Pante Macassar is a city and subdistrict on the north coast of East Timor

East Timor

The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor , is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...

, 281 km to the west of Dili

Dili

Dili, spelled Díli in Portuguese, is the capital, largest city, chief port and commercial centre of East Timor.-Geography and Administration:Dili lies on the northern coast of Timor island, the easternmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands....

, the nation's capital. It has a population of 4,730 (Stand 2006). It is the capital of the Oecusse

Oecusse District

Oecusse is a district of East Timor. It is a coastal exclave in the western part of the island of Timor, separated from the rest of East Timor by West Timor, which is part of the province of Nusa Tenggara Timur, Indonesia, and which surrounds Oecusse in all directions except the north, where it...

 exclave (former Oecussi-Ambeno).

The name literally means "beach of Makasar," alluding to the erstwhile trade with Makasar in Sulawesi

Sulawesi

Sulawesi is one of the four larger Sunda Islands of Indonesia and is situated between Borneo and the Maluku Islands. In Indonesia, only Sumatra, Borneo, and Papua are larger in territory, and only Java and Sumatra have larger Indonesian populations.- Etymology :The Portuguese were the first to...

 (Celebes). Locally Pante Macassar is known also as "Oecussi," which literally means "water cannon," and was the name of one of the two original kingdoms that form the enclave. The other was Ambeno

Ambeno

The Ambeno was a traditional kingship on the north coast of Timor, among the Atoni people. Its area is now in the Oecusse district of East Timor. The capital was in Pantar Macasse....

. During the Portuguese colonization, the city was also known as Vila Taveiro.

Lifau

Lifau

Lifau is a town and suco in the East Timor exclave of Oecusse District. The city is located west of the mouth of the Tono River. 1,938 people are living in the suco.- History :...

, in the outskirts of the present city, was the place where the Portuguese

Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

 first disembarked on Timor

Timor

Timor is an island at the southern end of Maritime Southeast Asia, north of the Timor Sea. It is divided between the independent state of East Timor, and West Timor, belonging to the Indonesian province of East Nusa Tenggara. The island's surface is 30,777 square kilometres...

 and was the first capital of Portuguese Timor

Portuguese Timor

Portuguese Timor was the name of East Timor when it was under Portuguese control. During this period, Portugal shared the island of Timor with the Netherlands East Indies, and later with Indonesia....

. It remained the capital until 1769, when it was transferred to Dili

Dili

Dili, spelled Díli in Portuguese, is the capital, largest city, chief port and commercial centre of East Timor.-Geography and Administration:Dili lies on the northern coast of Timor island, the easternmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands....

 because of constant attacks from the Topasses.

Due to its distance from the remainder of East Timor

East Timor

The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor , is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...

, Oecussi-Ambeno, and specifically Pante Macassar, became the first territory occupied by Indonesia

Indonesia

Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...

on November 29, 1975.

In 1999, in the tumult that accompanied the referendum for independence, Pante Macassar was particularly affected by the destruction of the pro-integration militias, supported by the Indonesian army. Sixty-five civilian supporters of independence were hanged, and 90 percent of the buildings were burned down.

Today, the city has only a few dozen houses next to a beach with crystal-clear water, surrounded by palms. There is no television or banks, and crime is practically unknown. The only radio station works only occasionally due to an old transmitter, and electricity is limited to five hours at night. Twice a week, the isolation is briefly interrupted when a ferry boat from Dili arrives, for a journey that takes 12 hours.