Sian Powell – One of the most enduring horrors of the Indonesian occupation of East Timor was the "fence of legs" campaign in 1981, which rounded up civilians – young and old, sick and hungry – and made them march across the island.

The fence of legs was intended to flush out resistance fighters, and most importantly Fretilin leader Xanana Gusmao, now the fledgling nation's leader.

Instead, the weakened East Timorese fell sick and died in horrendous numbers, and the march ended in a massacre.

The report by the UN's Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation has found that as many 60,000 civilians were forced into the marches.

In mid-1981, one human fence began walking westwards from Tutuala in the far east of East Timor, while another began marching along the Viqueque corridor to the northeast. The two fences converged on Mount Matebian, and then fanned out to Lacluta.

The report found that when the advance reached Lacluta in September, hundreds of people were massacred by Indonesian troops. "The commission received evidence of a large massacre of civilians, including women and children, at this time," it says.

Indonesian authorities admitted to only 70 being killed, while Monsignor Costa Lopes of East Timor's Catholic church said the death toll was closer to 500.

An East Timorese resistance fighter told the commission the killings were conducted by Battalion 744, later to be commanded by Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, now Indonesia's President.

"I witnessed with my own eyes how the Indonesian military, Battalion 744, killed civilians in front of me," Albino da Costa said.

"They captured those unarmed people, tied them up then stabbed them to death. There was a pregnant woman captured and killed just like that. I saw it from a close distance, just 100m from where it happened."

The operation found far more villagers than guerilla fighters cowering in the bush.

It is likely that many Timorese refused to give up the resistance fighters, and those coerced "assistants" comprising the fence of legs – many of them children – failed to notice them.

The commission found the operation had "very serious humanitarian consequences" on an already weakened civilian population. Many died in the struggle across East Timor's rugged terrain. The forced march took place over the planting season, and most of the subsistence farmers forced to participate could not plant their crops, leading to yet another famine.

The fence of legs operation was not an isolated incident. The Indonesian military routinely used civilians in campaigns – several thousand children were recruited as operations assistants, according to the commission.

For the fence of legs campaign, the commission found that the Indonesian military recruited children as young as 10.

East Timorese civilians were savagely punished if they failed in the duties they were coerced into by the Indonesian military.

"On 14 July 1980, Rubigari, Rai Olo, Rubi Gamu and Loi Gamu were forced by TNI (the then Indonesian military) to guard the post at night," one witness testified.

"My father, Rubigari, fell asleep when it was his turn to do the night watch. He was caught by three members of TNI Battalion 202. They shouted at him, kicked and hit him with their weapons until his ribs were broken, and he died right there."