The UN has taken over the administration of East Timor as the last Indonesian troops departed. In Aceh province, a local government investigation concluded that the army killed fifty unarmed civilians in July.
October 30; Former Indonesian president Habibie revealed that he was prepared to declare war on Australia if Australian troops had entered East Timor without permission. In Aceh, a policeman and a civilian were killed as violence continued.
October 29; Over 20,000 people demonstrated demanding a referendum like the one in East Timor, to determine of Aceh should become independent. Indonesia promised to have all of its troops out of East Timor by November 3rd.
October 27; Pro-independence guerillas freed an Indonesian officer they had been holding, thus removing the last obstacle to Indonesia evacuation all of its troops from East Timor.
October 26; The new president of Indonesia broke precedent by appointing a civilian to run the Defense Ministry. General Wiranto, for formerly held the job, was appointed as minister of Political and Security Affairs. Of the 35 new government ministers, only six were active duty or retired generals. An admiral was appointed as the head of the armed forces. The army has gone along with this shrinkage of their power, for the moment.
October 25; Continued violence in Aceh left a hotel burned down. A dispute over a government reorganization on the island of Halmahera left three dead and many more injured.
October 22; Some fifteen thousand people demonstrated for independence in Sulawesi province. In Irian Jaya, some three thousand people demonstrated for the establishment of an independent West Papua (the eastern part of the island is already independent as Papua.) In the Maluku islands, eight were killed and eight injured in continued sectarian violence between Moslems and Christians.
