Jose Ramos-Horta was born on December 26, 1949, in Dili - East Timor,
from a Timorese mother and Portuguese father who had been exiled to
East Timor by the Salazar dictatorship. He was educated in a Catholic
mission in the isolated village of Soibada, later chosen by the FRETILIN
as headquarters after the Indonesian invasion. Of his eleven brothers and
sisters, four were killed by the Indonesian military.
He was actively involved in the development of political awareness in
East Timor which caused him to be banned from his homeland for two
years in 1970-1971 and sent to Mozambique for subversive allegations
against the Portuguese regime. A family tradition. His grand-father too
had suffered exile, from Portugal to Azores, then Cape Verde, Guinea
Bissau and finally East Timor.
A moderating influence in the emerging Timorese nationalism, he was
then mandated by the pro-independence parties to represent East Timor
abroad. He left the island three days before the Indonesian troops
invaded.
In December 1975, he arrived in New York to address the UN Security
Council and urged them to take action in the face of the Indonesian
military onslaught which resulted in over 200,000 East Timorese deaths
between 1976 and 1981. Jose Ramos-Horta was the permanent
Representative of the FRETILIN to the UN for the ensuing ten years,
and tells of his experience as a diplomat in Funu: the Unfinished Saga
of East Timor (Red Sea Press, New York, 1987).
He is Special Representative of the National Council Of Maubere
Resistance (CNRM), the umbrella organization of pro-independence
movements and activists inside and outside East Timor; and Personal
Representative of Xanana Gusmao, leader of the resistance in prison
since 1992.
Jose Ramos-Horta has spent the last 22 years denouncing the illegal
invasion and annexation of his homeland by Indonesia, always
defending the right of the East Timorese people to self-determination.
He has presented the case of East Timor and pleaded for the respect of
Hunan Rights where they are violated, lending his voice to the voiceless,
before the UN Security Council, the Fourth Commission on Human
Rights, the Council on Foreign Relations, the European Parliament.
In 1992, he formally presented the CNRM's three-stage plan before the
European Parliament. The plan calls for a phased resolution to the
conflict, involving withdrawal of Indonesian troops, release of political
prisoners, respect for human rights and the stationing of UN agencies in
East Timor. The final phase of the plan calls for a period of autonomy
followed by a UN-supervised referendum through which the East
Timorese people could choose between independence, integration into
Indonesia or free association with Portugal.
In October 1994, he headed a delegation of pro-independence East
Timorese who met publicly with Indonesia's Foreign Minister, Ali
Alatas as part of an on-going dialogue under UN auspices. This was the
first public meeting between an Indonesian Foreign Minister and
external leaders of East Timor since Indonesia invaded. He also
participated in the UN sponsored talks which brought together East
Timorese from both inside and outside the country in Austria in 1995
and 1996.
Dr. Jose Ramos-Horta Bio-Notes
Birth December 26, 1949, in Dili, East Timor
Family:
Father's father: Portuguese, exiled to Protuguese African colonies,
thence to East Timor.
Father: Protuguese, naval gunner, exiled to East Timor 1936
Mother: Timorese, living Sydney
Siblings: one of 11 children. Four have been killed by the Indonesian
military
Former wife: Anna Pessoa, an East Timorese judge in Mozambique
Son: Born 1977, lives Mozambique
Religion: Catholic
Employment
1969-1974 Journalist in East Timor
1974-1975 Helped establish new East Timorese political party, Fretilin.
1975 (Sept-Dec) Minister of External Relations and Information, first
Provisional government of East Timor, prior to Indonesian invasion
1976-1985 PermanentRepresentative of Fretilin to United Nations in
New York
1986-now Special Representative of the National Council of Maubere
Resistance (CNRM) overseas. (1987-88: Public Affairs and Media
Director, Mozambique embassy, Washington)
Highlights
1992: Presented the CNRM three stage plan to European Parliament,
and Council of Foreign Affairs, New York
1996: Received the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo together with Bishp Belo
Education and Academic Qualifications
Primary: Catholic Mission school, Soibada, East Timor
Secondary: Liceu Dr Machado: Dili, East Timor
1983: Studied International Law at The Hague Academy of International
Law
1983: Trained in Human Rights Law at the International Institute of
Human Rights in Strasbourg, France
1983: Attended Post-Graduate courses in American Foreign Policy,
Columbia University, New York
1984: Completed an MA in Peace Studies at Antioch University, Ohio
Residence
1949-1970 East Timor
1970-1971 Mozambique (exiled from East Timor)
1972-1975 East Timor (with visits overseas)
1976-1990 USA
1990-now Sydney and Lisbon
Main Forums addressed:
UN Security Council
Fourth Committee of the UN General Assembly
UN Special Committee on De-colonization
UN Commission on Human Rights
Council on Foreign Relations, New York
European Parliament
Development of Diplomacy Course
Initiated (1989) a Diplomacy Training Programme (DTP) in the Law
Faculty of the University of New South Wales, Sydney. It trains
indigenous peoples, minorities and human rights activity, but also
conducts training in Asia-Pacific.
Languages Spoken
Tetun (first language), Portugese, French, English, Spanish
Books written:
Funu: The Unfinished Saga of East Timor (207 pp), Red Sea Press:
Trenton NJ
Timor: Amanha em Dili (386 pp), Dom Quixote (1994) Published also
in Norwegian, French and German
Towards a Peaceful Solution in East Timor (48 pp), East Timor Relief
Association: Sydney (1996). A booklet of four speeches and articles.
Honours and Awards
1. Nobel Peace Prize. Co-laureate with Bishop Carlos Felipe Belo,
1996 (Oslo)
2. Fellow, International Relations, St. Anthony's College, Oxford
3. Doctorate (Honoris causa), Pontifical University of Brazil, Campinas
4. Doctorate (Honoris Causa), Antioch University, Ohio
5. Recipient of Professor Thorolf Rafto Human Rights Prize, 1993
(Norway)
6. Recipient of Gleitzman Foundation Award, 1995 (USA)
7. Recipient of Unrepresented Nationa and Peoples Organization
(UNPO) Award, 1996 (Holland)
8. Recipient of Order of Freedom, 1996 (Lisbon). High level
Portuguese government award