Latest / The History of Portugal: The Small Nation That Built a Global Empire — Fexingo History / The Portuguese-Timorese Alliance and the Coup That Cost Portugal Its Last Asian Colony
Transcript
- Lucas: When people think of the Portuguese Empire leaving Asia, they usually think of Goa in 1961 or Macau in 1999. But there's one place that hung on longer than almost any other — and its story is often left out of the main narrative. Luna: East Timor, right? Lucas: Exactly. Timor-Leste. The half-island that Portugal first reached in the early 1500s, drawn by sandalwood — a precious aromatic wood that grew only in Timor and a few other islands. For centuries, sandalwood was the entire reason Portugal bothered with Timor at all. Lucas: The Portuguese didn't actually colonise Timor in the sixteenth century. They established a presence — a few traders, some Dominican missionaries — but they operated through local Timorese chiefs, the liurai. The island was divided into dozens of small kingdoms, and the Portuguese negotiated with them, sometimes with a mix of gifts and gunboats. Luna: Was there any Portuguese settlement at that point? Lucas: Not really. The first real Portuguese settlement was Lifau, on the north coast, founded around 1702. But even then, the colony was neglected. The Portuguese were far more interested in Goa, Macau, and Brazil. Timor was a backwater — a place for convicts and exiles. Lucas: What's striking is that a distinct Luso-Timorese culture developed anyway. The topasses — descendants of Portuguese soldiers and Timorese women — became a powerful intermediary group. They spoke a Creole Portuguese, wore Portuguese clothes, and often controlled the sandalwood trade themselves. Sometimes they even rebelled against Lisbon. Luna: So the empire was barely holding on there by the 1800s. Lucas: Exactly. By the mid-nineteenth century, Portugal's hold on Timor was so weak that the Dutch — who controlled the western half of the island — were encroaching constantly. It took a series of treaties in the early 1900s to fix the border. But even then, Portugal's grip on its half was fragile. There was no real infrastructure, little education, and the colonial administration was tiny — just a few dozen officials. Lucas: And this is the context for the Carnation Revolution of 1974. When the dictatorship in Portugal fell, the new government in Lisbon was suddenly confronted with a whole set of colonies it didn't know what to do with — including Timor. Luna: They had to decolonise quickly, but they didn't have a plan. Lucas: Exactly. In Timor, three main political groups emerged. The left-leaning FRETILIN wanted independence and social reform. The UDT initially wanted a gradual transition and continued ties with Portugal. And a small group, the APODETI, favoured integration with Indonesia. The result was a chaotic power struggle. Lucas: In August 1975, the UDT attempted a coup, and FRETILIN fought back. Within weeks, FRETILIN controlled most of the territory. They declared independence unilaterally on November 28, 1975. But Indonesia had been preparing an invasion for months — it saw an independent, left-leaning Timor as a threat. Luna: And that's when the story becomes really dark. Lucas: Yes. On December 7, 1975, Indonesian forces landed in Dili. They killed thousands in the first days. FRETILIN retreated to the mountains and fought a guerrilla war that lasted until 1999. The occupation killed over 100,000 Timorese — through direct violence, starvation, and forced displacement. Lucas: What's haunting is that Portugal essentially abandoned Timor at that moment. The Carnation Revolution government was in chaos itself. They had no military capability to intervene, and they didn't fight diplomatically very hard either. The Timorese who had stayed loyal to Portugal for centuries were left to face a brutal invasion alone. Luna: And the rest of the world just watched. Lucas: Pretty much. The Cold War context mattered — Indonesia was a US ally, and Australia saw Indonesia as a useful buffer. So there was almost no international pressure. The UN formally condemned the invasion, but that was it. Timor became the forgotten genocide. Lucas: Let me pause on that note. If you've been stepping into history with us episode by episode — about Portugal's empire, about the cost of neglect and the weight of forgotten loyalties — this might be the kind of independent, ad‑free space that matters to you. We keep Fexingo going entirely through listener support at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. No pressure, just a thought if you value the work. Luna: Yeah, it really helps us keep the archive open and the conversations alive. Lucas: So back to Timor — the occupation lasted 24 years. The resistance was led by FRETILIN and its armed wing, Falintil. One of its commanders was Xanana Gusmão, who later became the first president of independent Timor-Leste. The Timorese kept fighting, kept hoping that the world would remember them. Luna: And eventually, after the fall of Suharto in 1998, there was a UN‑supervised referendum. Lucas: Right. In August 1999, the Timorese voted overwhelmingly for independence. The result triggered a final wave of violence by pro‑Indonesia militias, but an international peacekeeping force intervened — this time with Australia leading. On May 20, 2002, Timor-Leste became independent. The last Portuguese territory in Asia had finally left the empire. Luna: But it came at an unimaginable cost. Lucas: Yes. And it raises a question that Portugal still grapples with: what does a former colonial power owe to the people it left behind? The Portuguese government has offered some aid and cooperation, but the wounds from 1975 — from the abandonment — still run deep. Many Timorese feel that Portugal could have done more, especially in the first years of the occupation. Lucas: Sandalwood, which once drew the Portuguese to Timor, is now mostly gone — overharvested. But the cultural traces remain. The Creole language, Tetum, is full of Portuguese words. The majority of Timorese are Catholic. And the flag of Timor-Leste includes a black star that echoes the Portuguese flag's armillary sphere. Luna: It's a complicated legacy. Lucas: Very. Portugal's last Asian colony was also its most tragic. Not because of what the Portuguese did there — though there was plenty of neglect and exploitation — but because of what happened when they left. The Carnation Revolution freed Portugal, but it abandoned Timor. Luna: And it's a story that still matters today, especially with the tensions in the region. Lucas: Absolutely. Next time, we'll look at Portugal's return to Asia in the 1990s — the handover of Macau and the new relationship with China. But for now, I think we've given Timor its due. Luna: I think so too. Thanks, Lucas. Lucas: Thanks, Luna. Until next time.