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Ford and Kissinger believed that the Communists could not be allowed to make any further advances in the post-Vietnam War era, as they had in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Angola, and the Middle East.  Ford gave Suharto a green-light to invade East Timor.<ref>http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB62/#doc4</ref>  Ford was unambiguous: "We will understand and will not press you on the issue.  We understand the problem and the intentions you have."

Ford and Kissinger believed that the Communists could not be allowed to make any further advances in the post-Vietnam War era, as they had in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Angola, and the Middle East.  Ford gave Suharto a green-light to invade East Timor.<ref>http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB62/#doc4</ref>  Ford was unambiguous: "We will understand and will not press you on the issue.  We understand the problem and the intentions you have."

A Truth Commission found that 89-214,000 Timorese out of more than 700,000 were killed during the 24-year occupation, about 3/4 of them by Indonesian forces.<ref>http://www.ictj.org/en/news/features/846.html</ref>  Portuguese authorities estimated a population of 609,000 Timorese in 1970; based on later censuses from the Catholic Church, the population grew at 3% per year (which is in line with all the other countries of South East Asia; [[Cambodia]]'s grew at a rate of 2.9% per year at the same time despite being in the midst of a bloody civil war that killed hundreds of thousands; the Church estimates actually undercounted the population size by at least 5% on average, according to the Portuguese, due to the Church's incomplete access to society).<ref>http://www.yale.edu/gsp/publications/KiernanRevised1.pdf</ref>  Projecting the population size for 1975 based on these findings, we arrive at a total of roughly 700,000.  The mid-value of the plausible range established by the Truth Commission is 152,000 dead (Kiernan notes that one can "throw out" a figure of 200,000 or more, but that 150,000 "is likely close to the truth") but the most exact census suggested a 1980 population of 560,000.<ref>http://www.yale.edu/gsp/publications/KiernanRevised1.pdf</ref>  Accounting for population growth during the years of mass killing, then, the number of "missing" Timorese was most probably about 175,000.  If one extrapolates from the Truth Commission's finding that Indonesia was responsible for about 3/4 of all the violent killings in order to apportion blame for the remaining "excess" deaths; then Indonesia was responsible for killing 18% (nearly one-fifth) of the Timorese population.  Due to the large number of deaths, these atrocities are commonly referred to as a genocide.

A Truth Commission found that 89-214,000 Timorese out of more than 700,000 were killed during the 24-year occupation, about 3/4 of them by Indonesian forces.<ref>http://www.ictj.org/en/news/features/846.html</ref>  Portuguese authorities estimated a population of 609,000 Timorese in 1970; based on later censuses from the Catholic Church, the population grew at 3% per year (which is in line with all the other countries of South East Asia; [[Cambodia]]'s grew at a rate of 2.9% per year at the same time despite being in the midst of a bloody civil war that killed hundreds of thousands; the Church estimates actually undercounted the population size by at least 5% on average, according to the Portuguese, due to the Church's incomplete access to society).<ref>http://www.yale.edu/gsp/publications/KiernanRevised1.pdf</ref>  Projecting the population size for 1975 based on these findings, we arrive at a total of roughly 700,000.  The mid-value of the plausible range established by the Truth Commission is 152,000 dead, but the most exact census suggested a 1980 population of 560,000.<ref>http://www.yale.edu/gsp/publications/KiernanRevised1.pdf</ref>  Accounting for population growth during the years of mass killing, then, the number of "missing" Timorese was probably about 175,000.  Accepting a growth rate higher than 1% during the genocide, or accepting a lower 1980 population, would only yield a higher total.  This is 25% of the Timorese population.  Due to the large number of deaths, these atrocities are commonly referred to as a genocide.  Indonesia killed many thousands more throughout the remainder of the occupation.

==References==

==References==