Indonesia Armed the East Timorese to Fight Fretilin

In 1976, several months after we succumbed to the Indonesian forces, they began recruiting all young men aged 20 to 45 to be trained in what they called HANSIP, which stands for Pertahanan Sipil (Civil Defence). The Indonesian military directed all Kepala Desa (Chief Village) in their villages to notify young men to go to their local military barracks. When they turned up, the commander informed these young men that they would receive training and equipment to aid Indonesian troops in their fight against Fretilin. The news was not favourable for them, but what were your options? You are in their complete control. These innocent young men probably murmured to each other. We had just come out of hiding in the mountain and were being sent to fight against our people!

The Indonesian military operation tactic used in Timor-Leste is what the politicians call 'divide et impera', which means divide and conquer. By dividing the enemy's strength, you limit their ability to threaten your power. According to Google, Phillip II of Macedon was the first emperor to use this military tactic (Google, 2024). The Roman ruler Julius Caesar and the French emperor Napoleon also employed this tactic during their lengthy wars in Europe and Egypt. Several other empires and colonists also used it to their advantage. For example, Portuguese, Spanish, English, and Japanese employed division and imperialism to try to rule other countries.

The training began the following day after the first gathering with the local military commander. They had an interpreter to translate all the military instructions into Tetun. In Kamanasa, more than 30 men attended the first training session. They all carried a wooden stick as a weapon for their training. The initial training focused on the fundamentals of military marching, such as turning left and right. We saw the training from our primary school next to the training centre. It was a rigorous military training.

After a few days of training, the Indonesian military asked each trainee to create a wooden toy gun to use during the exercise. They followed the instructions and completed the task. In a matter of weeks, these young men finished making their toy guns and carried their weapons to the training. It looked more professional than the wooden stick. For several months, they used this toy riffle as their training tool.

These trainees needed proper military uniforms, boots, and guns to fight their enemies. The uniforms, boots, weapons, and military backpacks finally arrived from Jakarta after several months of intensive training without proper equipment. The uniforms were not green like the Indonesian troops, but they looked khaki or light brown. The rifles were not automatic but manual weapons. The Indonesian soldiers carried SP, a brand of modern automatic guns. The trainees may be disappointed, but taking advantage of the offer is crucial. They distributed uniforms, boots, and backpacks to all HANSIP trainees in every village except for the guns.

Now that they have uniforms, boots, backpacks, and guns, they must learn how to carry and use weapons on the battlefield. The Indonesian military must train them properly before deploying on a real battlefield. All the men from every village were consolidated into a group and trained in a remote location away from the villages. They chose the airport as the primary training base. At the time, the airport was not in use. The place was suitable for military training and safe for the community.

From Kamanasa or Matai, we could hear gunshots and some explosives exploding, probably grenades or similar weapons. It was serious military training and once finished, they were ready for the battle.

After months of intensive military training, they deployed HANSIP alongside the Indonesian soldiers to fight Fretilin's forces in the mountains. The HANSIP commander was named Rui Lopes, who was also a member of the UDT supporter team. As a well-trained former Portuguese army veteran, he was capable of instructing these young men on the battlefield.

I am unsure where the initial deployment occurred, but it was somewhere in Tilomar. It was a fierce battle, and Rui Lopes lost two men, Mendes from Suai Loro and Saumosu from Kamanasa. Rainato Bere Luan, from Kamanasa, Alfonso Seran, from Matai, and Joao Bere Hobu, from Suai Loro, were among the three men who suffered injuries. During all those years of war, only three men of HANSIP lost their lives, and there were no records of casualties among Indonesian soldiers. They probably lost hundreds of their troops.

In addition to HASIP recruitment, the Indonesian military recruited some East Timorese former members of the Portuguese army and sent them to an unknown location in Java to be trained as soldiers. My father went to the test but did not pass because he was too old. It was the first military recruitment in East Timor. I cannot remember the name of this battalion. Afterwards, they formed two additional Timorese battalions: 744 and 745. The Indonesians employed these local troops to combat Fretulin's guerrillas in the mountains until 1999. However, they never destroyed the Timorese guerrillas.

To top it off, the political and military tactics "divide et impera"; or divide to rule, used by all empires and dictators around the globe to colonise other countries, did not work. The Indonesians learned it from the Dutch and employed it in East Timor, but it failed. The Portuguese also used it but were unsuccessful in winning the hearts of the East Timorese people.