ABSTRACT
A formal coalition was announced in January 1975, with an unequivocal platform of 'total independence, rejection of integration, repudiation of colonialism, and recognition of decolonisation'. Indonesia attempted to keep the war in East Timor as secret as possible. Its plan was to wipe out the resistance movement and then present an 'integrated' East Timor to the world community as a fait accompli. New roads and bridges notwithstanding, Jakarta has a long way to go before sweeping East Timor off the international agenda. Lisbon stepped up its campaigning for Timorese self-determination and more than any other country has been responsible for keeping the East Timor case alive in international forums. The Dili massacre also led to an unprecedented volume of coverage on East Timor in the Indonesian press. In Indonesia, as pressure for more public participation in national politics gathers steam, so too may there be an opening for changes in the government's view of East Timor.
