What did Indonesia do to East Timor?
After setting several houses on fire, Indonesian soldiers massacred as many as 2,000 men, women and children. In March 1977 ex-Australian consul James Dunn published a report detailing charges that since December 1975 Indonesian forces had killed between 50,000 and 100,000 civilians in East Timor.
Which country got independence from Indonesia?
On 20 May 2002, the Constitution of the Democratic Republic of East Timor came into force and East Timor was recognised as independent by the UN. The Constituent Assembly was renamed the National Parliament and Xanana Gusmão was sworn in as the country’s first President after Indonesian occupation.
What is the conflict in East Timor?
The 1999 East Timorese crisis began with attacks by pro-Indonesia militia groups on civilians, and expanded to general violence throughout the country, centred in the capital Dili. The violence intensified after a majority of eligible East Timorese voters chose independence from Indonesia.
What started the East Timor genocide?
In June 1976, TNI troops badly battered by a Fretilin attack exacted retribution against a large refugee camp housing 5–6,000 Timorese at Lamaknan near the West Timor border. After setting several houses on fire, Indonesian soldiers massacred as many as 4,000 men, women and children.
How did East Timor gain independence from Indonesia?
East Timor declared itself independent from Portugal in 1975, but was invaded by Indonesia. The country was later incorporated as a province of Indonesia. … In 1999, in a UN-sponsored referendum, an overwhelming majority of East Timorese voted for independence from Indonesia.
Why did Australia invade East Timor?
Australian Defence Force units arrived in East Timor in 1999 to quell the rioting, disorder and low-level fighting created by the Indonesian military’s scorched earth campaign as it withdrew from its former possession in 1999.