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José Abílio Osório Soares (; 2 June 1947 – 17 June 2007) was a Timorese politician. He was the last governor of the Indonesian province of
East Timor 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 ...
before the country's independence.


Personal life

During the
Indonesian occupation of East Timor The Indonesian occupation of East Timor began in December 1975 and lasted until October 1999. After centuries of Portuguese Timor, Portuguese colonial rule in East Timor, the 1974 Carnation Revolution in Portugal led to the decolonisation of ...
in 1975 to 1999, Soares became Mayor of
Dili Dili (Portuguese language, Portuguese and Tetum language, Tetum: ''Díli'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Timor-Leste. It lies on the northern coast of the island of Timor, in a small area of flat land hemmed in by mountai ...
, later Regent ('' Bupati'') of his hometown of
Manatuto Manatuto is a city in Manatuto Municipality, East Timor. Manatuto Vila has 3,692 inhabitants (Census 2015) and is capital of the subdistrict and district Manatuto. It is on the north coast of Timor, (about as the crow flies) east of Dili ...
and from 18 September 1992 until 1999, the last governor of the province of Timor Timur. Immediately after taking office, he outraged the world with his statement that "many more should have died" in the Santa Cruz massacre that had taken place shortly before. In May 1994, he proposed an autonomy within Indonesia to resolve the East Timor conflict, which was rejected by the Indonesian President
Suharto Suharto (8 June 1921 – 27 January 2008) was an Indonesian Officer (armed forces), military officer and politician, and dictator, who was the second and longest serving president of Indonesia, serving from 1967 to 1998. His 32 years rule, cha ...
as unconstitutional. Soares was then sent to Jakarta for four months on a military course, which was to be considered a disciplinary measure. During Soares second term in office from September 1997, his involvement in corruption cases in connection with the family-owned company ''Anak Liambau Group'' became so massive, that the Deputy Governor Suryo Prabowo resigned in protest in 1998. After Suharto's resignation in May 1998, there were heavy demonstrations in East Timor over allegations of corruption against Soares. At the same time, public pressure increased, calling for an East Timor independence referendum in 1999. Soares played a key role in building up the Pro-Indonesia militia that swept across the country after the East Timor independence referendum of 30 August and the subsequent destruction of East Timor. He has also been held directly responsible for some cases, such as the Liquiçá Church massacre of 6 April 1999, massacre in the house of independence leader Manuel Carrascalão of 17 April 1999, in the residence of Bishop Belo on 6 September 1999, and in a Church in Suai on 6 September 1999. In connection with these cases, he was accused of having done nothing to prevent these crimes. With the intervention of
INTERFET The International Force East Timor (INTERFET) was a multinational non-United Nations peacemaking task force, organised and led by Australia in accordance with United Nations resolutions to address the humanitarian and security crisis that took ...
and takeover by the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
(
UNTAET The United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET, ), was a United Nations mission in East Timor that aimed to solve the decades-long East Timorese crisis in the area occupied by Indonesian military. UNTAET provided an int ...
), which later led East Timor to independence, Soares was deposed.


Death

Soares died in
Kupang Kupang (, ), formerly known as Koepang, is the capital of the Indonesian province of East Nusa Tenggara. At the 2020 Indonesian census, 2020 Census, it had a population of 442,758;Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021. the official estimate as o ...
,
East Nusa Tenggara East Nusa Tenggara (; ) is the southernmost province of Indonesia. It comprises the eastern portion of the Lesser Sunda Islands, facing the Indian Ocean in the south and the Flores Sea in the north, with a total land area of 47,238.07 km2. It cons ...
, of cancer on 17 June 2007 after being in a coma for four days. Despite East Timorese objections he was given a state hero's funeral by the Indonesian government. Frans Lebu Raya, the deputy governor of East Nusa Tenggara province laid a wreath sent by Indonesian President
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (born 9 September 1949), commonly referred to as SBY, is an Indonesian politician and retired Indonesian Army, army general who served as the sixth president of Indonesia from 2004 to 2014 and the second president of Ind ...
, who did not personally attend the funeral. Other important dignitaries who attended the funeral included several highly controversial figures from the Indonesian occupation of East Timor, including retired Lt. Gen.
Prabowo Subianto Prabowo Subianto Djojohadikusumo (born 17 October 1951) is an Indonesian politician, businessman, and former four-star Indonesian Army, army general who is serving as the eighth and current president of Indonesia since 2024. He was previously t ...
, retired Indonesian Major General Zacky Anwar Makarim, former deputy army chief of staff Kiki Syanakri, and West Papua Governor Abraham Octavianus Atururi. Soares, who was 60 when he died, is survived by his wife, Maria Ângela Correia de Lemos Osório Soares and their four children, as well as his 86-year-old mother, Beatriz Osório Soares. All of his family members attended the funeral. He was later laid to rest at the Dharma Loka Heroes Cemetery in Kupang.


References


External links


Ex-East Timor governor given hero's burial
(accessed on 12 July 2007)

(accessed on 12 July 2007)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Soares, Abilio Jose Osorio Indonesian occupation of East Timor East Timorese politicians Indonesian politicians of European descent East Timorese people of Portuguese descent Indonesian Christians 1947 births 2007 deaths People from Manatuto Municipality Deaths from cancer in Indonesia Indonesian Roman Catholics Indonesian people of Portuguese descent