Alfredo Alves Reinado

Alfredo Alves Reinado , also written Reinhado ; (* November 11, 1968 , † February 11, 2008 in Dili ) was a freedom fighter of the East Timorese resistance against the Indonesian occupation, after the independence of East Timor commander of the East Timor Navy , later chief of the military police and finally one of the leaders of the soldiers who revolted in early 2006. Since breaking out of prison, he and his armed followers have been considered the most wanted man in the country. While he was pursued by the international peacekeeping force , many citizens regarded him as a hero and also enjoyed the support of parts of the political arena. On February 11, 2008, Reinado committed an attack on President José Ramos-Horta , in which Reinado himself was killed.

Career

Reinado grew up in Gleno ( Ermera ). In a statement before the Truth and Friendship Commission ( Commission for Truth and Friendship CTF ) he told of his experiences during the Indonesian occupation. When Indonesia began to occupy East Timor in 1975, Reinado's family fled to Turiscai with fighters from the FALINTIL . Reinado was separated from his mother.

“During the flight I witnessed great suffering: people who died of starvation, parents who killed their children because they made too much noise and the parents feared that this could draw the Indonesian military's attention to them; Children who left their old parents to die; decomposing corpses. "

At the age of eleven, an Indonesian officer abducted him. Reinado had to serve him as a servant first in East Timor, and later on Sulawesi and Kalimantan . Reinado was mistreated and repeatedly witnessed acts of violence.

“I saw terrible things while serving in the army ... during an operation in Turiscai I saw them hanging men from trees and raping women. I saw women being dragged away by two or three men who then did what they wanted to them. "

At 18, Reinado was finally able to flee to Kalimantan and returned to East Timor, where he also found his mother again. Here he first worked for his uncle. Reinado joined the East Timorese resistance. In July 1995, Reinado fled with his wife, first son and 15 other East Timorese in a fishing boat to Australia . The escape attracted a certain amount of media attention, which is why Reinado was treated as a hero by pro-East Timor circles. Reinado worked in a shipyard in Perth until he returned to his homeland in 1999 for the independence referendum in East Timor. Reinado's family still lives in Australia.

After East Timor's independence, Reinado became major in the newly established East Timorese Defense Forces (FDTL) . He was one of only three soldiers from the west of East Timor ( Loro Munu ) who got a higher rank in the new armed forces. The military leadership comes entirely from the east of the country ( Loro Sae ) . Reinado became the commander of the navy, which consisted of two speedboats. In 2003 and 2004 he completed military training courses in Defense and Emergency Management in Australia and was transferred to an office post in July 2004. From July 2005, Reinado completed a three-month naval training at the Australian Command and Staff College in Canberra . He also received training from the armed forces of Portugal and Brazil . After Reinado's return, however, he did not become chief of the navy again, but was supposed to act as the commander of a military police unit against mutinous ex-soldiers.

The 2006 riots

In early 2006, 600 of the 1,600 Defense Forces soldiers deserted in protest over poor working conditions and promotion regulations. They accuse Prime Minister Marí Alkatiri of favoring soldiers from the east over those from the west in the promotions. At the end of April, 3,000 people protested at a demonstration in Dili organized by the soldiers who have since been released.

On May 4, Reinado deserted with 20 Australian-trained military policemen, four policemen and two trucks full of weapons and ammunition. He joined the rebels. Aileu became its base . Reinado called on President Xanana Gusmão to dismiss Prime Minister Marí Bin Amude Alkatiri and bring him to justice. Reinado claims that on April 28, Alkatiri ordered unarmed protesters to be shot. As a military policeman, Reinado accompanied Colonel Lere Anan Timor , Brigadier General Taur Matan Ruak's chief of staff, to a meeting with Alkatiri. Then the colonel said that he had already received the order to deploy. If Alkatiri were not released, Reinado threatened civil war. However, Reinado called himself loyal to President Xanana Gusmão.

The violence escalated again in mid-May. In the weeks that followed, the rebels stayed in the hills near the capital, where they repeatedly fought fierce firefights with FDTL troops. This claimed many dead and injured. Reinado and his people carried out several attacks on the capital, Dili, including one on May 23 that killed one FDTL soldier and injured six.

Reinado later retired with his men to the mountains near Maubisse . He said he wanted to end the rebellion as soon as Prime Minister Marí Alkatiri resigned. Alkatiri did so on June 26, 2006 after President Gusmão and members of the government put pressure on him.

On the night of July 25, Alfredo Reinado and 21 of his men were arrested by Australian soldiers in Dili. The day before the amnesty for gun possession had expired. Forbidden handguns and ammunition were seized from those arrested. Reinado was brought before an East Timorese court on July 27. He now faces a five-year prison term for murder in connection with the fighting in May and theft of military property. Thirteen other of his men were also charged with various offenses. The others were released.

Escape and death

On August 30th, Reinado managed to escape from prison. On a videotape he told the Reuters news agency that he had fled because he did not trust the justice system in Dili. But he wants to take responsibility for his actions as soon as the judiciary has developed. On September 2, Reinado gave an interview to the state television and radio station RTTL , in which he described the new Prime Minister José Ramos-Horta and his government as incompetent. Meanwhile, the international reaction force and the local security authorities were looking for him.

Reinado later agreed to remain under supervision in Ermera. However, at the end of February 2007, he and his people fled. The troops were credited with an attack on two border police posts, during which 23 weapons, some of which were heavy, were stolen. Indonesia then closed its border with East Timor. President Gusmão authorized the international peacekeeping force to arrest Reinado and asked Indonesia for assistance.

On March 1, 2007, Reinado was trapped in Same with 150 men by the Australian Army. He was joined by Gastão Salsinha , one of the leaders of the rebel soldiers, and Leandro Isaac , an independent MP , to support him. Parts of the civilian population fled the place. Reinado threatened the government with civil war again. He accused Australia of an illegal invasion of East Timor. On the morning of March 4, Australian units, supported by two helicopters and armored vehicles, stormed the place. Four rebels were killed, but Reinado and Salsinha escaped with their men. Isaac was unharmed. Only a few rebels could be captured. The following night there were protests and riots in Dili, Gleno and Ermera. Shortly thereafter, the great East Timorese newspaper Suara Timor reported that Reinado had received the powers of Boaventura († 1913?) Through traditional guides who had magical abilities . The Liurai of Manufahi, who led several rebellions against the Portuguese colonial rulers between 1895 and 1912 , is revered in East Timor as a national hero and symbol of national resistance. The Manufahi District Administrator and several members of the National Parliament were also present at the ceremony . Through them Reinado was declared the reincarnation of Boaventura.

Negotiations between the rebels and the government resumed in April. After the presidential election , Reinado allegedly agreed to surrender. But this did not happen. In mid-July, Attorney General Longuinhos Monteiro ordered Australian troops to stop the hunt for Reinado. Reinado and his men were promised safe conduct. But just a few days later, the amnesty and the assurance of safe conduct were revoked by district judge Ivo Rosa on the grounds that Monteiro had no right to this assurance. Rosa threatened that the process would have to be criminally investigated. In mid-August, Reinado and Ramos-Horta, who had meanwhile become President, met in person for renewed negotiations.

On November 22, 2007, the mutinying soldiers held a military parade in Gleno to make it clear that they still feel part of the F-FDTL. In doing so, they demanded to be resumed in the defense forces. In front of 500 spectators, Reinado threatened that he would destabilize the nation again and "lead his soldiers down to Dili". Eleven days later, the trial against Reinado in his absence began at the district court in Dili. At the same time, Reinado made contradicting statements in an interview as to whether and under what conditions he would face the proceedings. In an interview that was also broadcast on YouTube , Reinado also accused Xanana Gusmão, who had since become Prime Minister, of being the main culprit for the 2006 unrest. The opposition FRETILIN used this to demand Gusmão's resignation.

On February 7, 2008, Reinado's men fired eight warning shots at an Australian military patrol. The Australians then withdrew.

Finally, on February 11, 2008, Reinado committed an assassination attempt on José Ramos-Horta. He and some of his men raided the president's home. Reinado was killed in the subsequent firefight. Ramos-Horta was seriously injured. A trial of Reinado on charges of eight murders in connection with the 2006 riots was due to begin in Dili in March. Over a thousand supporters of Reinado gathered in front of his house in Dili on February 13, when his coffin covered with the flag of East Timor and Tais arrived and shouted “Viva Reinado”. In the presence of around 1,000 of his supporters, he was buried behind his house on February 14th.

→ Main article : Assassination attempt on February 11, 2008 in Dili

Personal

Reinado enjoyed a lot of support, especially in the Manufahi region , as he made use of the myth of Boaventura in addition to friendly connections. Reinado's followers drew parallels here between the modern and the historical rebels.

Reinado's uncle and adoptive father Victor Manuel Alves lives in Dili. Reinado's wife Maria "Netty" Reinado , 11 years his junior , had been living in Perth with their four children since May 2006. Until April 2006 she worked for the American Embassy in Dili as a manager of the Peace Corps. Maria met Alfredo at the age of 15 and married him on May 24, 1995. The eldest son, José, was just starting school. The other children are Donovan, Tiffany and Felicity, who was only 14 months old when her father died and never saw him. In early 2008, the Reinados family was granted political asylum and unlimited residence in Australia.

After Reinado's death, his lover Angelita Pires was arrested and charged with masterminding the attacks. But she was eventually acquitted. In 2012, Pires ran unsuccessfully as a candidate in the presidential election .

Alfredo Reinado had three "x" tattoos on his neck. The model for this was the character of Xander Cage from the movie xXx - Triple X from 2002.

See also

• Unrest in East Timor in 2006

Web links

• TAZ June 15, 2006
• The Australian, Mark Dodd, Fractured democracy
• Sydney Morning Herald, Cynthia Banham, Army's cause without a rebel, May 27, 2006
• The Bulletin, Paul Trophy, East Timor rebel leader speaks out, May 23, 2006 (website no longer exists) .
• Australian Broadcasting Corporation May 24, 2006 ( February 8, 2007 memento on the Internet Archive )
• How to end crisis: Timor rebel chief speaks out
• BBC, February 11, 2008, Who are East Timor's rebel soldiers?
• Press report on Reinado's funeral

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Al Jazeera: Rebel trial grips East Timor at 1:34 min. (English)
2. ^ Sara Niner: Major Alfredo Alves Reinado: Cycles of torture, pain, violence . Nautilus Institute, February 18, 2008 ( Memento of February 26, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
3. ↑ ABC, May 23, 2006, Soldier killed in Timor gun battle ( Memento of May 24, 2006 in the Internet Archive )
4. ^ VoA, July 26, 2006, East Timor Rebels Arrested ( Memento from July 28, 2006 in the Internet Archive )
5. ↑ ABC, July 28, 2006, ETimor rebel leader charged over recent violence
6. ↑ Reuters, August 31, 2006, International forces hunt for E. Timor rebel chief ( Memento of February 22, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
7. ↑ Sydney Morning Herald, September 2, 2006, Escaped Timor rebel makes appearance
8. ^ Maj Nygaard-Christensen: The rebel and the diplomat - Revolutionary spirits, sacred legitimation and democracy in Timor-Leste . In: Bubandt, Nils, van Beer, Martijn (Ed.): Varieties of Secularism in Asia: Anthropological Explorations of Religions, Politics and the Spiritual , Routledge 2011.
9. ^ Herald Sun, May 15, 2007, East Timor rebel offers to surrender
10. ^ The Age, July 20, 2007, Search for Timor rebel called off
11. ↑ The Australian, July 24, 2007, Judge revokes Reinado amnesty ( Memento of the original from February 15, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
12. ↑ ABC, August 23, 2007, E Timor President meets fugitive military rebel
13. ↑ Sinchew, November 23, 2007 East Timor: Fugitive Rebel Soldier Threatens New East Timor Government
14. ↑ Henri Myrttinen: Timor Leste - A Kaleidoscope of Conflicts (2007)
15. ^ The Age, February 11, 2008, Critical Ramos Horta on life support
16. ↑ theage.com.au, February 11, 2008, Gunmen attack Timor leader Ramos-Horta
17. ↑ Spiegel Online : "Rebels attack top-level government - President Ramos-Horta shot" , February 11, 2008
18. ↑ BBC, February 11, 2008, Who are East Timor's rebel soldiers?
19. ↑ TVNZ, February 14, 2008, E. Timor extends state of emergency ( Memento from November 9, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
20. ↑ Sinchew, February 14, 2008, East Timor: Timorese Rebels Stormed President's Compound Firing Guns, Shouting 'Traitor!'
21. ↑ Steven Sengstock: Reinado to live on as vivid figure in Timor folklore. The Canberra Times March 17, 2008, archived from the original March 17, 2008 ; Retrieved February 9, 2014 . 
22. ↑ The Australian, February 13, 2008, Reinado's father in the dark over killing ( Memento of the original from December 15, 2012 in the web archive archive.today ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
23. ↑ Reuters, February 13, 2008, East Timor seeking arrests over assassination attempts
24. ↑ Timor-Leste Democracy Support Network: Media Relaease: Capture of Reinado rebel group in Timor Leste , March 4, 2007 , accessed on May 3, 2014.
25. ^ The Australian, February 15, Always look after yourself and the kids
26. ^ The Australian, February 13, 2008, Timor rebel Alfredo Reinado's widow refused asylum
27. ^ East Timor Law and Justice Bulletin, January 9, 2008, East Timor Rebel Family Find Asylum In Australia
28. ^ The Age, Feb. 16, 2008, Man on a deadly mission