Dispatches from an English Colony with American Spy bases...
by Mick Lambe

In September 1999 -- members of AFFET (Australians For a Free East Timor) and PARIAH (People Against Racism In Aboriginal Homelands) gathered at Stokes Hill wharf in Darwin Harbour with other Australian activists.

We were there to protest the killings by ABRI (Indonesian Army) -- that had followed the United Nations scrutinized, East Timorese independence referendum (Aug' 1999).

Our immediate concern was the continued inaction of the US and Australia.

Their refusal to criticize the Indonesian government or ABRI -- in particular Prime Minister John Howard's dithering non-statements as the death toll rose daily -- was simply unbelievable. So people took to the streets to clarify to the government, just how they felt.

Chickens -- symbolizing cowardice -- were cast onto the deck of a US Navy cruiser and some red paint (symbolizing the blood of 200,000 East Timorese dead) splattered on its hull.

The chickens -- just rescued from battery boxes -- were strutting happily around the deck, before a US Navy 'combat team' killed them. These feathered heroines were suffocated in plastic bags, instead of going to a city farm project afterwards, as protesters planned.

The actions of the Australian authorities were predictable.

Activists in Australia rarely resort to violence of any kind -- so the 'Australian' State is forced to criminally pervert the Law (an English institution here) -- or rely on like-minded goons -- to harass and intimidate peaceful activists. Police or vigilante violence against political protesters, is rarely punished by the 'Australian' Courts.

In this instance, the Northern Territory's Criminal Investigation Bureau was given the blatantly political chore of harassing activists and securing convictions for "mistreating animals". Similar 'legal' harassment by ASIO and the Australian Federal Police was used against pro-East Timor activists for nearly a quarter of a century.

The American and Australian State -- demonstrably complicit in the rape, mass killing and torture of the East Timorese for 24 years -- know that marginalizing activists -- marginalizes truth and 'discourages' open signs of support.

The People take charge.

This time however, the State had underestimated the impact of ABRI's 'militia' atrocities against the East Timorese, on the Australian community. Similar protests were erupting all over Australia and at Indonesian Consulates overseas.

Howard was faced with a mounting barrage of political actions and criticism from a rapidly growing political movement -- formed from and appealing to -- a broad cross-section of the Australian community.

Within weeks an Australian peacekeeping force was on its way to East Timor. A 'rapid deployment force' -- that had taken 'merely' a quarter of a century -- to react to our closest ally's predicament. An action forced upon the State by popular dissent.

In a revisionist scenario that would have bewildered Orwell -- the Australian establishment that had supported Suharto's invasion of East Timor and hounded independence activists -- suddenly became East Timor's saviour. The crucial role of East Timor's Fretilin freedom fighters, was seldom mentioned in the Australian media.
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How elections are won in Australia.

Demonizing asylum seekers was a tactic used with great success by the present Howard Federal government who tapped into the traditional racism of the Australian electorate to win a third term. The Labor opposition copied this tactic (to their everlasting shame) and deserved to lose.
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The Howard government use of the military to control domestic events.

"Transcripts of phone conversations between the International Transport Federation, Maritime Union of Australia and the crew of the MV Tampa were used by the government to formulate a political response after the ship rescued 438 boat people near Christmas Island last year, The Daily Telegraph reported today." (The Age, 12 Feb, 2002)

The Howard government utilizing the Defence Signals Directorate's spy facilities (they listen in on most communications in Australia) for matters unrelated to defence, is totally undemocratic.

Couple this with using the SAS (Special Air Services) to board a Norwegian vessel at sea and a real need to challenge this merging of racism, militarism and nationalism becomes obvious.

The normal indecency of the Howard government reached a new low (just prior to the Federal election) when they accused refugees of throwing their children overboard -- despite Australian Navy reports to the contrary.

This cynical fabrication overruled the normal economic concerns that lead up to an election and was instrumental in assuring a conservative victory.
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It is hard to know what is kept from the Australian public in the name of (whose?) national security...

The involvement of the American Central Intelligence Agency in the downfall of the Gough Whitlam Labor government in 1975 and CIA use of intelligence from the American Pine Gap spy facilities (in Australia) are a conveniently neglected part of Australian history.

"It is quite obvious that information was being leaked about ministers Rex O'Connor and Jim Cairns and some of it was being forged which is a standard CIA process." -- Former CIA Agent, Ralph McGehee.

"The Task Force 157 was a group set up by Henry Kissinger and it was set up in a quite strange way. It was a mini-CIA which was actually separate from the CIA and probably was set up by Kissinger so he could deny any connection between what the Task Force 157 was doing and the CIA." -- Former CIA Agent, Jerry Aaron.

"The concept of Task Force 157 seems to have been twofold: firstly, to set up operations against the Whitlam government. And secondly, to go ahead with using Australia as a base for certain clandestine US operations such as arms dealing and smuggling of contraband goods." -- Former CIA Agent, Jerry Aaron.

(Source -- Watching Brief, Public Radio News Services, Melbourne, Australia, October-November 1986.)

Kissinger was the American Secretary of State who advised...

"...Suharto on the eve of the invasion (of East Timor): "...it is important that whatever you do succeeds quickly." (but that) "...it would be better if it were done after we returned to the United States." -- Source: National Security Archive Electronic Briefing Book No. 62 Edited by William Burr and Michael L. Evans, December 6, 2001.

As more facts emerge relating to the American/Australian alliance and the lapdog submission of successive 'Australian' governments, it becomes clear that the people in Australia have been poorly informed about the reality of this relationship.
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On 'Australian Nationalism'

It is the dovetailing of militarism, racism and nationalism between America, England and Australia, that explains much of our commonality - - and which has created the bizarre hybrid I laughingly refer to as 'Australian Nationalism'.

Rather than address what Australian nationalism is -- I've chosen to address what I believe it shouldn't be...

Australian Nationalism should ...

...not be used to conceal our complicity in genocide.

...not be an apologist creed for the racist genocide against Aboriginal people.

...not be about allowing American and English interests to dictate the reality of our past, present and future.

...not condone the presence of spy bases and armed foreign troops on 'Australian' soil.

...not accept the continuance of foreign institutions that dictate our parliamentary and legal outcomes.

...not tolerate the colonialist bootlicking of the Howard-Federal government.

In Australia the Left have sensibly abandoned the tenet of nationalism. Not so sensibly, they have failed to challenge nationalism's success as a 'social glue' and power base for the Right's economic, social and military excesses. Symbols that glorify and perpetuate racist nationalism and war -- have no place in a progressive country.
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"I'd like to see you try."

This story made me proud -- it was originally reported by Penny Baxter (Sunday Territorian Feb' 17, 2002) -- any factual errors are hers...

A Darwin woman who complained of American sailors carrying rifles near a public dining area on Stokes Hill wharf -- was asked to leave by Australian port employees.

Kerry Kent had explained her concerns to an armed American sailor, who then passed the complaint on to his ship the Juneau. The Americans relayed this bit of Aussie dissent on to an Australian port employee and security guard.

They approached Ms Kent and told her she was to be escorted off the wharf.

Ms Kent replied, "I'd like to see you try."

The would-be -- dissenter removers -- then decided against their original plan.

Ms Kent stated, "I was shocked...I am not an agitator or anti-American but I thought it was inappropriate to have guns like that in friendly foreign port."

Apparently the US Navy did not ask for Ms Kent's removal.

The decision was that of Australians -- obviously confused as to which country and citizens they owe their allegiance.

A very understandable confusion.

ends
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The Author and another PARIAH/AFFET member were imprisoned (Feb' 2001) for protesting the American and Australian Government's complicity in East Timor's genocide.

To date -- No American, Australian or English government officials face charges.
And yes -- naturally the English government was involved in the repression of the East Timorese ...
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Sources:

 http://serendipity.magnet.ch/cia/cia_oz/cia_oz1.htm

 http://etan.org/news/kissinger/ask.htm

 http://www.country-liberal-party.com/east_timor.title.htm

 http://www.country-liberal-party.com/pages/timor-genocide_p16.htm

 http://www.oneworld.org/ips2/apr/armstrade.html