[TimorLesteStudies] Archives / Research: 1978 'Operation Skylight' radio messages

[John Waddingham]

In late 1978, a time of greatly intensified Indonesian military operations,
senior resistance leader Alarico Fernandes transmitted a series of secret
coded messages from Timor under the codename ‘Saturno’. The messages were
later revealed to propose various actions against the Nicolau Lobato-led
Fretilin Central Committee. Unsurprisingly, the proposals were condemned by
the external delegation of Fretilin and Fernandes was branded a traitor.

New research by Australian researcher Dr Peter Job adds significant weight
to earlier speculations that Alarico Fernandes was actually under direct
Indonesian control at the time the messages were sent. His ongoing work and
that of other researchers in Timor-Leste is expected to throw more light on
this controversial topic in Timor-Leste history.

The essence of the 'Saturno' proposals was released in 1978, but the actual
message texts were not published. As a contribution to ongoing research and
scholarship on the 'Operation Skylight’ issue, CHART is publishing a
surviving English-language version of the message texts. See:

https://timorarchives.wordpress.com/2024/03/27/skylight-saturno-messages/

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John Waddingham
Archivist / Manager
Clearing House for Archival Records on Timor Inc.

http://timorarchives.wordpress.com/

Donations over $2 to CHART are tax deductible.
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