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Dili, the capital of East Timor

Dili is the capital and, with around 150 000 people, the largest city of East Timor. Situated on a bay on the northern coast, it is also the chief port and commercial centre of the nation. Portuguese settled here in 1520 and made it the capital of Portuguese Timor in 1596, which it remained until 1974, when Portuguese rule came to an end after the revolution in Portugal. The UDT party (União Democratica Timorense, Timorese Democratic Union) staged a coup in Dili on 11 August 1975, a brief civil war followed while the Portuguese administration withdrew to nearby Atauro Island. FRETILIN (Frente Revolucionária do Timor Leste Independente, Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor), won the civil war and declared independence on 28 November 1975; Indonesian paratroopers descended on Dili nine days later, a landing fleet arrived and soon executions took place on Dili wharf. On July 17th, 1976, Indonesia annexed East Timor, making it the 27th province of Indonesia with Dili as its capital.

On 12 November 1991 during a peaceful protest against the occupation, Indonesian soldiers massacred more than 250 people at Santa Cruz Cemetery. Media coverage of this atrocity helped revitalise international support for the East Timorese independence movement, leading eventually to the referendum on independence on 30 August 1999 and the subsequent destruction, looting and pillaging by pro-Indonesian militias when it turned out that 78.5 % had chosen for independence. Many buildings in Dili were destroyed. However, the city still has many buildings from the Portuguese era. The most splendid is the Palácio do Governo, the former Portuguese Governor's office which is now the office of the Prime Minister.

Most East Timorese are devout Roman Catholics; The Roman Catholic Church at Motael became a focus for resistance to Indonesian occupation. The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception was built in the Indonesian era; it was even opened by General Soeharto in October 1989 and is the largest in South East Asia. Another reminder of the occupation is the "Integration Monument", a statue of a Timorese in traditional dress, breaking chains round his wrists. Placed on a 10 metre high pedestal may have saved it from demolition. The house of Bishop Carlos Belo has been restored after its destruction in 1999. Bishop Belo tirelessly worked on behalf of the East Timorese, protesting the massacres and arrests and giving people sanctuary in his own home. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize together with future prime minister José Ramos Horta in December 1996.

	Palácio do Governo	Bishop Belo's house	Chinese building	Playing cards
	Municipal Market	Shopping street	Igreja Motael	Dili Cathedral
	Integration Monument	Santa Cruz Cemetery	Destroyed building	Hotel Dili

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