“CHEGA!”, Portguese for “Enough!”, was the cry that rang out in 1999 when the people of East Timor decided they were no longer going to accept the atrocities that had been inflicted on them by the occupying Indonesians for a quarter of a century.
It is also the name of the report of the East Timor Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation (CAVR).
This report is a clarion call from Australia’s near neighbours asking us not to abandon them in their time of need as they seek to build a new nation.
Australia has played a crucial role in allowing freedom to return to East Timor. But freedom must be nurtured.
In order to attain ongoing peace and progress, Australian aid and assistance must continue to flow to the East Timorese people.
