The Guardian 6 December, 2006
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Letters to the Editor
Australia Indonesia Security Pact
The Australian and Indonesian Governments chose a very ironic time to announce their
joint security pact, which involves resuming cooperation with KOPASSUS, the most brutal
division of the Indonesian military (TNI).
At about the same time, Uniya, the Jesuit Social Justice Centre, in cooperation with Australian East
Timor friendship groups was launching in major Australian centres Chega [Enough], the East Timor
Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation (CAVR) report of human rights abuses by the
Indonesian military (TNI) in East Timor.
The dates of the launches were chosen to coincide with the 15th anniversary of the Santa Cruz
(Dili) Massacre, one of the major mass murders perpetrated by the TNI while it illegally occupied
East Timor. On November 12, 1991, Indonesian soldiers turned their machine guns on defenceless
civilians who were part of a funeral procession killing 371.
The TNI also carried out follow-up massacres and 500 people are still unaccounted for.
The latest Australian-Indonesian agreement should be of great concern to all Australians who value
human rights and social justice in the Asian Pacific region.
Even the most casual observer of regional affairs would be aware that KOPASSUS has been
responsible for genocide and sickening crimes against humanity in Indonesia, West Papua, East
Timor and Aceh.
They also are aware that there can be no peace and security for nations in this region while we
continue to turn a blind eye to the behaviour of KOPASSUS and TNI generally.
Congratulations should go to Defence writer Ian McPhedran who has been one of the very few
journalists in the mainstream media for identifying this as one of the major flaws in the proposed
security pact (Neighbour Watch, The Advertiser 9.11.2006).
For some years, people who have been promoting peace and justice in our region of the world
have been calling for a complete ban on all forms of military cooperation with the TNI until all the
war criminals in its ranks have been brought to justice and it has paid reparations to East Timor for
the death and destruction it caused during its 25 years of illegal occupation.
If we respect the rights of our neighbours in the Asia Pacific region, we should be demanding that
Australian governments stop all forms of cooperation with KOPASSUS or the TNI until their victims
have received justice. The TNI is the greatest terrorist force in the SE Asian region.
It is well known to US security organisations that it has direct links with other terrorist organisations
throughout the world.
Australia, therefore, has no credibility when it claims to be committed to defeating terrorism when
the world community is well aware that we train and cooperate with one of the world's largest
terrorist organisations.
No more Santa Cruz style massacres!
No more genocides in our region!
Andrew (Andy) Alcock
Information Officer
Australia East Timor Friendship
Association (SA) Inc
Adelaide, SA
Teachers on right track
I was really pleased to see thousands of people taking part last Thursday in the action
against new IR laws. It's been a long time since an action of such proportion was taken.
Congratulations to all those who had managed to take part in it and to all those who had
helped to organise it. Looking forward to more of the same, as the present government is
deadly serious about trying to eliminate all opposition to its vile policies.
I was a bit disappointed, though with some comments directed at teachers who had advised
parents about the action. It was construed as "teachers' union propaganda" and some
commentators were worried about the effect on students' impressionable minds. In my opinion
teachers have done the right thing — if they were taking part in the action it was their duty to warn
parents.
Secondly, many teenage students are already experiencing the working conditions which are
considered to be "fair" by the present government. My friends have a son who had started work
(after school) at McDonalds. The pay is about $5.25 an hour, the kids have to buy their own
uniforms and they are also told to sweep the street around the place because some customers
drop their rubbish there.
We do not hear many comments about these sorts of conditions in the daily press. I'd like to thank
those teachers who explain to their students about their rights — after all, your rights at work and my
rights at work are an integral part of our human and democratic rights.
Young people are to be treated with respect — only then can we hope that they will grow up as
proud and responsible citizens of their country. Diminishing their worth by exploiting them is mean
and short-sighted. It will be the youngsters of today who'll have to deal with the planet's problems
that we are leaving behind. They'll have to learn to work collectively and for the common good, not
for grab-and-run individualistic values that are being promoted now.
And besides, aren't we supposed to have a choice in what we take part in and believe in? Or is the
choice made and we are supposed to follow blindly?
Denis R
Fairfield, Vic