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.