Valdy Arief, Jakarta – Students from East Timor calling themselves the East Timor Students Association (Klibur Estudiante Timor Leste, Keustil) held a demonstration in front of the Australian Embassy in Jakarta on the afternoon of Thursday March 24 demanding that Australia withdraw from the East Timor sea.
Action coordinator Nelson Pereira said that Australia has violated international law because of its actions in exploiting oil in East Timor’s territorial waters.
“We demand that Australia leave East Timor’s maritime boarders”, said Nelson speaking in front of the Australian Embassy on Jl. HR Rasuna Said in the Kuningan area of South Jakarta.
According to Nelson, the treaty to jointly exploit the Timor Gap agreed to between Indonesia and Australia in 1989 should already have expired because East Timor separated from Indonesia in 1999.
Nelson said that the Laminaria-Corallina oil field, which is managed by Woodside Australian Petroleum, has already produced in excess of US$900 million for the Kangaroo Country. “This oil field is almost exhausted, meanwhile the people of East Timor have received nothing”, he said.
Nelson demanded that Australia demonstrate its pledge to assist its neighboring countries in the Pacific region. “Demonstrate that Australia wants to assist smaller countries in the Pacific without conditions and without deception”, said Nelson.
[Translated by James Balowski for the Indoleft News Service. The original title of the report was Sejumlah Mahasiswa Timor Leste Berunjuk Rasa di Depan Kedutaan Australia.]
