East Timor ACTION Network ALERT
Stop Congressional Support for Lethal Indonesian Military
This Week Make 3 Phone Calls This Week
Immediately after returning from this week’s Memorial Day recess,
Congress will finish the FY02 Supplemental Appropriations bill and begin
work on the FY03 Foreign Operations Appropriations Act. Using the ”war
on terrorism” as a justification, the Bush administration is working
hard to make sure that both bills contain substantial military assistance
for Indonesia and few or no restrictions on military aid.
Contact your Representative and Senators this week. Tell them that U.S.
military training and weapons are not solutions to Indonesia’s problems.
Such assistance will only worsen Indonesia’s deteriorating human rights
situation, set back democratic reform, and provide a U.S. seal of approval
to an Indonesian military that continues to attack and terrorize civilians
and strongly resists accountability for crimes against humanity committed
in East Timor.
Fax or Phone your Representative and Senators.
Tell them to use their voice and vote in Congress to make sure that:
- The Supplemental Appropriations bill does not contain any military
assistance for Indonesia. The Indonesian military should not receive a
U.S. seal of approval while it continues to evade accountability for
crimes against humanity committed in East Timor and terrorize
civilians throughout Indonesia.
- Restrictions on International Military Education and Training (IMET)
and Foreign Military Financing (FMF) are renewed in the fiscal year
2003 Foreign Operations Appropriations bill. Indonesia has not met any
of the reasonable conditions required to lift the restrictions, and
the Indonesian government and military should not be rewarded with
military assistance at least until they do so.
Phone calls and faxes are generally more effective than email. The
congressional switchboard number is 202-224-3121 (ask for the office of
your Senators or Representative), or check http://www.congress.org
on the Internet for fax or e-mail information.
BACKGROUND
The U.S. Navy is conducting a joint military training exercise with the
Indonesian Navy in Surabaya and East Java from May 27 to June 2. This
annual Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) exercise is
justified as a humanitarian exercise. In 1999, a similar exercise took
place just prior to East Timor’s independence referendum. Soon after,
the Indonesian Navy was assisting in the looting and destruction of East
Timor. Participating U.S. ships were soon backing up the international
peacekeeping operation.
Just prior to this year’s independence ceremonies in East Timor, the
Indonesian Navy sailed several heavily-armed warships into the Dili harbor
in violation of clear agreements with the United Nations and the East
Timorese government. This audacious display signaled that the Indonesian
military not only refuses to fully recognize East Timor’s independence,
but can not be trusted to live up to its agreements.
In the fall of 1999, the U.S. Congress cut off IMET and FMF for
Indonesia until it meets certain conditions pertaining to East Timor,
including the return to East Timor of refugees and accountability for
human rights violations in East Timor and Indonesia. In 2002 further
conditions were added pertaining to Indonesian military reform; UN and
other international organization access to West Timor, Aceh, West Papua,
and Maluku; and the release of political detainees. Conditions on these
restrictions, known as the “Leahy Conditions,” must be renewed
annually in the Foreign Operations Appropriations Act. The Bush
administration and their friends in Congress are trying to remove these
restrictions from the FY03 Foreign Operations Appropriations bill.
For more information, see April 10 action alert entitled, “"Just
Say No" To New Military Assistance For Indonesia,” on
www.etan.org.
Please let us know the results of your calls and faxes. Send results to
John M. Miller, john@etan.org,
718-596-7668 (tel.).
JOIN ETAN's DC LOBBY DAYS
Come to Washington for ETAN's Lobby Days.
The Lobby Days this year - June 9 to 11 - is taking place at the
crucial time immediately before full-scale work on the annual Foreign
Operations Appropriations bill begins in the House and Senate. The timing
couldn't be better. It is this bill that contains restrictions on military
assistance for Indonesia, as well as provisions for economic assistance
for East Timor. see http://etan.org/news/2002a/05ldays.htm
Please contact Stefanie Collins or Karen Orenstein in ETAN's Washington
office to let us know you are coming and for more information,
202-544-6911, princessleiaorgana21@yahoo.com.
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