Last modified: 2023-12-09 by 
zachary harden
Keywords: falintil | cnrt | cnrm | patria povo | star: 5 points (white) | star: 5 points (yellow) | wheat | machete | provisional | different reverse |
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image by Jorge Candeias and Jan Oskar Engene, 04 January 2000
The purpose of the CNRT initiative was to produce a symbol with which
all pro-independence Timorese could identify, being based on the
FALINTIL (guerrilla) flag instead of coming
from FRETILIN (one of many political parties)
symbols as the black-yellow-red did.
But the flag was never widely accepted — people seemed to prefer
the arrowhead from the start, and later the
massive vote in FRETILIN in the Timorese elections
explained why. So, the CNRT flag died as CNRT’s
raison d’être disappeared.
Jorge Candeias, 30 March 2003
This is not the flag of East Timor, but the flag of the CNRT, the
independentist sector that won the referendum. It is probably the best
candidate for the future flag of an independent
East Timor, but currently as the territory is under a UN
mandate, it has no flag of its own.
Jorge Candeias, 17 January 2000
A (very) recent party made use of the
C.N.R.T. sigla (with a slightly different meaning),
and basic flag pattern: horizontal tricolor of blue, white and green, with
letters on the white area. The 1998-2001 C.N.R.T., by the way, was not a
political party, but a coordination organ for anti-occupation activities,
conducted by different entities, some of which went on existing after
independence as political parties.
António Martins, 12 February 2008
image by Jan Oskar Engene, 18 Sep 1999
The emblem in the canton consists of
a yellow (Y+) bordered red (R) shield. The shield is
dominated by two black swords with white details in
the hafts. Between the swords is an upwards pointing
spear, also in black, with two crossed arrows right
below the point of the spear. These details have been
difficult to distinguish in the images of the flag I
have seen before. Above the black emblem is a white
star. The motto on the scroll under the shield reads
"PATRIA POVO".
As for the rest of the flag, the blue band is closer
to B- (light blue) than B (medium blue), while the
bottom green band is definitely V- (light green). The
letters CNRT, in italics, are in solid black —
a serif font is used, something like Times or Times
Roman; no dots between the letters.
Jan Oskar Engene, 18 September 1999
"PATRIA POVO" means "Fatherland, People". These two words are both nouns, and in
Portuguese there are no adjective nouns, so that’s why I put a comma on the
translation. For what is worth, one might as well put a full stop or any other
separation. Please note the the correct spelling of "pátria" uses an
acute accent mark on the "a", but this is sometimes (quite seldom, really)
discarded in uppercase.
António Martins, 19 September 1999
Apart from the lettering, another difference relative
to flag of the FALINTIL are
the spikes, replaced a black spear disposed vertically
pointing upwards. Also, the swords have larger hilts
and they cross closer to the center.
Jorge Candeias, 20 August 1999
There were also some variations in the charges in the canton:
I remember flags with a white fimbriation around the shield, with
different size (and also, to a point, placement) of the weapons,
with somewhat different shapes in the shield itself, etc.
Jorge Candeias, 04 January 2000
This flag (better said, a close relative to
this flag) was used for a very long time as the
flag of the FALINTIL,
the armed resistance operating in the mountains.
Jorge Candeias, 10 August 1999
This week both the Indonesian government and army announced that they are no longer against independence for East Timor. I found a webpage about a new East Timorese flag at: etan.org/timor/CNRTflag.htm. I also don’t know if this flag is accepted by all Timorese fractions. I recently saw the red flag with the white star and black and yellow triangles on Dutch TV. Anyway here is the text of the page, the image is posted above.
A new flag was adopted by the representatives of the Timorese politcal parties and organizations during the first East Timorese National Convention held in April 1998 in Portugal. The results of the Convention were the formation of the CRNT (The National Council of East Timorese Resistance), which replaced the CNRM (The National Council of Maubere Resistance), and the adoption of the Freedom Charter of the People of East-Timor.Mark Sensen, 31 January 1999About the flag
The flag originally was the flag of FALINTIL, the liberation Army of East Timor. FALINTIL is non-partisan and therefore represents the interests of the people and not the interest of any organization. Furthermore, the members of FALINTIL are the ones that continue to keep the flame of the struggle to self-determination and independence of East-Timor in times of difficulties. They are the ones that continue to shed their blood for the sacred right to self-determination and independence of East-Timor. Because of that there was a concensus of the participants of the Convention adopt the flag as a temporary flag of East-Timor. Until a new one is adopted, this flag will be used in any public events.
Constâncio Pinto
CNRT Representative to the United States
The CNRT is an assemblage of
nearly all the Timorese groups, leaving out only the
integrationists of APODETI
and it’s logical that they
adopted some flag that didn’t relate so much to the flag
of FRETILIN as the black
yellow red. But now I wander:
could it be that this version is the flag of the CNRT
and the other version (with differences
in the shield and FALINTIL in the white stripe) remains
as the flag of FALINTIL?
Jorge Candeias, 02 February 1999
The CNRT (National Council of Timorese Resistance) was officially
dissolved yesterday, 9th of June 2001, to open way for the implantation
of normal political parties in the country, preparing East Timor for the
municipal elections due in August. As a consequence, the flag of the CNRT
turned historical. In yesterday’s ceremonies, seen on TV, a lot of CNRT
flags where flown.
Jorge Candeias, 09 June 2001
This flag, or a close relative to it, is well-positioned to reappear as the
flag of the country once full independence is achieved, though. I don’t think
this is the last we saw of East Timorese blue-white-green flags with
black cantons.
Jorge Candeias, 09 June 2001
image by Jorge Candeias and Jan Oskar Engene, 04 January 2000
At the website
etan.org/timor/CNRTflag.htm
the text mentioned
earlier hasn’t changed, but the flag has (slightly):
Previously, it was without the CNRT initials (and
perhaps with a slightly different canton, or am I
confusing things?).
Jorge Candeias and Jarig Bakker, 01 September 1999
That would make it virtually identical to the flag
of Falintil, of which it is vexillographically nothing more than a variant,
after all…
António Martins, 21 September 2001
image by Jorge Candeias and Jan Oskar Engene, 04 January 2000
The CNRT flag was hoisted officially in Dili for
the first time yesterday. This was a very formal
ceremony, regarded by the independentists as the
first hoisting of the national flag. In the ceremony,
a local poet red a poem dedicated to the flag and the
atmosphere that sorrounded it was overall quite solemn.
The flag itself was the one we already know, a
blue-white-green horizontal tricolour with a black
canton occupying the two upper stripes charged with
a sort of coat of arms. This consists of a red shield
fimbriated in gold and a white scroll. The scroll
has the motto "PATRIA POVO" in black capitals. The
shield is charged with a white star in chef and in
the center a device consisting of a spear, two crossed
arrows and two crossed swords, all black with white
lines. The white stripe is charged with the initials
"CNRT" in large italic capitals and, below, the full
name "Conselho Nacional de Resistência Timorense"
(meaning "National Council of Timorese Resistance").
This, however, was the least seen flag of the CNRT.
The variety that was most common had only the initials
in the white stripe (no full name), usually in italics,
but sometimes not.
Jorge Candeias, 16 August 1999 and 04 January 2000
It seems that the backside of this flag varies according to
manufactoring constraints.
António Martins, 21 September 2001
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image by Jorge Candeias and Jan Oskar Engene, 21 September 2001 | 
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In yesterday’s ceremonies, seen on TV, a lot of CNRT flags where flown.
A note about the backside: it was mirrored. The letters where unreadable.
Jorge Candeias, 09 June 2001
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image by Jorge Candeias, 04 Jan 2000 |
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These flags had frequently a plain reverse, consisting only
of the stripes and the black canton, without any charges.
Jorge Candeias, 04 January 2000