Captain Steve Mott (left) and Bombardier Cherry (right) of the 5th/7th Battalion (Mechanised), ...

Accession Number P03607.230
Collection type Photograph
Object type Negative
Maker Immig, John
Place made East Timor: Batugade
Date made April 2000
Conflict East Timor, 1999-2013
Copyright Item copyright: © Australian War Memorial
Creative Commons License This item is licensed under CC BY-NC
Description

Captain Steve Mott (left) and Bombardier Cherry (right) of the 5th/7th Battalion (Mechanised), The Royal Australian Regiment (5/7 RAR), stand beside a United Nations Land Rover 110 at a checkpoint. Bombardier Richarson is in the back of the vehicle and an East Timorese man and woman are seated beside a sandbagged barrier. Members of 5/7 RAR, part of a Civil Military Liaison (CML) team, are assisting with the movement of refugees who are returning to East Timor from West Timor. Following the overwhelming vote for independence by the East Timorese on 30 August 1999 in the United Nations (UN) sponsored referendum, the pro-Indonesian militia launched a campaign of destruction, arson and murder, killing approximately 1500 people and forcing 300 000 others into West Timor as refugees. On 15 September, the UN issued a resolution, calling for a multinational force to restore peace and security and facilitate humanitarian assistance operations. By 20 September 1999, the first coalition force began deploying to East Timor as part of Australian-led International Force for East Timor (INTERFET). Five months later in February 2000, INTERFET handed control of military operations over to the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET), who were to maintain security, establish an effective administration and develop civil and social services.