Timorese asylum seeker's escape story finds voice in new book launched at NT Writers Festival

A harrowing account of survival and resistance during Indonesia's brutal occupation of East Timor has been brought to life in a new book launched at the Northern Territory Writers Festival, rekindling focus on one of Australia's most significant humanitarian crises of the late 20th century.

The Good Sea, authored by historian Vannessa Hearman, chronicles the journey of Jose da Costa, who was among 18 Timorese asylum seekers who piloted a fishing boat to Darwin in 1995, seeking refuge from decades of violence and oppression.

Born amid conflict, fleeing occupation

Mr da Costa's story is interwoven with the broader tragedy of East Timor's struggle for independence. Born in 1976—the year Indonesia invaded the Portuguese territory—he literally entered the world amid warfare, with his family taking shelter in the bush to escape military operations.

Over the 24-year occupation, more than 100,000 Timorese would lose their lives in the conflict. The violence intensified following the 1991 Dili Massacre, in which Indonesian soldiers killed more than 250 unarmed protesters, an event that reverberated across the Timor Sea and sparked solidarity demonstrations in Darwin itself.

"My family ran to the bush to hide. I was born in the bush," Mr da Costa recalled of his extraordinary beginnings during one of the region's darkest periods.

Darwin connection and Australian solidarity

The Northern Territory capital became an unexpected centre of advocacy for East Timorese independence. Following the Dili Massacre, hundreds of Darwin residents took to the streets in protest, lying in the streets to demonstrate their solidarity with the victims of Indonesian military violence—a powerful show of public conscience that reflected Australia's complex relationship with its Indonesian neighbour.

Mr da Costa's arrival in Darwin by boat four years later represented a turning point in his personal odyssey. After establishing himself in Melbourne, he encountered Ms Hearman, whose research into the occupation and its human toll led to the collaborative creation of The Good Sea.

Broader significance for Australian history

The book's release carries national significance beyond its individual narrative. Australia's relationship with East Timor's independence struggle remains contentious, with the nation having initially recognised Indonesia's occupation while simultaneously hosting significant Timorese refugee communities, particularly in Darwin and Melbourne.

Timor-Leste achieved independence in 2002, more than a decade after Mr da Costa's perilous journey across the Timor Sea. However, the stories of those who fled during the occupation—and Australia's response to them—remain important chapters in the nation's recent history.

Literary preservation of lived experience

Ms Hearman's decision to document Mr da Costa's experience through the lens of historical narrative serves a broader purpose: ensuring that first-hand accounts of the occupation and its survivors are preserved for future generations. The NT Writers Festival launch provides a platform for these stories to reach wider audiences across Australia.

As Timor-Leste continues its post-independence development, books like The Good Sea remind Australians of the human cost of the occupation and the resilience of those who risked everything to escape it.