Last modified: 2023-12-09 by 
zachary harden
Keywords: falintil | forças armadas de libertação nacional de timor leste | patria povo | star: 5 points (yellow) | wheat | machete | provisional | fdtl |
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image by Jorge Candeias, 18 April 1998
The East Timorese guerrilla forces, the FALINTIL, have been dissolved
on Thursday to give way to the new East Timorese army, to be known as FDTL
(Forças de Defesa de Timor Leste, Defense Forces of East Timor).
Jorge Candeias, 03 February 2001
The FALINTIL militia was reconstituted on 1 February 2001 into the
new Defence Force of East Timor. The ceremony for this event was shown
on Australian television news (SBS) and showed the FALINTIL flag being
lowered and the UN flag being raised.
Ralph Kelly, 10 February 2001
In East Timor, guerillas fighting against Indonesian
occupation adopted a name and symbols independent of the
several (clandestine) Timorese political parties. It is
called, if I’m not mistaken, FALINTIL - Forças Armadas
de Libertação Nacional de Timor Leste (Armed Forces
of National Liberation of East Timor), and the flag is a
blue-white-green horizontal tricolour, with a black panel
at the canton that covers 2/3 vertically and about 1/3
horizontally of the flag.
Jorge Candeias, 18 April 1998
I found a recent photo (published some days ago in a
newspaper) and took a good look to it. Unfortunately, the
paper wasn’t mine and I couldn’t keep the image. The
photo was later confirmed by TV images. The changes from
the previous version are the absence of
writing on the central stripe, a different weapon (now it’s
two crossed swords), a slightly different shape of the shield,
especially in the chief, the presence of what seems to be
3 crossed spikes (of wheat, perhaps?) in the center of the
shield, a darker shade of the blue stripe and a totally
different scroll.
Jorge Candeias, 7 September 1998
image by Jorge Candeias, 7 September 1998
This panel is charged with a pointy red shield, fimbriated
in yellow and charged with a yellow star on top and what seems
to be local traditional weapons below. Below the shield, there
is a green curved area with black letters that read "PÁTRIA
POVO" ("fatherland, people"). The white stripe is charged with
"FALINTIL" in black letters. The source of this information is
a photograph taken from a newspaper in which a group of Timorese
young men is holding this flag, perhaps in some demonstration.
I don’t know when or where it was taken.
Jorge Candeias, 18 April 1998
A new flag was adopted by the representatives of the
Timorese political parties and organizations during the
first East Timorese National Convention
held in April 1998 in Portugal. […] The flag
originally was the flag of FALINTIL, the liberation
Army of East Timor. FALINTIL is non-partisan and
therefore represents the interests of the people and
not the interest of any organization. Furthermore, the
members of FALINTIL are the ones that continue to keep
the flame of the struggle to self-determination and
independence of East-Timor in times of difficulties.
They are the ones that continue to shed their blood for
the sacred right to self-determination and independence
of East-Timor. Because of that there was a consensus of
the participants of the Convention adopt the flag as
a temporary flag of East-Timor. Until a new one
is adopted, this flag will be used in any public events.
Mark Sensen, 31 January 1999,
quoting
Constâncio Pinto, CNRT Representative to
the United States
Speculating a bit about the future, I suspect that once independence gets
total, this force [FDTL] will readopt the FALINTIL flag, maybe with a few changes,
though in nothing essential. That unless the country adopts the flag itself
(as the CNRT did in due time), in which case maybe
a different flag for the army is designed. But as I wrote earlier, this
is not at all certain for now.
Jorge Candeias, 10 February 2001
image by António Martins, 21 September 2001
In [pay00], on page TI 1.1 (East Timor),
There is a blue white green horizontal tricolour. Where that come from? Is
it only a “placeholder” for a future flag?
Željko Heimer, 22 January 2001
(In the 2002 Corr. Nº2 [pay02]
to the Album the new flag is shown.)
Željko Heimer, 30 March 2003
That arrangement was used on the uniforms of the FALINTIL as a shoulder
patch, but I’ve never seen it as a flag.
Jorge Candeias, 07 September 1998
The FALINTIL militia was reconstituted on 1 February 2001 into the new
Defence Force of East Timor. Of note was a close-up of the soldiers, who
were wearing UN blue berets and a shoulder patch flag consisting of a plain
horizontal tricolour of Blue White and Green (no canton, badges or writing).
Whilst this may still be a carry-over from the FALINTIL uniforms, it is also
suggestive that the unofficial flag usage may be drifting towards the plain
tricolour.
Ralph Kelly, 10 February 2001
Note that the patch is official, it wasn’t just forgotten there:
they where already using that shoulder patch when they where still the
guerilla group/army with the well-known flag with canton. So I don’t think
that the continued use of the tricolour in the shoulders of the Timorese
uniforms means anything in terms of flag use except that the new FDTE
acknowledges the fact that is stemming from the FALINTIL.
Jorge Candeias, 10 February 2001
CNRT leader Xanana Gusmão addressed the East
Timorese people in Dili today,
following his return to the country after (I think) seven years of arrest
and exile. On his combat fatigues, he was wearing a badge or patch of a
blue-white-green triband, but without the black canton and coat of arms.
Could this be an indication of the future flag of Timor Loro Sae —
a simple triband?
Dylan Crawfoot, 22 October 1999
I saw the FALINTIL sleeve patch: it’s a simple
blue-white-green tricolour. This might be yet another
option for the future flag of Timor Lorosae.
Jorge Candeias, 7 September 1998
image by Jorge Candeias, 21 September 2001
Al Kirsch sent me this snippet
showing an unidentified flag from a photograph in the New York
Times, Oct. 1, 1999, Page A4. The photo appeared in an article
by Seth Mydans on East Timor, and shows Cornélio Gama, a deputy
commander of the East Timor pro-independence guerrillas, with his
comrades and an Australian soldier, left, in Díli. The flag is on
Gama’s cap.
Lewis Nowitz, 01 October 1999
It looks like the usual CNRT flag
with a black central stripe instead of white: My theory is that it
is a sticker intended to be used on white background and hence with
a transparent central stripe; if stuck onto a black helmet, black
shows through.
António Martins, 02 October 1999
The fact is that these large pins are made of some material with some
reflective properties (I think) that turn white when it faces the observer
(light grey, actually) but gets pretty dark when it is displayed
obliquely. I don’t know why they made it this way, but I’ve seen several
such pins on TV images, always changing colours as the owner moved.
Jorge Candeias, 06 October 1999
