Genocide:"a coordinated plan of different actions aiming at the destruction of essential foundations of the life of national groups, with the aim of annihilating the groups themselves" (What Is “Genocide”). This invasion is considered a genocide because it was a mass killing of a specific ethnic group. The Indonesian genocide was an invasion by Indonesia on East Timor. East Timor is a country that was a Portuguese colony up until 1975 when the country gained its independence from Portugal and Indonesian control in the West. Right before the invasion, President Ford was reported to have visited Indonesia, which has been assumed to have symbolized his permission for Indonesia to invade the East Timor country. This invasion has killed an estimated
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and our former President Ford. When the Portuguese departed from East Timor in August 1975, Indonesian troops started infiltrating the border from Indonesian West Timor, which was the part of Timor under only Indonesian control. Only one day after a visit to Jakarta by President Ford and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger did Indonesia invade East Timor. On the morning of December 7th, Indonesia initiated a “naval bombardment of the city of Dili, followed by landings of paratroopers from the air and of marines on the beaches” (). The mass killing claimed over 200,000 lives, or 1/3 of the population, and “occurred against United Nations appeals to the Indonesian government, largely because of US support of the government and its arms buying.” The U.S. is guilty of supporting this genocide, and happily stood behind this horrible act because of the benefits they get from Indonesia like their oil and gas reserves. Indonesia began one of the largest slaughters in history and our country was 100% more than willing to not only ignore it, but to facilitate it because they had a beneficial exchange process with the country. After four years, in 1979, an estimated 200,000 out of a previous population of 700,000 had been killed. Most of those who were dead were civilians either killed by the military, starved to death in “internment camps”, or while hiding in …show more content…
It can also be confirmed that President Ford could have terminated the killings but chose not too. The U.S. chose to sit back and watch while 200,000 lives were being slaughtered. There is no question in how much the U.S. did to actually help the Timorese people, but the question of how they can support such a horrifying crime and go on with their lives can and definitely will be raised. Fortunately President Bill Clinton ended all military aid to Indonesia in 1999. The unfortunate part was the lives lost and terror brought upon them that happened before the termination of U.S. military assistance to Indonesia. This history is so crucial in learning so we can prevent such acts from happening again and educate those on what has happened in the past. May it never happen
and our former President Ford. When the Portuguese departed from East Timor in August 1975, Indonesian troops started infiltrating the border from Indonesian West Timor, which was the part of Timor under only Indonesian control. Only one day after a visit to Jakarta by President Ford and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger did Indonesia invade East Timor. On the morning of December 7th, Indonesia initiated a “naval bombardment of the city of Dili, followed by landings of paratroopers from the air and of marines on the beaches” (). The mass killing claimed over 200,000 lives, or 1/3 of the population, and “occurred against United Nations appeals to the Indonesian government, largely because of US support of the government and its arms buying.” The U.S. is guilty of supporting this genocide, and happily stood behind this horrible act because of the benefits they get from Indonesia like their oil and gas reserves. Indonesia began one of the largest slaughters in history and our country was 100% more than willing to not only ignore it, but to facilitate it because they had a beneficial exchange process with the country. After four years, in 1979, an estimated 200,000 out of a previous population of 700,000 had been killed. Most of those who were dead were civilians either killed by the military, starved to death in “internment camps”, or while hiding in …show more content…
It can also be confirmed that President Ford could have terminated the killings but chose not too. The U.S. chose to sit back and watch while 200,000 lives were being slaughtered. There is no question in how much the U.S. did to actually help the Timorese people, but the question of how they can support such a horrifying crime and go on with their lives can and definitely will be raised. Fortunately President Bill Clinton ended all military aid to Indonesia in 1999. The unfortunate part was the lives lost and terror brought upon them that happened before the termination of U.S. military assistance to Indonesia. This history is so crucial in learning so we can prevent such acts from happening again and educate those on what has happened in the past. May it never happen