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F R E N D Z of martian
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This mail comes from an Australian teacher currently in East Timor. Her pupils
have written letters to Bill Clinton, the UN and the President(?) of Indonesia.
Some of them are attached.
Warning: Very moving.
---------- Forwarded Message ----------
Subject: FW: Well , We've got a little stirred up here!!!
Date: Thu, 9 Sep 1999 21:20:53 +0100
From: Keith Johnson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Follow up to a few hours ago ....
-----Original Message-----
From: Helen Smart [SMTP:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Thursday, September 09, 1999 1:26 PM
To: Jermalinski, Jan, Stop-MAI; Keith Johnson; Ray Harris (E-mail); Mic
Warmington (E-mail); [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Well , We've got a little stirred up here!!!
Well, my study tour of Indonesia has seemingly come to yet another
dream!!!!!
My conscience has got the better of me, especially as events unravelled
through the night and day, and the looming threat of the Militia taking
over, and my daughter is near to hysterics that I will be taken due to my
unionist and anti war feelings! Now to find out if I can transfer my
airfares to another location, Vanuatu or Puket..
Anyway, spurred on between Emma (Woodsie) and myself the Teacher of
Indonesia is refusing to teach Indonesian...and is holding discussions on
East Timor with the kids, the upshot is that most of the kids in the upper
school have decided to write e-mails of protest to major players...Bill
Clinton, Alexander Downing, The UN Secretary. The kids are bringing
flowers and candles to school tomorrow and Woodsie , Deb (the Indonesian
teacher) and myself are holding a little peace ceremony for those who would
like to join in.
I like to share some of the letters with you. they really stirred us
Hels
Dear Sir, President of Indonesia,
Hi,
My name is Kirsty and I am in year 6. I come from Australia and am writing
this letter to you because I was wondering why you are keeping these people
hostage.
Imagine East Timor now as being a baby........and just as you might have a
baby a whole army came marching in and killed it. That would feel horrible
wouldn't it.
Now can they please have their freedom.
Help them find peace.
Share experiences with them.
I feel so sorry that I feel like crying. So please help them. You could
share the oil if they let you. But still you have done something you
shouldn't have done and I was wondering if you agree with my opinion.
Can you please take my letter seriously. That would be the greatest thing
anyone has done for me.
Can you please make my wish come true ?
I had a great idea if nothing else works. I thought us Australians could
come on boats and put the East Timor people on the ships and leave the
island with the Australians. Don't you see they have no families because
your army is killing them?
Sincerely
Kirsty McCluskey
O'Connor Primary School
Kalgoorlie
Dear Bill Clinton,
I live in Kalgoorlie in Australia and I am 11 years old and I go to
O'Connor Primary School and it is the best school in Kalgoorlie.
I am writing to you because I feel sorry for East Timor. I have been
watching TV lately and I have seen what has been happening lately in East
Timor.
I don't know how many people have been killed yet but I fear much worse and
I fear for Australia.
I also want to stop this because I like Indonesia. I was just wondering if
you could do anything about it.
Our Indonesian teacher refuses to teach Indonesian because of what is
happening in East Timor >From Jason Dingle
Dear Sir,
I am an 11 year old student at O'Connor Primary School in Kalgoorlie,
Western Australia. I am writing in concern on the actions the Militias are
taking against the East Timor people. I am concerned about their lives for
I know just how lucky I am to live in a country of freedom.
If you could make an effort to stop or help East Timor people from the
Militias it would be appreciated by many people in the world including the
victims of this tragedy. I am hearing on the news about children and their
families being tortured by the minute.
My Indonesian teacher told us more about this, and we had the idea to write
if we wanted to and I chose to write.
I don't think of myself like the military that is based in Jakarta.
The East Timor people voted for Independence and won but to be killed
through the following weeks. I would be grateful to any help you shall
offer
Yours sincerely
Courtney Graham
Dear Sir,
I am an 11 year old girl from Kalgoorlie Australia. I would just like to
say this war has gone on too long Timor and must stop!!!!
This is sooooo dramatic, it's like a movie but it's not. This is real
life. I felt so sick when our Indonesian teacher told us what was
happening. It makes me feel so sad. I think to myself how lucky I am. I
feel so sorry for those people there with no shelter or a warm house to
come home to and who may never see their children again. The army people
should be ashamed of themselves. They wouldn't like it if it was happening
to them. So this must STOP!!
>From Sarah Noble
Dear President of Indonesia,
I'm from Australia, I live in Kalgoorlie. I am in Year six and I'm 11
years old.
Why are you killing all of these poor people in East Timor?
Imagine if you were one of the poor people in Timor with your family and
you saw your own family being shot right in front of you! Or even if your
family lived in Timor and you thought they were safe in Java and you sent
out troops to kill them.
Our Indonesian teacher refuses to teach Indonesian because of the attitude
there. The majority of our school wants to learn Indonesian, but we don't
want to if this is to continue.
I am very disappointed that nothing has been done to help these people. I
know if we invade it will be declared war. Shouldn't we do something to
help them from being slaughtered? I know that when you get together with
all the other United Nations you talk about Timor.
If you could do something to get China to say that they will do something
other than sitting around and talking.
Please, please, have a long think about it and put yourself in their
position.
I hope you do change your mind!!!
Your's sincerely
BEAK
We also have some letters of thought in draft state to send to World Vision
on the topic of child soldiers. I had to be careful here as I have a few
lads who would enlist if they could right now................too many
exciting war videos seen methinks
Luvs and leaves
Hels
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