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April-May 2001: 
East Timor ACTION ALERT

TAKE ACTION FOR EAST TIMOR 
BRING THE REFUGEES HOME 
SUPPORT JUSTICE FOR EAST TIMOR

What You Can Do
Background

Also call administration officials this month

THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION IS STILL FORMULATING ITS POLICIES toward East Timor and Indonesia. Now is an important time to raise your voice for human rights! 

  • Strong and clear U.S. congressional support for establishing an international tribunal is needed. A resolution "Condemning the Violence in East Timor and Urging the Establishment of an International War Crimes Tribunal" (Senate Concurrent Resolution 9 and House Concurrent Resolution 60) needs more co-sponsors. An international tribunal is necessary to achieve justice for East Timor and to hold the Indonesian military responsible for its actions in East Timor. Call your Representative and Senators today and ask them to co-sponsor! 
  • Up to 100,000 East Timorese refugees continue to languish in militia-controlled refugee camps in West Timor. Until the refugee crisis is resolved, the Indonesian government asserts full control over its military and holds it accountable for human rights violations committed in East Timor and Indonesia, the current suspension of all military ties between the U.S. and Indonesia must be maintained.

What You Can Do 

Contact your Senators and Representatives

Urge them to support congressional resolutions calling for an international tribunal for crimes against humanity committed in East Timor, House Concurrent Resolution 60 and Senate Concurrent Resolution 9, Condemning the Violence in East Timor and Urging the Establishment of an International War Crimes Tribunal for Prosecuting Crimes Against Humanity That Occurred During That Conflict.

Urge them to: 

  • Co-sponsor S. Con. Res. 9, introduced by Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), or H. Con. Res. 60, introduced by Rep. Lane Evans (D-IL), "condemning the violence in East Timor and urging the establishment of an international war crimes tribunal for prosecuting crimes against humanity that occurred during that conflict." See current list of co-sponsors. 
  • Maintain and expand conditions in the Foreign Operations Appropriations bill restricting U.S. military assistance to Indonesia. 
  • Pressure the U.S. and Indonesian governments to ensure significant UN and international NGO oversight and participation in any refugee registration process in West Timor. Indonesia must disarm and disband militia controlling refugee camps in West Timor. 
  • Appropriate $30 million in U.S. assistance during fiscal year 2002 for reconstruction and nation building in East Timor.

Call the congressional switchboard (202-224-3121) and ask for your Senator or Representative's office and ask for the foreign policy aide, or consult http://www.congress.gov for fax or e-mail information.

Possible dialogue to gain co-sponsors of resolutions: 

"May I speak with the foreign policy staffer, please?

"Hello, I am calling to encourage [Representative/ Senator] X to co-sponsor a resolution calling for U.S. support for the creation of an international tribunal for crimes against humanity committed in East Timor. For the East Timorese people, an international tribunal is an important and necessary avenue to justice. A tribunal would also serve as a means by which to pressure Indonesia to hold its military accountable for gross violations of human rights and to deter further military abuses. Since the overwhelming destruction of East Timor in 1999, no Indonesian military personnel have been held accountable. Can we count on his/her support for [H. Con. Res. 60/S. Con. Res. 9]?"

Call or write the President and the Secretary of State and

Tell them to support human rights and democracy in East Timor and Indonesia by maintaining a complete ban on U.S.-Indonesia military ties.

Your efforts make a difference. Thanks to the hard work of East Timor activists like you last year, we maintained a complete cut-off of military training and weapons sales to the Indonesian military and ensured a high level of U.S. financial assistance for East Timor for 2001.

Background

No Indonesian military or police personnel have been held accountable for the extensive human rights violations committed in East Timor. On the contrary, many of the Indonesian officers responsible for crimes in East Timor have been promoted. East Timor's own justice system remains flawed, under-resourced, and unable to try or even question any of the Indonesian military officers responsible for heinous crimes. The few militia leaders brought to trial in Indonesia have only been charged for minor crimes committed in Indonesian West Timor. A UN request to the Indonesian government to hand over a militia member accused of killing a UN peacekeeper in East Timor last summer has been rejected. The Indonesian court system has repeatedly and consistently failed to punish human right violators. Only an international tribunal can provide full justice for the East Timorese people. There must be no further delay. Senator Harkin introduced S. Con. Res. 9 saying, "Wherever and whenever conflict has resulted in great bloodshed, human suffering, and destruction, there has been no real peace established without real justice. The people of East Timor deserve peace--and to establish peace, we must first seek justice."

In the fall of 1999, the U.S. Congress cut off military training and weapons transfers until Indonesia meets certain conditions pertaining to East Timor. These include the return to East Timor of displaced persons and refugees and bringing to justice military and militia members responsible for human rights atrocities. The bill also stipulates that Indonesia must prevent militia incursions into East Timor and cooperate fully with the UN administration in East Timor. The legislation containing this language -- the Foreign Operations Appropriations Act -- must be renewed every year, and work will soon begin on this year's bill. The current conditions are far from being met, and others relating to civilian control of the Indonesian military should be added. However, some in the State Department and the Pentagon are pressing for re-engagement with the Indonesian military. We must continue to protest any initiation of U.S.-Indonesia military ties.

In both 1999 and 2000, Congress allocated $25 million in U.S. economic assistance for East Timor through the Foreign Operations Appropriations Act. Rebuilding East Timor is progressing very slowly, especially with regard to health, education, and justice, and the UN will soon decrease its presence. An increase to $30 million from the U.S. with an additional $2 million for scholarships for East Timorese students is needed. However, achieving this modest increase in aid will not be easy. Your elected representatives need to know of your support for this aid.

Up to 100,000 East Timorese refugees continue to languish in militia-controlled refugee camps in West Timor. Humanitarian organizations report as many as five deaths per day in the camps, with conditions worsening. There has been almost no international presence in the West Timor camps since last September when militia murdered three UN workers. Without significant involvement of international NGOs and the UN, refugees will not be able to freely express whether they want to repatriate or resettle in Indonesia during any registration process. "The refugees in the camps are suffering great hunger. They have had no support from local aid groups since January and from international agencies since September," the Jesuit Refugee Services, the only international NGO with a regular presence in West Timor, recently wrote.

A UN team is due to visit West Timor this month to assess whether conditions are secure enough for the UN to resume its work there. The Indonesian government is pushing for a rapid registration of the refugees this spring, precluding the significant international involvement needed to make sure that refugees' choices are made freely. Returning refugees continue to report militia intimidation and propaganda, and reports of violence against women in the camps are prevalent. The continued presence of armed, hostile militia gangs in West Timor backed by the Indonesian military is a serious threat to East Timor's security, peace, and integrity. The people of West Timor also suffer from increased militarization and violence.

Militias based in West Timor have recently stepped-up their aggressive tactics, firing machine guns and throwing grenades at UN peacekeepers and East Timorese along the border. One young East Timorese woman was killed in these attacks. At the same time, violence against civilians by Indonesian security forces is escalating throughout the Indonesian archipelago, especially in Aceh and West Papua. Until the refugee crisis is resolved, the Indonesian government asserts full control over its military and holds it accountable for human rights violations committed in East Timor and Indonesia, the current suspension of all military ties between the U.S. and Indonesia must be maintained.

East Timor Action Network 
PO Box 1182 White Plains, NY 10602 
(914) 428-7299; 
etan@etan.org 
http://www.etan.org

Also call administration officials this month

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