Just as Australians mark the armistice that ended World War I on November 11, Timor-Leste today commemorate the 1991 Santa Cruz massacre, a pivotal moment in the Timorese struggle for independence. Source: Melbourne Catholic.
That was the message from Melbourne priest Fr Michael Kalka, as his parish in Altona hosted a special Mass to mark the 34th. anniversary of the tragedy at the Santa Cruz cemetery in Timor Leste’s capital, Dili.
On November 12, 1991, scores of young Timor-Leste people were murdered at a funeral for a young political activist who was killed two weeks earlier by occupying Indonesian military forces.
The parallel between Remembrance Day and the Santa Cruz, or Dili, massacre anniversary is poignant. Armistice Day in 1918, while a profound moment, did not mark “the final war – the war to end all wars” as then-US president Woodrow Wilson famously promised. The even bloodier World War II was still to come.
Likewise, the Santa Cruz massacre did not immediately end the Indonesian military occupation. But it was the beginning of the end, grabbing the world’s attention and galvanising international action.
Indonesia invaded Timor-Leste in 1975, taking advantage of a power vacuum after the abrupt end of Portuguese colonisation a year earlier. The Timorese resistance struggled largely alone under the brutal occupation until the early 1990s, with a rise in open student protests and increased media coverage.
Rising tensions boiled over with the shooting death of a 21-year-old student activist by Indonesian security forces. Sebastião Gomes became a symbol of resistance for Timorese youth, and thousands attended a memorial service for him at the Santa Cruz cemetery. It was there that Indonesian troops opened fire on the peaceful protesters, killing at least 250.
It was a watershed moment, said Teresa Fraga, president of the Timorese Association of Victoria.
“This actually brought the world to Timor and brought [attention to] our plight in regards to self-determination, and we remember … the freedom of the sacrifice that was made for freedom and peace,” she said at a gathering after the commemorative Mass at Mary Help of Christians Church in Altona on Sunday.
The memorial Mass was concelebrated by six Timorese priests and attended by a congregation of Timorese-Australians and local parishioners.
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Melbourne’s Timorese community commemorates Santa Cruz massacre (Melbourne Catholic)
