Friday August 23, 2002 23:53:27
Subject: Report of last week's demo at Indonesian Embassy/Washington
Friends:
On Friday August 16, approximately 50 demonstrators protested in front of the Indonesian Embassy in Washington. Participating organizations included the Acehnese student group SIRA (which took the lead and provided the largest contingent); East Timor Action Network, Indonesia Human Rights Network, Earth Rights International and the Papua Resource Center. There were placards and chants for "Papuan Self-determination" mingled with calls for a referendum in Aceh, establishment of an international tribunal to provide justice with regard to TNI war crimes in East Timor and, of course, an end to all US ties with the TNI.
SIRA, ETAN, IHRN and Papuan
Resource Center (PRC) reps all spoke.
The SIRA rep spoke at length about the suffering and injustice endured by the people of Aceh and the need for international support for a referendum as a vehicle for Acehnese self determination. He also noted the suffering of Papuans, Malukans and others facing repression in Indonesia.
The ETAN rep provided a detailed account of the failure of the Indonesian judicial system to provide justice with regard to the human rights crimes committed by the TNI, Indonesian police and TNI-established/backed militias in East Timor. She called for establishment of an international tribunal. She also called for an end to all U.S. ties with the TNI.
The Indonesia Human Rights Network rep., who moderated the program, addressed problems of violence throughout the archipelago, providing a detailed review of problems in Aceh, Papua, Maluku, Central Sulawesi, etc. He called for the Achenese claimants to be allowed to seek justice in U.S. courts with regards to Exxon/Mobil collaboration with TNI in violating Acehnese human rghts. He also spoke out against U.S. support for the TNI.
The PRC rep. noted the TNI role in establishing terrorist militia groups in Papua, and TNI collaboration with Laskar Jihad in Papua and elsewhere; the historical invalidity of the Act of Free Choice and TNI collusion with US and other multinationals in the destruction of Papua's rich environment. He called for Acehense claims against Exxon/Mobil in U.S. courts to proceed,
notwithstanding the unjustifiable attempt by the State Department to block access to justice in this matter; the need to end
TNI-facilitated bloodshed in the Malukus, and the establishment of an international tribunal for human rights crimes in East Timor.
He also called for the cessation of U.S. military ties with the TNI, observing that the case for such collaboration as made to Congress in recent months (i.e., claiming the TNI moving toward accountability and reform) were manifestly untrue as indicated by the failure to effectively prosecute the TNI/Police human rights crimes in East Timor.
-Ed McWilliams
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