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Male |
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East Timor, Dili, Dili |
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Shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 1996 |
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http://www.ramos-horta.org |
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Brought about the end of a brutal occupation of his people through non-violent means. |
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East Timor was occupied by the Indonesian Army from 1975 to 1999. It was one of the most brutal occupations in history. One third of the Timorese population perished. Torture centers and disappearances were commonplace. Women were forcibly sterilized. Entire families and villages were wiped out.
As Indonesian warships were landing on his island, a 24 year old Ramos-Horta landed in New York and went to the US to plead the cause of his people. In exile for the next twenty four years, he became the international voice for a forgotten and dying people.
When he first arrived in New York, East Timor had virtually no allies. The entire West backed Indonesia. Ramos-Horta organized human rights networks, kept his country in the media, and tirelessly kept the issue on the UN floor. His efforts paid off in 1999, when the UN approved a referendum allowing the Timorese to vote for their future and attain self rule. The referendum was passed by 86%.
Upon the announcement of the referendum results, Indonesia-backed militia were unleashed across the country. 85% of the country's buildings were burned to the ground. The UN sent in peacekeeping forces to restore calm. In 1999 Ramos-Horta returned to the newly independent country, one of the nation's heroes, and worked with the UN to estabish the new, democratically elected government of East Timor.
A Nobel Peace Prize winner, today he serves as President of East Timor in the world's youngest country and newest democracy. In February of 2008 he survived an assassination attempt by a group of renegade soldiers in the country. The event was a profound shock to the people of East Timor, where he is one of the nation's heroes. He is currently recovering and is expected to return to the Presidency in April 2008.
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You cannot understand East Timor without spending the 70 minutes watching this outstanding documentary on the Indonesian occupation of East Timor by John PIlger. Made it 1993, before the country's independence.
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Jose Ramos-Horta Interview in New York, September 2007
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Now a President of East Timor, in 1999 Ramos-Horta represented the Timorese resistance forces in the struggle against Indonesian occupation. Here he appears on Charlie Rose in the lead up to the country's referendum on independence.
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News and updates on José Ramos-Horta and East Timor. ...
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