Last flag of Portugal over Timor
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The last flag of Portugal over Timor was the final symbol of colonial rule over their Portuguese Timor colony .
Historical background
After the Carnation Revolution of 1974, Portugal prepared its colonies for independence. In Portuguese Timor, however, civil war broke out in August 1975 between the left-wing FRETILIN and the conservative União Democrática Timorense (UDT). Portugal's governor Mário Lemos Pires was forced to evacuate all Portuguese administrative and military members with their families to the island of Atauro off the capital Dili on August 26 and 27 . Finally the FRETILIN prevailed in the fight. Pires was urged by her to return to Dili and pursue decolonization, but he insisted on waiting for instructions from Lisbon . Only in October did the Portuguese corvette Afonso Cerqueira Atauro arrive and bring Pire's first support from the motherland. Indonesia took advantage of the situation to infiltrate and occupy the border areas of Portuguese Timor with troops. In the hope of international support, FRETILIN unilaterally proclaimed the independence of East Timor on November 28th . Most states refused recognition. On December 7th, Indonesia began open invasion and occupation of Dili and the rest of the territory. The next day, Pires and the Portuguese community left the colony from Atauro on board two Portuguese warships. East Timor remained occupied for 24 years. Since the annexation was not recognized internationally, East Timor officially remained Portuguese territory until its final independence in 2002, even if Portugal no longer exercised administrative power over the country or represented it symbolically.
The flag
After the evacuation of the Portuguese personnel to Atauro, the flag of Portugal continued to fly over the Governor's Palace in Dili. It was only on the day of the FRETILIN's declaration of independence that the flag was lowered by the FALINTIL commander Jaime Camacho Amaral and replaced by the new flag of East Timor . The whereabouts of this Portuguese flag is unknown.
However, the flag of Portugal continued to fly on Atauro, where Pires had withdrawn. It was not until December 30, 1975 that Indonesian troops occupied Atauro. The flag of Portugal was lowered and replaced with the flag of Indonesia at an official military ceremony attended by Indonesian and local Portuguese soldiers under the command of Ensign (alferes) David Ximenes . At their request, the flag of Portugal was presented to Guilherme de Sousa , elementary school teacher and member of the UDT of Atauro, and Luís Amaral , the head of administration (chefe de posto) Atauros. The UDT was cooperating with the Indonesian crew at this point. UDT members, escorted by Indonesian soldiers, brought the flag to Dili and handed it over to UDT President Francisco Lopes da Cruz . From 1976 to 1982 Lopes da Cruz was Indonesian Vice-Governor of occupied East Timor. Lopes da Cruz then moved to Jakarta and became special advisor to Indonesia's dictator Suharto on East Timor. Lopes da Cruz took the flag with him. Although there were demands that the flag should be handed over to a museum or the Indonesian National Archives, Lopes da Cruz refused to hand it over. Finally, Suharto decided that Lopes da Cruz could keep the flag and gave him a special case with the insignia of the President of the Republic of Indonesia to keep the flag. Lopes da Cruz was later Indonesia's ambassador to Greece and Portugal.
In contrast to the last flags of the other six colonies, which Portugal lost or granted independence from 1961, the whereabouts of the Timorese flag was unknown to the public for a long time. It was only in 2015 that Lopes da Cruz presented them to journalists. He sees the flag as a " relic " and keeps it in a small room of its own, together with Suharto's suitcase and a crucifix about one meter high that Lopes da Cruz bought in Fátima in 1994 .
Cultural background
Religious worship and honorable keeping of flags has a long tradition in Timor. When the colonial power Portugal concluded vassal contracts with the local rulers ( Liurai ) , they were given a military rank and presented with a Portuguese flag in addition to their uniform. The Liurais kept these together with other rulers' insignia and holy objects in "holy houses" ( Uma Lulik ) . According to the traditional idea of the Timorese , the flags are not only a symbol of colonial power, but also carry this sacred power ( lulik ) within them, which is passed on to the owner. When the republic was proclaimed in Portugal in 1910 and a new flag was introduced, there was a major uprising against the colonial rulers in Timor shortly afterwards , because the Timorese believed that the sacred flags had lost their power. But even today there are historical flags of Portugal in holy houses in East Timor, which are especially venerated despite the now Catholic faith. In the 20th century, despite massive threats of punishment, they were hidden from Japanese and Indonesian occupiers.
See also
Web links
- Expresso: Última bandeira portuguesa de Timor está em Jacarta , June 27, 2015 , news item about the last flag of Portugal over Timor with photo (Portuguese)
Individual evidence
- ^ Frédéric Durand: Three centuries of violence and struggle in East Timor (1726-2008) , Online Encyclopedia of Mass Violence
- ^ A b Geoffrey C. Gunn: History of Timor. ( Memento of the original from March 24, 2009 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. Technical University of Lisbon (PDF file; 805 kB)
- ↑ a b Monika Schlicher: Portugal in East Timor. A critical study of the Portuguese colonial history in East Timor from 1850 to 1912. Aberag, Hamburg 1996, ISBN 3-934376-08-8 .
- ↑ a b c Expresso: Última bandeira portuguesa de Timor está em Jacarta , June 27, 2015 , accessed on July 23, 2015.
