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Laying the Groundwork

The village of Wini on the western side of the island of Timor was one of only a few of the developed settlements on the Indonesian side of the island. Divided between colonial powers long ago, Timor had long been a sore spot for some nationalists within the Indonesian government. Ironically, Sukarno saw the presence of the Portuguese on the island as an affront to Indonesia’s independence and some within his cabinet saw it as a challenge to the Republic’s very sovereignty. However, with the nation reeling from a war for independence against the Dutch, it was in no position to take action, especially when it would lead to war with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and a swift end to the Sukarno regime. But, with Sukarno gone and his replacement showing little to no interest in fighting colonialism, others took it into their own hands to plan for what they saw as the inevitable decolonization of the island.

Sarwho Edhie Wibowo, sat comfortably in the passenger side of a Willy’s Jeep as it rode down a freshly-paved valley road northwards. The road itself was bordered by a handful of military outposts manned by soldiers of KOPASSUS and some elements of the Indonesian Army under the control of the Radikal faction. Work on the road connecting the north and south on the island had been carried out in relative secrecy under the command of Wibowo and the engineer corps of the Indonesian Army who had agreed to take part in improving infrastructure in a region they saw as vitally important. Wibowo smiled as he passed by, seeing the occasional military truck or car pass them, the sight of progress improving his mood amid the swarms of mosquitoes and the almost unbearable humidity.

Lieutenant General Wibowo’s trip had begun with a plane ride from his station in Papua to Kupang, from which he had taken a helicopter to the town of Kefamenanu, some 7 miles from the western exclave of Portuguese Timor. From there, he had taken a Jeep northwards to the village of Wini, his ultimate destination. When he arrived, he encountered a pathetic village of less than 300 people. Before the settlement of the Indonesian Army and Kopassus, the village had no access to electricity or running water, and no one born there even knew what a telephone was, much less a radio. It was a village stuck in time until recently, when it had been essentially pulled into the 20th century.

The presence of the Indonesian military in the village had little impact on the residents there. It was something Wibowo had made sure of. The last thing they needed were issues with the locals or complaints that could jeopardize or otherwise slow down Wibowo’s plans. Under his direction, the Army had essentially modernized the village, bringing essential services and even new housing for the locals. It kept them happy, at least for now.

Kopassus’ main base of operations was just outside the village. It was a small compound, currently composed of a single command building, a listening post, and a pair of barracks along with enough storage space to equip the garrison in the village. There were plans to expand, but for now, the Wini headquarters fulfilled the needs of the Kopassus garrison. It helped coordinate movements in the region while keeping the operation itself a secret both from Jakarta and the Portuguese garrison itself.

After inspecting the headquarters, a satisfied Wibowo headed west, straight for the border crossing into Portuguese Timor. On the way there, his driver deviated from the main road and took a dirt road up to an outpost on the mountains which made up part of the border demarcation. It was there that Wibowo was able to get a better look of what he was working with on the other side of the border. After climbing a steep set of wooden steps, and a treacherous trail up the mountain he finally arrived at a shelter outpost constructed largely of wood and camouflaged with miscellaneous plants and a tarp procured from the latest American supply shipment.

One of the soldiers there handed him a pair of binoculars and Wibowo scanned the area, spotting a village just across the border along the shore of the northern reaches of the island. He saw dirt roads, shacks that served as homes, and a few concrete structures. Somehow, Wini managed to look luxurious and modern in comparison. “What a sh*thole.” He spat, lowering his binoculars and glancing down at the soldier sitting on the observation post. There was a desk right in front of him, with papers to write reports on the goings on in the border area with Portuguese Timor. “Is that all you have?” Wibowo had read a few excerpts of what the soldier had written. Nothing worth even analyzing.

“Yes, sir. Barely anything goes on this side of the border.” The soldier said with a shrug, drawing a chuckle from Wibowo.

“And that’s how we like it. If the Portuguese can’t protect their own sh*t, they don’t deserve it in the first place.” Handing the binoculars back, he patted the soldier on the shoulder and turned to leave. “Keep at it.” He said as he headed back down and back to Wini. Back in the village, Wibowo returned to his Willy’s jeep and embarked on another multiple-hour ride to the other side of the border where the main bulk of the Portuguese lay.

His trip took him down recently paved roads to the larger settlement of Atambua, a town in its own right rather than a village. Kuch like Wini, the town had been revitalized by the presence of the Indonesian Army which had exponentially increased after the 30th of September Incident. Unlike Wini, however, Atambua’s size had drawn some attention from Java and local authorities had brought basic modern amenities in the early 50’s. That act was a blessing for the arriving Wibowo, who witnessed members of the Indonesian Army’s engineers laying out upgrades to power lines, and finishing off on the pavement of the roads. Roads that could one day serve to ferry troops in and supplies for Wibowo’s envisioned grand military operation that would end the division of the island once and for all.

Unlike Wini, Wibowo had little insight into the other side of the border. While Atambua was less than 4 miles from the Portuguese Timor border, the city itself was not in a position to properly observe the other side. However, that didn’t remove the strategic significance of the town for any future military operations. It had the best infrastructure to support military operations. In fact, it was the only large settlement with the capacity to support any sort of military maneuvers on this side of the island. It’s most important feature, however, was the terrain. Most of Timor was mountainous or covered in hills, with some locations being inaccessible for conventional army formations. It meant that any future missions would require the presence of air assets to not only support infantry, but to also transport them to various locations across the island, including the city of Dili on the Portuguese side, an obvious target for Wibowo’s ambitious military plans.

Driving to the northern side of the city, he inspected the ongoing construction of a military airfield on the plains just outside of town. As far as the Portuguese knew, the airport was being constructed for the sake of the locals, but the reality was very different. The airfield was being built to support Indonesia’s air force. Sitting from afar, Wibowo observed the ongoing construction, proud of the rapid progress the engineers and troops were making. But, one thing was missing. The aircraft. The Indonesian Army had no significant aircraft of its own save for transport planes and helicopters. While useful, they wouldn’t be enough to truly support any large-scale takeover of the island. It meant he would need support from the Indonesian Air Force which meant he would need to reach out to its commander, Soewoto Soekendar, a close and loyal ally to the Old Guard and A.H Nasution. The very thought of having to bargain made Wibowo frown, but he had little choice. If he wanted this to succeed, the Air Force and the Navy would have to be on his side or at least, supporting the operation in full.

In the meantime, Wibowo intended to continue laying the groundwork. Rooting the Army and Kopassus in Timor, just as he had done in Papua. With the Communists eradicated, Wibowow had now turned his attention to the other enemies of Pancasila, the Portuguese and their continued occupation of Timor Island.