Dili, Timor-Leste, 5 September 2024 – Rival ethnic groups cooperate closely for trauma healing and peace, such as in the Solomon Islands and Aceh, Indonesia. Former fighters, young and old, transformed into peacebuilders, as in Timor Leste. Civilians finally led peace talks to end decades of war in Thailand’s “deep south”. And survivors of sexual violence, who have strengthened each other and have become the 200-strong (and counting) group of “Fireflies” across all districts of Timor Leste. These are just a few previously unimaginable realities in the troubled lands of Southeast Asia and the Pacific islands. They are among the sources of hope, not only for long-neglected survivors and affected communities of past and present conflicts but also given the increasingly harsh and inept regimes in the region.
From the once infamous Balide prison in Dili, Timor Leste’s capital, activists and survivors from the Solomon Islands, Thailand, Timor Leste, Philippines, Myanmar and Indonesia shared experiences at a regional seminar on how communities, including victims and survivors, are empowering each other and the young generation. Facilitated by civil society, they continue to push their states to uphold efforts to heal from conflict situations — truth-seeking, prosecutions, reparations and reforms — the process of transitional justice involving “all the things that a society does to deal with mass violations,” said Patrick Burgess, the AJAR President.
Around 50 participants attended the AJAR, Association Chega ba Ita (ACbit), Transitional Justice Asia Network (TJAN) and Centro Nacional Chega! (CNC) seminar titled “Community Engagement as the Foundation to Impactful Transitional Justice Initiatives for Lasting Peace,” with support from the European Union. Participants are joining forces to foster collective action aimed at sustaining peace and ensuring accountability in the region.
The regional seminar was held at CNC’s historic place, which now occupies the prison compound, from 28 to 30 August 2024. The event coincided with Timor Leste’s celebration of its 25th anniversary of the referendum. The popular vote of 30 August 1999 led to its independence from Indonesia on 20 May 2002.
In reflecting on the anniversary, Manuel Pereira, who leads the CNC Board of Directors, stressed the need to work together with communities to continue searching for the truth, which “is more critical in striving for accountability. Working together is crucial to overcome barriers such as political resistance and limited resources.”
Timor Leste’s Minister of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Hermenegildo A. Cabral Pereira, emphasised that civil society working with communities has “played a key role in driving processes” such as for the truth commission, bringing people home from refugee camps and engaging the youth. The government must deliver promises “for a better life for the post-war society, based on justice and peace as sustainable development goals principles.”
In his remark, Marc Friedrich, European Union Ambassador to Timor Leste, stated that “the aftermath of conflict is complex. Individuals and communities may be relieved that fighting ends and want to get on with putting their lives back together and enjoying being alive. At the same time, they continue to suffer from physical injuries, the loss of loved ones, or from unprocessed trauma. Victims and perpetrators must return to being family members and neighbours and go back to school and work. Meanwhile, full accountability and reparations often remain elusive.”
AJAR together with Cross-Cultural Foundation (CrCF) (Thailand), Solomon Islands Trauma Healing Association (SITHA) (Solomon Islands), and Asosiasaun Chega! Ba Ita (ACbit) (Timor-Leste) shared their participatory research findings based on the region’s community-led transitional justice initiatives on various issues related to women, peace and security, victim participation, community reconciliation, and youth, peace and security in the region.
Speakers from Myanmar, including H.E. Daw Shwe Shwe Sein Latt, from the elected National Unity Government Advisor to the ASEAN Office, urged the international community to support their struggle against ongoing massive violations by the military-dominated government. However, challenges include the investment of countries in Myanmar, including neighbours from ASEAN.
To better work with the new generation, the Executive Director of the ASEAN Institute for Peace and Reconciliation, I Gusti Agung Wesaka Puja, raised the need to explore the UN Security Council Resolution No. 2250 on Youth, Peace and Security. “History has shown that youth, despite being so deeply affected, are resilient to break boundaries and can give way to new ideas, forging ahead with the right focus,” he said. Governments tend to issue “youth-blind policies”, as AJAR Executive Director Galuh Wandita noted, such as Timor Leste’s current ban on martial arts and ritual arts groups, which political parties often mobilise.
Since 2013, the AJAR regional organization has collaborated with the governments of Indonesia and Timor Leste, along with their human rights commissions and other civil society organizations, to locate thousands of “stolen children” who are now in their 40s and 50s. To date, 203 survivors have been found, with 130 successfully reunited, helping to advance the peacebuilding process. “As neighbors, we have no choice but to work together,” stated Atnike N. Sigiro, chair of Indonesia’s National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM). Virgilio da Silva Guterres ‘Lamukan,’ Chair of the Provedor – Ombudsman and National Human Rights Institution of Timor Leste, echoed this commitment, emphasizing the importance of collaboration with the Centro Nacional Chega in the effort to reunite these children.
Gus Miclat of the Initiatives for Dialogue Philippines warned of unresolved issues threatening the peace, such as the case of the Philippines following the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, signed in 2014. He stressed that one factor is the continued arming of politicians’ support groups “used for election intimidation” in Mindanao, southern Philippines. Others include lack of access to land and marginalisation of internal refugees and indigenous peoples apart from clan wars. He emphasised that community-led initiatives include memorialisation events, establishing a compensation board for victims of the Marawi conflict and traditional “peace pilgrimages” of kakap dulunan, which discuss revisiting boundaries between neighbouring areas. And while former adversaries such as Timor Leste’s and Indonesia’s governments are now eager for “friendship and reconciliation,” he warned against whitewashing attempts.
Afridal Darmi, Chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Aceh, Indonesia, from 2016 to 2021, announced that the Aceh TRC report titled “Nurturing Peace” was published last year. He emphasized the importance of advancing the role and impact of the Aceh TRC and ensuring that its findings and recommendations are fully integrated into Indonesia’s wider transitional justice framework.
The state should not continue denials “and impose reconciliation” between rapists and their victims, said survivor Maria Amaral, a co-founder of the Pirilampu forum of Timor Leste survivors of sexual violence. She said most victims are still silenced by the stigma in their communities, which brands them as consenting partners to Indonesian soldiers. Nevertheless, with the facilitation of ACbit, a women’s group, Pirilampu has gained recognition for survivors and their children, with a government commitment to support their rehabilitation and freedom from discrimination through the latest National Action Plan 1325. It is based on the UN Resolution 1325 on the role of women in peacebuilding and security, which also highlights the specific effects on women and girls in conflict and post-conflict situations. “The government worked closely with CSOs for NAP 1325,” said Liliana Amaral of the UN Women Timor Leste.
Simultaneously, AJAR and its partners are organising an exhibition focused on our collaboration with communities, and advocacy centred on Community Engagement as the Cornerstone for Effective Transitional Justice Initiatives for Sustainable Peace.
On the last day, participants explored Dili and Liquica district as a fitting complement to the seminar, visiting memorial sites and sites of conscience, including the site of the Santa Cruz Massacre. This visit allowed them to delve into the truth, memorialisation, politics, and human rights movements shaping Timor Leste’s recent history.
This activity is part of the #PeacebuildingandTJ project to promote accountability for peace through community-led transitional justice focusing on institutional reform and non-recurrence. Held in collaboration with Asia Justice and Rights, Asosiasaun Chega! Ba Ita (ACbit) (Timor-Leste), KontraS Aceh (Indonesia), Cross-Cultural Foundation (CrCF) (Thailand), Solomon Islands Trauma Healing Association (SITHA) (Solomon Islands), it was made possible with the support of the European Union.