'Free East Timor' banner

This banner was designed by Sally Griffin and displayed by the East Timor Independence Committee during its protests in Auckland in the 1990s. She included an image of a crocodile which is part of East Timor's creation myth - the country is said to be shaped like a crocodile.

 

East Timor

 

The Portuguese colony of East Timor declared itself independent in November 1975. It was invaded and occupied by Indonesian forces and declared a province of Indonesia in July 1976. An independence movement resisted and many thousands of Timorese were killed.

 

In August 1999, a United Nations referendum resulted in most East Timorese choosing independence. Elements within the Indonesian military and pro-Indonesian Timorese militias reacted with violence. Houses and buildings were destroyed, more than a thousand people were killed, and about 200,000 refugees fled.

 

New Zealand Peacekeepers in East Timor / Timor- Leste

 

The United Nations formed a peacekeeping force to restore order and provide humanitarian assistance. After Australia, New Zealand was the second largest contributor. By October 1999 more than 1,100 New Zealanders were in East Timor / Timor-Leste, making it the country’s largest military deployment since the Korean War.

 

The final New Zealand Defence Force battalion was withdrawn in November 2002, although the situation in the country remained unstable. In 2006, New Zealand sent troops and military aircraft back to Timor-Leste after riots erupted in Dili. The New Zealand Defence Force still provides assistance through the Mutual Assistance Programme.

Protests in New Zealand

The East Timor Independence Committee (ETIC) in Auckland grew out of the Auckland East Timor Solidarity Movement formed in 1975. Its work increased during the 1990s with letter writing, submissions to Parliamentary Select Committees, newsletters, demonstrations, public meetings, lobbying the United Nations and other governments, visiting schools and community organisations, and hosting East Timorese and other activists in New Zealand. The culmination of ETIC efforts was the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) conference on 12-13 September 1999 in Auckland at which this banner was displayed.