[TimorLesteStudies] Documents on 31 May 1976 “integration” assembly (by David Webster)

[Michael Leach]

[Via ETAN]


New e-dossier from History Beyond Borders: An act of no choice: the “integration” of Timor-Leste, 1976. Documents on the 31 May 1976 assembly that “integrated” #TimorLeste into Indonesia, and the United Nations response. historybeyondborders.ca/?p=427<http://historybeyondborders.ca/?p=427>

On 31 May 1976, the Sporting Club in Dili hosted a controversial ceremony in which a handful of Timorese legislators selected by the Indonesian-imposed “Provisional Government of East Timor” petitioned unanimously for annexation by Indonesia. On 31 July, Indonesian president Suharto accepted the petition and declared Timor-Leste to be Indonesia’s 27th province, under the name “Timor Timur” (East Timor).

United Nations and Commonwealth documents from this time period illustrate the illegality of the assembly calling for annexation, its pre-determined outcome, and the different stances taken by the UN and some Western powers.

We can conclude:

  *   The assembly was designed to make a major international problem, the invasion of Timor-Leste, disappear
  *   It was modelled on the illegitimate “Act of Free Choice” held in West Papua in 1969, less than seven years earlier
  *   Indonesian officials consistently refused to take part in peace talks during this period, preferring to work through the “Provisional Government,” and used the 31 May assembly as a  justification for not participating in talks
  *   Australian politicians set the path for other Western governments debating whether to attend
  *   The United Nations always viewed the assembly as illegitimate and never considered attending
  *   The Assembly’s outcome was decided in advance, and this was known at the time

The story can be told from a series of primary source documents produced in 1976. This briefing book relies primarily on United Nations archival documents, but also draws on documents from Australia, New Zealand and Canada. File number references are available on request. These documents should be read in conjunction with published histories of Timor-Leste’s international history.
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