STAFF NOTES: MILITARY DEVLOPMENTS

Created: 9/16/1975

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

INDONESIA:ending Special Forces into Timor

1 The pace of Indonesia's ailitary build-up, begunonth ago for possible military action against Portuguese Timor,1has slowed down almost to a President Suharto apparently is reluctant to Intervene alone, but mounting pressures from thecould yet force himull scale invasion.

Indonesian

military command instead will increase tne number of special forces troops that it is sending across the border. Although special forces units have been carrying out reconnaissance missions in Timor since last year, Jakarta will now send units irtto the Portuguese half of the island specifically to mgage in guerr.tlla warfare and to create as much confusion as possible. Theof special forces units in Portuguese Timorit part of Jakarta's overall plan to lure

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Fretilin troops across the border Into Indonesian territory. Indonesia hopes to provoke Incidents that would give its military units an excuse to take military action.

Early inombined force ofpecial forcos troops and Indonesian-trained native guerrilla troopa crossed the border. The unit reportedly ovorran fatu Besi, someiles inside tho border, and now is pushing north towards Alfu.

Theirborne and infantry troops that had been alerted noarly two weeks ago remain on alert status on Java. One company of infantry troops on nearby Bali has, however, been blerted for movementosition on Timor close to the border with Portuguese Timor. The air force continues to move supplies to airfields and support facilities closer to Portuguese Timor. Several ships of the naval task force assembled off the coast ofincluding six destroyer escorts and six merchant marineare patrolling tha northern and southern coasts of tho^island.r

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Original document.

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