Commemorating Dili massacre

Wednesday, October 28, 1992 - 11:00

Commemorating Dili massacre

SYDNEY — To commemorate the first anniversary of the Santa Cruz massacre, the East Timorese community in NSW will stage a three-day protest. It will begin on November 12 with a vigil outside the Indonesian consulate and end on Saturday, November 14, with a mass at St Mary's Cathedral followed by a march to Sydney Town Hall.

Speakers there will be members of the East Timorese community, Father Frank Brennan and Bernard Collaery, human rights lawyer.

The theme of the protest is "East Timor — a killing field under Indonesian rule".

Organisers of the protest point out that East Timorese civilians involved with the November 12 demonstration were sentenced to from six months to life imprisonment, while Indonesian soldiers who deliberately killed and tortured East Timorese were given sentences ranging from eight to 18 months.

"Twelve months after the horrendous killings at the Santa Cruz Cemetery, the whereabouts of hundreds of East Timorese youth are still unaccounted for."

Demands of the November 12-14 actions are:

  • the immediate and unconditioned withdrawal of Indonesian troops from East Timor;

  • that the Australian government support negotiations currently undertaken by the United Nations Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali between Portugal and Indonesia;

  • the immediate release of all East Timorese political prisoners;

  • the establishment of an international inquiry into the Dili massacre;

  • access to East Timor by non-government organisations and humanitarian organisations;

  • the setting up of Human Rights monitoring organisations in Dili and throughout East Timor to protect the civilians from malicious attack.

From GLW issue 77