Reflections, Reminiscences and Comments on ETAN at 20 (December 2011) Special Honors and Awards to ETAN and ETAN activists
The East Timor and Indonesia Action Network (ETAN) was founded in November 1991 to support genuine self-determination and human rights for the people of East Timor in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the 1960 United Nations General Assembly Resolution on Decolonization, and Security Council and General Assembly resolutions on East Timor. Our primary focus has been to change US foreign policy and raise public awareness to support justice and self-determination and now genuine independence for East Timor and human rights in Indonesia. In February 2001, ETAN revised its mission statement to reflect East Timor's coming independence.
ETAN has an impressive record of successful advocacy for the people of Timor-Leste and Indonesia. The depth of ETAN’s experience has provided the organization with the grassroots base, skills, contacts and passion necessary to carry this important mission forward. The emergence of Timor-Leste as a new nation offers a unique opportunity for the U.S. and the world community to live up to their oft-proclaimed ideals of human rights and democracy. However, this promise cannot be met without the active solidarity of people in the United States. ETAN remains unique in the U.S. in its emphasis on support for Timor-Leste and few groups engage in grassroots education and advocacy on Indonesia. In addition, ETAN plays an essential role by amplifying the voices of East Timorese and Indonesian civil society activists in the U.S. Through its own efforts and in coalition, ETAN provides a much-needed counterbalance to the Bush administration’s military-based foreign policy, in particular its aggressive lobbying for unrestricted assistance to Indonesia’s security forces in the name of the “war on terror.” ETAN was founded following the November 12 Santa Cruz massacre of more than 270 peaceful protestors in a cemetery in Dili, Timor-Leste. The few western reporters present exposed the brutality of the occupying Indonesian military. ETAN was founded to support Timor-Leste’s right to self-determination and to end U.S. military and political support for the illegal occupation.
In its first year, ETAN succeeded in passing congressional legislation limiting U.S. military assistance for Indonesia. Over the following years, ETAN has conducted more than 15 national speaking tours with Indonesian and East Timorese activists, built a nationwide grassroots network of chapters and individual supporters and helped significantly change U.S. foreign policy. In 1999, ETAN played a key role in organizing the largest international observer delegation to Timor-Leste for their historic independence referendum. ETAN’s goals are to ensure the world’s most powerful country respects the human rights of the East Timorese and Indonesians, and to educate, organize and activate people across the U.S. ETAN’s combination of grassroots organizing and political advocacy work has proven to be extremely effective -- the combination of public education, organizing, protest, and grassroots advocacy helped change U.S. policy from one of unquestioning political and military support for the illegal Indonesian military occupation of Timor-Leste to support of the new country.
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