Declaration

FRETILIN declaration of independence, 1975

After Portugal’s administration withdrew, FRETILIN declared East Timor independent; Indonesia invaded nine days later.

What happened

After a brief civil war and the withdrawal of the Portuguese administration from Dili in August 1975, FRETILIN declared the independence of East Timor on 28 November 1975.[1][2][3] Indonesia invaded on 7 December.[4]

Timor-Leste’s 2002 Constitution treats 28 November 1975 as its Day of Proclamation of Independence and states that the independence then proclaimed was recognised internationally on 20 May 2002.[5]

Sources for this page

Each number marks a specific claim. Notes give the source, its locator and how it relates to the claim.

  1. 1.

    Claim: The alliance between FRETILIN and UDT broke down in August 1975 and a brief civil war of about three weeks followed.

    • Lloyd, Grayson J., The diplomacy on East Timor: Indonesia, the United Nations and the international community, Out of the Ashes: Destruction and Reconstruction of East Timor (ANU E Press, 2003) link, p. 75. Source record
  2. 2.

    Claim: The Portuguese administration, including Governor Lemos Pires, withdrew from Dili in August 1975.

    • Soares, Dionisio Babo, Political developments leading to the referendum, Out of the Ashes: Destruction and Reconstruction of East Timor (ANU E Press, 2003) link, p. 55. Source record
    • United Nations Department of Public Information, East Timor – UNTAET: Background (United Nations, May 2002) link, para. 1. Source record
  3. 3.

    Claim: FRETILIN declared the independence of East Timor on 28 November 1975.

    • Soares, Dionisio Babo, Political developments leading to the referendum, Out of the Ashes: Destruction and Reconstruction of East Timor (ANU E Press, 2003) link, p. 55. Source record
    • Lloyd, Grayson J., The diplomacy on East Timor: Indonesia, the United Nations and the international community, Out of the Ashes: Destruction and Reconstruction of East Timor (ANU E Press, 2003) link, p. 75. Source record
  4. 4.

    Claim: Indonesia invaded East Timor on 7 December 1975.

    • Lloyd, Grayson J., The diplomacy on East Timor: Indonesia, the United Nations and the international community, Out of the Ashes: Destruction and Reconstruction of East Timor (ANU E Press, 2003) link, p. 75. Source record
    • Soares, Dionisio Babo, Political developments leading to the referendum, Out of the Ashes: Destruction and Reconstruction of East Timor (ANU E Press, 2003) link, p. 55. Source record
  5. 5.

    Claim: Timor-Leste’s Constitution makes 28 November 1975 the Day of Proclamation of Independence and states that the independence proclaimed by FRETILIN that day was recognised internationally on 20 May 2002.

    • Constituent Assembly of East Timor, Constitution of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste (Government of Timor-Leste, 22 March 2002) link, preamble and s. 1(2), PDF pp. 9 and 11. Government perspective or primary official source Source record

Source note

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