A 19-year-old Australian reports on how his national media is covering the situation

East Timor Timeline

Full Coverage from the NewsHour

Bringing Peace to East Timor

Once again, a United Nations peacekeeping force has moved in to assist a region in crisis.

Nearly 5,000 soldiers have been airlifted into Dili, the capital of East Timor. The troops, mostly Australian, are there to take control from pro-Indonesian gunmen who have burned, looted and killed East Timorese. The U.N. has named the force "Operation Stabilize."

History of the conflict

For the past 24 years, the island has been controlled by Indonesia, which many say took over East Timor despite Timorese protests that they'd rather run their own government. Soldiers fighting for East Timorese independence have roamed the island's mountains, from time to time clashing with Indonesian troops.

In January of this year, Indonesia's president decided to let the East Timorese vote on whether to stay a part of Indonesia or to strike out on their own. On August 30, hundreds of thousands of East Timorese flocked to voting booths, deciding overwhelmingly to leave Indonesia.

But the struggle didn't end there. Armed militia groups loyal to Indonesia roamed the streets of East Timor, waging a war against anyone who voted for independence.

Hundreds of thousands of East Timorese fled to places like Australia or neighboring West Timor for safety.

World leaders expressed concern about the violence, but didn't send military help until the Indonesian government asked for international peacekeepers to stop the fighting.

Jose Ramos-Horta, an East Timorese pro-independence leader who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1996, described the conflict on The NewsHour.

"If we bear in mind that only a few weeks ago, the whole country was ruled by militia gangs and with rogue elements of the special forces of the militia army supporting them and compare then with now, certainly there has been a dramatic improvement in overall security situation," he said. "However, until the full deployment of the the multinational force, into sensitive areas, particularly to the western region and seal off the border region to avoid infiltration from the other side, we still will have some disturbances and violence and killings in the meantime. "

When he finally allowed the international force, Indonesian President B.J. Habibie said he was keeping East Timor's best interests at heart.

"Too many people have lost their lives since the beginning of the unrest," Habibie said. "We can wait no longer. We have to stop the suffering and the mourning immediately."

At first, the Indonesian soldiers seemed to cooperate, chasing a herd of goats off the runway so that the planes could land, and then shaking hands with the U.N. officers. But over the weekend there were reports of bombings and killings. The Army is scheduled to leave the island, as refugees return home.

Here are some NewsHour reports and interviews that explore the conflict:

• A special Online NewsHour page with interviews, a timeline and background reports
  
  
• The United Nations investigates whether war crimes were committed in the region.
  
  
• Two pro-Indonesia militia members are killed in a failed attack on peacekeeping troops in East Timor.
  
  
• Australia's ambassador to the U.S., Indonesia's ambassador to the United Nations and Nobel Peace Prize winner Jose Ramos-Horta discuss the arrival of international troops in East Timor and war crime allegations against Indonesia.
  
  
• Recent news from East Timor, and the views of Asian journalists.
  
  
• Richard Holbrooke, the new U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, details the latest U.N. plans for the multinational force in East Timor.
  
  
• Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer discusses preparations for the international peacekeeping force.
  
  
• An interview with East Timorese activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Jose Ramos-Horta.
  
  
• A discussion with the Indonesian and Portuguese ambassadors to the United Nations.