<Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> <P> East Timor is a country in Southeast Asia, officially known as Democratic Republic of Timor - Leste . 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 . </P> <P> East Timor declared itself independent from Portugal on 28 November 1975, but was invaded by neighbouring Indonesia nine days later . The country was later incorporated as a province of Indonesia afterwards . During the subsequent two - decade occupation, a campaign of pacification ensued . Although Indonesia did make substantial investment in infrastructures during its occupation in East Timor, dissatisfaction remained widespread . Between 1975 and 1999, there were an estimated about 102,800 conflict - related deaths (approximately 18,600 killings and 84,200' excess' deaths from hunger and illness), the majority of which occurred during the Indonesian occupation . </P> <P> On 30 August 1999, in a UN-sponsored referendum, an overwhelming majority of East Timorese voted for independence from Indonesia . Immediately following the referendum, anti-independence Timorese militias--organised and supported by the Indonesian military--commenced a punitive scorched - earth campaign . The militias killed approximately 1,400 Timorese and forcibly pushed 300,000 people into West Timor as refugees . The majority of the country's infrastructure was destroyed during this punitive attack . On 20 September 1999, the International Force for East Timor (INTERFET) was deployed to the country and brought the violence to an end . Following a United Nations - administered transition period, East Timor was internationally recognised as an independent nation on 20 May 2002 . </P>

East timor was once a part of what country