East Timor's messengers of peace, friendship
Aboeprijadi Santoso, Contributor, The Jakarta Post, Dili
East Timor may span only half a tiny island, however, it holds a world of ethno-cultural varieties. Lafu Beun Sila and Dominggoes Sebastiao are part of this cultural melting pot.
Lafu, a 15-year-old boy, comes from Oecusse, East Timor's enclave in the western half of Timor island. In contrast, Sebastiao, 30, who refused to give his real name, is an official of the new government from Los Palos, in the eastern tip of the new country.
Both have endured many hardships in life. In a society torn by conflict, poverty and fear during decades of Indonesian occupation and colonialism, they chose to seek a better life elsewhere, but returned home at a critical time.
Lafu went to East Java and Sumatra before arriving back home in August 1999 when a wave of violence engulfed the former Indonesian province. Sebastiao found his way to Jakarta, pursued professional training in Europe and returned home just before president Soeharto fell from power in May 1998.
Like many youths of his generation, Sebastiao's parents were killed because they were members of the Fretilin resistance group and he was forced to help the Indonesian Army crush them.
In the Matebian Mountains in the late-1970s, he said he witnessed the Army using the Timorese to stab and behead fellow Timorese. Ironically, in his later years in Jakarta, he was discovered and sponsored by a notorious Indonesian general, who gave him a home and subsequently changed the course of his life.
"I know many people hate him," said Sebastiao, referring to the general, "but I respect him, and thank him for financing my studies, and my gratitude remains."
Sebastio does not seem to harbor any feelings of hatred or revenge for what happened in his past.
While he does not deny the general's controversial past, he refuses to talk about him, which led to false accusations that he was an intelligence agent from Jakarta.
In the end, Sebastiao slipped away without notifying the general and acquired a fellowship in Europe.
As an articulate speaker of Indonesian with a good command of English and knowledge of Portuguese, he has a frank and modest ambition: to help his country foster a friendly relationship with Indonesia, which, in his view, is crucial for Timor's future welfare and security.
He addresses all Indonesians he meets as kawan (friend). Given his present position in the administration and his wide network of friends, he will hopefully realize his dream.
Lafu, on the other hand, is the hero in David Bradbury's documentary General Cosgrove and a Boy Hero, recently shown on Australian television. Like Sebastiao, he, too, loves Indonesia and has a lot of Indonesian friends.
In early September of 1999, Lafu witnessed the start of the Oecusse massacre of pro-independent supporters following their victory at the August referendum. "As I returned from East Java and Aceh, I simply could not stand by watching the killings in my home village. The (pro-Jakarta) militias even killed dogs," he said, with anger evident on his face.
So he decided to walk hundreds of kilometers by way of Atambua and Batugade, through the mountains to the capital of Dili, passing through dangerous posts of soldiers and militias by deceiving them. In his sandals, he carefully concealed a letter, explaining the situation in Oeccuse, which finally came to the attention of the Australian peace troops. Thanks to Lafu, the isolated enclave was spared from a greater tragedy.
Lafu and Sebastiao are each in their own way symbols of peace and heroes of East Timor. Sebastiao's readiness to recognize and accept painful irony in his life, and his resolve to foster better ties with Indonesia despite his bitter past, constitutes a moral courage and dignity he shares with many Timorese.
Lafu's courageous mission and Sebastiao's moral resolve, therefore, symbolize the country's desire for peace and friendship and their roles as its messengers.