
Issue No 15		28 May 1999

Letters to the Editor

Concern at Timor Attitudes

I found Simon Hazleton's letter, headed "Timor: Look at the map!" in Workers Online, issue 14, 21.5.99, very worrying.

Apart from the fact that Mercator's projection distorts size ratios so that areas near the equator look smaller, and areas near the poles look bigger, his perceptions of what is happening in East Timor are not well founded.

I draw attention particularly at a news item by George Aditjondro "Economic interests of pro-Jakarta militias".

And is Simon aware that members of the pro-integrationist militias are recruited in WEST TIMOR, which has a very different history and identity from East Timor?

Australia owes a wartime debt and post-1975 reparations to the people of East Timor. Let's make sure our government acts in their interests, not to prop up the regime in Indonesia, the financial interests of their discredited friend, Soeharto, and their access to the Timor Gap oil.

Gai Smith.

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Issue 15 contents

Interview: Back to the Grassroots
Trade union trainer Jill Biddington looks at old problems through a new lens. Her message: talk to the workers.

Unions: TWU: The Workplace Union
Ring Tony Sheldon, State Secretary of the NSW Transport Workers Union, and if you don't get through straight away you're told it's because "I'm organising members at the moment".

History: Proud to be a Member
Retired transport workers remind young members of the struggles which produced the benefits they now enjoy.

Indigenous: Nowhere to Run, Nowhere to Hide
Australia's treatment of its indigenous people is a problem that won't go away.

Review: Popcorn Goes for the Crunch
A Sydney production attempts to bring Ben Elton's satire of film-shplatt cinema to life.

Labour Review: What's New at the Information Centre
View the latest issue of Labour review, Labour Council's fortnightly update on industrial issues.

Health: Being Lead Astray
Workers in a range of occupations are exposed to lead and are not being made aware of the hazards

» Labor Council Unveils New Public Face

» Revealed: New, Meaner Breed of Body Hire

» Unions Wins Own Safety Prosecution

» Timor Protest Calls for UN Troops

» Pay Equity Jitters as Report Gathers Dust

» Paid Maternity Leave: One Step Forward - One Step Back

» Court Victory for PNG Workers

» First For Union With Multicultural Arts Grant

» Cleaners Clean Up In Backpay Bonanza

» Unions Join Sorry Ceremony

» Guest Report

» Sport

» Trades Hall

» Piers Watch

» Concern at Timor Attitudes

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