West Timor (Indonesian: Timor Barat) is the western and Indonesian portion of the island of Timor and part of the province of East Nusa Tenggara, (Indonesian: Nusa Tenggara Timur).
During the colonial period it was known as "Dutch Timor" and was a centre of Dutch loyalists during the Indonesian National Revolution (1945–1949). From 1949 to 1975 it was known as "Indonesian Timor".[citation needed]
European colonization of Timor began in the 16th century. Although the Portuguese claimed the island of Timor in 1520, the Dutch (in the form of the Dutch East India Company) settled West Timor in 1640, forcing the Portuguese out to East Timor. The subsequent collapse of the company meant that in 1799 the area returned to official Dutch rule. Finally, in 1914 the border between East and West Timor was finalized by a treaty between Holland and Portugal that was originally signed in 1859 and modified in 1893.
West Timor had the status of residentie within the Dutch East Indies.
Japan conquered the island during World War II in early 1942. Upon Indonesian independence, West Timor became part of the new Republic of Indonesia.
Sandalwood trees are evergreen
Cut them down
Plant coffee beans
Build no schools
Construct no roads
Mark them as fools
Let ignorance rule
Leave them stranded on their island
Treat them to the tune of silence
Red is the cross that covers out shame
Every Kingdom, every land
Has it's heart in the common man
Silently the tide shifts the sand
Bury my heart on East-Timor
In coral sands
On golden shores
Buried are those
Who lived their lives
No place to hide for
Father and child
Leave them stranded on their island
Treat them to the tune of silence
We shake the hands that kill and forgive
Every Kingdom, every land
Has its heart in the common man
Silently the tide shifts the sand
Bury my heart on East-Timor
On barren graves
Where flowers won't grow
Blooms our Red cross lovingly
This nightingale deed
So we can be free
Stranded on their island
This army of the silent
We toast our own goodwill and forget
Every kingdom, every land
Has its heart in the common man
Sandalwood trees are evergreen
Cut them down
Plant coffee beans
Build no schools
Construct no roads
Mark them as fools
Let ignorance rule
Leave them stranded on their island
Treat them to the tunes of silence
Red is the cross that covers our shame
Every kingdom, every land
Has its heart in the common man
Silently the tide shifts the sand
Bury my heart on East-Timor
In coral sands
On golden shores
Buried are those
Who lived their lives
No place to hide for
Father and child
Leave them stranded on their island
Treat them to the tune of silence
We shake the hands that kill and forgive
Every kingdom, every land
Has its heart in the common man
Silently the tide shifts the sand
Bury my heart on East-Timor
On barren graves
Where flowers won't grow
Blooms our red cross lovingly
This nightingale deed
So we can be free
Stranded on their island
This army of the silent
We toast our own goodwill and forget
Every kingdom, every land
Has its heart in the common man