BY SARAH STEPHEN
I participated in a work brigade in East Timor from May 13 to 26, organised by Action in Solidarity with Indonesia and East Timor/Action in Solidarity with Asia and the Pacific (ASIET/ASAP).
Seven people made the trip to Dili to support the work of the Timor Socialist Party (PST), the party most consistently organising the people at a grassroots level, and to witness life for ordinary people in free East Timor. Participants experienced the historic May 20 independence celebrations.
The brigade's participants, working and living alongside ordinary Timorese people for two weeks, provided a refreshing contrast to the overpaid United Nations staff we observed driving their flash four-wheel drive cars, living in air-conditioned hotels and eating in nice restaurants.
The brigade worked with the PST branch members and other villagers in the small village of Cairui, in the hills behind Manatuto, to begin the construction of a second well. ASIET/ASAP donated A$600 to the project. Once constructed, the new well will help ensure the small population of Cairui has a more reliable water supply.
Access to water is a critical issue, especially in rural areas. Only 20% of the population, predominantly in the towns, have access to running water. During the dry season in the north (from May to October), rivers dry up. People are forced to dig in the river bed to access groundwater for drinking and washing.
ASIET/ASAP supports the work of the Hadadin Cooperative, a collective of 95 women working in a number of districts to produce woven baskets and traditional tais cloth, which is made into bags and clothes. The cooperative is different from many production collectives, because all the proceeds from the sale of its goods are shared among co-op members. ASIET/ASAP has been importing and selling Hadadin's products in Darwin and Sydney, providing an important source of funds for the co-op.
Brigade members helped prepare Hadadin products for an international Expo, held in Dili from May 17 to 21. Brigade members prepared a leaflet in English for international visitors, explaining the unique nature of the cooperative.
We also participated in a protest, initiated by members of the PST and organised by a broad coalition, on May 19. At the request of the organisers, brigade members encouraged international activists in Dili to support the protest. It was a great success, with 500 demonstrators raising the issue of the Australian government's determination to steal East Timor's oil.
The protesters' target was Australian Prime Minister John Howard, who arrived in Dili on May 19. The protest also reflected the continued support of the Timorese people — and the new Timorese government — for independence for Aceh and West Papua.
The brigade was an amazing experience. We met a wide range of activists, we talked and sang together, we worked together. We provided material support for the PST's work, and the Timorese people welcomed and invited us to take part in their activities, enabling a genuine exchange of the different experiences in our two countries. It was a very rewarding and unforgettable experience of people to people solidarity.
Plans are underway for another solidarity brigade to East Timor in October. If you have any queries, email Sibylle from Darwin ASIET at <sibyllekaczorek@hotmail.com>.
From Green Left Weekly, June 19, 2002.
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