Comrades, ASIET has organised a National speaking tour April 10-17, 2000 entitled Unfinished struggles for freedom in Indonesia and East Timor. Speakers: Budiman Sujatmiko, Chairperson of the Indonesian People's Democratic Party (PRD) and Avelino da Silva, General Secretary of the Socialist Party of Timor Below are dates for each city and a brief bio on the speakers. comradely, Kim B __________________________________ > Action in Solidarity with Indonesia and East Timor (ASIET) is honoured to > be able to tour these prominent campaigners for freedom and justice and we > invite you to support and attend the public meetings in your city (see > below for the details). Please see the short biographies below give you an > idea of the campaigns Budiman and Avelino are currently involved in. > Budiman Sujatmiko -Chairperson of the People's Democratic Party > > Budiman Sujatmiko, the national chairperson of the People's Democratic > Party, will tour Australia in April. This will be his first international > tour since being released from prison last December. His party, the most > outspoken critic of the former regimes of Suharto and Habibie, is now > gaining a reputation for being the voice of the Indonesian people, as it > campaigns against the IMF-driven economic restructuring program about to be > implemented by the so-called reformist Wahid-Megawati government. > > Budiman Sujamiko joined the student movement in 1988 while studying > economics at Yogjakarta University of Gadja Mada. That same year, he > decided to join the peasant movement and went back to his home town to > organise small farmers to resist attempts by the Shell-owned company > Olephine to take over their land. > > In 1994, Budiman was one of the founding members of the Indonesian People's > Democratic Party, set up by student activists to link up with and provide > assistance to the growing mass protests against Suharto's dictatorial > regime. At the time the PRD organised many mass actions through workers, > students and small farmers committees. > > In 1996, the PRD became the first political party to openly declare its > opposition to the Suharto regime. > > For these activities, Budiman was arrested in 1996 and charged under the > anti-subversion law. In 1997, he was tried and sentenced to 13 years' jail. > During his court room appearance, Budiman used to opportunity to condemn > the Suharto regime for its corruption, nepotism and cronyism and violence > against the people. His court room speech, in front of Suharto's crony > judges and military, was broadcast around the world. > > Budiman believes that if the student movement hadn't overthrown Suharto in > May 1998, and a worldwide campaign for his release hadn't been launched (he > became one of the Amnesty International's prisoner's of conscience), he may > still be in prison today. > > The Gus Dur-Megawati government released Budiman and other political > prisoners last December. > > Today, Budiman is a prominent spokesperson for the People's Democratic > Party, and receives regular press and TV coverage inside Indonesia for the > party's campaign against the government's decision to cut subsides to fuel > and electricity. > > The party still faces harassment and threats from police and military at > every public action they organise. But they are used to this having been > the most consistent campaigners alongside the East Timorese students > demanding Jakarta's withdrawal from East Timor; and for real democracy > inside Indonesia. > > Today the PRD is campaigning that the Wahid government solve the country's > economic problems in a different way: The PRD argues that the government: > cancel the foreign debt; refuse to rescue insolvent banks, nationalise > Suharto and his cronies' assets at home and abroad (Time magazine estimated > Suharto's assets to be worth US$16 billion), nationalise the military's > enterprises; reduce the military budget (which is larger than the > education, social welfare, agriculture and forestry budgets); clean up > corruption and state-owned enterprises and the bureaucracy and put all > corrupt officials on trial. > > The PRD are also campaigning for an international war crimes tribunal to be > set up to bring the generals responsible for the violence and mayhem in > East Timor to be bought to justice. They also want Suharto to be put on > trial, and an investigation opened into the 1965-66 government-sponsored > massacre of at least 1 million leftists and activists from the Communist > Party of Indonesia. > > Avelino da Silva - Secretary General of Socialist Party of Timor > > Avelino da Silva, 39, is secretary general of the Socialist Party of Timor > (PST). At the time of Indonesia's invasion of East Timor in 1975, Avelino > and his family were members of Fretilin and active in the campaign to end > Portuguese colonial rule. > > Along with thousands of other East Timorese, he fled to the mountains to > continue the struggle for independence. Avelino was strongly influenced by > the leftist radicals within Fretilin. In 1981, he was involved in the > formation of OJETIL, which set itself up as a Marxist youth organisation. > > During the 1980's Avelino worked for the Resistance in the mountains and > towns of East Timor. Along with other activists within Fretilin, Avelino > continued to identify with socialist politics. This grouping formed the > Timorese Socialist Association, which later became the PST. > > In 1989, he left East Timor for Java to strengthen the campaign for > independence among the sizeable number of East Timorese workers and > students living there. While in Java, Avelino established close links with > the radical Indonesian students and labour activists campaigning against > the Suharto dictatorship. In 1993, Avelino assisted Constancio Pinto, the > head of the clandestine front (the East Timorese underground network), to > escape from Indonesia. > > In 1995, Xanana Gusmao assigned Avelino (alias Shalar Kossi) the task of > undertaking specialist military activities with Falintil, which included > the formation of the ``Brigada Negra'' special forces in 1997. He was > hounded by the Indonesian military and security personnel which led to him, > his wife, his two young daughters and three other East Timorese activists > to seek sanctuary in the Austrian embassy in September 1997. > > The Indonesian authorities accused Avelino of undertaking ``terrorist > activities'' and demanded he be handed over. He and his family remained in > the embassy until April 1999. > > In June 1999, he was a participant in the Dare II reconciliation meeting > held in Jakarta, after which he returned to East Timor to campaign in the > lead-up to the August 30 referendum. > > After the August 30 ballot result was announced on September 5, Avelino was > forced to flee the militia and Indonesian military rampage in Dili, > spending three anxious weeks with tens of thousands of East Timorese near > the town of Dare. > > In October, Avelino was appointed by Xanana to the Transitional Council, > the peak body representing the East Timorese during the United Nations > transitional period. The Transitional Council has been incorporated into > the National Consultative Council, the advisory body for UNTAET (United > Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor). > > In recent months, Avelino has also been active in building the PST and its > related organisations including the labour organisation, Alliance of > Socialist Workers, which on January 5 staged the first worker demonstration > in Dili since Indonesian occupation ended. The protest demanded an increase > in wages for East Timorese workers and the lowering of prices on food and > other basic commodities. Avelino has also been outspoken about the slow > pace of reconstruction aid, and is campaigning for an improvement in the > distribution of food, medicine and other vital aid. > > The PST has also restarted a number of rural-based cooperatives including > in Aileu, Emera and Liquica, Manatuto, Ossu, and have embarked on an > ambitious project of teaching English and Tetum literacy. Hundreds of > people have been attending these classes. > > Who is ASIET? > > ASIET, an aid and solidarity organisation, was established in the early > 1990s to support the radical democratic forces in Indonesia and East Timor. > ASIET aims to publicise the struggles undertaken by the Indonesian People's > Democratic Party (PRD) and related worker, student and small farmer > organisations, and similarly with the Socialist Party of Timor and related > worker, student and small farmer organisations. > > We aim to raise awareness here about our neighbours' struggles for justice > against the IMF austerity push, and seek to place maximum pressure on the > Australian government to adopt a pro-people foreign policy. We publish > regular newsletters, a weekly NetNews Digest and a quarterly magazine > Indonesia-East Timor Watch. > > For more information contact: ASIET on [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Tel: (02) 9690 1230 or Fax: (02) 9690 1381 > > Web: http://www.asiet.org.au > > Adelaide: April 16, 3pm Nexus Multicultural Centre, corner North Tce and > Morphett St, Adelaide. Ph: 8231 6982; 0419 756 561 > > Brisbane: April 11, 7pm Trades and Labor Council Building; 2nd floor, 16 > Peel St, South Brisbane. Ph: 3254 0565; 0417 747 109 > > Canberra: April 13, 6.30pm Manning Clarke, Theatre 3, ANU. Ph: 6247 2424 > > Darwin: April 10, 7.30pm Mal Nairn Auditorium, Northern Territory > University. Ph: 8981 4714; 0413 730 065 > > Hobart: April 15, 3pm Resistance Centre, 225 Murray St, Hobart. Ph: 6234 > 6397; 0413 976 638 > > Melbourne: April 14, 7pm Public Lecture Theatre (PLT) Melbourne University, > Parkville. Ph: 9639 8622; 0413 257 660 > > Perth: April 17, 7pm Lotteries House Conference Room, 2 Delhi St, West > Perth. Ph: 9227 7367 > > Sydney: April 12, 6.30pm Trades Hall Auditorium, Goulburn St, Sydney. Ph: > 9690 1032; 9690 1230=20 > > Action in Solidarity with Indonesia and East Timor (ASIET) > PO Box 458 > Broadway NSW 2007 > Australia > Tel: 61 (0)2 9690 1032 > Fax: 61 (0)2 9690 1381 > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > http://www.asiet.org.au/ > > > LL.VD LL.ND LL.QD LL.WD LL.AD LL.SD LL.TD > > -- > > Leftlink - Australia's Broad Left Mailing List > mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > http://www.alexia.net.au/~www/mhutton/index.html > > Sponsored by Melbourne's New International Bookshop > Subscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=subscribe%20leftlink > Unsubscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20leftlink > > > --- from list [EMAIL PROTECTED] ---
