MP seeks award for East Timorese

The Australian Democrats want Australia to recognise the bravery of the East
Timorese during World War II with a Queen's Birthday honour in 2010.
South Australian Democrat MP David Winderlich wants the island nation to be made a
Companion of the Order of Australia to recognise the 40,000 East Timorese civilians
who died during the war, many helping Australian soldiers.
Mr Winderlich said honouring a nation in such a way was not unprecedented.
"It is time Australia gave official recognition to this tiny nation for its bravery
and sacrifice," he said on Monday.
"The United Kingdom awarded the island of Malta the George Cross during World War II
so it is not the first time one nation has awarded its highest honour to an entire
people."
The Mary MacKillop East Timor Mission has already launched a petition to recognise
East Timor in the 2010 Queen's Birthday honours.
It said the East Timorese showed great loyalty to the Australian troops who had been
deployed to the island in 1941 to prevent its use as a base by the Japanese.
The Australians used successful hit-and-run guerrilla tactics in the following
months and the Japanese responded by boosting their numbers to 20,000 before the
Australians withdrew in 1943.
"For their loyalty, hundreds of East Timorese were imprisoned, tortured or killed
and their means of livelihood were destroyed if they were suspected of helping the
Australians," the Mary MacKillop mission said.
Casualties inflicted on the Japanese were listed in war records at about 1,500,
while 40 Australians died.
But the mission said it was estimated that at least 40,000 Timorese died during the
war.
"No other nation has lost so many civilians as a direct result of assisting
Australian soldiers," it said.
Mr Winderlich said he would introduce a motion to the South Australian parliament
calling on it to support the initiative to honour East Timor.