Queen gives awards for Timor service

Queen gives awards for Timor service

CANBERRA (Reuters): Britain's Queen Elizabeth on Saturday
will present awards to six Australians who played key roles in
restoring peace in East Timor after last August's explosive vote
for independence.

An Australian-led multinational force was drafted in after
pro-Jakarta militias, supported by Indonesian troops, reduced the
territory to charred ruins and killed hundreds of East Timorese
after a vote for independence after 24 years of Indonesian rule.

Maj. Gen. Peter Cosgrove, who was the commander of the
International Force East Timor (INTERFET), will be appointed a
Companion of the Order of Australia Military Division for his
work in stabilizing a country devastated by conflict. This is the
highest award within the Order of Australia.

"(He) provided its people with the hope of a new and peaceful
start as an independent nation," Veteran Affairs Minister Bruce
Scott said in a statement.