September–October 2015 97TOP RIGHT: GREG DUNCAN
A
S I WANDER the streets and
take in the sights I discover
a city that is full of surprises.
It is hard to ignore what has happened
in Timor-Leste in the past. Reminders
of occupation, war and resistance are
scattered throughout the capital.
Statues of leaders and religious icons,
monuments to the massacred, World
Wa r II sites and ruins of prisons and
forts can all be explored and help to
explain some of this rich, varied and
often violent history.
I begin by visiting the Chega
Museum, set in a former Indonesian
prison in the heart of Dili. The word
chega roughly translates in Portuguese
to the emotive statement “No more.
Stop. Enough!” A walk through this
ominous building and its grounds, with
its graphic photographs and descrip-
tive accounts, clearly conveys the kindof human-rights violations that
occurred here during the most recent
Indonesian occupation.
While at the prison I am fortunate
enough to meet with Gregorio
Saldanha, a humble and softly spoken
man who, in 1991, was imprisoned for
helping organise the Santa Cruz
pro-independence demonstrations.
These were intended to be peaceful
protests organised by students to
object to the occupation of their
country by the Indonesian govern-
ment, but quickly turned into a
tragedy when the Indonesian army
shot hundreds of unarmed demon-
strators. It became known as the Santa
Cruz Massacre and Gregorio lost
many friends that day.
As we walk, he describes his time
behind bars here and the treatment he
was subjected to before beingtransported to various jails around
Indonesia for much of the ensuing
decade. His story is one of bravery and
intense fear for his and his family’s
lives, but his willingness to continue to
battle for the freedom of his country
and its people is inspirational.
“Our fight for independence has
been won at a heavy cost,” he says. “But
it is now time for the Timorese people
to move forward and create the
country we want for our future, for our
children.” From what I have seen of
the country so far, I know he is right.
A visit to this island is not com-
plete without taking the scenic coastal
drive out to Cristo Rei of Dili, a
27m-high statue of Jesus atop a globe
that overlooks the ocean and the
country’s capital. Made of copper
and constructed in 1996 to mark the
20th anniversary of Indonesia’sWelcome to paradise. The copper statue (left) Cristo Rei –
Portuguese for ‘Christ the King‘– watches over the capital. Timor-
Leste offers world-class diving among pristine coral reefs (below)
and deep-ocean drop-offs. But it‘s the Timorese people, such as
these children playing on Dili‘s Areia Branca Beach, that make
Timor-Leste such a stunning experience for visitors.