Timor-Leste marked, last November 12th 2012, the twenty-first anniversary of Santa Cruz’s Massacre and the twentieth anniversary of Missão Paz em Timor, Lusitânia Expresso. To mark the date, there was a mass at Motael’s church, in Dili, followed by a procession until Santa Cruz’s Cemetery, as a tribute to November 12th’s heroes.
The Vice Prime Minister, Fernando La Sama de Araújo, mentioned “if we’re alive today, we owe that to the deceased, who died for independence. We have the obligation to strive to fulfill the dreams they had for the nation, namely for the people to live a peaceful life and the development of Timor-Leste”.
The Chairman of “November 12th”’s Committee, Gregório Saldanha, asked the United Nations and the international communities to, through justice, ensure responsibility over the serious crimes commited by the Indonesian military during occupation from 1975 until 1999, as justice is the only way to stop Indonesia’s impunity in Timor-Leste.
This year’s celebration was held with various activities, including most importantly, the exhibition in the Archive and Museum of East Timorese Resistance; a play on the Santa Cruz massacre, a two-day conference in the auditorium of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, under the theme “Timor, International Solidarity and Future – 20th Anniversary of the Missão Paz em Timor, Lusitânia Expresso and the celebration of the 12 November “and” Reaction and International Solidarity, Missão Paz em Timor, Lusitania Expresso”.
The events counted with the presence of the President of National Parliament, Vicente Guterres, the President of the Court of Appeal, Cláudio Ximenes, the Vice Prime Minister, Fernando La Sama de Araújo, of former and current members of Government, Missão Paz em Timor, Lusitânia Expresso Group,of the journalist from the magazine “Indonesia’s Time”, Dewi Aggraeni and family members from November 12th’s victims.