing too heavily on deterring a large-scale invasion, an expert said US Air Force leaders on Thursday voiced concerns about the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) missile capabilities and its development of a “kill web,” and said that the US Department of Defense’s budget request for next year prioritizes bolstering defenses in the Indo-Pacific region due to the increasing threat posed by China. US experts said that a full-scale Chinese invasion of Taiwan is risky and unlikely, with Beijing more likely to pursue coercive tactics such as political warfare or blockades to achieve its goals. Senior air force and US Space Force leaders, including US Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink and
Czech officials have confirmed that Chinese agents surveilled Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) during her visit to Prague in March 2024 and planned a collision with her car as part of an “unprecedented” provocation by Beijing in Europe. Czech Military Intelligence learned that their Chinese counterparts attempted to create conditions to carry out a demonstrative incident involving Hsiao, which “did not go beyond the preparation stage,” agency director Petr Bartovsky told Czech Radio in a report yesterday. In addition, a Chinese diplomat ran a red light to maintain surveillance of the Taiwanese
RSS