Maria Olandina Isabel Caeiro Alves

Maria Olandina Isabel Caeiro Alves (March 20, 1956 – March 31, 2025) was an East Timorese activist and diplomat.

A co-founder of the organization East Timor Women Against Violence, she was imprisoned for her opposition to Indonesian rule in East Timor. After independence, she served on the Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation in East Timor and later represented her country as an envoy to Malaysia and Vietnam.

Early life In 1956, Maria Olandina Isabel Caeiro Alves was born in Ermera, in what was then Portuguese Timor. (Some sources instead give her birth date as November 2, 1951.)

She trained to become a primary school teacher. In November 1998, while serving as president of the organization, she led a major protest against gender-related violence. She also helped set up the structure of the new state, serving as commissioner of the Civil Service Commission during the transition in 2001.

In her later years, she became a diplomat, representing East Timor as consul general in Denpasar, Indonesia, from 2011 to 2015, and as ambassador in Malaysia and Vietnam beginning in 2017 and 2021, respectively. She served as ambassador to Vietnam until May 22, 2024.

Death Olandina Caeiro died in 2025 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where she traveled for medical treatment.