A Light on East Timor Indonesias brutal 19-year occupation of
East Timor has caused the deaths of one-third of the islands
populationsome 200,000 peopleand shows no sign of Indonesias
brutal 19-year occupation of East Timor has caused the deaths of
one-third of the islands populationsome 200,000 peopleand shows
no sign of letting up soon. Yet for most of the world, East
Timor still seems too distant a tragedy to be troubled
aboutespecially in light of similar but better publicized
brutalities that make the evening news. But its invisibility
isnt simply because of lack of concern. Indonesia has waged a
well-orchestrated international public relations campaign to
block information of the Timorese genocide from reaching much of
the world. Only the most horrific atrocitiessuch as the Santa
Cruz Cemetery massacre in 1991 where at least 200 Timorese
protesters were killedget covered by the mainstream media.
Meanwhile, much of the Timorese population continues to be
confined to concentration camps, its culture threa