----- Original Message -----
From: Ciaron O'Reilly <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Saturday, 11 September 1999 12:18
Subject: Re: Update - Vigil for East Timor, Indonesian Embassy, London
BREAKING NEWS...ROBIN COOK BRITISH FOREIGN MINISTER (and longtime arms
dealer and dictatorship apologist) ANNOUNCES BRITISH ARMS EMBARGO ON
INDONESIA.
BELGIUM DRAWING UP A PROPOSAL FOR EEC ARMS EMBARGO TO BE PUT MONDAY.
(We have a British Aerospace Hawk fighter at the Warton factory totally
dressed up in INdonesian Air Force markings with registeration no. with no
where to go!!!)
Vigil for East Timor, Indonesian Embassy, Grosvenor Square, London
(closest
tube Bond St.)
Mon (Sept. 13.) - Fri (Sept. 17th.) 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Phone Ciaron 07930-961842
CONTENTS
1) Vigil for East Timor Update
2) Other demonstrations for East Timor
3) Opposition Grows in Australia
4) East Timor Solidarity Activist Jailed for 30 days
1) Vigil Update
The 3 month old Vigil for East Timor outside the Indonesian Embassy
that lead up to the ballot day in East Timor has been resumed over the
past week on a Mon- Fri 9-5 basis.
Many of the folks who joined us outside the embassy last week came
spontaneously to express their outrage and solidarity with the people of
East Timor - without knowing if their would be anyone else there.
Hopefully groups such as BCET, Tapol, Amnesty International, CAAT, Pax
Christi are now publicising the vigil amongst their membership and the
general public who are phoning their offices in response to the genocide.
Over the past few days the vigil has been joined by people from East
Timor, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Malaysia, England, Scotland,
Ireland, Holland, Switezerland, Sweden and Portugal. Nearby workers
on lunch break, workers making deliveries to the embassy and a few
bicycle meessengers have all stopped into vigil. Solidarity has been
expressed by folks living in the apartments neighboring the embassy,
police guarding the embassy and many honking passing motorists. A
local church has given us space to stash our banners and placards
overnight.
Indonesian government staff have been confronted with the reality of the
genocide their government is persecuting in East Timor. Some of these
confrontations have been on-to-one as individuals pursued embassy
staff down the street to engage them. Thus far these engagements
have been in an assertive and nonviolent spirit. We are helping each
other to maintain a nonviolent disciplin in this most provacative time and
place.
Vigil for East Timor supports & encourages nonviolent resistance at the
embassy.....blockading, sitting in, locking on etc. To the best of our
resources we will accompany resisters through action-court-punishment.
A daily presence has started outside British Aerospace Warton where a
Hawk fighter fully decorated in Indonesian Air Force markings and
registeration number awaits immediate delivery to this genocidal regime.
Hawks are presently being used over East Timor by the Indonesian
military. Preston Contact Tony & Vera 01772- 825831 2) Other
Demonstrations *Monday Foreign Office 12.30 p.m. - 2 p.m. British
Coalition for East Timor Ph. 0370-372315 *Tues and Wed actions at the
Arms Fairs Call CAAT 0171-281 0297 *Wednesday 12 noon - 2 p.m. at
British Aerospace Warton (near Preston)against the Hawks awaiting
delivery to the Indoensian military Ph. Ver or Tony 01772-825831
*Saturday organised by the Portugese Community 10 Downing St. 12
noon - 2 p.m. 3)
Opposition Grows in Australia Yesterday (Fri) 25,000 people marched in
downtown Melbourne in solidarity with the people of East Timor, 20,000
marched in Sydney. Brisbane City Council hosted an east Timor
solidarity gathering of 1,000 in City Hall. Today (Sat.) over 20,000
marched in other Australian centres.
The Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) have placed significant bans on
Indonesina shipping and flights. Air Garuda flights have been disrupted
and diverted. The MUA placed similar bans on Dutch shipping duiring
the struggle for Indonesian independence in the 1940's.
Three Christian peace activsts were arrested after entering the offices for
the Dept. of Foreign Affairs in Brisbane, pasting photogarphs of a recent
massacre in East Timor on the walls and writing the words "God Forgive
Us!". Lisa Bridle, Rachel Harrison and Jim Dowling have been charged
with "criminal damage". Others were arrested blockading the Brisbane
offices of Air Garuda.
Young East Timorese were arrested following an occupation of the
Indonesian
Consul.
4)East Timor Solidarity Activist Jailed for 30 days as His Demands for an
End to the Training of Indonesian Troop in Australia are realised.
Jim Dowling a member of the West End Catholic Worker community
(Brisbane/Australia) and the Faith & Resistance network is at present in
the Brisbane watch house serving a 30 day sentence in protest against
the training of Indonesian officers at Canungra Jungle warfare Training
Centre in southeast Queensland.
Ironically at the time of his arrest the government announced the
suspension of training at Canungra for the same reasons Jim gave for
his actions last year. Jim is a father of five and a soap maker . He and
his family deserve any support we can give them. Attached is his
statement
Statement by Jim Dowling
11/09/99
I am presently serving a 30 day sentence for refusing to pay a fine for a
protest at Canungra Army base last December.
For 10 years we have been pleading with all who would listen to stop
training the murderous Indonesian military who would use new skills
(and obvious support) to continue genocide against the East Timorese
people.
Now that genocide has reached a climax of untold horror.
I will not pay my fine and will fast on water only for my full sentence as
penance for the ongoing crime we all share of the 24 year betrayal of the
east timorese people.
I call on all Australians to resist the ongoing crimes of our heartless
government in failing to impose any sanctions against the Indonesian
government and continuing to lie and cover up for them. We must act
now before the genocide is total.
Letters of support to Jim Dowling or the Dowling Family
c/-269 Boundary St.
West End
Brisbane Q. 4101 AUSTRALIA
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