The Indonesian Army used the U.S. weapons to beat Nairn, fracturing his skull, and to shoot at a crowd of unarmed Timorese. Dozens of Timorese died in the bloodbath. Catholic Church and human rights sources say as many as 180 may have died.
Mass murder is nothing new in East Timor.
Amnesty International and other sources estimate that 200,000 people, approximately one-third of East Timor's population, have died in the wake of the December 1975 Indonesian invasion which followed the withdrawal of Portugal, East Timor's former colonial ruler. The United States has played the role of accomplice in this long- running slaughter. The 1975 invasion took place the day after President Gerald Ford and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger ended a visit to Jakarta, Indonesia's capital. Ninety percent of the Indonesia's arms supply at the time of the invasion came from the United States, and the United States has remained Indonesia's main source of weapons since the invasion. Those Timorese who have survived the Indonesian invasion and occupation face severe repression.