Santa Cruz massacre
The Santa Cruz massacre, which occurred on November 12, 1991, in Dili, East Timor, was a tragic event where approximately 250 pro-independence demonstrators were killed by Indonesian soldiers during a memorial service. This incident is viewed as part of the broader East Timor genocide that unfolded during Indonesia's occupation of the territory. The massacre took place against a backdrop of heightened tensions following the cancellation of an international delegation's visit, which had raised hopes for increased attention to East Timor's struggle for independence.
During the memorial, demonstrators, carrying pro-independence banners, clashed with Indonesian military forces, resulting in a violent confrontation. Witnesses, including foreign journalists, reported that the protestors were largely peaceful and that the military's response was unprovoked. The massacre drew international condemnation, particularly after journalists smuggled footage of the events out of the country, prompting global awareness and pressure on Indonesia regarding its occupation.
In the aftermath, these events marked a significant turning point in East Timor's fight for independence, ultimately leading to a United Nations-administered referendum in 1999, where a majority of voters chose independence. East Timor officially became independent on May 20, 2002. The Santa Cruz massacre remains a poignant symbol of the struggles faced by the East Timorese people and their pursuit of self-determination.
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Santa Cruz massacre
The Santa Cruz Massacre took place on November 12, 1991, in the East Timor capital of Dili. Approximately 250 East Timorese pro-independence demonstrators attending a memorial service were killed and dozens more injured in a confrontation with Indonesian soldiers. The attack, which is also known as the Dili Massacre, is considered part of the East Timor genocide that occurred during the Indonesian occupation of East Timor. Outside journalists present at the massacre smuggled video footage of the killings out of East Timor, bringing worldwide attention to what was happening in the country.
Background
The country of East Timor, also known as Timor-Leste, is the eastern half of an island in the Timor Sea. Located to the northwest of Australia and in the midst of Indonesia, the 5,743 square mile (14,874 square kilometers) country was a Portuguese colony beginning in the seventeenth century. The primary Portuguese interest in the area was the sandalwood found there. It was briefly under the control of the Allies and then under Japanese control during World War II (1939–1945), but was returned to the Portuguese following the war.
In the 1970s, Portuguese plans to decolonize East Timor were disrupted when a civil war broke out on the island. When the left-wing Frente Revolucionária de Timor-Leste Independente Party, or Fretilin Party, declared East Timor independent, Indonesia claimed it was fighting against communism and invaded. The move was not sanctioned by international authorities such as the United Nations. During the decades of occupation that followed the 1975 invasion, more than two hundred thousand East Timorese people died fighting or as a result of starvation and disease.
In 1991, plans were made for a Portuguese delegation and twelve international journalists to visit East Timor at the same time as Pieter Kooijmans, the Dutch-born United Nations expert on human rights and torture. The Indonesian occupation government did not want Australian journalist Jill Jollife, who had covered the situation in East Timor since 1975 and supported East Timorese independence, to be part of the delegation. They cancelled the visit.
The East Timorese who favored independence were disheartened by the cancellation. They had high hopes the visit would bring attention to their situation and renewed efforts to remove the Indonesians. The cancellation heightened animosity between the occupation forces and the pro-independence factions, especially the young people.
A number of the young independence activists were staying in a church complex in the Motael section of Dili as a way of avoiding arrest. In the early morning hours of October 28, 1991, a group on motorcycles approached and began throwing rocks at the church. When the young people inside went out to fend them off, a fight broke out. Within the hour, police and soldiers arrived and entered the church with weapons. In the fighting that ensued, eighteen-year-old Sebastiao Gomes Rangel was shot and killed. One of the motorcyclists, thirty-year-old father of four Afonso Henriqu, was stabbed and died, and several others were injured.
The official news reported the story as a fight started by “anti-integrationists” who did not want East Timor to become part of Indonesia. However, many suspected the motorcyclists were sent by the Indonesian government to force the confrontation. Rangel was buried in the Santa Cruz cemetery on October 29.
Overview
On November 12, two weeks after Rangel’s funeral, a group gathered for a Christian mass and memorial visit to his gravesite. As they continued to the cemetery following the mass, they passed near the Hotel Turismo where United Nations representative Kooijmans was staying. A strong police and military presence had the area blocked off, resulting in a clash between members of the procession, who were by this time carrying pro-independence banners and flags, and authorities. Two soldiers were stabbed in the altercation.
More people joined the procession as it made its way to the Santa Cruz cemetery. When the marchers, now numbering in the thousands, reached the cemetery, they were joined by a group of demonstrators already on site. Some in the group began chanting pro-independence slogans and by around 8 a.m., Indonesian troops arrived. They opened fire on the group, killing about 250 of them and wounding another 150.
Indonesian officials claimed that one of the protestors threw a hand grenade at the approaching troops, prompting them to open fire. One account said a junior officer yelled out, “Don’t shoot,” but his order was misunderstood as a command to shoot. Foreign journalists and civilians who witnessed the event said the protestors were peaceful and the attack was unprovoked.
Injured in the massacre were American journalists Amy Goodman and Allan Nairn, who were beaten by Indonesian military personnel. With the two Americans was British journalist Max Stahl, who captured the event on video. They managed to get the footage out of the country, and it was soon shown to an international audience.
The footage became part of the documentary In Cold Blood: The Massacre of East Timor, produced by British independent television channel Yorkshire Television. The film won the first Amnesty International award and brought international attention to the plight of the East Timorese. The outcry that resulted brought pressure upon the international community and the Indonesian government to end the occupation.
In 1999, after eight more years of struggle for independence and a change in Indonesian leadership, East Timor residents were given the opportunity to vote on whether they wanted independence. When 78.5 percent of the votes were cast in favor in independence, anti-independence forces began a terrorist campaign to squash the movement for freedom. The United Nations stepped in and took over governance of East Timor with the help of Australian peacekeeping forces. East Timor finally gained independence on May 20, 2002. The events of the Santa Cruz massacre in 1991 are considered a pivotal point in the fight for the country’s freedom.
Bibliography
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“East Timor Country Profile.” BBC News, 5 June 2023, www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-14919009. Accessed 13 June 2023.
“East Timor: The November 12 Massacre and Its Aftermath.” Asia Watch, 12 Dec. 1991, www.hrw.org/legacy/reports/pdfs/i/indonesa/indonesi911.pdf. Accessed 13 June 2023.
Fincher, Morgan. “Santa Cruz Massacre: Timor-Leste’s Democratic Transition 27 Years Later.” International Republican Institute, 9 Nov. 2018, www.iri.org/news/santa-cruz-massacre-timor-lestes-democratic-transition-27-years-later/. Accessed 13 June 2023.
“History.” Timor-Leste, timor-leste.gov.tl/?p=29&lang=en. Accessed 13 June 2023.
“Remembering the Santa Cruz massacre in Timor-Leste.” Amnesty International, 13 Nov. 2012, www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2012/11/remembering-the-santa-cruz-massacre-in-timor-leste/. Accessed 13 June 2023.
Rourke, Alison. “East Timor: Indonesia's Invasion and the Long Road to Independence.” Guardian, 29 Aug. 2019, www.theguardian.com/world/2019/aug/30/east-timor-indonesias-invasion-and-the-long-road-to-independence. Accessed 13 June 2023.
“Santa Cruz Massacre: The Day That Changed History of Timor-Leste.” East Timor, visiteasttimor.com/santa-cruz-massacre/. Accessed 13 June 2023.