1999 East Timorese crisis
1999 East Timorese crisis | |||||||
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Part of the Decolonisation of Asia and the Fall of Suharto | |||||||
Destroyed houses in Dili | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
East Timor Full list:
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Supported by: | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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Wiranto Eurico Guterres | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
11,000 military and police[21] | 13,000 militias[22] | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
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1,400 civilians killed 220,000+ refugees[46] 3 UNHCR staff killed[47] 2 journalists killed[48] 1 Indonesian soldier killed[49] 1 Indonesian police officer killed[50] |
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
Background
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.
In late 1998, the
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.[57]
Voting and violence
As groups supporting autonomy and independence began campaigning, a series of
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."[60] One paramilitary leader announced that a "sea of fire" would result in the event of a vote for independence.[61] As the date of the vote drew near, reports of anti-independence violence continued to accumulate.[62]
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.[63] Brought up on the "New Order"'s 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.[64]
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.[65] 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.[63] 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".[66] 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
Indonesian withdrawal and peacekeeping force
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:[70]
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
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.[72]
The
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.[74] On 27 September of the same year, East Timor joined the United Nations as its 191st member state.[75]
The bulk of the military forces of INTERFET were Australian. There were more than 5,500 Australian troops at its peak, including an
See also
- 2006 East Timorese crisis
- In the Time of Madness– a novel about the events of this period
Notes
- ^ "East Timor and Australia's Security Role: Issues and Scenarios".
- ^ "UNMISET: United Nations Mission of Support in East Timor - Facts and Figures". peacekeeping.un.org.
- ^ a b c d e "UNTAET Fact Sheet 18: Peacekeeping Force". OCHA. 28 February 2002. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
- ^ "Indonesia 'bugged' Australia". The Age. 15 November 2004.
- ^ "The Passage of Secrets Between Australia and Indonesia".
- ^ "The Collins allegations | Nautilus Institute for Security and Sustainability". Nautilus Institute for Security and Sustainability | We Hold That It is Possible to Build Peace, Create Security, and Restore Sustainability for All People in Our Time. 19 December 2011.
- ^ "PM - A look behind the 'Jakarta Lobby'". www.abc.net.au. 9 February 2024.
- ^ "PM - Intelligence analyst blasts the DIO". www.abc.net.au. 9 February 2024.
- ^ "Past ISG deployments". New Zealand Police.
- ^ Guardian Staff (31 July 2005). "The Editor briefing". The Guardian.
- ^ a b "53. Indonesia/East Timor (1976-2002)". uca.edu.
- ^ "BBC News | Asia-Pacific | Military sanctions against Indonesia". news.bbc.co.uk.
- ^ "U.S. Removes Six-Year Embargo Against Indonesia". Associated Press. 25 March 2015.
- ^ "Britain sells weapons to Indonesia after 13 year hiatus". The Telegraph. 11 April 2012.
- ^ "EU Arms Embargo to Indonesia Lifted Despite Worsening Situation in the Archipelago". Transnational Institute. 17 November 2005.
- ^ "BBC News | ASIA-PACIFIC | EU lifts arms embargo on Indonesia". news.bbc.co.uk.
- ^ "Timor-Leste dancing to Indonesia's tune despite 20 years of independence - UCA News". ucanews.com.
- ^ "Failed Humanitarian Intervention in East Timor". 6 April 2012.
- ^ "East Timor mourns death of UN peacekeeping force's top military observer". UN News. 9 September 2002.
- ^ "UNSC Authorizes UN Troops for East Timor".
- ^ Media, Kompas Cyber (22 September 2017). "13.000 Eks Milisi Timtim akan Demo Seminggu Tuntut Kompensasi". KOMPAS.com. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
- ^ ODP Noticas humdata.org
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "United Nations peacekeeping" (PDF). peacekeeping.un.org. Fatalities by Nationality and Mission up to 3/31/2021 11:59:59 pm. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
- ISBN 1-86508-651-7.
- ^ Aronson, Cathy (28 July 2002). "Fifth NZ soldier dies in East Timor". NZ Herald. Retrieved 17 October 2020.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b c d "UNTAET Daily Briefing 12 May 2000 - Indonesia". ReliefWeb. 12 May 2000.
- ^ a b "UNTAET Daily Briefing 03 Aug 2000 - Timor-Leste". ReliefWeb. 3 August 2000.
- ^ "Dili, 11 September 2001: Fijian Soldier Killed, 11 Injured, in Truck Accident". United Nations. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
- ^ a b "Timor-Leste: UN mission remembers 2 peacekeepers killed in Bali blast - Timor-Leste". ReliefWeb. 13 November 2002.
- ^ O'Doherty, Caroline (16 April 2002). "Irish soldier shot dead in accident in East Timor". Irish Times. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
- ^ "Dili, 14 June 2000". peacekeeping.un.org.
- ^ "Secretary-General extends condolences to family of Nepalese soldier killed in East Timor". 11 August 2000. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
- ^ "UNTAET Daily Briefing 22 Dec 2000 - Indonesia". ReliefWeb. 22 December 2000.
- ^ "News1". peacekeeping.un.org.
- ^ "News1". peacekeeping.un.org.
- ^ "Russian Cargo Plane Crashes in East Timor". Associated Press.
- ^ "Four S Korean soldiers killed in E Timor accident". ABC News. 7 March 2003. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
- ^ "ASIANOW - U.S. police officer shot as East Timor violence surges - September 4, 1999". www.cnn.com.
- ^ "The untold story of the daring NZ SAS mission to rescue UN personnel in West Timor". Stuff. 5 September 2020.
- ^ "Japan Self-Defense Forces Participation in UN Peacekeeping: An Idea Whose Time is Past". nippon.com. 5 December 2016.
- ^ a b "Files reveal East Timor clashes". www.etan.org.
- ^ "Documents link NZ forces with Aussie torture probe". NZ Herald. 20 March 2024.
- ISBN 9781588261427.
- ^ "ASIANOW - Peacekeepers capture suspected elite forces in East Timor - September 28, 1999". www.cnn.com.
- ^ "Remembering UNHCR colleagues killed in Atambua, West Timor, twenty years on". UNHCR. 10 September 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
- ^ "3 U.N. Workers Dead in West Timor Rampage". ABC News. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
- ^ "Attacks on the Press 1999: East Timor". Committee to Protect Journalists. 22 March 2000. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
- ^ "NZ peacekeepers kill Indonesian soldier". NZ Herald. 20 March 2024.
- ^ "Interfet fires at Indonesian police near frontier post". www.irishtimes.com.
- ^ Schwarz (1994), p. 228.
- ^ Marker (2003), p. 7.
- ^ a b Nevins, p. 82.
- ^ a b Friend (2003), p. 433.
- ^ 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
- ^ "Howard pushed me on E. Timor referendum: Habibie". ABC News. 15 November 2008. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
- ^ Nevins, pp. 86–89.
- ^ Nevins, pp. 83–88.
- ^ Quoted in Nevins, p. 84.
- ^ Both quoted in Nevins, p. 91.
- ^ Quoted in Nevins, p. 92.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b Shah, Angilee. "Records of East Timor: 1999" Archived 2 January 2008 at the Wayback Machine. 21 September 2006. Online at the UCLA International Institute. Retrieved on 17 February 2008.
- ^ Vickers (2003), p. 215
- ^ Nevins, pp. 100–104.
- ^ "Indonesia/East Timor: Forced Expulsions to West Timor and the Refugee Crisis". Human Rights Watch. December 1999. Retrieved on 17 February 2008.
- ^ Quoted in Nevins, p. 104.
- ^ Nevins, p. 107.
- bbc.co.uk. Retrieved on 17 February 2008.
- ^ "The Howard Years: Episode 2: "Whatever It Takes"". Program Transcript. Australian Broadcasting Commission. 24 November 2008. Archived from the original on 23 September 2010. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
- ^ Nevins, p. 108.
- ^ UN approves Timor force, BBC News, 15 September 1999
- ^ Nevins, pp. 108–110.
- ^ "New country, East Timor, is born; UN, which aided transition, vows continued help" Archived 10 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine. UN News Centre. 19 May 2002. Retrieved on 17 February 2008.
- ^ "UN General Assembly admits Timor-Leste as 191st member" Archived 18 December 2007 at the Wayback Machine. UN News Centre. 27 September 2002. Retrieved on 17 February 2008.
- ^ Horner 2001, p. 9.
- ^ See Smith 2003, p. 47 and 56 and Martin 2002, p. 113.
References
- ISBN 0-674-01137-6.
- ISBN 0-19-554117-0.
- ISBN 0-7864-1571-1.
- ISBN 1685851150.
- ISBN 0-8014-8984-9.
- Robinson, Geoffrey (2011). "If You Leave Us Here, We Will Die": How Genocide Was Stopped in East Timor. Human Rights and Crimes Against Humanity series. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. ISBN 9780691150178.
- Schwarz, Adam (1994). A Nation in Waiting: Indonesia in the 1990s. St Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86373-635-2.
- Smith, Michael G.; with Dee, Moreen (2003). Peacekeeping in East Timor: The Path to Independence. International Peace Academy occasional paper series. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers. ISBN 1685851150.
Further reading
- Damaledo, Andrey (2018). Divided Loyalties: Displacement, belonging and citizenship among East Timorese in West Timor. Monographs in Anthropology series. Acton, ACT: ANU Press. ISBN 9781760462376.
- Stockings, Craig (2022). 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. Sydney: NewSouth Publishing. ISBN 9781742236230.
External links
Media related to Crises in East Timor 1999 at Wikimedia Commons