Death of a Nation - The Timor Conspiracy

1974 was the year that saw the revolution in Portugal, which put an end to Caetano's dictatorial regime. This event had major consequences for Portugal's colonies. In Portugese East Timor a power struggle evolved between various liberation movements which was eventually won by Fretilin, who proclaimed independence. One year later Indonesia, considering themselves the legitimate successors of Portugal, occupied East Timor. Ever since, the country has been suffering under Indonesian rule. A recent Australian government report estimates that as a consequence of the Indonesian invasion and occupation, two hundred thousand people, one third of the population, have lost their lives. DEATH OF A NATION - THE TIMOR CONSPIRACY looks for and finds evidence of the Indonesian massacre of the East Timorese. The film accuses Western governments, especially Great Britain, of covertly supporting the Indonesian occupation of East Timor. Filmmakers John Pilger and David Munro are very experienced with Southeast Asian subjects. They made films on the atrocities by the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia and on the consequences of the Vietnam war, to name a few.