For Immediate Release
May 24, 2000
Contact: John M. Miller, 718-596-7668
East Timor Acton Network Opposes Any Resumption of Military Ties with Indonesia
The East Timor Action Network (ETAN) today called on the U.S. government to
cancel plans to conduct a joint military exercise with the Indonesian
military (TNI) this summer. This training is part of a proposed program to
gradually restore military relations frozen since early September, when
Indonesian troops rampaged through East Timor.
"The administration says it must reward TNI for modest reforms imposed on
it by popular opposition in Indonesia. But the suspension of U.S.-Indonesia
military ties has helped the Indonesian government make progress in
bringing its military under control. Resuming military cooperation now will
only hurt efforts to get the armed forces out of politics," said John M.
Miller, spokesperson for the ETAN.
"Any resumption of military engagement sends a signal to the Indonesian
armed forces that the U.S. government believes they have been
rehabilitated, legitimizing the human rights abuses and terror tactics they
continue to practice in Aceh, West Papua and elsewhere in Indonesia.
Militias with TNI support continue to harass East Timorese refugees in West
Timor and elsewhere in Indonesia. Prosecutions of human rights abuses in
East Timor and elsewhere are moving slowly and military investigators are
playing a prominent role in what are supposed to be civilian
investigations. Indonesia's human rights law remains stalled in
parliament," said Miller.
"We are working with members of Congress and others to make sure that
U.S.-Indonesian relations promote human rights and democracy rather than
return to old habits of coddling a military whose commitment to reform is
tenuous at best. In the past, whenever Congress or the administration has
blocked military training or certain weapons transfers the Indonesian
military has taken notice. Each time the U.S. has moved to resume or
reinforce military ties, TNI has taken it as approval for business as
usual, not as a reward for any reforms or good behavior," said Miller.
"The Clinton administration is focusing first on the navy and air force,
arguing that their human rights records are better than the army's. But air
force planes and navy ships were integral to the massive, well-planned
Indonesian military and militia operation which systematically destroyed
and looted East Timor and forcibly transported a third of the population
out of the territory following its pro-independence vote," he added.
The administration is planning to stage a CARAT (Cooperation Afloat
Readiness and Training) military exercise with the TNI next July or August.
CARAT is a large-scale, high prestige exercise involving navy, marines, and
air force that stages simulated amphibious invasions of Indonesian islands.
Previous CARATs, including one held last August just before the East Timor
vote, have included patrolling, live fire training, and raids. Some
Indonesian officers went directly from last August's CARAT to East Timor
and participated in the worst violence there.
Journalist Allan Nairn, speaking before the House of Representatives
Subcommittee on Human Rights, May 11, said "One of these officers, Lt. Col.
(later Col.) Willem, helped coordinate the Indonesian naval forces in CARAT
and then went to Dili where he served as a senior official in KOREM
military headquarters, the very base from which the Aitarak militias staged
their terror raids during late September. I saw this first hand since I was
a prisoner in KOREM and was interrogated by Col. Willem." Willem has since
been promoted to head the personal staff of Admiral Widodo, the national
TNI commander.
On September 9, President Clinton suspended all U.S. ties with Indonesia.
Soon after, the Indonesian military began to pull out of East Timor and
Indonesia gave permission for an international peacekeeping force to enter
the territory.
Late last year Congress put part of this ban into law. The FY 2000 Foreign
Operations Appropriations Act stipulates conditions which must be met
before normal military ties can be restored. These include refugee return
to East Timor and accountability for military and militia members
responsible for human rights atrocities in East Timor and Indonesia. They
also require Indonesia to actively prevent militia incursions into East
Timor and to cooperate fully with the UN administration in East Timor.
The Repatriation and Security Act of 2000 (HR 4357) recently introduced in
the House of Representatives by Jim McGovern (D-MA), Chris Smith (R-NJ) and
others, would prohibit relations and assistance to the armed forces of
Indonesia until the Indonesian government provides for the territorial
integrity of East Timor, the security and safe return of refugees, and
prosecution of those individuals responsible for crimes against humanity in
East Timor and elsewhere. A similar bill is expected in the Senate.
The 1998 CARAT was cancelled after the congressional uproar over JCET
(Joint Combined Exchange Training), the program under which the U.S. taught
urban warfare and sniper technique in circumvention of the congressional
ban on U.S. military training for Indonesia.
The East Timor Action Network/U.S. founded following the November 1991
massacre supports a genuine and peaceful transition to an independent East
Timor. ETAN has 28 local chapters throughout the U.S. For additional
information see ETAN's web site (
For Immediate Release
June 12, 2000
Contact:
John M. Miller, +1-718-596-7668; +1-917-690-4391 (mobile) (New York)
Ifdhal Kasim, ELSAM, +62-21-791-92564 (Jakarta)
Indonesian NGOs Oppose Resumption of Military Ties with U.S.
Six prominent Indonesian NGOs have stated their opposition to any
resumption of U.S.-Indonesian military ties in a letter to members of the
U.S. Congress. The groups called U.S. military assistance to the Indonesian
military (TNI) "indefensible" and warned that any "positive effect the US
suspension [of military ties in September 1999] has had is now in danger of
being squandered."
"We are perplexed by the alacrity with which the Pentagon is resuming
normal relations with the TNI since none of the conditions which the
Congress stipulated last November in the Foreign Operations Appropriation
law have been met," the NGOs wrote key members of the U.S. Congress
appropriations committees.
On September 9, President Clinton suspended all U.S. ties with the military
as Indonesian troops and their militia allies set about to systematically
destroying East Timor following its pro-independence vote. Congress put
part of this ban into law late last year. The FY 2000 Foreign Operations
Appropriations Act stipulates conditions which must be met before normal
military ties can be restored. These include the return of refugees to East
Timor and prosecution of military and militia members responsible for human
rights atrocities in East Timor and Indonesia. They also require Indonesia
to actively prevent militia incursions into East Timor and to cooperate
fully with the UN administration in East Timor.
"We do not ask the U.S. government to actively assist the
pro-democracy movement in Indonesia. We do, however, ask the US government
to make our job easier by stopping its aid to our greatest obstacle: the
Indonesian military," the NGOs wrote.
"Given that the Indonesian military makes no distinction between
national defense and domestic policing (it is all 'national security'),
the US government must admit that any training and aid provided to the
military can just as easily be used against Indonesian citizens as external
enemies.... Until the TNI renounces its 'dual function' doctrine which
justifies its interventions into domestic politics, US military aid to it
is indefensible," the Indonesian NGOs added.
The NGOs are especially "disturbed by indications that the U.S. Pentagon is
trying to push forward a participatory exercise known as Cooperation Afloat
Readiness and Training (CARAT) this summer. We know of previous CARAT
exercises and are keenly aware of their use to train Indonesian officers in
assault tactics, despite their being described by some as 'humanitarian
operations.' In fact, last year, military personnel trained in CARAT left
right from that training to join the military's criminal actions in East
Timor after its vote for independence."
Addressing the congressional conditions, the NGOs wrote that "the West
Timor refugee problem still exists, the military officers responsible for
crimes against humanity ... in East Timor last September have not yet been
brought to justice (and may well never be brought to justice given the
serious flaws in the government's judicial process for the case), and the
military remains an institution largely unaccountable to the civilian
leadership. Most importantly, the military has not disbanded the East
Timorese militias..."
The letters was sent to Senators Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Patrick Leahy
(D-VT), respectively chair and ranking member of the Foreign Operations
subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and to Reps. Sonny
Callahan (R-AL) and Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), respectively chair and ranking
member of the Foreign Operations subcommittee of the House Appropriations
Committee.
Signing the letter were Johnson Panjaitan, Director, Legal Aid and Human
Rights Association of Indonesia (PBHI); Ifdhal Kasim, Director, Institute
of Research and Human Rights Advocacy (ELSAM); Hilmar Farid, Vice-Director,
Volunteer Team for Humanity (TRK) Munir, Director, Commission for
Disappeared Persons and Victims of Violence (KONTRAS); Lefidus Malau,
Solidarity Forum with the People of East Timor (FORTILOS); and Binny
Buchori, Executive Secretary, Indonesian NGO Forum on Indonesian
Development (INFID).
The text of the letters can be found at
The 1975-1999 Alliance for Justice
For Immediate Release
10pm, July 4, 2000
Contact: Nuno Rodrigues (Dili)
Mobile phone: (61)(407)182-613
Dili, East Timor
East Timorese Protest at July 4 Party at U.S. Mission in East Timor
Protesters Demand Apology and Reparations from the U.S. for Washington's
Support
for Indonesian Invasion and Occupation of their Country
Over 50 East Timorese held a peaceful demonstration today outside the
entrance of the U.S. Mission in Dili, East Timor from 5pm to 7:30pm.
Participants sang and lit candles along the street in front of the American
diplomatic installation in memory of the more than 200,000 East Timorese
who died as a result of the Indonesian invasion and occupation.
The main purpose of the gathering was to recall the supporting role the
United States government played in what many observers have classified as a
genocide in East Timor, and to demand justice and accountability for U.S.
actions.
The demonstrators distributed pamphlets to all the attendees of the U.S.
independence day party. Entitled "Honoring the 224th Anniversary of
American Independence, 1776-2000 . . . by Remembering 24 Years of U.S.
Support for Indonesia's Crimes in East Timor," the pamphlets detailed the
complicity of the United States in Indonesia's illegal war and occupation.
The demonstrators made five demands of Washington:
1) a release of all U.S. government documents relating to East Timor;
2) the establishment of an independent commission in the United States to
investigate the nature and extent of U.S. complicity with Indonesia's
crimes in East Timor;
3) an apology for the U.S. role;
4) reparations from the U.S. to the people of East Timor; and
5) active U.S. support for an international tribunal to investigate and
prosecute war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in East Timor
from 1975-1999. (See the text of the pamphlet below.)
The 1975-1999 Alliance for Justice is made up of human rights activists,
women's rights advocates, students, members of families victimized by
Indonesia's war, and others. It works to ensure justice and accountability
for the suffering and the destruction that took place in East Timor during
the Indonesian invasion and occupation.
Text of Pamphlet
Page 1:
Honoring the 224th Anniversary of American Independence, 1776-2000
[Image of the American Flag]
. . . by Remembering 24 Years of U.S. Support for Indonesia's Crimes in
East Timor
"You cannot deal with the future unless you also come to terms with the
past. . . . Accountability is one of the two or three keys to democracy.''
--Richard Holbrooke, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Nov. 1999
Page 2:
On July 4, the people of the United States of America celebrate the
anniversary of the country's declaration of independence, and their
commitment to the principles of democracy and justice for all. It is in
this spirit that we congratulate the American people and, at the same time,
raise the issue of U.S. complicity in East Timor's suffering. As Ambassador
Holbrooke contends, democracy and accountability must go hand-in-hand.
While an honest assessment of history and a process of accountability are
sometimes uncomfortable, they are vital for the health of all societies.
Such a process will help facilitate socio-political healing in East Timor,
strengthen American democratic values and institutions, and ensure good
future relations between our two countries.
U.S. Policy Toward East Timor, 1975-1999
Many Americans of good will, including some government officials, made
important contributions to East Timor's freedom struggle. And today,
numerous Americans are helping to rebuild East Timor. While we appreciate
such solidarity, we cannot ignore the fact that the overall U.S. policy
toward East Timor from 1975 until Sept. 1999 was one of complicity.
Indonesia could not have carried out its December 7, 1975 invasion and
brutal war of conquest, maintained its almost 24-year-long occupation of
East Timor, and waged its final campaign of terror and destruction last
September without significant military, economic, and diplomatic backing
from the U.S. government. From 1975-1999, the U.S. sold approximately
US$1.2 billion worth of weapons to Indonesia, and trained well over 2,600
Indonesian soldiers trained in the U.S., and countless more in
Indonesia--including the notorious Kopassus troops. The U.S. also provided
over $2 billion in economic aid to Jakarta. Below are some highlights.
December 1975: Only hours after U.S. President Gerald Ford and Secretary of
State Henry Kissinger leave Jakarta, the Indonesian military launches a
full-scale invasion of East Timor. According to diplomats and CIA
officials, Ford and Kissinger gave Indonesian dictator Suharto the green
light to invade. During a press conference in Hawaii while returning from
Jakarta, Kissinger states that, given a choice between East Timor and
Indonesia, the U.S. "had to be on the side of Indonesia." The State
Department later reports that 90 percent of the weapons used during the
invasion are from the U.S.
Page 3:
December 7, 1975-1976: The U.S. prevents effective United Nations action to
end Indonesia's invasion and occupation. As Ford 's U.N. Ambassador, Daniel
Patrick Moynihan, later writes, regarding East Timor, "The [US] Department
of State desired that the United Nations prove utterly ineffective in
whatever measures it undertook. This task was given to me, and I carried it
forward with no inconsiderable success."
January 1976: A U.S. State Department official states that "In terms of the
bilateral relations between the U.S. and Indonesia, we are more or less
condoning the incursion into East Timor. . . . The United States wants to
keep its relations with Indonesia close and friendly. [It's] a nation we do
a lot of business with."
1977: President Jimmy Carter increases military aid to Indonesia,
authorizing the sale of US$112 million worth of weaponry. Beginning in late
1977, the Indonesian military uses newly-acquired, U.S.-made aircraft to
bomb and napalm the East Timorese in refuge in the mountains. Tens of
thousands die as a result. An Australian government report describes the
period as one of "indiscriminate killing on a scale unprecedented in
post-World War II history.''
Nov.-Dec. 1991: On Nov. 12, Indonesian troops fire on an unarmed crowd at
Dili's Santa Cruz Cemetery and kill hundreds. On Dec. 10, Bush
administration envoys meet with embattled Indonesian military leaders in
Java, telling them "we do not believe that friends should abandon friends
in times of adversity."
1993-1999: Although pressure grows from the American public and from many
in Congress, President Bill Clinton largely continues the policies of his
predecessors. His administration authorizes hundreds of millions of dollars
in weapons sales, provides more than US$500 million in economic aid, and
ignores the intent of Congress by providing training to the Indonesian
military.
Early Sept. 1999: Despite countless killings and massive destruction by the
Indonesian military and their militia, the Clinton administration refuses
to end military and economic support for Indonesia. U.S. Ambassador to
Jakarta, Stapleton Roy, tells reporters that "Indonesia matters, East Timor
does not."
Sept. 10, 1999: In the face of rapidly intensifying public pressure and
Congressional outrage, U.S. President Bill Clinton announces a suspension
of all U.S. economic aid and military ties to Indonesia.
Page 4:
What We Would Like the
United States Government to Do:
1) Release all U.S. government documents relating to East Timor from 1974
through 1999, including intelligence files, transcripts of meetings, and
transcripts of intercepted communications between and within the different
sectors of the Indonesian military and government;
2) Create an independent commission composed of academic experts on U.S.
foreign policy, East Timor and Indonesia, human rights advocates, and
international legal specialists with full subpoena power to investigate,
analyze, and report on U.S. involvement in Indonesia's 1975 invasion of
East Timor and the subsequent occupation;
3) Apologize publicly to the people of East Timorese people for U.S.
complicity in the well over 200,000 deaths, massive human suffering and
destruction that took place during Indonesia's invasion and occupation;
and, on this basis,
4) Begin discussions with representatives from the various sectors of East
Timorese society regarding reparations from the United States Government to
the people of East Timor; and
5) Actively support the establishment of an international war crimes
tribunal to investigate and try those guilty of war crimes and crimes
against humanity in East Timor from 1975 through 1999.
"The United States has been directly involved in Indonesia's crimes in East
Timor."
--Representative Cynthia McKinney (Member of Congress from the State of
Georgia), Oct. 1999
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