It was estimated by Human Rights Watch that 70 percent of the town was destroyed during the militia violence that preceded the vote on East Timorese independence.

The reporters from Channels 7 and 9 were killed on 16 October 1975 by Indonesian Special Forces, to prevent information about the invasion from being released.

[3] During the International Force East Timor (INTERFET) mission after the Indonesian withdrawal, the fort was used as a base for approximately one thousand United Nations (UN) troops, as part of Operation Lavarack.

In 2003, the government of Victoria, Australia purchased the house where the five journalists had stayed, as it had fallen into disrepair, and renovated it to serve as a creche, library, and vocational training centre.

International aid organisations have also been involved in other reconstruction work in the town, such as the rebuilding of a dormitory for schoolchildren from remote communities that had been razed during the militia attacks.