Cry for freedom: West Papuan students in Jakarta protesting against racism while calling for independence for their region. – AP
ALMOST no one, including Dili Catholic Bishop Carlos Felipe Ximenes Belo and independence fighter Kay Rale Xanana Gusmao, thought their homeland of East Timor could gain independence in such a short time.
While they considered the special autonomy or limited self-governance that Jakarta had offered in January 1999, Indonesia’s third president BJ Habibie gave East Timor the option of breaking free.
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