On 30 August 1999, voters carrying registration papers queued from 6 a.m. in Dili, East Timor. Pro-Indonesia militia violence and intimidation had continued until days before the ballot, yet thousands formed lines under the heat across the capital. At the Vila Verde polling station, the queue blocked the road and brought traffic to a standstill.
The consultation asked whether East Timor should accept autonomy within Indonesia or proceed toward independence. Later records show that 98.6 percent of 451,792 registered voters participated.
The line did not form because danger had disappeared. It formed while danger remained, as people advanced in order toward the same ballot box rather than returning decisions about their future to others.