Dili – Peacekeepers marked their withdrawal from Timor Leste yesterday, winding down a nearly five-year mission that ended Indonesia's brutal occupation and oversaw the birth of the world's newest nation.

In a simple ceremony, 95 personnel who served along the mountainous border with Indonesia were awarded United Nations medals, said Captain John Mcpherson, spokesman for the peacekeeping force.

The UN has been withdrawing its main peacekeeping force of about 3,000 troops since the mandate for their presence ended on May 20. The remaining contingent of about 1,800 soldiers is expected to be drawn down by mid-June, Captain Mcpherson said.

Last month, the UN Security Council agreed to a government demand to retain about 700 military and police advisers in Timor Leste into next year.

Responsibility for security along the border has already been handed over to the newly established East Timorese Defence Force, which consists of two regular infantry battalions and two reserve battalions.

Indonesia invaded and occupied the former Portuguese colony in 1975, sparking a guerilla war which killed up to 200,000 people.

In August 1999, the UN organised a referendum on self-determination in which 80 per cent of the voters opted for independence.

Indonesian troops retaliated by laying waste to the region of 750,000 people. The violence ended with the arrival of international peacekeepers in September 1999.