Nicolau Lobato

Who is Nicolau Lobato?

Nicolau dos Reis Lobato was born on 24 May 1946 in Timor-Leste and became one of the founding leaders of Fretilin, the movement that led the territory toward independence from Portugal. When Fretilin unilaterally declared the Democratic Republic of East Timor on 28 November 1975, Lobato became its first prime minister, serving in that role for barely more than a week before Indonesian forces invaded on 7 December 1975. Rather than surrender, Lobato and other Fretilin leaders retreated into the mountainous interior to lead an armed resistance against the occupation, becoming both president of the republic-in-exile and commander of the Falintil guerrilla forces. For three years he led the resistance from remote bases, becoming a unifying symbol of Timorese defiance. On 31 December 1978, he was tracked down and killed by Indonesian special forces, led by then-Lieutenant Prabowo Subianto, at Mount Mindelo. He is honoured today as Timor-Leste's foremost national hero, and the country's main international airport in Dili was renamed Presidente Nicolau Lobato International Airport in his memory.

Sources: Nicolau Lobato, Wikipedia (cross-referenced with Government of Timor-Leste biography) · Government of Timor-Leste, statue inauguration and National Heroes Day records (timor-leste.gov.tl)