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Indonesian Occupation of East Timor, 1975–1999
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Indonesian Occupation of East Timor, 1975–1999

Indonesia's 1975–1999 occupation of East Timor: the invasion, the death toll recorded by the CAVR truth commission, the 1999 referendum and independence.

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Indonesia invaded East Timor on 7 December 1975 and occupied it for 24 years. Timor-Leste’s truth commission (CAVR) found that at least 102,800 Timorese died as a result of the conflict between 1974 and 1999, and possibly as many as 183,000, most of them from hunger and illness caused by war and forced displacement. The occupation ended after a UN-run referendum in 1999, and the country restored its independence on 20 May 2002.

From Portuguese colony to invasion (1974–1975)

Timor was a Portuguese colony for more than four centuries. After Portugal’s April 1974 revolution, Lisbon began withdrawing from its colonies and Timorese political parties formed. A brief civil war between the UDT and FRETILIN parties in August 1975 was won by FRETILIN, which proclaimed independence on 28 November 1975. Nine days later, on 7 December, Indonesian forces invaded Dili. In 1976 Indonesia declared East Timor its 27th province, an annexation the United Nations never recognised.

The Balibo Five

On 16 October 1975, weeks before the full invasion, five journalists working for Australian television were killed at Balibo, near the border, during an Indonesian incursion. Indonesia maintained that they died in crossfire. In 2007 a New South Wales coroner found that one of them, Brian Peters, had been deliberately killed by Indonesian special forces, and that the findings would be the same for the others; Indonesia rejected the finding. The fort and the house where they stayed are now a museum and guesthouse in Balibo.

The human cost

The most thorough count comes from the Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation (CAVR), whose final report, Chega! (Portuguese for “Enough!”), was delivered to the President in October 2005. Its statistical analysis found:

CAVR estimate (1974–1999)Number
Minimum conflict-related deaths102,800 (margin of about ±11,000)
Of which killed or disappearedAbout 18,600
Of which died of hunger and illness above normal levelsAbout 84,200
Upper estimate of total conflict-related deathsUp to 183,000

Older and secondary sources often give totals of 200,000 or more, out of a population of roughly 650,000 in the mid-1970s. Most deaths came in the late 1970s, when military campaigns forced people from their villages into resettlement camps with little food. The CAVR found that the majority of deaths resulted from the actions of the Indonesian military. Some scholars describe the occupation as genocide; others use terms such as crimes against humanity. This page uses the CAVR figures because they are the most rigorously documented.

The CAVR also concluded that political and military support from Western governments, including the United States, was fundamental to the invasion and occupation.

Resistance

Timorese resistance continued for the whole occupation through three fronts: an armed guerrilla movement in the mountains, a clandestine network in towns and villages, and a diplomatic front abroad. Key moments include:

  • 12 November 1991: troops fired on a funeral procession at Santa Cruz Cemetery in Dili. Footage smuggled out of the country drew worldwide attention. Read more in our Santa Cruz massacre article.
  • 1992: resistance leader Xanana Gusmão was captured and imprisoned in Indonesia.
  • 1996: Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo and José Ramos-Horta were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

The 1999 referendum and its aftermath

After the fall of President Suharto in 1998, Indonesia agreed to let the Timorese choose between special autonomy and independence. In the UN-organised popular consultation on 30 August 1999, with turnout of about 98%, 78.5% of voters rejected autonomy.

Pro-Indonesian militias, backed by the Indonesian military, responded with a campaign of killing and destruction. More than 1,400 people were killed, much of the country’s infrastructure was burned, and as many as 500,000 people were displaced, around 250,000 of them taken or forced into West Timor.

An Australian-led multinational force, INTERFET, authorised by the UN Security Council on 15 September, began arriving on 20 September 1999. The UN Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) then governed the territory, and a Serious Crimes Unit investigated crimes committed in 1999. Timor-Leste restored its independence on 20 May 2002 and joined the United Nations that September.

Where to learn more in Timor-Leste

See things to do in Dili for opening tips, and our Timor-Leste history timeline for the longer story.

Sources

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