US backed East Timor invasion

US backed East Timor invasion
From: Agence France-Presse From correspondents in Washington
December 03, 2005

THE US knew well in advance of and explicitly approved Indonesia's invasion of East Timor in 1975, which led to a brutal 24-year occupation of the former Portuguese colony, according to newly declassified documents.

Released this week by the independent Washington-based National Security Archive (NSA), the documents showed US officials were aware of the invasion plans nearly a year in advance.

They adopted a "policy of silence" and even sought to suppress news and discussions on East Timor, including credible reports of Indonesia's massacres of Timorese civilians, according to the documents.
(snip/...)

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,17446576-38198,00.html

:sarcasm:

Part contemporary investigation and part historical inquiry, documentary follows the quest of one journalist in search of justice. The film focuses on Christopher Hitchens' charges against Henry Kissinger as a war criminal - allegations documented in Hitchens' book of the same title - based on his role in countries such as Cambodia, Chile, and Indonesia. Kissinger's story raises profound questions about American foreign policy and highlights a new era of human rights. Increasing evidence about one man's role in a long history of human rights abuses leads to a critical examination of American diplomacy through the lens of international standards of justice.

http://imdb.com/title/tt0326306/

This documentary did a nice job with the segment on Indonesia.

Chomsky was talking about this long ago. It's nice to see the news has caught up finally. Not US news, of course, but at least someone is covering it.

Part contemporary investigation and part historical inquiry, documentary follows the quest of one journalist in search of justice. The film focuses on Christopher Hitchens' charges against Henry Kissinger as a war criminal - allegations documented in Hitchens' book of the same title - based on his role in countries such as Cambodia, Chile, and Indonesia. Kissinger's story raises profound questions about American foreign policy and highlights a new era of human rights. Increasing evidence about one man's role in a long history of human rights abuses leads to a critical examination of American diplomacy through the lens of international standards of justice.

http://imdb.com/title/tt0326306/

This documentary did a nice job with the segment on Indonesia.

talking about this for YEARS!

who hates the Democrats and should be dismissed. That's what my fellow DUers tel me, so how can it be that this intellectual actually got the story right? Impossible!

And how can it be that our righeous Democrats, who have always been for peace, are as comlicit in aiding the genocide in E. Timor as the Republicans? Impossible! The mass media and the Duers tell me that Bush (2) was the first president to use brutal military force for US hegemony, so clearly Carter and Clinton did not help Indonesia commit genocide, even if the facts show otherwise.

http://www.news.com.au/story/print/0,10119,17446576,00.html

THE US knew well in advance of and explicitly approved Indonesia's invasion of East Timor in 1975, newly declassified documents say.
Released this week by the independent Washington-based National Security Archive (NSA), the documents showed US officials were aware of the invasion plans nearly a year in advance.

They adopted a "policy of silence" and even sought to suppress news and discussions on East Timor, including credible reports of Indonesia's massacres of Timorese civilians, according to the documents.

East Timor is today an independent nation.

The administration of President Gerald Ford knew that Indonesia had invaded East Timor using almost entirely US equipment, and that the use of that equipment for that purpose was illegal, the documents showed.

In 1977, officials of the administration of Ford's successor, Jimmy Carter, blocked declassification of an explosive cable transcribing President Ford and Secretary of State Kissinger's meeting with Indonesian President Suharto.

At the meeting in December 1975, they explicitly approved of the East Timor invasion, according to the documents.

Through the 1980s, US officials continued to receive -- and deny or dismiss -- credible reports of Indonesia's massacres of Timorese civilians.

killed anywhere from 100,000 to 300,000 people there. Kepp in mind the population was only roughly 600,000 to begin with. thats up to half of the population. like killing every single male, or flipping a coin for each persons life.

(wikipedias page on east timor says 100,000 to 250,000 people killed, although other sources have it higher)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_timor

It was mass genocide. How can it be that this is not declassified???

The country was still recovering from that scandal, would be my guess.

question his justificiation for this outragous policy.

Canada was complicit in the invasion of East Timor too. A courageous Canadian journalist named Elaine Briere happened to be there and later made a documentary about it. Bitter Paradise. Highly recommended if you can get a copy.

http://www.btlbooks.com/Links/briere__interview.htm

To my great shame, Canada is now more interested in economics than human rights and dignity. Our politicians have sold out to the dark side too they just aren't as blatant about it as the American leaders. Canada was also just as involved in the recent coup in Haiti.