Independence Day

They rise before dawn, dressing and fetching water as the day's first lilac light seeps across the sky. As Dili wakes around them to a chorus of roosters, Jos and Dilia Amaral hurry through their morning chores. Today they have somewhere special to go. Today is Aug. 30, the day of East Timor's first democratic elections, and when the Amarals arrive at the local school soon after sunrise to vote, there's already a growing queue. "It's the start of something new," says Jos. The morning is humid and the wait will be long, but Jos is smiling. After all, this is...

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