Joanna Jolly, Dili – Thousands of East Timorese gathered at the Santa Cruz cemetery on Monday to commemorate the 10th anniversary of a brutal massacre by Indonesian troops that shocked the world and paved the way for the territory's independence.
Standing in the midday heat, survivors and family members of those killed held bouquets of flowers and listened to speeches by East Timorese leaders outside the cemetery in the capital Dili. "November 12, 1991 was the day that opened the eyes of the international community to the injustices that were taking place here," said Francisco Guterres, president of East Timor's interim legislature.
The commemoration began with an early morning Mass celebrated by Nobel peace prize laureate Bishop Carlos Belo in the church where, 10 years ago, a young pro-independence activist was shot dead by Indonesian soldiers. It was during his funeral at the capital's Santa Cruz cemetery that troops poured automatic fire into a column of mourners, killing about 200 civilians.
The event, caught on camera by a British journalist, was broadcast worldwide and marked the beginning of an international campaign for independence for the tiny southeast Asian territory which had been occupied by Indonesia in 1975.
East Timor has been under UN administration since a 1999 independence referendum. That vote was followed by an orgy of killings and destruction by the withdrawing Indonesians. The world body has been rebuilding the province ever since then. Full independence is scheduled for May next year.
Over the past two years, UN investigators have attempted to establish the exact number of victims of the Santa Cruz massacre and where they are buried. Police officers already have located a possible mass grave site. Family members of those who died say they hope recovering the bodies will be a priority of East Timor's first independent government. "We are still living in uncertainty. For more than 10 years we have looked for him. We would like his bones back," said 56-year-old Theresina Sarmento Borges whose 19-year old son, Jose, was shot dead in the cemetery.
In Washington, human rights activists urged the administration of President George W. Bush to support the creation of an international tribunal for war crimes committed in East Timor. "Such a policy would demonstrate a commitment to justice during the tenth anniversary of this notorious massacre and begin to redress the years of active US support for Indonesia's occupation of East Timor," said John M. Miller, spokesman for the East Timor Action Network. "East Timor's [people] have yet to see justice for 24 years of systematic rights abuses by the Indonesian military," he said in a statement.