Manuel Viegas Carrascalão (24 October 1901 – 24 October 1977) was a Portuguese journalist and trade union leader.

Biography

Manuel Viegas Carrascalão was born on 24 October 1901 to Manuel Viegas Carrascalão and Maria Faustina Cavaco. On 14 April 1927 Carrascalão was deported to

Portuguese Timor Portuguese Timor () was a Portuguese colony on the territory of present-day East Timor from 1702 until 1975. During most of this period, Portugal shared the island of Timor with the Dutch East Indies. The first Europeans to arrive in the regio ...

with 63 others on board the ''Pêro de Alenquer''. The trip took them to

Cape Verde Cape Verde or Cabo Verde, officially the Republic of Cabo Verde, is an island country and archipelagic state of West Africa in the central Atlantic Ocean, consisting of ten volcanic islands with a combined land area of about . These islands ...

Portuguese Guinea Portuguese Guinea (), called the Overseas Province of Guinea from 1951 until 1972 and then State of Guinea from 1972 until 1974, was a Portuguese overseas province in West Africa from 1588 until 10 September 1974, when it gained independence as G ...

(where some prisoners landed) and

Mozambique Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini and South Afr ...

. Upon his arrival in Timor on 25 September 1927 Carrascalão was arrested in Aipelo prison but released in 1928 owing to good behaviour. Carrascalão founded the Commercial, Agricultural and Industrial Association of Timor (ACAIT) in 1953. In 1975, Carrascalão had to travel to Portugal for medical treatment because he had lung cancer. The

Carnation Revolution The Carnation Revolution (), code-named Operation Historic Turn (), also known as the 25 April (), was a military coup by military officers that overthrew the Estado Novo government on 25 April 1974 in Portugal. The coup produced major socia ...

had overthrown the dictatorship and

Timor-Leste Timor-Leste, also known as East Timor, officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is a country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the coastal exclave of Oecusse in the island's northwest, and ...

was preparing for independence. He died in

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

, on his 76th birthday on 24 October 1977. His sons

Manuel Manuel may refer to: People * Manuel (name), a given name and surname * Manuel (''Fawlty Towers''), a fictional character from the sitcom ''Fawlty Towers'' * Manuel I Komnenos, emperor of the Byzantine Empire * Manuel I of Portugal, king of Po ...

, Mário and

João João is a given name of Portuguese origin. It is equivalent to the given name John. The diminutive is Joãozinho and the feminine is Joana. It is widespread in Portuguese-speaking countries. Notable people with the name are enumerated in t ...

founded the

Timorese Democratic Union The Timorese Democratic Union (, UDT) is a conservative political party in Timor-Leste. It was the first party to be established in the country on May 11, 1974, following the Carnation Revolution in Portugal. History Early history (1974– ...

(UDT), which competed with

Fretilin The Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor (, abbreviated as Fretilin) is a separatist organization turned centre-left political party in Timor-Leste. It presently holds 19 of 65 seats in the National Parliament. Fretilin formed the ...

for political leadership. The UDT tried to take power in a coup but was defeated in the short civil war with Fretilin. The three brothers had to flee to Indonesian

West Timor West Timor () is an area covering the western part of the island of Timor, except for the district of Oecussi-Ambeno (an East Timorese exclave). Administratively, West Timor is part of East Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia. The capital as well ...

. On 28 November Fretilin unilaterally proclaimed the independence of Timor-Leste. On 7 December, Indonesia began an open invasion of Timor-Leste, citing an alleged request for help from UDT.

Biography

References

Further reading