Klaek Reman and Aifu massacres
 
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Location of Aifu in East Timor |
The Klaek Reman and Aifu massacres resulted in the murder of at least 30 supporters of the left-wing FRETILIN party by fighters of the conservative União Democrática Timorense (UDT) during the civil war in East Timor in 1975 .
The colony of Portuguese Timor was preparing for independence when the UDT broke out of its alliance with FRETILIN and attempted to take control of the colony on the night of August 11, 1975. The Portuguese governor Mário Lemos Pires refused to intervene in the conflict.
In Aifu ( Suco Poetete , sub-district Ermera , district Ermera ) she had gathered a large number of prisoners. On August 20, the prisoners were taken to the district capital Ermera because of the fighting that broke out in the colonial capital of Dili . On August 27th, FRETILIN took control of the colonial capital Dili and, until the beginning of September, also of the Aileu district . It now advanced towards Ermera, where the UDT still had a stronghold. 70 prisoners were put in a cell.
On September 1, Manuel Duarte and four other prisoners were brought back to Aifu to be executed. On the way there they met UDT fighters who redirected the group to Klaek Reman (Ermera district). When they arrived in Klaek Reman, the prisoners' wristwatches and money were taken away and they realized that they should die. In Klaek Reman they also passed other groups of 70 prisoners in total, including two children who were walking towards Aifu and praying. Manuel Duarte was set up with five others at Klaek Reman and stabbed with spears. They rolled down a slope into a coffee plantation. The UDT fighters followed them and beat their victims. Duarte's jaw was broken. Then the victims were lined up and covered with a tarpaulin and branches. Manuel Duarte managed to break free and make his way to a friend's house. There he received first aid from a nurse. The next day fighters from the Forças Armadas de Libertação Nacional de Timor-Leste (FALINTIL), the party army of FRETILIN, arrived. Duarte was brought to Dili, where he was looked after by the Red Cross. Another prisoner survived the execution.
In Aifu, the victims were separated from the other prisoners in groups of four, handcuffed, and shot with rifles. When there were about 30 prisoners left, the killing stopped. During the night, Aifu was surrounded by FALINTIL fighters and the prisoners were released. According to witness statements, the East Timor Reception, Truth and Reconciliation Commission (CAVR) later counted 26 dead in Aifu.
A memorial has been commemorating the massacre and the victims of the fighting since 2016. In addition to members of the government and parliament, representatives of the parties FRETILIN, UDT, APODETI and PT as well as a total of twelve sucos were present at the laying of the foundation stone .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Frédéric B. Durand: History of Timor-Leste, pp. 105-106, ISBN 978-616-215-124-8 .
- ↑ a b c d “Chapter 7.2 Unlawful Killings and Enforced Disappearances” , pp. 25–26 (PDF; 2.5 MB) from the “Chega!” Report of the CAVR (English).
- ^ Government of East Timor: Government builds Reconciliation Monument of Aifu's massacre , April 8, 2016 , accessed June 20, 2017.