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BACK DOOR Newsletter on East Timor

Mary MacKillop Institute East Timor (MMET)
formerly Mary MacKillop Institute for East Timorese Studies (MMIETS)
Institutu Mary MacKillop
Based in Dili, East Timor and Sydney, Australia

Founded by the Religious of St. Joseph, Blessed Mary MacKillop's order, in 1994 in response to an appeal for help by Bishop Belo (Diocese of Dili) and in consultation with the East Timorese community. 

Contact:

Sister Susan Connelly, Assistant Director of MMET
PO Box 299, St Marys NSW 1790 AUSTRALIA
Phone: 02 9623 2847
Fax: 02 9623 1573
Email: sc@mmiets.org.au
Home: http://www.mmiets.org.au
Timor Sea Justice Issues: http://www.mmiets.org.au/projects4.html
This page last updated: 4 July 2006
(Please notify of any new or updated info or to make corrections: wildwood@pcug.org.au )
Contents:
Quotes
Commentary on Timor's Oil
Action for Timor Sea justice
About MMIETS

"I believe that regardless of what the East Timor Government accepts [in talks with Australia], there are issues of principle which Australians should require that our Government fulfil. 
These made up the terms of the recent petition:
1.  That a fair and equitable boundary be set.
2.  That Australia negotiates in good faith and in a timely fashion.
3.  That Australia returns to International arbitration.
4.  That Australia stops benefitting financially from areas under dispute. ...
Australian policy is that we benefit financially from areas which are under dispute, and that policy has brought us nearly $2 billion since 1999. In discussing consequences of this policy, it is both fair and proper to consider the effects of the distribution of wealth.  So whilst I argue that the ownership of the resources of the Timor Sea must be determined only on principles of accepted law and customary practice, I maintain that the dire need of the people of East Timor makes the application of justice a priority. East Timor has gained its political independence, but is not yet economically independent.  It is one of the poorest nations in Asia." Sr. Susan Connelly, Spokesperson on oil issues, Mary MacKillop Institute for East Timorese Studies (MMIETS)

“Australia has long been at the forefront of international assistance to East Timor.” DFAT
"This is an astounding claim which cannot go unchallenged. Australia has not long been in the forefront of assistance to East Timor at all. Australia’s support for East Timor  was practically non-existent for 23 years, then reluctantly cautious when Suharto collapsed. Mounting public opinion was the moving force behind  the assistance given by any Government. No Australian Government of any complexion ever had the honesty or the compassion or the courage to risk overriding “our most important relationship”, that with Indonesia." Srs. Josephine Mitchell & Susan Connelly, Mary MacKillop Institute for East Timorese Studies (MMIETS)

"Your editorial Timor solution not in law books (SMH 09.08.04)  mentions in passing that “at Australia's insistence there is no court or adjudicator to decide the legal case.” Well, of course. East Timor’s case is far stronger than our Government would have us believe, so we wouldn’t want interference from anything remotely like an independent arbiter." Sr. Susan Connelly, Spokesperson on oil issues, Mary MacKillop Institute for East Timorese Studies (MMIETS)
 


Commentary on Timor's Oil

25 Sep 2004 MMIETS: Timor Sea Resources - Issues of Principle:
http://www.pcug.org.au/~wildwood/04sep25mmiets.html

11 Aug 2004 MMIETS: DFAT Correspondence re Timor's Oil:
http://www.pcug.org.au/~wildwood/04aug11mmiets.html

11 Aug 2004 MMIETS: Letter to Herald re Timor's Oil:
http://www.pcug.org.au/~wildwood/04aug11bmmiets.html



Action for Timor Sea justice

See this web-page for suggestions of actions to take: http://www.mmiets.org.au/projects4.html

About Mary MacKillop East Timor (MMET)
formerly Mary MacKillop Institute for East Timorese Studies (MMIETS)

This info last updated: 4 July 2006

MMIETS is a Sydney and Dili based charitable institute established in 1994 by the Religious of St. Joseph (the order of the Blessed Mary MacKillop - Australia's first and so far the only saint officially recognised by the Roman Catholic church) in response to an appeal for help by Bishop Belo (Diocese of Dili) and in consultation with the East Timorese community. It was created to assist in meeting the cultural, educational, health and material needs of the people of East Timor. MMIETS is safeguarding East Timorese culture by promoting the use of the language Tetum within the Church and general education and is developing a Tetum literacy program to this end. 


Director of MMET:
Sister Josephine Mitchell, RSJ (Religious of St. Joseph - "Brown Joey's")
email: josem@mmiets.org.au

Assistant Director of MMET:
Sister Susan Connelly, RSJ
email: sc@mmiets.org.au

Reception / Secretarial:
Noreen Nicoara
email: noreen@mmiets.org.au

Supervisor of Linguistics & Editor of Tetun Materials (based in Dili):
Father Leão da Costa, Director of Catholic Education, Fundação São Paulo

Tetun Oral & Literary language expertise (based in Dili):
Father Ricardo da Silva, Bishop of the Diocese of Dili
Father Ricardo was born in Dare, East Timor and has been speaking Tetun all his life.

Linguist, Educator (based in Dili):
Sister Teresa (Tess) A. Ward, FDNSC (Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart)
email: tess@mmiets.org.au

Timorese Tetun language expertise (based in Sydney):
Luisa da Cunha Marques
Filomena de Oliveira

Health worker/educator, Nurse:
Sister Joan Westblade, LCM (Little Company of Mary)
email: joanw@mmiets.org.au


MMET - Sydney, Australia:
20 Mamre Rd, St Marys
PO Box 299, St Marys NSW 1790 AUSTRALIA
Phone: 02 9623 2847
Fax: 02 9623 1573

Institutu Mary MacKillop - Bekora, Dili Timur, Timor Lorosae:
New larger premises now located in Bekora.
PO Box 427, Dili, East Timor (via Darwin)

Home: http://www.mmiets.org.au
Timor Sea Justice Issues: http://www.mmiets.org.au/projects4.html
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