East Timor/Indonesia conflict at November 1991

On Tuesday, 12 November 1991, almost 200 East Timorese were killed or wounded in an awesom display of military might. There were reports of wounded people being beaten and shot at point blank range.

They were amongst up to 2000 mourners and protesters at a memorial service for an East Timorese student who had been killed a fortnight before. This student was killed when Indonesian soldiers attacked a Catholic church where pro-independence supporters were meeting and seeking refuge from the security forces. It is believed that the church was targeted because it was a voice for the East Timorese longing for an end of sixteen years of Indonesian occupation and violent violation of human rights.

The protesters were also marching against the biased manner in whiche the Indonesian government was reacting to a planned visit by a Portugese parliamentary delegation. This visit, to begin on 4 November 19991, was suspended when a member of the delegation, an Australian journalist based ...