Despite threats of violence, 95% of registered voters showed up, and 78% of voters chose independence over autonomy in the August 30 United Nations poll. The election itself was relatively peaceful, with only one United Nations worker killed by a mob. The buildup to the election was not so peaceful, however, with hundreds killed in the last few months, mostly in attempts at intimidation by pro-Jakarta militias. The aftermath has been less than peaceful as well, with the anti-independence forces taking to the street within hours of the announcement of the results. Four United Nations workers have been killed, another six are missing and presumed dead, and scores of Timorese have been murdered. Militias are burning down some pro-independence villages.
Indonesia invaded East Timor in December 1975, and formally annexed the territory the following year. In the decades of Indonesian rule over the province, the United Nations refused to recognize Indonesian rule there, and Portugal (the former colonial power) has won several decisions against Indonesia in the International Court of Justice, which Indonesia promptly ignored. The Indonesian military controlled the province tightly and brutally, killing as many as a quarter of the residents in the long occupation. Partially because of a lack of other conflicts, military careers have been made or broken in East Timor, with many young officers drawing attention to themselves by their "efficient" control of the region.
The shadow of the military hangs over East Timor even more heavily now, after the vote of independence. It is unclear how much support the official military gives to the paramilitary forces terrorizing East Timor. But the official military police are doing little to stop the violence. And the renegade gangs are getting their guns somewhere, and in a country where all such matters are tightly controlled by the military, it is clear that the militias are getting some inside help. Nobel Peace Prize winner Jose Ramos-Horta, currently living in Sydney, Australia, has said that "the militias on their own couldn't get the means to challenge the entire population and the entire international community."
The anti-independence forces in Timor depend on the military's strained relations with B.J. Habibie. Although Habibie, who took over the presidency after Suharto's resignation last year, supported the poll and proclaims support for its results, Habibie is deeply unpopular with the military. Unlike most of Indonesia's ruling elite, Habibie has never been in the military, and was Suharto's science and technology adviser for years. East Timor is a sore point in Indonesia's diplomacy, but its control is a point of pride for the military.
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