Indonesia and East Timor Timeline

By Angelo and Joel

BC

• Arrival of Astroloid and Melanesian people.

1100-1200 AD

• Muslim invasions.

1400 AD

• Most of Indonesia converted to Islam.

1520 AD

• Timor colonised by Portugal.

1595 AD• Dutch oust Portugal traders

in all Indonesia except East Timor.

• Dutch East Indies Company established to control spice trade.

1613 AD• Dutch take control of

West Timor.

1860 AD

• Treaty divides Timor(ET).

1942-1945 AD

• Japan occupation of Timor during WW2 (ET).

1945 AD

• Sukarno comes to power.

1947-1949 AD

• War of Independence.

1949 AD

• Indonesia becomes independent country.

1967 AD

• General Suharto overthrows Sukarno. 100,000s of suspected communists killed.

1975 AD

• Portugal pulls out of East Timor.

• Indonesia invades East Timor.

Oct 1975 AD

• Five Australian based journalists killed by Indonesia forces in Balibo.

July 16th 1976 AD

• Indonesia invades East Timor and annexes it. East Timor’s resistance movement violently suppressed by Indonesian military forces. More than 200,000 Timorese reported to have died from famine, disease, and fighting since the annexation.

1989 AD

• Indonesia and Australia sign deal giving Australia 82% of oil reserves in Timor Sea and 18% to East Timor.

1996 AD

• Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo and Jose Ramos – Horta, received the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to gain freedom peacefully.

1998 AD

• Suharto replaced by B.J. Habibie.

1999 AD

• Indonesia’s first free parliamentary election since 1955 occurred on June 7 won by Megawati Sukarnoputri, the daughter of Sukarno, Indonesia’s first president.

Aug 30th 1999 AD

• 78.5% of East Timorese vote to secede from Indonesia.

Sep 12th 1999 AD

• UN peacekeeping forces led by Australia arrive in East Timor.

Oct 20th 1999 AD

• Indonesia parliament elects Abdurrahman Wahid as the new president of Indonesia, defeating Megawati Sukarnoputri.

May 20th 2002 AD

• East Timor becomes an independent nation.