Forty Human Rights and Religious Leaders Condemn Bush's Support of Systematic Abuse of Indonesian Civilians
Introduction by Cheryl Seal
What is the biggest thing that Indonesia and Afghanistan have in common in the eyes of the Bush administration? If you said the presence of terrorists, you would be wrong. The common denominator between these two lands is CORPORATE OPPORTUNITY. Afghanistan has natural gas and oil, and is strategically positioned for corporations. Indonesia has natural gas, oil, copper, and gold. Just ask Henry Kissinger - he owns one of the world's biggest gold mines, Freeport McMoran, in the Irian Jaya section of Indonesia. Of course Henry didn't have to pay much for his mine. After using the CIA to help topple Sukarno in the 60s, Kissinger's dictator pal Suharto just handed him the land. Everything was easy after that - once the natives had been moved into concentration camps. Read all about it: http://democrats.com/view.cfm?id=4071 and http://democrats.com/view.cfm?id=4099
But Kissinger was just one parasite in the forests of Indonesia. ExxonMobil is another. Does anyone REALLY think Bush's sudden condemnation of Indonesia as "evil" has nothing to do with the fact that rich new oil fields have been identified off the coast of northeastern Indonesia? Or that ExxonMobil and Freeport-McMoran are being "annoyed" by angry natives sick of these companies exploitation of their environment and support of systematic abuse by the police and military?
Enough is enough! That is what 40 internationally-respected human rights/religious leaders have declared in a strong statement to the Bush administration. For 50 years, Indonesia has been the playground of the CIA and corporations, which have been responsible for fomenting bloody civil wars in which an estimated one million civilians have died, environmental pillage, and systematic atrocities of natives. Under Clinton, military support and arms sales were discontinued because ot human rights abuses. Now under Bush, under the guise of "fighting terrorism." the pattern is being revived and Indonesian Civilians are once more under a U.S.-supported reign of terror, with civilians routinely tortured, raped, beaten, and arbitrarily detained without any accountability - all condoned by G.W. Bush.
7 May 2002
To:
The Honorable Colin L. Powell
Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State
2201 C St NW
Washington, DC 20520
The Honorable Donald H. Rumsfeld
Secretary of Defense
Department of Defense
1000 Defense Pentagon
Washington, DC 20301-1000
Dear Secretary Powell and Secretary Rumsfeld:
We are greatly troubled by Pentagon plans to significantly increase
engagement with the Indonesian military (TNI). Prudent restrictions on
military aid to Indonesia, renewed and strengthened by Congress in the FY02
Foreign Operations Appropriations Act, would in effect be nullified.
Indonesian armed forces continue to perpetrate systematic human rights
violations throughout the archipelago. The Indonesia section of the 2001
State Department's Country Report on Human Rights Practices documents
"shooting of civilians, torture, rape, beatings and other abuse, and
arbitrary detention" and notes that "the Government rarely holds the
military or police accountable for committing extrajudicial killings or
using excessive force." Rewarding the TNI with US assistance -- while
crackdowns on civilians continue, and in some cases escalate, and
resistance to accountability remains overwhelming -- signifies the
condoning of serious rights violations by the Administration.
The Administration has already lifted the embargo on commercial sales of
non-lethal defense articles and increased bilateral contacts between the
militaries, while Congress has agreed to reinstate Expanded International
Military Education and Training (IMET) for FY02. Yet these initiatives have
not led to military reform or greater influence in Jakarta, as argued by
many in the Administration. On the contrary, the Indonesian government has
been less than cooperative in the "war on terrorism," largely neglecting
Administration requests regarding terrorist suspects and their assets.
Domestic-focused militant jihad groups continue to enjoy protection and
support from members of the government and military.
We are disturbed about the ease with which CINCPAC Admiral Dennis Blair
overrode Foreign Operations Appropriations jurisdiction and succeeded in
securing a last-minute addition to the FY02 Defense Department
Appropriations Act (HR 3338, provision 8125), providing $17.9 million to
establish a Regional Defense Counter-terrorism Fellowship Program.
Provision 8125 was clearly an end-run around Foreign Operations
Appropriations IMET restrictions, although none of the seven conditions
Congress required to lift the ban have been met. There are no restrictions
on which countries can participate in the program, which has an unknown
curriculum.
The FY02 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations request is more troubling
still. The request for an additional $8 million for the "training of
civilian and military personnel in support of humanitarian and peacekeeping
activities in Indonesia" can only be seen as yet another attempt to
undermine congressional restrictions. Before peacekeeping training should
even be considered for the TNI, soldiers would do well to stop their
widespread practice of murder, torture, and rape of civilians. The purpose
and composition of the $8 million to "vet, train, and equip a
counter-terrorism unit" is unclear.
Potentially many more millions for defense articles, services, training,
and other aid could be made available for Indonesia from large pools of
money for unspecified countries, including $100 million "to support
foreign nations." If the FY02 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations
requests are honored, the TNI will not only have access to prestigious U.S.
military training without congressional oversight, but bill language
providing for defense articles and services to unspecified countries could
be used to supply Indonesia with banned FMF. We further object to making
funds "available notwithstanding any other provision of law."
If the Pentagon is allowed to ignore existing Foreign Operations
Appropriations restrictions in the FY02 Emergency Supplemental
Appropriations request, congressional intent will be effectively ignored,
an unacceptable and fundamentally undemocratic precedent. The message
coming from Washington to Jakarta will be even more conflicted, rendering
U.S. support for democracy and human rights in Indonesia even less
credible. It is incomprehensible to deny IMET and FMF for the TNI and talk
about the need for military reform and an end to impunity on the one hand,
while the same sought-after training, financing, equipment, and services
are provided in everything but name. The United State's most important
point of leverage to foster respect for human rights and accountability
and encourage military reform will be lost with little or nothing gained.
It is crucial that this leverage is not lost. As organizations working on
behalf of human rights and social justice, we strongly request that the
Administration cooperate with Congress to achieve the following:
***The IMET and FMF restrictions for TNI must be respected and
administration support given for their renewal in FY03. The TNI should not
receive training under the Regional Defense Counter-terrorism Fellowship
Program. Funds appropriated through the supplemental request should not be
used to train the TNI in any form or provide the military with undefined
defense articles and services. Any clause stating that funds for foreign
militaries "may be made available notwithstanding any other provision of
law" should be excised. Throughout the bill, countries eligible for
specific programs or pots of monies should be specified.
***We object to any military assistance for the TNI. However, if new aid
programs are implemented, the Pentagon should consult in detail with
members of Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittees and Foreign
Relations/International Relations Committees, as well as other interested
members of Congress, prior to and during any program. These consultations
should include the curricula and locations of the training.
***If any training does go forward, the Pentagon should provide Congress
with verification that those with whom the Pentagon works whether
individuals or units of the police or military -- will not use skills
gained to suppress domestic conflicts. All individuals and units that
receive training must be vetted for participation in past abuses, and any
with records of committing human rights violations should not be allowed to
participate. The U.S. should not assist the TNI in further acts of murder,
torture, rape, and other abuses in Indonesia.
***Foreign policy formulation should be returned to the authority of the
Foreign/International Relations Committees, the Foreign Operations
Appropriations Subcommittees, and the State Department, where it
traditionally has resided.
We also ask for clarification of the nature, composition, and purpose of
the Regional Defense Counter-terrorism Fellowship Program, as well as the
counter-terrorism unit.
Thank you for your serious consideration. We look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
John Ackerly, President
International Campaign for Tibet
Bama Athreya, Deputy Director
International Labor Rights Fund
Medea Benjamin, Co-Founder
Global Exchange
Kurt Biddle, Washington Coordinator
Indonesia Human Rights Network
Diana Bohn, Secretary
Bay Are Jubilee Debt Cancellation Coalition
Co-Coordinator, Nicaragua Center for Community Action
Rev. William Callahan, Co-Director
Quixote Center/Quest for Peace
Rev. John Chamberlin, National Coordinator
East Timor Religious Outreach
Peter J. Davies, UN Representative
Saferworld
Dr. Cathey E. Falvo, MD, MPH, Board of Directors
Physicians for Social Responsibility
Program Director, International and Public Health, School of Public Health
New York Medical College
Tamar Gabelnick, Director
Arms Sales Monitoring Project
Federation of American Scientists
Erik Gustafson, Executive Director
Education for Peace in Iraq Center
William D. Hartung, Director
Arms Trade Resource Center
World Policy Institute
David Herrel, Interim U.S. Director
Visions in Action
Martha Honey, Co-director
Foreign Policy In Focus, Institute for Policy Studies
Carol Jahnkow, Executive Director
Peace Resource Center of San Diego
Melissa Jameson, Director
War Resisters League
Prof. Peter Juviler, Director
Human Rights Studies, Barnard College, Columbia University
Lavinia Limon, Executive Director
U.S. Committee for Refugees
Kevin Martin, Executive Director
Peace Action Education Fund
Mary Anne Mercer, Co-chair
Northwest International Health Action Coalition (NIHAC)
John M. Miller, Director
Foreign Bases Project
John Oei, Founder
Indonesian, Chinese, and American Network
Karen Orenstein, Washington Coordinator
East Timor Action Network
Diana Ortiz, OSU, Director
Torture Abolition and Survivors Support Coalition International
Robert Pedersen, Trade and Labor Coordinator
Indiana Alliance for Democracy
Colin Rajah, Executive Director
JustAct - Youth Action for Global Justice
Jen Randolph Reise, Co-Director
Women Against Military Madness
Dave Robinson
National Coordinator, Pax Christi USA
Sharon Silber, Eileen B. Weiss, Co-Founders
Jews Against Genocide
Morton Sklar, Executive Director
World Organization Against Torture U.S.A.
Stephanie S. Spencer, Program Associate for Southern Asia
Common Global Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and
the United Church of Christ
Gail Taylor, Legislative Director
School of the Americas Watch
Kathy Thornton, RSM, National Coordinator
NETWORK: A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby
Carmen Trotta, Associate Editor
The Catholic Worker
Joe Volk, Executive Secretary
Friends Committee on National Legislation
Charles Warpehoski, Program Coordinator
Nicaragua Network
Ronald Watson
Dictator Watch
John Witeck, Coordinator
Philippine Workers Support Committee
Kani Xulam, Director
American Kurdish Information Network
Phyllis S. Yingling, President
Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, United States Section
cc: The Honorable Robert C. Byrd, Chair, Senate Appropriations Committee
The Honorable Ted Stevens, Ranking Member, Senate Appropriations
Committee
The Honorable Patrick J. Leahy, Chair, Senate Foreign Operations
Appropriations Subcommittee
The Honorable Mitch McConnell, Ranking Member, Foreign Operations
Appropriations Subcommittee
The Honorable C. W. Young, Chair, House Appropriations Committee
The Honorable David R. Obey, Ranking Member, House Appropriations
Committee
The Honorable Jim Kolbe, Chair, Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and
Related Programs Appropriations Subcommittee
The Honorable Nita M. Lowey, Ranking Member, Foreign Operations, Export
Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Subcommittee
Contact: John M. Miller, 718-596-7668; 917-690-4391
Karen Orenstein: 202-544-6911
P.O. Box 15774
Washington, DC 20003-0774