A cartoon in the May 15, 98 edition of Sing Tao Newspaper shows a couple watching television news regarding the riot in Indonesia against the Chinese. A lady said: " Why can't we Chinese behave like Jews or Sikhs?

You see, in this riot against Chinese, we Chinese just sit back and say that it is very sad. But no one comes out to protest or do something!"

The cartoon is exactly right. We Chinese people around the world are too protective, or better to say we are too selfish. We have the financial power but we are not united. Everyone cares more about him/herself rather than others.

The situation in Indonesia is very tense and unpredictable. It will probably last for quite a while longer. Our brothers and sisters in Indonesia need our help. We must do something immediately. We have two plans in mind and we would like to receive support and suggestions from everyone.

(1) INFLUENCE THE POWERFUL FACTIONS IN INDONESIA:

There are 3 powerful factions in Indonesia: Government, religious leader, & student union. If we write letters to these 3 factions to appeal for better treatment of the Indonesian-Chinese, we will surely be ignored. But, if our Prime Minister / President / Muslim Leader/Student

Union President writes to them, they will not be ignored because Indonesia is currently in need of external help. This then leads to another problem. How can we convince our Prime Minister/President/…etc to appeal to Indonesia? In the western world, a strong public opinion, extensive media coverage, or good government connection can pressure a government to act. Some of us suggest running big advertisements in influential newspapers such as the New York Times to appeal to the public, but it is too expensive (ten of thousands). To create public opinions towards our case is a good long-term strategy but it takes time. Because of the immediacy of this case, we believe that a petition is the most effective choice.

We are aim to gather at least 1000 signatures in our petition. A copy of the petition will be sent to the Prime Minister, leader of the Canadian Student Union, leader of the Canadian Muslims, and to Mr. Clinton asking them to appeal to their corresponding party in Indonesia.

We ask them to protect the Indonesian-Chinese based on humanity and compassion grounds. When we are gathering signatures for the petition, we will have a lot of media exposure and will draw more public attention into this matter. We believe a 1000 signature petition is enough to get our Prime Minister to appeal to Indonesia. If the Chinese in other North American cities do the same thing (i.e. petition), this can become a powerful force to pressure the government into doing something. If we can get Mr. Clinton to say something to the Indonesian, there would be a very strong impact. (Mr. Clinton would act depending on how large the petition is)

(2) INFLUENCE THE INDONESIAN PUBLIC

We are thinking of making a full-page advertisement in one or two Indonesia newspapers such as Kompas or Republika. The ad would focus on promoting peace and racial harmony, and describe the benefits to the Indonesian by protecting the Chinese (such as good image to the world and the ability attract foreign investments), and the damage to Indonesian by burning Chinese shops (such as scaring away tourists and investors), and emphasize the importance of all races working together to rebuild the whole country in this critical time. We want this ad to win the hearts of most Indonesians including the hard-liner. It will be more effective if some overseas Indonesians (not Chinese) can work together with us in this

matter. It is easier for overseas Indonesians than overseas Chinese to convince the Indonesians. The cost is also a problem. We can only afford $1000 US (about 10 million rupiah). We also need someone to help us to write this ad in Indonesian language and contact newspapers in Indonesia.

Please contact us by E-mail (keypc@cadvision.com) or by phone (403-295-7572) if anyone can help us to carry out the above plans. We need someone good in English or Indonesian to write up the petition and the advertisement letter.