From the Place of the Dead: The Epic Struggles of Bishop Belo of East Timor [Hardcover]

Arnold S. Kohen (Author), The Dalai Lama (Introduction), Right Reverend Paul Moore (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 23, 1999

The saga of Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo, recipient of the 1996 Nobel Prize for Peace for his Herculean efforts to end the conflict in East Timor, one of the worst human rights tragedies of the contemporary era

In 1975, Indonesia illegally invaded East Timor, until then a Portuguese colony. Since then, an estimated 200,000 persons, nearly one-third of the territory's original population, have perished from war, famine, and killings. Now, after the fall of Indonesia's longtime strongman, General Suharto, East Timor is in the public eye, and seems on the verge of winning independence.

No one has been more crucial to this development than Bishop Belo. His inspiring story recalls the struggle of Mahatma Gandhi, whose non-violent philosophy greatly influenced the Timorese bishop. In the face of assassination threats as well as excruciating pressure from enemies and friends alike, Bishop Belo has been a moral beacon and an unflinching defender of his martyred people in their fight against injustice.

In From the Place of the Dead, journalist Arnold Kohen has written the first full-length biography of Bishop Belo. He captures the sheer humanity and indomitable humor of the man as well as the essence of the spirituality that together have provided Belo with the strength to persevere against overwhelming odds. From the heroic and colorful history of Bishop Belo's forebears to his years as a young priest, from his battles with Indonesia's all-powerful military to the Nobel ceremony in 1996 in Norway, Arnold Kohen shows how Belo, a mild-mannered but thoroughly tough-minded clergyman, has managed to prevail, becoming an international symbol of a peaceful quest for dignity and human rights.

Kohen, who has had unparalleled access to Bishop Belo for the past five years, provides not only a penetrating portrait of the Timorese prelate, but also the definitive account of a tortured country and the politics in which it is embroiled. He describes America's support for Indonesia's invasion and occupation, as well as Indonesian links with the Clinton Administration and friends of the president, including hundreds of thousands of dollars in questionable campaign contributions. There is also a rich account of the conflicted role of the Vatican, alongside the extraordinary efforts of religious groups worldwide. Providing an intriguing background to Bishop Belo's struggles, Kohen's revelations should provoke outrage as well as an impetus for change.

As a testament to the extraordinary power of faith to influence the world, From the Place of the Dead is an essential biography of our time.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Kohen's absorbing biography of Roman Catholic bishop Carlos Filipe Belo, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1996 for his human rights work in East Timor, should draw public attention to the tragedy of the island territory and former Portuguese colony, which was brutally invaded in 1975 by Indonesia and has been occupied by it ever since. A former NBC News reporter who has written for the Nation, Kohen traveled with Bishop Belo in the lush but impoverished and terrorized East Timor countryside between 1993 and 1997. He shows that Belo's crusade for East Timor's independence has deep personal roots. In 1948, at the age of three, Belo lost his father, who died as a result of severe wartime beatings inflicted by the Japanese. In 1981, Belo's brother, uncles and cousins were used as "human shields," forced to march in front of Indonesian troops to flush out guerrillas. Kohen attributes Belo's fierce sense of identity and stubbornness (he persevered despite death threats in a land where so many other activists have been killed) to his membership in one of East Timor's oldest ethnic groups, the Makassae. He exposes Vatican arm-twisting intended to bully Belo into silence and details the bishop's frustrating relations with the Clinton administration, which has mostly remained silent about East Timor. Kohen reports that East Timor is gradually being taken over by Indonesian immigrants in much the same way Tibet has been colonized by ChinaAhence the Dalai Lama's eloquent introduction, supporting a people "trying to keep their own culture and identity alive."
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Leader for peace in a tortured country, Bishop Belo of East Timor became the first Catholic bishop to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 1996. Foremost among leaders of his homeland, he has worked to end the suffering of his people. This sympathetic biography portrays the bishop and his country in the years before and during the Indonesian occupation, which has brought death and despair to so many. It reveals American support for Indonesia during this period and examines the Vatican's complicated role. Investigative reporter Kohen traces the bishop's life from his village origins through his priesthood to his national and international role as his people's chief pastor. Like Oscar Romero, assassinated while celebrating mass in El Salvador; Desmond Tutu; and Archbishop Dom Helder Camara of Brazil, Belo provides an unforgettable example of how a person of faith can change the world. The book includes an introduction by the Dalai Lama and a foreword by former Episcopal bishop of New York Paul Moore. For public and academic libraries.AJohn R. Leech, New York
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1st edition (June 23, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031219885X
• ISBN-13: 978-0312198855
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,189,724 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Nation Under Siege, May 12, 2001

By 

Steven Fantina (Phillipsburg, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: From the Place of the Dead: The Epic Struggles of Bishop Belo of East Timor (Paperback)

Many Americans have probably never heard of East Timor, and most of us--including those who are active followers of world affairs--would probably have some difficulty pinpointing it on a map. Arnold Kohen does a remarkable job of introducing this unfamiliar land. It's very hard not to feel sympathy and a healthy dose of admiration for the inhabitants of this long embattled nation. The book simultaneously serves as a hagiography of East Timor's heroic favorite son, and Bishop Belo's extraordinary life greatly enhances the work's inspirational level.

Among East Timor's striking characteristics is the fact that it may be the strongest seat of Catholicism on Earth today. Over 85% Catholic (less than half was in the 1960's) its rate of practicing members puts most other countries to shame. The cathedral's 6 a.m. weekday Mass regularly has an overflow crowd of 1000+. John Cardinal O'Connor once told Bishop Belo how envious he was at East Timor's teeming seminarians. Even its Indonesian occupiers concede the Church's massive influence. Although they disdain Bishop Belo for his tireless devotion to human rights, they often unhappily allow him to mediate disputes with Timorese resistance fighters.

The East Timorese greatly need this faith because the world has turned a blind eye toward the genocide inflicted upon them. Those of us in America who seethed under the reign of Bill Clinton probably never realized how culpable he was for tacitly approving these crimes against humanity. The author on numerous occasions sites examples where the United States after decades of inexplicable silence at Indonesia predation became a veritable proponent when Clinton--abandoning his campaign rhetoric about the suffering East Timorese--wanted expanded trade with the highly populated interloper. Bishop Belo is probably the only person in history to be awarded a Nobel peace Prize without a word of praise or congratulations from the Unites States Government because it was bestowed at a very inconvenient time for pending trade deals.

The island nation faces an uncertain future, and all Catholics and others concerned with human rights should monitor the situation closely. Despite the unending brutal assaults bravely endured by the East Timorese citizens, their bold faith is a good omen that eventually their struggle will be victorious.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A moving biography of a great man...and a stunning indictmen, September 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: From the Place of the Dead: The Epic Struggles of Bishop Belo of East Timor (Hardcover)

Now that Archbishop Belo has been driven into exile, and his beloved Timor transformed into an abbatoir, this superb book is more important than ever. I will not praise Belo, save to say that I hope that he is eventually canonized. I will just say one thing. This book reveals such a consistent record of perfidy, stupidity, and cupidity on the part of the United States government as to make even the most patriotic man or woman ashamed of being an American. As readers of some of my other reviews will know, I am fairly Conservative Republican. Reading of Fords, Reagans , and Bushes short-sightedness and incompetence in the matter of Timor saddened and enraged me.The only ( slight)point in their favor is that the Democratic Presidents, Carter, and Clinton, were just as bad; Carter through simple incompetence, and Clinton through cowardice and greed. Let it be asaid and said plainly: The Clinton campaign became so dependent on the Riady families money that they turned blind eye to the atroicities occuring in Timor. With the laudable exception of a few republican members of congress such as Malcolm Wallop and Frank Wolf, practically no American public figure-Republican, democrat, or independent- has spoke out on the horrors occuring in Timor. Now, when it may well be too late, the world has begun to wake up.It is time for all men and women of good will, of all political and religous faiths, to cry out "Enough". We cannot be so dependent on the raw materials and sweat shop produced sneakers and toys emanating from Indonesia that we would let theese horrors continue. I am going to phone and write every member of congress I know, asking them that they vote to discontinue ALL foriegn aid to Indonesia. I will also openly ask ALL presidential candidates- Republican, Democratic, and independent,if they will continue to support our bankrupt policy toward this outlaw state, Indonesia. I hope EVERY responsible American does the same.I beg my fellow Americans;have the courage to read this book, and the sensitivity to be outraged by what it contains.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A luminous and timely biography of a courageous figure., May 14, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: From the Place of the Dead: The Epic Struggles of Bishop Belo of East Timor (Hardcover)

From the Place of the Dead: The Epic Struggles of Bishop Belo of East Timor By Arnold S. Kohen

Review by David Hinkley, former Chairman, Amnesty International USA

Arnold Kohen's moving biography of Roman Catholic Bishop Carlos X. Belo of East Timor illuminates one of modern history's most horrific human rights tragedies. Belo, the first Catholic bishop ever to receive the Nobel Prize for Peace (1996) is revealed as a great humanitarian in the tradition of Archbishop Romero and Desmond Tutu. In this age of cynicism and disillusionment, Belo exemplifies the power of faith, dedication and indefatigable effort to reshape the history of a terrorized and nearly forgotten people.

Kohen, formerly an investigative reporter with NBC news, skilfully balances lyrical evocations of a lush land, its tortured people and their unsilenceable champion with incisive analysis of the political and church forces with which Belo has contended in his successful struggle to bring his people's plight to the world's attention. Since Indonesia invaded the island territory, for centuries a Portuguese colony, the Indonesian army's campaign of brutal suppression has left an estimated 200,000 dead, of a population of less than 700,000. Beginning with the acquiescence of President Ford and Secretary Kissinger at the time of the 1975 invasion, through provision of deadly OV10 Bronco counter-guerrilla planes and other military hardware, the United States has played a complicitous role. This has only recently been mitigated - and to a lethally insufficient extent - by Clinton Administration diplomatic overtures to Jakarta.

Such examinations share these pages with indelible images of Belo the man. Among the most emblematic is a glimpse of Belo the boy athlete and mischief maker donning a grapefruit bishop's hat in a foreshadowing of his astonishing future. Belo's great love of East Timor's young people and his sardonic wit emerge as defining traits, along with the courage to confront a combination of forces that would wither almost anyone. Against a backdrop of genocide and international intrigue, Kohen has created a luminous, touching and fascinating portrait of an inspiring and unforgettable man. This one is for the ages.