Volume 33, Number 19 · December 4, 1986
The Betrayed People
By Margo Picken
'Funu': The Unfinished Saga of East Timor
by Jose Ramos-Horta, preface by Noam Chomsky
The Red Sea Press, 207 pp., $9.95 (paper)
East Timor Violations of Human Rights: Extrajudicial Executions, 'Disappearances,' Torture and Political Imprisonment, 1975–1984
Amnesty International Publications, 92 pp., $3.50 (paper)
Timor: A People Betrayed
by James Dunn
Jacaranda Wiley (Brisbane, Australia), 416 pp., $19.95 (Aust.)
At least a hundred thousand people have died since Indonesia invaded East Timor in December 1975, and probably many more. No one knows exactly how many. Some estimate that the invasion and ten years of war and military occupation may have wiped out as much as one third of the population, estimated at about 680,000 in 1975. Many have died from famine and disease, while others have been killed by aerial bombardments and fighting with the Indonesian army. Many have 'disappeared' after arrest or have been summarily executed. Of those who remained, thousands have been taken to live in 'resettlement centers' under army surveillance. Between eight and ten thousand Indonesian troops are said to remain in East Timor, facing an armed resistance that has been continuous.
Review, 5496 words
To read the full text of this piece, please choose one of the following options:
|
If you are already a subscriber to the Review's electronic edition, please sign in: |
To subscribe to the electronic edition, please press the button below. |
To purchase access to this article for $3, please press the button below. |