Campaign for an Independent East Timor (S.A.) 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
ATTENTION: Chief of Staff
MEDIA STATEMENT: 27 MARCH 1999
A PLEA TO THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT FROM XANANA GUSMAO
The following statement was issued today by the Information Officer of the
Campaign for an Independent East Timor (South Australia) in response to a
plea made to the Australian Government by Xanana Gusmao, during his first
satellite interview:
"Last night in his first satellite interview, Xanana Gusmao, East Timor's
independence leader, called on the Australian Government to take action to
ensure that the pro Indonesian militias are disarmed to prevent further
loss of life in his country.
Given recent events in East Timor, this is a request that should be taken
seriously by the Australia and other western governments if they do not
wish to be branded as hypocritical.
The Age has recently reported that thousands of Indonesian special forces
soldiers have been flooding across East Timor's western border in recent
months. The paper's sources include both Australian intelligence and
witnesses in East Timor. Many of the troops seen crossing into East Timor
have been heavily armed. Most have returned to West Timor without weapons.
It is obvious that the Indonesian leadership is attempting to subvert the
will of the East Timorese as they prepare to make a decision about their
nation's future. It is, therefore, highly inappropriate and callously
criminal of Australia, other western governments and the UN to expect that
the Indonesian regime which has caused many human rights abuses in East
Timor should be left with the responsibility for keeping the peace and
providing humanitarian aid to the tiny nation's suffering people.
It should be remembered that western aid personnel reported many years ago
that the major thrust of Indonesian health appeared to be sterilisation of
East Timorese women without their knowledge. Further, many East Timorese
women have reported that their healthy new born babies have died under
mysterious circumstances in Indonesian hospitals in East Timor.
Trusting Indonesia with a humanitarian role in East Timor is akin to
putting trust in Nazi Germany during World War 2 to provide health and
welfare programmes to those peoples and groups that it liquidated.
When we compare the stand taken by the Howard Government on Timor, its
endorsement of NATO attacks on Kosovo has to be seen as extremely
hypocritical. Most Australians would agree with Foreign Minister, Alexander
Downer, when he said that no country should be allowed to continue abuse
the human rights of others without some action being taken.
He must then explain why Australian governments, including the Howard
administration, have aided and abetted the Indonesian regime militarily
for 24 years. After all, Indonesia has been responsible for genocide in
both West Papua and East Timor which has seen approximately a third of the
population in each country being wiped out during that time. Further, when
it seized power from the democratically elected Sukarno government in 1965,
the regime was responsible for a year long bloodbath which claimed up to 3
million lives.
Since the fall of Suharto, the Indonesian regime has continually increased
its troops numbers and is frantically arming the pro Indonesian militia
groupings that are still causing terror and committing crimes against
humanity in Timor.
Now we discover that Australia has resumed training programs for the
Indonesian military. This explains why the Howard Government has not been
actively promoting peace keeping in East Timor and encouraging the
Indonesian military to continue its murderous presence.
It should be noted that the East Timorese and their supporters are not
calling for an armed intervention Kosovo-style. They are simply calling for
a halt to the western military cooperation with Indonesia and for effective
peace keeping and humanitarian aid programmes to be provided to prevent
further slaughter".
Andrew (Andy) Alcock
Information Officer
CIET (SA) Inc
Phone: 08 83710480 (home) 08 82053259 (work)
Pager: 08 84157467
Facsimile: 08 82236509
Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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