Interviews with Jose Ramos-Horta

Communication between the outside world and the resistance in Timor-Leste were next to impossible in the ´70s and ´80s. By the ´90s, we had– broken through the Indonesian control. The island was open– easier– to– smuggle information in and out.

I, personally, whenever I wanted to send information to Xanana (PH), to the resistance, I did– in the beginning, I would do audio cassettes that were smuggled into Timor with– reports about what was going on in the world to them– so that they are kept very well inform. Or– a bit sophisticated, later– videocassettes where I would talk direct to the people.

And they would then duplicate and all over the country they start using their cameras, showing to other. Because that was more a boost — to them. They would do the same– smuggle audiocassettes abroad– print material. They would smuggle all– video– messages of the fighters.

And because the Indonesian Army was so corrupt, they– the Indonesian– military themselves, they take picture of torture and do sell to the resistance. We got– photographs of torture. And we printed them by tens of thousands, you know– and dis– distribute around the world. So– we– were able to make use of the electronic media by– also– s– smuggling– years ago, a– s– satellite phone.

One of the first satellite phones that existed in the world, we bought it. Well, we– we, meaning our friends. It was actually the mayor of Lisbon at that time, Mr. João Soares– very well known, very good man. He raised $30,000 because that phone costs $30,000, the size of a briefcase, attaché case. And we smuggled to– Timor-Leste. Who brought it here was a friend of Timor-Leste– his wife is Timorese– Mr. Juan Federer from Chile, from Australia. His wife is Sarah Lapis.

He was the one who smuggled it from Jakarta to Timor-Leste. But as it—turned out for a while it didn´t work, because we send the instructions and– somehow they couldn´t really figure out how– it work. It didn´t take long. A few years later, that same satellite phone was already costing much less. It was smaller and it cost only $3,000. And the price went further down.

So, that´s how we– able to communicate. I was able to communicate by satellite phone with– some of the resist commanders in the mountains. When Xanana Gusmão, resistance leader who was captured in– ´92 and– put in prison– we lost contact with him for awhile– but soon after, we were able to establish contact with him through corruption in the prison system. It was amusing sometimes.

José Manuel Ramos-Horta was the president of East Timor (Timor-Leste) from 2007 to 2012. In 1996, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his advocacy of human rights and self-determination for the Timorese people.

Born in Dili in 1949 to a Portuguese father and a Timorese mother, Ramos-Horta was educated in Catholic schools and became a journalist. His articles advocating independence for the territory led to his deportation at the age of 18. He returned to Timor in 1971 and, after the 1974 revolution in Portugal, joined with other young Timorese pro-independence activists to found the Social Democratic Association of Timor, later known as the Revolutionary Front of Independent Timor-Leste (FRETILIN). When FRETILIN declared the independence of East Timor in 1975, Ramos-Horta was appointed the minister of external affairs and was instructed to go abroad to seek international recognition and support. He was just 25 years old.

Ramos-Horta left East Timor three days before the invasion by Indonesian troops that led to a 24-year occupation. A few days later, he became the youngest diplomat ever to address the United Nations Security Council, successfully urging the Council to adopt a resolution that recognized the right of the people of Timor-Leste to self-determination and independence.

After the 1999 referendum in which the people of East Timor voted overwhelmingly for independence from Indonesia, Ramos-Horta returned to his homeland for the first time in 24 years. He served as foreign minister under the provisional United Nations administration (2000–2002) and during the first four years of independence (2002-06), and was selected as prime minister after the political and social crisis that led to the resignation of the first government in 2006. In 2007 he was elected president of the Republic, receiving over 70 percent of the votes cast.

On February 11, 2008, Ramos-Horta was shot twice and severely wounded. Evacuated to Australia, he remained for 10 days in an induced coma and spent several months recovering from his injuries. Upon his return to Dili, he was received in triumph by an estimated 100,000 people of all ages, walks of life, and political perspectives.

After initially stating he would not seek reelection, Ramos-Horta decided to run as an independent candidate. He placed third in the balloting. In 2013, he was named the United Nations Special Representative to Guinea-Bissau.