Today in Labor History March 12, 1967: Suharto took power from Sukarno in Indonesia. He ruled Indonesia as an authoritarian, kleptocratic dictator for 31 years, and is widely considered one of the most brutal and corrupt dictators of the 20th century. During that time, he amassed a fortune worth $38 billion. Suharto rose to power under Sukarno during the 1965-1966 genocide. During that ostensibly anti-Communist purge, Suharto’s troops murdered 1-3 million communists, labor activists, peasants and ethnic minorities. During that genocide, he received support military and economic from both the U.S. and the U.K. In 1974, the Suharto regime, with approval of U.S. president Gerald Ford, invaded East Timor, killing over 200,000 Timorese. Another 75,000-200,000 died from starvation and disease. The current Indonesian government is considering awarding him the posthumous honor of National Hero.

Abrimos um concurso para atribuição de uma Bolsa de Investigação para Licenciado/a para integrar a equipa do projecto #DecTil — "Examinar a descolonização de Timor-Leste, 1974-82: o Relatório Riscado", financiado pela FCT.

As candidaturas decorrem até 5 de Março

https://ihc.fcsh.unl.pt/bil-dectil-2025/

People might have forgotten that this was also part of Jimmy Carter's legacy. While better than some former presidents his full history should be acknowledged #JimmyCarter #Indonesia #EastTimor #humanrights
https://www.democracynow.org/2025/1/10/jimmy_carter_indonesia_east_timor_genocide

So sorry to hear of the death of Tom Hyland. He was proof of the change one (extra)ordinary man can create. Laoch. #EastTimor comhbrón lena muintir agus a chuid cairde.

This a new one - an profile that claims to be an Indonesian journalist (and looks legit) threw some #EastTimor war crimes "both sides" denialism at me, over at #BlueSky

I wonder if this is someone linked to a certain President and a desire to whitewash his past?

Yesterday in Labor History, November 29, 2023: Mass murderer and War Criminal Henry Kissinger is finally dead!

He won the Nobel Peace Prize, along with Lê Đức Thọ, for their work in orchestrating a ceasefire in the Vietnam War. Two Nobel Prize committee members resigned in protest. During his diplomatic career, Kissinger was involved in orchestrating and/or supporting the Chilean coup and Pinochet dictatorship (over 3,000 killed); the Argentine Dirty War (up to 30,000 killed); the Pakistani genocide in Bangladesh (3 million killed); and the Genocide in East Timor (up to 300,000 killed).

Totally agree with most criticism of #Israel and its atrocities in #gaza #Palestine

But when people say "no other country would get away with it" I wonder

Do they not know about what #Indonesia did to #EastTimor? What #India is doing to #Kashmir? What #China is doing to the #Uyghurs & #Tibetans? What #Russia did to #Chechnya?

We can debate intensity, impact, scale of atrocities, etc, but the idea that only Israel is getting away with committing crimes against humanity is naive ignorance.

Today in Labor History November 12, 1991: The Indonesian Army opened fire on a crowd of student protesters in Dili, East Timor, killing over 250 people in the Santa Cruz massacre. Many foreign journalists witnessed the massacre, including journalists Amy Goodman (Democracy Now) and Allan Nairn, who were badly beaten, as they attempted to serve as human shields to defend the Timorese from attack. British cameraman Max Stahl filmed the massacre and smuggled it into Australia. The footage was used in the documentary: In Cold Blood: The Massacre of East Timor (1992). Stahl's footage, and the testimony of Nairn and Goodman, caused outrage around the world and led to mass organizing to support the Timorese independence movement. Between 1975 and 1999, the Indonesian military slaughtered up to 300,000 East Timorese, in a genocide that wiped out as much as 44% of the total population.

Today in Labor History October 16, 1973: Mass murderer and War Criminal Henry Kissinger was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, along with Lê Đức Thọ, for their work in orchestrating a ceasefire in the Vietnam War. Two Nobel Prize committee members resigned in protest. During his diplomatic career, Kissinger was involved in orchestrating and/or supporting the Chilean coup and Pinochet dictatorship (over 3,000 killed); the Argentine Dirty War (up to 30,000 killed); the Pakistani genocide in Bangladesh (3 million killed); and the Genocide in East Timor (up to 300,000 killed).

“Palestine & the Lessons of East Timor: History teaches us that Palestine, as with East Timor, will be free“

by Peter Job in Declassified Australia

@palestine
@israel

“In 1975 Indonesia invaded the former Portuguese colony of East Timor, with the approval of, and armed by, the US, Australia and other Western nations. [..] The similarities between what was done to East Timor and what is being done to Palestine are haunting.“

https://declassifiedaus.org/2024/09/12/palestine-the-lessons-of-east-timor/

The latest issue of the e-Journal of Portuguese History, in a dossier dedicated to independence in the Portuguese-speaking world, includes two articles by IHC historians: Zélia Pereira discusses the self-determination of #EastTimor, while Aurora Almada e Santos analyses the case of #CapeVerde.

https://brill.com/view/journals/ejph/21/2/ejph.21.issue-2.xml

@histodons
@histodon

Today in Labor History October 8, 1965: The Indonesian military, led by future dictator Suharto, began torturing and massacring thousands of "suspected" Communists, leading ultimately to the overthrow of leftist President Sukarno. Other targets of the murders were members of the Gerwani women’s movement, trade unionists, ethnic Javanese Abangan, ethnic Chinese, atheists, teachers, students, and alleged leftists in general. The U.S. embassy provided the death squads with the names of suspected “communists.” Intelligence agencies from the U.S., U.K., and Australia provided anti-communist propaganda, as well as military and logistical aid. Overall, the genocide (1965-1966) led to 500,000 to 1.2 million civilian deaths and 1.5 million imprisoned. A top-secret CIA report from 1968 called the massacres "one of the worst mass murders of the 20th century, along with the Soviet purges of the 1930s, the Nazi mass murders, and the Maoist bloodbath of the early 1950s." Nevertheless, Western media either downplayed the events, or celebrated them. Suharto remained in power until 1998, continuing to imprison, torture and slaughter workers and civilians. He also presided over the East Timor Genocide of up to 300,000 people in the 1970’s.

The pontiff’s grand tour is a dress rehearsal for a potential visit to Beijing. It shouldn’t come at the expense of Taiwan or the Church’s authority. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2024/09/10/world/pope-asia-trip-about-china/ #commentary #worldnews #popefrancis #easttimor #indonesia #southeastasia #catholicchurch #christianity #china #taiwan

When Pope Francis becomes the first pontiff to visit an independent East Timor, he will confront a clergy beset by child abuse scandals that have been largely ignored by the deeply Catholic country's freedom heroes. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2024/09/08/asia-pacific/child-abuse-pope-east-timor/ #asiapacific #popefrancis #easttimor #indonesia #southeastasia

Pope Francis visit keenly awaited in deeply Catholic East Timor https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2024/09/08/asia-pacific/politics/pope-francis-catholic-east-timor/ #asiapacific #politics #popefrancis #southeastasia #easttimor

Pope Francis was set to land in Muslim-majority Indonesia for a visit dominated by interfaith ties, the start of an ambitious four-nation tour that will be the longest of his papacy. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2024/09/03/asia-pacific/politics/pope-indonesia-four-nation-tour/ #asiapacific #politics #popefrancis #southeastasia #indonesia #papuanewguinea #easttimor #singapore

Timor-Leste government bulldozes homes to make way for mass with Pope Francis - ABC News

#religion #pope #easttimor #timorleste

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-08-28/evictions-in-timor-leste-ahead-of-pope-francis-visit/104269462

Pope Francis is set to visit four island nations across southeast Asia on an ambitious trip to urge global action on climate change that may test the strength of the 87-year-old head of the global Catholic Church. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2024/08/29/asia-pacific/pope-francis-climate-southeast-asia/ #asiapacific #popfrancis #southeastasia #climatechange #indonesia #papuanewguinea #easttimor #singapore