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| Korean Army troops patrol Lautem district in the eastern sector. |
The Fatal Incidents and the UN Response
The first took place on 24 July 2000 with the first combat-related death of a UN peacekeeper in East Timor. Private Leonard William Manning of the New Zealand contingent was killed following an exchange of gunfire with the militias near the border with West Timor. This was followed by the ambush of a Nepalese platoon by militias in Suai district near Beco on 10 August 2000. One Nepalese soldier, Private Debi Ram Jaisi was killed in the encounter. The final incident involved the brutal murder of three UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) volunteers by a militia-led mob in Atambua, West Timor on 6 September 2000. The continued harassment of East Timorese refugees in West Timor was also an issue of concern.
These fatalities prompted a robust response from UNTAET-PKF. After the deaths of two soldiers, the Rules of Engagement were retailored to give the peacekeepers more teeth in their encounters with the militias. Henceforth, deadly force is authorised against any individual with an intention of causing serious injury to UN personnel.
In response to the Atambua incident, the Security Council passed Resolution 1319 on 8 September 2000. This underpins the tougher stance taken by UNTAET-PKF to deal with the militia threat. It also calls upon Indonesia to take on a more active role in disarming the militias, bringing the guilty parties to justice and repatriating the refugees in West Timor.
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Multilateral
peacekeeping brings regional forces together for shared operations
under a single command. Korean and Thai troops check navigation
during a reconnaissance patrol in Viqueque district.
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