Indonesian invasion of East Timor Operation Lotus |
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Part of the Cold War | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
East Timor dissidents Supported by:United States Israel Turkey |
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Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Suharto Maraden Panggabean Benny Moerdani Dading Kalbuadi Lopes da Cruz Mario Carrascalão José Osorio Soares |
Francisco Xavier do Amaral Rogério Lobato Nicolau Lobato |
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Strength | |||||||
35,000 soldiers | 2,500 regular troops | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
1000 injured, captured, dead | |||||||
100,000 to 180,000 soldiers and civilians dead throughout occupation including between 17,600 and 19,600 violent deaths or disappearances |
East Timor dissidents
The Indonesian invasion of East Timor, known in Indonesia as Operation Lotus began on 7 December 1975, when the Indonesian military invaded East Timor under the pretext of anti-colonialism. The overthrowing of a popular and briefly Fretilin-led government later sparked a violent quarter-century occupation in which between approximately 100,000–180,000 soldiers and civilians are estimated to have been killed or starved. The Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation in East Timor documented a minimum estimate of 102,000 conflict-related deaths in East Timor throughout the entire period 1974 to 1999, including 18,600 violent killings and 84,200 deaths from disease and starvation; Indonesian forces and their auxiliaries combined were held responsible for 70% of the killings.