During the

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 ...

independence referendum An independence referendum is a type of referendum in which the residents of a territory decide whether the territory should become an Independence, independent sovereign state. An independence referendum that results in a vote for independence ...

in 1999, pro-Indonesia militias refers to

paramilitary A paramilitary is an organization whose structure, tactics, training, subculture, and (often) function are similar to those of a professional military, but is not part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. Paramilitary units carr ...

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 ...

s in East Timor that were loyal to the

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

n government. They operated during the final years of the Indonesian occupation of East Timor.

History

Pro-Indonesia militias were responsible for multiple atrocities and mass-killings during

's bid for independence and transitional period. This led to the

1999 East Timorese crisis 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 Timo ...

(known as the East Timor Scorched Earth campaign), which included notable incidents such as the Liquiçá Church, Manuel Carrascalão House, and Suai Church massacres. One of the most notorious militia leaders was

Eurico Guterres Eurico Barros Gomes Guterres (born in Waitame, Uatolari, Viqueque, Portuguese Timor, 4 July 1969) is a pro-Indonesian, anti-Timorese independence militiaman recruited by the Indonesian military during East Timor's bid for independence between 1 ...

, the leader of Aitarak, who was convicted and sentenced to ten years in prison for his participation in the Liquiçá Church massacre.

Militias

Notable militias included: * Aitarak (Thorn) *

Besi Merah Putih Besi Merah Putih (also known as BMP), meaning ' red and white iron' in Indonesian, is the official name of an East Timor pro-Indonesia militia operating in the district of Liquiçá, and originating in the village of Maubara. Acts of murder, to ...

(Red and White Iron) * Garda Muda Penegak Integrasi (Youth Guard for Upholding Integration) * Laksaur * Mati Hidup dengan Indonesia (Live and Die with Indonesia)

Fictional depictions

Fictional representations of these groups, their members, and their atrocities were shown in the 2006 Australian miniseries ''

Answered by Fire ''Answered by Fire'' is a two-part television film based on the 1999 conflicts in East Timor that led to its independence in 2002. The film is based on "Dancing with the Devil: A Personal Account of Policing the East Timor Vote for Independence" ...

''.

References

Indonesian occupation of East Timor 1990s in East Timor Paramilitary organizations based in Indonesia History of Timor {{Indonesia-stub

History

Militias

Fictional depictions

See also

References