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Action Alert! Burma-East Timor Soli



Subject: Action Alert! Burma-East Timor Solidarity

NEW ENGLAND BURMA ROUNDTABLE

=========================================
September 14, 1999

Action Alert! Burma-East Timor Solidarity
=========================================

Please take the time to take action in support of the people of East Timor.

On Saturday, Shalini Nataraj and Simon Billenness attended the East Timor
Action Network (ETAN) Speak Out at MIT. We were proud to lend the name of
the New England Burma Roundtable as a sponsor of the event.

Despite the continual demands on their time and resources, East Timorese
leaders, such as Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Jose Ramos-Horta have been
outspoken in their support of the Burmese democracy movement. This is in
sharp contrast to the leaders of Indonesia who have extended direct aid and
comfort to the Burmese military junta.

Here in New England, the Burma Roundtable and the East Timor Action Network
have worked together, holding joint events and supporting each other's
efforts to enact local selective purchasing laws.

The people of East Timor desperately need our help and support right now. I
urge you to build on the record of solidarity and common purpose between
our two movements by making the phone calls described the action alert below. 

To have your name and email added to ETAN's mailing list, contact
ETAN-Boston at the address at the end of this message.

I have also provided ETAN-Boston with a copy of the New England Burma
Roundtable mailing list so that ETAN can call Burma Roundtable members.
This is the first time that we've ever made the Burma Roundtable mailing
list available to another group. I hope you would agree that the
circumstances in East Timor demand this unprecedented level of support.

Simon Billenness
*for the New England Burma Roundtable*
Trillium Asset Management
711 Atlantic Avenue, Boston, MA 02111
(617) 423-6655, x225
(800) 548-5684
(617) 482-6179 - fax
sbillenness@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.trilliuminvest.com/
==================================================

EAST TIMOR ACTION NETWORK - BOSTON-AREA

ACTION ALERT

****Phone banking Tuesday at St. Pauls Church 5-7 pm.  Come call you friends
(bring your lists) or ours.  29 Mount Auburn St.Harvard Square, near Harvard
Square T stop.

****Action-Planning Meeting also Tuesday at St. Pauls Church.  Come with your
ideas and help make our better.  

****Teach-In Thursday at Tufts,7-10 pm Pearson Hall 104. For information,
contact Jerry Meldon
 617 627-3570, jmeldon@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

We will try and post news of events on the Peace and Justice Hotline.  If you
know of an event or are organizing an action, please post it to this 24-hour
hotline (617) 787-6809.


ETAN Emergency Action Alert
Post-Referendum Alert #4: September 13, 1999

MAKE SIX CALLS... AND DEMONSTRATE!

IMPORTANT BREAKTHROUGH: Indonesia Agrees to Introduction of International
Forces Into East Timor, Clinton Announces Suspension of U.S. Military
Assistance, and Pending IMF and World Bank Loans to Indonesia, Belatedly
Responds to International, U.S. Public and Congressional Outrage at
Attempted Genocide in East Timor

SENATE (S.1568), HOUSE (H.R. 2809) INTRODUCE BILLS, OTHER HOUSE AND SENATE
OFFICES INTRODUCE RESOLUTIONS AND SEND LETTERS, CALL FOR SUSPENSION OF ALL
U.S. AID TO INDONESIA AND SUPPORT FOR INTERNATIONAL MISSION IN EAST TIMOR

Background: Mounting international condemnation of attempted genocide in
East Timor has forced the Indonesian government and military to tentatively
agree to the introduction of "international forces" into East Timor
(although, as Sandy Berger has said, ironically enough, "the devil is in
the details"). The recent announcement by the Clinton Administration of a
suspension of all US military assistance to Indonesia (including commercial
sales), an effective halt to most U.S. economic aid to Indonesia, and the
temporary suspension of IMF and World Bank disbursements have demonstrated
the leverage the U.S. can exercise when compelled to act. But the situation
in East Timor remains dire. Dili and most towns in East Timor are feared
destroyed. Thousands are likely dead. Tens of thousands of refugees face
starvation and disease in camps in both East and West Timor, even as
militia and Indonesian military units continue their campaign of systematic
destruction and killing. Thousands of lives hang in the balance!

The U.S. must "lock in" the temporary suspension of military assistance
through congressional action. The U.S. must back the speedy deployment of
an international force to support the UN in taking control of security,
ending martial law, demanding Indonesian military withdrawal, and disarming
and arresting paramilitaries. In the interim, the U.S. must demand
immediate access by humanitarian and relief agencies to internal refugees
and refugees forcibly displaced from East Timor and support emergency
airlifts of food and medical supplies.

* CALL: Your Senators and Representative.

Urge them to call UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, President Clinton,
Defense Secretary Cohen with the above message. Ask them to co-sponsor and
support HR 2809 in the House and S. 1568 in the Senate, and other
resolutions introduced by Rep Capuano (D-MA), and Senator Harkin (D-IA).

Senate 1568 was introduced by Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) and others.
Companion bill HR 2809 was introduced by Patrick Kennedy (D-RI), Nita Lowey
(D-NY), Frank Wolf (R-VA) and others. They call for: the immediate
suspension of all U.S. military and economic assistance to Indonesia until
the results of the August 30 ballot have been implemented; and U.S. support
for an international mission in East Timor.

Also, don't forget HR 1063!-- the binding bill with over 80 co-sponsors,
that would ban all U.S. combat training (under law) to any country
currently restricted from receiving any single training program due to
human rights violations.

There is a window of opportunity now to pass S.1568/HR 2809 and HR 1063.
Let's move them! The congressional switchboard number is 202-224-3121 or
check www.congress.gov for additional contact information.

* CALL: U.S. Ambassador the the UN Richard Holbrooke at 212-415-4000.

Demand that any UN agreement on an international force to East Timor remain
unconditional, or stipulate immediate humanitarian airlifts and full
withdrawal of Indonesian troops, not security cooperation with the
Indonesian military.

* CALL: Defense Secretary William Cohen at 703-692-7100 (fax: 703-697-9080).

Demand that the current suspension of U.S. military assistance to Indonesia
be maintained until the Indonesian military is fully withdrawn from East
Timor.

IF YOU'RE STILL READY FOR MORE...

* CALL:

President Clinton at the White House Comment Line at 202-456-1414.


* AND... DEMONSTRATE!

Call ETAN's field organizing office at 773-255-7949 for the protest nearest
you! Or, organize your own and let them know where and when. Since the
referendum, demonstrations have been held in San Francisco, LA, New York
(with 22 arrests), Portland, Boston and Washington, where vigils are now
daily.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Additional thoughts.

Although it is not yet possible to get humanitarian aid in to East Timor,
please
begin the groundwork to securing donations in your places of community so that
as soon as it is possible, and we issue the call (let you know what agencies,
such as Red Cross, etc.) we will be ready.

In your places of community, please share news of what is happening and how
people can help.

We must intensify the press coverage.  Consider checking out this website:

http://www.angelfire.com/pe/Timor/

If you'd rather not see the two graphic photos, just scroll down quickly.
There
are several email links of newsrooms.  Remember, when they get responses, they
know what stories are selling.  This is really crucial. Sad but true.   Just
write a couple of lines, put something about e. timor in subject heading, so
they'll see when they scan, and copy/paste the message into mail to all the
other news offices.



To learn more,
Visit www.etan.org
Visit www.easttimor.com

East Timor Action Network (ETAN)
ETAN / Greater Boston
72 Hamlet Street, Arlington, MA 02474-3221
Tel: (781) 648-0548
Recorded Event details (617) 787-6809

email: boston@xxxxxxxx