HISTORY
European colonization of Timor began in the 16th century. Although the 
Portuguese Empireball claimed the island of Timor in 1520, the 
Dutch Empireball (in the form of the 
Dutch East India Companyball) settled 
West Timorball in 1640, forcing the Portuguese Empireball out to 
East Timorball. The subsequent collapse of the company meant that in 1799, the area returned to official Dutch Empireball's rule. Finally, in 1914, the border between East Timorballand West Timor was finalized by a treaty between Portuguese Empireball and the Dutch Empireball that was originally signed in 1859 and modified in 1893.
Japanese Empireball conquered the island during World War II in early 1942. Upon Indonesian independence, West Timor became part of the new 
Republic of Indonesiaball.
On 6 September 2000, Pero Simundza from 
Croatiaball, Carlos Caceres-Collazio from 
Puerto Ricoball and Samson Aregahegn from 
Ethiopiaball – all UNHCR staff members – were killed in an attack by 5,000 members of a pro-Indonesian militia, armed with machetes, on the office of UNHCR in the town of Atambuaball, which is in the vicinity of the border with East Timorball and where the main refugee camp was located