Dili, August 12, 2025 (Média Democracia) – The State Secretariat for Veterans (SEV) held a press conference regarding the construction of the future Jardim dos Heróis e Mártires da Pátria (Garden of Heroes and Martyrs of the Nation) in Covalima Municipality, which has faced obstruction from the Uma Lisan Mane Hatak community in Belecasac Village, Covalima. The press conference took place at the SEV hall in Caicoli, Dili.
In the conference, SEV spokesperson Angelito Duarte da Silva stated that the matter was in response to a press conference held by the Uma Lisan Mane Hatak community of Belecasac Village, Dais Hamlet, on 5 August, concerning the designated site for the construction of the Garden of Heroes and Martyrs of the Nation in Covalima Municipality.
Previously, the Ministry for National Liberation Combatants Affairs (MAKLN) had identified the future site for the Garden of Heroes and Martyrs in Covalima Municipality, following procedures involving land and property authorities.
“On April 24, 2025, MAKLN held a meeting with the person in charge of the Covalima Municipal Council for Liberation Combatants (CMCLN) and also held discussions with local authorities in Covalima Municipality, including land and property offices, to identify state-owned land and property within the municipality. On April 25, 2025, local authorities together with the Land and Property Office, as well as the local authority from Belecasac Village, decided to mark the site identified for the future Garden of Heroes and Martyrs of the Nation in Belecasac Village, Dais Hamlet, Covalima Municipality,” explained SEV spokesperson Angelito Duarte da Silva.
The spokesperson continued that on May 21, 2025, the MAKLN and CMCLN Covalima team met with Belecasac Village local authorities to prepare for the installation of boundary pillars at the designated site. On May 22, 2025, the installation of these pillars was carried out by the Land and Property Office in Covalima Municipality for an area measuring 39,000 m².
On June 5, 2025, a cultural ceremony was held by the Uma Lisan community in Belecasac Village before jointly conducting general cleaning at the identified site. Between 13 and 20 June 2025, municipal public officials from various ministries, together with veteran representatives and the CMCLN Covalima structure, accompanied MAKLN technical teams in conducting general cleaning of the future garden site in Belecasac Village, Covalima Municipality.
The spokesperson reaffirmed that before MAKLN identified the site, they had coordinated with the Land and Property Office and local authorities, held a cultural ceremony, and from 13 to 26 June, MAKLN together with CMCLN structures and some community members had already carried out general cleaning at the construction site.
On July 10, 2025, the Site Cleaning team from the Institute for Equipment Management (IGE) also went directly to carry out general cleaning at the site. However, in early August, the community held a press conference to oppose the construction of the future garden, refusing cooperation despite earlier participation.
On August 5, 2025 press conference, spokesperson Nicolau Moniz Amaral stated that although on July 5 the community and customary leaders had already conducted the cultural ceremony with MAKLN, some community members did not agree and called on the government to address their concerns. They argued that the land the government intends to use for the garden is not abandoned state land but rather ancestral heritage.
“We, from the third generation of our ancestors, deeply regret and reject the government’s decision to take our inherited land for the construction of the Heroes Garden. We have expressed this to the constitutional government, especially to the Minister for National Liberation Combatants Affairs that as landowners we have the right to protest and block this, because the alternative now being pursued is a violation of human rights. The land is not abandoned nor state property, it is cultural heritage belonging to the Uma Lisan named Mane Hatak. During the Indonesian occupation, we defended this land against the Indonesian state and PT Roda Mandiri, winning case number 06/pdt.g/1997/pim.mlm on April 21, 1998, which affirmed our ownership,” said spokesperson Nicolau Moniz Amaral in Covalima.
Similarly, customary leader from the Mane Hatak Lisan, Clarindo Nahak Mali Amaral, stated that before implementing such a program, the government and Covalima authorities did not coordinate with the Dais community.
“Our uncles Asa Mali Bere Mau and Mali Mau, since the Japanese occupation of Timor, fled to Indonesia and upon returning began farming here from Has-Ain to the sea. Now, the state comes to take this land without consulting us, the rightful owners. Where will our grandchildren live after this?” stressed Clarindo Nahak Mali Amaral.
Evangelino do Nascimento, a member of the Mane Hatak generation, clarified that the reason they will not hand over the land to the government for the construction of the Heroes Garden is because it is intended for the future generations’ settlement. He added that in the past, the Dais community had already given other land to the state for the Suai Supply Base project and the Nova Suai project.
Reporting: Domingas
Photo: Domingas