Peace and Environment News* June 1995
|
Peace and Environment News * June 1995 |
by Kerry Pither
This December 7 will mark the twentieth anniversary of Indonesia's illegal occupation of East Timor. Since 1975, over one third of the population of East Timor have been killed, making East Timor home to the worst genocide since the Holocaust. An entire generation of East Timorese have grown up under this military occupation. But this new generation is determined to resist.
A young Timorese woman named Bella recently defected to Canada from East Timor. She reports that 80 percent of Timorese women have been subjected to forced sterilization, and that torture, rape, disappearances and murder are commonplace. The Indonesian government has moved 150,000 Indonesian settlers into East Timor, in what is called the second wave of the invasion.
Since the November 12, 1991 massacre of 400 unarmed protestors in East Timor, the Indonesian government has imposed a new strategy of repression and control. It is now official policy that every East Timorese family must allow two Indonesian soldiers to live in their home.
At the APEC summit in Indonesia last November, on the third anniversary of the 1991 massacre, Canadian companies signed trade deals worth one billion dollars. This sparked demonstrations around the world. In Ottawa, almost 400 people marched on Parliament Hill. In Jakarta, a handful of Timorese activists forced East Timor into the news with their own ingenious demonstration. In East Timor, the people also demonstrated, and now that the media has left, the Indonesian military is getting its revenge.
The Canadian government says that trade increases dialogue, and increased dialogue leads to shared democratic values. But over twenty years of abundant trade, aid and dialogue between Canada and Indonesia has not promoted democracy for the people of East Timor.
Many of the deals signed in Jakarta last November were arms deals. Between 1979 and 1991, direct sales in military equipment from Canadian companies to Indonesia totalled 5.8 million dollars. Since the Liberals came to power in late 1993, they have authorized a total of 5.7 million dollars in sales of military equipment to Indonesia.
This is a pivotal year for East Timor. It is getting harder and harder for the Indonesian government to hide what it is doing there. It is now more crucial than ever that Canadians speak out against our government's continuing complicity in genocide.
On Wednesday, June 7th, the East Timor Alert Network (ETAN) will be showing an award-winning documentary produced by John Pilger called Death of a Nation: The Timor Conspiracy, which describes Western complicity in the genocide in East Timor. Following the video, Bella will give us a first hand account of conditions in her country. This event will be at the main branch of the Ottawa Public Library on Metcalfe Street at 7 P.M.
ETAN is planning a rally for November 12 to mark the fourth anniversary of the Dili massacre. We are also planning events to coincide with the December 7th anniversary of the Indonesian invasion of East Timor.
Please come to our meetings to find out how you can help. We meet every second Monday at 6 P.M. at the Jack Purcell Community Centre.
For more information, please call the East Timor Alert Network at 742-9141.
Converted July 7, 2000 - Lg
To follow up on this article, contact the author or the organizations/individuals mentioned; do not contact the Peace and Environment Resource Centre - we cannot provide follow up or contact information. This article is an archival copy of the printed one in the Peace and Environment News (PEN). Viewpoints expressed should not be taken to represent the opinions of the Peace and Environment Resource Centre, the PEN, or our supporters.
