1999 East Timorese crisis

1999 East Timorese crisis
Part of the Decolonisation of Asia and the Fall of Suharto

Destroyed houses in Dili
DateApril 1999 – 2002
Location
East Timor
Result

East Timorese victory

Pro-Indonesia militia strategic victory[7][8]

Belligerents
 East Timor
INTERFET
United Nations UNTAET

Indonesia Pro-Indonesia militias

Commanders and leaders
 Wiranto
Eurico Guterres
Strength
11,000 military and police[10] 13,000 militias[11]
Casualties and losses

17 killed (UNTAET personnel)[12]

  • 49 UN staff and NGOs captured later released[13]
1,400 civilians killed
220,000+ refugees[19]
2 journalists killed[20]
1 Indonesian soldier killed[21]
1 Indonesian police officer killed[22]

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. Some 1,400 civilians are believed to have died. A UN-authorized force (INTERFET) consisting mainly of Australian Defence Force personnel was deployed to East Timor to establish and maintain peace.

  1. ^ a b "53. Indonesia/East Timor (1976-2002)". uca.edu.
  2. ^ "BBC News | Asia-Pacific | Military sanctions against Indonesia". news.bbc.co.uk.
  3. ^ "U.S. Removes Six-Year Embargo Against Indonesia". Associated Press. 25 March 2015.
  4. ^ "Britain sells weapons to Indonesia after 13 year hiatus". The Telegraph. 11 April 2012.
  5. ^ "EU Arms Embargo to Indonesia Lifted Despite Worsening Situation in the Archipelago". Transnational Institute. 17 November 2005.
  6. ^ "BBC News | ASIA-PACIFIC | EU lifts arms embargo on Indonesia". news.bbc.co.uk.
  7. ^ "Timor-Leste dancing to Indonesia's tune despite 20 years of independence - UCA News". ucanews.com.
  8. ^ "Failed Humanitarian Intervention in East Timor". 6 April 2012.
  9. ^ "East Timor mourns death of UN peacekeeping force's top military observer". UN News. 9 September 2002.
  10. ^ "UNSC Authorizes UN Troops for East Timor".
  11. ^ Media, Kompas Cyber (22 September 2017). "13.000 Eks Milisi Timtim akan Demo Seminggu Tuntut Kompensasi". KOMPAS.com. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  12. ^ "Facts and figures". United Nations. 31 March 2002. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  13. ^ "The untold story of the daring NZ SAS mission to rescue UN personnel in West Timor". Stuff. 5 September 2020.
  14. ^ "Japan Self-Defense Forces Participation in UN Peacekeeping: An Idea Whose Time is Past". nippon.com. 5 December 2016.
  15. ^ a b "Files reveal East Timor clashes". www.etan.org.
  16. ^ "Documents link NZ forces with Aussie torture probe". NZ Herald. 20 March 2024.
  17. ^ Alcott, Louisa May; Smith, Michael Geoffrey; Dee, Moreen (2003). Peacekeeping in East Timor: The Path to Independence. Lynne Rienner Publishers. ISBN 9781588261427.
  18. ^ "ASIANOW - Peacekeepers capture suspected elite forces in East Timor - September 28, 1999". www.cnn.com.
  19. ^ "Remembering UNHCR colleagues killed in Atambua, West Timor, twenty years on". UNHCR. 10 September 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  20. ^ "Attacks on the Press 1999: East Timor". Committee to Protect Journalists. 22 March 2000. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  21. ^ "NZ peacekeepers kill Indonesian soldier". NZ Herald. 20 March 2024.
  22. ^ "Interfet fires at Indonesian police near frontier post". www.irishtimes.com.