Use BBC.com or the new BBC App to listen to BBC podcasts, Radio 4 and the World Service outside the UK.

Find out how to listen to other BBC stations

Episode details

World Service,30 Aug 2012,10 mins

East Timor Referendum

Witness History

Available for over a year

In 1999, the people of East Timor voted for independence from Indonesia. In response, militias loyal to Jakarta went on the rampage killing up to 1,000 people and overwhelming the United Nations mission. As the UN compound in Dili came under siege, British journalist Richard Lloyd Parry had to decide whether or not to stay in East Timor. PHOTO: Pro-Indonesia militiamen in Dili (Associated Press)

Programme Website
More episodes