Bishop Fernando Soares

On 30th August the people of East Timor clearly expressed to the world their deepest willing of being free, independent and to rebuild their homeland. In fact, their homeland has been conquered for 24 years by blood and the loss of many lives, what, besides the referendum's result, gives the Timorees an irrefutable legitimacy to say that land is theirs and they are right to live independently.

Now, after what the UN did to secure the referendum, after the official announcement of its result by UN Secretary General, the international community seems ashamed with the post referendum situation trying to abandon the people to a terrible destiny before the impunity of the criminal attitude of Indonesian armed forces. This is incomprehensible as human rights are in danger, what had been the great reason for the intervention of UN in several parts of the world. In fact, the democratic society values are in danger, the creditability of UN is at stake and the consistency of the fundamental human rights is becoming small, because everything is being sacrificed to the economic and geo strategic interests of the powerful nations.

No human force can stop the will of a people, which comes from the deepest part of their being. Only exterminating them. And because the people of East Timor have given to us examples of heroic persistence and living hope we believe that once more in spite of their deep pain they will win, based on the divine willing for the human hope: "in the evening come tears, but with dawn cries of joy" (Psalm 30,5).

We are people of faith and we believe that God, who loves us, intervenes in human history, Because of that I appeal for your spirit of fraternity to that martyred people asking for your prayers and concrete solidarity.