Dong Greenlees and Robert Garran: Deliverance: The Inside Story Of East Timor's Fight For Freedom

By MARGIE THOMSON

Award-winning Australian journalists Greenlees and Garran have pulled out all stops in their historical and analytical account of what can only be called East Timor's agony over the past quarter century, since its invasion by Indonesia in 1975.

The authors have the rare gift of being able to consolidate years of research (both covered East Timor for The Australian newspaper and other publications before beginning work on this book) and countless interviews with government and military insiders in Indonesia, Australia, the United States and the United Nations, as well as the East Timorese themselves, into a narrative of freshness, clarity and punch.

They examine how the bold decision by Indonesian President Habibie to offer independence to East Timor led to the wholesale slaughter and violence that surrounded East Timor's vote for independence in 1999, and answer questions such as: was that murderous violence really carried out by "rogue elements" from the Indonesian military?

Allen and Unwin
$45