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| Virtual Tour Sydney 1998 IWD |
Tuni Bhattachayya Action in Solidarity with Indonesia and East Timor (ASIET) member and women's rights activist will now speak in support of the struggle for democracy in Indonesia and how you can help in the fight for justice for the peoples of East Timor.
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Imagine working 12-14 hours a day, imagine
having only two days off per month, imagine having to
turn up to work even when you are seriously sick and even
them still earning less than the bare minimum wage of $2
per day. Well stop imagining because this is the reality
of many Indonesian women today and these are the
conditions that Dita Sari fought against. Dita Sari
feminist and trade union activist age 26 is currently in
a prison cell in an isolated prison in East Java. She is
Indonesia’s only political prisoner and she is
serving a five year sentence for subversive activity. She
is chair person of the Independent Trade Union The
Independent Centre for Labor Struggle, her so called
subversive activity included leading some of the largest
and most militant strikes and demonstrations. She also
came to Australia and spoke in Perth at the IWD March and
Rally three years ago. She spoke of the oppression faced
by women in Indonesia, the exploitation of women as
workers and of those who struggle against it. In
political activity Dita always encouraged women workers
to stand up for their rights, to be bold in their demands
and to become involved in broader political activity.
Today ASIET Action in
Solidarity with Indonesia and East Timor is campaigning
to free Dita Sari. We have free the political prisoners
campaign which is going on at our stall to the left so
please I urge everyone it’s crucially important to
support this campaign, to sign the political prisoners
petition. Dita was not only concerned by the conditions
faced by workers in Indonesia though she was also vocal
in her opposition to the brutal repression of the East
Timorise people by the Indonesian military. Indonesia
invaded East Timor over twenty years ago, since then the
Indonesian forces have killed over 200,000 people one
third of the population but the killings and the
repression have not stopped. Today ASIET is displaying a photographic exhibit, part of
it is on the inspirational activities of Dita Sari the
second part of the exhibit is something we wish we
didn’t have to show you, it’s photo’s of
East Timorise women being tortured raped and murdered by
Indonesian soldiers. These photo’s were taken by
Indonesian soldiers and who then sell them for cash. The
last time these photo’s were displayed was in Darwin
where the exhibit organisers were arrested and charged
with displaying offensive material in public. Yes these
photo’s are shocking, yes these photo’s are
horrific but what is really offensive is that the
Australian Government gives military aid to Indonesia. In
fact the Australian government continues to train
Indonesian soldiers even here in Sydney at Richmond Air
Base. Reports recently prepared for the United Nations
document the systemic violation of the human rights of
East Timorise women. Women have been forcibly sterilised,
they have been coerced into accepting contraception, and
have been raped so routinely that some Timorise families
teach their daughters at home rather than sending them to
school for fear that they might be attacked on the way to
school. We urge everyone to show your indignation write a
letter to Alexander Dower the Foreign Affairs Minister
let him know we won’t stand for this any longer. We
in ASIET demand that the
Australian government ends all ties with the brutal
repressive Indonesian regime. We demand that the
Australian government calls on the Indonesian government
to release all political prisoners in Indonesian goals
today including Dita Sari. We must support women like
Dita Sari who demand a better world, we must show our
outrage at what is happening in East Timor. We must show
our indignation at the Australian governments support for
these abuses of human rights. As the IWD chant goes
"one struggle, one fight, women of the world
unite"