People in East Timor Vote in a Referendum.
The referendum was to decide whether East Timor should get more autonomy within Indonesia or whether independence should be granted. In 1976, East Timor, which had been a Portuguese colony since 1769, was taken over by Indonesia. The referendum, which came on the heels of mass violence in the region during the Indonesian occupation, passed in favor of independence which was finally gained on May 20, 2002.