Kamal Bamadhaj
Kamal Ahmed Bamadhaj was a Malaysian-New Zealand human rights activist born on December 23, 1970, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He is best known for his dedication to the East Timorese struggle for independence during the Indonesian occupation that followed the country’s declaration of independence in the 1970s. Bamadhaj first visited East Timor in 1989, witnessing the severe human rights abuses, including widespread violence and suffering, which motivated him to advocate for the indigenous population. Tragically, he was killed during the Dili Massacre on November 12, 1991, where Indonesian soldiers opened fire on a peaceful procession, resulting in the deaths of an estimated 250 to 270 civilians, making Bamadhaj the only foreign national reported among the casualties.
His death and the subsequent actions of his mother, Helen Todd, who pursued justice through international legal channels, helped shine a spotlight on the atrocities occurring in East Timor. Todd's efforts led to a symbolic court judgment against the Indonesian government but did not result in financial reparations. The impact of Bamadhaj's work, alongside his sister's publication of his writings, contributed significantly to raising global awareness of human rights violations in East Timor, influencing public opinion that eventually facilitated the country’s path to independence in 1999.
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Subject Terms
Kamal Bamadhaj
Political activist
- Born: December 23, 1970
- Birthplace: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Significance: Kamal Bamadhaj, a New Zealand citizen, was the only foreign national killed during the November 1991 Santa Cruz massacre in East Timor. He was there in support of the movement to make East Timor, which was occupied by Indonesia, independent. Punitive Damages, a 1999 documentary about his death and his mother’s struggle to recover his remains and restitution for his death, brought additional attention to East Timor’s fight for independence.
Background
Kamal Ahmed Bamadhaj was born December 23, 1970, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He was of Malaysian and New Zealand ancestry; his passport was issued by New Zealand. He and his older sister, Nadiah, were raised by their mother, Helen Todd, after their parents divorced. He attended school in both Malaysia and New Zealand at Auckland Boys’ Grammar School. Bamadhaj attended New South Wales University in Australia and studied Indonesian, politics, and history.
Life’s Work
In 1989, Bamadhaj had the opportunity to be one of the first foreign nationals to visit East Timor since the Indonesian takeover of the island country in 1975. A Portuguese colony beginning in the seventeenth century, the 5,743-square-mile (14,874-square-kilometer) country was taken over by the Japanese during World War II (1939–1945), then returned to Portugal following the war. As Portugal began to decolonize East Timor in the 1970s, civil war broke out. After a left-leaning faction declared the country independent, the Indonesian government moved in, claiming they were fighting communism by occupying the island and preventing the move towards independence. The occupation led to what has been referred to as the East Timorese genocide, as more than 200,000 people died either fighting the occupation or because of starvation and disease.
On his visit, Bamadhaj was appalled by what he observed. He became dedicated to helping the indigenous East Timorese population in any way he could. Rapes, torture, and forced disappearances were common but most of the world was unaware. Bamadhaj joined in resistance efforts to bring attention to these abuses and human rights violations. In late 1991, he was in Sydney, Australia, planning a return trip as an interpreter for a civil rights investigation when he learned that East Timorese leader Ramos Horta was looking for help.
Horta wanted someone to carry information to resistance operatives about an upcoming visit to East Timor by a delegation from Portugal and the United Nations aimed at ending the occupation. Bamadhaj arrived in East Timor on October 24 to begin this task. However, on November 3, the Indonesians had cancelled the visit over the presence of a pro-independence Australian reporter in the delegation. The East Timorese, especially those favoring independence, had hoped the visit would increase worldwide awareness of their situation and encourage the Indonesians to end the occupation. The cancellation was very demoralizing for a group already reeling from the death of a young impendence supporter on October 28. The young man died in what many believed was a staged attack on a church where resistance supporters were staying prompted a police and military response.
On November 12, two weeks after the young man’s funeral, a large group of people processed peacefully to a church for a memorial service in his honor. More joined the procession, some carrying pro-independence banners, as it headed to the cemetery in Dili, the capital of East Timor. By the time the procession reached the cemetery, thousands of civilians, including Bamadhaj, were in the group. Some were chanting or waving banners, but observers claimed the crowd was peaceful and under control. A short time later, a large contingent of Indonesian soldiers arrived and opened fire on the crowd, killing an estimated 250 to 270 civilians and injuring hundreds more. Barnadhaj was among those who died, the only foreign national reported killed in what became known as the Santa Cruz or Dili Massacre.
His mother received the call the following day notifying her that her son had been shot; it took several days before she learned he had died in the attack. Indonesian officials blocked her from visiting the island or retrieving her son’s body. She eventually initiated an international lawsuit with the assistance of the New York-based Center for Constitutional Rights. The suit resulted in a judgement of $22 million against Indonesia and General Sintong Panjaitan, who ordered the massacre.
The victory was largely symbolic and no penalties were ever paid. However, Todd did recover her son’s body for burial. Her efforts to gain justice for her son were the subject of the movie Punative Damages, released in 1999. The film used footage of the actual massacre, which was taken by British cameraman Max Stahl and smuggled out of the country.
Impact
Bamadhaj’s untimely death and his mother’s efforts to gain justice helped to attract additional attention to the human rights violations occurring in East Timor. The film, combined with his sister’s book, Aski Write, a compilation of her late brother’s diary entries and letters that convey and insider’s view into the concerns faced by the East Timorese, also helped personalize and bring attention to the desperate situation in East Timor. The death of Bamadhaj and the more than 250 others who died in the massacre helped drive public opinion in a direction that ultimately led to East Timorese independence in 1999.
Bibliography
Calder, Peter. “Punitive Damage.” New Zealand Herald, www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/punitive-damage/EXELZUIXCEAKJABQCGQDOEUU64/. Accessed 20 June 2023.
“Defense Aide Responsible for 1991 Massacre.” Riptide Communications, 19 June 1998, etan.org/et/1998/june/june16/massacre.htm. Accessed 20 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 20 June 2023.
“Helen Todd Plaintiff vs. Sintong Panjaitan, Defendant.” United States District Court, 14 Feb. 1994, www.etan.org/news/2000a/suit/memo-law.htm. Accessed 20 June 2023.
“History.” Timor-Leste, timor-leste.gov.tl/?p=29&lang=en. Accessed 20 June 2023.
Lin, Ong Ju. “Death of an Activist.” Star Malaysia, 8 May 2020, etan.org/et2002b/may/05-11/05kamal.htm. Accessed 20 June 2023.
“Punitive Damage.” New Zealand Film Commission, www.nzfilm.co.nz/films/punitive-damage. Accessed 20 June 2023.
“Santa Cruz Massacre: The Day That Changed History of Timor-Leste.” East Timor, visiteasttimor.com/santa-cruz-massacre/. Accessed 20 June 2023.