Salient. Official Newspaper of the Victoria University Students' Association. Vol 41 No. 21. August 28 1978

US Involvement

US Involvement

Two recent events dramatically reveal the current nature of the situation. In late May Indonesia sent in a further 15,000 troops. Presumably they were meant to make the area around Dili safe for Suharto's visit. They are still there, but seem to be making little headway. In June it was announced that the United States had entered the war. This was denied for a while, but reports now coming out which detail the range of US presence and the times and places where it has been used make it impossible to believe US denials. (A similar claim that aid was cut off for six months at the beginning of the war while the situation was examined was later admitted to be false).

The US has granted the Indonesian regime several hundred million dollars worth of military hardware in the last three years. The supply has been increased, and now they are providing advisers, mercenaries, pilots and other technicians.

The advisers have been observed directing Indonesian military offensives and are known to be training Indonesian troops. Mercenaries have been seen wearing the uniform of the crack Indonesian commando units, although they are apparently being very careful not to get themselves hurt. (No US mercenary has yet been killed.) The pilots fly US made Bronco OV-10s in bombing and machine-gun missions against liberated villages.