Forças Armadas de Libertação Nacional de Timor-Leste
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Forças Armadas de Libertação Nacional de Timor-Leste |
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 Flag of the FALINTIL |
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| active | August 20, 1975 to February 1, 2001 |
| Country |
 East Timor
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| Type | guerrilla |
| Origin of the soldiers | East Timor |
The Forças Armadas de Libertação Nacional de Timor-Leste FALINTIL ( Armed Forces for the National Liberation of East Timor ) was the military arm of the East Timorese resistance against the Indonesian occupation between 1975 and 1999.
history
On August 20, 1975, FALINTIL was founded in Aileu as the FRETILIN party army . In the civil war against the UDT for supremacy, which broke out before independence from Portugal was declared in 1975, East Timorese, who had previously served in the Portuguese army , supported FRETILIN. They formed the core of FALINTIL.
Nine days after independence was proclaimed on November 28, 1975, the Indonesians began the invasion of East Timor. Even before this, fighting with the FALINTIL had broken out during the occupation of the border areas. At this point the FALINTIL had 2,500 trained soldiers, 7,000 who had received some military training from Portugal and 10,000 fighters who had received only brief military training. At the FRETILIN Congress in Soibada in May 1976 , Nicolau dos Reis Lobato was officially promoted to military command. By December 1978 the bases of the resistance movement were largely destroyed by the Indonesian army and over 80 percent of the FALINTIL fighters were killed. Lobato was injured in "Operation Encirclement" and arrested shortly afterwards by the Indonesians on December 31, 1978. In 1981 Xanana Gusmão was elected as the new head of FALINTIL at a secret national conference in Lacluta . who had previously served in the Portuguese army , the FRETILIN. They formed the core of FALINTIL.
If the FRETILIN guerrilla war was not the rule until the death of Nicolau dos Reis, Xanana Gusmão began to use this tactic to fight for independence. Various Timorese groups fought the occupiers from the mountains with support from the population. During the clashes, the Indonesian military committed massive human rights violations and atrocities (including murder and rape). On June 10, 1980, FALINTIL units attacked the television station in Marabia , the weapons depot in Becora and military facilities in Dare and Fatu Naba on the outskirts of the capital Dili. It was the first major attack, also known as "levantamento" ( Portuguese: revolt, uprising ) since the resistance movement was almost completely crushed in 1978. In response, the Indonesian military killed over 100 people and tortured or exiled members of resistance fighters the island of Atauro, used as a prison island .
 Commanders of the FALINTIL
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| Rogerio Lobato | Aug. 20, 1975 -? |
| Fernando do Carmo | ? - December 7, 1975 † |
| Nicolau dos Reis Lobato | May 1976 - December 31, 1978 † |
| Xanana Gusmão | 1981 - November 20, 1992 (arrested) |
| Ma'huno Bulerek Karathayano | 1992 - April 5, 1993 (arrested) |
| Nino Konis Santana | April 1993 - March 11, 1998 † |
| Taur Matan Ruak | 1998 - February 1, 2001 (conversion of FALINTIL into F-FDTL) |
The deputy responsible, Colonel Purwanto , began secret negotiations with the rebel leader Xanana Gusmão, which ended in a ceasefire on March 23, 1983. On August 8, 1983, the FALINTIL attacked a unit of the Indonesian army in Kraras ( sub-district Viqueque ), in which 14 soldiers were killed. In the retaliatory action of the military, the Kraras massacre , 300 residents of the village died, numerous people were arrested, and others were able to flee into the mountains. Other sources say the Indonesians broke the ceasefire. This was the reason for the large-scale operation “Operasi Sapu Bersih” (“Clean Table”) by the Indonesian military in August of that year. Operasi Persatuan followed in September 1983 . From August 1983 to June 1984 there were heavy bombardments by the Indonesian Air Force , which also affected the civilian population.
In 1984, Chief of Staff Reinaldo Freitas Belo (Kilik Wae Ga'e) , his deputy Mauk Moruk , his subordinate Oligari Asswain and another FALINTIL commander tried the uprising against Commander Xanana Gusmão. While they criticized his policy of uniting all national forces, calling himself a traitor and the true proponent of the revolution, Gusmão accused the group of a lack of sense of duty and military errors due to arbitrariness. The rebellious commanders did not appear at a reorganization meeting of the FALINTIL in Liaruca called by Gusmão in September 1984. Instead, they tried to win over other commanders in Same. On September 4th a radical restructuring of the military command structure was decided in Liaruca. Belo and Mauk Moruk, along with three others, were kicked out of the Central Committee for rioting. Gusmão now became FALINTIL's chief of staff as well as commander. A unit of fighters from all military regions was dispatched to disarm the rebels. Belo was gone, but Mauk Moruk could be discovered. Although he had no more support, he managed to escape armed. He finally surrendered to the Indonesians and went into exile, which he spent mostly in the Netherlands. According to Gusmão, Belo shot himself shortly afterwards. Gusmão later accused him of having psychological problems. Other FALINTIL commanders claim that Belo was killed in a skirmish with the Indonesians. Mauk Moruk's deputy, Oligari Asswain , was kicked out of the FALINTIL. Gusmão used his newfound power to throw the Marxist ideology of FRETILIN overboard in the resistance. Resistance members who were not involved in the partisan struggle and who belonged to other political currents were now integrated into a national resistance movement.
On August 20, 1987, Gusmão converted the FALINTIL from a party army of FRETILIN to a national army of the East Timorese resistance. Gusmão remained their leader. In 1988 Xanana Gusmão left FRETILIN in order to be able to represent a politically neutral position as chairman of the newly founded umbrella organization of the Timorese resistance CNRM ( later CNRT ).
On November 20, 1992, Gusmão was finally captured in a large-scale operation by the Indonesian military with 40,000 soldiers in a house in Lahane near Dili . The management of the FALINTIL was taken over by Ma'huno Bulerek Karathayano ( real name: Gomes da Costa ), who was also captured by the Indonesians on April 5, 1993. FALINTIL's number 3, David Alex was captured and murdered by the Indonesians in 1997. Ma'huno succeeded Nino Konis Santana , who died in an accident on March 11, 1998.
In 1999 international pressure on Indonesia had increased to such an extent that President Habibie declared that his government could now consider independence for East Timor. On March 11, the UN, Portugal and Indonesia agreed at ministerial level to hold a referendum on the future of East Timor . On April 21, the conflicting parties in East Timor agreed to end the violence. The 2000 FALINTIL fighters agreed to a ceasefire.
When the result of the referendum, in which the large majority voted for independence, was announced, the last wave of violence erupted by pro-Indonesian militias and the Indonesian military through Operation Donner , the international intervention force INTERFET replaced the Indonesian occupation in September . The FALINTIL fighters were gathered in four camps in Uai-Mori (Viqueque sub- district), Atelari ( Laga sub- district ), Poetete ( Ermera sub- district ) and Ai-Assa ( Bobonaro sub- district ). The fighters were forbidden to take their weapons outside of the camps. During the transfer to the assembly camps, there were numerous problems, as some fighters refused. One of the most famous FALINTIL leaders, Cornelio Gama (better known today as L7 , today chairman of the UNDERTIM party ) left the camp along with some loyal followers. It was the aftermath of frustration and helplessness that led to such decisions. Problems with supply resulted in food shortages and cases of tuberculosis and malaria in the camps. On September 12, 2000, the East Timorese interim cabinet decided to establish the East Timorese Defense Forces F-FDTL .
On February 1, 2001, the conversion of the FALINTIL into the F-FDTL was officially completed in a ceremony on the Aileu football field. To the sound of a bugle from the Portuguese colonial times, the flag of the FALINTIL was lowered from a mast and brought by three guerrillas to FALINTIL commander Taur Matan Ruak , who handed it over to Xanana Gusmão. Moved, he folded the flag and buried his face in it for a few seconds. Gusmão lifted his head through tears. He was given a rifle, the butt stock. A few minutes later the United Nations flag was hoisted on the mast and 650 former guerrillas became the first soldiers of the F-FDTL. As Brigadier General, Taur Matan Ruak was appointed commander of the armed forces by Gusmão and UN Special Envoy Sérgio Vieira de Mello . The remaining fighters were released into civilian life. Groups within the FALINTIL saw themselves at a disadvantage in the selection of the recruited soldiers, called them undemocratic and broke with the new government. These include the Sagrada Família , Colimau 2000 and Esnaco . Today, some of them form criminal gangs in East Timor . Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo , together with Minister Filomeno Jacob and two other priests, held a mass in Tetum and Portuguese in which the dead were remembered. Belo called the fallen "essential elements" in the struggle for East Timor's independence. Finally, a memorial to the “FALINTIL Martyrs” was inaugurated. A simple wooden cross in a block of cement depicting an SKS rifle from the Indonesians and a spear and sword from the Timoreden. Wreaths were laid at the memorial and gun salutes were fired.
flag
The flag of the FALINTIL was designed in the Ai-Dila-Okir base . The former hiding place of FALINTIL leader Xanana Gusmão is therefore now part of the Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão National Park in the communities of Ainaro and Manufahi .
Blue symbolizes the island of Timor between sea and sky, the identity of the East Timorese on the spiritual level as a people, with all longings. White stands for the longing for lasting peace, the need for social justice and general tolerance. Green symbolizes East Timor as the country of the farmers, the necessity of progress, but always with consideration for the environment and eternal hope. Yellow, red and black are the traditional colors of the struggle for independence.
The golden star, the real symbol of the War of Independence, rises from the red of the spilled blood. It is the hope of a glorious new day, just as the morning star symbolizes the dawn.
The handles of the two suriks (swords) are divided into four parts, which results in the number eight. Ten goat hairs hang from each handle, making a total of 20. The three bird feathers have a total of 75 hairs. FALINTIL was founded on August 20, 1975.
"Patria Povo" ( German fatherland people ) is the motto of FALINTIL.
The CNRT carried a similar flag, but with a slightly different coat of arms and the words "CNRT". The FALINTIL relatively soon adopted this version of the coat of arms for its flag, which is still the flag of the East Timorese Defense Forces today.
In the FALINTIL camps it was strictly forbidden to walk through the shadow of the flag. Allegedly, this rule stems from the colonial era, when Timorese were beaten when they walked through the shadow of the flag of Portugal .
See also
Web links
- Transformation of FALINTIL into F-FDTL ". The La'o Hamutuk Bulletin 6 (1-2).
- Photos of the FALINTIL
- Names and pseudonyms from the East Timorese resistance
- Lista de todos os Combatantes da Libertação Nacional para a Desmobilização e Reconhecimento
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b "Part 3: The History of the Conflict" (PDF; 1.4 MB) from the "Chega!" Report of the CAVR (English)
- ↑ Human Rights Watch : East Timor: Remembering History April 1993 ( PDF ; 280 kB)
- ↑ Sara Niner: The new reaction: Xanana and Paulino 'Mauk Moruk' Gama , December 16, 2013 , accessed March 8, 2015.
- ↑ International Crises Group: Resolving Timor-Leste's Crisis . Crisis Group Asia Report N ° 120, October 10, 2006 ( Memento of the original from September 23, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , P. 3, accessed March 8, 2015.
- ↑ David Stevens: Strength through diversity: The combined naval role in Operation Stabilize, Working paper No. 20, Sea Power Center - Australia ( Memento of September 10, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ António Sampaio : 40 anos / Timor-Leste: Bandeira das Falintil desceu, pela última vez, a 01 de fevereiro de 2001 , Lusa, 25 November 2015
- ^ Government of Timor-Leste: Timor-Leste builds National Park Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão , October 26, 2015 , accessed on November 11, 2015.
- ↑ a b c d Arquivo & Museu da Resistência Timorense : Explicação das cores da bandeira das FALINTIL por Sabalae , around 1994 , accessed on December 9, 2017.
- ↑ Irena Cristalis : East Timor: A Nation's Bitter Dawn. Zed Books Ltd., 2013, limited preview in Google Book Search.
Rogério Lobato (August 20, 1975 -?) | Fernando do Carmo (? - December 7, 1975 †) | Nicolau dos Reis Lobato (May 1976 - December 31, 1978 †) | Xanana Gusmão (1981 - November 20, 1992) | Ma'huno Bulerek Karathayano (1992 - April 5, 1993) | Nino Konis Santana (April 1993 - March 11, 1998 †) | Taur Matan Ruak (1998 - February 1, 2001)