Independence
Independence of Timor-Leste, 2002
East Timor became an independent state as UN administration ended.
What happened
East Timor became an independent country on 20 May 2002, when UNTAET handed over to a UN support mission.[1] The new Constitution describes the day as the international recognition of the independence proclaimed on 28 November 1975.[2]
Sources for this page
Each number marks a specific claim. Notes give the source, its locator and how it relates to the claim.
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1.
Claim: East Timor became an independent country on 20 May 2002, when UNTAET was succeeded by a UN support mission.
- United Nations Department of Public Information, United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (mission page) (United Nations) link, summary. Source record
- Constituent Assembly of East Timor, Constitution of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste (Government of Timor-Leste, 22 March 2002) link, preamble, PDF p. 9. Government perspective or primary official source Source record
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2.
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