Tom Hyland, the Irish East Timor campaigner known locally as “Papa Tom”, was laid to rest on Thursday morning near Dili, capital of independent Timor-Leste.
The Catholic service and communion was conducted in Bekusi cemetery’s tiny chapel, so small that even the impressive six-man choir had to stand outside. It was attended by more than 200 Timorese. The service was partly in Tetum, the Timorese language, and Portuguese.
The president of the Republic of Timor-Leste, Nobel Peace laureate José Ramos-Horta, celebrating his 75th birthday, spoke of the great debt of gratitude owed to Mr Hyland for the difference he had made to the overseas struggle for Timorese independence.
He also remembered Mr Hyland’s good friend, Dan Murphy, an American who founded a clinic in Dili in 1998. It was Mr Hyland’s express wish that his final resting place be close to “Dr Dan’s”, he said.
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A wooden casket, draped in tais – the traditional weaving of the region – and the Timorese flag, was carried by 11 friends the 30m from the chapel to the grave.
Six soldiers of the F-FDTL, Timor’s defence force, each fired three rifle rounds into the sky above the grave. Wreaths, giant bouquets, petals and candles were laid on the grave by Mr Horta, former prime minister Mari Alkatiri, ministers of education and of foreign affairs, other current and former members of government and parliament in the southeast Asian nation, the country’s ombudsman, ambassadors, veterans of the independence struggle and of four political parties.
[ Death announced of East Timor peace campaigner Tom Hyland (72)Opens in new window ]
In accordance with local custom, further graveside gatherings will be held to give those who were away from Dili the chance to share reminiscences . The streaming of the event had 26,000 views.
President Michael D Higgins was among those to pay tributes to Mr Hyland, who died aged 72, saying he had made “a deeply significant contribution to the independence struggle and establishment of Timor-Leste”.
Mr Hyland, a former bus driver from Ballyfermot, formed the East Timor Ireland Solidarity Campaign (ETISC) after seeing a film on television about the 1991 cemetery massacre of about 100 young mourners by Indonesian troops.
He had experienced ill-health in recent years, suffering from diabetes, cancer and heart disease.
Timor became independent Timor-Leste after a 1999 United Nations referendum.
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