The Honourable Mr. Kofi Annan
United Nations Secretary-General
H.E. Peter van Walsum
Chairperson Security Council United Nations C\O Permanent Mission of the
Kingdom of the Netherlands to the United Nations
Dear Mr. Kofi Annan and Mr. van Walsum,
As a citizen of the world, I call upon the Secretary General of the United Nations and the Security Council to ACT NOW and without delay, to save the lives of the people of East Timor. TO ACT NOW means sending U.N. peace keeping troops, unilaterally, separate and independent of U.S./Clintonian/EU imperial influence, to assure that the world will not have to witness another "humanitarian" intervention like the tragedy in Kosovo.
A free-market, imperialist, colonialist brand of "humanitarianism" like we saw in Kosovo has done nothing to protect people of that region from brutality -- nay, it has made matters worse, now that the world spotlight has been removed from illuminating that region. This is NOT the prescription needed for what we are seeing now in East Timor...a situation, by the way, the U.N. should have been able to foresee and taken steps to prevent (could nothing have been done for these people since 1975?) before the escalation of violence since the independence vote.
Nothing else or nothing less would suffice. That a carnage is taking place has been accepted by all. That the Western-backed Indonesian military are conniving and complicate with the right-wing, militia elements is clear beyond dispute. Thus delay means loss of more lives for a people that have been waiting 24 years for a deaf world to hear the cries.
To make international intervention conditional upon Indonesian willingness makes no sense. The failure to act now is unforgivable.
Please be assured of this one citizens utmost support for immediate, _independent_ action.
Sincerely and with great concern,
Glynn Ash