APSN | Timor Sea Justice Campaign meeting to be held in Melbourne on 23 January

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Timor Sea Justice Campaign meeting to be held in Melbourne on 23 January

Timor Sea Justice Campaign News - December 21, 2013

Movement Against the Occupation of the Timor Sea - Press Release. December 4, 2013
Why is the richest nation in our region ripping off the poorest? - AETFA South Australia Media Statement. December 4, 2013
Indonesia keeps violating war and international humanitarian law regarding forced disappearances - The Movement of Searching Forced Disappearances during Illegal Indonesian Occupation from 1975-1999. November 28, 2013
Timor-Leste economy predicted to be among worst hit by climate change: ADB - Asia Development Bank News Release. November 26, 2013
Commemoration of the Santa Cruz Massacre 1991-2013 - Joint Declaration by the Timorese National Alliance for an International Tribunal. November 12, 2013

A resurrected Timor Sea Justice Campaign will hold its first public campaign meeting on 23 January 2014 in Melbourne.

Campaign spokesperson, Tom Clarke, said ordinary Australians concerned by their government's dubious behaviour in the Timor Sea can make a difference by getting involved.

"History shows us that support for our Timorese neighbours runs deep in Australia and when enough people are mobilised to display that support to governments, then governments have been known to change their positions in significant ways," said Mr Clarke.

6:30pm Thursday 23 January 2014 at Victoria University, Room 9.15, Level 9, 300 Flinders St, Melbourne.

As in 2004 and 2005, the single objective of the Timor Sea Justice Campaign remains to convince the Australian Government to establish permanent maritime boundaries between Australia and East Timor in accordance with international law - specifically, along the median line, halfway between the two coastlines.

Whilst at first glance this might seem like a dry topic, what's at stake are important issues of sovereignty for the tiny nation that struggled so long for its independence and also tens of billions of dollars worth of government revenues from oil and gas resources in the Timor Sea.

Mr Clarke said the current arbitration over alleged spying during key oil and gas negotiations once again highlights the pressing need for permanent maritime boundaries between Australia and East Timor.

"Australia has jostled East Timor into a series of temporary resource sharing arrangements. Not only do these deals dramatically short-change East Timor of billions of dollars, but they are only stop-gap solutions. Only permanent maritime boundaries can provide certainty for both nations and the commercial companies wanting to develop the oil and gas fields," said Mr Clarke.

The agenda for the public meeting will be to discuss ways of organising volunteers, expanding out-reach activities, arranging upcoming media events and investigating fundraising efforts in order to hire campaign staff.

For further information, please contact Tom Clarke on 0422 545 763 or info@timorseajustice.com or visit http://www.timorseajustice.com/TSJC/introduction.