Operation Stabilize: UN Peacekeeping Mission Deploys to Restore Order in East Timor

As the second day of Operation Stabilize begins, the United Nations peacekeeping mission to restore order in battered East Timor, hundreds of men and women cheered as Australian soldiers, their rifles hoisted on broad shoulders, came ashore from their troop ships and began taking up defensive positions around the airport and the harbor, where food and other supplies will soon begin arriving. The Australian contingent of 2,800 soldiers, supported by troops from New Zealand, Great Britain, and Thailand, are fanning out around Dili, where pro-Indonesian militias began their rampage two weeks ago after a U.N.-sponsored referendum demonstrated overwhelming support for independence from Indonesia.

Key Takeaways:

• Australian Maj. Gen. Peter Cosgrove, the head of the international peacekeeping effort, warned that the mission is just beginning and it will be a number of weeks rather than days before the peacekeeping force has a pervasive presence in the province.
• The situation in Dili is still fragile, with pro-Indonesian militias continuing to commit violence, and hundreds of men and women fleeing the city to the countryside, with estimates suggesting up to 300,000 East Timorese may have fled into the mountains.
• Humanitarian aid agencies and some Western diplomats believe the wanton destruction in Dili was part of an orchestrated campaign of terror conducted by militias closely linked to the Indonesian military, which refused to accept the results of the Aug. 30 referendum.
• Mary Robinson, head of the U.N. human rights commission, has declared that the destruction resulted from a "well-planned and systematic policy of killing (and) displacement" of residents, as well as property destruction.
• Indonesian President B.J. Habibie has urged the parliament to accept the vote for independence, a move that could help restore Indonesia's battered international image.
• Australian soldiers, supported by troops from other countries, are the only force on the ground that can protect the people of East Timor, and they are playing a critical role in maintaining order and providing a sense of security to the population.
• Humanitarian agencies have reported that thousands of East Timorese are abandoning their homes and setting up makeshift shelters, with some 2,000 families reportedly in danger of starvation.
• The Indonesian military commander, Gen. Wiranto, has stated that only 90 people have died in the violence, contradicting the international media's reports of thousands of casualties.

Statistics:

• Estimated 300,000 East Timorese fled into the mountains, and 170,000 may have fled to West Timor, with many more potentially at risk of violence or displacement.
• Up to 2,000 families are reportedly in danger of starvation.
• Only 90 people have died in the violence, according to Indonesian military commander Gen. Wiranto.
• 2,800 Australian soldiers are part of the international peacekeeping mission.
• 2,000 soldiers from other countries, including New Zealand, Great Britain, and Thailand, are also supporting the mission.

Sources:

• Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services
• San Jose Mercury News (San Jose, Calif.)
• The Financial Times of Britain
• Christian Science Monitor
• U.N. Human Rights Commission
• World Health Organization
• International Federation for East Timor
• Indonesia Parliament
• Australian infantry Capt. Mike Harris
• Official of the World Health Organization