in Bahasa Indonesian:
ETAN Menolak Adm. Blair
sebagai Kepala Intelijen Nasional
ETAN Opposes Adm. Blair as Director of
National Intelligence
Contact: John M. Miller,
+1-718-596-7668, 917-690-4391
December 5 -
"President-elect Barack Obama's
rumored selection of
Admiral Dennis C. Blair for Director of National Intelligence is
unacceptable," the East Timor and Indonesia Action
Network (ETAN) said today.
"During his years as
Pacific Commander, Blair actively worked to reinstate
military assistance and deepen ties to Indonesia's military
despite its ongoing human rights violations in East Timor
and consistent record of impunity," said John M. Miller,
National Coordinator of ETAN.
"His actions demonstrate
the failure of engagement to temper the Indonesian
military’s behavior and his actions helped to reinforce
impunity for senior Indonesian officials that continues to
this day," added Miller. "He undermined the Clinton
administration's belated efforts to support human rights and
self-determination in the Indonesian-occupied territory and
opposed congressional efforts to limit assistance.”
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It is
unfathomable that Obama would consider
appointing someone to such a prominent position
who has shown so little concern for human rights
in the past.
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“It is unfathomable that
Obama would consider appointing someone to such a prominent
position who has shown so little concern for human rights in
the past. Can we expect someone who has sought to undermine
efforts to link human rights to military assistance to be a
champion of reform? We don't think this is the kind of
change people are expecting," said Miller.
In April 1999, just days after Indonesian security forces
and their militias carried out a brutal churchyard massacre,
Adm. Blair delivered a message of 'business-as-usual' to
Indonesian General Wiranto, then Commander of the Indonesian
armed forces. Following East Timor's pro-independence vote,
Blair sought the quickest possible restoration of military
assistance, despite Indonesia's highly destructive exit.
Background
As
Commander-in-Chief of
the U.S. Pacific Command from February 1999 to May 2002
Blair was the highest ranking U.S. military official in the
region during the final period of violence in East Timor, as
Indonesian security forces and their militias killed,
looted, and destroyed the country's infrastructure.
In April 1999, Blair met in Jakarta with General Wiranto,
then the Defense Minister and the commander of Indonesian
forces, just days after dozens of refugees in a Catholic
church in the town of Liquica, East Timor were hacked to
death by machetes by militia members backed by the military
(including Kopassus) and Brimob troops.
Instead of pressuring Wiranto to shut down the militias,
Blair promised new military assistance, which the military
"took as a green light to proceed with the militia
operation," according to Allan Nairn, writing in the
Nation
magazine.
Nairn reported that a classified cable summarizing the
meeting said that Admiral Blair "told the armed forces chief
that he looks forward to the time when [the army will]
resume its proper role as a leader in the region. He invited
General Wiranto to come to Hawaii as his guest in
conjunction with the next round of bilateral defense
discussions in the July-August '99 time frame. He said
Pacific command is prepared to support a subject matter
expert exchange for doctrinal development. He expects that
approval will be granted to send a small team to provide
technical assistance to police and...selected TNI personnel
on crowd control measures." Nairn writes that the last offer
was "quite significant, because it would be the first new US
training program for the Indonesian military since 1992."
Blair was fully aware of what was going on in East Timor at
the time: "From a windowless concrete building near Blair's
Pacific Command headquarters, seven intelligence analysts at
the 'Joint Intelligence Center,' the world's largest
military intelligence center, had tracked the movements of
Indonesian and militia forces since May 1998," according to
the Washington Post.
In the bloody aftermath of East Timor's independence vote,
"Blair and other U.S. military officials took a forgiving
view of the violence surrounding the referendum in East
Timor. Given the country's history, they argued, it could
have been worse. 'What they did was absolutely remarkable,'
said one top Pentagon general,"
reported the Washington
Post’s Dana Priest.
Blair has acknowledged
that U.S.-trained Indonesian military officers were among
those allegedly involved in crimes against humanity in East
Timor. "But at no point, Blair acknowledges, did he or his
subordinates reach out to the Indonesian contacts trained
through IMET or JCET to try to stop the brewing crisis,"
wrote Priest. "It is fairly rare that the personal relations
made through an IMET [U.S.-funded military program] course
can come into play in resolving a future crisis," he told
her.
In April 2000, over the objections of U.S. Ambassador to
Indonesia Robert S. Gelbard, members of Congress and State
Department officials, Blair made the first high-level visit
to Indonesia since all military assistance was cut off in
the aftermath of the 1999 independence referendum in East
Timor.
Despite Blair's repeated overtures and forgiving attitude to
Indonesia's military elite, they were of no help in his
post-military role as chair of the Indonesia Commission at
the influential Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). In 2002,
Blair headed a delegation of observers who intended to visit
West Papua. The government refused to let them in, with the
Foreign Minister declaring that "there is no need for them
to come to Papua."
The reason was clear: West Papua has become the new focus of
Indonesian military and militia brutality. The military's
mission is to violently suppress West Papua's simmering
independence movement, its sympathizers, and terrorize
ordinary citizens - and outside observers are not welcome.
Though Blair's dream of renewed military engagement with
Indonesia has been realized under the Bush administration,
the Indonesian military's human rights violations continue, as does impunity for its senior officers.
General Wiranto was
indicted in February 2003 by a UN-backed
court in East Timor for his command role in the
1999
violence. The
attack on the Liquica church is among the crimes against
humanity cited in the indictment. He is currently a leading
candidate for President of Indonesia in elections to take
place next year.
ETAN was formed in 1991. The U.S.-based organization
advocates for democracy, justice and human rights for
Timor-Leste and Indonesia. ETAN was a major participant in
the International Federation for East Timor's (IFET)
observer mission for the 1999 referendum. For more information see ETAN's
web site: http://www.etan.org.
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see also
Join ETAN on Facebook
ETAN Menolak Adm.
Blair sebagai Kepala Intelijen Nasional
Kontak: John M. Miller,
+1-718-596-7668, 917-690-4391
5 Desember - "Kabar bahwa
Presiden-terpilih Obama menunjuk
Admiral Dennis C. Blair sebagai Kepala Intelijen Nasional tidak bisa
diterima," kata East Timor and Indonesia Action Network (ETAN)
hari ini.
"Selama masa jabatannya sebagai
Komandan Wilayah Pasifik, Blair aktif menjalin kembali dan memperkuat
hubungan dengan militer Indonesia di balik pelanggaran HAM yang
sementara berlangsung di Timor Timur dan catatan impunitas terhadap
mereka," kata John M. Miller, Koordinator Nasional ETAN.
"Tindakannya menunjukkan kegagalan
menghalangi tindakan militer Indonesia dan mendorong impunitas terhadap
pejabat senior militer Indonesia yang berlangsung hingga hari ini,"
tambah Miller. "Dia merusak usaha pemerintahan Clinton mendukung
penegakan HAM dan penentuan-diri di wilayah yang diduduki Indonesia dan
menentang usaha kongres membatasi bantuan.”
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“Sungguh
mengecewakan bahwa Obama mempertimbangkan untuk menunjuk
seseorang menduduki posisi sepenting itu pada seseorang yang
telah menunjukkan kekurangpeduliannya terhadap HAM di masa lalu.
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“Sungguh mengecewakan bahwa Obama
mempertimbangkan untuk menunjuk seseorang menduduki posisi sepenting itu
pada seseorang yang telah menunjukkan kekurangpeduliannya terhadap HAM
di masa lalu. Bisakah kita mengharapkan seseorang yang telah menghambat
usaha menghubungkan HAM dengan bantuan militer menjadi penegak reformasi?
Kami pikir bukan orang seperti ini yang diharapkan publik," said Miller.
Pada bulan April 1999, hanya beberapa hari setelah pihak keamanan
Indonesia dan para milisinya melakukan pembantaian brutal di halaman
gereja, Adm. Blair menyampaikan pesan “bisnis-seperti-biasa” kepada
Jenderal Wiranto, Panglima ABRI saat itu. Setelah kemenangan pro-kemerdekaan
di Timor Timur, Blair segera kembali merestorasi bantuan militer, meski
keluarnya militer Indonesia telah menimbulkan kerusakan parah.
Latar Belakang
Sebagai Kepala Komando AS Pasifik dari
Februari 1999 hingga Mei 2002, Blair adalah pejabat militer AS tertinggi
di wilayah ini selama periode akhir kekerasan di Timor Timur, ketika
tentara Indonesia dan milisianya membunuh, menjarah, dan merusak
infrastruktur bangsa tersebut.
Pada bulan April 1999, Blair bertemu
dengan Jenderal Wiranto di Jakarta, Menteri Pertahanan dan Panglima ABRI,
hanya beberapa hari setelah puluhan pengungsi di sebuah gereja Katolik
di kota Liquica, Timor Timur diparangi hingga mati oleh anggota milisia
yang didukung oleh militer (termasuk Kopassus) dan pasukan Brimob.
Alih-alih mendesak Wiranto menghentikan para milisia, Blair menjanjikan
bantuan militer baru, yang dipandang militer sebagai “lampu hijau
melanjutkan operasi milisia," menurut Allan Nairn, dalam tulisannya di
majalah
Nation.
Nairn melaporkan bahwa sebuah kawat
rahasia yang meringkas isi pertemuan itu menyebutkan bahwa Admiral Blair
"memberitahu Panglima ABRI bahwa ia mengharapkan masa ketika (ABRI akan)
menjalankan peran pentingnya sebagai pemimpin di wilayah ini. Dia
mengundang Jenderal Wiranto untuk datang ke Hawai sebagai tamunya
sehubungan dengan putaran lanjutan pembicaraan pertahanan bilateral pada
bulan Juli – Agustus 1999. Ia mengatakan komando Pasifik siap mendukung
pertukaran ahli untuk pengembangan kebijakan. Ia menunggu persetujuan
mengirim tim kecil untuk memberikan bantuan teknis kepada polisi dan
personil TNI terpilih tentang teknik pengendalian massa." Nairn menulis
bahwa tawaran terakhir “sangat signifikan”, karena ini akan menjadi
program pelatihan baru pertama AS terhadap militer Indobesia sejak
1992."
Blair jelas-jelas tahu tentang apa yang tengah berlangsung di Timor
Timur pada waktu itu: "Dari sebuah bangunan tanpa jendela di dekat
markas Komando Pasifik yang dikomandani Blair, tujuh analis intelijen di
'Pusat Intelijen gabungan,' pusat intelijen militer terbesar di dunia,
telah mengawasi pergerakan militer dan milisia Indonesia sejak Mei
1998," menurut laporan Washington Post.
Setelah pemilihan Timor Timur yang bersimbah darah memenangkan pro-kemerdekaan,
"Blair dan pejabat militer AS lainnya mengambil sikap memaafkan terhadap
kekerasan yang terjadi seputar referendum di Timor Timur. Jika dilihat
dari sejarah negeri ini, kata mereka, keadaan bisa lebih buruk. ‘Apa
yang mereka lakukan sungguh luar biasa,' kata seorang jenderal petinggi
Pentagon," seperti dilaporkan Dana Priest dari Washington Post.
Blair mengakui bahwa pejabat militer
Indonesia didikan AS termasuk di antara mereka yang dituduh terlibat
dalam kejahatan kemanusiaan di Timor Timur. "Tetapi, Blair mengakui, ia
dan bawahannya tidak pernah berusaha menghubungi kontaknya di Indonesia
yang dilatih melalui IMET atau JCET untuk menghentikan krisis yang
sedang mendidih," kata Priest. "Sangat kecil kemungkinan hubungan
personal yang dijalin melalui program IMET [program pendidikan militer
yang didanai AS] bisa digunakan untuk mengatasi krisis di masa depan,"
kata Blair pada Priest.
Pada bulan April 2000, meski ditentang oleh Duta Besar AS untuk
Indonesia Robert S. Gelbard, para anggota Kongres dan pejabat Departemen
Dalam Negeri, Blair melakukan kunjungan kelas tinggi pertama ke
Indonesia sejak semua bantuan militer dihentikan sebagai dampak
referendum kemerdekaan 1999 di Timor Timur.
Namun pendekatan dan sikap memaafkan dari Blair terhadap elit militer
Indonesia, tidak membantunya dalam peran pasca-militernya sebagai ketua
Komisi Indonesia dalam Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). Pada
tahun 2002, Blair memimpin sebuah delegasi pengamat yang bermaksud
berkunjung ke Papua Barat. Pemerintah menolak membiarkan mereka masuk,
di mana Menteri Luar Negeri menyatakan “tidak ada perlunya bagi mereka
untuk datang ke Papua."
Tujuannya jelas: Papua Barat telah menjadi sasaran baru
brutalitas militer Indonesia dan milisianya. Misi militer adalah
menekan, dengan kekerasan, gerakan kemerdekaan yang kian memanas, para
pendukungnya, dan menteror warga awam – dan pengamat dari luar tidak
dibolehkan masuk. Meski mimpi Blair untuk memperbaharui hubungan militer
dengan Indonesia telah terwujud di bawah pemerintahan Bush, pelanggaran
HAM oleh militer Indonesia terus berlanjut, begitu pula impunitas bagi
para pejabat tingginya.
General Wiranto didakwa dalam sebuah pengadilan yang didukung oleh PBB
di Timor Timur pada
Februari 2003 atas peran
komandonya dalam kekerasan di tahun 1999. Serangan atas gereja Liquica
adalah salah satu kejahatan kemanusiaan yang disebutkan dalam dakwaan.
Sekarang ia adalah salah satu calon presiden terkemuka untuk pemilihan
umum yang akan berlangsung tahun depan.
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