Answer :
Portugal maintained control of Eastern Timor past the period when the Dutch were expelled from the East Indies, and despite a declaration of independence and a subsequent occupation by Indonesia, East Timor eventually gained full independence in 1999. Therefore, the correct option is A
Portugal held onto eastern Timor well after the Dutch were ousted from the East Indies. The eastern half of the island of Timor was a Portuguese colony beginning in the sixteenth century, where the Portuguese introduced Christianity in the form of Roman Catholicism. Although the western half was associated with Indonesia, which was a Dutch colony during the colonial era, the East Timorese made a declaration of independence in 1975 but faced occupation by Indonesia shortly after. A long and bitter civil war ensued. It wasn't until 1999, with the help of the Australian military as a peacekeeping force and the United Nations (UN) recognizing East Timor as a sovereign independent country in 2002, that the region finally obtained independence from Indonesia. The official name of the country is listed as Timor-Leste.
