========================================= Very Urgent Action Alert September 16, 1999 Phone Your Representative and Senators Immediately to Unblock Relief Shipments to East Timor and to Support HR 2809 and S.1568 The situation of the refugees in East Timor is dire. According to the U.N. Food and Agricultural Organization, about 200,000 East Timorese are at risk of starvation if they do not immediately receive relief supplies. But the Indonesian military (TNI) is not cooperating. The TNI is effectively blocking Australian efforts to drop relief packages (see article below). As part of your calls to your Congressional Representative and Senators to garner support for HR 2809 and S.1568 (see the Urgent Action of September 15), urge Congress and the Senate to work to put immediate pressure on Jakarta to stop the blocking of the relief airdrops. The congressional switchboard number is 202-224-3121 or check www.congress.gov for additional contact information. For more information, contact Karen Orenstein at 202-544-6911 or [EMAIL PROTECTED] ========================================= East Timor relief drops delayed by Indonesian military: PM SYDNEY, Sept 16 (AFP) - Australian Prime Minister John Howard said aid drops into East Timor were not likely to go ahead Thursday because the safety of the planes could not be assured. Howard told Channel Nine television Australia had yet to get an Indonesian military guarantee they would not shoot down the planes carrying much-needed aid. He said difficulties were being experienced because there were no clear lines of command in Indonesia. "We had hoped today," Howard said. "The prospect of that, I was told a few for more minutes ago, are not all that bright because we're still having trouble getting certain assurances from the Indonesian military authorities. "We can't take the risk of the planes being shot down because they're needed for other things but we want to get the aid in as soon as possible. "Now we're working on that over time. We've got the approval of the Indonesian minister but we haven't got the approval of the Indonesian military." Australian troops will help deliver the aid once it arrives on the ground. "Under the United Nations resolution, one of the tasks of the force is to facilitate the provision of humanitarian assistance," Howard said. END ____________________________________________________________________________ | Eric S. Piotrowski ____________________| "The oppressed cannot remain | | IFET-OP U.S. Interim Coordinator ______| oppressed forever. The urge for | | [EMAIL PROTECTED] ____________________| freedom will eventually come." | | http://www.atlantic.net/~altin ________| - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. | |________________________________________|_________________________________| Take action RIGHT NOW to stop the slaughter in East Timor! http://etan.org/ Phone: 831-728-4190 Fax: 831-761-1401
