On 20 May 2002, the new nation of East Timor, now Timor-Leste, was born after a bitter struggle with Indonesia. On 20 May 2007, WSN editor Jagmohan Singh wrote an Open Letter to the then President José Ramos-Horta, of the new nation congratulating him on the eve of the fifth birthday of the new country.  As Timor-Leste struggles to maintain political equilibrium and as many nationalities in the world yearn for the right to self-determination, World Sikh News shares the Open Letter, which also touches upon the Indian leadership of those times.

Hon’ble President José Ramos-Horta: Greetings in the Name of God, the Light of every soul. Kindly accept my congratulations at your election as the second President of independent Timor-Leste.  On 20th May 2007, your country will be celebrating its 5th birthday and I take this opportunity to send my greetings in advance.

As a member of the Sikh nation, still struggling for the right to self-determination, I am particularly overjoyed at your election with 69 per cent of East Timorese voting in your favour.

I wonder whether you are aware of the Sikh people. Similarly, I speculate whether the Sikh people or even Sikh nationalists know that East Timor, officially Timor-Leste is a small country in Southeast Asia, which was born no more than five years ago after a protracted struggle lasting some three hundred years. Sikhs are rightfully proud of their martyrs, but I am afraid that they are not conscious of the fact that the last twenty-five years were the most violent for your country and people during which as many as two hundred thousand people were killed out of a total population of nearly six hundred thousand.

The way you lived in exile for 26 years and still wore the badge of freedom is a characteristic rarely seen in modern times. Your determination and the martyrdom of hundreds upon thousands of guerilla fighters of your nation paved the way for freedom from Portuguese, Dutch, Japanese and ultimately Indonesian slavery and subjugation.

I am particularly thrilled to know that UN intervention can happen and a new country can be born even in this day and age.  This message alone is not only a great relief but also a reminder to nations aspiring for freedom to continue their democratic struggle.

When you were bestowed with the Nobel Peace Prize in 1996, the citation, among other things said, “The conflict in East Timor has been called “the forgotten conflict”. It has not, however, been completely forgotten, having figured on the international agenda, with varying degrees of prominence …But it has so to speak never caught on. There have been so many other interests and regards to attend to, and East Timor is so small. Rarely has the cynicism of world politics been more clearly demonstrated. The numerous considerations of “Realpolitik” have enabled an exceptionally brutal form of neocolonialism to take place.”  This sums up the difficult situation you dealt with.  The international community was obviously more interested in trade links with the then oppressive Indonesia.

The Sikhs are also in a similar situation. Just as Indonesia occupied Timor Leste, first the British and then India occupied Panjab.  India has killed more Sikhs in independent India than were killed by the British in the so-called wars of independence.

India has a Sikh face as its Prime Minister but officially it does not allow the Amnesty International to come to Panjab, Kashmir and the north-eastern states of India.  Presently, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is presiding over a parliamentary bill to deprive the Sikh people and others of their minority status.  The international community is keener to trade with “biggest democracy in the world”, but has not used UN forums to admonish India for its growing human rights violations or its growth into a right-wing, monolithic, big-brother state.

How far you are from us can be gauged from the fact that not a single newspaper, radio station or TV channel has ever reported anything about East Timor.  Your election too has not found a mention. You have shown magnanimity about visiting Indonesia in the near future for the good of your country and people.

I urge you to consider visiting and establishing contacts with nationalities struggling to achieve self-rule.   empathize with you for the daunting task that lies ahead.  As your fledgling nation is torn with strife, poverty and unrest, you have a long way to go.  I am not in a position to offer anything but my best wishes and prayers. I express complete solidarity with your people and pray that the international community will respond to the UN call for financial and logistic support to East Timor.

I also hope that the Sikh Diaspora will engage with you and your government.  The Sikh people in the homeland and in the Diaspora need to learn from you and about your life in exile. I assure you that I will call upon representatives of the Sikh Diaspora to invite you to global summits on issues of freedom and international intervention in the Panjab.

I also hope that the Sikh Diaspora will engage with you and your government.  The Sikh people in the homeland and in the Diaspora need to learn from you and about your life in exile. I assure you that I will call upon representatives of the Sikh Diaspora to invite you to global summits on issues of freedom and international intervention in the Panjab.

I conclude with the last part of the Sikh prayer. Daily, every Sikh seeks, Sarbat da Bhalla -welfare and peace for all humankind.  May the people of Timor-Leste enjoy the fruits of their hard-earned freedom.

Yours sincerely

Jagmohan Singh