On 6 April 1999 about 2,000 pro-independence refugees sheltering in the Catholic church in Liquica were attacked by a combined force of militia (mainly Besi Merah Putih, BMP) and locally based soldiers and police. The attack left 59 named individuals dead, according to human rights reports. This followed an earlier attack the previous day, in which seven people were wounded by BMP militias. After that earlier attack, jailed East Timor resistance leader Xanana Gusmao had issued a call to the East Timorese to take steps to defend themselves against the civilian militias.
