Activism Change

East Timor ACTION ALERT

Question:

Indonesia bought Clinton, don’t expect anything from the state department. Congress is the only hope. Slim one at that. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – EAST TIMOR ACTION NETWORK/U.S. ACTION ALERT AND LEGISLATIVE UPDATE Killings Continues In East Timor As Indonesia Offers Independence Option The U.S. State Department Must Act to End Attacks on Civilians Tell Congress to Expand the Ban on Military Training Your Calls & Letters Do Make a Difference! Please Take the Actions Below snip < *** Call or write the State Department  *** Press Secretary of State Albright to support a UN presence in East Timor and the above steps. Write or call: Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, U.S. Department of State, 2201 C St. NW, Washington DC  20520,  (202) 647-5291, Fax: (202) 647-6434 **Urge your Congressional Representative and Senators to call or write the State Department to press the administration to support the same measures. *** Call your Representative or Senators via the Congressional Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 or their local offices. Write to: Rep. _______ , U.S. House of Representatives (or Senator _______, U.S. Senate), Washington, DC 20515 (20510 for the Senate).  (For a current list of Congressional e-mail addresses, office and fax numbers, try

http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/ ) – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – *** Urge your Representative to end U.S. military training to Indonesia *** Encourage your member of the House of Representatives to co-sponsor and actively support the International Military Training Transparency and Accountability Act (H.R. 1063), introduced by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Lane Evans (D-IL), Nita Lowey (D-NY), Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) and 47 other Representatives on March 10. This important bill will close loopholes that have allowed the Pentagon to provide U.S. combat training to the Indonesian military and other human rights abusing forces. This bill makes clear that when a country is barred from receiving one type of military training, it cannot receive similar training. See contact info above. ** Lobby for East Timor ** ETAN’s Spring Lobby Days will be held June 5-9. In March, ETAN’s early Lobby Days were a great success when some 35 activists visited over 100 House and Senate offices. Please join us in June to build on our March efforts. Contact Lynn Fredriksson or John Miller (see below) for more information. ETAN’s website at http://www.etan.org/action/urgntMnu.htm contains more information about pending Congressional  action. Please forward results of your congressional contacts to ETAN’s Washington Office at 110 Maryland Avenue, NE #30, Washington, DC 20002,

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –  or fax (202) 546-5103. Thank you for your continuing support. -page 2- ** BACKGROUND AND UPDATE ** Thanks to grassroots efforts, Congress took several important steps to aid the people of East Timor in 1998. We are building on these victories and pushing the Clinton administration to take action to support self-determination for Indonesian-occupied East Timor. Recent events in East Timor show that continued international pressure is vitally needed. In January, the Indonesian government announced it is willing to grant East Timor independence if the East Timorese reject autonomy under continued Indonesian rule. Indonesia subsequently moved resistance leader Xanana Gusmao from prison to house arrest.  But Indonesian-backed paramilitary violence and direct attacks upon civilians by the Indonesian military (ABRI) continue. Recently, Nobel Peace Laureate Bishop Belo reported that a parmilitary group backed by ABRI killed at least two dozen East Timorese refugees housed in a church in the town of Liquica. Thousands of East Timorese, terrorized by the militias, have fled their homes. Their displacement has aggravated an already severe shortage of food, medicine and medical personnel; it is almost impossible to meet even their most basic needs. The U.S. should demand an end to ABRI and paramilitary violence and provide emergency humanitarian assistance for the refugees fleeing that violence. Last Spring, ETAN, members of Congress, and journalist Allan Nairn revealed that US forces continued to train some of Indonesia’s most notorious military units. This training clearly violates the intent of the ban on military assistance to Indonesia passed after the 1991Santa Cruz massacre in East Timor. Efforts to ban all military training to Indonesia continue. We are still working to ban all U.S.-supplied training for Indonesia’s brutal armed forces. With your help the International Military Training Transparency and Accountabilitiy Act (H.R. 1063) could pass this year. On July 10, 1998, the U.S. Senate unanimously called on President Clinton to "work actively to support an internationally supervised referendum on self-determination." In October, the entire Congress went on record in support of East Timor’s self-determination through language in the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 1998. The U.S. State Department should heed these congressional directives by demanding the immediate placement of permanent U.N. monitors in East Timor, the disarming of paramilitary units, the withdrawal of Indonesian troops, and the release of all political prisoners. A fair vote cannot occur under military occupation and without genuine demilitarization. On December 7, 1975 Indonesia brutally invaded East Timor. By the early 1980s, the subsequent occupation had claimed the lives of more than 200,000, one-third of the population. East Timorese. April 1999 For a version of this Action Alert by fax, mail or in a formatted wordprocessor file for printing out, please contact John M. Miller below. END etanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetan Media & Outreach Coordinator, East Timor Action Network PO Box 150753, Brooklyn, NY 11215-0753 USA Phone: (718)596-7668      Fax: (718)222-4097 Web site: http://www.etan.org learn more about East Timor on the Internet etanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetan

Response:

EAST TIMOR ACTION NETWORK/U.S. ACTION ALERT AND LEGISLATIVE UPDATE Killings Continues In East Timor As Indonesia Offers Independence Option The U.S. State Department Must Act to End Attacks on Civilians Tell Congress to Expand the Ban on Military Training Your Calls & Letters Do Make a Difference! Please Take the Actions Below Indonesian government officials say they may grant East Timor its independence after a U.N.-supervised vote, yet the Indonesian military (ABRI) continues to arm and train paramilitary units now attacking civilians in East Timor. Support for a peaceful transition to self-determination is urgently needed as ABRI and paramilitary violence continues to escalate in the occupied territory. In the past two months, dozens of East Timorese have been murdered and more than 10,000 forced to flee their villages. The U.S. State Department must insist on a permanent U.N. presence in East Timor and create the conditions needed for a free and fair vote by the East Timorese. The U.S. Congress has gone on record supporting East Timor’s self-determination. The State Department must follow that lead by actively promoting the measures necessary to make it happen. Including: A permanent United Nations presence: * to prevent further human rights abuses, * guarantee genuine Indonesian military withdrawals and the immediate disarmament of the paramilitaries prior to a vote, * and work with the East Timorese to prepare for the UN-supervised vote. The State Department must also work for the freedom for all political prisoners, including Xanana Gusmao, who is now under house arrest. East Timorese political prisoners must be free to participate in negotiations and in the political development of their homeland. *** Call or write the State Department  *** Press Secretary of State Albright to support a UN presence in East Timor and the above steps. Write or call: Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, U.S. Department of State, 2201 C St. NW, Washington DC  20520,  (202) 647-5291, Fax: (202) 647-6434 **Urge your Congressional Representative and Senators to call or write the State Department to press the administration to support the same measures. *** Call your Representative or Senators via the Congressional Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 or their local offices. Write to: Rep. _______ , U.S. House of Representatives (or Senator _______, U.S. Senate), Washington, DC 20515 (20510 for the Senate).  (For a current list of Congressional e-mail addresses, office and fax numbers, try http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/ ) *** Urge your Representative to end U.S. military training to Indonesia *** Encourage your member of the House of Representatives to co-sponsor and actively support the International Military Training Transparency and Accountability Act (H.R. 1063), introduced by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Lane Evans (D-IL), Nita Lowey (D-NY), Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) and 47 other Representatives on March 10. This important bill will close loopholes that have allowed the Pentagon to provide U.S. combat training to the Indonesian military and other human rights abusing forces. This bill makes clear that when a country is barred from receiving one type of military training, it cannot receive similar training. See contact info above. ** Lobby for East Timor ** ETAN’s Spring Lobby Days will be held June 5-9. In March, ETAN’s early Lobby Days were a great success when some 35 activists visited over 100 House and Senate offices. Please join us in June to build on our March efforts. Contact Lynn Fredriksson or John Miller (see below) for more information. ETAN’s website at http://www.etan.org/action/urgntMnu.htm contains more information about pending Congressional  action. Please forward results of your congressional contacts to ETAN’s Washington  or fax (202) 546-5103. Thank you for your continuing support. -page 2- ** BACKGROUND AND UPDATE ** Thanks to grassroots efforts, Congress took several important steps to aid the people of East Timor in 1998. We are building on these victories and pushing the Clinton administration to take action to support self-determination for Indonesian-occupied East Timor. Recent events in East Timor show that continued international pressure is vitally needed. In January, the Indonesian government announced it is willing to grant East Timor independence if the East Timorese reject autonomy under continued Indonesian rule. Indonesia subsequently moved resistance leader Xanana Gusmao from prison to house arrest.  But Indonesian-backed paramilitary violence and direct attacks upon civilians by the Indonesian military (ABRI) continue. Recently, Nobel Peace Laureate Bishop Belo reported that a parmilitary group backed by ABRI killed at least two dozen East Timorese refugees housed in a church in the town of Liquica. Thousands of East Timorese, terrorized by the militias, have fled their homes. Their displacement has aggravated an already severe shortage of food, medicine and medical personnel; it is almost impossible to meet even their most basic needs. The U.S. should demand an end to ABRI and paramilitary violence and provide emergency humanitarian assistance for the refugees fleeing that violence. Last Spring, ETAN, members of Congress, and journalist Allan Nairn revealed that US forces continued to train some of Indonesia’s most notorious military units. This training clearly violates the intent of the ban on military assistance to Indonesia passed after the 1991Santa Cruz massacre in East Timor. Efforts to ban all military training to Indonesia continue. We are still working to ban all U.S.-supplied training for Indonesia’s brutal armed forces. With your help the International Military Training Transparency and Accountabilitiy Act (H.R. 1063) could pass this year. On July 10, 1998, the U.S. Senate unanimously called on President Clinton to "work actively to support an internationally supervised referendum on self-determination." In October, the entire Congress went on record in support of East Timor’s self-determination through language in the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 1998. The U.S. State Department should heed these congressional directives by demanding the immediate placement of permanent U.N. monitors in East Timor, the disarming of paramilitary units, the withdrawal of Indonesian troops, and the release of all political prisoners. A fair vote cannot occur under military occupation and without genuine demilitarization. On December 7, 1975 Indonesia brutally invaded East Timor. By the early 1980s, the subsequent occupation had claimed the lives of more than 200,000, one-third of the population. East Timorese. April 1999 For a version of this Action Alert by fax, mail or in a formatted wordprocessor file for printing out, please contact John M. Miller below. END etanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetan Media & Outreach Coordinator, East Timor Action Network PO Box 150753, Brooklyn, NY 11215-0753 USA Phone: (718)596-7668      Fax: (718)222-4097 Web site: http://www.etan.org more about East Timor on the Internet etanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetan

Response:

Filed under: Human Rights

Related Posts

• Second reply to Ms. Fortin
• Will Kerry bring back Life Control + Police State as Clinton Govt's faults
• What to do about Kashmir?
• BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! Slack prevails!
• Drug cheating speculations re Irish and others
• Look at Wal-Mart to see the Bush policies in action
• Tales of Despair From Guant
• HIGH-TECH CRIME SYNDICATE IN OHIO
• CCHR
• Does HIV cause AIDS, AZT a perscription for AIDS?