It would seem that we have again been well served by being a member of the British Commonwealth. The British, New Zealanders, Canadians and Australians should act alone in the absence of a firm response from the Americans. We should not be overly disappointed with our cross-Pacific allies; the United States views China as the main engine for future USA domestic growth and, as we all are aware, it will be economic considerations which will determine whatever role, if any, that the US will play in the Timor conflict. Australians should now realize that they may not necessarily count on the Americans to come to their aid in the event of any serious altercation between, not only Indonesia, but any other of our northern neighbours. The Americans have history of failing to meet its obligations whereas the British, fortunately, have always come to our aid. The Americans did nothing to assist Australia when we were unofficially at war with Indonesia in 1963-66 when British, Australian and New Zealand SAS troops held the line in Borneo against invading Indonesian troops. It was the British RAF which flew Vulcan bomber missions from Singapore to Darwin on a regular basis to keep the Soviet Tu-16's based in Java, on the ground. As you are aware, these bombers could have destroyed every base in Australia and New Zealand with just a few of their squadrons. The condundrum we are faced with today is: With the implentation of Martial Law in the former Portuguese colony, which effectively translates into a total media blackout, the Indonesian military will continue to 'truck' East Timorese to camps on the Western side, from where they will be 'transported' to distant provinces. Javanese and pro-Jakarta West Timorese will then flood into the devastated state and, without our intervention, there will no longer be any real presence of those who rightfully lay claim to the annexed land. We should not fear the numbers; Indonesia has been unable, even with its so called might, to end the conflict with poorly armed hill tribesmen and raggedy East Timorese resistance fighters. Although I personally would not wish to see our two countries in conflict, I believe that to fail the East Timorese yet again would not only demonstrate our impotence as an independent, democratic nation, but also our unwillingness to act without first seeking approval from the Americans. At the time of writing I believe that John Howard and Cabinet are meeting to formulate some further response in relation to the Indonesians most arrogant disregard for humanitarian principles. Let's pray that our representatives make the correct decision. Sincerely, Kerry B. Collison http://www.sidharta.com.au [EMAIL PROTECTED] ---------------------------------------------------------------- This is the Neither public email list, open for the public and general discussion. To unsubscribe click here Mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Subject=unsubscribe To subscribe click here Mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Subject=subscribe For information on [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.neither.org/lists/public-list.htm For archives http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]
