In October, thousands of East Timorese demonstrated in Dili and Bacau demanding a referendum on independence, acts that would have brought a swift crackdown from security forces only a few months earlier. Yet overall, authorities continued to restrict freedoms of speech, press, assembly, and association. In recent years, authorities closed schools that refused to use the official Bahasa Indonesia as the language of instruction. In October, Jakarta-appointed governor Abilio Soares warned civil servants that they risked being fired if they opposed Indonesia s proposals on granting East Timor autonomy but not independence. The predominantly Roman Catholic population can worship openly, but religious freedom must be seen in the context of East Timor s overall human rights situation.
Authorities restrict access by foreign journalists and human rights organizations to East Timor.
The Indonesian government s controversial transmigration program brought thousands of Indonesians to the territory in recent years despite charges that this reduced economic activity for East Timorese.