National Veterans Day Celebrations
Between March 1st and 3rd, 2024, the National Veterans Day celebrations took place under the slogan “Together We Will March into the Future”, with the aim of paying tribute to the valuable contribution of the martyrs, combatants and veterans who fought for the independence of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste (RDTL). 
The celebrations began on March 1st with mass at Balide Parish Church in Dili, followed by a pilgrimage from Dili to the Garden of the Heroes and Martyrs of the Homeland in Metinaro to lay flowers. On the same day, there was a luncheon at the headquarters of the Council of National Liberation Combatants (CCLN - acronym in Portuguese) and guided tours to the exhibition of guerrilla weapons in the Aisserimou Hall at the CCLN Headquarters, the Dili Historic Port, the Archives & Museum of Timorese Resistance (AMRT), the Santa Cruz Cemetery and the archives of the National Centre “Chega” (CNC). 
On March 2nd, a seminar was held at the Dili Convention Centre (CCD). Speeches were given by the former Lieutenant General Lere Anan Timur, the Minister for National Liberation Combatants Affairs, Gil da Costa Monteiro ‘Oan Soru’, and the Minister of Defence, Commodore Pedro Klamar Fuik.
On March 3rd, National Veterans' Day, the celebrations continued at the Government Palace. The RDTL flag was hoisted, official speeches were given, and the Veterans marched to the CCD, where a fraternisation lunch was held.
The Prime Minister, Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão, in his message to “all the Companions in Struggle”, expressed deep respect, calling them “Living Heroes for all the country’s young people”. 
The Leader of the Resistance and former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces for the National Liberation of Timor-Leste (FALINTIL) gave a summary of the process of reorganising the struggle for independence, which began on March 3rd, 1981, with the National Conference from which “important resolutions emerged to reflect deeply on the ability to continue the struggle, how to reorganise to be prepared to face the enemy and how to mobilise all Timorese to participated the struggle or resist the occupier”.
The Head of Government stressed the importance of this historical summary: “To celebrate March 3rd with the confidence that when we want to achieve something good, we must remain consistent with our principles and duties towards our beloved country and our Hero People.”
The President of the Republic, José Ramos Horta, in his speech broadcasted during the ceremony by the President of the Court of Appeal, Deolindo dos Santos, paid tribute to the veterans and martyrs who fought for Timor-Leste’s independence, praising the veterans’ “spirit of sacrifice, teamwork, dedication to objectives, discipline in the struggle and individual commitments to family, community and country”.
The President called on veterans to take a more active role in economic diversification and reducing dependence on imports and reaffirmed Timor-Leste’s commitment to honouring the veterans' legacy by building “a more prosperous, modern, fraternal, peaceful and tolerant country”.
