East Timor is a nation of some 800,000 inhabitants located on a small island, about 700km north of Australia. The western half had been a Dutch colony and became part of Indonesia after World War II. But the eastern half, which had been ruled for three centuries by Portugal, was given its independence with the collapse of the Portuguese empire in 1975.

Indonesia invaded the former colony in December 1975, formally annexing it the following year. Indonesia's military is estimated to have killed up to 200,000 Timorese and guerrilla leader Xanana Gusmao and 1996 Nobel Peace Prize winners Jose Ramos Horta and Bishop Carlos Belo have been fighting for East Timor's independence for 25 years.

In January 1999, Indonesian President BJ Habibie attempted to boost his international credibility by offering East Timor a referendum on its status. In the August poll, 78 percent of the electorate chose independence, but pro-Indonesia militias - backed by Indonesian military officers - launched a reign of terror against the pro-independence majority.

Australia's handling of East Timor is one of the most shameful episodes of Australian foreign policy. Until last year, when the Australian Government finally sent a peace keeping force to a nation devastated by the pro-Indonesian militia, successive federal governments have turned a blind eye to Indonesia's often brutal efforts to subdue the rebellious East Timorese.

Secret government papers released on September 12 2000 confirm that the then Labour government was fully aware of Indonesia's planned invasion and subsequent occupation of East Timor in 1975. The Australian government was also aware of the invasion plans prior to an attack which killed three Australian journalists ñ an allegation which has been denied for 25 years.

Even more damning is proof that Australia's official diplomatic records on East Timor were "sanitised", and did not accurately record talks between Australia and Indonesia.

For a quarter of a century, a central tenet of Australian foreign policy
has been that "friendship" with Indonesia has been more important than the rights and lives of the East Timorese.

email this story to a friend