Response to Timor film

The screening of John Pilger's film Death of A Nation on national television in New Zealand on April 10 brought a flood of phone calls to the East Timor Independence Committee's action line.

The Auckland-based group received more than 600 calls from people concerned with the role of New Zealand and its allies in supplying arms and political support to the Indonesian government.

According to committee spokesperson Tim Howard, the line was jammed with calls immediately following the end of the documentary at 11.50pm and had to be kept going into the early hours of the morning. A demonstration was also held the next day outside the Indonesian Embassy in Wellington.

The committee has called on foreign affairs minister Don McKinnon to use New Zealand's current position as chair of the United Nations Security Council to insist on Indonesian compliance with UN resolutions on East Timor. The committee has also demanded an end to military aid to Indonesia.

While the film has been shown at various cinemas across Australia, it has yet to appear on national television. Distributor Gil Scrine told Green Left that the ABC and Channel 9 had been offered the film, but as yet had not shown much interest.

This article was posted on the Green Left Weekly Home Page.
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