East Timor independence leaders Xanana Gusmao (left) and Jose Ramos-Horta, winner of the 1996 Nobel Peace Prize, in November 1999. (AFP/OKA BUDHI)

DILI: Timor Leste on Friday (Aug 30) marks 20 years since a UN-backed vote ended a bloody, decades-long occupation by Indonesian forces and paved the way for it to become an independent nation.