Maubara

Maubara is a village in Maubara Subdistrict (Liquiçá District, East Timor), just west of the city of Liquiçá. Most of the inhabitants speak Tocodede. It lies near the Maubara Important Bird Area, encompassing the small coastal Lake Maubara.[1]

History

During the beginning of the Portuguese occupation, it was taken by the Netherlands. There is a historic Dutch fort, located at the entrance to the village on the seaside overlooking the bay. The fort still contains the original cannon and is quite well preserved. Later, Portugal negotiated with Holland and regained the site in a trade for Flores, which was occupied by the Portuguese at that time.

The village is also the location in which the infamous Besi Merah Putih militia was created. In 2000, on the western outskirts of the village, the UNTAET Crime Scene Detachment conducted sixteen exhumations in two days, most being victims of the Manuel Carrascalão House Massacre in Dili.

References

  1. "Maubara". Important Bird Areas factsheet. BirdLife International. 2014. Retrieved 2014-03-23.

Coordinates: 8°37′S 125°12′E / 8.617°S 125.200°E