
 
HiStories still linger of a 
Japanese Army Colonel shot and killed from a distance by an 
Australian SAS sniper during the 
second World War, in front of hundreds of East Timorese witnesses. No one is sure of the date, nor is anyone exactly positive that it is folklore, legend, or if it really happened. But it sets the tone for the Liquiçá experience.
Liquiçá has a history steeped in beauty, with an overcast of sorrow and pain.
During the beginning of the 
Portuguese occupation, the 
Maubara subdistrict, part of the Liquiçá territory, was taken by the 
Netherlands. The Maubara Dutch fortification near the beach is well-preserved and still has the original 
cannon that once overlooked the 
bay. Later, 
Portugal negotiated with Holland and exchanged it for 
Flores Island, which was occupied by the Portuguese at that time. Maubara is also the location where the dreaded 
militia group 
Besi Merah Putih was first formed. 
[1]During the 
Indonesian occupation, the Indonesian government did construct many buildings in Liquiçá, but after the referendum of 
1999 and during the 
militia`s 
campaign almost everything was destroyed. Most notably, many 
East Timorese were 
murdered during the 
Liquiçá Church Massacre of 
April 1999. In 
September 1999 an 
American police officer serving with the 
International Police was shot (though not fatally) by pro-Indonesian forces while the 
UN was evacuating Liquiçá. 
[2]From September through 
November 1999, life came back to Liquiçá, as 
UN Peace Keeping Forces from Portugal set up a base in Maubara, and the 
International Police set up its headquarters in downtown Liquiçá. Originally, there were 14 
International Police assigned to Liquiçá, representing 
Sweden, 
Canada, 
Great Britain, 
Ghana, 
Malaysia, and the 
United States. It was in Liquiçá that the first International Police officer for the East Timor mission died, as a result of contracting dengue fever; he was from 
Ghana. During this period, the International Police occupied the very same 
church compound location where the 
Liquiçá Church Massacre had played out. The 
peacekeeper military element for Liquiçá were 
Portuguese Marines. Liquica was also the main base of operations for the 
UNTAET Crime Scene Detachment.
 
 
 
 Liquiçá District is situated on the northern coast of East Timor, and borders the distrticts of 
Dili (containing the national capital) to the east, 
Aileu to the Southeast, 
Ermera to the south, and 
Bobonaro to the southwest. To the northwest lies the 
Savu Sea. The district has a population of 55,058 (Census 2004) and an area of 543 square kilometers. The district is identical to the district of the same name in 
Portuguese Timor. Its subdistricts are 
Bazartete, 
Liquiçá and 
Maubara.
Widely known as a beautiful location, it has a breath-taking view of the 
Ombai Strait, which is most visible as you drive into Liquiçá from Dili, rounding the last mountain curve before descending into the valley. The beaches are rocky, as are most beaches on 
East Timor, but nonetheless beautiful. The river that flows down to the sea from the mountains is dry, except during the 
monsoon season. During this time, the main road washes out several times, and is repaired each time by the local population. The only downside to its beauty is the large population of 
mosquitoes which carry both the deadly diseases 
malaria and 
dengue fever.
In addition to the national official languages of 
Tetum and 
Portuguese, nearly all of the inhabitants of Liquiçá speak the 
Malayo-Polynesian language Tocodede.
 Palacio
Palacio Do Guverno- Dili- Timor Leste
 

                                                                Layno De Jesus


Chiled Timor