THE STRUGGLE be- dent movement. tween the Suharto re- elected unanimously by the gime East conference to be NUS HonTimorese people deep- ourary Vice-President for a four year term. ens by the day.
It is urgent that the sucFaced with a 20-year re- cess must now be followed fusal to submit, the Indoneup by a solidarity campaign sians have stepped up the in the labour movement. terror. At the same time, the Both the resistance of the clandestine resistance gets East Timorese and the rapid stronger and has opened up development of the Indonea second front in Jakarta - sian trade union movement expressed by some Indonehave gone unnoticed in the sians support for the occu- labour movement. pation of the US embassy in November 1994. Labour Alongside the development of solidarity with East Perhaps the reason for Timor in Indonesia, and in- this is that the arms emternational solidarity move- bargo, which is a central dement has been gathering mand of both the CRN and strength. Movements in Sri the Indonesian democracy Lanka. South Korea. Den- movement has short-term mark and the North of Ire- employment implications at land have been created in home. The Labour Party the last year. policy is no different in subIn Britain the campaign stance from that of the govhas won a recent success at ernment. Yet the reason for the National Union of Stu- this is that following the Perdents conference when Fer- gau Dam affair the Labour nando de Aranjo, imprisoned Party does not want to cut leader of the Timorese stu- the UK economy off from the domestic market of was ú190 million that Indonesia represents. This is nothing more than a continuation of old policy - capitulation to the requirements of capital.
There is a space for the development of a solidarity movement with both East timor and the Indonesian workers movement 1995 is the fiftieth anniversary of Indonesian independence, the thirtieth anniversary of the military coup led by Suharto which resulted in the slaughter of half a million, and the twentieth anniversary on December 7 of the Indonesian occupation of East Timor.
Workers and peasants in East Timor will be taking full advantage of this. Is it not time that the British labour Movement supported them? • National day of action: 10 June. International day of action: 12 November. Parliamentary lobby 7 December. Details: phone Will on 0171 281 0297.
SOCIALIST OUTLOOK No. 81 April 8 1995, Page 10