IV

106TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. CON. RES. 395

Expressing the sense of the Congress condemning the September 6, 2000,

militia attack on United Nations refugee workers in West Timor and

calling for an end to militia violence in East and West Timor.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

SEPTEMBER 12, 2000

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey (for himself, Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island, Mr.

PORTER, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. WOLF, Mr. HALL of Ohio, Mr. PITTS, Mr.

KUCINICH, Ms. MCKINNEY, Mrs. LOWEY, Ms. PELOSI, Mr. CROWLEY,

and Mr. EVANS) submitted the following concurrent resolution, which was

referred to the Committee on Interntional Relations

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the Congress condemning the September 6, 2000, militia attack on United Nations refugee

workers in West Timor and calling for an end to militia

violence in East and West Timor.

Whereas, on September 6, 2000, a militia mob attacked the

Atambua, West Timor offices of the United Nations High

Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and brutally murdered three humanitarian aid workers, including a United

States citizen, Carlos Caceres, as well as a number of

East and West Timorese victims, while Indonesian armed

forces and police stood by;
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•HCON 395 IH

Whereas armed militias were responsible for widespread violence and destruction in East Timor both before the August 30, 1999, United Nations (UN) referendum and

thereafter;

Whereas, notwithstanding this campaign of terror, 98 percent

of registered voters in East Timor risked their lives to

cast ballots in the United Nations sponsored referendum

and 78.5 percent of those voting chose independence from

Indonesia;

Whereas, after the September 4, 1999, announcement of the

independence vote, Indonesian police, military, and militias escalated their attacks upon the people of East

Timor, razing entire towns, killing at least 1,000 civilians, destroying 70 percent of the country’s infrastructure, driving hundreds of thousands of people into the

mountains, and forcing several hundred thousand more

across the border into West Timor;

Whereas Indonesian armed forces trained, organized, and

armed militia forces and, according to evidence gathered

by UN personnel and local sources in West Timor, continue to provide the militias with military, economic, and

logistical support;

Whereas the September 6, 2000, attack was the worst of over

100 such attacks on aid workers assisting East Timorese

refugees in West Timor camps;

Whereas Indonesian military and police forces, which are

solely responsible for the security of humanitarian workers and East Timorese refugees in West Timor, have repeatedly allowed militia forces to terrorize refugee camps

in West Timor;
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•HCON 395 IH

Whereas it is estimated that more than 100,000 East Timorese remain in refugee camps in West Timor, trapped by

ongoing militia violence and threats of violence;

Whereas, since the September 6, 2000 attack, all UNHCR

staff and other international aid workers have been evacuated from West Timor, leaving the remaining East

Timorese refugees, local human rights activists, and aid

workers at the mercy of the militia groups;

Whereas in recent weeks militia forces have infiltrated independent East Timor, fomenting insecurity and causing

many East Timorese to flee their homes once again for

the safety of larger towns;

Whereas militia attacks have claimed the lives of two United

Nations peacekeepers during border operations;

Whereas elsewhere in Indonesia, particularly in Aceh, Papua,

Kalimantan, and Maluku, Indonesian military and militia

violence has recently increased to disturbing levels and

resembles the brutal methods used to terrorize the people

of East Timor and of West Timor;

Whereas Jafar Siddiq Hamzah, a New York-based Acehnese

human rights lawyer who testified before the House Subcommittee on International Operations and Human

Rights on May 7, 1998, was murdered after disappearing

from Medan, Indonesia on August 5, 2000, in circumstances that strongly suggest the involvement of Indonesian security forces;

Whereas in September of 1999, in response to the devastation and violence in East Timor, President Clinton announced a suspension of United States military assistance to Indonesia, warning that the Government of Indo-
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•HCON 395 IH

nesia must stop the violence against the people of East

Timor;

Whereas in section 589 of the Foreign Operations Appropriations Act, Fiscal Year 2000, the Congress prohibited

United States military training and foreign military financing for the Indonesian armed forces until six important human rights conditions (relating to refugee return,

border security, and accountability for violence in East

Timor) have been met;

Whereas none of those six conditions has yet been fulfilled;

Whereas more than a year after East Timor’s independence

vote, known militia leaders continue to wage war against

the people of East Timor with impunity and militia

forces have not been disarmed and disbanded, notwithstanding repeated promises by the Government of Indonesia to do so, and despite the pleas of United Nations

officials, foreign governments, and human rights organizations;

Whereas the people of East Timor are diligently preparing

for full self-determination and are working toward social,

economic, and political redevelopment, including national

elections targeted for August of 2001; and

Whereas the United States Government has committed its

support to this redevelopment process, which requires

peace and security: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate

2 concurring), That the Congress—

3 (1) expresses sincere condolences to the families

4 and co-workers of Carlos Caceres of Puerto Rico,

5 Samson Aregahegn of Ethiopia, and Pero Simundza
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•HCON 395 IH

1 of Croatia, the UNHCR staff members killed in the

2 September 6 attack;

3 (2) calls upon the United States Government

4 and the Government of Indonesia to do everything

5 possible to ensure thorough and transparent inves6 tigations of these murders and to bring the per7 petrators to justice;

8 (3) believes that the United States should sus9 pend all military relations and cooperation with the

10 armed forces of Indonesia, including a cutoff of all

11 security assistance and joint training programs,

12 until—

13 (A) the six conditions set forth in section

14 589 of the Foreign Operations Appropriations

15 Act, Fiscal Year 2000 are fulfilled;

16 (B) the disarming and disbanding of all

17 militias operating in East Timor and West

18 Timor is accomplished; and

19 (C) civilian rule and the rule of law have

20 been established in Indonesia;

21 (4) calls upon the United States Government to

22 persist in urging the Government of Indonesia to

23 disarm and disband all militias in West Timor, ar24 rest known militia leaders, and extradite to East
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•HCON 395 IH

1 Timor those who committed crimes in that country;

2 and

3 (5) believes that the United States Government

4 should continue economic and development assist5 ance and other similar support for the people of

6 East Timor and of Indonesia.

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