
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 Do Guverno- Dili- Timor Leste

Layno De Jesus


Chiled Timor