Maliana

Maliana
	Maliana
	Maliana
Coordinates	9 ° 0 ′ S , 125 ° 13 ′ E Coordinates: 9 ° 0 ′ S , 125 ° 13 ′ E
Basic data
Country	East Timor
local community	Bobonaro
Administrative office	Maliana
ISO 3166-2	TL-BO
Suco	Lahomea , Holsa , Odomau , Raifun
height	177 m
Residents	15,800
	Main street of Maliana

Maliana ( Vila de Ainaro ) is the capital of the East Timorese municipality of Bobonaro and the Maliana Administration Office .

geography

Climate diagram

The city is located in the center of the administrative office, about 30 km from the coast in the north-west of the country. To the state capital Dili it is about 60 km to the east as the crow flies, on the road it is 149 km, as the better developed road first leads along the coast to the border town of Batugade and then leads via Balibo to Maliana. The connection to Dili is shorter via the road to Ermera and Gleno , but this road is not as well developed. It is only a few kilometers to the border with Indonesia .

The center is in Suco Lahomea , but the city extends beyond its borders to Holsa and Odomau . Further suburbs are in Suco Raifun . The Maliana airfield and the police station are also located there. The city's lively market is of national importance. In addition, Maliana and its suburbs have two helipads, a community health center, a hospital, six primary schools, a preparatory school for secondary school and two secondary schools, including the Gimnasio Maliana . The East Timor Institute of Business (IOB) runs parallel classes in Maliana.

On January 30, 2010, Maliana was declared the seat of the third diocese of East Timor, the diocese of Maliana . The temporary cathedral is the Holy Cross Church in the east of the city. The Sacred Heart Cathedral is still under construction. The Maliana Colegio Infante de Sagres Catholic college is also located here .

Residents

Maliana has a population of 15,800 (2010).

history

Festival in Maliana (1969)

The current administrative office of Maliana used to belong to the Bunak empire of Lamaquitos ( Lamakitu ), which ruled an area between Cailaco in the north and Maucatar in the south.

During the decolonization of Portuguese Timor in 1975, a civil war broke out between the UDT and FRETILIN . Former soldiers of the 5th Portuguese Cavalry Squadron in Bobonaro, who supported FRETILIN, came to Maliana and forced supporters of UDT and APODETI , including the Liurai von Memo and residents from Odomau, Holsa and Raifun, to flee to West Timor . Some residents were also forced by the Liurai and the UDT to go to West Timor to be recruited by the Indonesian armed forces. From mid-1975 Indonesia began to occupy the border regions of Portuguese Timor. On October 16, Indonesian troops entered Maliana. It was not until December 7 that Indonesia openly carried out the military occupation of East Timor with the invasion of Dili .

Violent clashes broke out in East Timor in 1995 after an Indonesian official made derogatory comments about the Catholic faith. In Maliana, the market square was almost completely burned down.

Before and after the independence referendum in East Timor in 1999, there was violence in Maliana by Indonesian soldiers and pro-Indonesian militias . Several people were murdered by soldiers in March. Independence activists like local CNRT leader José Andrade da Cruz have been threatened, arrested and beaten. On the day of the vote, pro-Indonesian militias trooped the city so that 54 UN helpers had to be evacuated to Dili. Hundreds of opponents of independence besieged the UN representation. The UN helpers and their families fled to the police station on September 3, 1999. When the result of the referendum became known the next day, the militias threatened the several hundred refugees. On the afternoon of September 8th, Dadarus Merah Putih militiamen in Holsa, Lahomea and Ritabou were prepared by the Indonesian military for the attack on the police station. The militias were led by the regional militia chief João Tavares and the Indonesian lieutenant Sutrisno. In Ritabou they received a death list. The militias, including the Halilintar militia and Indonesian soldiers, entered the police station complex on the evening of September 8th and began attacking the refugees with knives, machetes and swords, while the police remained inactive. They just closed the door to their office. A total of 14 people were killed including, Julio Barros , a former administrator of the then sub-district of Maliana and Domingos Gonçalves Pereira , the Chefe de Suco of Ritabou. The victim, José Barros Soares, was only twelve years old. The bodies of the victims were brought to Batugade and sunk there in the sea. Other sources report 47 deaths. Another 13 people who initially managed to escape from the station were killed near Maliana the next day. A total of 71 people were murdered in the Maliana sub-district between September 2 and 29. Apart from the church, the whole of Maliana was burned down by the militia.

In 2001 martial arts groups competed against each other in the Maliana market. There were deaths.

economy

The local market is the most important in the municipality. In addition to vegetables, fruit and meat from the region, fish is also offered. Several dealers have also opened stores.