U.S. State Dept briefing on Obama's trip

President Obama will be in Indonesia from June 14 according to Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs Maria Otero.

She held a press briefing yesterday. No questions touched on military assistance or Kopassus, justice and accountability, Papua or much else beside that the Indonesian people are overwhelmingly muslim. What's up with the State Department press corps?

  

ETAN Action ALERT: Call Congress on human rights and W Papua

ETAN Action ALERT

Call your representative in Congress. Urge him or her to co-sponsor H. Res. 1355, The resolution, submitted by Rep. Patrick Kennedy urges the government of Indonesia to improve  human rights in West Papua.

Prisoners of Conscience Filep Karma,Yusak Pakage and others may spend the next decade or more in prison in Indonesia for peacefully raising a flag. Indonesian assaults on freedom of expression and abuse in its prisons are well-documented. A year ago, the Indonesian government expelled the International Committee of the Red Cross in West Papua.

What YOU can do:

Call your Representative today. Urge her/him to co-sponsor House Resolution 1355 supporting human rights in Indonesia's West Papua. A copy of the Resolution is below.

When you call, ask to speak to the foreign affairs legislative assistant. The Congressional switchboard number is 202-224-3121 (ask for the office of your Representative), or check www.congress.org for contact information. To sign on to the resolution, the office should contact Daniel Murphy in Rep. Patrick Kennedy's office (5-4911).

Your call can make the difference.  Please keep us posted of the results of your calls by writing to etan@etan.org. Go here to check on current go sponsors. Be sure to thank your representative if she or he is on the list.  Support ETAN's work by donating today. Thank you!!

Talking points:

1. The U.S. Department of State, UN investigators and human rights organizations have documented threats to freedom of expression and dire prison conditions in the Indonesian provinces of West Papua and Papua.

2. The government of Indonesia must demonstrate its commitment to freedom of expression by releasing people convicted for peacefully expressing their political views, improving prison conditions, and allowing access to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

3. The U.S. Congress needs to be a strong advocate for human rights in Indonesia and elsewhere. Representative Kennedy's resolution is an opportunity for members to express their commitment to the rule of law and freedom of expression in Indonesia. This can only strengthen democracy.

4. The Congressmember should support human rights by co-sponsoring House Resolution 1355 by contacting Dan Murphy in Rep. Patrick Kennedy's office.

You can e-mail your member of Congress on the Resolution via Amnesty International USA.

text of the resolution after the break

Admiral Blair resigns as intelligence czar, current Pacific special ops chief goes rogue

Adm. Dennis C. Blair has resigned as President Obama's Director of National Intelligence - effective Friday, May 28.

ETAN opposed his nomination because of his actions in 1999, when he served as U.S. Commander in Chief of the Pacific (CINCPAC). At the time,  when he signaled ongoing support to the Indonesian military as they and their militia proxies were harassing and killing pro-independence supporters in the lead-up to East Timor's UN-organized independence referendum. Also see here.

According to news reports, the head of the Special Operations Command Pacific recently went off the reservation in Indonesia. According to the Indonesian press, Rear Admiral Sean A Pybus pledged to TNI Commander General Djoko Santoso normalization of the U.S. relationship with with Indonesia's Kopassus special forces soon.

No so fast, the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta issued a statement clarifying 

that a recent Indonesian media report of an impending restoration of a cooperation between the US armed forces and Indonesian Army Special Forces (Kopassus) was false...The US Government is reviewing its policy on Kopassus but has not yet made a decision,” the press statement said.

Sign the petition opposing U.S.  cooperation with Kopassus

Timorese remind that All Are Responsible for Justice for Serious Crimes

The Timor-Leste National Alliance for an International Tribunal (known by its Tetum initials, ANTI) issued a statement today in the lead up to the May 20 anniversary of the restoration of independence.

Here some excerpts, full statement in English and Tetum is here:

In three days time, the Timorese people will celebrate the anniversary of the restoration of our independence. Though we have been happily celebrating the day with festivities for nine years, a portion of the population is sad on this commemorative day because of wounds that have not healed and still inflict pain. These wounds will not heal while those responsible for them remain free from judicial accountability...  

We ask you all to consider that the demand for justice for Serious Crimes is not just necessary for the Timorese people, it is not for a movement or a group, but it is the responsibility of everyone in this country, of the international community, and particularly of the United Nations. We are conscious that the demand for justice is not just for Timorese people, but is necessary to prevent future Crimes Against Humanity and human rights violations in other countries. For this reason we firmly insist that the time has come to end the chain of impunity for Timor-Leste and for the people in other countries.

Photo from Lao Hamutuk

Congress writes about Kopassus training

Congress of the United States
Washington, DC 20515

May 13, 2010

The Honorable Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street, N.W.     
Washington, D.C. 20520  

The Honorable Robert M. Gates
Secretary
U.S. Department of Defense Room 3E880,
The Pentagon
Washington, D.C. 20301-1000

Dear Madam Secretary and Mr. Secretary: 

We welcome the Obama Administration's commitment to broaden U.S. engagement in Southeast Asia. The President's upcoming trip to Indonesia is a positive step in strengthening our ties with a key ally and the largest Muslim-majority country in the world. We also appreciate the long-term U.S. interest in engaging with all elements of the Indonesian military. However, we do have serious concerns with the Administration's intention to reengage with Unit 81 of the Indonesian Special Forces, known as Kopassus.

Our concerns relate to the Indonesian military's willingness to cooperate with the United States and Indonesian civilian justice institutions in permanently removing human rights violators from military ranks and in holding senior officers accountable for past abuses. In addition, there are questions about the effectiveness of the vetting process. We understand that discussions with the government of Indonesia have been ongoing and that the Administration is working to resolve these issues before President Obama and President Yudhoyono sign a U.S.-Indonesia Comprehensive Partnership Agreement. However, we are not aware of any significant progress in those discussions.

We understand that the Administration presented the government of Indonesia with certain conditions before a "phased engagement" with Unit 81 can proceed. Information provided by Embassy Jakarta indicates that one of the reported preconditions has already been met - namely, a "public" renunciation by Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro of past abuses and enumeration of structural reforms still to be enacted to enhance civilian control of the military. Apparently, a Jakarta Post article from March 22, 2010, entitled, "TNI reforms and respect for rights have come a long way," was deemed to have met the reported precondition. However, the Minister's comments were notable for failing to address the issue of past abuses, and the Jakarta Post is written in English and read by only two percent of Indonesia's population.

A subsequent Jakarta Post article from April 16, 2010, entitled "Kopassus chief asks
public to forget its dark past at anniversary celebration," suggests that Kopassus is not ready to take full responsibility for its past. The article quotes Kopassus Major General Lodewijk Paulus, who said the allegations of past rights violations were a "psychological burden" to Kopassus and that the public should "no longer associate" Kopassus with past abuses. We understand similar comments have been made by other TNI officials. Such comments seriously undermine the claim that Kopassus accepts the principle of accountability and is committed to regaining the public's trust and embracing reform.

We would appreciate knowing the specific steps the government of Indonesia, the TNI leadership, and Kopassus have been asked to take prior to engaging with Unit 81. Does the TNI agree to cooperate with civilian investigations and prosecutions of past as well as any future crimes? Which individuals who have been credibly alleged to have violated human rights have you asked to be removed from Kopassus, and how were those individuals identified? Will they be prosecuted? Did you insist that those convicted of abuses be removed from the military entirely, or simply from Kopassus?

We believe a reliable vetting process is critical for identifying Kopassus officials who have violated human rights. Will the commander of Unit 81 and each member of the Unit be vetted and deemed to have a clean record in order for U.S. training to proceed, and how?

Additionally, given the lack of credibility of the military justice system, we believe the transfer of jurisdiction over human rights crimes committed by members of the military to civilian courts should be a pre-condition for engagement with Kopassus. We understand there is currently legislation in the Indonesian Parliament that seeks to do this. The United States should support this effort toward judicial independence, and assurances are needed that credibly alleged violations of human rights will be investigated by civilian authorities with TNT's cooperation. We would also appreciate knowing if it has been conveyed in writing to the government of Indonesia that, should it fail to fulfill the requirements and obligations set out for this "phased engagement," any funding would be suspended.

Finally, we believe that prior consultation with Congress before engagement with Kopassus and an annual review would be necessary to ensure that our assistance meets the requirements of U.S. law and fulfills our broader interests.

We look forward to discussing this with you as we develop closer relations with Indonesia consistent with our commitment to accountability and the rule of law.

Sincerely,

[Please note: party affiliation, state and committee assignments added by ETAN]

HOWARD L. BERMAN U.S. House of Representatives  (D-CA) Chair, Foreign Affairs Committee

JOHN F. KERRY United States Senate (D-MA) Chair, Foreign Relations Committee

NITA LOWEY U.S. House of Representatives (D-NY) Chair, State, Foreign Operations Subcommittee of Appropriations Committee

PATRICK J. LEAHY United States Senate Chair, State, Foreign Operations Subcommittee of Appropriations Committee

CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH House of Representatives, (R-NJ) Ranking Member,
                        
RUSSELL D. FEINGOLD United States Senate(D-WI) Member, Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs. Foreign Relations Committee

FRANK R. WOLF U.S. House of Representatives - (R-VA) Co-chair. Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission; Member, Appropriations Committee

ENI F. H. FALEOMAVEGA  U.S. House of Representatives, (D-AS) Chair, Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific and the Global Environment, Committee on Foreign Affairs

DONALD A. MANZULLO U.S. House of Representatives  (R-IL) Ranking, Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific and the Global Environment, Committee on Foreign Affairs

JAMES P. MCGOVERN U.S. House of Representatives (D-MA) Co-chair, Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission

JOSEPH CROWLEY  U.S. House of Representatives, (D-NY) Committee on Foreign Affairs

MICHAEL M. HONDA  U.S. House of Representatives  (D-CA) Committee on Appropriations

RUSS CARNAHAN U.S. House of Representatives, (D-MO) Chair, Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific and the Global Environment, Committee on Foreign Affairs