Re: [buffywantswillow] FIC: Terra Australis Incognito 9/?

[CDRERamius@xxxxxxx]

East Timor. Very scary. We sent about 6000 troops (out of an army of 25 000). There was a number of fire fights including several between Australian and Indonesian troops. (one such fire fight had yours truly damn scared and I think I might have hit someone)

We came so close to war with Indonesia several times which would be VERY BAD. 210 million Indonesians verses 19 million Aussies. The name General Custer comes to mind. Had things gone bad events in Sydney would have included House to House combat and grenade throwing. Indonesia still really hates us.

Two Aussies have died (one from a tropical disease, the other when his weapon discharged inside an APC) and several have been wounded in the fire fights. The first two clashes were the Indonesians hitting two of our patrols. Both times they went and attacked a section of SAS troops (the dumbest idea in the history of dumb ideas). One of the SAS guys got shot in the neck, checked to make sure he wasn't about to die, then killed four of his attackers. Another attack saw the Indonesians attack a platoon of Gurkas. Not real bright of them, hey?

Other countries have taken casualities as well including New Zealand where one of their troops was killed and had his ears and nose cut off.

No one has been arrested for this or any other war crime yet.

In short, East Timor is South East Asia's version of hell. In my fic I have assumed that war had erupted but was localised to Timor.

BTW: I have a relative who won the VC in North Africa during WWII. His widow got the medal.

Tony.