East Timor Independence : Support Actions

Whilst videoing a blockade of around 500 people on the road in front of AIDEX
in Canberra someone announced that it was front page national news that
Indonesia threatened to withdraw its diplomats from Australia if its
embassies and consulates continued to be harassed. Immediately I thought,
"Let's go and harass the Canberra Embassy."  The idea probably would get
widespread support from the many AIDEX protesters.  Fortunately I asked the
East Timor representatives, from the newly erected East Timor Embassy, who
were staffing a union picket line at the Indonesian Embassy.  They quickly
pointed out that they had a different longer term strategy of achieving
independence for East Timor.  Although they completely supported the AIDEX
protesters' struggle, they were concerned that the media response to the
radical, and on occasions, violent protests, may not obtain the community
support they were carefully trying to foster.  Interestingly that concern had
either not been considered or was not felt important to many of the more
vocal AIDEX protesters.

Since then I've helped to organize nonviolent protests against Shell
Australia to highlight their involvement in the Timor Gap oil and gas
exploration and extraction.

The first protest was at the head office of Shell at 40 Philip Street,
Sydney.  We felt we wanted to get up to the 12th floor and into the office,
so we met ten doors down the road and walked together.  We had one ABC
cameraperson and radioperson.  We walked into the foyer, camera lights on,
chanting "Shell out of Timor Gap, no blood for Oil".  We arrived at the
counter and said, "we want to speak to the Manager."  No one came out and
instead they pulled down the shutters.  A door was open so we walked through.
Quickly female and male staff proceeded to quite forcefully remove us from
the hallway.  We sat down and refused to move.  Eventually someone came out
and read a prepared statement by Shell.  By this time the other TV crews
arrived, yet alas, the excitement and spontaneous action was over.  ABC gave
the dramatic footage only to its sister station SBS and not to the commercial
networks so they did not run the story.  ABC was obviously after a scoop. 
Maybe we needed a bit of exciting action to get it on the news that night. 
Yet possibly a well trained disciplined occupation would have done the same
and maybe even allowed the other networks to get some dramatic arrest shots
and statements.

That night we "cased" the Shell depot in Newcastle.  A quick ring around saw
fifteen people attend to speak to the Shell manager about their concerns.  He
did actually address us and handed us the same Shell response.  We informed
him we were forced to boycott Shell products and we would return.

Next, just before Christmas in Coffs Harbour we are having a rally from a
Shell service station to the shopping mall, where speakers will address the
crowd.  We will also show a video called The Shadow Over East Timor at a
local pub in the evening. The day after the November 12 Dili massacre, we
organized a quick demonstration at a travel agent asking people to boycott
travel to Indonesia.

The companies involved in the Timor Gap, and travel agents, can be a good
focus for the East Timor issue.  Quite often, especially in country areas,
all the media need is for an action to occur, so they can cover the story. 
This is not hard to organize and it is a good way to involve people and
educate the community, via the media.

We hope to make this a national and even international campaign to focus
attention on the companies involved and our government's hypocritical
policies.  Hopefully through enough action, media and people involvement,
companies will withdraw and/or our government change its policy.  What about
a nationwide coordinated day of action in the near future?

For more information and contact ring Joanna Shimaez  (02) 727 0477 or Dean
(065) 647 033.
Dean Jefferys