4W8X Team will be active from Timor Leste, IOTA OC - 148, in November 2023.
They will operate 160 - 6m, CW, SSB, FT8 including activity in CQ WW DX CW Contest, 25 - 26 November 2023 in Multi Multi Category.
Recent DX Spots 4W8X
4W8X Log search They will operate also EME on 144, 432, 1296 mHz.
QSL via DJ4MX.
4W8X Timor Leste News 22 November 2023
Propagation was not good. No US on CW but terrible crashes from thunderstorms between Singapore and Tarawa.
The complete north was a thunderstorm.
Took my free time what actually was adicted to sleep to improve US beverage. It was extended in length and converted into a two wire beverage also to cover backside to Indian Ocean.
Had to pay the price for extra sunshine and had to take some sleep in the evening, so missed the US time.
As soon as I was away the station was hijacked by the FT-lovers to play their computer games.
Spots show that computer cannot work US better as humans during thunderstorm crashes, so most contacts were loud JAs and US stations we already worked in CW.
I feel like the last person on earth fighting for the CW mode on topband. However FT lovers were not seen when it came to put out the beverages, look for the noise source near the property or to reconstruct the beverages far away during hours and hours of hard labour.
Originally it was planned to have another 160m antenna on second location but nobody wanted to do the work - is is so much easier to take over a good working CW station when the lonely after many nights tired person is away for a while.
Band was closed most parts of the night but a few loud JAs (mostly dupes) called in. At sunrise we had a short opening starting with G4AMT followed by I3, ON, EI, DL, HB9 and then the sun was up and the band was dead again. These are the moments I like so much to do the real top band DX what you can hear and feel - and good to know lot of the person behind the call.
Artificial intelligence just clicks the contact and goes ahead - obviously our future :-)
OK - lets bring this DXpedition to an end and this will be my last entry in this group or in any other group mostly addicted to the FT modes.
73 Dietmar DL3DXX/4W8X
4W8X Timor Leste News 20 November 2023 Part 2
Last night I thought it was the most worst night of the DXped but this night topped it.
Made only about 30 CW QSOs and OE2VEL worked a few in FT8 but mostly stations we already had worked in CW.
Actually the night started good with two times VE7 and W6 just after sunset, sorry was few minutes late to work KP4AA because dinner came too late. Worked N4WW with good signal but later signals dropped down.
I see it when VE6WZ skimmer signal strength falls below 10dB it is pretty hard to hear anybody here in the tropic noise.
Complete night we had terrible QRN from nearby thunderstorm causing s9 crashes all the time. There was almost no sunrise peak so all the callers remained in the noise.
It only can become better. Still some time to continue
73 Dietmar DL3DXX/4W8X
4W8X Timor Leste News 20 November 2023
Club Log information should be OK now. From now on please regard the "Livestream" as EXPERIMENTAL. Do not rely 100% on what is displayed there. We are implenting new network infrastructure tomorrow. Once LAN and WAN connections are working reliably and we have synchronous logs locally, we shall regularly send updates to Club Log (manually) several times per day. Please be patient. Only when you don't see a contact online after 24 hours, please report over the contact form on our website. Many thanks for your understanding, and sorry for the hazzle. It was hard work here to fix those log problems.
4W8X Timor Leste News 18 November 2023
Some ADIF export/import was going wild during Club Log uploads over the past days. A great number of dupes were imported as additional contacts, and now the statistics information is wrong. We'll try to fix this problem, while we are still here. Today, the first 50 MHz EME contact was made. High line noise makes RX difficult. Probably we'll have to relocate the antenna.
4W8X
4W8X Timor Leste News 17 November 2023 Part 2
Hi topbanders
another interesting night is over. Band opened late. I had been there before sunset already and heard AA7JV/mm with weak CQ. Skimmers did not pick me up long time. Night started slow.
Yesterday we again had rain showers coming over the mountains from the south. Rain brings QRN and crashes. Very difficult copy so most of the weak W4s and 5s were call sign guessing.
Sometimes I only missed one letter but the crash always happened at the wrong moment - again and again.
VE6WZ skimmer picked me up before WA7LNW. After W4s some W5s followed, nothing heard from 8,9 area.
After 13z again the band seemed to close but shortly extreme loud W7s called and I worked some of the VE5, 6, 7 and VY0SS. Missed KL7 heard pfx but unable to get the suffix.
After west coast had closed worked our Lagunaria team leader DL1MGB from DK6WL station at his sunset.
Later the band closed completely - not a single signal heard anymore.
Read complains about bad RX in cluster, so checked the beverages. I even took a light and made the
500 meters through the bushes during night to visit the EU beverage.
I think (hope) there are no bad animals out there in the bush. If they exist they did not expect me running through in the night. Could not find anything wrong with beverage but 80m also complained that the band is totally empty. Turned the radio down to a radio station at 1611. I checked all beverages, changed the pre-amplifier and proved the wiring - all OK so far.
Slowly the band got back into life. Started with OH, went over the north to OZ, GM and back through ON to Northern DL. Moved down south to East Germany, short detected by DF2CK skimmer and then westward to Frankfurt area. Worked a bigger number of DLs. It was not bad habit only to work DLs the propagation was just there. Finally propagation switched to ON, later to F and ended up in EA3.
15 minutes after sunset the band faded here. Heard stations still calling but deep in the noise.
When it comes to the RX capabilities, dont forget that we are here at 8 degrees south in the center of the thunderstorm area. You are up in the north in clear winter time with mostly excellent receiving (if you are not QRMd by city/village). Its much easier to listen to my signal for you than listening for you where dozen of stations calling without stop in the noise all together on one QRG.
You increase your chances if you move away from crowded frequencies.
Thats for now, hope more such productive night will follow. There is still a lot of folks without 160m QSO
73 Dietmar DL3DXX/4W8X
4W8X Timor Leste News 17 November 2023
We were in trouble deep as - until a few hours ago - we didn't have a network connection between our two sites. The 500m Fiber Optics cable which we brought was obviously damaged while it was laid out. Only today we got a 5 GHz WiFi bridge link up and running. Many contacts of the last days were not correctly uploaded to Club Log, but - by now - we have made a full upload of our log. If you still don't see your contact(s) on Club Log RIGHT NOW, please use the web form on our homepage and let us know. For the coming days full operation of up to 12 signals at the same time (plus EME) can be expected.
4W8X.
4W8X Timor Leste News 15 November 2023
Next 4W8X Timor Leste report
some 4W8X team members were unhappy with topband results and with continuous bad propagation the pressure to me to accept working FT8 has been getting immense. We had a serious discussion about so I gave up finally and let the daemon out of the box of Pandora.
FT mode in equatorial noise seems not to be the big game changer. Some new stations came into the log, even some US we did not have before but I would say most of the stations showed up in that mode we had already worked in CW. Lot of Japan.
Our different point of view concerning resulted in a stop of 160m operation around 12z.
The violent discussion ended with the decission to continue in CW but to allow FT8 if no CW contacts are possible for a while. Sorry that we missed some US that way.
Well, we now have data we can analyze later to see what FT mode can and what not.
Propagation to US have been even better as the day before. THe evening started with a heavy 30min rain shower setting the property under water. Short after sunset the band was open to all over US with the exception of the North East.
After 13z the band faded and again we were able to see it in reversebeacon.net checking wa7lnw. new spotter ka7oei and once w6yx added to the list.
Almost no US west coast although I believed in advance that would be the easier path to US. If you west coast ops stand up at your sunrise you will miss that country.
During night wind brought huge waves from the ocean. The 160m matchbox got under water and started arcing, so operation had to be stopped. Fortunately the Titanex vertical itself resisted the waves so operation was continued.
I felt, that the big man ruling the propagation must have been unhappy about FT operation :-)
However Europe propagation is the big problem of the last few days. Almost no skimmer spots from Europe, just some deserving callers continued to call us night after night.
Hope for the big improvement of propagation.
73 more later
DL3DXX/4W8X
4W8X Timor Leste News 14 November 2023
This is Dietmar DL3DXX, the lonely topband operator from Timor Leste.
station situaton:
Lauhata beach about 20 miles west of Dili, village with several thousand people no industry, no agriculture, some fishing and living what the tourists spend at the beach.
QTH for hamradio is more or less OK, but not enough space for 80m 4-square.
27m high Titanex vertical direct at the beach, today at spring tide the water reached the food point but not the feeding box and not the feeding, so close enough to sea to work.
48 ground radials attached, SWR 1:1.2 at 1826. 250m low loss cable to reach the shack.
4 beverages about 180m long hitten by domestic helpers with machetes into the jungle
4 days hard labour, with heat up to 48C, wild bee´s, aggressive ants and all the dangerous stuff, you find in jungle. Nothing for sissies.
NE to EU - almost clear, noise level 160m abt s5 SE reverse direction EU - some noise level at s6 NE direct path tu US - some line noise around S6 SW reverse direction to US beverage, clear but not much heard so far (2x VK6 s9 loud)
On Vertical the noise is s9+10 with 300Hz filter in CW. Tried first night without RX ants because beverages were not ready but it was hopeless.
We are running about double output what is allowed in US and most parts of the world.
We brought own bigh Diesel generator to feed up to ten stations with amplifiers.
Thatswhy you may hear us much better as we hear you.
How to work 4W8 on low bands:
We are aware that from this location we are crocodiles with no ears. The last 3 nights rain showers came over from the south and the mountains in the background south are full of clouds and rain. The rain here covers lot of electricity, even withoug lightnings electrical discharge makes ist almost impossible to hear weak signals.
There is not much we can do else
- switching off ?
- changing to FT8 ?
FT this is not my world, but maybe someone will try when I cannot do anymore QSOs I like the difficulties and challenges, thatswhy I am here. I like sitting all nights at the radio listening into the noise. Will not miss it at all!
I know you girls and guys want a contact and you are trying for hours, as well, as I do every night.
Signals must jump over a decent point that I can hear you. If I am weak you can stop calling.
I never will hear you. If my signal comes up try again. QSB is incredible. Signals comes up out of the noise for seconds and are back in the noise seconds later. If I dont get the call in the first try seldom there is a second chance to complete call.
Propagation is unpredictable, yesterday the band opened suddenly into US W4 and 5 and so it closes.
You have to watch all night long to make sure you are there at the right moment.
I cannot assure we can make the QSO with you. All I can is to assure, that I am there when the propagagion is there. In case you make it it will be a hard deserved contact made after nights of pain and difficulties, but it will be one of the contacts MADE IN A LIVETIME you will remember for years.
Thatswhy I still believe in traditional CW operation with all its pain but also highlights.
FT stuff is just switching on the software on and looking the next morning if the robot have make the magic contact. You may agree or not - but this is my view.
Here just some notes I send to W4ZV about last night traffic:
It started suddenly with WT1L clear like a bell, then K5RK, N5KD, KY7M, K5VMM (took a while to got his call) K8PT easy QSO, W9OO, K5PI then I think KV0Q (not sure if he confirmed but logged him anyway - will see) W4NU, K4PI, N7TY, N6JV, W9AJ, then a K7??X, maybe K7SCX what I logged but deep in noise, K7ZV, WF4U easy copy, N0CWR, W5XO, W5IO (I think), W5IZ, K5RT, K0KX ?? not sure . All I heard was K0?X.
Found out it was K0XP after I had logged it wrong - corrected.
Last US W3YX (QRZ.COM says PA?), so call is wrong or he transmitted from somewhere else.
I missed a few, I think W5XX was calling and it took me almost 10 minutes to get his call, but suddenly found out it was a weak DS3EXX who was a dupe so I lost the W5:-(( I also was called by a W??DXX and having the same suffix I tryed so hard to get his call but unfortunately could not.
I am aware that hundreds were calling and some called me deaf and having no RX. I know that from this location it is tough copy. NA came up and down, you can see it nicely looking at the reversebeacon network, filter for call 4W8X on 160m hrd by WA7LNW. With signal strength above 10dB I am able to hear some NA, so this will be a good indicator if it is worth to try.
About 50 more JAs were logged in the time without US.
Most of them we not even have worked on 80 and 40m so I wonder what antenna and power they used :-)
After 13z the band closed before sunrise in W6, W7 without any QSO, so I looked at the skimmers, only spotted in JA with 4..5 dB is not good to work anybody.
Now sitting here on an totally empty band. 80m is not much better. It only can become better, just some more days here until we leave at Dec 7.
Rest of the night worked about a dozen of Qs.
In my understandig we will leave 160m station as the last station to operate from and remove it at the last ever moment.
This was an emotionally night, I will not forget for long time.
Maybe FT robot would have contacted more, but robots have zero emotions, they only contact and they dont care about dupes or what stations they contact. They have no relations to the person behind the call, just a lifeless piece of silicon and software.
Thats for now, more to come later
73 DL3DXX
4W8X Timor Leste News 12 November 2023
4W8X Update: Today at Sunday, 12-Nov, the rest of the team will arrive on site. We still have antennas to set up, but we can afford more hours of operation right now. Internet is very bad, and the Fiber Optics link between our two locations doesn't work, though the 500m cable was tested OK before shipping. Thus, we have problems with Club Log. Hope to see you all in the log soon!
4W8X Timor Leste News 11 November 2023
4W8X is running full on 160m
TX antenna is titanex with 50 radials very close to sea which sems to performing very well
All bev are up, unfortunately they have some noise on them ... searching for the source in moment.
DL3DXX who is doing mostly 160m CW is aware that he had good signal and some RX issues, NA Bev (S6-7 noise level) In moment they have as well many callers from JA´s and now twith JA bev he think they can be worked much faster.
There will be later easier to work other week signals
Also condx every they are different, he said....still trying to figure some patterns.
They will be there every night trying to focus on NA and EU also SA as much as possible!
Also of he calls 3UP or Dwn feel free to call a bit of freq he is permanently tunning around.
Calling zero beat doesn´t help much
73s
De E77DX
Braco
4W8X Timor Leste News 7 November 2023
4W8X hit the airwaves on 07-Nov-2023 11:52z with UW5ZM being the first QSO. Please use the 4W8X Club Log Livestream to follow our log. Station setup is still under construction, but we wanted to make a burn-in test for the things which we have already put up in the last two days. We will have three operating rooms with four radio setups each. The first room has been completely set up today, the second room and more antennas will come tomorrow. After completing the setup in our main QTH, we will do the setup in our second QTH, 500m away. We hope to finish the whole setup by Friday night local time. Then we can switch over to 24/7 shifts. TODAY, and until Friday, we will only be on the air after our local sunset, when we can't continue outdoor work.
4W8X.
4W8X Timor Leste News 4 November 2023
Today, Friday, 03-Nov-2023, the first group of 8 4W8X team members has started travelling from Europe in the morning. After stopovers in Bahrein and Singapore, our arrival in Timor-Leste is scheduled for Sunday, 05-Nov-2023, 07:30 local time.
Focus of the first days, of course, is building up the station. After local sunsets we'll do some limited operation, however all team members need sleep to be fresh for the next morning. By Sunday, 12-Nov-2023, all other team members will have arrived on-site. We will finish the setup and start operating 24/7 in shifts.
4W8X Timor Leste News 10 October 2023
4W8X - East Timor
News #17 - 10 October 2023
Highlighting today: 4W8X in Digital Modes (RTTY, FT4, FT8) Most of the 4W8X operators are focused on the classic modes CW and SSB, with RTTY ranking #3. In RTTY you will find us on typical frequencies. We'll also take part in the WAEDC RTTY Contest on November 11-12, 2023. When the RTTY pile-up grows too big, we'll operate SPLIT (!).
Regarding FT4 and FT8 we are in a somewhat difficult situation. However we want to deliver a good show in those modes, too. We'll use MSHV software with multiple streams a few kHz up from the regular FT4/FT8 frequencies. Please follow DX Cluster to find out where we transmit. You can use your normal FT4/FT8 software and settings. Just QSY your transceiver to our announced base frequency.
Please bear with us! Our team has the combined experience of several millions of classic CW/SSB/RTTY QSOs, but we still have to get accustomed to Digimode operating from the DX side. We've understood about the menus and filters within MSHV, and we'll give special attention to weak signals and distant/difficult areas like Africa, South America and the US/Canada East Coast, but it may require a learning curve...
4W8X Timor Leste News 26 September 2023
4W8X News #16 - 26 September 2023
Highlighting today: EME operation on the VHF bands 4W8X also wants to make the VHF moon guys happy: We have a 3.0m foldable dish in the container which can be used on 432 MHz and 1296 MHz, two long Yagis for 144 MHz, and a 7-ele OWA Yagi for 50 MHz, plus the necessary amps and preamps. Our moon OP is Sebastian, DG5CST.
The coastline at our location (PI21QK) doesn't quite cooperate in the beginning. In the first days, we can see the moon only after a while when it comes up (and goes down) over the in-land hills. But in the second half of the operation we should have a clear shot over the ocean right in the directions of moonrise and moonset. For comments or questions about 4W8X and EME, please use the contact form on our website.
4W8X Timor Leste News 30 August 2023
Highlighting today: Working North America and South America During our 4W1A scouting trip in April we experienced how easy it is to work into Europe and Asia, but how difficult it is to reach North America and South America. Signals from/to to the Northern US/Canada East Coast and a large part of South America must pass through the respective polar regions. It is very challenging to reach W1, W2, VE1, VE2, VE9, VO1, VO2, VY2, other countries in the Arctic and a large part of South America. South America is even more challenging: the terrain is rising in that direction, with mountains as high as almost 3000m.
4W8X will have the right antennas and operating concept to be heard well in the Americas – on all bands and at the right times. We'll pay special attention to "difficult areas" and – rest assured – we'll work hard to get as many NA and SA stations in our log as possible.
We have one request: At 4W1A in April, we only had Vertical Dipoles => not any directional antennas. It was difficult to say, from which direction signals were really coming in... Short Path, Long Path or Skewed Path? If you are an active DX guy and you can remember for the month of November, on what bands and and what times to expect Long Path propagation between 4W and W/VE (at best compared with YB/Indonesia or VK8), please send us your hints through the contact form on our website.
4W8X.
4W8X Timor Leste News 18 August 2023
News #14 - 18 August 2023
Highlighting today: Cables and Electricity at 4W8X "Amateur Radio is a wireless hobby" - but for 4W8X we'll have to roll out several kilometers of Coax, Rotor and Control cable. Big Thanks go to Messi & Paoloni for sponsoring their Airborne-10 coax cable.
To improve reliable log synchronization over the exciting Club Log Livestream feature, all Computers in the 4W8X DXLog Logging Network will be hard wired to network switches, and the two operating sites are connected with a >500m long Fiber Optics cable, sponsored by Lemka GmbH. WiFi is only available for personal use in the leisure areas - in a different VLAN, keeping the WiFi traffic away from the Logging Network.
During our 4W1A scouting trip in April we experienced unstable electricity mains, jumping from 150V to 300V during working hours on weekdays. So we better bring our own Diesel Generators - to protect our OM Power amplifiers and other sensitive devices: "Peace of mind" for a reliable 24/7 operation.
[REMINDER]: 4W8X, Timor-Leste will be activated in November 2023 by a team of 20+ skillful and highly experienced DXers and Contesters from Germany, Austria, Poland and Hungary under leadership of Lagunaria DX Group.
100% QSL !! – Club Log OQRS will bring you a printed QSL card and immediate LotW uploads right after our activity. Free LotW uploads for everybody else within 1 year. If you want to support 4W8X with a donation, please use this Donate link on Club Log (same as 4W1A).
73 de DL6FBL for the 4W8X team
4W8X Timor Leste News 6 August 2023
4W - East Timor
News #13 - 04 August 2023
Highlighting today: The 4W8X High Band Antennas 10/15/20m will have two antennas each: One 3-ele resp. 4-ele Monoband Yagi (sponsored by Momobeam, many thanks) – and one Spiderbeam (monoband versions). The Momobeam Yagis are on robust 12m high plug-in masts (75mm / 3" diameter) which can be rotated from the shack. The lightweight Spiderbeams are on regular 14m HD telescopic masts and can be rotated by hand. For each band 10/15/20m, Momobeam and Spiderbeam are connected to a StackMatch, controllable from the shack. This allows us to cover one or two directions at the same time – with antenna gain.
12m/17m will use Spiderbeams or WILMA VDAs or a combination of both.
Momobeam has also provided two Penta10 Yagis, which have two active elements on 5 bands: 10/12/15/17/20m. We plan to use them together with Triplexers and High Power Band Pass Filters from VA6AM and 4O3A.
73 de DL6FBL for the team
4W8X Timor Leste News 28 July 2023
Highlighting today: The 4W8X Low Band Antennas 4W8X will have a 80m 4-Square (controller and cables sponsored by DXEngineering, many thanks). 160m will use a well-proven Titanex V160 Vertical with extensive Radials. Both antennas as close to the ocean as possible.
For Receiving, we’ll have two Beverages (~250m long) plus filtering/switching network to listen in four directions, independently on 160m and 80m:
• Europe (short path)
• North America (short path)
• Africa, same as North America (long path)
• South America, same as Europe (long path)
4W8X will also have two 40m 4-Squares and two 30m 4-Squares, TNX to DXEngineering.
We'll not only have the equipment, we'll also have the right operators to make the best out of it. Low Band captain is Dietmar, DL3DXX. And we have quite some other Low Band freaks in the team.
[REMINDER]: 4W8X, Timor-Leste will be activated in November 2023 by a team of 20+ skillful and highly experienced DXers and Contesters from Germany, Austria, Poland and Hungary under leadership of Lagunaria DX Group.
100% QSL !! – ClubLog OQRS will bring you a printed QSL card and immediate LotW uploads right after our activity. Free LotW uploads for everybody else within 1 year. If you want to support 4W8X with a donation, please use this Donate link on ClubLog (same as 4W1A).
73 de DL6FBL for the 4W8X team
East Timor - a small state with a bloody history
East Timor is located in the southwestern Pacific. The state occupies part of the island of Timor, midway between New Guinea and Java. It is a piece of land of volcanic origin. It is a part of the Malay Archipelago, a part of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East Timor has a mountainous terrain and a wide strip of coastal plains. The country's population, as of 2016, is about one million three hundred thousand people. Most of the inhabitants belong to the Austronesian and Papuan peoples. About 97% of them practice Catholicism. There are also Muslims, Buddhists, Protestants, and representatives of other religions. In the country the agriculture is developed. Bananas, vanilla, coffee, cotton, coconuts, mango, tobacco and other cultures are grown. Artisan crafts are widespread: carving souvenirs from sandalwood and ivory, pottery, basket weaving. There are also woodworking, textile and other industries. Oil production is actively developing with the help of Australian companies.
Timor Leste. Authors - Sara and Daniel Pedersen.
Climate, fauna, flora, and other features of East Timor
The state falls within the subequatorial zone with an abundance of monsoons. Floods and landslides are not uncommon. Precipitation is low. Mountainous areas are famous for their sandalwood forests. In lowlands there are valleys with plenty of eucalyptus and coconut palms.
Vegetation is quite extensive. Tropical jungles occupy one-third of the territory. The south is filled with evergreen forests, the north - a small strip of savannas, various lush vegetation and mangroves, which fill the coast.
The trees are actively being cut down. In their place are formed heathlands, savannas with a mixture of eucalyptus and acacia, as well as rice paddies.
Animal life is abundant in the mountain forests. There are a huge number of birds, reptiles, various species of monkeys and other fauna. On the plains, by contrast, only bats and cattle raised by farmers and peasants are found.
The coastal waters of East Timor are rich in a variety of inhabitants. They are home to sea urchins, shrimp, starfish, lobsters, eels, and many other ocean dwellers.
Timor Leste. Author - victory one.
East Timor - from colonization to independence
The first people appeared in this area about 50,000 years ago. They lived in the Jerimalai Cave. A few thousand years ago, Australoid tribes settled on the island. Then the Austronesian Mongoloid peoples who emigrated from Indonesia began to appear there.
In the 16th century, the Tetum people appeared there, which had a strong influence on the further development of the country. They accustomed the local tribes to the cultivation of the land. Thanks to the Tetum people the first rice paddies appeared on the island.
In the 14th and 16th centuries, Timor was often visited by merchants from China, Malaysia, and Java. They came for sandalwood, which was in great demand in Asian countries.
The first Europeans to set foot on the island were the Portuguese. In the 16th century they established their settlements here. The Portuguese brought with them the first Catholic missionaries who started to actively promote their religious teachings. In 1702 Timor became an official colony of that country. Dili, a small town founded in the 16th century, was made capital in 1769.
Nearly a century later, in 1859, the island was divided between the Portuguese and the Dutch. But the final boundaries were established only 45 years later.
When World War II broke out, the island was occupied by the Japanese in 1942 and was liberated in 1945.
After the declaration of independence in 1975, East Timor was rid of the Portuguese colonizers. However, the country was invaded by the Indonesian army. It was declared one of the provinces of that state.
In 1999, at the initiative of the UN, East Timor held a referendum on self-determination. Despite the heavy pressure from the Indonesians, the majority of the population (about 78%) voted for independence. This provoked bloodshed. As a result, international peacekeeping troops were sent to the area. On May 20, 2002 East Timor officially became an independent country.
The country was completely destroyed because the Indonesian army destroyed all educational and cultural institutions: schools, hospitals, administrative buildings, etc.
Because of the poor economic situation, armed clashes between retired army and police broke out over the next few years. Gangs of robbers and looters rampaged.
The situation was somewhat normalized by introduction of peacekeeping contingents of Portugal, Australia, Malaysia, and other states in 2006.
Today East Timor is a republic which is governed by the president elected for 5 years. The legislative work is carried out by the National Parliament. The country is actively restoring after civil and liberation wars; agriculture, gas and oil extraction, and other branches are being developed.
Timor Leste. Author - Yen Ling.
Sightseeing in East Timor
Today, East Timor is not a very attractive destination for tourists. This is due to the weak infrastructure for receiving foreign guests. But the territory of the state has many original attractions. These are relict beaches, magnificent coral reefs and exotic underwater inhabitants, colorful corners of pristine nature.
Many foreigners will be interested to visit the capital - Dili. It is located on the coast of a picturesque bay. The city has preserved the features of the Portuguese colonization - old villas by the roads, colorful building of the military garrison, built at the beginning of the 17th century, the palaces of colonizers. Many beautiful buildings of historical significance were destroyed as a result of armed clashes with the army of Indonesia, and the remaining houses are still riddled with bullet holes.
Foreigners enjoy strolling along the colorful coastal boulevard. There is active commerce, dining and recreational facilities, and locals enjoy picnics.
There are many Catholic churches in the city, and the large statue of Christ atop the promontory resembles a similar iconic sculpture in Rio de Janeiro. There are many grottoes near this monument. Nearby are beach areas with restaurants and other drinking establishments.
Also impressive for tourists is the Santa Cruz Cemetery. There is a majestic necropolis dedicated to the bloody massacre committed by Indonesians to local residents. Foreigners will be interested to see the decorative ancient tombstones and vaults of the colonizers.
To learn more about the life of the locals you can visit the village of Kam. This place has a great little beach and ideal conditions for fishing. Also in Kam is the colorful construction of Powzada Tutuala, built by the Portuguese colonizers. Those who wish can walk around a bit and see the mysterious petroglyphs left on the coastal cliffs.
This is only a tiny fraction of the sights and places of interest in East Timor.
