A personal account by Nunu Santos
The famous November 12, 1991, demonstration at the Santa Cruz cemetery in Dili informed the whole world that the young people of East Timor are committed to winning independence. The massacre that day also reminded the world of the brutality of the Indonesian occupation. But the November 12 demonstration did not just fall from the heavens. There is a story behind it — the story of how East Timorese youth were able to rise up and demand the rights of their country.
In the 1980s my friends and I were still in school or had just left to find jobs. Most of us were not involved in politics or the independence struggle. We were more concerned with living life and being young.
We knew that FALANTIL — the East Timorese freedom fighters — were still in the mountains, and occasionally our parents, or others from the older generation, would relate to us the things they heard on Radio Australia. But in general, during the 1970s and '80s, we had no patriotic feelings; we did not take life very seriously.
We didn't really know what had happened in our country. Perhaps this was because we were young, but it was also because the struggle in the towns was destroyed in the '70s. Most of the older generation had been forced to retreat from open politics.
There were some who were different. They were students from a school called Esternato. This school was for Portuguese citizens who did not want to attend an Indonesian language school. Its teachers were chosen from pastors and veterans who taught and gave advice on politics, full of the issue of independence. The school's name was known throughout East Timor.
Awakening
In the 1980s, a section of youth had already begun to work with FALANTIL veterans who came down from the mountains in 1979. From these veterans, young people began to hear that the East Timorese youth must do something for their country, and there began to emerge a feeling of solidarity among East Timorese youth. Some began to work together with young people from the Esternato school.
In 1989 an incident occurred which completely changed the political atmosphere. The pope arrived in Dili. For the first time, the younger generation of the '80s did something to show their feelings. There was a small demonstration carried out by students from Esternato and another school in the city of Bacau. I myself was awakened by this incident. I was forced to think: "They have already done something. Am I to remain silent?"
After the pope left, young people in Dili started to feel a responsibility for their nation, to feel that their country was not a part of Indonesia. A section of the Esternato youth working with FALANTIL were called upon to ensure that young people were no longer silent.
From that time, young East Timorese became the target of the Indonesian military. They were often arrested or intimidated, and sometimes their houses were ransacked without reason. If someone was to be arrested, the military always arrived at the person's house in the middle of the night, often breaking up their house. All young people were under suspicion at every moment, in every place. The Indonesian military presence in our country began to be felt far more than before. Young people's frustration and anger became very widespread.
This frustration gave birth to a new attitude. Initially it was half play and very spontaneous. There was no plan or strategy. But what was clear was that young people began to demonstrate their frustration directly at the Indonesian military.
Previously, when soldiers passed, young people would throw cakes at them, but now we began to throw rocks. I remember one incident when an Indonesian Air Force helicopter crashed in Dili. The helicopter was surrounded by East Timorese youth and, while the Indonesian soldiers were examining the helicopter and pulling the corpses from that machine of war, all of us — without a plan — began taunting them by singing the Indonesian national anthem. That was the nature of our frustration.
Previously, when our parents spoke about what they had heard on the radio about East Timorese politics, we were not very interested. If we heard gunfire, we were not very distressed. If we heard that our uncles or grandparents were killed in the '70s by the Indonesian military, we were unconcerned. All of this began to change. We began to be interested in our parents' stories about the Indonesian invasion in 1975. We wanted to hear the latest news from the mountains. Our frustration grew into anger.
For me, it was in 1987 that a new voice came to the cities. I heard the voice of Xanana Gusmao in the form of cassettes and sometimes by letter. Xanana began to speak a great deal to the youth in Dili and other cities.
The first time I heard a cassette from Xanana, he spoke in Portuguese. I could understand what he said, but I didn't grasp everything he meant. But that was only the first cassette.
More letters, cassettes and stories about Xanana began to be distributed. Xanana called on the youth to rise up for their country, for the Maubere people. "Stand before your mirror, and see who you are", Xanana said in one cassette. "Who are you? Are you one of them, or one of us, the East Timorese and Maubere people?"
He reminded us to think about the Timorese people who wore "red and white ties" (the colours of the Indonesian flag), and explained: "Who are they really? They are the servants of Indonesia, helping people who arrive from outside." He asked that we think about those in the mountains. "Those in the mountain are whose servants?", he asked. The answer: the servants of the Maubere people. Those who wear the red and white ties sleep in a comfortable bed. Those who become the servants of the Maubere people sleep on the open ground. "Which side will youth take?", he asked us. "What will you do?"
Xanana's voice opened the hearts of all East Timorese youth. We were moved by his call to join the struggle against the Indonesian invaders. Many young people took the decision to do something.
Organising
The word estafeta already had a power and authority of its own. Estafeta are those who come down to the cities, bringing word from the mountains. They also bring messages about what is needed for their struggle in the mountains and have created a system for estafeta to arrive in Dili and pass on messages without being arrested. To carry out the tasks requested by the estafeta, young people in Dili established a clandestine group.
Many young people were leaving the schools — Indonesian places which they no longer wanted to attend. The frustration of young people still in school also began to be visible. Every Monday morning, all students had to gather to sing the Indonesian national anthem while the Indonesian flag was raised. Often a young person would damage the flag's rope so when the flag was raised, it would fall straight back down again. And when they sang, the students would all change the line "Indonesia my country" to "Indonesia your country".
I had left school and was working as a driver when I was first contacted by a member of the clandestine group. I became a member of OJETIL, a clandestine youth organisation which was openly declared on November 12 in Dili, but in fact had existed since 1990. Any young people who wanted to be active in helping the struggle became OJETIL activists.
Each youth group had different assignments. Our group's job was to provide the comrades in the mountains with supplies. In the mountains they needed shoes, hats, clothing and, often, medicines. In carrying out this task, we were helped greatly by the East Timorese people. We collected clothing from families, and ordinary people often gave donations.
Sometimes, in an unconscious way, the Indonesian government also helped. When general elections were held, for example, the Indonesian government parties would give out shirts and berets to young people. We channelled these hats and shirts into the mountains. In all of this, we had to be extremely careful. We could not, for instance, purchase large amounts of medicines directly from the chemist. We had to find different ways which would not attract attention.
Over time nearly all East Timorese youth became a part of the struggle. The words of struggle, such as Xanana Gusmao's, Konis Santana's, as well as leaders' outside the country, were awaited by all. All of society became full of concern for the development of the struggle. News and messages from estafeta were quickly disseminated everywhere. A large part of the Dili youth worked hard and formed clandestine groups.
The Dili massacre
On October 28, 1991, Indonesian soldiers, with their accomplices, the ninjas, killed a youth, Sebastiao Ranel, in the Motael church.
For the older generation in particular, this attack was considered too much. For them, a murder inside a church was an affront to their religion. They wanted an immediate action. But the younger generation had learned to work according to a plan. Four years of clandestine work and following the messages from estafeta had taught us to work with a strategy, a plan.
Fourteen days after the murder of Sebastiao, the youth of Dili and a section of veterans from 1979 began to work together. On November 11 there was an announcement that all youth must go to the Motael church to hold a special commemoration mass. From there, all the youth marched to the Santa Cruz cemetery carrying flowers and wearing OJETIL T-shirts.
And so it happened. Our demonstration on November 12, which clearly announced to the whole world the determination and desire of the youth and people of East Timor, ended with the Dili massacre.
Reports of the massacre quickly spread throughout Dili and East Timor. Many people were arrested on that day. Dili became deserted. For days people did not dare leave their homes. Many young people were forced to hide to avoid being arrested and killed.
Since then, the Indonesian soldiers have become more active and the surveillance more intense. The military are everywhere.
If young people are found in groups of two or more, they are often harassed. If you are already known or suspected of having attended the November 12 demonstration, the military follow you everywhere. Sometimes even social gatherings are full of Intel (Indonesian Intelligence).
The political space for young people, especially those marked as participants in the November 12 demonstration, has become increasingly tight and difficult. Our country has become like a prison. We live as if we were in jail. It is because of this that many of my generation have been forced, like me, to leave East Timor.
But this does not mean that the struggle by the East Timorese youth has ended. When I was in Dili last December and January, there was another demonstration against the occupation by Indonesia. Those who joined that demonstration were even younger than me. There is a new generation now coming forward.
Students on the University of East Timor campus have also increased their activity, including demonstrating in protest against obscene acts committed against East Timorese nuns by Indonesian soldiers. It is clear that OJETIL and the East Timorese youth will not give up.
International solidarity
During the time that I and other young people were active within our country, there was always one thing which gave us hope and determination. We had the courage to protest because we knew that each time we did, there would also be protests in Australia and other countries. We kept hearing reports from Radio Australia about protests and demonstrations in Australia.
We knew that if there were protests in other countries, foreign governments would be forced to pressure Indonesia not to kill East Timorese demonstrators. People were still jailed and beaten, but it was far more difficult for them to be killed. Foreign protests also gave us determination. News of international solidarity always increased our determination.
I am in Australia, but there are many young people who cannot come here because, for example, there is no money. I think all East Timorese youth who are in Australia must do something, help those who are still inside by protesting. We must be ready to go to every action, every event which supports our struggle.
All East Timorese know about the Australian government's plan to take oil from the East Timor sea, and there is not one ordinary person in Timor who supports this policy. We have also seen television reports about joint training exercises between the Indonesian and Australian military. None of East Timorese people agree with this. The East Timorese hope that Australian government policies like these will be changed.
So those of us from East Timor who are now in Australia, the youth especially, cannot remain silent. We hope that the older generation, who have already been in Australia for some time, will push, help and give strength to young people to do take action for our country's freedom.
I state the East Timorese youth's solidarity with the solidarity movement in the Philippines and with young people struggling in Indonesia itself. We express gratitude to all people and groups which provide solidarity with the East Timor struggle.
[This is an abridged version of a speech to a public meeting in Melbourne on July 7.]