Indonesia Netherlands New Guinea And Portuguese Timor Indonesia A N

East Timor is one of the World's most infamous ""trouble spots."" Originally colonized by the Portuguese, it was brutally invaded and occupied by the Indonesian State military forces in 1975. Over the next year, according to the UN, about one third of the population died from massacres, starvation and disease. But recent events in Indonesia have given rise to expectations that there may be a fundamental shift in the State's position on East Timor. This book considers the potential for change against a backdrop of growing popular and political support for the Timorese cause. Addressing East Timor's recent emergence as an issue of global importance, it illustrates how local, grassroots, individual, organizational and campaign initiatives have contributed to this state of affairs, in the context of the increased emphasis which is being placed on ethics, international morality and human rights in contemporary international relations.

The Indonesian invasion of East Timor in 1975 led to a prolonged conflict, severe human rights abuses and a large loss of life. From 1975 to 1983 the Indonesian military’s campaign of ‘encirclement and annihilation’ destroyed rural food resources, creating the famine that took most of the lives lost during the occupation. The Australian governments of Gough Whitlam and Malcolm Fraser presented themselves as advocates for human rights and the international rule of law, while viewing relations with Indonesia as key to their foreign policy objectives. These positions came into conflict due to the Indonesian invasion of East Timor. Based upon an extensive study of Australian foreign affairs archives, as well as interviews, A Narrative of Denial demonstrates how the Australian government responded to the conflict by propagating a version of events that denied the reality of the catastrophe occurring in East Timor. It worked to protect the Suharto regime internationally, thereby allowing it to continue its repression relatively unhindered. This remarkable story will unsettle existing perceptions of how Australia operates in world affairs.