55 INTERFET - 1999 East Timor around this time was known as Portuguese Timor and was an overseas province of Portugal for over 300 years. Portugal withdrew from East Timor in 1975 and according to the Australian Guardian, this was the spark that ignited rivalry between local groups. Fretilin forces would eventually declare the country independent after 3 months of brutality and civil unrest. Indonesia invaded 9 days later. 7th December 1975, the Indonesians invaded East Timor as a part of Operation Lotus. Their ideals flew under the flag of anticolonialism and the invasion would lead to an occupation that lasted for twenty five years. Indonesia took advantage of the political unrest within Timor to annexe the country, stating they were concerned that an independent Timor, free from Portuguese influence, would turn to a communist country that would pose a threat to the Indonesians. The fighting that ensued caused the deaths of anywhere between 100,000 – 180,000 people – both civilians and soldiers alike. 18,600 of these were violent killings, 84,200 were due to death from disease or starvation. Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser was the first to recognise the atrocity of the occupation, but the UN denied it and the world continued to look the other way. The Indonesian President Saharto continued to stage peaceful visits on the world screen, but behind the lens was the violence and atrocities wreaking havoc amongst the East Timorese. In 1991, footage of the Santa Cruz Massacre is leaked where 100 people were shot down at a funeral procession providing a rare glimpse into the true nature of the occupation. Over the next few years freedom fighters who retreated to the mountains were eventually caught and the goal of freedom for the East Timorese slipped further and further away as the violence continued. In 1998, Indonesia experienced heavy street protests – which saw the
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjE4NTMz