EAST TIMOR: Report reveals thousands of children stolen

A 2500-page report by the Portugese Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation, titled Chega! (Enough!), documents the experiences of the East Timorese people under 24 years of brutal Indonesian military occupation, including the removal of thousands of Timorese children. The report has not yet been released, but sections have been leaked. According to the February 12 Melbourne Age, the report found that some children were abducted by Indonesian soldiers and smuggled out of East Timor in boxes. In other cases, parents were tricked into handing over their children. The fate of many is unknown. The Australian government has disputed the report's findings regarding Australia's role in the lead-up to East Timor's independence in 1999.

From Green Left Weekly, February 22, 2006.

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From GLW issue 657