Memorial to Dom Aleixo
The memorial for Dom Aleixo ( Portuguese Memorial do Dom Aleixo ) in Ainaro , East Timor , commemorates Aleixo Corte-Real , Liurai of Soro , who was stylized as a folk hero in Portuguese Timor .
Historical background
During the Second World War in 1942, Japan occupied the colony, which actually belonged to neutral Portugal, and fought a bitter battle with Australian guerrilla units . The Australians were also supported by local Portuguese and Timorese. On the side of the Japanese, Timorese fought, known as the Colunas Negras ( the black pillars ) and terrorized the civilian population until the end of the Japanese occupation. Aleixo Corte-Real led a revolt against the Japanese. Eventually he was surrounded by the Colunas Negras and regular Japanese troops in 1943 and captured when he ran out of ammunition. Aleixo and his family were executed. Legend has it that he refused to recognize Japanese authority and refused to surrender the Portuguese flag he was hiding.
monument
The memorial is located right next to the ruins of the Dom Aleixo residence in the city of Ainaro. Its center is an archway with the coat of arms of Portugal and the inscription "Por Portugal" ( German for Portugal ) above the gate and in the gate with an iron cross. On either side of the gate, a few meters further on, there are two stone pillars under which the remains of two clergymen who were also murdered in October 1942 rest.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ AICL Colóquios since Lusofonia: D. ALEIXO CORTE REAL TO EXEMPLO DE Fidelidade e Patriotismo 23 September, 2011. retrieved on May 7, 2018th
Coordinates: 8 ° 59 ′ 32.6 ″ S , 125 ° 30 ′ 34.8 ″ E