By Nick Fredman
SYDNEY — When hundreds of young activists gather here from Friday to Sunday, July 8-10, for the Resistance national conference, international solidarity will be high on the agenda. Campaigning against Australian imperialism's plans in the Asia-Pacific region will be a particular focus, and will be highlighted by a pre-conference rally at Town Hall on Thursday, July 7, at 4.30pm.
Entitled "Stop Australian intervention — For peace and justice in the Asia-Pacific region", the rally will be addressing Australia's support for wars, occupation and repression in Bougainville, East Timor, West Papua and Aceh, and the lack of human rights in Indonesia and the Philippines.
"The Australian government and big business are desperately propping up authoritarian rule in the region", solidarity activist Max Lane, who will be speaking at the rally, told Green Left. "To get the profits they're greedy for, they have to compete with the US and Japan. They can't compete economically, so they're competing politically by being the most unqualified supporters of these regimes."
Lane recently attended the Asia Pacific Conference on East Timor (APCET) in Manila. "The conference signalled the beginning of an Asia-wide campaign in support of East Timor with a solid base in the Philippines progressive movement. Together with the international campaign and the growing democracy movement in Indonesia, APCET showed that Indonesia's occupation is doomed."
Other speakers at the rally, many of whom will also be guest speakers at the Resistance conference, will include East Timor, Bougainville and West Papua solidarity activists, Peti Lafanama from Melanesian Solidarity (PNG) and Ma Cecilia Leano from the Philippines progressive movement.
"As well as Resistance activists and other young people attending the conference, solidarity groups such as the Australia East Timor Association, the Bougainville Freedom Movement and Aksi — Indonesia Solidarity have been invited to participate", Samantha Lazzaro, one of the rally organisers told Green Left. "This action is just part of the ongoing campaign against Australian militarism and exploitation of the region."
Resistance is demanding:
- Australia and Papua New Guinea out of Bougainville;
- Indonesia out of East Timor;
- Self-determination for West Papua and Aceh;
- No Australian military aid to the Indonesian dictatorship;
- Democracy and human rights in the Philippines.
For more information, contact Resistance on (02) 690 1230.