Student organisation calls for solidarity

Student organisation calls for solidarity

According to Mautodok, a representative of RENETIL (National Resistance of Free East Timor Students), who is currently in Australia, "The May 13 demonstrations demanding Australia cut military ties with Indonesia are a good step forward. These are the right kind of demands at the moment, and RENETIL supports the actions."

Mautodok told Green Left Weekly that RENETIL aims to organise all East Timorese students outside East Timor, whether in Indonesia or elsewhere. In Indonesia RENETIL acts as a clandestine organisation. The head of RENETIL, Jose Neves, was recently tried in Indonesia for "spreading discontent" and sentenced to four years in jail.

Mautodok explained that RENETIL includes East Timorese students of all affiliations, including members of Fretilin, the Timorese Democratic Union (UDT), Catholic students and students without affiliations.

RENETIL is active in introducing the East Timor issue to Indonesians. "We do a lot of education work. There are more and more young people, especially the student movement in Indonesia, who are in solidarity with the East Timorese struggle. This is a big step forward. Also, now, the intellectuals and the opposition are beginning to watch what is happening. The struggle for democracy in Indonesia and the East Timorese struggle are parallel struggles."

From GLW issue 186