TL War Veterans Wrote Aust PM Demand Pipe Line and Appeal To Australian Veterans for Support

Dili, 28/09/2010
Today the east Timorese and Australian joint comission on Joint Petroleum Development Area which include the area of Greater Sunrise meeting in Dili. The meeting starting at 09.30 this morning and still going on at this stage. At the mean time there were a demontration through the street of dili from Timor Leste National University Kaikoli to Parliament house to present their their petition to Timor Leste Parliament. "Appeal to the people of Australia to ask their government and Woodside company to pipe the gas from greater sunrise to TL," said in the point of these students petitions.

One of the banner carried by those student written, "Mr. Don Voelte, woodside is big, strong and rich company. Is that the reason you vcna step on the poor Timorese right?"
On the 27/09/2010 the National university students have a conference of the Greater sunrise issue and they have stated their support to Xanana's government to bring the pipeline to Timor soil. Not only that the East timor war veterans gathered in Dili on 24/09/2010 demands for pipeline from Greater sun rise. "We veterans and combatants of national liberation ask the Government of Australia to accept the aspiration of the people ot Timor-Leste to bring the pipeline to Timor-Leste so that it can improve the economical prosperity of the people of Timor-Leste and furthering, the already, good friendship and solidarity between our two people," Vasco da gama read out the statement which signed by 17 reperesentatives of the veterans which sent to most of the Timorese leaders include Australian Emb assador to Dili and Australian PM.

“We veterans and combatants of national liberation call for our fellow veterans from the World Veterans Federation and VECONAC to be generous and support our aspiration so that the Pipeline from the Greater Sunrise can be brought to Timor-Leste and assist the economic and prosperity of the people of this country. We veterans and combatants of national liberation ask particularly to the Australian Veterans, which has very strong friendship and solidarity with the people of Timor-Leste shared with pass collective historical values, heroism and patriotism in the second World War.”

The conference resulted 10 points declaration which supported Timor Leste Government to pipe gas from Greater sunrise to TL soil. "We veterans and combatants of national liberation give our full support to the state/government of RDTL to continue firm in the negotiation on on the Greater Sunrise so that we can bring the pipeline to Timor-Leste. Bringing the pipeline is the only aspiration of the people of Timor-Leste that will defend the sovereignity and dignity of the people of this nation," said Vasco da Gama the Veteran comission leader and former Objlatil leader.

They continues that, "We veterans and combatants of national liberation give our full support to state/government of RDTL ‘s decision to reject the Floating LNG and terminate the negotiation of the Greater Sunrise is the pipeline does not come to Timor-Leste, and support to leave the exploitation of this resources be left in the ground for future generation if the pipeline does not come. We veterans and combatants of national liberation considers it is only fair if the Pipeline from Greater Sunrise comes to Timor-Leste because one pipeline (the Bayu Undan pipeline) has gonne to Australia," Those war veterans came from every districts and they have long stand for East Timor Independence appeal to Australian war world II veterans to help raised the issued with their government and Woodside. "We veterans and combatants of national liberation ask the people of Australia and our solidarity groups to demand the Government of Australia, that as a developed nation with lots of other natural/petroleum resources and that Australia has its commitment to help reducing the poverty in the world, asisst the people of Timor-Leste and be realistic in the negotiation on the Greater Sunrise."
The veterans and combatants of the national liberation understood that the pipeline from the Greater Sunrise to Timor-Leste is technically possible to be brought across the the depth of the Timor Trough in the Timor Sea, which the companies have always said that impossible. The veterans and combatants of the na liberation also heard that, based on the result of the studies, bringing the pipeline and building a LNG-Plant in Timor-Leste, which will cost around US$ 7 billion is commercially viable, and  will create a lot of advantages/benefits to the country because it will create jobs, contribute to the revenues of the state, and opportunities for all the people of Timor-Leste to make use of its resources, instead of benefiting the companies alone.
These veterans understood that, the Greater Sunrise, which has big gas reserve is only 180 km from Timor-Leste but around 500 km to the shores of Australia. Therefore, we the veterans and combatants of the national liberation demand that the government uses all its competency under the Constitution of the Republic, follow the Petroleum Act and the Treaties that we have signed to negotiate the pipeline from the Greater Sunrise to be landed in the shores of Timor-Leste.