IV

106TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. RES. 285

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the referendum in East Timor and calling on the Government of Indonesia

and all other parties to the current civil unrest in East Timor to assist

in any attempts to immediately terminate the paramilitary’s campaign

of violence and terror and comply with the overwhelming results of

the August 30, 1999, popular consultation.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

SEPTEMBER 9, 1999

Mr. CAPUANO (for himself, Ms. BALDWIN, Mr. BLAGOJEVICH, Mr. CROWLEY,

Mr. DELAHUNT, Ms. ESHOO, Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA, Mr. HALL of Ohio,

Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island, Mr. KING, Ms. LEE, Mrs. LOWEY, Mr.

LUTHER, Mrs. MALONEY of New York, Mr. MCGOVERN, Ms. NORTON,

Mr. OLVER, Mr. PAYNE, Ms. PELOSI, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. WEXLER,

Mr. WOLF, Mrs. CAPPS, Mr. BAIRD, Mr. MEEHAN, and Mrs. MORELLA)

submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee

on International Relations

RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the referendum in East Timor and calling on the

Government of Indonesia and all other parties to the

current civil unrest in East Timor to assist in any attempts to immediately terminate the paramilitary’s campaign of violence and terror and comply with the overwhelming results of the August 30, 1999, popular consultation.
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Whereas in 1975 the newly independent Portuguese colony of

East Timor was invaded and occupied by Indonesia;

Whereas for the past 24 years, East Timorese pro-independence groups have been brutally repressed by the Indonesian military (ABRI/TNI) and more recently by military-backed paramilitary units engaged in kidnapping,

torture, and murder;

Whereas more than 200,000 East Timorese have perished in

violent conflicts;

Whereas on May 5, 1999, Portugal, Indonesia, and the

United Nations concluded an historic agreement intended

to resolve the long-standing issue of East Timor through

a popular consultation based upon a universal, direct,

and secret ballot;

Whereas the agreement gave the East Timorese people an opportunity to accept a proposed special autonomy for East

Timor within the unitary Republic of Indonesia or reject

the special autonomy and opt for independence;

Whereas on June 11, 1999, the United Nations Security

Council established the United Nations Mission in East

Timor (UNAMET), which proceeded to organize and conduct the popular consultation; and

Whereas on August 30, 1999, in a show of courage and determination, 98.5 percent of registered East Timorese

went to the polls to express their will as to the future of

their territory, and by a vote of 344,580 to 94,388 overwhelmingly chose independence: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives—

2 (1) commends the people of East Timor for

3 their unrelenting perseverance to cast their vote on
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1 the future status of East Timor in a democratic

2 manner;

3 (2) congratulates the people of East Timor on

4 their exemplary participation in the August 30,

5 1999, popular consultation;

6 (3) condemns the post-election violence carried

7 out by paramilitary groups against United Nations

8 personnel and the people of East Timor;

9 (4) is concerned about the imposition of martial

10 law by Indonesia in East Timor;

11 (5) further condemns the assaults upon refu12 gees seeking protection in churches, the Inter13 national Red Cross, and other places of sanctuary;

14 (6) calls for international action to address the

15 humanitarian crisis in which thousands of refugees

16 from East Timor are blocked from receiving food or

17 medical care;

18 (7) reaffirms the profound concern of the

19 United States for the incalculable human suffering

20 inflicted on the East Timorese and demands an im21 mediate halt to the violence and a peaceful transi22 tion to independence for East Timor;

23 (8) encourages efforts on behalf of the United

24 Nations to put pressure on the Government of Indo-
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1 nesia to attempt to control, disarm, and disband the

2 brutal militias in East Timor;

3 (9) calls on the President—

4 (A) to suspend all remaining military as5 sistance to Indonesia until the paramilitaries in

6 East Timor are controlled; and

7 (B) to condition all future assistance to In8 donesia, except for humanitarian assistance,

9 upon the ability and willingness of the Govern10 ment of Indonesia to control paramilitary and

11 militia forces and to restore order and respect

12 for human rights in East Timor;

13 (10) calls upon international organizations, in14 cluding the World Bank and the International Mone15 tary Fund, to condition all future assistance to Indo16 nesia, except for humanitarian assistance, upon the

17 ability and willingness of the Government of Indo18 nesia to control paramilitary and militia forces and

19 to restore order and respect for human rights in

20 East Timor;

21 (11) encourages efforts by the United Nations

22 envoys in Indonesia to express the outrage of the

23 international community over the violence in East

24 Timor and to make plain to the Government of In25 donesia its responsibility to restrain paramilitary
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1 forces and to restore order and respect for human

2 rights in East Timor;

3 (12) calls upon the United Nations Security

4 Council to offer assistance to the Government of In5 donesia in restoring order in East Timor;

6 (13) welcomes continued dialogue between

7 United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan and

8 Indonesian authorities, including President B.J.

9 Habibie and Defense Minister Wiranto, for further

10 measures to restore law and order in East Timor;

11 (14) encourages increased United States sup12 port for an expanded United Nations mandate with

13 respect to East Timor, and significantly more

14 United Nations personnel, leading toward assump15 tion of responsibility by the United Nations for ad16 ministration and security in East Timor;

17 (15) calls upon the international community to

18 play an active role in helping to resolve the internal

19 conflict in East Timor by encouraging all sides to

20 participate in the peace process; and

21 (16) further calls upon the United Nations Se22 curity Council, should it determine that the Govern23 ment of Indonesia is unable or unwilling to maintain

24 order in East Timor, to authorize member states of
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1 the United Nations to protect the lives and human

2 rights of East Timor refugees.

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