This paper considers the UN-sponsored regime established to respond to the crimes committed in East Timor during the Indonesian occupation between 1975 and 1999. The story of the quest for justice in East Timor perhaps can be summed up as one involving good intentions that were not backed up by the strategic planning and effective support necessary to counter the damaging effects of Indonesian lack of cooperation. The lack of planning and support seriously undermined the effectiveness of the serious crimes process.