
ETAN: 35th Anniversary of U.S.-backed Indonesian Invasion of East Timor

December 7 invasion day, via Timor
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Today, December 7, 2010, marks the 35th anniversary of the
U.S.-backed Indonesian invasion of East Timor. On the 30th
anniversary of Indonesia's full-scale assault on Timor, ETAN
"called on the world to listen to East Timor’s
victims and act on their demands for justice. The group also
urged the United States government to formally acknowledge its
past support for Indonesia’s brutal military occupation of East
Timor, and for the international community to learn from this
history and never repeat the same crimes."
It is well-documented that the Indonesian
military launched its 1975 invasion just hours after then President
Ford and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger gave
their explicit permission to go ahead. They reassured Suharto
that U.S.
military support would continue, despite U.S. law and
Indonesia's treaty obligations. U.S.
weapons, military training and political supportenabled
Indonesia to seize the territory and maintain its occupation for 24
years. These brutal events claimed the lives of up to 200,000
people.
The report
of Timor-Leste's Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation (known
by its Portuguese initials, CAVR) thoroughly documents the impact of
the Indonesia's illegal invasion and occupation.
While the report was long ago officially delivered to the U.S. and
other governments, the
CAVR's recommendations to
the international community remain largely ignored. anniversary. Despite
being urged to do so, President Obama did not address these
issues during his recent visit to Jakarta.
We continue to urge the U.S. government and Congress to seriously
respond to the report by holding hearings and formally acknowledge
the U.S. role in the suffering of the East Timorese and Indonesian
peoples. The U.S. and others who backed Indonesia should apologize
and provide reparations. The U.S. should work to establish an
international tribunal to try those most responsible the heinous
crimes committed in Timor-Leste from 1975-1999 and withhold support
for Indonesia's security forces especially their most brutal units -
including Kopassus,
as recommended by the CAVR to encourage genuine accountability and
promote reform. These forces continue to terrorize the people of West
Papua.
adapted from posting on
ETAN's Blog