The following plea was sent to US President Bill Clinton and Australian
PM John Howard as the enter into talks on a number of important issues.
CIET believes that East Timor should be given high priority because of the
highly dangerous situation there for both the ordinary people, but also the
UN personnel working desperately to achieve peace.
Campaign for an Independent East Timor
(South Australia) Inc.
Affiliated to the East Timor Relief Association, the Australian Coalition
for a Free East Timor and the Australia East Timor Network
c/o Development Education Centre
first floor Torrens House
220 Victoria Square
ADELAIDE
SOUTH AUSTRALIA 5000
13 July 1999
Mr Bill Clinton
President of the USA
Mr John Howard
PM of Australia
Dear Sirs
RE:
URGENT PLEASE CONSIDER EFFECTIVE ACTION ON EAST TIMOR
There are many people around the world involved in peace and justice issues
and who are watching the talks that you are presently embarked upon with
interest and hope. These people are hopeful that you agree to take decisive
action to halt the continuing killings in East Timor.
The East Timorese people right now are experiencing a genocidal nightmare
that is being visited on them by the Indonesian military and their
militias. Despite the presence of an international police force, His
Excellency, Mr Kofi Annan, the UN Secretary General has once again been
forced to delay voter registration for the August referendum.
This is because of the extremely grave problems that exist for the East
Timorese to have a fair ballot. Below are some, but not all of these
problems:
there are 20,000 Indonesian soldiers and several thousands of their
militias still operating a terror campaign in East Timor to undermine the
UN referendum of self determination for East Timor
since late last year, between 500-600 East Timorese have been murdered
during Indonesian military/militia terrorist actions
observers on the ground in Timor have reported that many gross crimes
against humanity have been committed (victims have been raped, tortured,
disembowelled, hacked, clubbed or shot to death)
many people are starving and many have died because they have been denied
food due to military/militias attacks on aid convoys
the week before last, Indonesian militias with army backing attacked UN
centres three times and an aid convoy
an Australian hotelier working in Dili is the latest target of these
criminals
reports from observers indicate that another militia group has received
training from the Indonesian military in Jakarta
the militias are mostly comprised of Indonesians (from the military and
West Timor); the few East Timorese have been coerced under pain of death or
are criminals who have profited out of Indonesia's illegal presence in
their country
East Timorese must register for the referendum in their own towns and
villages, but this is extremely difficult because over 60,000 have fled in
fear of their lives because of the military/militia terror campaign
outside the country, East Timorese refugees are expected to travel long
distances at their own expense to register at distant registration centres;
this is impossible for many who do not have jobs and/or cannot afford to
travel
It should now be obvious to the world that the Indonesian military and
government cannot be trusted to ensure the stability needed to have an open
and fair ballot in East Timor. This is true, even if it is assumed that a
small minority of the members of the regime may have changed their minds
about East Timorese independence.
The message to the East Timorese is clear: vote for integration or be shot,
hacked, bludgeoned or starved to death. How many more lives will be wiped
out before there is effective intervention to change the situation? The
lives of UN personnel have also been threatened.
It would be a shameful indictment of the democratic world if its leaders
were not prepared to make a move to stop the ongoing slaughter in East
Timor. We therefore implore you to take the following actions:
1. Immediately assist the UN to place an adequate peace making mission in
East Timor that has the capacity to control the Indonesian military and its
militias.
2. Lobby to keep this peace making mission there until after the
referendum
and the disbanding of the militias and the withdrawal of Indonesian forces
(army and police)
3. Coordinate international pressure to be placed on Indonesia until it
disarms and disbands the militias and withdraws from East Timor with all
possible haste. This pressure needs to include:
cessation of all military cooperation with Indonesia by member nations of
the UN
cessation of all IMF, World Bank and government to government loans (not
humanitarian aid to needy communities in Indonesia that have also suffered
because of the regime)
other effective sanctions
4. Urge that the referendum only be conducted after all Indonesian soldiers
and 'police' have left East Timor
5. Put pressure on the Indonesian regime to release respected East Timorese
leader, Xanana Gusmao and that he and Nobel Peace Laureate, Dr Jose Ramos
Horta, visit East Timor to consult with their people about their future
We urge you to take these actions to prevent the continuing slaughter of
the East Timorese and to ensure that they can have a genuinely free and
democratic act of self determination.
Andrew (Andy) Alcock
Information Officer
for the
Committee of CIET (South Australia)
&
Australian Coalition for a Free East Timor
Phone: 61 8 83710480 (home) 61 8 82053259 (work)
Pager: 61 8 84157467
Facsimile: 61 8 82236509
Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] / [EMAIL PROTECTED]
COMING EVENTS
*SATURDAY 17 JULY 11 am: RALLY
International day of Solidarity
Protest the illegal integration of East Timor (17/7/76)
Gawler Place, Adelaide (south side of Rundle Mall)
(organised by Campaign for an Independent East Timor & other community
groups)
* SATURDAY 31 JULY 7pm: ASIET FILM NIGHT
THE TIMOR CONSPIRACY a film by John Pilger
Mercury Cinema, Lion Arts Centre, Morphett St
Tickets: $12 $8
Bookings: Resistance 82316982
(proceeds to Green Left Weekly/ASIET)
* THURSDAY 5 AUGUST 7pm: CIET FILM NIGHT
THE WINSLOW BOY starring Nigel Hawthorne
The Trak Cinema 375 Greenhill Rd, Toorak Gardens
Tickets: $10 $8 Miriam Tonkin 82956481
(Proceeds to East Timor Relief Association/CIET)
--
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