Dear
friend,
.
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I have admired and supported
ETAN from the very beginning. In fact, I was the organization’s first
donor. I still believe that contribution was one of the best investments
I have ever made for political and social change.
I write to you today to urge you to join me in making
such an investment.
I know you agree
that the East Timor and Indonesia Action Network continues to
play an important and vital role in promoting human rights and justice
for the peoples of Indonesia, Timor-Leste and West Papua. I know you
also believe, as I do, that thanks to ETAN's and your efforts, East
Timor became the independent nation of Timor-Leste more than a decade
ago.
ETAN successfully
worked to shift U.S. policy from provider of a blank check to the brutal
Indonesian military to a supporter of East Timor's right to self-determination.
But trouble continues
in West Papua, and ETAN is there to tackle it. As it did so effectively
for the East Timorese people, ETAN is working to change U.S. policy
to support the rights of West Papuans.
ETAN actively monitors ongoing threats to human rights, defending
activists in Indonesia, West Papua and Timor-Leste. ETAN continues
to press for justice on behalf of the victims of U.S.-backed
policies that had such devastating impacts on the people of
Timor-Leste, and that continue to have similarly devastating
effects on the people of West Papua and Indonesia. And finally,
ETAN continues to call for key U.S. figures -- like Henry Kissinger
-- to be brought to justice for their roles in backing genocide
and crimes against humanity.
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I consider the shameful
crimes committed against the people of West Papua to be a major scandal,
one that those in the West have much to answer for. As I told the
Jakarta Post last March, "What happened in East Timor was because
the U.S. and its allies supported it for 25 years. West Papua is the
same. As long as the U.S. … and [other] Western powers support atrocities,
they are carried out with impunity, just like their own atrocities are."
ETAN understands
this. Among its advocacy and educational efforts, ETAN:
·
is campaigning
for unconditional freedom for West Papuan political prisoners;
·
is advocating
to let the sunshine in by opening access to the region to journalists
and other international observers;
·
has highlighted
the role of the U.S. mining giant Freeport McMoRan;
·
regularly
responds to the all-too-frequent reports of human rights violations
in West Papua;
·
continues
to oppose (as it has done from the start) U.S. support for Indonesia's
security forces that repress West Papuans; and
·
closely monitors
events in West Papua, including publication of the well-regarded
monthly West Papua Report
with the West Papua Advocacy Team.
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One day I believe I will be free. Visiting ETAN comrades
will be my priority.
— Filep Karma, West Papuan political prisoner
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But ETAN can only
continue this hard-hitting advocacy with your support. Please donate
today. Much remains to be done.
ETAN is on the forefront
of efforts to hold both Indonesian and U.S. officials accountable for
human rights violations.
Despite some progress,
the legacy of U.S.-backed dictator Suharto remains. Indonesia's new
defense minister, retired General Ryamizard Ryacudu, has a history of
excusing rights violations by his soldiers, threatening human rights
critics, and asserting the military's right to meddle in civilian affairs.
ETAN's widely-cited
criticism of his appointment have put Indonesia’s newly elected
President on notice we will be watching what he does, not just what
he says on human rights.
ETAN has launched
a campaign calling for the U.S. to declassify and release all it knows
about Indonesia's Rwanda-style 1965 massacres in Indonesia—that the
CIA itself concluded were "one of the worst mass murders of the
20th century"—and to acknowledge the U.S. role in the crimes. If
you haven't yet done so, please sign
ETAN's petition
demanding the release of the records and acknowledgment of the U.S.
role.
And ETAN remains
a world-class source of information, but that cannot continue without
your support. Please give generously so ETAN’s unique work can continue.
ETAN's e-mail lists,
website, and twitter feed are praised as irreplaceable sources of information
and analysis. More than 3400 journalists, policy makers, activists and
students subscribe to ETAN’s long-running
east-timor
email listserv, to stay informed about news and analysis about Timor-Leste.
Many of you rely on this and ETAN's similar services on Indonesia and
West Papua.
Clearly,
ETAN’s work remains essential. But it can only do that work with the
active and generous support of people like you, who believe in human
rights, justice and accountability for the peoples of Timor-Leste, West
Papua, and Indonesia.
Your support
is crucial. Thank you for joining me in giving generously.
Sincerely,
/s/
Noam Chomsky
P.S. Please consider becoming an ETAN Sustainer
by making a monthly donation by credit card. Help put ETAN on a firmer
financial footing, see information here.