EAST TIMOR: THE STORY SO FAR

East Timor, formerly a Portuguese colony, is located 650 km northwest of Darwin, Australia. On 7 December 1975, after nine days of independence, East Timor was invaded and occupied by Indonesia. Amnesty International has estimated that 200,000 people have died as a direct result of the Indonesian occupation.

Health standards in East Timor remain poor. At 160 deaths per 1,000 live births, East Timor has the highest infant mortality rate in the world. An Indonesian health official admitted in November 1993 that at least 70 per cent of children under five are malnourished.

According to a UN report published in July 1994; "About 82% of the population live in poverty and about 70% of the population under thirty years of age is unemployed."