Ajaya Kumar, a retired lieutenant-colonel, was one of seven Malaysian soldiers in a United Nations peacekeeping force when a referendum was held in the territory, a former Portuguese colony then known as East Timor which was annexed by Indonesia.

He can still remember the day he stepped into a partially-built church at a hamlet in Covalima, in the southwest of the island.

He was greeted by the vile stench of charred remains. And his worst fears came true.

The villagers had been massacred. Skulls and bones were strewn across the small church. What was initially thought to be a red carpet was in fact a pool of blood.

While he kept his composure, Ajaya was overcome with disappointment. “They had looked up to me to protect them. All I could think of was how they used to smile at me,” he told FMT.

He later learnt that the mass murders were carried out by the pro-Indonesia militia who were violently opposed to East Timor’s independence.

The bodies that were not torched were dumped into the sea.

“It’s so sad. The last time we visited them, they wanted us to tell the world about their plight and the ruthless militia that brought misery on them.”

The massacre at the village as well as the violence that enveloped the rest of the territory was triggered in 1999 after the East Timorese rejected an autonomy plan proposed by Indonesia.

The pro-Indonesia militia went on a rampage after accusing the United Nations of lying over the result of the referendum.

The situation turned so violent that an international military coalition of 22 nations including Malaysia was formed and deployed to East Timor to restore peace and security.

An unexpected rendezvous with the militia

Ajaya recalled the day he summoned the courage to drive into territory controlled by the Laksaur militia in an attempt to speak to the various stakeholders.

Ajaya had heard that Laksaur, as well as Mahidi militia forces, had threatened the locals against their plans for independence.

He also heard stories of how militia members were known as “anjing gila” (crazy dog) for taking drugs, which turned them into cold-blooded murderers.

“When I drove to the nearest Laksaur camp alone, my heart was beating like a drum. As soon as I alighted the car, hundreds of men surrounded me.

“They were fierce-looking men who held machetes and guns. I put up my hands and said ‘selamat sore pak’ (a greeting) and expressed my intention to meet their leader.”

The leader came and to his surprise, Ajaya was told that he was the first UN man to come to talk to the militia in the district.

The leader went on to rant about the UN and did not welcome its presence, Ajaya said. “Instead of debating, I became a good listener. I felt relief after he introduced me to his commanders.”

East Timor became independent in May 2002, and was renamed Timor-Leste.

Ajaya spent about a year on the island. He retired from the armed forces in 2013.