In March 1993, after years of successful Indonesian and Western cunning in the United Nations, the UN Commission on Human Rights finally passed a resolution calling upon Indonesia to respect the human rights of the Timorese.

They called for visits and reports from UN human rights investigatory teams. For the first time in over a decade, the United States and Australia voted against Indonesia at the UN.

In 1994, a group of young East Timorese occupied foreign embassies in Jakarta demanding that the world acknowledge their plight. This prompted a number of Indonesian student demonstrations in Jakarta.

In 1996, Bishop Carlos Belo and Jose Ramos Horta were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

More about Bishop Belo | More about Jose Ramos Horta

In 1998, student protests, widespread rioting and the collapse of the economic boom in Indonesia forced President Suharto to step down.

However, he was replaced by his protege and former Minister of Defence B.J. Habibie, allowing military rule to continue.

Habibie pledged that East Timor would have the opportunity to choose it's own direction in a referendum.

However, widespread intimidation of the general Timorese population by Indonesian-backed militias made the outcome of any referendum suspect.

Democratic elections were held in Indonesia and Megawati Sukarnopurti - the daughter of Sukarno - was elected President.

In August 1998, Indonesian invited the world media to witness their withdrawal from East Timor, but this was a sham.

Other troops had landed at night with GB supplied weapons and by the end of the year, with Western governments still stalling on commitment to East Timor independence, East Timor was more heavily occupied than at any time in the previous five years.