[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 281 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. CON. RES. 281

Expressing the sense of Congress that Indonesia completes a transition 
          to a democratically elected, nonmilitary government.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 22, 1998

Mr. Stearns (for himself, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Rohrabacher, Mr. Kennedy of 
Rhode Island, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, Mr. Olver, Ms. McKinney, Mr. Kucinich, 
Mr. Strickland, Mr. Stark, Ms. Woolsey, Mr. Evans, Mrs. Lowey, and Mr. 
  Smith of New Jersey) submitted the following concurrent resolution; 
     which was referred to the Committee on International Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
Expressing the sense of Congress that Indonesia completes a transition 
          to a democratically elected, nonmilitary government.

Whereas the political situation in Indonesia has been in a state of chaos;
Whereas innocent people have been killed by Indonesia's military forces;
Whereas General Suharto has finally resigned, and his vice president, Joseph 
        Habibie has assumed the presidency of Indonesia;
Whereas General Suharto came to power through a military takeover that led to 
        the deaths of a half million Indonesians;
Whereas President Habibie has hand-picked General Suharto to carry out policies 
        consistent with the past 32 years of economic exploitation and political 
        repression;
Whereas General Suharto has said that he will remain leader of the Golkar ruling 
        party;
Whereas President Habibie has declared that he will serve out the remainder of 
        General Suharto's term that ends in March 2003;
Whereas the policies of General Suharto and the Indonesian military regime have 
        caused the deaths of at least 200,000 people, one-third of the 
        population, in East Timor;
Whereas the State Department Report on Human Rights reports that in 1997, the 
        Indonesian government ``continued to commit serious human rights 
        abuses'' and ``demonstrated that it would not tolerate challenges to the 
        fundamental elements of the political system by arresting and placing on 
        trial some of its critics'';
Whereas Indonesia continues to imprison democratic, student, labor, religious, 
        and ethnic leaders;
Whereas General Suharto and his family have looted the Indonesian treasury of 
        between $30,000,000,000 and $40,000,000,000; and
Whereas General Suharto's cronyism has enabled his friends to pillage billions 
        of dollars more from the Indonesian people: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That it is the sense of Congress that the United States should support 
a complete transition that will lead immediately to a democratically 
elected, nonmilitary government in Indonesia including--
            (1) release of political prisoners;
            (2) legalization of political organizing activities;
            (3) international monitoring of human rights conditions;
            (4) roundtable all party discussions;
            (5) a transitional government of national unity;
            (6) democratic elections;
            (7) a truth commission to address past political crimes; 
        and
            (8) recognition that past injustices require redress.
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