Introducing the Sanctuary Network - register of over 7000 individuals and organisations who have pledged to defy Federal law and hide East Timorese asylum seekers if their bids for refugee status are rejected. Initiated by Catholic nuns, the Sanctuary Network challenges the Government to honour its moral commitments to East Timorese people seeking refuge in Australia.
Neighbourhood watch
· East Timor is Australia's second closest neighbour being only 500 km north of Darwin.
· 40,000 East Timorese people lost their lives while harbouring Australian troops fighting Japanese forces at our doorstep during World War Two.
· Since then, a third of the original population have died as a direct result of the Indonesian invasion in 1975.
· The violent political and cultural repression highlighted by the Dili massacre of 1991, remains: Torture, 'disappearances' and extrajudicial executions are among the recently documented human rights violations committed by the Indonesian Armed Forces in East Timor. Killings by the security forces are not just isolated incidents, but are part of a pattern of suppression of dissent. (source: Amnesty International. Report East Timor -Continuing human rights violations Feb. 1995)
Network power!
The Sanctuary Network is now being promoted by secular activists as a powerful grass roots humanitarian project. The role of the Network is first to discourage Government deportation action and then, if necessary, to intervene in any deportation attempt through civil disobedience. As the Network grows, so too does the physical and political cost of a Government decision to try and forcibly deny refuge to East Timorese in Australia. The larger the Network, the more likely its collective strength is to overwhelm the Government.
The Sanctuary Network provides a practical and effective option for direct action to the many Australians who are concerned about the Government's support of the Indonesian regime. The prudent use of media exposure to deter, and if necessary arrest, Government deportation action is an integral part of the Sanctuary Network's strategy.
Australia, Indonesia and East Timor
Successive Australian Governments continue to support the Suharto dictatorship and its annexation of East Timor. In pursuit of a 'special relationship' with Indonesia, Australia is continuing to donate military, economic and diplomatic assistance to the Suharto regime and treat East Timor's struggle for self determination as a hindrance. Military training, equipment and weapons flow from Australia to occupied East Timor and Australian diplomacy defends Indonesia's rule over East Timor in international forums like the United Nations.
Current Government attempts to avoid acknowledging the refugee claims of the 1350 East Timorese now seeking asylum in Australia are also part of this policy of appeasement. The Government argues that the asylum seekers have Portuguese citizenship (from former colonial rule) removing protection obligations from Australia. At the same time the Government maintains that Portugal has no right to prevent Australia and Indonesia from extracting oil from the Timor Sea. Trading human rights issues for a hypocritical but pragmatic stance, the Government considers East Timorese people to be Portuguese and Indonesian citizens of convenience.
Being part of the Network
Sanctuary Network members have offered either their homes as potential refuges or have pledged other resources including food, finance or publicity to the project. Churches would form the core of the activated Network while members' homes would be required as a secondary level of refuge.
New membership details are periodically forwarded to the Departments of Foreign Affairs and Immigration as a demonstration of public support for the refugees and of public commitment to action on their behalf - a kind of petition putting the Government on notice. Members wishing to be anonymous appear on public record in number only.
The refugees have a number of legal avenues to explore before deportation could become a threat. Hence, it is not anticipated that any activation of the Network would occur for at least several months.
Legal Implications
In the worst case scenario the act of harbouring a refugee could be considered as illegal (ie. as 'obstructing' Immigration procedures), carrying a penalty of six months imprisonment. How ever given the numbers of people involved and the political sensitivity of the issue, we consider it highly unlikely that such legal action would be taken.
So, you would like to help?
Join the Sanctuary Network by filling out the Declaration (you will receive updates on the refugee situation and the Network's progress). Help us to expand the Network through links with other organisations and with your own publicity initiatives.
For more information and/or to share your ideas, phone Pavel on 95614890.
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