| Subject: DPA:
East Timorese dig deep for tsunami victims Deutsche Presse-Agentur
January 16, 2005, Sunday 09:36:48 Central European Time
East Timorese dig deep for tsunami victims
Sydney
East Timor, the former Indonesian colony that in 2002 became the
world's newest country, is passing round the hat for victims of the Indian
Ocean tsunami that struck three weeks ago.
The first of the fundraisers was an army versus police football match
at the main stadium in Dili, Australia's AAP reported from the East
Timorese capital on Sunday.
The police beat the army 3-3, but the most valued person on the park
was referee Xanana Gusmao, the former guerilla leader who was elected
president three years ago.
"We are having many events - this soccer match is one of them -
aiming to raise funds as a gesture of solidarity of the East Timorese
people with the victims of the tsunami," President Gusmao said. He
will fly to Jakarta later this month to present East Timor's donation to
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
The contribution is important because it exemplifies the pragmatism
that has been Gusmao's biggest asset in restoring good relations with
Jakarta. Indonesia very grudgingly gave up its former 27th province in
1999 after East Timorese voted for independence in a United
Nations-sponsored referendum.
Gusmao spent seven years in a Jakarta jail before being released and
leading his people to independence. dpa sa wjh
Back to January menu
December
World Leaders Contact List
Human Rights Violations in East Timor
Main Postings Menu
Note: For those who would like to fax "the
powers that be" - CallCenter is a Native 32-bit Voice Telephony software
application integrated with fax and data communications... and it's free of charge!
Download from http://www.v3inc.com/ |
