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Groups urge congress to restrict assistance to Indonesian military in legislative mark-up
ETAN Press Release - May 18, 2006
Human rights, religious and other organizations today urged a key congressional subcommittee to reinstate restrictions on US
military assistance to Indonesia as the best way "to influence positive change in Indonesia and to encourage justice for the people of Timor-Leste."
The 15 organizations wrote the House of Representatives Subcommittee on Foreign Operations Appropriations that, "Legislated restrictions on FMF [Foreign Military Financing] and lethal defense exports, without a national security waiver, represent the most important leverage the US Congress can exercise..."
The subcommittee is scheduled to meet tomorrow morning to mark-up the Fiscal Year 2007 foreign aid appropriations bill, the first step in determining what, if any, congressionally-mandated restrictions will apply to US military assistance to Indonesia.
The groups wrote that they "strongly disagree" with the Administration's decision, announced last week, to provide up to $19 million for the Indonesian military through a new Pentagon program "to build foreign military force capacity.... This amount dwarfs recent assistance levels," and that "this appropriation further invalidates any justification to comply with the Administration's $6.5 million request for FMF for Indonesia for FY07, which itself represents more than a six-and-a-half fold increase over the FY06 estimated expenditure."
The Administration's actions "illustrate moves toward unrestrained engagement with the TNI, and assume that this will somehow result in reform.
The history of past engagement shows that such optimism is not warranted," the letter said.
Despite pledging last November to "carefully calibrate" any assistance, "the Administration has no benchmarks that we are aware of by which to measure progress in military and human rights reform in Indonesia," the groups wrote.
In addition to assistance through the new Pentagon program, other recent Administration moves include waiving human rights conditions on military assistance to Indonesia only two days after the 2006 Foreign Operations Appropriations Act was signed last November and the participation of the commander of Kopassus, the Indonesian military's notorious special forces unit, in the Pentagon's annual Pacific Area Special Operation Conference (PASOC) in April.
This week, the Indonesian military for the first time is participating in the Cobra Gold regional military exercise with the United States and other countries.
The letter was coordinated by the East Timor and Indonesia Action Network. The full text and a list of signers are available below.
18 May 2006
The Honorable Jim Kolbe,
Chairperson
The Honorable Nita Lowey,
Ranking Member
Foreign Operations, Export
Financing and Related Programs Subcommittee
Committee on Appropriations
United States House of Representatives
Dear Representative Kolbe and Representative Lowey:
As organizations with longstanding concerns about human rights and justice in Indonesia and Timor-Leste, we urge you to fully restrict foreign military financing (FMF) and the export of lethal defense articles for the Indonesian military in the FY07 Foreign Operations Appropriations Act. We strongly urge that a national security waiver of these restrictions not be included in the Act.
The State Department has failed to follow through on its pledge, given when it exercised the waiver only two days after the 2006 Foreign Operations Appropriations Act was implemented last November, to "carefully calibrate" any assistance for the Indonesian military (TNI). Rather, the Administration has no benchmarks that we are aware of by which to measure progress in military and human rights reform in Indonesia, and none are planned. Actions thus far by the Administration illustrate moves toward unrestrained engagement with the TNI, and assume that this will somehow result in reform. The history of past engagement shows that such optimism is not warranted.
Last week President Bush announced that Indonesia will be among the recipients of a new Pentagon program, which will reportedly provide up to $19 million for the TNI, to build foreign military force capacity (section 1206 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006).
This amount dwarfs recent assistance levels. In April, the commander of Kopassus, the TNI's special forces unit, participated in the Pentagon's annual Pacific Area Special Operation Conference (PASOC) in Hawaii. In March, the Commander of the US Pacific Command, Admiral William Fallon, testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee about the TNI, endorsed "a rapid, concerted infusion of assistance." This statement appears to accurately demonstrate the Administration's current approach of engagement with Indonesia's armed forces.
The conditions the waiver overrode -- pertaining to justice for serious crimes, civilian control over the military, and respect for human rights - have not been met (section 599F(a) of the FY06 Foreign Operations Appropriations Act). Not a single Indonesian officer has been held to account for crimes against humanity in Timor-Leste. While conditions in Aceh have improved, the situation in West Papua has worsened; the province remains largely inaccessible to international journalists, diplomats and international human rights organizations. The Defense Ministry remains overwhelmingly staffed by serving military officers, and efforts to gain civilian control over the massive military business empire (which provides off-the-books funding for the military) have been half-hearted at best. The masterminds of the arsenic poisoning of world-renowned Indonesian human rights lawyer Munir have not been brought to justice.
While we strongly disagree with the Administration's decision to provide up to $19 million for the TNI, we feel that this appropriation further invalidates any justification to comply with the Administration's $6.5 million request for FMF for Indonesia for FY07, which itself represents more than a six-and-a-half fold increase over the FY06 estimated expenditure.
Congress, time and again, has redirected Administration policies when they have strayed from principles of democracy and protection of human rights. The Administration must not be allowed to squander the opportunity to push for security reform in Indonesia. We trust that Congress will continue to be a strong advocate for an Indonesian citizenry still repressed by its own military and for accountability for crimes committed by Indonesia in Timor-Leste.
Legislated restrictions on FMF and lethal defense exports, without a national security waiver, represent the most important leverage the US.
Congress can exercise to influence positive change in Indonesia and to encourage justice for the people of Timor-Leste.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
For more information contact:
John M. Miller Internet:
fbp@igc.org
Media & Outreach Coordinator
East Timor & Indonesia
Action Network
48 Duffield St., Brooklyn,
NY 11201 USA
Phone: (718)596-7668
Web site: http://www.etan.org
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