Indonesia invaded East Timor on December 7th 1975,  justifying their actions by falsely propagating to the world that East Timor's newly formed political party and resistance organization FRETILIN (The Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor), were in support of communism. This false allegation was used as grounds to avoid condemnation from the international community. East Timor had just gained independence from Portugal on November 11th 1975 and was therefore in its most  vulnerable state. This paved the way for Indonesia to invade no less than a month later. The invasion wreaked havoc in the nation with surges of violence and brutality, displacing millions of people. By 1978, about ⅓ of the population had perished under Indonesian rule.

​

FRETILIN had ties with communist nations, which provoked the Indonesian Government. Indonesia saw this as a threat to their security and claimed to act in ‘self defense’ to justify gaining control of the country. The Timor Sea that bordered East Timor, was the perfect ground for invasion, enabling Indonesia to access crucial marine trade routes which further incentivised them to invade. In addition to this, due to historical and cultural relations, Indonesia considered East Timor to be a part of their territory and therefore felt it was their right to claim it back. The fact that West Timor was already a part of the Indonesian colony caused them to seek control of the East as well. Moreover, East Timor was  known to have an abundance of oil and gas reserves that Indonesia wanted to gain control of.

​

With all the pieces slowly falling into place, “Operation Seroja”  (also known as Operation Lotus) was initiated, costing the country its stability, sovereignty and immediate future.

​

East Timor has now been under the control of Indonesia for 16 years. During this time Indonesian troops have carried out multiple human rights violations such as illegal killings and kidnappings, as well as sexual violence and unlawful arrests. Yesterday, on 12th of November 1991, the troops raided Dili - the capital of East Timor, open firing at a peaceful procession that was mourning the death of their independence activist, Sebastião Gomes. Amongst the demonstrators were countless students and ordinary citizens that were innocent and unjustly targeted. We estimate that about 250-300 people were murdered in that procession, with several others injured.

​

Today, as we all gather at the Security Council, it is imperative that the delegates study the human rights abuses and crimes committed by the Indonesian military, and reach a final  consensus on immediate social and political action to be taken to combat this mass genocide.

​

We look forward to constructive debate from the delegates, and hope to find an answer to the most vital question - Does East Timor belong to Indonesia? Delegates, it’s time to act now. Will you support East Timor's fight for freedom and help it regain its sovereignty? or will you recognise Indonesia's claim and help them gain absolute control over the territory they feel they deserve? The choice is yours. We hope you are up for the challenge.