We meet José Serrao in a dusty courtyard just behind the back of the parish church in Liquiça, an hour’s drive from Dili, the capital of Timor-Leste (also known as East Timor). Today, Liquiça is eerily silent; 10 years ago, it was the scene of one of the country’s worst massacres. In April 1999, an estimated 200 people lost their lives here as they tried to hide from local militia intent on influencing the upcoming independence vote. José was one of the few to survive.
After nearly 25 years of Indonesian rule, the referendum offered the people of Timor-Leste the chance of freedom. But those loyal to Indonesia were not happy. Violence was the order of the day.
