Introduction

On a village hilltop in the southern highlands of Oecussi, an enclave of Timor-Leste, lies a cemetery that holds both local and national significance. More than 80 civilian victims of a massacre that took place during the post-ballot violence in 1999 are buried here. Weathered wooden crosses mark the rows of identical graves, shaped to resemble the motif of the country's national flag. They face a memorial, on which the names of the victims are engraved under an arch that reads ‘garden of heroes cemetery’ in the Indonesian language. The memorial also displays the signature of Xanana Gusmão, leader of the Resistance movement against the Indonesian occupation and the nation's first elected president, who inaugurated the site. Every year on the anniversary of the massacre (9 September) and on the commemoration of the Santa Cruz massacre in Dili, local residents and dignitaries gather at this place to remember the dead. They pay tribute not only to their war dead but also to the hundreds of thousands of East Timorese who perished under the 24-year Indonesian occupation (1975-1999). Altogether, the site creates an atmosphere of sacredness, of sacrifice, and, thereby, of dignified deaths.

Outside of official remembrance dates, the cemetery is secluded. Villagers avoid going near there and the main gate is usually shut. Only family members of the massacre victims visit the graves of their dead.