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Petitions on
Justice in the Timor Sea
(Valid until Aug 30th 2004)
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Contents:
* Petitions on Justice in
the Timor Sea
-- Summary
of Sydney Timor Sea Justice Campaign petition contents
-- Summary of
Melbourne NGO group petition contents
* Other Events in Australia
-- includes Melbourne & Sydney
* About Back Door
* Email Subscription
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Petitions
on Justice in the Timor Sea
You are invited to sign two petitions
aimed at securing East Timorese rights to oil and gas.
In September the Melbourne NGO Group petition will be presented to Australian
Prime Minister John Howard and the Timor Sea Justice
Campaign (Sydney) petition will be tabled in Parliament.
"We realize that
it will take a bi-national campaign, in both East Timor and Australia,
to change the position of your [Australian] government. We therefore
welcome and highly appreciate the endeavors of Australian people
joining the Timor Sea Justice Campaign [http://www.TimorSeaJustice.org]
to support us in ... our restoration of independence. As in 1999, when
thousands of people in Australia and around the world took to the
streets to urge the government to dispatch the Australian soldiers to
Timor-Leste, we now once again rely to you to change Australia's
position and support justice for the people of Timor-Leste."
(East Timorese)
Movement Against the Occupation of the Timor Sea
"Australia is one
of the richest countries on earth per head in natural resources. The
Australian government's budget for this year is about US$ 125 billion,
but the natural gas reserves in Timor-Leste's part of the Timor Sea,
which are equal to less than one fifth of Australia's natural gas
resources, will bring in about US$30 billion in government revenues
over the next five decades. The amount is relatively small compared to
Australia's budget, and "greed" is the only word to describe this
occupation. Timor-Leste's government budget, on the other hand, is less
than US$0.1 billion per year, and losing these revenues will have a
tremendous impact on our people."
(East Timorese)
Movement Against the Occupation of the Timor Sea
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The complete petitions can be viewed
at:
http://www.pcug.org.au/~wildwood/Actions.htm
Go there to print them off and
distribute them or to sign on-line.
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Summary of Sydney Timor Sea
Justice Campaign petition contents:
Title: Timor Sea Boundaries, Oil &
Gas Revenues
"We pray the Senate ensures the
Australian Government:
1. negotiates a fair and equitable
maritime boundary with Timor Leste according to current international
law and the provisions of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea
(UNCLOS);
2. responds to Timor Leste's request
for more regular meetings to settle the maritime boundary dispute ... ;
3. returns Australia to the
jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice (IJC) and UNCLOS for
the adjudication of maritime boundary;
4. commits to hold in trust (escrow)
revenues received from disputed areas ... "
Timor Sea Justice Campaign - Sydney
includes
- Mary MacKillop Institute for East
Timor Studies,
- AETA (Australian East Timor
Association),
- APHEDA (Union Aid Abroad),
- AIDWATCH (Monitoring the
Development Dollar),
- ASAP (Action in Solidarity with
Asia and the Pacific) and others ...
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Summary of Melbourne NGO group
petition contents:
Title: Justice in the Timor
"We ask that the Australian
Government:
* Accept the sovereignty of East
Timor over the oil and gas deposits which are closer to East Timor than
Australia.
* Accept the request of the East
Timorese Government to meet monthly to negotiate permanent maritime
boundaries ...
* Accept the jurisdiction of the
International Court of Justice on issues of maritime boundaries ...
* Place in trust (escrow) revenues
received from disputed areas ... "
Melbourne NGO group
includes
- Oxfam Community Aid Abroad,
- Pax Christi,
- Anglicare,
- Uniting Church Social Justice,
- Catholic Commission for Justice and
Peace,
- World Vision,
- AETA (Australian East Timor
Association),
- ACTU (Australian Council of Trade
Unions) and others ...
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The complete petitions can be viewed
at:
http://www.pcug.org.au/~wildwood/Actions.htm
Go there to print them off and
distribute them or to sign on-line.
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Other Events in Australia
All events, including details: http://www.pcug.org.au/~wildwood/events.htm
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Melbourne:
East Timor State of the Nation
-Women and Children & Maritime
Boundaries
Mrs. Kirsty Sword Gusmao
in conversation with Rev. Tim
Costello
Friday 6th August 2004, 11:30 -
12:30pm
Melbourne Town Hall-The Yarra Room
Janelle Saffin, Secretary of Alola
0418 664001
Media Contact Paul Cleary 0431 055
584
Five years after the Independence
Ballot
- what does the future hold?
Public forum with Dr Jose Ramos Horta
8.00 pm Friday 13 August
Hawthorn Town Hall
360 Burwood Road, Hawthorn
Details 0439 555 291
An Australia-Timor Association &
Australia-Western Sahara joint
seminar:
- Alternative Narratives of War -
'Resources & independence:
parallels between East Timor and Western Sahara'
Thursday 19th August 2004 at 7:30 pm
Institute of Post Colonial Studies
78-80 Curzon Street, North Melbourne
Alex Tilman(FRETILIN), Dr Helen
Hill(AETA),
Kamal Fadel(POLISARIO Front), Kwame
Mfodwo(Monash)
AETA: Ph 61 3 9416 2960
aetamel@aetamel.org
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Sydney:
Five Years On –
A serious celebration of independent East Timor
Featuring:
* Film and video session,
* Forum: Local Government &
Community Initiatives
inside East Timor,
* Teach-in on the Timor Sea Oil and
Gas Issue and
* Referendum Day Anniversary Party
Monday 30 August
Films 2pm, Forum 4pm, Teach-in 6pm,
Party 8-10pm
Leichhardt Town Hall, 107 Norton St,
Leichhardt
Details/offers of support: Jeff Lee
(02)9519 4788
Sydney Rally in Hyde Park North
(as part of National Mobilisation)
for Timor Sea Justice Campaign
Sunday September 19th, 1pm
Justice John Dowd is a confirmed
speakers
this rally may be put back a
fortnight to
Sunday September 5th, 1pm
To Confirm ring Peter Jennings or
Jo Broughton-Dent at APHEDA 02
9264-9343
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Possible National event:
(Timor Sea Justice Campaign)
Monday 20th September
Sydney & Melbourne people may
travel to Canberra
for a National picket of the next
Round of the
start of Timor Leste-Australia talks
over the
Timor Gap Maritime Boundaries.
To Confirm ring Peter Jennings or
Jo Broughton-Dent at APHEDA 02
9264-9343
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About Back Door
Back Door is a free
Australia based
Web and email newsletter:
Back Door includes:
* Timor Sea justice info,
* urgent actions related to East
Timor,
* coming events within Australia.
Back Door:
* upholds justice and human rights,
* supports East Timorese
self-determination and
* promotes East Timorese voices.
More about Back Door:
http://www.pcug.org.au/~wildwood/AboutBD.htm
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Back Door Newsletter on
Timor Loro Sa'e
http://www.pcug.org.au/~wildwood/
Australia nia ulun tenki fo fila fali mina ho mos gas ba Timor
Loro Sa'e!
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