1999 East Timorese crisis

Pro-Indonesian attacks in East Timor after an independence referendum February 2021 February 2021 1999 East Timorese crisis the decolonisation of Asia and the fall of Suharto Destroyed houses 19.jpg 350px Destroyed houses in Dili April 1999 – 2002 (1999 2002) East Timor East Timorese victory Defeat of pro-Indonesian militia Stabilisation of East Timor East Timorese independence referendum US embargo of military sales to Indonesia from 9 September 1999 to 22 November 2005https://uca.edu/politicalscience/dadm-project/asiapacific-region/indonesiaeast-timor-1976-2002/ 53. Indonesia/East Timor (1976-2002) uca.edu 3 October 2020 7 February 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230207072055/https://uca.edu/politicalscience/dadm-project/asiapacific-region/indonesiaeast-timor-1976-2002/ deadhttps://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/444003.stm BBC News | Asia-Pacific | Military sanctions against Indonesia news.bbc.co.ukhttps://www.foxnews.com/story/u-s-removes-six-year-embargo-against-indonesia U.S. Removes Six-Year Embargo Against Indonesia 25 March 2015 Associated Press UK embargo of military sales to Indonesia from 11 September 1999 to 11 April 2012https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9197167/Britain-sells-weapons-to-Indonesia-after-13-year-hiatus.html Britain sells weapons to Indonesia after 13 year hiatus The Telegraph 11 April 2012 Australia embargo of military sales to Indonesia September 1999-2006https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-38504188 Indonesia suspends military co-operation with Australia 4 January 2017 25 June 2026 bbc.com European Union (EU) embargo of military sales to Indonesia 16 September 1999 – 17 January 2000https://www.tni.org/es/node/8332 EU Arms Embargo to Indonesia Lifted Despite Worsening Situation in the Archipelago 17 November 2005 Transnational Institutehttps://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/607230.stm BBC News | ASIA-PACIFIC | EU lifts arms embargo on Indonesia news.bbc.co.uk 80% of East Timor's infrastructure destroyed by Scorched Earth Operation East TimorINTERFET Logo.jpg INTERFETUNTAET logo.png UNTAET Full list: on Australia – 5,000 New Zealand – 1,250 Thailand – 1,600 Argentina https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/Publications_Archive/CIB/cib9900/2000CIB03 East Timor and Australia's Security Role: Issues and Scenarios Austria https://peacekeeping.un.org/mission/past/unmiset/facts.html UNMISET: United Nations Mission of Support in East Timor - Facts and Figures peacekeeping.un.org Bangladesh  Benin  Bolivia  Bosnia and Herzegovina  Brazil  Bulgaria  Canada  Chile https://reliefweb.int/report/indonesia/untaet-fact-sheet-18-peacekeeping-force UNTAET Fact Sheet 18: Peacekeeping Force OCHA 28 February 2002 10 November 2020 China  Croatia  Denmark  Egypt  Fiji  France 1974  Gambia  Germany  Ghana  Israel  Ireland  Italy  Japan  Jordan  Kenya  Malaysia  Mexico  Mozambique  Namibia  Nepal  Niger  Nigeria  Norway  Pakistan  Peru  Philippines  Portugal  Puerto Rico  Russia  Samoa  Senegal  Serbia and Montenegro  Singapore  Slovakia  Slovenia  Spain  South Korea 1997  Sri Lanka  Sweden  Tajikistan  Turkey  Ukraine  Uruguay  United Kingdom  United States Cross Lyle East Timor: A Case Study in C4I Innovation http://www.doncio.navy.mil/chips/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=3455 US Navy Information Technology Magazine Department of Navy (US) 9 September 2018 Vanuatu  Zambia  Zimbabwe  Indonesia Pro-Indonesia militias Flag of AITARAK.svg Aitarak Flag of Besi Merah Putih.svg Besi Merah Putih Laksaur headband.svg Laksaur Mahidi Symbol.svg Mahidi 21px Kopassushttp://www.cnn.com/ASIANOW/southeast/9909/28/e.timor.02/ ASIANOW - Peacekeepers capture suspected elite forces in East Timor - September 28, 1999 www.cnn.comUN arrests Jakarta soldiers Indonesia The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/world/1999/sep/29/indonesia.easttimor2 2026-09-08 www.theguardian.comQuestions and Answers on East Timor ( Violence in East Timor - Background Briefing, September 8, 1999) https://www.hrw.org/legacy/backgrounder/asia/timor/timor-bck0908.htm 2026-09-08 www.hrw.org21px BINhttps://www.theage.com.au/national/indonesia-bugged-australia-20041115-gdyzv0.html Indonesia 'bugged' Australia 15 November 2004 The Age21px BAISThe Passage of Secrets Between Australia and Indonesia http://etan.org/et99c/december/12-18/13thepas.htm 2026-09-08 etan.org Australia John Howard Australia Peter Cosgrove New Zealand Jenny Shipley New Zealand Helen Clark New Zealand Carey Adamson Brazil Sérgio Vieira de Mello Portugal Paulo Pereira Guerreirohttps://news.un.org/en/story/2002/09/44572-east-timor-mourns-death-un-peacekeeping-forces-top-military-observer East Timor mourns death of UN peacekeeping force's top military observer 9 September 2002 UN News Italy Giorgio Cornacchionehttps://www.barbadillo.it/111319-timor-est-la-missione-italiana-dimenticata/ Timor Est, la missione (italiana) dimenticata 5 October 2023 Barbadillo Indonesia WirantoFlag of AITARAK.svg Eurico Guterres *East Timor East Timor – 16 killed (UN local staff)ODP Noticas humdata.org AUS Australia – 2 killed by accidentLondey Peter 2004 Other People's Wars: A History of Australian Peacekeeping Crows Nest, New South Wales Allen & Unwin 1-86508-651-7 256, 259 NZ New Zealand – 5 killed (4 by accident)https://www.nzherald.co.nz/indonesia-and-east-timor/news/article.cfm%3Fc_id%3D589%26objectid%3D2197691 Aronson, Cathy Fifth NZ soldier dies in East Timor 28 July 2002 NZ Herald 17 October 2020 May 2022 InternetArchiveBot yes Thailand Thailand – 2 killedhttps://reliefweb.int/report/indonesia/untaet-daily-briefing-12-may-2000 UNTAET Daily Briefing 12 May 2000 - Indonesia ReliefWeb 12 May 2000 Tajikistan Tajikistan – 1 killed Bangladesh Bangladesh – 1 killed and 1 wounded by IEDhttps://reliefweb.int/report/timor-leste/untaet-daily-briefing-03-aug-2000 UNTAET Daily Briefing 03 Aug 2000 - Timor-Leste ReliefWeb 3 August 2000 Croatia Croatia – 1 killed (UNHCR staff) Ethiopia Ethiopia – 1 killed (UNHCR staff) Fiji Fiji – 3 killed and 11 woundedhttps://peacekeeping.un.org/mission/past/etimor/DB/db110901.htm Dili, 11 September 2001: Fijian Soldier Killed, 11 Injured, in Truck Accident United Nations 17 October 2020 Brazil Brazil – 1 killedhttps://reliefweb.int/report/timor-leste/timor-leste-un-mission-remembers-2-peacekeepers-killed-bali-blast Timor-Leste: UN mission remembers 2 peacekeepers killed in Bali blast - Timor-Leste ReliefWeb 13 November 2002 Germany Germany – 1 killed Ghana Ghana – 1 killed by disease Indonesia Indonesia – 2 killed (UN local staff) Ireland Ireland – 2 killedhttps://www.irishtimes.com/news/irish-soldier-shot-dead-in-accident-in-east-timor-1.1085166%3Fmode%3Damp Irish soldier shot dead in accident in East Timor O'Doherty, Caroline Irish Times 16 April 2002 17 October 2020 Malaysia Malaysia – 3 killedhttps://peacekeeping.un.org/en/mission/past/etimor/DB/DB140600.HTM Dili, 14 June 2000 peacekeeping.un.org Nepal Nepal – 1 killed and 3 woundedhttps://reliefweb.int/report/timor-leste/secretary-general-extends-condolences-family-nepalese-soldier-killed-east-timor Secretary-General extends condolences to family of Nepalese soldier killed in East Timor 11 August 2000 17 October 2020 PHI Philippines – 4 killed and 4 woundedhttps://reliefweb.int/report/indonesia/untaet-daily-briefing-22-dec-2000 UNTAET Daily Briefing 22 Dec 2000 - Indonesia ReliefWeb 22 December 2000https://peacekeeping.un.org/mission/past/etimor/news/N021000.htm News1 peacekeeping.un.org Portugal Portugal – 4 killed and 9 woundedhttps://peacekeeping.un.org/mission/past/etimor/news/N031000.htm News1 peacekeeping.un.org Puerto Rico Puerto Rico – 1 killed (UNHCR staff)https://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=82698&page=1 3 U.N. Workers Dead in West Timor Rampage ABC News 6 August 2023 Russia Russia – 5 killed and 1 missing by accidenthttps://apnews.com/article/c0f01887adcab2b967e3c66fce961b9e Russian Cargo Plane Crashes in East Timor Associated Press KOR 1997 South Korea – 4 killed and 1 missing by accidenthttps://www.abc.net.au/news/2003-03-07/four-s-korean-soldiers-killed-in-e-timor-accident/1813650 Four S Korean soldiers killed in E Timor accident ABC News 7 March 2003 10 November 2020 Spain Spain – 1 killed US United States – 1 woundedhttp://www.cnn.com/ASIANOW/southeast/9909/04/e.timor.03/ ASIANOW - U.S. police officer shot as East Timor violence surges - September 4, 1999 www.cnn.com Total: 65 killed 49 UN staff and NGOs captured later releasedhttps://www.stuff.co.nz/national/122568724/the-untold-story-of-the-daring-nz-sas-mission-to-rescue-un-personnel-in-west-timor The untold story of the daring NZ SAS mission to rescue UN personnel in West Timor 5 September 2020 Stuff 15–19 killedhttps://www.nippon.com/en/currents/d00275/ Japan Self-Defense Forces Participation in UN Peacekeeping: An Idea Whose Time is Past 5 December 2016 nippon.comhttps://www.etan.org/et2005/november/07/10files.htm Files reveal East Timor clashes www.etan.orghttps://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/documents-link-nz-forces-with-aussie-torture-probe/6SBFIMWEXPO4MR2J3HNU3OUV7I/ Documents link NZ forces with Aussie torture probe The New Zealand Herald 20 March 2024 301+ capturedhttps://books.google.com/books?id=S5n-fTmJTBIC&q=portuguese+soldier+operation+cobra&pg=PA70 Peacekeeping in East Timor: The Path to Independence 9781588261427 Alcott Louisa May Smith Michael Geoffrey Dee Moreen 2003 Lynne Rienner Publishershttp://www.cnn.com/ASIANOW/southeast/9909/28/e.timor.02/ ASIANOW - Peacekeepers capture suspected elite forces in East Timor - September 28, 1999 www.cnn.com 1,400 civilians killed220,000+ refugeeshttps://www.unhcr.org/news/latest/2020/9/5f59f0174/remembering-unhcr-colleagues-killed-in-atambua-west-timor-twenty-years.html Remembering UNHCR colleagues killed in Atambua, West Timor, twenty years on UNHCR 10 September 2020 12 November 20202 journalists killedhttps://cpj.org/2000/03/attacks-on-the-press-1999-east-timor-formerly-indo/ Attacks on the Press 1999: East Timor Committee to Protect Journalists 22 March 2000 12 November 20201 Indonesian soldier killedhttps://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/nz-peacekeepers-kill-indonesian-soldier/Z2KOVXHV7QRQJKGOKODFE7W5OI/ NZ peacekeepers kill Indonesian soldier The New Zealand Herald 20 March 20241 Indonesian police officer killedhttps://www.irishtimes.com/news/interfet-fires-at-indonesian-police-near-frontier-post-1.237208?mode=amp Interfet fires at Indonesian police near frontier post www.irishtimes.com 11,000 military and policehttps://etan.org/et99c/october/24-31/25unsc.htm UNSC Authorizes UN Troops for East Timor 13,000 militiashttps://www.kompas.com/ 13.000 Eks Milisi Timtim akan Demo Seminggu Tuntut Kompensasi Kompas Cyber Media 22 September 2017 KOMPAS.com 6 August 2023 The 1999 East Timorese crisis began with attacks by pro-Indonesia militia groups on civilians and expanded to general violence throughout the country, centred in the capital Dili. The violence intensified after a majority of eligible East Timorese voters voted for independence from Indonesia. A Scorched Earth Operation by militia groups destroyed 80% of Dili's infrastructure.Egan Carmel The Timor gap The Advertiser 8 January 2000 69McDonald Hamish Williams Louise To what end, Indonesia? http://theage.com.au/daily/990911/news/specials/news1.html The Age Fairfax Media 11 September 1999 https://web.archive.org/web/20000118011251/http://theage.com.au/daily/990911/news/specials/news1.html 18 January 2000 1 dead At least 1,400 civilians are believed to have been murdered both before and after voting.Moore Matthew with AAP and Liz Gooch Army and police take over from UN peacekeepers The Age 20 May 2004 12 A UN-authorized force (INTERFET) consisting mainly of Australian Defence Force personnel was deployed to East Timor to establish and maintain peace. Background Fall of Suharto Post-Suharto era in Indonesia thumb|left|Indonesian President B. J. Habibie takes the presidential oath of office on 21 May 1998. Independence for East Timor, or even limited regional autonomy, was not allowable under Suharto's New Order. Notwithstanding Indonesian public opinion in the 1990s occasionally showing begrudging appreciation of the Timorese position, it was widely feared that an independent East Timor would destabilise Indonesian unity.Schwarz 1994 228 Renewed United Nations-brokered mediation efforts between Indonesia and Portugal began in early 1997.Marker 2003 7 The 1997 Asian financial crisis, however, caused tremendous upheaval in Indonesia and led to Suharto's resignation in May 1998, ending his thirty-year presidency.Nevins 2005 82 Prabowo, by then in command of the powerful Indonesian Strategic Reserve, went into exile in Jordan and military operations in East Timor were costing the bankrupt Indonesian government a million dollars a day.Friend 2003 433 The subsequent "reformasi" period of relative political openness and transition, included unprecedented debate about Indonesia's relationship with East Timor. For the remainder of 1998, discussion forums took place throughout Dili working towards a referendum.Friend 2003 433 Indonesian Foreign Minister Alatas described plans for phased autonomy leading to possible independence as "all pain, no gain" for Indonesia.John G. Taylor, East Timor: The Price of Freedom (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1999; 1st ed., 1991), p.xv. Cited in Friend (2003), p. 433 On 8 June 1998, three weeks after taking office, Habibie, as Suharto's successor, announced that Indonesia would soon offer East Timor a special plan for autonomy.Nevins 2005 82 In late 1998, the Australian Government of John Howard drafted a letter to Indonesia advising of a change in Australian policy, and advocating a referendum on independence within a decade. President Habibie saw such an arrangement as implying "colonial rule" by Indonesia and he decided to call a snap referendum on the issue.http://www.abc.net.au/news/2008-11-16/howard-pushed-me-on-e-timor-referendum-habibie/207044 Howard pushed me on E. Timor referendum: Habibie ABC News 15 November 2008 16 October 2014 Indonesia and Portugal announced on 5 May 1999 that a vote would be held allowing the people of East Timor to choose between the autonomy plan or independence. The vote, to be administered by the United Nations Mission in East Timor (UNAMET), was originally scheduled for 8 August but later postponed until 30 August. Indonesia also took responsibility for security; this arrangement caused worry in East Timor, but many observers believe that Indonesia would have refused to allow foreign peacekeepers during the vote.Nevins2005 86–89 Voting and violence thumb|Destruction in Dili 1999 East Timorese independence referendum As groups supporting autonomy and independence began campaigning, a series of pro-integration paramilitary groups of East Timorese began threatening and committing violence around the country. Alleging pro-independence bias on the part of UNAMET, the groups were seen working with and receiving training from Indonesian soldiers. Before the May agreement was announced, an April paramilitary attack in Liquiça left dozens of East Timorese dead. On 16 May 1999, a gang accompanied by Indonesian troops attacked suspected independence activists in the village of Atara; in June another group attacked a UNAMET office in Maliana. Indonesian authorities claimed to be helpless to stop what it claimed was violence between rival East Timorese factions, but Ramos-Horta joined many others in scoffing at such notions.Nevins2005 83–88 In February 1999 he said: "Before [Indonesia] withdraws it wants to wreak major havoc and destabilization, as it has always promised. We have consistently heard that over the years from the Indonesian military in Timor."Quoted in Nevins, p. 84. As militia leaders warned of a "bloodbath", Indonesian "roving ambassador" Francisco Lopes da Cruz declared: "If people reject autonomy there is the possibility blood will flow in East Timor."Both quoted in Nevins, p. 91. One paramilitary leader announced that a "sea of fire" would result in the event of a vote for independence.Quoted in Nevins, p. 92. As the date of the vote drew near, reports of anti-independence violence continued to accumulate.International Federation for East Timor Observer Project. "IFET-OP Report #7: Campaign Period Ends in Wave of Pro-Integration Terror". 28 August 1999. Retrieved on 17 February 2008. The day of the vote, 30 August 1999, was generally calm and orderly. 98.6 per cent of registered voters cast ballots, and on 4 September UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan announced that 78.5 per cent of the votes had been cast for independence.Shah, Angilee. "Records of East Timor: 1999" https://web.archive.org/web/20080102154438/http://www.international.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=53444 2 January 2008. 21 September 2006. Online at the UCLA International Institute. Retrieved on 17 February 2008. Brought up on the "New Orders insistence that the East Timorese supported integration, Indonesians were either shocked or incredulous that the East Timorese had voted against being part of Indonesia. Many accepted media stories blaming the supervising United Nations and Australia who had pressured Habibie for a resolution.Vickers (2003), p. 215 As UNAMET staff returned to Dili following the ballot, towns began to be systematically razed. Within hours of the results, paramilitary groups had begun attacking people and setting fires around the capital Dili. Foreign journalists and election observers fled, and tens of thousands of East Timorese took to the mountains. Indonesian Muslim gangs attacked Dili's Catholic Diocese building, killing two dozen people; the next day, the headquarters of the ICRC was attacked and burned to the ground. Almost one hundred people were killed later in Suai, and reports of similar massacres poured in from around East Timor.Nevins 2005 100–104 The vast majority of the UN staff locked down in their Dili compound, which had been flooded with refugees, refused to evacuate unless the refugees were withdrawn as well, insisting they would rather die at the hands of the paramilitary groups. At the same time, Indonesian troops and paramilitary gangs forced over 200,000 people into West Timor, into camps described by Human Rights Watch as "deplorable conditions"."Indonesia/East Timor: Forced Expulsions to West Timor and the Refugee Crisis". Human Rights Watch. December 1999. Retrieved on 17 February 2008. After several weeks the Australian Government offered to allow the refugees in the UN compound along with the UN staff to be evacuated to Darwin, and all the refugees and all except four UN staff were evacuated. When a UN delegation arrived in Jakarta on 8 September, they were told by Habibie that reports of bloodshed in East Timor were "fantasies" and "lies".Quoted in Nevins, p. 104. General Wiranto of the Indonesian military insisted that his soldiers had the situation under control, and later expressed his emotion for East Timor by singing the 1975 hit song "Feelings" at an event for military wives.Nevins2005 107"Wiranto – survivor with iron will". BBC News. 13 February 2000. Online at bbc.co.uk. Retrieved on 17 February 2008. Countries contributing to INTERFET & UNTAET INTERFET logistics thumb|Commander INTERFET, Major General Cosgrove, joins hands with the new East Timor leadership during a celebration to mark the official handover to UNTAET. Australia provided the largest contingent of troops, hardware and equipment for the INTERFET operation—5,500 personnel at its peak—followed by New Zealand.Horner 2001 9 New Zealand's contribution peaked at 1,200 personnel.Neville Leigh The Australian Army at War 1976–2016 June 27, 2019 Bloomsbury Publishing 16 It was New Zealand's largest overseas military deployment since the Korean War.Crawford Harper 2001 6 Eventually, 22 nations contributed to INTERFET, which grew to over 11,500 strong.Power Samantha Chasing the Flame: One Man's Fight to Save the World 2008 Penguin Books 297 https://books.google.com/books?id=mERxqBX06zUC&pg=PA297 July 13, 2025Horner 2001 22 Another 40 nations joined UNTAET as either contributing military personnel or civilian police officers.https://peacekeeping.un.org/sites/default/files/past/etimor/UntaetF.htm 10 July 2025 United Nations 31 March 2002 Facts and figures Countries known to contribute include (in alphabetical order) Australia, Austria, Argentina, Bangladesh, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Croatia, Denmark, Egypt, Fiji, France, Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, New Zealand, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, New Zealand, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Russia, Samoa, Senegal, Serbia and Montenegro, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.Ryan 2000 127–129 Australia was refused US ground troops but was able to secure vital support for airlift, logistics, specialised intelligence, over the horizon deterrence, and "diplomatic muscle". Japan who was prevented by law from sending troops provided significant financial funding of a US$100 million.Richardson Michael Financial and Diplomatic Costs Mount : Australia Presses UN To Send Timor Force https://www.nytimes.com/1999/10/05/IHT-financial-and-diplomatic-costs-mount-australia-presses-un-to-send-timor.html 4 April 2024 International Herald Tribune 5 October 1999East Timor/Timor-Leste: Background http://www.army.gov.au/Our-stories/Operations/East-Timor_Timor-Leste/Setting-the-scene/Background Australian Army https://web.archive.org/web/20120227131649/http://www.army.gov.au/Our-stories/Operations/East-Timor_Timor-Leste/Setting-the-scene/Background 27 February 2012 dead Participants were awarded the International Force East Timor Medal by the Australian Government.http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/honours/awards/medals/international_force_east_timor_medal.cfm International Force East Timor Medal 11 January 2015 29 September 2008 It's an Honour Government of Australia 5 March 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150305002846/http://itsanhonour.gov.au/honours/awards/medals/international_force_east_timor_medal.cfm dead As lead nation Australia provided logistic support for a number of other nations in addition to its own requirements.Horner 2001 32 A Force Logistic Support Group was deployed during October and November based on the 10th Force Support Battalion (10 FSB), which included supply, transport, port operators, water transport and maintenance personnel, while a forward surgical team, preventative medical section, signals squadron, and engineers from the 17th Construction Squadron and a section of the 19th Chief Engineer Works were also attached. Meanwhile, the 9th Force Support Battalion was deployed to Darwin to provide additional support, and later rotated with 10 FSB in East Timor.Horner 2001 23 Despite the proximity of considerable civilian and military infrastructure in Darwin, the provision of this support proved a major challenge for Australia, which had not been required to provide full logistic support for a deployed force since the Second World War. Reductions in defence spending over the previous decade had led to the run-down of its logistic support force, resulting in the requirement to quickly implement a range of ad hoc measures to overcome these shortfalls.Horner 2001 32–33 Despite relatively short lines of communication, low expenditure of ammunition, fuel and other consumables, and limited personnel and equipment casualties, the operation strained the ADF's limited logistic capability and it was questionable whether it could have sustained a more high intensity deployment.Horner 2001 38 Indonesian withdrawal and peacekeeping force International Force for East Timor thumb|left|HMAS Jervis Bay in Dili in October 1999. The violence was met with widespread public anger in Australia, Portugal and elsewhere and activists in Portugal, Australia, the United States and other nations pressured their governments to take action. Australian Prime Minister John Howard consulted United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan and lobbied U.S. President Bill Clinton to support an Australian-led international peacekeeping force to enter East Timor to end the violence. The United States offered crucial logistical and intelligence resources and an "over-horizon" deterrent presence, but did not commit forces to the operation. Finally, on 11 September, Bill Clinton announced:http://www.abc.net.au/news/howardyears/content/s2422684.htm https://web.archive.org/web/20100923201217/http://www.abc.net.au/news/howardyears/content/s2422684.htm The Howard Years: Episode 2: "Whatever It Takes" Program Transcript 24 November 2008 23 September 2010 Australian Broadcasting Commission 19 October 2014 I have made clear that my willingness to support future economic assistance from the international community will depend upon how Indonesia handles the situation from today. Indonesia, in dire economic straits, relented. Habibie announced on 12 September that Indonesia would withdraw its soldiers and allow an Australian-led international peacekeeping force to enter East Timor.Nevins 2005 108 The Indonesian garrison in the east of the island was Battalion 745, the bulk of which was withdrawn by sea, but one company, taking the battalion's vehicles and heavy equipment, withdrew westwards along the northern coastal road, towards Dili and the Indonesian border, leaving death and destruction as they went. They murdered dozens of innocent and unarmed villagers along the way and, near Dili, killed one journalist and attempted to kill two more. On 15 September 1999, the United Nations Security Council expressed concern at the deteriorating situation in East Timor, and issued UNSC Resolution 1264 calling for a multinational force to restore peace and security to East Timor, to protect and support the United Nations mission there, and to facilitate humanitarian assistance operations until such time as a United Nations peacekeeping force could be approved and deployed in the area.UN approves Timor force, BBC News, 15 September 1999 INTERFET then launched an operation to secure the last part of the country the Oecussi Enclave.Farrell 2000 65 On 22 October 1999, the SASR conducted an air insertion in Black Hawk helicopters at Port Makasa in the enclave together with an hour later an amphibious landing from a Navy landing craft with their vehicles.Horner 2001 509 The night before Australian Navy Clearance divers from HMAS Success had conducted a clandestine beach reconnaissance of the amphibious landing area.Williams Emma AUSCDT4 Clears Beaches and Conducts Clandestine Ops in East Timor http://www.navy.gov.au/1_fleet/pstory35.htm Royal Australian Navy https://web.archive.org/web/20010428204413/http://www.navy.gov.au/1_fleet/pstory35.htm 28 April 2001Vice Admiral Peter Jones Vice Admiral Russ Crane Commodore Hec Donohue Commander Pete Tedman 19 August 2019 Clearance Diving the RAN (Part 3) From Vietnam War to 2019 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3BxVN5S-Tg Podcast Naval History Podcast Series - Season 4 University of New South Wales The International Force for East Timor, or INTERFET, under the command of Australian Major General Peter Cosgrove, entered Dili on 20 September and by 31 October the last Indonesian troops had left East Timor.Nevins 2005 108–110 The arrival of thousands of international troops in East Timor caused the militia to flee across the border into Indonesia, whence sporadic cross-border raids by the militia against INTERFET forces were conducted. The United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) was established at the end of October and administered the region for two years. Control of the nation was turned over to the Government of East Timor and independence was declared on 20 May 2002."New country, East Timor, is born; UN, which aided transition, vows continued help" https://web.archive.org/web/20110710034213/http://www.un.org/apps/news/storyAr.asp?NewsID=3714&Cr=timor&Cr1= 10 July 2011. UN News Centre. 19 May 2002. Retrieved on 17 February 2008. On 27 September of the same year, East Timor joined the United Nations as its 191st member state."UN General Assembly admits Timor-Leste as 191st member" https://web.archive.org/web/20071218112646/http://www.un.org/apps/news/storyAr.asp?NewsID=4863&Cr=Timor&Cr1= 18 December 2007. UN News Centre. 27 September 2002. Retrieved on 17 February 2008. The bulk of the military forces of INTERFET were Australian. There were more than 5,500 Australian troops at its peak, including an infantry brigade, with armoured and aviation support. Eventually 22 nations further contributed to the force which at its height had over 11,000 troops.Horner 2001, p. 9. The United States provided crucial logistic and diplomatic support throughout the crisis, while the cruiser USS Mobile Bay operated in open ocean at arm's length, whilst Australian, Canadian and British ships entered Dili. A US Marine infantry battalion of 1,000 men—plus organic armour and artillery—was also stationed off the coast aboard the USS Belleau Wood to provide a strategic reserve in the event of significant armed opposition.Smith Dee 2003 47, 56Martin 2002 113 Casualties An estimated 1,400 civilians were killed both before and after the independence referendum. Between 17 and 24 UNTAET personnel died during the mission.https://peacekeeping.un.org/sites/default/files/past/etimor/UntaetF.htm 23 January 2023 United Nations 31 March 2002 Facts and figureshttps://peacekeeping.un.org/sites/default/files/stats_by_nationality_mission_2_61_mar2021.pdf United Nations peacekeeping Fatalities by Nationality and Mission up to 3/31/2021 11:59:59 pm peacekeeping.un.org July 22, 2025 Approximately 15 to 19 pro-Indonesian East Timorese militia members were killed in clashes with international forces.https://www.nippon.com/en/currents/d00275/ Japan Self-Defense Forces Participation in UN Peacekeeping: An Idea Whose Time is Past 5 December 2016 nippon.comhttps://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/documents-link-nz-forces-with-aussie-torture-probe/6SBFIMWEXPO4MR2J3HNU3OUV7I/ Documents link NZ forces with Aussie torture probe The New Zealand Herald 20 March 2024 At least 15 UNAMET staff members were also killed during the crisis.https://www.un.org.tl/en/media-center/articles/un-commemorates-those-who-died-while-in-service-in-timor-leste-at-gleno#:~:text=Gleno%2C%20August%2014%2C%202019%20%2D,the%20Popular%20Consultation%20in%201999. 10 July 2025 UN Timor-Leste 14 August 2019 UN commemorates those who died while in service in Timor-Leste at Gleno Two East Timorese journalists affiliated with id Suara Timor Timur none and Radio UNAMET, were killed by militias amid the unrest.https://cpj.org/2000/03/attacks-on-the-press-1999-east-timor-formerly-indo/ Attacks on the Press 1999: East Timor Committee to Protect Journalists 22 March 2000 12 November 2020 UNTAET casualties in East Timor East Timor – 6 dead New Zealand – 3 dead Philippines – 3 dead Thailand – 2 dead Malaysia – 2 dead Portugal – 2 dead Fiji – 2 dead Australia – 1 dead Spain – 1 dead Ireland – 1 dead Nepal – 1 dead Bangladesh – 1 dead Ghana – 1 dead Total: 24 dead See also 2006 East Timorese crisis In the Time of Madness – eye-witness account of the events leading up to and following the end of the Suharto regime Notes 30em References Crawford John Harper Glyn Glyn Harper Operation East Timor: The New Zealand Defence Force in East Timor 1999–2001 Reed Publishing Auckland 2001 0-7900-0823-8 49616580 Farrell John Peace Makers: INTERFETs Liberation of East Timor 2000 Fullbore Rocklea 0-646-39424-X Friend Theodore Theodore Friend Indonesian Destinies Harvard University Press Cambridge, MA and London 2003 0-674-01137-6 https://archive.org/details/indonesiandestin00theo Horner David David Horner Making the Australian Defence Force, Volume 1 The Australian Centenary History of Defence IV Oxford University Press Melbourne 2001 0-19-554117-0 1ZV9QgAACAAJ Marker Jamsheed Jamsheed Marker East Timor: A Memoir of the Negotiations for Independence Jefferson, NC and London McFarland & Company, Inc 2003 0-7864-1571-1 4tWSU_F9WW8C Martin Ian Ian Martin (UN official) Self-Determination In East Timor: The United Nations, The Ballot and International Intervention International Peace Academy occasional paper series Lynne Rienner Publishers 2002 Boulder, CO 1685851150 WCVJzwEACAAJ Nevins Joseph Joseph Nevins A Not-So-Distant Horror: Mass Violence in East Timor Cornell University Press Ithaca, NY 2005 0-8014-8984-9 3704-A5zE5MC Robinson Geoffrey "If You Leave Us Here, We Will Die": How Genocide Was Stopped in East Timor Human Rights and Crimes Against Humanity series 2011 Princeton University Press Princeton, NJ 9780691150178 mOo9DwAAQBAJ none Ryan Alan 2000 Primary Responsibilities and Primary Risks: The Australian Defence Force Contribution to East Timor http://www.army.gov.au/Our-future/LWSC/Our-publications/StudyPapers/~/media/Files/Our%20future/LWSC%20Publications/SP/sp304_Primary_Responsibilities_and_Primary_Risks-Alan%20Ryan.pdf Study Paper No. 304 Land Warfare Studies Centre Duntroon, Australian Capital Territory 978-0-642-12951-2 46665947 26 February 2018 7 January 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150107141203/http://www.army.gov.au/Our-future/LWSC/Our-publications/StudyPapers/~/media/Files/Our%20future/LWSC%20Publications/SP/sp304_Primary_Responsibilities_and_Primary_Risks-Alan%20Ryan.pdf dead Schwarz Adam 1994 A Nation in Waiting: Indonesia in the 1990s Allen & Unwin St Leonards, NSW 1-86373-635-2 https://archive.org/details/nationinwaitingi00schw Smith Michael G. Dee Moreen Peacekeeping in East Timor: The Path to Independence International Peace Academy occasional paper series Lynne Rienner Publishers 2003 Boulder, CO 1685851150 S5n-fTmJTBIC Further reading Damaledo Andrey Divided Loyalties: Displacement, belonging and citizenship among East Timorese in West Timor Monographs in Anthropology series 2018 ANU Press Acton, ACT 9781760462376 ld90DwAAQBAJ Stockings Craig Born of Fire and Ash: Australian Operations in Response to the East Timor Crisis 1999-2000 The Official History of Australian Operations in Iraq & Afghanistan and Australian Peacekeeping Operations in East Timor, Volume I 2022 NewSouth Publishing Sydney 9781742236230 c92YEAAAQBAJ External links Crisis Category:Indonesian occupation of East Timor Timor-Leste crisis Category:1999 mass murders Category:20th-century mass murders in East Timor Category:Electoral violence