Besi Merah Putih (also known as BMP), meaning ' red and white iron' in

Indonesian Indonesian is anything of, from, or related to Indonesia, an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. It may refer to: * Indonesians, citizens of Indonesia ** Native Indonesians, diverse groups of local inhabitants of the archipelago ** Indonesian ...

, is the official name of an East Timor

pro-Indonesia militia During the East Timor independence referendum in 1999, pro-Indonesia militias refers to paramilitary militias in East Timor that were loyal to the Indonesian government. They operated during the final years of the Indonesian occupation of East Ti ...

operating in the district of

Liquiçá Liquiçá (Tetum: ''Likisá'') is a coastal city in East Timor, 32 km to the west of Dili, the national capital. Liquiçá is the capital of Liquiçá District. The city has a population of 5,005 inhabitants. History A part of the colo ...

, and originating in the village of

Maubara Maubara is a village in Maubara Subdistrict ( Liquiçá District, East Timor), just west of the city of Liquiçá. Most of the inhabitants speak Tocodede. It lies near the Maubara Important Bird Area, encompassing the small coastal Lake ...

Acts of murder, torture and intimidation

It was one of the most feared of all the

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

East Timor East Timor (), also known as Timor-Leste (), officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is an island country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the exclave of Oecusse on the island's north-weste ...

, and was responsible for the

arson Arson is the crime of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, wat ...

murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person wit ...

torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons such as punishment, extracting a confession, interrogation for information, or intimidating third parties. Some definitions are restricted to acts c ...

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ag ...

, and

intimidation Intimidation is to "make timid or make fearful"; or to induce fear. This includes intentional behaviors of forcing another person to experience general discomfort such as humiliation, embarrassment, inferiority, limited freedom, etc and the victi ...

of hundreds of East Timorese citizens during the 1999 pullout from

by the

military of Indonesia The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often voc ...

, and in the time leading up to the referendum for independence. The BMP were commanded by Manuel de Sousa, an East Timorese in support of the Indonesian rule over East Timor. During the months leading up to the East Timorese people voting for independence, the ''BMP'' held absolute control over the areas surrounding Liquica, as well as the town itself. In March 1999, international observers serving in Liquica, including several

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

police officers serving with the

International Police The International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO; french: link=no, Organisation internationale de police criminelle), commonly known as Interpol ( , ), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and cri ...

(but at that time as unarmed observers) issued a report that read "The Besi Merah Putih surround a Carmelite convent in

, some 60 km west of

Dili Dili (Portuguese/Tetum: ''Díli'') is the capital, largest city of East Timor and the second largest city in Timor islands after Kupang (Indonesia). It lies on the northern coast of the island of Timor, in a small area of flat land hemmed in ...

yesterday and remain in place today. The militia threatened 'to kill any nun leaving the convent' because they were allegedly working for the resistance. A priest denied the charge, saying the nuns were providing aid to anyone in need 'regardless of colour, ideology or religion'." Before committing a

, BMP members have confessed that they all would drink a cocktail of alcohol, animal blood and drugs. Former members have also confessed to collecting

trophies A trophy is a tangible, durable reminder of a specific achievement, and serves as a recognition or evidence of merit. Trophies are often awarded for sporting events, from youth sports to professional level athletics. In many sports medals (or, in ...

of those they killed, usually cutting away from the victim either an

ear An ear is the organ that enables hearing and, in mammals, body balance using the vestibular system. In mammals, the ear is usually described as having three parts—the outer ear, the middle ear and the inner ear. The outer ear consists of ...

or a

penis A penis (plural ''penises'' or ''penes'' () is the primary sexual organ that male animals use to inseminate females (or hermaphrodites) during copulation. Such organs occur in many animals, both vertebrate and invertebrate, but males do n ...

. The most notable acts of murder involving the ''BMP'' was the Liquica Church Massacre, which resulted in the deaths of more than 200 civilians.

International intervention

After the intervention of an international military force, led by

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and

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

in mid-1999, ''BMP'' members fled into the rain forests of East Timor, or across the

West Timor West Timor ( id, Timor Barat) is an area covering the western part of the island of Timor, except for the district of Oecussi-Ambeno (an East Timorese exclave). Administratively, West Timor is part of East Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia. The ca ...

border into Indonesian territory. Many were later arrested by the International Police through strained but coordinated efforts with Indonesian authorities. A large number of members were indicted for their part in the Liquica Church Massacre following the

UNTAET Crime Scene Detachment The UNTAET Crime Scene Detachment was the common title for an elite investigative unit created in the war-torn and newly liberated country of East Timor in November 1999, under the direction of the United Nations Transitional Administration in East ...

exhumations and murder investigations of late 1999 and into 2000. Many other members attempted to integrate back into their former village homes in East Timor, but were often frightened away by enraged villagers, or at times killed. Several did for a time successfully integrate back into the villages of Buku Mara and Bazartete, given the job of being a servant to the other villagers, chopping and gathering firewood or cleaning. However, many of those who were integrated disappeared, with International authorities being unable to verify their whereabouts when attempting to locate them for questioning. It was suspected that they were killed by the village inhabitants in retaliation to their prior acts of violence against their own people.

References

External links

"Death of a Nation - The Timor Conspiracy"
documentary produced by John Pilger in 1994. {{DEFAULTSORT:Besi Merah Putih Indonesian occupation of East Timor