Rev John Barr
Unity and International Mission
tel: +61 2 8267 4251
fax: +61 2 8267 4222

Dear Friends,

During the week I have been in regular contact with Dili, East Timor. I have been speaking with a number of ministers who are taking refuge in Hosanna Church, the central Protestant church in Dili. They were protecting around 100 refugees. As I spoke to them I could hear gun fire in the streets and the scene they described included people being killed, houses being burnt and the central business district of Dili being destroyed. The people are terrified and have been told that the church will be torched. Communication with Dili is now out and I have not been able to speak with my fiends for two days. Many of them will have now fled to the mountains. The leader of the Protestant Church in East Timor has fled to Baucau (150kms east of Dili). His name is on a death list along with other Protestant church leaders.

It is clear that the violence and the terror is being carried out by the Indonesian military. The militia simply work for them. It is also clear that Indonesian troops have embarked on a massive movement of people. A discussion with a minister in Atambua (border of West Timor) indicates that tens of thousands of people have been trucked over the border into Indonesian Timor. Others have been shipped to Kupang and currently there are 60,000 refugees camped in the West Timorese capital.

I have also received reports of genocide. Its difficult to verify these reports as independent observers have been pushed out of East Timor (an Indonesian strategy). However I was informed yesterday that 1,000 men, women and children were massacred near Same (south west East timor) after they had sought refuge in a police compound.

The Rector of the Christian University in Kupang, Dr Tom Therik (a graduate in divinity from Sydney University), pleaded with me yesterday to tell the world that genocide is taking place in East Timor. He called for international economic sanctions on Indonesia and he also called for international security forces to be deployed in East Timor immediately.

I cannot help feeling that the world will turn its back on East Timor (yet again). Indonesia's actions in East Timor have included attacks on the Red Cross, the United Nations and the Australian Consulate. The leader of the Catholic community in East Timor, Bishop Belo, has been forced out of his country. Rev John Dunn (Moderator of the Synod of WA) and Ms Joy Balazo (Assembly Secretary for International Human Rights) came under attack by Indonesian-backed militia while they were serving as UN accredited observers last week. Martial Law in East Timor now means that the Indonesian military are able to carry out their business free of any restraints.

Many people have asked me what can they do. You can pray. You can light a candle for the people of East Timor during worship on Sunday. You can also lobby the Australian Government to support an international security force in East Timor. Or you can plead with the Indonesian Government to get out of East Timor and allow the United Nations to complete its mission. Remind the Indonesian Government that 78.5% of East Timorese voters rejected the option of autonomy within the Republic of Indonesia on 30 August. This means an overwhelming majority of East Timorese want independence.

I suggest you also talk with your Indonesian friends and ask them to tell the story in their own country where people are not always receiving accurate news. We must not "demonise" Indonesia or the Indonesian people. But we must raise the issues, call on Indonesia to stop the brutality and be a voice for those who are the victims of the terror.

You can also participate in the East Timorese Emergency Rally this Saturday morning in the city, 11am, Hyde Park North near the Archibald Fountain. The Uniting Church is participating as a sponsor and you can gather with us under the UCA banner. Strong support from the Uniting Church will mean a great deal to our brothers and sisters in Christ in the Protestant Church in East Timor (a partner church).

Finally, the UCA National Assembly has launched a Timor Emergency Appeal. Donations can be forwarded through the Assembly Office (PO Box A2266 Sydney South 1235 or Level 8 222 Pitt Street) and money raised will sent to support work with displaced people, emergency relief and rehabilitation on the island of Timor.

Please do take some time to pray, to lobby, to give, or to protest. People in East Timor are facing extermination. The situation is that serious.