The British are withdrawing their troops from INTERFET, the peacekeeping force sent to East Timor. The 290-man unit is composed of Gurkhas from the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Gurkha regiment, which is based in Brunei. The British will provide observers but no troops to the UN force that replaces INTERFET. --Stephen V Cole

December 31; Moslem East Timorese returning from West Timor are running into hostility and demonstrations from the majority Christian East Timorese. In Aceh, a gunfight between government forces and rebels left one rebel dead and one wounded.

December 30; In two days of  Moslem-Christian violence in the Maluku islands left nearly 300 dead and over 200 injured.

December 29; As violence grows, the army took control of all security forces in the Maluku islands.