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U.S. House of Representatives Letter on RefugeesJuly 16, 2001 The Honorable Colin L. Powell Dear Secretary Powell: We are writing to express our deep concern about the lack of progress in addressing the ongoing refugee crisis in West Timor, and to urge immediate action to redress the situation. As you know, more than a year and a half after the people of East Timor voted overwhelmingly to pursue independence, nearly 100,000 East Timorese refugees remain in squalid camps in West Timor, which are controlled by pro-Indonesia militias. Humanitarian conditions in the refugee camps have worsened drastically since last year, when the murder of three U.N. humanitarian workers forced international agencies to evacuate from West Timor. Malnutrition, diarrhea, and disease are killing people daily. There are widespread reports of rape and sexual enslavement of women and girls in the camps. East Timorese children remain separated from their parents, some of whom have since been repatriated to East Timor and specifically requested the return of their children, and the U.N. and other international organizations have been thwarted in their attempts to reunite families. We find this situation to be morally appalling and in clear violation of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Indonesia is a signatory. We urge you to redouble your efforts to remedy these humanitarian crises in your ongoing conversations with Indonesian officials. Armed militias backed by elements of the Indonesian military must be immediately removed from refugee camps in West Timor, disbanded, and disarmed. The presence of these militias severely restricts the ability of refugees to return home, makes a credible, internationally observed refugee registration process impossible, and prevents the operation of humanitarian workers in the camps. The Indonesian government must be pressed to remove military officers in West Timor with a history of service in East Timor, arrest militia leaders, and make sure they are held accountable for the atrocities they have committed. Indonesia must also be urged to guarantee the safety of humanitarian workers and their unimpeded access to refugees. We also strongly recommend that you actively support the protection of refugee women and girls by urging the direct intervention of the Indonesian government and the U.N. in these matters. Finally, we are concerned about the recent refugee registration coordinated by the Indonesian government. We urge the Administration to refrain from supporting and affording credibility to this registration, as U.N. and U.S. government officials and international organizations were unable to meaningfully observe the process, which may have been compromised by militia intimidation and misinformation. While we support a speedy resolution of the refugee crisis, it must be achieved according to international standards, and must be monitored by the international community. We urge you to press for a new registration effort, with significant international oversight and participation, after militia groups are disarmed and disbanded. We respectfully request that the State Department use all diplomatic resources at its disposal to alleviate this crisis, and that you consider investing in nongovernmental organizations in the region to help improve humanitarian conditions in the area. We also request a clarification of the administration's policy for handling the situation in West Timor. Thank you very much for your consideration, and we eagerly anticipate your reply. Sincerely, Nita M. Lowey Constance A. Morella Jim McDermott Karen L. Thurman Ed Pastor Melvin L. Watt Dennis J. Kucinich David E. Price Bobby L. Rush Earl Blumenauer Henry A. Waxman Marcy Kaptur Tammy Baldwin Ron Kind Edolphus Towns Robert E. Andrews John F. Tierney Michael R. McNulty Lloyd Doggett Eliot L. Engel Tom Lantos James P. McGovern Joseph M. Hoeffel Fortney Pete Stark Barney Frank James R. Langevin Patrick J. Kennedy Peter A. DeFazio Michael E. Capuano Robert Wexler James L. Oberstar Carolyn B. Maloney Stanford D. Bishop, Jr. Barbara Lee Brad Sherman Luis V. Gutierrez Robert A. Brady Maurice D. Hinchey Anna G. Eshoo Zoe Lofgren Mark Steven Kirk George Miller Nancy Pelosi more on refugees Note: For those without a fax application on their computer - CallCenter V3.5.8, is a Native 32-bit Voice Telephony software application integrated with fax and data communications... and it's free of charge! Download from http://www.v3inc.com/ |
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