New ETAN chapter in Dartmouth, MA
January, 1999
The ETAN Steering Committee has voted to approve a new ETAN chapter at Dartmouth High School in Dartmouth, Massachusetts. Welcome!
On December 21st, Jim Madden and other students from the Dartmouth high school made a presentation on East Timor to their town selectman's meeting and introduced a town-resolution supporting self-determination for East Timor. US Rep. Jim McGovern attended the selectman's meeting and spoke on behalf of the resolution. The students made a presentation on East Timor and showed footage from the Dili massacre. The resolution passed!
The story generated good newspaper coverage, and built a strong relationship between Rep. McGovern and the Dartmouth High ETAN chapter. As you can tell, the Dartmouth High group is off to a great start! If you want more info on what the folks in Dartmouth did to make this all happen, (or just to say "congratulations") why not drop Jim and his schoolmates a note?
Contact person and steering committee representative for the new chapter:
Jim Madden
363 Gulf Rd
S. Dartmouth, MA 02748
jmadden3@meganet.net
The Dartmouth High school ETAN chapter proposal:
ETAN East Timor Action Network Dartmouth High Chapter
December 2, 1998
To whom it may concern:
Whereas Indonesia invaded East Timor on December 7, 1975, nine days after East Timor declared its independence from Portugal. Whereas 200,000 people of a population of less than 700,000 (nearly one third of the population) have died as a result of the Indonesian occupation, as reported by Amnesty International and Nobel laureates Dr. Jose Ramos Horta and Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo. Whereas the United States has played a negative role militarily, diplomatically, and economically in East Timor and Indonesia. Whereas the Indonesian occupation of East Timor continues to this day, an occupation condemned by the United Nations in 10 separate resolutions. Students at Dartmouth High seek to take positive action to end the human rights abuses in east Timor, advocate self-determination for the nationa of East Timor and to take a stand for justice for the people of East Timor.
These students seek to take such action under the auspices ofr a Dartmouth High School ETAN Chapter. This chapter would be advised by Mr. Bob Hayes chair of the social sciences department at Dartmouth High. This chapter would be action based and action focused. Seeking to educate as many groups and peoples as possible of the injustices in East Timor. Calling on such groups and peoples to take action and stand for the people of East Timor with the members of our club. Such actions would include:
- Writing letters to and petitioning Congressional Representatives asking for support of East Timor and support for Rep. Smith's (R-NJ) bill H.R. 4874, "The International Military Training Transparency and Accountability Act"
- Writing letters to and petitioning the executive branch of government and the state department to take a bold, courageous, and definite stand for self-determination for the nation of East Timor and human rights and liberation for the people of East Timor
- Calling on groups, schools, parishes, and towns to pass resolutions condemning the acts of Indonesia and the Indonesian military in East Timor and supporting human rights in and self-determination for East Timor
- Work on other programs such as a possible mural for East Timor, an East Timor awareness day, petitioning and asking for the support of state representative, getting speakers to talk in this area who have had personal experience in or for East Timor, programs in which our chapter could positively impact specific individuals in East Timor and know who we are impacting and other programs that could develop as the cause develops towards the positive goal of human rights in and self-determination for East Timor
Working towards the goal of justice,
Jim Madden