East Timor Peacekeeper Badge
$6.00
Almost 25 years of continuous bloodshed followed the tiny Portuguese colony’s invasion by Indonesia in 1975. A vote for independence in 1999 led to an unimaginable campaign of violence by pro-Indonesian militias, supported by elements of the Indonesian security forces. Indonesia agreed to the deployment of a multinational peacekeeping force – the International Force for East Timor (Interfet), a non-UN force operating in accordance with UN resolutions.
Led by Australia’s Major General Peter Cosgrove, Australian troops helped restore peace and security, and humanitarian assistance began. A decade on, Australia remains the largest contributor of personnel to the peacekeeping mission.
