East Timor connection still strong for Navy Officer
Royal New Zealand Navy Captain Shaun Fogarty returned to East Timor this week to attend commemorations marking the 20th anniversary of the Independence Referendum (Popular Consultation) on 30 August and to reconnect with an old friend.
Captain Fogarty deployed to East Timor as a Military Liaison Officer in 1999 with the United Nations Mission in East Timor (UNAMET).
Arriving in East Timor four days before the referendum on 30 August, his role was to liaise with the Indonesian military based in Baucau to make sure that the referendum was free from political interference.
The referendum voting was conducted with little disruption but when the results were announced on 3 September, pro-Indonesian militia violence broke out around the country.
“There was increased worry that things were getting worse and the next day our headquarters in Baucau came under attack,” Captain Fogarty said.
Soon after all foreign United Nations’ personnel were evacuated to Darwin by a Royal Australian Air Force Hercules and the local United Nations’ staff were taken by helicopter to Dili.
When Captain Fogarty returned to Baucau later in the month he found that the town and surrounding areas had been destroyed.
“Baucau had been ransacked and in the outlying districts power stations power stations had been burnt, water pumps taken or destroyed, livestock slaughtered. The whole area was abandoned — all the locals had fled into the hills,” he said.
“There were fears that militia groups were still active in the area, so we focussed on escorting non-governmental medical organisations and delivering aid supplies directly to the East Timorese.”
It was around this time that Jose Pinto, a 20-year-old East Timorese man, was assigned to Captain Fogarty’s United Nations team as an interpreter.
As they worked together in a difficult and sometimes volatile environment, Mr Pinto and Captain Fogarty struck up a lasting friendship, staying in touch through social media.
This week the two men finally met face-to-face again — a reunion 20 years in the making.
“t was wonderful to see Jose after so many years and to finally meet his beautiful family for the first time,” Captain Fogarty said.
Many of the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) personnel deployed to East Timor have maintained connections with its people personally or through charity organisations, Captain Fogarty said.
He and his wife have been assisting with Mr Pinto’s children’s education.
“We were all working together to help the East Timorese get back on their feet, to create a stable space so they could begin to build their country,” Captain Fogarty said.
“After I left I still had a strong desire to help in whatever way I could — I know that many NZDF personnel felt that way.”
The Timor-Leste Government is marking the 20th anniversary of the Independence Referendum (Popular Consultation) on 30 August in Dili. The NZDF will be represented by Captain Fogarty and Brigadier (retired) Neville Reilly, who was the New Zealand Senior Officer and the United Nations Assistance Mission in East Timor (UNAMET) Chief of Staff and Deputy Commander of Military Liaison Officers.
An NZDF contingent will also attend the 20th anniversary of International Forces East Timor (INTERFET) commemorations in Dili on 20 September.
BACKGROUND
In 1999, 10 New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) and 10 New Zealand Police personnel, as well as civilian observers, were part of the United Nations Mission in East Timor (UNAMET) that supported the referendum arrangements.
International Force East Timor (INTERFET) provided security from the period of the referendum until the establishment of the United Nations Transitional Authority in East Timor (UNTAET) on 1 March, 2000. Timor-Leste became independent on 20 May, 2002.
From 1999 to 2002 New Zealand deployed 5,000 NZDF personnel to INTERFET and then to UNTAET, making it the largest single deployment of New Zealand military personnel since the Korean War.
