Inspired by the national conference, Sydney Northside SA branch decided to spice up its fortnightly meetings by including a topical educational item in the agendas. Our June 4 meeting focussed on the crisis in Aceh.
We showed the 30-minute documentary Aceh: the people’s struggle, which provides a good background on the people’s struggle for self-determination, and invited members of the Australian Aceh Association to update us on the current situation. After some interesting discussion about the Australian government’s support for the Indonesian military’s terror campaign in Aceh, the branch decided to endorse a statement calling on the Howard government to cut all military ties with Indonesia, provide the Acehnese with much-needed humanitarian aid and resources, and pressure the Indonesian government to end its war and resume peace talks with the Acehnese.
The Northside branch is now also using its suburban stalls to promote the June 24 national protest against war and militarism in Canberra, which many Acehnese in Australia will be joining.
The educational focus of our next branch meeting will be Palestine, including a screening of John Pilger’s documentary Palestine is Still the Issue and a guest speaker on the United States’ “roadmap to peace”.
To obtain a copy of either Aceh: The people’s struggle or Pilger’s documentary on Palestine, contact Jill or John at Actively Radical TV on (02) 9564 1277.