Hotel Timor Explained

Hotel Timor is a hotel in the centre of East Timor's capital, Dili.^[1] It is thought to be one of the oldest hotels in the city.^[2]

History

The current business is on the previous site of the Hotel Mahkota, which was built by businessman Lay San Ying along with Macau tycoon Stanley Ho.^[3] It opened in 1976. The Mahkota operated continuously until September 1999, when the hotel, which housed many foreign media covering conflict in the country, was attacked and then burned down by pro-Indonesian militias.^{[4] [5] [6]}

In order to be able to offer state guests adequate accommodation for the celebrations of East Timor's independence in 2002, the restoration of the hotel began. Fundação Oriente and the East Timor government shared the cost of $6 million. Guests included Lula da Silva, Kofi Annan, Bill Clinton, Ban Ki-moon, António Guterres, Mahathir bin Mohamad, John Howard, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.^[7]

The hotel was a site for key meetings during the 2006 East Timorese crisis.^{[8] [9]}

Notes and References

1. Web site: Destination Guide - Presidente Nicolau Lobato International Airport . Airport Guide.
2. Web site: Roberts . Sophia . 2023-07-19 . The ultimate guide to: Timor-Leste . 2024-04-13 . Waiting for the sequel . en-US.
3. Berlie . Jean A. . 2016-01-08 . Chinese in East Timor : Identity, society and economy . HumaNetten . 35 . 37–49 . 10.15626/hn.20153503 . 1403-2279.
4. Web site: Hotel Timor em Díli, renascido das cinzas e onde se come pastel de nata . 2024-04-13 . Diário de Notícias . pt.
5. Phelan . Liam . 2000 . Running Scared - how the media left Dili . Pacific Journalism Review . 6 . 1 . 36–44.
6. News: 1999-09-05 . From victors to victims . 2024-04-27 . The Guardian . en-GB . 0261-3077.
7. News: Hotel Timor em Díli, renascido das cinzas e onde se come pastel de nata . Ferreira . Leonídio Paulo . 19 January 2022 . . 7 October 2023 . pt-PT.
8. Book: Gusmão, Xanana . Strategies for the future . 2012 . Woollahra, N.S.W. . Longueville Books . 978-1-920681-78-4.
9. Book: East Timor's independence, Indonesia and ASEAN . 2017 . Cham, Switzerland . Palgrave Macmillan . 978-3-319-62630-7.