East Timor Independence
East Timor became the first new sovereign state of the 21st century on May 20, 2002, after a UN-administered transition period following its 1999 independence referendum. The referendum — in which 78.5% voted for independence — was followed by a violent rampage by Indonesian-backed militias that killed 1,400 people and destroyed much of the territory's infrastructure before Australian-led UN peacekeepers intervened. East Timor (Timor-Leste) emerged as one of Asia's poorest nations, heavily dependent on oil revenues.
- Year: 2002 CE
- Category: Political
