Cailaco Administrative Post

Cailaco, officially Cailaco Administrative Post (Portuguese: Posto Administrativo de Cailaco, Tetum: Postu administrativu Kailaku), is an administrative post (and was formerly a subdistrict) in Bobonaro municipality, East Timor.^[1][2] Its seat or administrative centre is in Suco Meligo [de],^[2] and its population at the 2004 census was 8,374.

Cailaco
Administrative Post
Posto Administrativo de Cailaco (Portuguese) Postu administrativu Kailaku (Tetum)
Guenu Lai [de] landscape
Official map
Cailaco
Coordinates: 8°54′S 125°17′E
Country	East Timor
Municipality	Bobonaro
Seat	Meligo [de]
Sucos	Atudara [de] Dau Udo [de] Goulolo [de] Guenu Lai [de] Manapa [de] Meligo [de] Purugua [de] Raiheu [de]
Area
• Total	208.0 km2 (80.3 sq mi)
Population  (2015 census)
• Total	10,405
• Density	50.02/km2 (129.6/sq mi)
Households (2015 census)
• Total	1,863
Time zone	UTC+09:00 (TLT)

History

In April 1999 an event known as the Cailaco massacre left at least 20 people dead. The victims were all killed by Indonesian soldiers and pro-Indonesia militias. The massacre started on 12 April 1999, after a Indonesian soldier and a local pro-autonomy activist Manuel Gama were ambushed and killed in Purogoa village.^[3]

Later that day soldiers and militiamen searched for suspects, they arrested four independence supporters, Paulino Soares (34), José Pou-Lelo (37), Antonio Soares (45) and Manuel Mau Lelo Araújo, they took them to the Joint Intelligence Unit compound and shot dead. That same day three more men Carlito Mau Leto (32), Domingos Resi Mau (29), João Evangelista Lima Vidal (30) were detained and killed in Purogoa, a fourth man João Matos a farmer from Meligo village which Leto is also from, is believed to have been killed along with the other three men.^[3]

In the following days soldiers and militiamen killed at least 20 people and ill treated hundreds, they also raped hundreds of women and girls. On 17 April two men Aprigio Mali Tae and Carlos Sama-Lelo were killed by militiamen.^[3]

On 19 April, Antonio Basilio and Armando Berlaku were killed in Manapa village by members of the Dadurus Merah Putih. The next day José Barros and Carnelio were killed by soldiers and members of the Guntur Batu-Laka and Halilintar militias.^[3]

On 24 April Calistro da Cunha were abducted by members of the Kaer Metin Merah Putih and Indonesian soldiers. He was taken to Omelain village and was handed over to Halilintar militiamen who killed him shortly after. The following day his family would buried him in Guda cemetery.^[3]