7. Peace at Last

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The people of East Timor celebrated Christmas 1999 and a new millennium with joy and happiness despite grief and destruction resulting from the post-ballot violence. It was the first free and bright Christmas after more than 450 years of darkness under Portuguese colonisation and 24 years under illegal occupation by Indonesia. There will of course be expectations and challenges associated with the new change of status. Elections will have to be organised and the people will have to learn to govern themselves.

The big fear for Indonesia was the domino effect, i.e. if they allow one of the islands to gain independence, will others follow? Maintaining Indonesia as one united country will be practically impossible given its ethnic mix and that it is composed of thousands of islands spread over a huge area. Many more islands are looking for independence, including the Moluccas and Aceh. It was the Moluccas (formerly the Spice Islands) that Columbus was trying to reach when he stumbled upon America. They are the original home of nutmeg and cloves. Aceh is a part of Indonesia rich in natural resources.