If you had ever picked up a history book on the war in the pacific, Ise Mise, you would have learned that when the Japanese invaded Timor, the Timorese helped the Japanese army hunt down the fleeing Australians.

The Timorese really did believe the Japanese propaganda of 'Asians for the Asians" and that the Japanese Army was their liberators from the yoke of white oppression. The Timorese changed sides only after they realised that the japs were a damned site more oppressive than the Portuguese ever were.

So no. We owe them nothing. They supported our enemies and only switched sides and supported us when they realised their mistake, and realised that the allies were winning.

LEGO,

Well said!

Every time we stick our noses into other countries, we end up with more useless, welfare-seeking "refugees".

LEGO,
I did even better than reading about it,
I had the words of an uncle who served in the 2/2 Commandos in Timor and he told us of the help that was received from the local people particularly in food and in intelligence about Japanese movements.
Estimates vary between 40,000 and 60,000 Timorese who were killed by the Japanese.
According to the uncle the Australians could not have survived without the help of the locals.
It was Dutch Timorese who helped the Japs; so do please read a bit of the history.

Which confirms my premise that the Japs were a damned site more "oppresive" than the Portuguese ever were.

I have always been interested in military history, even as a kid. My father's battalion (2/14) was nearly shot out of existence on the Kokoda Track. I read everything I could on the Pacific War because of my deceased father's participation in that fight. I had heard of the stories of how the Timorese had helped the Aussies fight the nasty Japs, and how we were now all friends forever. Imagine my surprise when I actually read a book about that campaign and read that after the Australian garrison was defeated, the Timorese helped the Japs track our fleeing men down, and betrayed those hiding in the jungle who had approached Timorese asking for food.

These Australian soldiers were executed.

Subsequent books I read (no, don't ask the names of the books, I read them long ago and I can't remember their names) pointed out that the Timorese changed sides only when the allies were winning and they realised that the Japs were infinitely worse than the fairly humane Portuguese.

As usual, we are told what our masters want us to hear. From Biden's son's laptop, to Russia's so caled collusion with Trump, to the so called "stolen generations, to Human Induced Climate Change, to what really happened during the war. The onus is upon you to check the facts. Unfortunately, too many people are not interested in history. I think that soon history will be considered "racist" like mathematics is supposed to be today.

LEGO,
I am appalled by each of your comments on this topic. Please refrain from similar comments in the future: if necessary, I will recommend any comment which shows such as biased retreat from the truth for deletion.

LEGO,
By the time the Allies were winning the Australians had left Timor.
Having read up on the subject you somehow didn’t mention that East Timorese took up arms and fought alongside their Aussie mates.
How remiss.