This Tiny Nation Should Beware China's Belt and Road
Colonized by Portugal, invaded by Indonesia, suckered by Australia. Timor-Leste doesn’t need another abusive relationship.
Independence is young in Timor-Leste. How long will it last?
Photographer: James D. Morgan/Getty Images AsiaPacGiven a sad history of exploitation by foreigners, the young democracy of Timor-Leste can hardly be blamed for being hell-bent on self-sufficiency. But its current drive to cement its independence risks squandering the faltering progress the country has made. If the government doesn’t tread carefully, a future of debt peonage to China beckons.
Friday marks the 20th anniversary of the final dark episode in Timor-Leste’s 24-year occupation by Indonesia, which killed about 100,000 Timorese and came after centuries of colonial neglect by Portugal. On Aug. 30, 1999, a referendum delivered an overwhelming majority in favor of independence for the half-island also known as East Timor, but unleashed a wave of retaliation from Indonesian forces and militias that left more than 1,400 dead and destroyed public infrastructure.