Several have warned that the fighting will be bloodier than the 1975 conflict that precipitated the Indonesian invasion.
Following the Indonesian invasion of the country on December 7, he fled into the mountains.
Following the Indonesian invasion in 1975, this was taken over by the Indonesian military and closed to civilian traffic.
He returned home in 1972, only to flee three days before the Indonesian invasion, in which two of his brothers and a sister died.
The town is home to a 400-year old fort, which was the scene of several battles during the Indonesian invasion in 1975.
However, this was curtailed by the Indonesian invasion in 1976.
Western countries were criticized because they supported the Indonesian invasion.
Fearing persecution, scores of people have fled into the mountains, a common refuge since the days of the Indonesian military invasion in 1975.
The Indonesian invasion caused the deaths of 100,000-200,000 Timorese through violence, illness, and hunger.
The opening scene depicts East's own summary execution, during the Indonesian invasion.