MKOTT statements to Australia and TL

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As thousands of people rallied peacefully in front of the Australian embassy in Dili on 22 March, the organizers of the protest issued two statements, one to Australia and one to Timor-Leste. Tetum versions and photos of the protest can be accessed at http://www.laohamutuk.org/Oil/Boundary/CMATSindex.htm#Mar16Demos. The following are English translations of the two statements:

Movimentu Kontra Okupasaun Tasi Timor
Movement Against the Occupation of the Timor Sea
Rua dos Martires da Patria, Bebora, Dili, Timor-Leste
Tel: +670-7734-8703    email: zebdiaz@gmail.com

Declaration to the Government of Australia

The Movement Against the Occupation of the Timor Sea (Movimentu Kontra Okupasaun Tasi Timor - MKOTT) is a social movement composed of activists, students, former resistance fighters and individuals which advocates for legal, judicial and diplomatic processes between the Australian and Timor-Leste governments to find a fair solution to the maritime boundary between these two nations.

MKOTT sees that Timor-Leste is the closest neighbour to Australia. During the past few decades, people from these two countries have had good relations. In World War II, many Timorese people supported Australia, and more than 40,000 Timorese lives were sacrificed because Australia came to use Timor Island as a base to defend against Japan. In addition, in 1999 Australia supported Timor-Leste to end Indonesia’s military brutality.

Unfortunately, the history of past good relations has been scarred by Australian government policy to illegally occupy Timor-Leste’s maritime territory, because Australia is interested to take resources from this small nation. Therefore, today, MKOTT returns to call for justice in settling a maritime boundary which is fair to Timor-Leste’s people.

MKOTT comes to ask the following demands:

1. Australia should return to the mechanisms for resolving maritime boundary disputes under the International Court of Justice and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea.
2. The Government of Australia should respect the rights of Timor-Leste’s people in the Timor Sea according to international law (UNCLOS).
3. The Government of Australia should engage in honest and open negotiations about maritime boundaries, not only to talk about bilateral relations in general.
4. The Government of Australia should stop stealing Timor-Leste’s people’s resources, which reduces opportunities for good lives for women, children, and vulnerable people in Timor-Leste.

In addition to the above demands, through this request, MKOTT also asks the Australian people, as a people who have shown their maturity and strong civic spirit, to:

1. Stand alongside the people of Timor-Leste to fight for sovereignty, as you did during the Indonesian occupation.
2. Encourage your Government to respect Timor-Leste’s people’s rights, through deciding a fair maritime boundary according to international legal principles.
3. Help your domestic politics to become more democratic, respecting law and human rights, to make Australia an exemplary nation with a democratic system that other countries in this region can follow.

LONG LIVE TIMOR-LESTE
LONG LIVE THE MAUBERE PEOPLE
LONG LIVE THE MOVEMENT AGAINST OCCUPATION OF THE TIMOR SEA!

Mandate of MKOTT to the Government of Timor-Leste

The Movement Against the Occupation of the Timor Sea (Movimentu Kontra Okupasaun Tasi Timor - MKOTT) is a social movement composed of activists, students, former resistance fighters and individuals which advocates for legal, judicial and diplomatic processes between the Australia and Timor-Leste governments to find a fair solution to the maritime boundary between these two nations.

As a nonpartisan citizens’ movement, MKOTT also has a responsibility to defend Timor-Leste’s people’s rights to access a fair distribution of state resources, as well as to defend people’s right to information, transparency and accountability from our leaders. MKOTT believes that the people of Timor-Leste should be the real beneficiaries and should determine their leaders’ decisions.

History has shown that, from the UNTAET administration until today, Timor-Leste’s leaders have looked for ways to share revenues with the Australian government and oil companies who exploit our oil and gas from the Timor Sea, rather than choose for our sovereignty.

MKOTT recognizes that the weak economic situation when independence was restored in 2002 compelled Timor-Leste to give in to Australian pressure to sign the Timor Sea Treaty and International Unitization Agreement which were unfair to Timor-Leste, because we had just emerged from devastating conflict which had destroyed more than 80% of our infrastructure. State finances were stronger a few years later, and MKOTT did not agree when Timor-Leste and Australia signed and ratified the CMATS Treaty in 2006 and 2007.

Since 1999, Australia has taken in around USD $5 billion in revenues from oil and gas fields in the part of the Timor Sea which should belong to Timor-Leste. They got this money from the Elang-Kakatua, Bayu-Undan, Laminaria-Corallina, Buffalo and Kitan fields, which are now nearly entirely depleted. The remaining 7% of the Bayu-Undan reserve will be used up soon.

In our land, the Government of Timor-Leste has already spent more than $7 billion from these natural resources, and about $16 billion remains in our Petroleum Fund. MKOTT observes that this unique resource must be managed well to benefit current and future generations. When our economy becomes strong, and it no longer depends on oil and imports, more people will have jobs, household economies will improve, and the Government will be better able to support women and men, children, and all vulnerable people.  MKOTT believes that a stronger economy will also strengthen Timor-Leste’s position in maritime boundary negotiations with Australia.

Therefore, today, in front of many people, MKOTT gives this mandate to the Government of Timor-Leste:

• To defend sovereignty ahead of money, or projects or benefits from Australian donors.
• To use the people’s resources to improve all people’s quality of life, ensuring equity for everyone.
• To control public finance policies not to throw money away, or use it to benefit only a few.
• To promote transparency and accountability about all public decisions to the Timorese people, as the owners of this land.

As a social movement, MKOTT promises to watch over this mandate, as one part of our duty as citizens to defend the people’s interests under the Constitution of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste.

Representatives