Government of Timor-Leste

The Prime Minister, Rui Maria de Araújo, participated in the celebrations of the X National Youth Day of Timor-Leste, which also marked the 24^th anniversary of the Massacre of Santa Cruz. The celebrations took place this Thursday, November 12^th, in Dili.

The ceremonies began with a Mass in the Church of Motael, in Farol, Dili. It was then followed by a procession to the cemetery, to lay flowers and remember the tragic event of Timor-Leste’s youth massacre in Santa Cruz Cemetery, in Dili, on November 12^th, 1991.

The theme for the celebration of this year was: "Through this commemoration, we praise our struggle for liberation, as a means to promote national development".

The Prime Minister followed the morning Mass and joined the families of the victims of the massacre of 1991. The students went to put flowers to the young martyrs of Loriko Asuwa'in, designation of the young fighters who dedicated themselves to the liberation of the homeland.

In his speech at Santa Cruz Cemetery, the Head of Government emphasized that the celebration of this historic event "should transmit a better dynamic to the Timorese society and promote the values that the youth of 1991 passed on to us all", adding that the youth of today should learn with those of November 12^th.

"We must celebrate the November 12^th, 2015, with a new spirit, with a new dynamic. We must leave the mourning of those who gave their lives. But the sacrifice that they made is a national pride, because they offered their lives so that this country could become independent. Do not cry anymore and cooperate to develop our country", called the Prime Minister.

The Youth representatives of members of the Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries (CPLP in Portuguese), in which Timor-Leste is included, took the opportunity to give to the Government, through the State Secretary for Youth and Sport, Leovigildo Hornai, in that symbolic place, the conclusions of their meetings of the previous week, presented in the Dili Declaration. In it, the youth stated their political views and vision for the development of the youth future in the member countries of the CPLP.

Then, the Prime Minister and other dignitaries laid flowers in the tomb of the deceased Sebastião Gomes, murdered by the Indonesians in 1991, and that was the reason for the demonstration which resulted in the Massacre of Santa Cruz.

In this celebration, were present the President of the National Parliament, Vicente Guterres,  President of the National People's Assembly of Guinea-Bissau, Cipriano Cassamá, the former President of the National Parliament, Francisco Guterres Lu-olo, the President of the Special Economic Zone (ZEESM), Marí Alkatiri, the State Secretary for  Youth and Sport, Leovigildo Hornai, the Commander of F-FDTL, Lere Anan Timor, the General-Commander of PNTL, Júlio da Costa Hornai, the Presidents of the Youth of Angola, Brazil, Guinea-Bissau, Portugal and São Tomé and Príncipe, the relatives of the victims of November 12^th, students, young people and the community.