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Contact: John M. Miller, 718-596-7668; 917-690-4391
Karen Orenstein,
Text of Letter to Secretary of State Powell on Aceh Crisis
4 January 2005
Secretary Colin Powell
U.S. Secretary of State
2201 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20520
Dear Secretary Powell:
We, the undersigned NGOs, are writing to bring to your urgent
attention special concerns about the humanitarian response to the
extraordinary suffering and damage caused by the December 26
earthquake and tsunami that struck Indonesia and other Indian Ocean
littoral nations.
The particularly severe damage in Aceh, where more than
two-thirds of the casualties have been reported, requires specific
international focus. It is crucial that the international
humanitarian response to Aceh take into account the historical
context of the region, as that will heavily influence the
effectiveness of relief efforts. As you are aware, for nearly three
decades, the people of Aceh have suffered the consequences of
Indonesian military operations in which the principal victims have
been civilians, as described in multiple State Department human
rights reports. More than 2000 people have been killed since the May
2003 imposition of martial law in Aceh. During a previous period of
martial law, from 1989 to 1998, some 10,000 perished. Human rights
violations, predominantly committed by the military, have been
rampant.
To ensure maximum impact and timeliness of humanitarian
assistance in Aceh, we believe it is essential that the United
States and the international community urge the Indonesian
government to immediately take the following steps:
- Remove all restrictions impeding access to Aceh by domestic
and international agencies and organizations, media, and
individual government assistance programs. Burdensome visa
requirements and other bureaucratic red tape must be eliminated.
- Formally lift the "civil emergency" status still in
force in Aceh. President Yudhoyono should do this directly and
in no uncertain terms.
- End all offensive military operations in Aceh by the
Indonesian armed forces (TNI). According to TNI spokespersons
and media reports, offensive actions by the TNI against
insurgents are still underway, while the insurgents have
declared a ceasefire.
- Direct the TNI to focus exclusively on provision of essential
logistics to facilitate humanitarian relief. TNI officers should
not be directly involved in aid distribution - so as to
circumvent military abuse of humanitarian assistance and to
avoid escalation of legitimate fear felt by many Acehnese toward
the military and certain elements of the police (e.g. BRIMOB).
Acehnese civil society and local administrative infrastructure
have been devastated. United States and other international
assistance, to the extent possible, should give priority to
rebuilding Acehnese civilian capacity to address both immediate
needs and long-term reconstruction.
As you travel to the tsunami-stricken countries, we thank you for
your serious consideration of these concerns in such trying times.
Sincerely,
Bama Athreya
Deputy Director
International Labor Rights Fund
Munawar Zainal
Secretary General
Acheh Center, USA
Miriam Young
Senior Program Officer
Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights
Karen Orenstein
Washington Coordinator
East Timor Action Network
Suraiya IT
Chair
International Forum for Aceh
see also ETAN/NI/ILRF:
U.S.
Groups Urge Indonesia to Put People over Politics;
Humanitarian Catastrophe Adds to Human-Created Destruction in Aceh
;
Humanitarian Catastrophe Adds to Human-Created Destruction in Aceh
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