Tony Cabral receives Collar of the Order of Timor-Leste
Mr. António (Tony) Cabral, a Congressman in the House of Representatives of the State of Massachusetts (USA), was presented the Collar of the Order of Timor-Leste by Prime Minister, Rui Maria de Araújo at the Government Palace, on May 23rd.
At the award ceremony the Prime Minister stressed the “long history of support to Timor-Leste,” of Congressman. who is of Portuguese heritage, “including during our struggle for independence”.
In his speech, Rui Maria de Araújo stressed that Tony Cabral “was tireless in advocating the rights and freedoms of the Timorese people at the highest level in the United States of America and, as stated in the Presidential Decree, it was he who led the submission of legislation to the Massachusetts Legistature sanctioning companies and businesses in or with the Republic of Indonesia in the late 1990s.”
This award is usually bestowed by the President of the Republic. In this case he delegated the task to the Prime Minister. It was Taur Matan Ruak, when he was still President of the Republic, who enacted the award for Mr Cabral in February of this year, after a proposal from the Government.
