In it , a clear majority ( 78.5 % ) of those voting said they would rather become independent . The alternative proposal would have been to stay with Indonesia , but to have many freedoms as an autonomous province , called Special Autonomous Region of East Timor ( SARET ) . The referendum , held on August 30 , gave a clear majority ( 78.5 % ) in favor of independence , rejecting the alternative offer of being an autonomous province within Indonesia , to be known as the Special Autonomous Region of East Timor ( SARET ) .