ETAN condemns US State Dept for renewing military aid to Indonesia

East Timor Action Network ^ | 11/22/2005 | E.T.A.N.

[Frances_Marion]

ETAN Condemns Administration Waiver Permitting Weapons Sales to Indonesia

For Immediate Release

Contact: John M. Miller (718) 596-7668; (917) 690-4391 (cell) Karen Orenstein (202) 544-6911

November 22, 2005 - The East Timor and Indonesia Action Network (ETAN) strongly condemned the State Department’s waiver of newly legislated restrictions on U.S. military assistance to Indonesia. The Department announced today that “it is in the national security interests of the United States to waive conditionality pertaining to Foreign Military Financing (FMF) and defense exports to Indonesia.” The restriction was contained in the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2006, which became public law only last week.

In response, ETAN has issued the following statement:

ETAN condemns in the strongest terms possible the State Department’s issuance of a national security wavier that removes all congressional restrictions on military assistance for Indonesia. U.S. support for an unreformed military which remains above the law is not in the interest of the United States or Indonesia. This is a profoundly disappointing and sad day for human rights protections everywhere but especially in Indonesia, Timor-Leste, and the U.S.

Not even two weeks ago, Congress sent a clear message to the Indonesian government and security forces that it expected real improvements in military reform, human rights protections, and accountability for crimes against humanity and other serious crimes before FMF could be provided and lethal equipment exported to Indonesia. Secretary Rice has completely undermined that message and undermined congressional intent by doing so.

The State Department’s action is simply a transparent abuse of discretion granted to the executive by Congress.

The State Department’s statement that “The U.S. remains committed to pressing for accountability for past human rights violations, and U.S. assistance will continue to be guided by Indonesia's progress on democratic reform and accountability” could not ring more hollow. With what leverage will the State Department press for accountability? The Bush administration just gave all remaining leverage away.

With the stroke of a pen, Secretary Rice and President Bush betrayed the untold tens of thousands of victims of the Indonesian military’s brutality in Indonesia and Timor-Leste and undermined efforts at democratic reform.

For more background see http://etan.org/issues/miltie.htm.

ETAN advocates for democracy, justice and human rights for East Timor and Indonesia. ETAN calls for an international tribunal to prosecute crimes against humanity committed in East Timor from 1975 to 1999 and for continued restrictions on U.S. military assistance to Indonesia until there is genuine reform of its security forces.

[Frances_Marion]

This seems to have slipped under the radar.

Funny how this administration can bypass Congress so easily...and nobody seems to care. If the Indonesian gov wanted to, it could quell terrorist groups inside its borders right now, but the truth is these groups like Laskar Jihad have ties to the gov military itself. The Indonesian military is so corrupt, they've even attacked police officers, the latest of which involved an attack on a police station by Indonesian troops springing a friend arrested for drug trafficking. Bush and the State Dept (Dumb and Dumber), are going to get nothing for these weapons but more human rights abuses and Christian deaths at the hands of military-supported "militias".

[EagleUSA]

The State Dept. has been out of control, and VERY ANTI-BUSH for a long time. Aid to Indonesia is a joke -- but sleeping with the enemy has been the mode of State for a long, long time.