Da chegada do 25 de Abril a Timor: a controversa ação do major Arnao Metello

• Main Author: Zélia Pereira
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Associação de Actividades Científicas 2020-12-01
• Series: Ler História
• Subjects: Timor-Leste; decolonization; 25 April 1974; Armed Forces Movement.
• Online Access: http://journals.openedition.org/lerhistoria/7653

After the Portuguese revolution of April 25, 1974, the decolonization of Timor proved turbulent. Some of the first steps towards the political mobilization of the East Timorese society were taken by Portuguese military personnel, committed to the implementation of the MFA (Armed Forces Movement) program and later criticized for their actions. Among them is major António Arnao Metello, Chief of Staff of the military forces, and, as of May 1974, delegate of the MFA, and chairman of the Timor Self-Determination Commission, criticized for supporting the formation of the pro-integration party, APODETI. Based on his personal papers and other coeval sources, we seek to analyze aspects of his involvement in the execution of the MFA program in Timor from April to October 1974, and reinterpret his political stance, among political and ideological differences concerning the future of the territory.