Timor lies just north of Australia. The western part of the island was formerly Dutch. East Timor was a Portuguese colony for more than 400 years.

In World War II, East Timorese supported Australian commandos fighting the Japanese. Around 60,000 East Timorese were killed by the Japanese, most after the Australians pulled out in 1943. East Timor began decolonising after the overthrow of Portugal's Caetano dictatorship in 1974. Newly formed political parties began discussing options for the future. One small party, called Apodeti, declared itself in favour of integration with Indonesia. The two largest parties, UDT (Timorese Democratic Union) and Fretilin (Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor), agreed to a coalition in January 1975 with the aim of working with the Portuguese towards independence after three years.

The Indonesian military exploited some UDT leaders' fears of the 'communist' nature of Fretilin. Indonesian backed UDT members organised a coup in August 1975 which lead to a brief civil war, and about 1500 deaths. At the end of the civil war Fretilin was left in control of virtually all of East Timor. Fretilin organised successful food, literacy and health programmes. When Portugal refused to return to oversee the process of independence Fretilin became the de facto government.

On 7th December 1975, despite assurances that it would respect the right of the East Timorese to self-determination, Indonesia launched a full scale invasion with the knowledge of the United States and the encouragement of Australia.

Indiscriminate killing and raping by Indonesian forces followed. After the capture of Dili (the capital) and other towns Fretilin fought a guerrilla campaign from the countryside. Despite their small numbers the resistance held out and by the late 1970s Indonesia faced military defeat.

Indonesia appealed to the United States and received military helicopters, strike aircraft and advisors. The war turned against Fretilin. The Indonesian armed forces conducted a number of 'extermination' and 'annihilation' campaigns using aerial bombardment, warships, tanks, mortars, cannons, and massive numbers of troops, including East Timorese conscripted at gunpoint. By the mid 1980s reliable church estimates put the number of deaths from war, famine and disease at 200,000 out of a population of 650,000.

Indonesia's size, strategic location, economic importance and large reserves of oil and other natural resources have encouraged the world to ignore East Timor's plight. In recent years events have combined to bring East Timor¹s occupation to international attention.

November 12, 1991, Indonesian troops shot and killed at least 271 Timorese civilians and a young New Zealander Kamal Bamadhaj during a funeral procession at the Santa Cruz cemetery in Dili. The massacre was captured on film and shocked the world. The following day the Commander of the Indonesian armed forces, and now Vice-President of Indonesia, General Try Sutrisno, said "people who refuse to toe the line have to be shot."

Late 1995, young East Timorese began occupying foreign embassies in Jakarta, seeking asylum, drawing attention to the desperate situation of those in opposition to Indonesia. December 1996, Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo and Jose Ramos Horta were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

'Operation Extermination', the security crackdown in the wake of the May 29, 1997, Indonesian elections claimed its most prominent victim. Commander David Alex, second in command of the armed East Timor resistance was captured by the military and died under mysterious circumstances, on June 25, 1997.

In July 1997, South African President Nelson Mandela met with jailed resistance leader, Xanana Gusmão. He later made representations to President Suharto for release of Xanana and for autonomy for East Timor.