Francisco Xavier Lopes da Cruz

Francisco Xavier Lopes da Cruz
Ambassador of Indonesia to Portugal
In office
2005–2009
PresidentSusilo Bambang Yudhoyono
Preceded byHarry Pryohoetomo Haryono
Succeeded byAlbert Matondang
Ambassador of Indonesia to Greece
In office
2000–2003
PresidentAbdurrahman Wahid
Megawati Soekarnoputri
Preceded bySamsubahri Siregar
Succeeded byFaisha Hasan Soeftendy
Vice Governor of East Timor
In office
3 August 1976 – 18 September 1982
PresidentSuharto
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byAntonius Baldinuci Saridjo
Personal details
Born (1941-12-02) 2 December 1941
Maubara, Liquiçá, Portuguese Timor
PartyAção Nacional Popular (until 1974)
UDT (1974–1975)[1]
Spouse
Mastura
​
(m. 1958)​
EducationUniversity of Macau

Francisco Xavier Lopes da Cruz (born 2 December 1941) is a former Indonesian Ambassador to Greece and Portugal. He was a supporter of East Timor's integration into Indonesia and served as the Vice Governor of East Timor shortly after the invasion in December 1975.[2]

Biography

Lopes da Cruz was born in Maubara on 2 December 1941. He was the third child of Humberto Lopes da Cruz and Rita da Costa Lopes da Cruz, both of whom were religion teachers at primary school in Maubara. Lopes da Cruz had eight siblings.[3]

In Soibada, Lopes da Cruz attended the Nossa Senhora da Fátima Minor Seminary run by the Jesuits, but he did not complete his studies there. He later studied philosophy at the University of Macau and served in the Portuguese Army as a non-commissioned officer in Mozambique, where he fought against FRELIMO during the Mozambican War of Independence.[4] Lopes da Cruz was the representative of Ação Nacional Popular (National People's Action) in the legislative and consultative council of Portuguese Timor (Assembleia Legislativa e Junta Consultiva Provincial de Timor).[5] He subsequently worked as a customs officer. On 13 September 1974, he became the editor-in-chief of A Voz de Timor, succeeding Manuel António Lourenço Pereira, an officer in the Portuguese Navy.[6] Lopes da Cruz held this position until the end of June 1975, when he was replaced by Fernando de Almeida do Carmo, a member of Fretilin.[7]

After the Carnation Revolution in Portugal, Portuguese Timor was promised independence. Political parties began to emerge in the colony, including the Timorese Democratic Union (UDT), of which Lopes da Cruz was one of the founders. At the time, he was working as a customs officer. The party's chairman, Mário Viegas Carrascalão, was said to have maintained ties that were too close to the former Portuguese dictatorship and was therefore forced to resign. Lopes da Cruz succeeded him as chairman of the UDT.[4] He advocated a gradual path toward the independence of Portuguese Timor. Under his proposal, Portugal would spend ten to fifteen years developing its former colony until it reached a stage where it could sustain itself as a sovereign state. However, Portugal showed little interest in this idea.[8]

In August 1975, the Timorese Democratic Union (UDT) attempted to seize power in Portuguese Timor through a coup d'état. One of its objectives was to provide Indonesia with a pretext for intervention, as the party threatened to expel the allegedly “communist” Fretilin from the territory. Lopes da Cruz himself was arrested by UDT leaders João Viegas Carrascalão and Domingos de Oliveira because he was suspected of collaborating with Indonesia.[9]

On 7 December 1975, Indonesia launched a large-scale invasion of East Timor and occupied the territory. On 31 May 1976, a “people’s assembly”[10] elected by Indonesian intelligence services passed a petition to annex East Timor to Indonesia without a referendum, with all 37 votes in favor.[11] Lopes da Cruz was part of the delegation that presented the petition to Indonesian President Soeharto. On 17 July 1976, East Timor was officially incorporated into Indonesia as its 27th province. On 4 August, Lopes da Cruz was appointed Vice Governor of East Timor. He held this position until 1982, when he was replaced by Antonius Baldinuci Saridjo.[12] Lopes da Cruz served as Soeharto's special advisor on East Timor. During the 1999 East Timor independence referendum, Lopes da Cruz, as Secretary-General of the East Timorese People's Front (BRTT), campaigned for the territory to remain part of Indonesia. He was also the owner of the only private newspaper in East Timor, Suara Timor Timur.[13]

From 2000 to 2003, Lopes da Cruz served as the Indonesian Ambassador to Greece. He later served as Indonesia's ambassador to Portugal.[14] Lopes da Cruz possessed the last Portuguese flag that flew in Portuguese Timor. He kept it as a relic.[15] In a 2019 interview, he further defended Indonesia's occupation of East Timor at the time, stating that most Timorese were killed in fighting among themselves. He also argued that before Indonesia issues an apology, Portugal should apologize for its withdrawal from Timor.[16]

Awards

References

  1. ↑ Lembaga Publikasi Pendidikan, Kebudayaan dan Pembangunan Indonesia 1978, p. 1034.
  2. ↑ Hari, Sutrisna (17 July 1978). "Arnaldo Dos Reis Araujo, Gubernur KDH Timor Timur". Mimbar Departemen Dalam Negeri. Archived from the original on 2023-07-25. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  3. ↑ Lopes da Cruz 1999, p. 110.
  4. 1 2 Ramos-Horta 1997, p. 40.
  5. ↑ Leach 2017, p. 59.
  6. ↑ "Francisco Lopes da Cruz: Novo director de "A Voz de Timor". A Voz de Timor. 13 September 1974. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
  7. ↑ "Corpo redactorial". A Voz de Timor. 21 June 1975. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
  8. ↑ Nicol 2002, p. 86.
  9. ↑ Nixon, Rodney Stafford (2008). "Integrating Indigenous Approaches into a 'New Subsistence State': The Case of Justice and Conflict Resolution in East Timor" (PDF). ris.cdu.edu.au.
  10. ↑ Jill Jolliffe: East Timor: Nationalism and Colonialism, Queensland: University of Queensland Press, 1978. OCLC 4833990
  11. ↑ Europa Publications, Europa Publications (2003). The Far East and Australasia 2003. Europa Publications. p. 423.
  12. ↑ CAVR, CAVR (2006). "Part 4: Regime of Occupation" (PDF).
  13. ↑ James J. Fox, Dionisio Babo-Soares: Out of the Ashes: Destruction and Reconstruction of East Timor, 2003.
  14. ↑ "Embaixadas em Portugal". Archived from the original on 26 March 2009. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  15. ↑ Expresso: "Última bandeira portuguesa de Timor está em Jacarta". Archived from the original on 2015-06-28. Retrieved 2026-06-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link).
  16. ↑ Lusa, Lusa (18 May 2019). "- TIMOR AGORA: Ex-embaixador Lopes da Cruz continua a defender integração de Timor-Leste na Indonésia". Retrieved 6 February 2025.
  17. ↑ Ulya, Fika Nurul (25 August 2025). "122 Tokoh dan Ahli Waris Hadir di Istana, Terima Tanda Kehormatan dari Prabowo". Kompas.com. Retrieved 26 August 2025.

Bibliographies

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