Friends of Suai

Egy has sent through photos of the satellite dish that has brought broadband access to the youth centre in Suai and a media house dedicated to regional journalism thanks to ICFJ. Egy in pink T Shirt with various others he has brought into the photo without giving names.

Ten years after the Suai Church Massacre and nine since I was in Suai for the first Anniversary a lot has changed but the most important thing for the victims of the Suai Church massacre, which is justice, is still elusive.

At the Port Phillip St Kilda Town Hall yesterday the Timorese flag ran at half mast while the Friends of Suai, with visitor Alberto Barros from Suai, and Balthasar Kehi from Fatumea, both of Cova Lima, placed rocks on the pristine parquetry floor in the foyer of this  huge monument to Roman Greek architecture, presumably designed to remind the residents of Port Phillip of the history of democracy with which we nostagically associate justice.  The Friends of Suai were commemorating  this important date in the history of the Friendship with Suai.   The Suai Church Massacre was the devastating event that, along with widespread destruction to infrastructure and homes,  that led to the formation of the friendship to assist in the recovery of Suai following the ballot for independence on August, 30th, 1999.

What values we all wonder, are being communicated to Australians, the Timorese people and the rest of the world, when justice is not pursued, what ever the cost. Why do the Timorese people have to be the ones to live without justice? Forgiveness and its possibility may lie in our hearts, but without justice it becomes impossible for all but the most pious. It is my personal view that it is a basic human need to find justice, to be able move forward to peace of mind. Australia’s indigenous people have made this clear to us as have the millions of others who have suffered injustice. Anyone who has suffered from injustice knows the strong feelings of indignation and overwhelming sadness when one’s suffering and human dignity is not recognised by a judicial process. The existential anxiety that accompanies injustice and loss of human dignity is well documented in the songs and stories written and performed by the people of Suai on suai media space.

It is not my place to call for justice for the Timorese, unless they call for me to stand beside them. In the past week the rumblings of discontent and calls for the need for justice, that began several years ago are building up.  In Suai, some friends  have prepared questions for their leaders, and they are planning to stage a protest today, for the leaders of East Timor who will be in Suai for the remembrance ceremonies.  Knowing that several protestors in Dili were arrested last week, means that once again the youth of East Timor are putting their own futures at risk to test their new democracy, as they did in 1991, and throughout the student movement of the nineties, to show the way to a  just future for their country.

Armindo: Come Back To Your Country

The Innocent Ones

Further links to stories.

For the best coverage following the story of the release of Maternus Bere who was indicted for Cimes Against Himanity in the Suai Church Massacre and other Laksaur militia activities: Laohamutuk

AFP : Headline: Ten years on, no justice for ETimor’s Suai massacre victims

Brisbane Times: Headline: Massacre suspect’s release draws warning from UN

The Jakarta Post:  Headline: Ramos-Horta’s refusal of court prolongs painful way to justice

Received from friends today by email.

The following press release appeared in Dili this morning. I  thought it should be shared.  I don’t believe the re-enactment took place.
— Charlie
United Malaes

PRESS RELEASE PRESS RELEASE PRESS RELEASE
4 September 2009

Special Representatives of the United Malaes considered arriving at Hotel Timor at 07.00 hours today, 4 September 2009, to perform a re-enactment of the announcement of the Popular Consultation results which occurred ten years ago in this very place. UM Chief of Mission Mian Martin declared the Popular Consultation a great success, and today conveyed the results of a second Popular Consultation, held between August 30 1999 and August 30 2009. Following is the text of his speech:

We have now counted all the votes. One million Timorese people have voted in this Popular Consultation, or an astonishing 98.5% of the population. The people were asked to choose between accepting Special Impunity for Indonesia, or rejecting Special Impunity in favour of Independent Justice. I can now announce the results: 2 votes for Special Impunity for Indonesia, and 999,998 votes for Independent Justice. I now ask, on behalf of the United Malais and the international community, that the results of the Popular Consultation be implemented in a timely and peaceful manner. I particularly request that the 2 persons who voted for Special Impunity respect the will of the people and allow independent justice to proceed in accordance with Timorese and international laws. Let us now move forward, together, to uphold the human rights of this new nation. The people have voted, overwhelmingly, against Special Impunity and in favour of Independent Justice. We of the UM offer you our support. Your human rights are our human rights. Together, we will see justice done! Thank you.

Click on the image to read by enlargement of rock messages painted  by Port Phillip residents to the people of Suai in 2001 & 2003. Posted on the occasion of the 10th Anniversary of the Suai Church Massacre

Rocks written painted and drawn on in 2001 by members of the Port Phillip community, at the Second Anniversary of the Suai Church Massacre are still  relevant.

Suai Media Space role in profiling the work of the artists of Suai has brought a significant pay off for Arte Moris senior artist from Suai Loro Natalino dos reis Pires. Natalino’s work was recently included in an exhibition at Bundoora Homestead Victoria which was featured in a story on Suai Media Space. It was here that Art Asia Pacific were able to see photographs of the work and subsequently requested photographs of five works for publication in their annual Almanac which is distributed internationally. This is a great compliment to Natalino and a tribute to the hard work of Manager of Arte Moris Gabriela Gansser who initiated the exhibition in cooperation with her Australian ‘Friends of Bacau’.

The paintings they have selected include: Amali 2, Gerasaun, Horta, Abat, Muda Moris and Toko Adat which can be viewed here.  The selection is interesting to me because it provides a combination of representations that cover the transformation of Timorese identity and trauma.

VegOut donated $2,000 to a Permaculture Garden in Suai and St Kilda Artist Liz Milsom (daughter of George Milsom) and I recently took Suai Loro and Arte Moris artists Anata and Kiki there. Anata spent the whole time video taping – if you could see Arte Moris the Free Art School in Dili you would see why.

Arte Moris also have vegetable gardens, compost heaps and sculptures built from recycled bits and pieces. The boys were homesick and this was like a home away from home.

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St Kilda residents predominantly live in flats, so to have access to a garden is highly desired by some of the residents. In more recent years the group invited local/regional Produce growers to establish a Producer’s market next to the gardens on the first Saturday of every month. It has grown into a very popular event for locals. We took Anata and Kiki along because it’s a great atmosphere, but also because VegOut sell Timorese coffee there for the Friends of Suai and Timorese Melbourne residents have a preserved chilli chutney stall there. After nine years the friendship really is beginning to burrow its way into the community when this is happening.

How did this happen? East Timorese artist Anata, Los Palos artist Kiki, St Kilda artist Liz Milsom, my old friend Trish and myself all ended up together in the ‘N’ in HANDS for the Climate Change action in St Kilda last month next to Pat Jessen and others, while my daughter Kate tried to film with a camera she had never touched before!  Well that’s the way this friendship with people in Suai is evolving.

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But this story is not about Anata or my daughter or photography. It is the beginning of a bigger story about Liz Milsom and her father George and the strange ways this international friendship weaves its mysterious web.

In this particular case it goes back all the way to 1941.  Liz’s father served in the Australian Army in World War 2. He wasn’t a trained artist but he liked to draw, he painted water colours, and he surely had an artist’s spirit, a spirit that comes clearly through his collection.  George Milsom died when Liz was a child so one of the ways she grew to know him was through his collection of memorabilia, letters he wrote from East Timor to his family, his water colours and maps, as well as official photographs sent to him of Timor at that time.

In June this year when Suai Loro artist Anata was in Melbourne for the Bundoora Exhibition I introduced him to Liz and the circle of friendship began again. Anata and Liz met up when we all went to St Kilda Beach to make the human sign to give ourselves a morale boost while giving our politicians a clear message that we are relying on them to help us to change our habits and take the message to Copenhagen. After meeting we did a swag of trips and dinners together and shot a little bit of video about it too which I will post as soon as I can. In the meantime here’s the slideshow.

Anata and Kiki loved the Human Sign, VEGOUT, the Artist Studios and the visit to Rickett’s Sanctuary in the Dandenongs. It’s difficult to pick a highlight because they also had the opportunity to go to the Palais to a concert to see Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu who was backed up by Timorese singer songwriter Ego Lemos. Our request to film the concert  was refused but just so you can hear the kind of music these boys love here Yunupingu is singing one of their favourites on YouTube.

While Natalino and Grinaldo were in Melbourne they spent two weeks in the Fine Arts Department of Monash University. This is some photographs of the work they did while they were here.