Sydney Launch of "Secrecy - The Key to Independence"

On the 10th Anniversary of East Timor’s Independence, the Hon. Helen Westwood, MLC, in partnership with the Blue Mountains East Timor Sisters, invites you to join her in the Sydney launch of this important women’s story that highlights the role of women in the fight for freedom in East Timor.

About the writers:

Laura Soares Abrantes was active in the Timorese resistance, gathering information about Indonesian human rights violations and sending it out of the country, both as a student in Java and with women’s organisation ‘Fokupers’ in Dili. She has contributed to many books on Timorese women from 1999 to the present, either as a story-teller, story-collector or editor.


Beba Sequeira’s family were involved in the Timorese clandestine movement, leading to her being interrogated by the Indonesian military. She tells her story in Step by Step: Women of East Timor. After the referendum in 1999, Beba helped establish a women’s organization, APSC-TL, and has worked tirelessly to improve the status of women in Timor Leste.

Venue - NSW Parliament House,
Date - Tuesday 8th May from 10.30 am —12 pm.