BY MAIRE LEADBEATER

AUCKLAND — Amnesty International activists co-ordinated three successful vigils in solidarity with the people of Aceh on June 6.

The vigils, in the morning, at noon and during evening rush hour, took place in Auckland's central business district against the backdrop of a huge banner. The banner was a tableau of 100 names of people from Aceh who have either “disappeared” or have been killed in the past five years.

Public interest in the protests was strong and dozens of signatures were collected on a petition to the Indonesian government calling on it to uphold humanitarian law. Greens MP Keith Locke participated in the lunchtime action and said he was urging the New Zealand Labour government to take strong action to prevent a repeat of the massacres in East Timor.

[Maire Leadbeater is a member of the Indonesia Human Rights Committee in Auckland.]

From Green Left Weekly, June 18, 2003.
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