Open Letter to the President of Indonesia.

[Sunny ambon]

Fwd: Cris Carrascalão on award to Eurico Guterres

Tommy Pollak via megamailservers.eu	Aug 17, 2021, 10:59 PM (21 hours ago)
to Gabriel, me

-------- Forwarded Message --------
Subject:        Cris Carrascalão on award to Eurico Guterres
Date:   Fri, 13 Aug 2021 13:55:22 -0400
From:   East Timor and Indonesia Action Network (via east-timor Mailing
List) <east-...@lists.riseup.net>
Reply-To:       etan...@gmail.com
To:     east-...@lists.riseup.net



Open Letter to the President of Indonesia.

His Excellency Joko Widodo
President of the Republic of Indonesia

I am writing to you regarding your recent attribution of ´Bintang Jasa
Utama´ (First Class Service Start) to a War Criminal and a Mass
Murderer, Eurico Guterres.

As a victim and a survivor of the reign of terror towards the end of the
Indonesian Rule of my tiny island, I am appalled and disgusted at your
decision to honor such person towards your last years as a President
that have given much of hope for change.

Part of me is Indonesian too Sir, my mother is from the western side of
Timor Island. And just to let you know, I am proud of my Indonesian
descendance, not because of you or everyone that was in power have done
to my other half, the east timorese side. But I am proud that the normal
civilians who have a bigger heart to stand with the truth in their
humanity towards any injustice committed against anyone. I believe they
are in as much shock and disgraced as I am today by your decision.

I may as well through this letter, remind you of the massacre that have
happened in my own house by the very man you have chosen to honor today.
As many as 12 bodies were recovered and officially accounted for, but
truth is there were more than 150 people have perished in the hands of
the killer machines that was set up the Indonesian Army. Of those 12
people, one of them was my very own brother, Manelito Carrascalão. I,
myself went to pick up his body, and had the chance to see a morgue full
of mutilated bodies, piled up high to my waist. My brother´s body was in
no different condition than the others. His head was barely hanged with
a little of skin on his neck, his back was severely cut opened where we
can see his internal organs, his stomach with another gunshot wound. He
was only 16 years old. He was shot, hacked to death with machetes as
each militia entered the house, by Eurico Guterres orders. Our house was
full of civilians who were displaced from the villages, with the
escalating violence perpetrated by the Militia Groups throughout the
half island. They were civilians. Through the UN Serious Crimes Unit, it
was reported, my house was attacked by more than 2000 armed militias.

What did your son like to do when he was 16? Probably like my brother, a
teenage kid who was thriving, like studying, have many friends, not into
politics at all. My brother never got a chance to go more than that. His
girlfriend, a girl from Bandung, was forced to see her boyfriend killed
and die right in front of her eyes. Unlike myself, she being a good
Javanese girl, she was ushered to stay quiet in her sufferings. He never
had the chance to get marry and have kids, let alone finish his
education or become whatever he wanted in life. I believe your son have
all of that. You have all of that too, Sir. A family.

My family was ordered to be killed down to seven generation. I am only
the second generation in line. I can still clearly remember the morning
of April 17, 1999, when during a flag raising ceremony, Eurico Guterres
through his speech that was aired on RRI (National Radio Station), where
he said it clearly ´Kill all the pro-independent people. Kill all
Carrascalão family down to the seventh generation. Kill Manuel and Mario
Carrascalão. ´ In return to all these hatred campaign, not one word,
have I ever uttered a word of vengeance towards any Indonesians. I know,
there are many many more Indonesians who know the truth and stand by the
truth and justice.

I on the other hand, now have a family of my own. My daughter goes to
school in Portugal, and she, with pride, tells her friends that she is
of portuguese, timorese and indonesian decent. She is the best part of
me. She will make her own choices when she grows up, and I know that she
will no longer say with pride that she is Indonesian too when she learns
that her mother, as a victim and a survivor, was treated this way.

I can barely believe that your Office was not aware of any of the
massacre that was carried out throughout my tiny half island nation.
Have you not been briefed on the massacre in Suai Church, massacre in
Liquiça Church, massacre in Oecusse, massacre in Maliana police station?
Have you not any recollection of the mass forced transfer of people
across the island? Sir, with all due respect all of these can easily be
found if you want to.

Throughout your Presidency sir, you brought hope for change. But that
was in the past, I am deeply saddened and ashamed of your decision to
honor such man, with bravery and courage star. You have tainted all
those other Indonesians that have earned it through a respectful,
bravery and courageous acts towards Indonesia.

As a victim, I never sought compensation or any recognition from any
side, I simply want justice to be uphold. Just justice, Sir. But in
return to all of these, we the victims and survivors, have our wounds
opened and smeared with the worst. Where is your humanity Sir? Is this
how you want your Presidency to be remembered by? Is impunity, is what
you want your legacy to be remembered by?

I urge you to consider withdrawing the medal you have given to this mass
murderer. As an Indonesian decent myself, I ask you to not humiliate
furthermore us the victims and the survivors. Do not taint with disgrace
other Indonesians who truly deserves this Honor by being put in the same
stage as a Mass Murderer.

Please accept my kind regards,

Cris Carrascalão
Victim and survivor

*****************************************
Circulated by the East Timor and Indonesia Action Network (ETAN)
etan...@gmail.com
www.etan.org
<http://www.etan.org/>