Editing History of Timor-Leste (section)

===Parties compete, foreign powers take interest===
Developments in Portuguese Timor during 1974 and 1975 were watched closely by [[Indonesia]] and [[Australia]]. [[Suharto]]'s [[New Order (Indonesia)|"New Order"]], which had effectively eliminated Indonesia's Communist Party [[Communist Party of Indonesia|PKI]] in 1965, was alarmed by what it saw as the increasingly left-leaning Fretilin, and by the prospect of a small independent leftist state in the midst of the archipelago inspiring separatism in parts of the surrounding archipelago.

Australia's Labor prime minister, [[Gough Whitlam]], had developed a close working relationship with the Indonesian leader, and also followed events with concern. At a meeting in the [[Javanese language|Java]]nese town of [[Wonosobo]] in 1974, he told Suharto that an independent Portuguese Timor would be 'an unviable state, and a potential threat to the stability of the region'.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/1999/03/whit-m09.html|title=Leaked documents reveal Australian Labor leader's East Timor role|last=Head|first=Mike|author-link=Mike Head|date=9 March 1999|website=World Socialist Web Site|access-date=6 March 2017|archive-date=6 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170306210107/https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/1999/03/whit-m09.html|url-status=live}}</ref> While recognising the need for an act of self-determination, he considered integration with Indonesia to be in Portuguese Timor's best interests.

In local elections on 13 March 1975, Fretilin and UDT emerged as the largest parties, having previously formed an alliance to campaign for independence.

Indonesian military intelligence, known as BAKIN, began attempting to cause divisions between the pro-independence parties, and promote the support of Apodeti. This was known as ''Operasi Komodo'' or 'Operation Komodo' after the giant [[Komodo dragon|Komodo]] lizard found in the eastern Indonesian island of the same name. Many Indonesian military figures held meetings with UDT leaders, who made it plain that [[Jakarta]] would not tolerate a Fretilin-led administration in an independent East Timor. The coalition between Fretilin and UDT later broke up.

During the course of 1975, Portugal became increasingly detached from political developments in its colony, becoming embroiled in civil unrest and political crises, and more concerned with decolonisation in its [[Africa]]n colonies of [[Angola]] and [[Mozambique]] than with Portuguese Timor.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://www.easttimorgovernment.com/history.htm|title=East Timor History|website=www.easttimorgovernment.com|access-date=2019-09-10|archive-date=29 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140729155601/http://www.easttimorgovernment.com/history.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Many local leaders saw independence as unrealistic, and were open to discussions with Jakarta over Portuguese Timor's incorporation into the Indonesian state.<ref name=":0" />