East Timor: from colonisation to independence

After 400 years under the Portuguese and 25 years under the Indonesians, the East Timorese are finally free to determine their own future. This program has been designed as a teaching aid and is divided into ten segments with each segment providing a detailed historical overview of a particular period relating to the long and sometimes extremely violent struggle towards East Timor’s independence. Using television archival footage and newsreels, the program includes a look at the country under the Portuguese, tracing the key developments since 1974: the plans for decolonisation, the rise of nationalist groups and conflict between them, the reaction of the Indonesians, the invasion of 1975 and the subsequent farcical Act of Integration, the Dili Massacre, worldwide pressure for change, and the events surrounding the referendum of August 1999. Also includes footage of Jose Ramos Horta (Secretary General of Fretilin), Xanana Gusmau (leader of the guerilla force Falantil), Indonesia’s President Suharto and President Habibie, John Howard, along with many others who played an important role in the making of this very new and independent nation. Suitable for secondary and tertiary level students. Teacher notes included.