Pante Macassar

Pante Macassar ( Pante Makassar, Oecussi, Pante Makasar tetum ) is the capital of the East Timorese enclave of Oecusse in the western part of Timor and the sub-district of the same name. Here is the place lies in the Suco Costa.

Name

Pante Macassar, literally means beach of Makassar, an allusion to the traders from Makassar on the island of Sulawesi ( Celebes ), who settled in earlier centuries, this season, as they waited for the right winds to return home. During the Portuguese colonial era, the city also Taveiro Vila said. Local Pante Macassar is (also Ocussi ) also called Oecussi, which literally means water cannons, after one of the two traditional kingdoms from which the district Oecusse was formed.

The city

Pante Macassar is located on the Savu Sea, 281 km to the west of Dili, on the north coast of the island, at an altitude of 189 m. It has 8,793 inhabitants ( 2010).

Today, the center of the city of little more than half a dozen rows of houses is close to the beach with crystal clear water, surrounded by palm trees. Other cities directly border Pante Macassar and lined up along the coast. There is no television, crime is virtually unknown. The only radio station operates only intermittently, power, there are five hours during the night. Twice a week goes a ferry from Dili in a twelve -hour drive to Pante Macassar.

In Pante Macassar and the neighboring settlements are a bank, two preschools, five elementary schools, two schools in preparation for the secondary level, three secondary schools, a marina, a heliport, a hospital and a police station.

The subdistrict

Pante Macassar is divided into eight Sucos: Bobocasse ( Bobocasae, Bobocase ), Costa, Cunha, Lalisuc ( Lalisuk ) Lifau, Naimeco, Nipane ( Nipani ) and Taiboco. After the elections 2004/2005 was Jose " Camada " Martins head of the subdistrict Pante Makassar. New elections were held on 9 October 2009.

The sub-district has 35 226 inhabitants (2010, 2004: 29,058 ). The largest language group consists of the speakers of the national language Baikeno. The average age is 19.0 years ( 2010, 2004: 19.2 years ).

69 % of households in Pante Macassar have coconut trees, 64 % grow cassava, 61% vegetables, 73 % rice, 79 % corn and 14% coffee.

History

1556 founded the Dominican Lifau, 6 km west of the modern village Pante Macassar, to secure the Sandelholzhandels, which was from 1702 to 1769 the capital of Portuguese Timor. The kingdom of Oecussi was ruled by Topasse. The Topasse were descendants of Portuguese soldiers, sailors and merchants, the women of Solor married. They had a significant impact on the development of Timor in the 17th and 18th centuries.

During the rebellion in Cova (1868-1871) Oecussi supported the Portuguese. In May 1912, but it was during the great rebellion of Manufahi in Oecussi to revolt against the colonial masters. With the support of the gunboat Patria the uprising was quelled.

In the turmoil of the last few months of Portuguese rule over East Timor Indonesia already occupied on June 6, 1975 Oecusse. In October, the invasion was followed in the districts of Bobonaro and Cova Lima. When finally the FRETILIN on November 28, 1975, East Timor independence from Portugal, the Indonesian flag was already the next day in Pante Macassar set. The invasion of the rest of East Timor began on 7 December 1975.

During the riots of 1999 that followed the referendum on independence, Pante Macassar goal was pro- Indonesian militias supported by the Indonesian military. 65 civilians who were supporters of the independence of the city Pante Macassar were hanged, burned to two churches.