East Timor celebrates 25th anniversary of UN-backed vote for independence

DILI, East Timor (AP) — East Timor on Friday celebrated the 25th anniversary of a U.N.-backed referendum that secured its independence from its major neighbor Indonesia, which invaded the former Portuguese colony in 1975.

Crowds cheered as their leaders and state guests, including U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, traveled by motorcades to a stadium in the country’s capital for a ceremony kicking off festivities across the impoverished nation of 1.3 million people.

Commemorative banners and posters filled the streets of the capital, Dili, where thousands gathered for the celebration that included speeches, musical performances and fireworks.

Dili residents recalled the harrowing moments during the country's darkest days when Indonesia's military responded to the 1999 referendum results with a scorched-earth campaign before departing.

“It was a traumatic experience that haunts me to this day,” said Gabriel Araujo, a food vendor who was 12 years old at the time, “I'm always happy every time I celebrate our freedom together with others.”

On the second day of his official visit to Asia’s newest country, Guterres met with Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão, paying an emotional tribute to the former guerilla leader.

Gusmão was imprisoned for six years in Indonesia and only released when the occupation ended in 1999, becoming the first president of the newly-independent nation between 2002 and 2007. He returned to power as prime minister in 2023 after his party won the parliamentary election last May.

“I guarantee that the U.N. will remain with the Timorese people who are now struggling for the country’s development,” Guterres told the crowd in his speech during Friday's celebration.

Guterres on Friday also visited the Timorese Resistance Archive and Museum in Dili, where he saw himself featured on some of the displayed archives as former prime minister of Portugal from 1995 to 2002, during which time he was heavily involved in the international effort to resolve the crisis in East Timor.

“Prepare yourselves to work and serve this country for the benefit of the people,” Gusmão said in a speech during the ceremony, which was also attended by Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defense, Richard Marles, Malaysia’s Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Hamidi and other dignitaries from the Association of Southeast Asia Nations.

East Timor’s transition to a democracy has been rocky, with leaders battling massive poverty, unemployment and corruption as the country continues to struggle with the legacy of its bloody independence battle and bitter factional politics that have occasionally erupted into violence. Its economy is reliant on dwindling offshore oil revenues.

East Timorese police officers stand guard near a banner depicting people queuing up to give their votes in the 1999 referendum, during the commemoration of the 25th year anniversary of the vote for the country's independence from Indonesia in Dili, East Timor, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Carlos Caro Junior)

East Timor's Prime Minister and former independence fighter Xanana Gusmao gestures as he delivers his speech during the commemoration of the 25th year anniversary of the country's referendum for independence, in Dili, East Timor, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Carlos Caro Junior)

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres delivers a speech during the commemoration of the 25th year anniversary of East Timor's referendum for independence in Dili, East Timor, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Carlos Caro Junior)

East Timorese dancers perform during the commemoration of the 25th year anniversary of the referendum that led to the country's independence from Indonesia, in Dili, East Timor, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Carlos Caro Junior)

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, center, is flanked by East Timorese President Ramos Horta, left, and Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao, right, as they attend the commemoration of the 25th year anniversary of the referendum that led to the country's independence from Indonesia, in Dili, East Timor, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Carlos Caro Junior)

East Timor's Prime Minister and former independence fighter Xanana Gusmao walks past a banner depicting people queuing up to give their votes in the 1999 referendum, during the commemoration of the 25th year anniversary of the country's vote for independence in Dili, East Timor, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Carlos Caro Junior)

GAINESVILLE, Va. (AP) — LPGA Commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan took responsibility Saturday for the tour's failure to get fans to the Solheim Cup in time to see the opening tee shots a day earlier but did not offer a full explanation of the debacle that has led to speculation about her future.

Players teed off Friday morning in front of half-empty grandstands at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club, muting what could have been a raucous first-tee atmosphere in the team competition between the United States against Europe. The stands were full on Saturday, but the damage had been done, with media coverage more focused on the logistical problems than the dominant first day of golf by Nelly Korda and the U.S.

“At the end of the day, I’m the leader of the organization and I have to own it,” Marcoux Samaan said.

RTJ is tucked into a private residential community serviced by a single road off U.S. Route 29 in this exurb about 40 miles west of Washington, D.C. The venue hosted four Presidents Cups in the 1990s and 2000s and a PGA Tour event in 2017 without any significant transportation problems.

Marcoux Samaan said there simply weren't enough buses at Jiffy Lube Live, the concert venue where fans paid $30 for parking, without explaining why the LPGA didn't have a fleet of vehicles ready to shuttle spectators who were motivated to get to the golf course before dawn but instead spent hours standing in lines with little or no access to restrooms.

Asked how many buses were available, Marcoux Samaan declined to answer directly.

“It’s a complicated question, and again, we were writing spreadsheets and trying to figure it all out,” she said. “We didn’t have enough buses in the morning, clearly.”

The LPGA Tour is responsible for on-site operations at the Solheim Cup when it is played in the United States. The last U.S. event was in 2021 in Ohio, with the COVID-19 pandemic limiting the number of international fans.

“This was an LPGA issue,” Marcoux Samaan said.

The commissioner said the tour staff spent much of Friday in “triage mode” trying to diagnose the problem and ensure departing fans would be shuttled off the golf course efficiently. More than 12 hours passed before the LPGA posted a statement on social media promising improvements for Saturday and emailed a letter to fans that included an offer of free tickets for use this weekend.

“We had some staff out there and we were trying to communicate to the people that were there,” Marcoux Samaan said. “I think we thought that was more important than getting something out more broadly on social.”

Marcoux Samaan, who has been the LPGA commissioner for three years, also faced questions earlier this year about the tour's marketing of top-ranked Korda, whose historic run of six wins in seven starts, including a major championship, attracted modest television audiences.

The commissioner pointed to increased participation in the sport as a sign of her tour's growing popularity.

“The percentage of women playing has escalated over the last several years. Young girls playing golf has continued to grow,” she said. “I think our team is working really hard to grow the game.”

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Fans watch from the 11th fairway during a Solheim Cup golf tournament foursomes match at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, in Gainesville, VA. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Fans are seen during a Solheim Cup golf tournament foursomes match at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, in Gainesville, Va. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

LPGA commissioner takes the blame for Solheim Cup transportation issues

Empty seats on a grandstand are seen on the first hole during a Solheim Cup golf tournament foursomes match at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, in Gainesville, VA. (AP Photo/Matt York)

LPGA commissioner takes the blame for Solheim Cup transportation issues