Historia Liquica Nian

 Liquica survivors still seeking

justice, human rights 

and trut    

Sobrevivente sira masakre Liquicanafatin buka justica, direitushumanus no lia-los

6 April 

On 4 April 2009, more than 200 people gathered in the town of Liquiçá, Timor-Leste. Under a banner “Reflections about Ten Years since the Massacre 5-6 April 1999 in the Liquiçá Church” the contemplative audience included local residents, students, survivors, and relatives of the dozens of civilians killed there ten years previously, as well as a few human rights activists. The designated topic was “Long road to achieve justice, rights, and truth for the victims of the massacre.”  

Participants heard from Father Rafael dos Santos (in whose house most of the dozens of murders took place), Vice President of Parliament Vicente Guterres, Minister for Social Solidarity Maria Domingas Alves, Provedor for Human Rights and Justice Sebastiao Ximenes, UNMIT Human Rights chief Louis Gentile, former UNAMET official Patrick Burgess, Secretary of State for Training and Employment Bendito Freitas, and representatives of the post-CAVR Technical Secretariat and the organizing committee. After the speeches, local residents and survivors gave testimony and comments and asked questions.

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President Jose Ramos-Horta, Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão, and UN Mission chief Atul Khare had promised to attend, but none made an appearance. Neither did any of the former Commissioners of the Commission for Truth, Reception and Reconciliation (CAVR) or Truth and Friendship Commission (CVA).
The Liquiçá massacre, committed by the Besih Merah Putih militia together with Indonesian police and military, killed and wounded more than 100 unarmed refugees who had fled previous pro-Indonesia violence to seek shelter in the priest’s residence. It was part of a systematic Indonesian campaign to terrorize people and sabotage the UN-facilitated negotiations leading to the referendum. On the tenth anniversary, officials scarcely mentioned Indonesia or accountability, and the word “impunity” did not pass their lips, notwithstanding that none of the directors of this campaign has been brought to justice.
The government representatives spoke in detail about future recognition and payments from the Timor-Leste Government to veterans and pro-independence victims. The dead Liquiçá refugees were described as heroes” of the independence struggle. Most in the audience were not satisfied, as this did not address their concerns about where the bodies of their loved ones were, how the perpetrators will be brought to justice, or why they feel excluded from the benefits of independence.
Ten years of experience had led the community to expect disappointment, so they were not surprised, even as they persist in demanding justice and truth. As the meeting closed, they presented the following petition (unofficial translation).