This thesis gives a brief scenario of events which culminated in the invasion of East Timor by the Indonesian armed forces in December 1975. It looks at the nature of the consequences of life under Indonesian occupation; examines the quality and nature of the resistance by the East Timorese people against their new coloniser; examines the leadership of the resistance movement and its re-structuring and examines the role of the United Nations and international diplomacy. There is also a discussion of East Timor in the context of global politics and the National Council of Maubere Resistance Peace Plan.