Australia–East Timor relations

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Australia–East Timor relations
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East Timor

Bilateral relations exist between Australia and East Timor. Both countries are near neighbors with close political and trade ties. East Timor, the youngest and one of the poorest countries in Asia, lies about 610 kilometres northwest of the Australian city of Darwin and Australia has played a prominent role in the young republic's history.

Contents

Australia led international support for East Timor during its first 10 years of independence, not only as the largest bilateral donor of development assistance, but also by providing a leadership role to ensure security and stability in the country. Australia also led the military force that helped stabilize the country after it gained independence from Indonesia in 1999 and it has been a major source of aid since. Since 2004, relations between the two countries have deteriorated as a result of the Australia–East Timor spying scandal.

History

Colonial period

Australian air minister James Fairbairn meeting with Portuguese officials in Dili in July 1939 James Fairbairn in Dili.png
Australian air minister James Fairbairn meeting with Portuguese officials in Dili in July 1939

In July 1939, Australian air minister James Fairbairn visited Portuguese Timor on behalf of the Menzies government to investigate the possibility of an air service between Dili and Darwin. Fairbairn obtained support from the colony's acting governor, although they faced a language barrier and had to negotiate partly in French. [1] On his return Fairbairn stated that an air service was necessary to prevent Australian oil concessions from being lost to the Japanese. [2] Fairbairn, a qualified pilot, flew to the island himself on a Lockheed Model 10 Electra chartered from Guinea Airways, departing from Darwin and returning on the same day. It has been suggested that his visit "was most notable for being the first time anyone had left the country, landed on foreign soil, and returned to Australia in a single day. [3] An agreement for the Darwin–Dili air service was signed in late 1940, following approval from the Portuguese government, and representatives from Australia's Department of Civil Aviation visited in January 1941 to conduct a survey of the aerodrome and proposed flying boat base. [4]

During World War II, Portuguese Timor was notionally neutral (in line with Portugal's neutrality), but was deemed of strategic importance and occupied by Australian and Dutch forces in December 1941 following the start of the Pacific War. Japanese forces occupied the territory in February 1942, but Australian soldiers remained present on the island for three years in the resulting Battle of Timor. [5]

Aviation official David Ross was appointed as Australia's first official representative in Portuguese Timor in 1941, [6] but did not obtain consular rank. [7] In October 1945, the Chifley government announced the establishment of an Australian consulate in Dili, [8] with Charles Eaton appointed as consul in January 1946. [9] Portuguese Timor's colonial governor Óscar Freire de Vasconcelos Ruas conducted an official visit to Australia in 1947, [10] while his successor César Maria de Serpa Rosa visited in 1951. [11]

Indonesian occupation

Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam told Indonesia that his government would not oppose an annexation of East Timor in 1975, [12] a decision that quickly proved controversial at home. In October 1975, Indonesian troops poured across East Timor's border with Indonesian West Timor at the town of Balibo. Among those killed by the advancing Indonesian troops were five Australia-based journalists, who came to be known as the Balibo Five. Many in Australia and elsewhere [13] were convinced that the murder of the unarmed reporters was intentional. [14] Australian support was criticised at times. Australia and Indonesia concluded several contracts about the boundary between Timor-Leste and Australia during occupation time, which is causing several quarrels between independent Timor-Leste and its bigger neighbour. [15]

Post-independence period

Australian soldiers participating in UN peacekeeping operations in East Timor East timor independence un2.jpg
Australian soldiers participating in UN peacekeeping operations in East Timor

Timor-Leste reachieved their independence on 20 May 2002, after 24 years occupation by Indonesia and three years of UN administration. The process of Timor-Leste independence began by a referendum arranged by United Nations, Indonesia and the former colonial power Portugal to choose between autonomy within Indonesia or independence. Eventually the Timor-Leste voted overwhelmingly for independence. [16] Australia led the INTERFET during the following 1999 East Timorese crisis to stop Indonesian militias and army attacking the East Timorese civilians, and to establish the UN administration.

Since 2002, Timor-Leste had begun as the first new sovereign nation of the 21st century. Australia's involvement with East Timor has deepened since independence, especially after the internal conflict in 2006 and the sending of Australian peacekeepers.

Embassy and consulates

Australia's embassy in Timor-Leste is located in Dili, and Timor-Leste maintains an embassy in Canberra. [17]

East Timor also has consulates in every state of Australia; most of these positions are filled by honorary consuls. [18]

High-level visits

There have been numerous high-level visits between Australia and Timor-Leste:

Military

Australian Defence Force units arrived in East Timor in 1999 to quell the rioting, disorder and low-level fighting created by the Indonesian military's scorched earth campaign as it withdrew from its former possession in 1999. [19] Australia led the INTERFET operation in 1999, and provided substantial forces to the subsequent United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor and its successor operations. Australia also landed combat troops in the country in 2006 to quell ethnic fighting that involved East Timorese police and soldiers. [20] The last Australian peacekeeping forces left Timor-Leste in December 2012.

The Timor Leste Defence Force has received assistance with training, advice and other forms of support from the Australian Defence Force since 2001 as part of Australia's Defence Cooperation Program. As of 2015, 25 Australian military personnel were stationed in East Timor to deliver this assistance. [21] [22]

Economic and trade relations

In 2013–2014, Timor-Leste ranked as Australia's 118th largest goods trading partner, with total merchandise trade valued at $24 Million [23] Australia and Timor-Leste had been on an international cooperation in agriculture with Timor-Leste's largest agriculture export is Coffee. Other potential agricultural crops are vanilla, spices, candle-nut and palm oil. [23]

Monthly value of Australian merchandise exports to East Timor (A$ millions) since 2002 ABS-5368.0-InternationalTradeInGoodsServicesAustralia-MerchandiseExportsCountryCountryGroupsFobValue-EastTimorDemRep-A1829052T.svg
Monthly value of Australian merchandise exports to East Timor (A$ millions) since 2002

Oil disputes

Demonstration against Australia Dec. 2013 Oil demo Timor 2013.JPG
Demonstration against Australia Dec. 2013
Over ten thousand Timorese demonstrated in 2016 at the Australian embassy in Dili Demostrasaun.JPG
Over ten thousand Timorese demonstrated in 2016 at the Australian embassy in Dili

Large oil and gas reserves lie in the sea between the two countries in an area known as the Timor Gap. Territorial disputes over control of this resource, which some geologists estimate could pump over $10 billion of oil and gas, have coloured diplomacy with East Timor, both when it was an Indonesian possession and since. Australia broke with many of its allies and recognised Indonesia's annexation of East Timor in 1976 in what was widely seen by analysts at the time as a quid pro quo for a treaty favourable to Australia involving oil and gas exploration in the area. Since East Timor's independence, disputes over the split Dili would receive when the resource was finally developed have been an occasional strain on otherwise close relations. [24]

It was revealed in 2013 that the Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS) planted listening devices to listen to the East Timorese government during negotiations over the Greater Sunrise oil and gas fields. [25] In the aftermath of the Australia–East Timor spying scandal, East Timor launched a case at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague to pull out of the gas treaty it had signed with Australia accusing the latter of having its intelligence agency, the Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS), bug the East Timorese cabinet room in Dili in 2004. [26]

On 3 March 2014, in response to an East Timorese request for an indication of provisional measures, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered Australia not to interfere with communications between East Timor and its legal advisors in the arbitral proceedings and related matters. [27]

New negotiations about the maritime boundary began in 2014. [28] Both parties signed a revised agreement in March 2018, ending the long-running dispute. In addition to demarcating maritime borders, the agreement guarantees 70-80% of revenue to East Timor and 20-30% of revenue to Australia depending on where gas is piped. [29]

Timor Sea maritime arrangements

Graffiti on the wall of Australian embassy in Dili (2014) Timor Oil Graffiti.jpg
Graffiti on the wall of Australian embassy in Dili (2014)

Currently Australia and Timor-Leste have three agreements regarding maritime arrangements with Timor Sea. The Timor Sea Treaty between The government of East Timor and the government of Australia which took place in Dili, 20 May 2001, and came into force on 2 April 2003. This treaty is for a joint exploration, development and exploitation of the petroleum resources from the Joint Petroleum Development Area (JPDA).[ citation needed ]

Treaty on a Maritime Arrangement in the Timor Sea between Australia and the democratic arrangement in the Timor Sea was signed in Sydney on 12 January 2006 and came into force on 23 February 2007. This treaty provides for an equally shared revenue derived from the production of petroleum. [30]

International Unitization Agreement for Greater Sunrise is an agreement between Australia and the Government of Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste relating to the unitization of the sunrise troubadour fields. This agreement regarding the exploitation of the Sunrise and Troubadour petroleum and gas fields in Timor Sea that known as the Greater Sunrise.

Aid

Australia has been the biggest development partner with Timor-Leste, where Timor-Leste is one of the poorest nations, ranking 147 out of 187 countries in the UN Human Development Index. [31] In the decade of 2000–2010, Australia was scheduled to have provided around A$760 million in direct aid to East Timor. [32] In 2010, East Timor President José Ramos-Horta said that 10 years of foreign aid, including from Australia, had "had no impact on transforming the lives of the people" [32] In 2013–14, the estimated annual aid budget from Australia to East Timor was A$106 million. [33]

Both countries shared the Timor-Leste – Australia Strategic Planning Agreement for Development (2011), where both countries work together, in close cooperation, to improve the lives of all citizens of Timor-Leste and in so doing strengthen the bonds between our two peoples and countries. [31] This agreement is based on priorities taken directly from Timor-Leste's Strategic development Plan 2012 – 2030, include on economic development, infrastructure development, social capital, and institution framework [34]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of East Timor</span>

East Timor, officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. The country comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor and the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco. The first inhabitants are thought to be descendant of Australoid and Melanesian peoples. The Portuguese began to trade with Timor by the early 16th century and colonised it throughout the mid-century. Skirmishing with the Dutch in the region eventually resulted in an 1859 treaty for which Portugal ceded the western half of the island. Imperial Japan occupied East Timor during World War II, but Portugal resumed colonial authority after the Japanese surrender.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Economy of East Timor</span>

The economy of Timor-Leste is a low-income economy as ranked by the World Bank. It is placed 140th on the Human Development Index, indicating a medium level of human development. 20% of the population is unemployed, and 52.9% live on less than $1.25 a day. About half of the population is illiterate. At 27%, East Timor's urbanisation rate is one of the lowest in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Balibo</span> Town in Bobonaro, East Timor

Balibo is a town in East Timor situated approximately 10 kilometres from the Indonesian border. It is located in the sub-district of Balibo, Bobonaro District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timor Gap</span> Area of the Timor Sea between Australia and Timor Island

The Timor Gap is an area of the Timor Sea between Australia and Timor Island. The island is divided between independent East Timor and West Timor province of Indonesia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timor Gap Treaty</span> Treaty between Australia and Indonesia

The Timor Gap Treaty was formally known as the Treaty between Australia and the Republic of Indonesia on the zone of cooperation in an area between the Indonesian province of East Timor and Northern Australia. It was a bilateral treaty between the governments of Australia and Indonesia, which provided for the joint exploitation of petroleum and hydrocarbon resources in a part of the Timor Sea Seabed. The treaty was signed on 11 December 1989 and came into force on 9 February 1991. The signatories to the treaty were then Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Gareth Evans and then Indonesian Foreign Minister Ali Alatas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timor Sea Treaty</span> 2002 geopolitical agreement

Formally known as the Timor Sea Treaty between the Government of East Timor and the Government of Australia was signed between Australia and East Timor in Dili, East Timor on 20 May 2002, the day East Timor attained its independence from United Nations rule, for joint petroleum exploration of the Timor Sea by the two countries. The signatories of the treaty were then Australian prime minister John Howard and his East Timorese counterpart at that time Mari Alkatiri.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Timor</span> Country in Southeast Asia

East Timor, also known as Timor-Leste, officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is a country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the exclave of Oecusse on the island's north-western half, and the minor islands of Atauro and Jaco. The western half of the island of Timor is administered by Indonesia. Australia is the country's southern neighbour, separated by the Timor Sea. The country's size is 14,950 square kilometres (5,770 sq mi). Dili, on the north coast of Timor, is its capital and largest city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Treaty on Certain Maritime Arrangements in the Timor Sea</span>

Officially called the Treaty between Australia and the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste on Certain Maritime Arrangements in the Timor Sea (CMATS), the treaty provides for the equal distribution of revenue derived from the disputed Greater Sunrise oil and gas field between Australia and East Timor. The field is located in the Timor Gap where Australia and East Timor have overlapping claims over the continental shelf or seabed. Prior to the treaty, East Timor would only have received about 18% of the revenue from the field.

This agreement is officially known as the Agreement between the Government of Australia and the Government of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste relating to the Unitisation of the Sunrise and Troubadour Fields.

The East Timor and Indonesia Action Network (ETAN) is a nonprofit US organization supporting human rights throughout Southeast Asia and Oceania. ETAN was founded in 1991 to support the right to self-determination of Timor-Leste. In 1999, that goal was significantly realized when the people of East Timor voted for independence. Since then ETAN has focused on building on its success in support of justice and self-determination in Timor-Leste and the surrounding region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Timor–Portugal relations</span> Bilateral relations

East Timor–Portugal relations are foreign relations between Portugal and East Timor. Timor Leste has an embassy in Lisbon whilst Portugal has an embassy in Dili. East Timor was a colony of Portugal for over 400 years. Both countries belong to the Community of Portuguese Language Countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Timor–Indonesia relations</span> Bilateral relations

East Timor and Indonesia established diplomatic relations in 2002. Both share the island of Timor. Indonesia invaded the former Portuguese colony in 1975 and annexed East Timor in 1976, maintaining East Timor as its 27th province until a United Nations-sponsored referendum in 1999, in which the people of East Timor chose independence. Following a United Nations interim administration, East Timor gained independence in 2002. Indonesia already had a consulate in Dili during the Portuguese colonial period, though Indonesia formalized their relations by establishing an embassy in Dili. Since October 2002, East Timor has an embassy in Jakarta and consulates in Denpasar and Kupang. Relations between the two countries are generally considered highly positive, despite various problems. Numerous agreements regulate cooperation in different areas. East Timorese are visa-free in Indonesia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">China–East Timor relations</span> Bilateral relations

China-East Timor relations were established shortly following East Timor's independence on May 20, 2002. However, China had established a representative office in Dili in 2000, when it was still under United Nations administration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australia–East Timor spying scandal</span> 2004 bugging of East Timor PMs office

The Australia–East Timor spying scandal began in 2004 when the Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS) clandestinely planted covert listening devices in a room adjacent to the East Timor (Timor-Leste) Prime Minister's Office at Dili, to obtain information in order to ensure Australia held the upper hand in negotiations with East Timor over the rich oil and gas fields in the Timor Gap. Even though the East Timor government was unaware of the espionage operation undertaken by Australia, negotiations were hostile. The first Prime Minister of East Timor, Mari Alkatiri, bluntly accused the Howard government of plundering the oil and gas in the Timor Sea, stating:

"Timor-Leste loses $1 million a day due to Australia's unlawful exploitation of resources in the disputed area. Timor-Leste cannot be deprived of its rights or territory because of a crime."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Timor–India relations</span> Bilateral relations

East Timor–India relations are the international relations that exist between East Timor and India. The Embassy of India in Jakarta, Indonesia is concurrently accredited to East Timor. East Timor has no diplomatic representation in India. On 7 September 2023, India has announced to open an embassy in Dili.

Australia–Indonesia Security Agreements are any official treaties signed by both the Australian and Indonesian Governments that concern such issues as security cooperation, defense and military involving both nations. Since 1995, five official agreements have been signed: the 1995 Agreements, the 2006 Lombok Treaty, two Defence Cooperation Agreements relating to the Lombok Treaty, and the 2014 Joint Understanding on Security.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hernâni Coelho</span> East Timorese politician and diplomat

Hernâni Filomena Maria Coelho da Silva, also known by his nom de guerreNatan, is an East Timorese politician and diplomat, and a member of the Fretilin political party. He has been the East Timorese Ambassador to both Australia and South Korea. Between February 2015 and September 2017, he was Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, and from October 2017 to June 2018 he was Minister of Petroleum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Government Palace, Dili</span> Official workplace of the prime minister and Constitutional Government of East Timor

The Government Palace in Dili, the capital city of East Timor, is the official workplace of the prime minister and Constitutional Government of East Timor. In the final stages of the Portuguese colonial era, it was known as the Official Palace, and was the office of the colonial governor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Provisional Government of East Timor</span>

The Provisional Government of East Timor (PGET),, was an Indonesian supported puppet provisional government in present day East Timor that was formed on 17 December 1975 following the Indonesian invasion of East Timor and disbanded on 17 July 1976 when the region was annexed by Indonesia as the province of Timor Timur.

References

  1. ↑ Hazlehurst, Cameron (2013). Ten Journeys to Cameron's Farm: An Australian Tragedy. ANU Press. p. 340. ISBN   9781925021011.
  2. ↑ "Oil in Timor: Australian Concessions in Danger". The Sydney Morning Herald. 22 July 1939.
  3. ↑ Hazlehurst 2013, p. 341.
  4. ↑ "Darwin-Dilli Air Service". The Sydney Morning Herald. 4 January 1941.
  5. ↑ Fahey, Andrea (2016). "Portuguese Timor and Second World War: conflicting narratives on common heritage". Veritas. 4 (3).
  6. ↑ "Japanese Plan Big Air Network". The Newcastle Sun. 27 May 1941.
  7. ↑ "Australia's Timor Moves". The Daily Telegraph. 24 November 1941.
  8. ↑ "Australian Consul for Portuguese Timor". News. Adelaide. 12 October 1945.
  9. ↑ "Australian Consul to Portuguese Timor". Daily Mirror. Sydney. 25 January 1946.
  10. ↑ "Governor of Timor Here". The Sydney Morning Herald. 13 June 1947.
  11. ↑ "Visit By Governor of Portuguese Timor". The Advertiser. Adelaide. 11 April 1951.
  12. ↑ "Whitlam reveals his East Timor policy". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 6 December 1999. Archived from the original on 27 November 2014.
  13. ↑ "IPI seeks fresh investigation into 1975 and 1999 cases of killed journalists – IFEX". Archived from the original on 9 March 2007. Retrieved 15 April 2009.
  14. ↑ Nurbati, Ati (9 February 2001). "Balibo killings: Beginnings of impunity?". The Jakarta Post. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016.
  15. ↑ "Timor Sea Justice Campaign – Introduction". Archived from the original on 6 September 2014. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
  16. ↑ Frédéric Durand: Three centuries of violence and struggle in East Timor (1726–2008), Online Encyclopedia of Mass Violence
  17. ↑ "Timor-Leste". Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  18. ↑ "Timor-Leste". Foreign embassies and consulates in Australia. Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Archived from the original on 2 June 2016. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  19. ↑ Scorched Earth, Far Eastern Economic Review, John McBeth and Dan Murphy, 16 September 1999, pp. 10–14
  20. ↑ Australian forces intervene to halt fighting in East Timor | New York Times, Jane Perlez, 26 May 2006
  21. ↑ "Defence Cooperation Program (DCP): Timor-Leste". Nautilus Institute. 19 December 2011. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  22. ↑ McPhedran, Ian (25 June 2015). "Australian troops in East Timor unable to travel more than an hour by road from Dili". news.com.au. News Corp Australia. Archived from the original on 13 December 2015. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  23. 1 2 Department of Foreign Affair and Trade – Australia Government http://www.dfat.gov.au/geo/timor-leste/timor-leste-brief.html Archived 4 March 2023 at the Wayback Machine
  24. ↑ Marks, Kathy (3 June 2004). "Australia casts a shadow over East Timor's future". The Independent. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
  25. ↑ "Timor-Leste activists 'shocked' by Australia's prosecution of spy Witness K and lawyer". The Guardian. 21 July 2018.
  26. ↑ Australian Broadcasting Corporation (5 December 2013). "East Timor spying case: PM Xanana Gusmao calls for Australia to explain itself over ASIO raids". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 12 April 2016.
  27. ↑ Questions relating to the Seizure and Detention of Certain Documents and Data (Timor-Leste v. Australia), Request for the Indication of Provisional Measures, 3 March 2014, para 55, part 3 of the operative part.
  28. ↑ Allard, Tom (28 October 2014). "Australia and East Timor restart talks on maritime boundary". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on 23 April 2015.
  29. ↑ Burton, Melanie (29 July 2019). "Australia ratifies maritime boundaries with East Timor". Reuters. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  30. ↑ "TREATY BETWEEN AUSTRALIA AND THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF TIMOR-LESTE ON CERTAIN MARITIME ARRANGEMENTS IN THE TIMOR SEA (Sydney, 12 January 2006) [2007] ATS 12".
  31. 1 2 Department of Foreign Affair and Trade – Australia Government "Strategic Planning Agreement for Development between the Government of Timor-Leste and the Government of Australia". Archived from the original on 12 October 2014. Retrieved 8 October 2014.
  32. 1 2 Oakes, Dan (24 June 2010). "New aid strategy to help East Timor". The Age. Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on 27 August 2015.
  33. ↑ Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Timor-Leste:Overview of Australia's aid program to Timor-Leste, Australian Government, archived from the original on 10 January 2015
  34. ↑ Timor-Leste – Australia Strategic Planning Agreement

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