By Jorge Aroche

Welcome to our 7^th issue! I am very happy to report that Transitions continues to live up to our best expectations. The contributions to Transitions are on the increase, and so is the number of subscribers (have you subscribed yet?). We are also receiving a lot of much appreciated positive feedback about the magazine, and about our new Website, which you can access on www.startts.org. Thank you for your continued support.

Working with people that have survived torture and trauma experiences is always challenging, frequently difficult and very often incredibly uplifting, confronting and rewarding. It is also what we do everyday, and so we are sometimes at risk of letting its uniqueness recede from our awareness into "business as usual". Not so the last few months (or the last year for that matter).

This has been an incredibly busy and eventful period for STARTTS as reflected in this issue of Transitions. Transitions has been from the beginning part of an effort to share the uniqueness of our work, the stirring and confronting insights of our clients into their own suffering and survival, and the various perspectives on issues affecting our clients. This issue of Transitions goes a long way, perhaps more than ever before, to fulfill these objectives.

One of the features of this issue is our work with the PRADET project in East Timor. STARTTS has been working with the East Timorese community for a long time now, and we have learnt much, particularly in the last few years through the development of an East Timorese clinic in partnership with the Psychiatric Research and Teaching Unit (PRTU).

But working with the East Timorese always meant working with the hope of a free East Timor, and inevitably, with the question of how, and to what extent the experience gained here could be of assistance in East Timor. Plans to turn these ideas into reality began to take a more definite shape following one of Jose Ramos Horta’s visits to STARTTS a few years ago, and gradually became a reality. As explained in the last issue of Transitions, the events following the referendum precipitated the need for such assistance, and the development of the Program for Psychosocial Recovery And Development in East Timor (PRADET).

The PRADET project has not been an easy one. It has also been tremendously rewarding at every level. The recent visit to East Timor by STARTTS staff provided us with an opportunity to gauge the magnitude of the task first-hand, and to make a meaningful contribution to the process. We all felt privileged to be there, and impressed by the spirit, generosity and resilience of the East Timorese people, both during the consultation meeting and beyond.

The decision of the NSW Minister for Health, the Hon Craig Knowles, to come to East Timor and deliver the keynote speech for the opening of the consultation provided an invaluable contribution to the success of the event. The Minister also announced a contribution of $50,000 through the NSW Centre for Mental Health to support a project to develop a psychiatric consultation clinic staffed by NSW psychiatrists travelling to East Timor for a week on a monthly basis. This contribution will complement funding provided by AusAID for this project.

The visit by the Minister was a great boost for the morale of all those involved, East Timorese and Australians alike. Our East Timorese colleagues were particularly impressed by Craig Knowles interest in the project and his straightforward and friendly approach. A couple of articles in this issue focus on the current developments in PRADET, and our recent visit to East Timor.

On a related note, the work of STARTTS was mentioned in NSW Parliament twice recently. First by the Minister for Health before his visit to East Timor, and later by the Hon. Paul Lynch, member for Liverpool, as part of a debate on the significance of the third United Nations international day in support of victims of torture held on the 26 June 2000.

Later that evening, over 200 people attended a function held in Parliament House to commemorate the day. The event, organized by Friends of STARTTS, was a resounding success. The 5 speakers, Justice Michael Kirby, Human Rights Commissioner Chris Sidoti, Sr Josephine Mitchell from the McKillop Foundation, Ms Maria Orostegui, a torture survivor and activist, and The Hon Paul Lynch, MP for Liverpool provided stirring speeches that were clearly appreciated by the audience.

Operation Safe Haven has featured in just about every "message" over the last few issues of Transitions. The Kosovars remaining behind because of health issues were largely those most affected by their traumatic experiences, and in our opinion unlikely to benefit from treatment provided in a stable environment. We applaud therefore, the recent decision by Phillip Ruddock, Minister for Immigration to provide them with a three-year visa to continue to undertake treatment in Australia.

We are also pleased to announce that the negotiations with the Department of Immigration in respect of funding for STARTTS Early Intervention Program have been completed and a contract signed until 2003. This will bring much needed stability and continuity to a program that has more than demonstrated its worth over the last two years. This stability will be a crucial asset in facing the challenges ahead, and particularly those associated with providing services to temporary protection visa holders.

Undoubtedly, this is one of the most debated issues in the refugee field at present, and one with national and international implications and ramifications well beyond the scope of this message. The issues are complex, and the debate can only benefit from informed analysis from various perspectives.

The eloquent speech by Chris Sidoti on the 26 June 2000 reprinted in this issue, provides a human rights perspective on the implications on current government policy. Meanwhile, Olga Yoldis’ analysis of the long-standing conflict in Afghanistan brings to light the complex issues contributing to the current situation of millions of Afghani refugees.

I would like to conclude this message by thanking the outgoing members of STARTTS’ Management Committee, Maria Chidzey, Jacqueline Hayden and Hermine Partamian. Hermine in particular has been a member of STARTTS Management Committee since the earlier days of STARTTS and has made enormous contributions to this organization.

I would also like to thank Andrew Bernard for his support and thoughtfulness as South Western Sydney Area Health Service representative on STARTTS Management Committee while occupying the position of General Manager of Fairfield Health Service. Our very best wishes to Andrew in his new position as General Manager at Bankstown Area Health Service.

Finally, I would like to remind you about Friends of STARTTS Annual General Meeting on the 12 October . Friends of STARTTS plays a crucial role in supporting our work, and needs committed people in its’ Management Committee and other roles in the organization.