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Tom Hyland
Profile of a remarkable Irishman by the name of Tom Hyland.
Tom Hyland, a former Dublin bus driver helped the small nation of East Timor win independence from the brutal military rule of Indonesia.
In 1992 Tom was watching TV when by chance he came across an RTE documentary, which showed the sheer terror and oppression endured by the East Timorese people at the hands of the Indonesian army and militia.
In 1975 Indonesia had invaded the former Dutch colony of East Timor. The population of the territory was then 668,000. After the invasion and reign of terror, over 200,000 people were massacred. The western world was supplying Indonesia with weapons and the Australian Government were in talks to exploit oil off East Timor’s coast.
After watching the documentary, Tom decided he had to do something. It was February 1992. Tom gave up his job as a driver for Dublin bus and set up the East Timor Solidarity Campaign, which operated out of his house in Ballymun.
With no experience of how to run a campaign and no funds, Tom had to learn fast and was driven on by his determination to highlight the plight of people he had never seen. Tom and his newly formed group got a break when they appeared on the Late Late Show with Gay Byrne. Offers of help came streaming in and the campaign group were able to open a small office in the centre of Dublin.
Before 1991, 99% of Irish people had never heard of East Timor. In less than 2 years, Tom Hyland transformed the issue into one of the best known foreign policy issues in Ireland and even encouraged the Irish Government to take an active role in supporting independence for East Timor.
One example of Tom’s skills as an effective campaigner was when he found out that Australian Prime Minister, Paul Keating was planning a visit to Ireland to check up on his ancestral roots. Tom organised a protest outside a function organised for Paul Keating and prepared a large banner which read ‘Mr Keating, don’t you forget what your country is doing in East Timor’. The Australian Prime Minister was furious and the press coverage in Ireland and Australia helped further highlight the plight of East Timor.
As a result of mounting international pressure, Indonesia reluctantly agreed to hold free elections in 1999. The result of the elections in East Timor was an overwhelming vote in favour of independence from Indonesia.
Despite their initial relief and joy, Tom and the East Timor Solidarity Campaign continued to monitor events closely. When the Indonesian Government began to use local militias to terrorise the general population, Tom Hyland reacted quickly. He used contacts he had built up with the Irish Government to open doors of communication in Washington DC and got speaking to key people in the Clinton administration.
Indonesia eventually bowed to U.S. pressure and reluctantly allowed UN troops into East Timor to oversee the transition to independence. In 1999 Tom was given the People of the Year Award ahead of such figures as Bertie Ahern and Bill Clinton for their peace work in Northern Ireland.
Tom had touched the heart of the Irish nation with his selfless campaigning on behalf of the East Timorese people. Tom now lives in East Timor, where he teaches English and enjoys living and working with the people.
His is a truly inspiring story of what we can achieve on behalf of others if we believe in our own power to take action and make a difference.
