WITNESS TO JAPANESE ATROCITIES AND AUSTRALIANS FIGHTING IN TIMOR

 Without  mainstream  media  apparently  noticing , the  death  took  place in  Darwin  recently of  Antonio  Maia , believed to be  in  his  late 90s,  who  during  WWll  helped Australian commandos  in  East Timor   and   later   gave  evidence  in  Tokyo   of  Japanese   atrocities  carried  out  in  what  was   then  a  Portuguese   colony.

He is shown above , a  Free  East Timor button  on  the  turned up  brim of his hat,  joking   with   John "Paddy "   Kenneally,  with  a broad Irish brogue, an outspoken supporter of the  East Timor struggle for freedom ,   who  had  been  a  commando  in  East   Timor .

At  the  funeral service  for  Maia , Darwin agronomist Robert  Wesley-Smith, a  strong supporter of  East Timor since the  l970s  ,  honoured  by the East Timor  regime ,  presented  a  eulogy .

After the service,  held in the Holy Family Catholic  Church , Wesley-Smith provided this blog  with  background  information  on  and   photographs of  Maia ,

The  above photo  shows  Antonio  holding a   carving  for  a sacred  East Timor  house  built  on  Wesley-Smith's rural property in Darwin to  highlight the  East Timor struggle.  It  was transported south in a shipping container  and  somehow  was   eventually lost  in  Sydney , without anyone  knowing  how ,  or  where  it  ended   up . 

 With  the  help of a Sydney doctor, the late   Andrew  McNaughtan, another strong  supporter of  East Timor,  Antonio  and  his wife, Veronica Pereira,  travelled   to  Tokyo  and gave evidence at a War Crimes Compensation Forum, below .

Nobel Peace  Prize  recipient  Jose Ramos Horta  said   McNaughtan , who worked  in the Katherine Hospital  , south of Darwin ,  had played   a  big part  in the  long, bloody  struggle. At great risk to his life, he   had  gone to East  Timor  in the l980s and 90s  with a camera  and captured the   situation under  the  oppressive  Indonesian  army. The film had been smuggled out  to  the  world  . 

Wesley-Smith  has  a copy of an interview  Dr  McNaughtan  had  with Antonio in which he  outlined   how  as  a young man he had   helped the Australian  commandos  in  East Timor  and   detailed the many atrocities carried  out  against  the  people  by  the  Japanese ,often for helping the Australian soldiers.   

On one  occasion , Wesley-Smith  and  Dr McNaughtan  went to East Timor to celebrate  the country's  newly won freedom . Sharing a bedroom there ,  Dr McNaughtan warned  Wes  that  people had  told him ( McNaughtan ) that he snored   a  lot , and   that  he  might  be disturbed.

Wes  was  forced to  flee   the  bedroom  because of  the  deafening  snoring. In the morning , he  told  McNaughtan  that  he  had a  dire medical problem .

 The medico laughed at  his  diagnosis . However, Wes  said  he himself had undergone a  bypass because of cholesterol , and he reckoned Andrew  was   clogged  up   with  the  stuff. 

In any case, Dr McNaughtan  died  soon  after,  aged 50.