Images From Aliembata
Two hours drive from Viqueque, past broken bridges, through subdued villages, we reach what remains of Aliembata. Eight weeks ago 200 houses - the majority of the village - were torched, the latest incident in an ethnic feud that dates back to 1959 when sides were taken in an uprising against the Portugeuse. The arson coincided with Parliamentary elections, and was widely, reported to be related to current national politics.
October 11th, 2007 at 9:19 am
Nice site. Although I was under the impression that the violence you describe above was AFTER the election, mainly committed by disgruntled Fretelin members. I was in the area at the time and many people told me that they had been intimidated into putting up Fretelin flags even if they were not Fretelin supporters.
October 12th, 2007 at 1:33 am
Some of the rivalry in Viqueque undoubtedly dates back to the 19 uprising. However there is a bit of a worry, however in describing any feud in Timor as ‘ethnic’. Ultimately all conflicts are political (in that they are about power) and arise at times when one group fears another group is getting the better of them illegitimately. Ethnic differences don’t have to lead to conflict and generally never have in Timor-Leste. The attempt to super-impose party loyalty with regional identity is one which is very dangerous and in my view, comes about largely not due to ethnic divisions but to class divisions between the better off and the poor, i.e. those in Dili trying to impose an identity on those in the rural areas (the poor and the powerless), and members of all parties have been involved in it. It is worth mentioning that the Commision for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation in two years of taking testimonies never came accross any mention of East-West conflict or rivalry, it only entered the political lexicon in 2006.
Congratulations on your website Philip and Chris, I look forward to the broadcasts.