United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, center, is flanked by East Timorese President Ramos Horta, left, and Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao, right, as they attend the commemoration of the 25th year anniversary of the referendum that led to the country's independence from Indonesia, in Dili, East Timor, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024. - AP
DILI, East Timor (AFP): East Timor's leader thanked the international community Friday as his country celebrated the 25th anniversary of its referendum on independence from Indonesia, with visiting UN chief Antonio Guterres urging the world to do more to support the young democracy.
Thousands of citizens flocked to a stadium in the capital Dili to commemorate the tiny Southeast Asian nation's 1999 vote, which paved the way for its current democratic system.
"Remember, our nation's independence is also thanks to the solidarity and efforts of the international community... especially the United Nations, which helped with the referendum process on August 30, 1999," Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao said at the event, which was also attended by Guterres and Timorese President Jose Ramos-Horta.
The poll saw nearly 80 percent of East Timorese vote to split from Indonesia, ending a brutal 24-year military occupation that claimed up to 250,000 lives through fighting, disease and starvation.
The vote briefly sparked joy before Indonesian security forces and militias destroyed infrastructure and displaced hundreds of thousands to other parts of Indonesia.
The post-referendum terror killed around 1,400 people before the mainly Catholic country of 1.34 million was recognised as an independent state in 2002.
Guterres said that after 25 years, the former Portuguese colony still struggled to provide essentials like food, education and healthcare, adding international support had been insufficient.
"The nation has won the battle for independence and democracy, and now it must win the battle for development," he said at Friday's event, appealing "to the international community to strongly support East Timor".
On Thursday, Ramos-Horta -- who along with Gusmao is one of the country's independence heroes -- said in a statement that East Timor's journey to self-determination was "long and heavy", but with international support it had been able to achieve peace, stability and development.
Local teacher Filomeno Salsinha said the legacy of the independence vote was a positive one.
"We are happy because the decisions that we gave have resulted in good things and justice for the people of Timor-Leste," the 54-year-old told AFP.
Vendor Luis da Silva Amaral, 60, recalled the old days of bloodshed, saying East Timorese could live peacefully now.
"The difference is that we are now free, we sleep well. In the past, we couldn't sleep peacefully, because militias were all over the place, looking for us." - AFP
