DILI, 16 december 2021 (TATOLI) – The Prime Minister ‘Taur Matan Ruak’, accompanied by the First Spouse and the Head of the Cabinet of the Prime Minister and all staff members pay last tribute to the ashes of the British and Timorese journalist ‘Max Stahl’ at Max Stahl Audiovisual Centre in Timor-Leste (CAMSTL), in Colmera, Dili.
In an interview after paying his tribute, Rurak said that Stahl’s footage and images were significant to the independence of the nation.
“The entire population and the nation pay this special tribute to Max Stahl for his immense work in contributing to the independence of the nation through spreading the struggle and suffering of Timorese people to the world through Santa Cruz Massacre, on 12 november 1991,” Ruak told reporters in Colmera, Dili, on wednesday.
He said Stahl’s footage and images marked a turning point to the Timorese struggle towards national liberation: “The Santa Cruz Massacre caught the international attention to the political situation in the country.”
“Without media’s contribution, the International community would not know our situation in the country. Thus, media and Max Stahl’s contribution was vital to inform the world about our struggle in East Timor (now Timor-Leste),” said Ruak.
The ashes of ‘Max Stahl’ arrived in Timor-Leste, accompanied by his wife Ingrid Bucens and children from Australia, on a Qantas flight, at Nicolau Lobato International Airport, on wednesday (15/12) at around 11:45 am local time.
Max Stahl was granted Timorese citizenship in 2009, in honor of his significant contribution to the nation’s independence.
In 1991 Max Stahl arrived in East Timor (now Timor-Leste) where he lived and documented one of the most dramatic moments of the country: the massacre in the Santa Cruz cemetery, in Dili. The images of the massacre were spread around the world and changed forever the history of the nation. In 2019 he received the Necklace of the Order of Timor-Leste, the highest national decoration.
Max Stahl was born on 6 December 1954 in the United Kingdom. He was a journalist and war correspondent, who spent most of his life in Timor-Leste, following the Santa Cruz massacre, in 1991.
Max Stahl, a father of four, died on wednesday (28/10) in Brisbane surrounded by his wife, Ingrid Busens, and family after battling cancer since 2012.
Journalist: Filomeno Martins
Editor: Nelia Borges Rosario
