The Chega Ba Ita Association in partnership with the Human Rights Association HAK, launched a book entitled Experience of Some People in the Conflict Between 1975-1999. 
The book is aimed at increasing young people’s understanding of the conflict that took place during this period in Timor-Leste and the impacts of violence and hatred in their lives.
The Director of the Chega Ba Ita (CBit) Association, Manuela Leong Pereira, said too many youth commit violence and do not respect other’s rights because they don’t fully understand what violence is.
“I think it’s very important for us to better know the impact of any violence which makes us abhor such violence and value our lives toward peace as well as consider others suffering,” said Director Pereira, in Farol, in Dili.
She acknowledged currently many young people do not know past history because the government has not made an effort to directly involve them in the processes of collecting past information; and the victims are also reluctant to come forth with their accounts of what happened to them in the past.
The book was written by 16 young people and Director Pereira urged young people to continue collecting the information from the past events because through the experience of the people who were the victims and eyewitnesses of the violence that took place between 1975 and 1999, the new generation of Timorese will understand of what happened. Also she feels this is very important to do now and before the witnesses die.
Meanwhile, the General Director of the Ministry of Education, Antoninho Pires, said he appreciated the initiative of the young people, in seeking to find out what happened in the past in Timor-Leste because this will hopefully make them want to contribute towards development.
“The Ministry of Education will be able to use some of those references in the curriculum so students can read and find out what happened in the past and move forward peacefully,” said DG Pires.
However, he challenged the writers to find out why 20 August took place in Dili because until now no-one has written about that particular event even though there are victims and eyewitnesses still alive.
Meanwhile, HAK Association’s Representative, Xisto dos Santos, said the book was only the beginning of a wider initiative for Hak and ACbit.
“There are many things that still need to be done. We need to collect information now because many of the victims and eyewitnesses are getting older.
