Martin Hess

Hess, M. (1999). Dili United Nations Compound, 1999. Photograph sourced by Martin Hess. 

Martin Hess was one of the first Australian Federal Police (AFP) members deployed to East Timor, now Timor-Leste, as part of the United Nations Mission in East Timor (UNAMET) in 1999.

Martin explains that UNAMET oversaw the ballot for the Timorese people to decide whether they wanted to remain with Indonesia, or to pursue a path of independence. As we now know, there was a resounding result towards independence, which increased overt violence among the pro-Indonesian militia.

‘We left Canberra on 11 June for Darwin, where we awaited other United Nations (UN) police to become available.

‘We were in the first group to arrive in Darwin – there was 15 AFP in that particular group.’

Arriving in Dili on 21 June with police from New Zealand, United Kingdom, Spain and Ireland, the group were responsible for introducing the UN presence in East Timor, preparing the electoral team for the ballot, and establishing polling stations. 

‘We had to be accompanied by an Indonesian police truck when in transit, and every time we went through the villages, all the Timorese people would disappear. There was clearly something wrong.

‘But, when we travelled by ourselves in UN marked vehicles, the response from the community was overwhelmingly positive. It was very interesting. We were greeted as liberators by a population which had experienced some serious oppression for the past 24 years.’

Setting up polling stations was more challenging than expected with extremely rough and treacherous roads. 

‘We were unable to get through to some places where the UN wanted us to set up polling booths, so we had to improvise. 

‘We ended up establishing a polling station in a Timorese man’s house. We asked if he would mind if his house was used as a polling station. He responded that he would be honoured.’

One of Martin’s most memorable moments during his three-month deployment was ballot day, which went ahead on 30 August 1999. The vote had initially been delayed because of pro-Indonesian militia violence and intimidation, which had started prior to UNAMET’s arrival and continued through until the ballots were cast.

‘Ballot day came, and we had to rise early, with the polling booths opening at 6-7am.’ 

‘It was an incredible sight to see so many Timorese people lined up along the dirt roads from 5am, dressed in their Sunday finest going to pass their vote. 

‘They were prepared to walk long distances to cast their vote. This was a palpable demonstration of the democratic right to vote, which is something we sometimes take for granted in countries like Australia and is something I will never forget.’

Martin explains that the day went smoothly at his polling booth, with the boxes due back to the central location and in custody overnight. The next day a helicopter arrived to pick them up, and there was a sense of relief. 

Another memorable moment for Martin was his time spent in the UN compound in Dili. 

‘We ended up in the UN compound on 5 September (a school where there were hundreds of displaced and frightened Timorese families), when someone from the Indonesian side went in and discharged a weapon. 

‘The sound frightened the people and families were trying to climb over the razor wire wall to get into the compound.

‘So many people received injuries such as lacerations from the wire. An estimated 1000-1500 frightened Timorese entered the compound and the auditorium, seeking safety with the UN.’

As the fleeing Timorese rushed to safety amid grenade blasts and bursts of automatic weapon fire, an Indonesian machine gunner at the front gate started firing tracer over the compound. So as not to draw any further attention to the area, the police turned down the lights in the compound; however, this caused the Timorese people to panic more.  

During this time of panic, a brave and composed young girl, Anastacia (or ‘Tata’ as she’s known), started singing the Lord’s Prayer to calm the people. 

‘Tata calmed everyone with her beautiful song, and it was such a moving experience.’

When Martin returned to Timor-Leste in 2019 for the 20th anniversary, he was lucky enough to reunite with Anastacia – the courageous girl who showed such resilience and calm in that terrifying moment. 

Martin Hess returned to Timor-Leste this year as part of the 25th anniversary. During this trip Martin was awarded the prestigious Elie Wiesal Ethics Award in Dili by Ian Martin, former SRSG to UNAMET. Those in attendance were also presented the Timor-Leste Solidarity Medal by President Ramos-Horta, who expressed his gratitude for the courage of those who served with UNAMET to enable the ballot that secured Timor-Leste’s independence.

Source: DVA interview with Martin Hess, September 2024.