Falintil
Encyclopedia
Falintil originally began as the military wing of the political party FRETILIN of East Timor
. It was established on 20 August 1975 in response to FRETILIN’s political conflict with the Timorese Democratic Union (UDT)
.
The name FALINTIL is an acronym of its full name in Portuguese
, Forças Armadas da Libertação Nacional de Timor-Leste. In English
this translates as "The Armed Forces for the National Liberation of East Timor".
At the time of the Indonesian invasion of East Timor in 1975 FALINTIL consisted of 2,500 regular troops, 7,000 who had some Portuguese military training, and 10,000 who had attended short military instruction courses, for a total of 20,000.
The first commander of FALINTIL was Nicolau Lobato. Lobato was killed during a battle with the Indonesian armed forces in 1978 and Xanana Gusmão
was elected as his replacement during a secret national conference in Lacluta
, Viqueque
in 1981. This meeting also saw the formation of the Revolutionary Council of National Resistance (in Portuguese Conselho Revolucinario de Resistencia Nacional or CNNR), which was the first step in uniting the different resistance movement
factions under one umbrella organisation.
Throughout the 1980s Gusmão, leading both FALINTIL and the CNNR resistance unification movement, began distancing himself from the FRETILIN party and began attempts to make FALINTIL non-partisan, and to make it the armed resistance wing of the unified resistance movement. On 12 May 1983 Gusmão proclaimed the convergence of all nationalists in their struggle against the Indonesian occupation and by April 1984 Gusmão had proclaimed the ideological independence of FRETILIN from the overall resistance movement, and began to re-structure the armed resistance movement. In the first week of June 1986, FALINTIL fighters attacked an Indonesian Army engineering unit, killing 16 soldiers. On 31 August 1983, the Indonesian Army commenced military operations around Viqueqe, about 100 miles from Dili. A spokesman for the Indonesian Embassy in Canberra, said about 3,200 troops in four battalions, including special forces, were deployed with tanks and troop transport aircraft. On 5 May 1985 Gusmão sent the FRETILIN Central Committee, operating in exile, a message informing them of the structure of the CNNR and assuming the title of Commander in Chief of FALINTIL. Significant progress in the unification of the resistance movement occurred in March 1986 when FRETILIN and UDT agreed to the creation of the "nationalist convergence". In the meantime, the FALINTIL guerrilla force continued to attack Indonesian troops. Diplomats in Jakarta later admitted losing between 20 and 35 Indonesian soldiers killed in a FALINTIL ambush in June 1986.
On 20 June 1988 the Resistencia Nacional dos Estudantes de Timor-Leste (RENETIL), the National Resistance of East Timorese Students, was created in Indonesia, reporting directly to FALINTIL and its Commander in Chief Xanana Gusmão. On 31 December 1988 Gusmão officially announced that FALINTIL was now the non-partisan armed resistance wing of the unified resistance movement, which was now to be known as the Conselho Nacional da Resistência Maubere (CNRM), the National Council of Maubere Resistance
.
Between the 23rd and the 28th of May 1990, CNRM held an extraordinary meeting for the purposes of restructuring the entire resistance movement. It was during this conference that Gusmão officially resigned from the FRETILIN party, whilst remaining Commander-in-Chief of FALINTIL and the president of CNRM. This meeting also saw the formation of the Clandestine Front, which came about from the recognition that FALINTIL, the armed resistance, had been significantly weakened by many years of guerrilla activity against the Indonesian military. The formation of the Clandestine Front was a strategy to organize the population against the occupying Indonesian forces. These events saw an upsurge in activity against the unified resistance movement by the occupying forces
, which saw many resistance leaders flee to the mountains or overseas, and led to the arrest of Gusmão on 20 November 1992. Ma'Huno, a member of FRETILIN's steering committee, became the leader of the resistance only to be arrested himself on 5 April 1993. Nino Konis Santana
replaced the arrested Ma'Huno as leader on 25 April 1993 and by September all factions of the resistance accepted Santana as leader of the overall movement. Taur Matan Ruak
was appointed commander of FALINTIL. Under Santana's leadership the restructuring started by Gusmão was further reinforced under the CNRM umbrella with Santana as leader of the Executive Council of "the Struggle", Ruak in charge of FALINTIL, and a man called Sabalae taking charge of the Clandestine Front.
Throughout the 1990s the occupying Indonesian forces stepped up their actions against the resistance and factional troubles between FRETILIN and other resistance organisations plagued the CNRM, with FRETILIN members signing a document against the leadership of Santana. Sabalae, the leader of the Clandestine Front, disappeared in June 1995. Gusmão remained supreme leader of CNRM and Commander in Chief of FALINTIL despite being incarcerated in an Indonesian prison. On 31 May 1997, the East Timorese guerrillas killed 16 policemen and 1 soldier in an ambush near the Abafala Village.In 1998 Santana died in an accident and the FALINTIL commander, Ruak, was elected as leader of "the Struggle", whilst also remaining operational commander of FALINTIL. In April 1998 during the National Convention of East Timorese Living Abroad, held in Portugal
, the Conselho Conselho Nacional da Resistência Timorense (CNRT), the National Council of Timorese Resistance, was formed, replacing CNRM and reinforcing the previous attempts to unify all the factions of the resistance struggle against Indonesia.
. The Indonesians also announced that if autonomy was rejected, that would open the door for independence
. The Indonesian military provided arms to pro-Indonesian militias to "encourage" the population to vote in favour of autonomy. On 10 August 1999 Gusmão ordered FALINTIL to remain in the cantonments and resist all provocations of the Indonesian military and the armed militias, and not to get involved in the civil unrest being orchestrated by the Indonesian military. These orders were generally complied with by FALINTIL, with their fighters remaining in their secret camps during the referendum process. On 30 August voting in the referendum took place with 98% of registered voters turning out. By 4 September the UN announced that 78.5% had voted against Autonomy, therefore beginning the process of independence. The following day, 5 September, the Indonesian Military and the pro-autonomy militias, in response to the referendum, began a massive campaign of looting
and violence against the East Timorese people. Gusmão and the CNRT leadership maintained that FALINTIL must resist the urge to join the fight and remain in their cantonments. On 20 September INTERFET
, the Australian army
-led, UN-sanctioned military force, landed in East Timor to counter the activities of the armed militias and attempt to restore peace. One of INTERFET's mandates was to disarm all the various factions in East Timor including FALINTIL. Under advice from the now recently released Xanana Gusmão, INTERFET and the UN allowed FALINTIL to remain armed, but in their cantonments, until peace was restored at which time they would hand over their arms.
The last Commander in Chief of FALINTIL was Taur Matan Ruak.
.
East Timor
The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor , is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...
. It was established on 20 August 1975 in response to FRETILIN’s political conflict with the Timorese Democratic Union (UDT)
Timorese Democratic Union
The Timorese Democratic Union is a conservative political party in East Timor. It was the first party to be established in the country in 1974, following the Carnation Revolution in Portugal....
.
The name FALINTIL is an acronym of its full name in Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
, Forças Armadas da Libertação Nacional de Timor-Leste. In English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
this translates as "The Armed Forces for the National Liberation of East Timor".
Indonesian invasion
FALINTIL gained most of its initial military units when most the former Portuguese garrison forces in the territory switched allegiance to FALINTIL in August 1975, after the Portuguese withdrawal.At the time of the Indonesian invasion of East Timor in 1975 FALINTIL consisted of 2,500 regular troops, 7,000 who had some Portuguese military training, and 10,000 who had attended short military instruction courses, for a total of 20,000.
The first commander of FALINTIL was Nicolau Lobato. Lobato was killed during a battle with the Indonesian armed forces in 1978 and Xanana Gusmão
Xanana Gusmão
Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão GCL is a former militant who was the first President of East Timor, serving from May 2002 to May 2007...
was elected as his replacement during a secret national conference in Lacluta
Lacluta
Lacluta is a town and subdistrict in the Viqueque District of East Timor. Its population at the 2004 census was 5,187.-Reference:*...
, Viqueque
Viqueque
Viqueque is a city in the south-east of East Timor, 183 km from Dili, the national capital. Viqueque is the capital of the district of Viqueque and subdistrict of Viqueque, in the eastern part of the country with five subdistricts under its control, they are: Uatu-Lari, Uatu-Carbau, Viqueque,...
in 1981. This meeting also saw the formation of the Revolutionary Council of National Resistance (in Portuguese Conselho Revolucinario de Resistencia Nacional or CNNR), which was the first step in uniting the different resistance movement
Resistance movement
A resistance movement is a group or collection of individual groups, dedicated to opposing an invader in an occupied country or the government of a sovereign state. It may seek to achieve its objects through either the use of nonviolent resistance or the use of armed force...
factions under one umbrella organisation.
Resistance struggle
On 20 June 1988 the Resistencia Nacional dos Estudantes de Timor-Leste (RENETIL), the National Resistance of East Timorese Students, was created in Indonesia, reporting directly to FALINTIL and its Commander in Chief Xanana Gusmão. On 31 December 1988 Gusmão officially announced that FALINTIL was now the non-partisan armed resistance wing of the unified resistance movement, which was now to be known as the Conselho Nacional da Resistência Maubere (CNRM), the National Council of Maubere Resistance
National Council of Maubere Resistance
The National Council of Maubere Resistance was an umbrella organization of East Timorese individuals and organizations dedicated to resisting the Indonesian occupation of 1975–1999. It was started in 1979, shortly before Xanana Gusmão became the leader of FRETILIN...
.
Between the 23rd and the 28th of May 1990, CNRM held an extraordinary meeting for the purposes of restructuring the entire resistance movement. It was during this conference that Gusmão officially resigned from the FRETILIN party, whilst remaining Commander-in-Chief of FALINTIL and the president of CNRM. This meeting also saw the formation of the Clandestine Front, which came about from the recognition that FALINTIL, the armed resistance, had been significantly weakened by many years of guerrilla activity against the Indonesian military. The formation of the Clandestine Front was a strategy to organize the population against the occupying Indonesian forces. These events saw an upsurge in activity against the unified resistance movement by the occupying forces
Military occupation
Military occupation occurs when the control and authority over a territory passes to a hostile army. The territory then becomes occupied territory.-Military occupation and the laws of war:...
, which saw many resistance leaders flee to the mountains or overseas, and led to the arrest of Gusmão on 20 November 1992. Ma'Huno, a member of FRETILIN's steering committee, became the leader of the resistance only to be arrested himself on 5 April 1993. Nino Konis Santana
Nino Konis Santana
Nino Konis Santana was an East Timorese freedom fighter who briefly led the Fretilin militia during the Indonesian occupation of East Timor, succeeding Mau Honi after the latter's capture in 1993. Santana was eventually killed in an Indonesian ambush and succeeded by Taur Matan Ruak....
replaced the arrested Ma'Huno as leader on 25 April 1993 and by September all factions of the resistance accepted Santana as leader of the overall movement. Taur Matan Ruak
Taur Matan Ruak
Major-General José Maria Vasconcelos, famously known as Taur Matan Ruak was Commander of the FALINTIL-Forças de Defesa de Timor-Leste , the Military of East Timor, until October 6, 2011...
was appointed commander of FALINTIL. Under Santana's leadership the restructuring started by Gusmão was further reinforced under the CNRM umbrella with Santana as leader of the Executive Council of "the Struggle", Ruak in charge of FALINTIL, and a man called Sabalae taking charge of the Clandestine Front.
Throughout the 1990s the occupying Indonesian forces stepped up their actions against the resistance and factional troubles between FRETILIN and other resistance organisations plagued the CNRM, with FRETILIN members signing a document against the leadership of Santana. Sabalae, the leader of the Clandestine Front, disappeared in June 1995. Gusmão remained supreme leader of CNRM and Commander in Chief of FALINTIL despite being incarcerated in an Indonesian prison. On 31 May 1997, the East Timorese guerrillas killed 16 policemen and 1 soldier in an ambush near the Abafala Village.In 1998 Santana died in an accident and the FALINTIL commander, Ruak, was elected as leader of "the Struggle", whilst also remaining operational commander of FALINTIL. In April 1998 during the National Convention of East Timorese Living Abroad, held in Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, the Conselho Conselho Nacional da Resistência Timorense (CNRT), the National Council of Timorese Resistance, was formed, replacing CNRM and reinforcing the previous attempts to unify all the factions of the resistance struggle against Indonesia.
Towards independence
Changes in the Indonesian government, together with growing international pressure, saw Indonesian President BJ Habibie announce a referendum for the East Timorese people to vote on autonomyAutonomy
Autonomy is a concept found in moral, political and bioethical philosophy. Within these contexts, it is the capacity of a rational individual to make an informed, un-coerced decision...
. The Indonesians also announced that if autonomy was rejected, that would open the door for independence
Independence
Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state in which its residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory....
. The Indonesian military provided arms to pro-Indonesian militias to "encourage" the population to vote in favour of autonomy. On 10 August 1999 Gusmão ordered FALINTIL to remain in the cantonments and resist all provocations of the Indonesian military and the armed militias, and not to get involved in the civil unrest being orchestrated by the Indonesian military. These orders were generally complied with by FALINTIL, with their fighters remaining in their secret camps during the referendum process. On 30 August voting in the referendum took place with 98% of registered voters turning out. By 4 September the UN announced that 78.5% had voted against Autonomy, therefore beginning the process of independence. The following day, 5 September, the Indonesian Military and the pro-autonomy militias, in response to the referendum, began a massive campaign of looting
Looting
Looting —also referred to as sacking, plundering, despoiling, despoliation, and pillaging—is the indiscriminate taking of goods by force as part of a military or political victory, or during a catastrophe, such as during war, natural disaster, or rioting...
and violence against the East Timorese people. Gusmão and the CNRT leadership maintained that FALINTIL must resist the urge to join the fight and remain in their cantonments. On 20 September INTERFET
INTERFET
The International Force for East Timor was a multinational peacekeeping taskforce, mandated by the United Nations to address the humanitarian and security crisis which took place in East Timor from 1999–2000 until the arrival of United Nations peacekeepers...
, the Australian army
Australian Army
The Australian Army is Australia's military land force. It is part of the Australian Defence Force along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. While the Chief of Defence commands the Australian Defence Force , the Army is commanded by the Chief of Army...
-led, UN-sanctioned military force, landed in East Timor to counter the activities of the armed militias and attempt to restore peace. One of INTERFET's mandates was to disarm all the various factions in East Timor including FALINTIL. Under advice from the now recently released Xanana Gusmão, INTERFET and the UN allowed FALINTIL to remain armed, but in their cantonments, until peace was restored at which time they would hand over their arms.
The last Commander in Chief of FALINTIL was Taur Matan Ruak.
East Timorese armed forces
On 1 February 2001 FALINTIL was officially dissolved, only to be almost immediately resurrected as the official armed force of the newly independent East Timor to be known as FALINTIL – Força de Defesa de Timor Leste (F-FDTL), with the duty under the East Timor constitution to "guarantee the independence of the nation, its territorial integrity, and the freedom and safety of the population against aggression, which does not respect the constitutional order". Taur Matan Ruak became the first Commander of F-FDTL and assumed the rank of Brigadier GeneralBrigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
.