Ai Pelo

Ruins of the central building of Aipelo

Ai Pelo ( Indonesian Bekas Penjara Aipelo for former prison Aipelo , also Do Ai Pelo and Aipelu ) is a prison from the Portuguese colonial times in what is now East Timor . The name is derived from "Epelo", the word for "bitter water" in the local Tokodede language . Aipelo is the place Raucasa ( Suco Lauhata ) at the Savu Sea , west of the mouth of the river Failebo .

history

The prison also served as the seat of administration and customs. The neoclassical main building with administration and prison cells and the adjoining barracks for the soldiers stationed here were the first to be built in 1889 under Governor António Francisco da Costa . In 1914, two more buildings were built for Macau prisoners , where the prisons were overcrowded during that time.

Ordinary criminals as well as political prisoners were housed in the prison. One prisoner was the Portuguese deportee Manuel Viegas Carrascalão , who was later released for good conduct. Under Governor José Celestino da Silva (1894-1908) some Timorese Liurais were also held here. The detainees were housed underground, where they sometimes stood up to their knees in salt water from the nearby sea. Mistreatment is said to have been common practice, with crushing glass mixed with inmates' food.

A flood after heavy rains in 1939 claimed human lives and damaged the buildings so badly that they could no longer be used. The prison is right between two estuaries. In 1942, the buildings that survived the storm were used as command posts by the Japanese when they occupied Portuguese Timor ( see also: Battle of Timor ). Both Japanese and Australian bombs fell on the facility during World War II . While other colonial buildings were left to decay during the Indonesian occupation (1975-1999), the Indonesians ensured that the ruins of the old colonial prison were preserved as they still exist today. Since May 26, 2012, display boards have been informing visitors about the past of the place. It is planned to build a museum here.

The kitchen in the southeast of the complex
The tract in the northeast
The northwest corner of the facility with a view of the neighboring island of Alor
Display boards in one of the ruins
The central building
To the west of the plant