Category: Timor

A 1999 story: How Timor-Leste’s resistance gained Canada’s support, and why that matters

July 13, 2023

Timor-Leste’s independence came during a “window of opportunity” after the fall of the longtime Indonesian dictator Suharto in May 1998. Between then and early 1999, the Timor-Leste resistance was able to break through and win the support for some key countries for self-determination. That helped make the referendum in August 1999 possible, and also helped… More A 1999 story: How Timor-Leste’s resistance gained Canada’s support, and why that matters

New archival document release : Arnold Kohen papers

October 5, 2021

This week’s release of online archival documents from the Timor International Solidarity Archive (TiSA) represents thousands of pages of publications, news clippings and internal documents from the files of Arnold Kohen, including papers published under the names East Timor Defence Committee, The Humanitarian Project, and others. The materials are organized into three subcollections composed of materials collected by Arnold… More New archival document release : Arnold Kohen papers

Call for contributions: Documents on the Santa Cruz massacre, 12 November 1991

September 2, 2021

In 1991, hundreds of Timorese died or were injured at the hands of Indonesian soldiers at the Santa Cruz cemetery in Dili, Timor-Leste. The massacre was pivotal in the Timor-Leste independence struggle, bringing systematic violations of human rights and mass atrocities to global attention and sparking a wave of solidarity activism around the world. The… More Call for contributions: Documents on the Santa Cruz massacre, 12 November 1991

Open letter to the president of Indonesia, from a victim and survivor

August 16, 2021

This open letter by Cris Carrascalão was originally published on facebook and is reprinted here from the East Timor and Indonesia Action Network mailing list. In it, the author speaks about her own family’s experience and the Indonesian president’s decision to honour a militia leader convicted of crimes against humanity by awarding him with one… More Open letter to the president of Indonesia, from a victim and survivor

Australia’s new truth commission: The East Timor experience

June 15, 2021

The Australian state of Victoria, in May 2021, announced a truth commission. Here, Pat Walsh connects Indigenous-linked truth commissions to that of Timor-Leste.  By Pat Walsh Victoria’s just announced Yoo-rrook commission on truth and justice for our First Peoples rightly looks to a similar model in Canada. It also had a clear Indigenous focus and… More Australia’s new truth commission: The East Timor experience