Macanese involvement in Portugal's army

Since 1557, Portugal has established a garrison in Macau to maintain order within the city and protect the colony from outside belligerents. Portuguese military presence in Macau can be divided into three periods. Between 1557 and 1849, the army only managed the affairs within the Portuguese and Macanese territorial lines, as they considered mixed Europeans as one of themselves. After 1849, however, the Portuguese administration began crossing over to the Chinese community, ruling in a top-down and racially segregated fashion. The reason is that Portugal observed the dwindling dominance of China, who was facing threats from other European nations. Portugal saw the chance to demand “perpetual control” over Macau in the Lisbon Protocol of 1887. This imperialist period ended in 1974 when the Carnation Revolution occurred, overthrowing Portugal’s fascist regime and pulling major military units out of Macau. Macau was basically demilitarized from that point on, paving the way for its handover to China in 1999. During the 19th and 20th century, Indian troops from Portuguese Goa complemented the already existing white and Macanese soldiers guarding Macau. Between 1920 and 1962, many African personnel from Mozambique were also transferred to Macau following Portugal’s hardened attitude towards China and the tensions that it led to.

Macau's border scenes with China:

Over the centuries, the Macanese have consistently participated in the Portuguese military. The Macanese stuck with the Portuguese closer than the Chinese, because it gave them a higher social status in the colonial system. Officials in the government and military were solely left for white residents from Portugal mainland, and the Macanese could be in middle-ranked positions at the most. Before 1937, Macanese young men would be taxed if they didn’t join the army, so it was common for them to be enlisted since they could also prove their patriotism and loyalty to Portugal, their mother country. Starting from 1937, with WW2 erupting in Asia, the Portuguese authority enforced conscription among the Macanese out of fear of a Japanese invasion. In a way, joining the military for two mandatory years, either forced by taxation or policy, was a method for the Macanese to be recognized and better respected in the Portuguese community. They became more “Portuguese” in a sense, and this feeling of inclusion was an achievement for Macanese future career opportunities. 

Badge of Portuguese Macau:

The Macanese made contributions for the Portuguese army throughout history, such as the Battle of 1622 against the Dutch and border skirmishes with China. There was a police force which the Macanese was an active player in that dealt with local riots or uprisings. Ito Carion, a Macanese who served between 1972-1974, described his experience in the military with me. He enlisted at the age of 22 to evade taxation from the Portuguese government. It was a common and noble thing to do among his friends. He was trained for six months at a boot camp in Macau’s rural areas, and he proceeded to work in the police public office for the rest of his service. Although he didn’t participate in much physical duties, he said that most Macanese soldiers were stationed at the four fortifications around Macau. Furthermore, some of them were deployed overseas to fight in the decolonization wars. Ito told about a slightly older friend, who went through traumatic war horrors in Angola during the 1960’s. According to Ito, this Macanese was in a thick forest with his Portuguese comrades when they were ordered to shoot a whole village of women and children. This left him with PTSD from the guilt he endured after that sickening massacre. Ito’s case study provides a deeper understanding on the nuances and role of Macanese in the Portuguese military, and gives us insight on what it means to represent the Portuguese flag for a colonial minority.

Facebook page of Ito Carion's army comrades, all Macanese members

Military installments and racial segregation line in Macau:

Chinese communities: