PALESTINE – THE LESSONS OF EAST TIMOR https://t.co/b0Qc4I3ltc My latest. As with East Timor, international law supports the Palestinian cause. As with East Timor, western powers are the obstacle to a just settlement. @DeclassifiedAus @PeterCronau

Excellent article by Ivo Mateus Goncalves. Understanding the reality of the Indonesian invasion of East Timor for the Timorese people and how it came about is important for Timorese, Indonesians and Australians.

Whitlam in Timor https://t.co/XYxjOGFTti On the eve of the 50th anniversary of the Indonesian invasion of East Timor, it is good to get this article out, in collaboration with Timorese researcher Fernando Ximenes and USC academic Dr Shannon Brincat. @BrincatShannon

A big loss for the US empire: Ecuador's Trump-backed, right-wing oligarch President Noboa tried to rewrite the country's progressive constitution to allow US military bases in its territory. 61% of Ecuadorians voted against his proposal. They DON'T want foreign military bases.

I have had the good fortune to be interviewed twice on Late Night Live, by Phillip Adams & Anne Deveson. Each time I expected critique but also knowledge of the subject & fairness, which I received. With David Marr we clearly can’t expect either.

This is who did the #Balibo murders: ▪️Army Captain Yunus Yosfiah and Christoforus da Silva did the shooting and knifing of the Australian journalists, with accomplices, according to witnesses. ▪️Murdered on the express orders of Indonesian General Benny Murdani, to leave ‘no

While the Australian Government do all they can to down play and avoid talking about the fate of the Balibo 5 (including my brother Tony) killed 50 years ago tomorrow, in DILI the East Timorese make sure all remember with this huge street billboard

While many remember today the death of my brother & 4 other journalists at Balibo Timor Leste in 1975 by invading Indonesian forces, please spare a thought for the more than 250,000 Timorese who died during their subsequent 24 year bloody occupation.

Remembering veteran war correspondent John Martinkus - ABC listen

The late great John Martinkus told the truth about E Timor when many journalists repeated Indon propaganda. I am republishing a 2002 review by John on a book by 2 journalists who wrote on E Timor but took a very different position to John. https://t.co/NqnatnBkSo @MartinkusJohn

Awful interview with PM in 7.30 tonight. No ref to genocide. Talk of “2 state solution” but no mention of Israeli occupation, settlement, repression. Perennial emphasis on security of Israel as Palestinians are murdered in tens of 1000s using western supplied weapons.

Our panel on Wed at Timor-Leste Studies Assoc Conf. My paper, on the motivations of the Aust govt for supporting the Indonesian intervention, starts at 31 min. The papers by Zelda Grimshaw and Brad Simpson, complemented my own paper well. https://t.co/bhu6sxg7t9

This morning Peter Dutton actually said this: "We want our kids to be taught the curriculum … not be guided into some sort of an agenda that’s come out of universities.” As a former teacher I have to plead guilty. But I wonder who he is intending to employ?

At a time many Australians are increasingly damaging the environment by driving over sized cars, we need higher petrol taxes & prices, not lower.

In these dark times, a small ray of hope. Let’s hope Duterte is not the only international human rights criminal to be sitting in court benches in The Hague.

Thanks to Pearls & Irritations for publishing my article yesterday.

My latest. The vilification of refugees is so ingrained in Australian society that even responsible sections of the media do it. This even includes the ABC’s Media Watch under its otherwise excellent new presenter Linton Besser. @ABCmediawatch -

4. Marsden wrote well, but his values were appalling. His books should have no place in schools.

3. The ‘Tomorrow’ series depict a fictional Asian nation invading Australia & heroic white kids resisting. Xenophobia & racist attitudes abound. /4.

2. ‘So Much to Tell You’ has a man attempting to assault his wife with acid, but disfigures his daughter instead. But the man is depicted sympathetically as a victim & his wife as a negative character who ‘brought it on’. /3.

1. Short thread. Lots of tributes to John Marsden, but as a teacher I found his work highly problematic. /2.