East Timor : Second and Other Thoughts

Second and Other Thoughts EAST TIMOR was a Portuguese colony for some 400 years until 1974 when Portugal began withdrawing from the area. East Timorese had favoured independence then too, but neighbouring Indonesia preferred annexation. On December 7, 1975, Indonesia invaded East Timor. The US and Australia chose to remain silent, but the United Nations did not recognise the annexation as legal. Indonesia has since held its 27th province by brute force and an estimated 2,00,000 East Timorese have died under the repressive regime. During this time, western developed countries made a choice in favour of Indonesia