Joint East Timor-Bougainville action

MELBOURNE Solidarity groups for Bougainville and East Timor are organising a joint action to highlight Australia's complicity in both conflicts. AHAB (Australian Humanitarian Aid for Bougainville) and a new group, 9 Days Direct Action for a Free East Timor, have planned a protest at Fort Queenscliff on October 28 at noon. The fort was chosen because it is used to train officers from both PNG and Indonesian armed forces. The groups plan to scale the wall of the fort, occupy the facility and present demands to its personnel. Demands include the cessation of military cooperation with Indonesia while its troops occupy East Timor, and with PNG while it pursues a military solution to the conflict on Bougainville. Ben Moore from the 9 Days group said, The facts make a lie of the government's claim that they are 'professionalising these armies', which will reduce human rights violations. It is well documented that since Australia began training their officers, human rights abuses have remained a systematic and an integral part of their military operations. For information contact 9489 0848 or 9428 9971.