[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 238 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 238

   Commending the first democratic elections in Aceh, a province in 
 Sumatra, Indonesia, and expressing support for the further democratic 
     development and implementation of the Helsinki Memorandum of 
                             Understanding.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 12, 2007

Mr. Crowley (for himself, Mr. McDermott, Mr. Wexler, and Mr. Burton of 
Indiana) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
                      Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
   Commending the first democratic elections in Aceh, a province in 
 Sumatra, Indonesia, and expressing support for the further democratic 
     development and implementation of the Helsinki Memorandum of 
                             Understanding.

Whereas for three decades there has been a continuous armed conflict in Aceh, a 
        province in Sumatra, Indonesia;
Whereas violence between the Indonesian military and the Free Aceh Movement has 
        resulted in an estimated 15,000 deaths in the region;
Whereas the tsunami on December 26, 2004, killed at least 165,000 people in 
        Aceh, devastated the landscape, and led to the loss of livelihood for 
        600,000 people;
Whereas the Government of Indonesia and the Free Aceh Movement signed a 
        Memorandum of Understanding on August 15, 2005, in Helsinki;
Whereas the Aceh Monitoring Mission (AMM), led by the European Union (EU), the 
        Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Norway, and Switzerland, 
        has supported the implementation of the Helsinki Memorandum of 
        Understanding successfully;
Whereas the Free Aceh Movement has demobilized its military troops and 
        decommissioned its arms;
Whereas the Government of Indonesia has withdrawn its nonorganic military and 
        police forces from Aceh;
Whereas the Law on the Governing of Aceh (LoGA) was signed into law by 
        Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on August 1, 2006;
Whereas the general life situation of the Acehnese has improved significantly 
        since the signing of the Helsinki Memorandum of Understanding and the 
        Acehnese populate markets and celebrate festivities in public;
Whereas the first democratic and peaceful gubernatorial and district 
        administrative elections in Aceh were held on December 11, 2006, and 
        more than 80 percent of entitled Acehnese voted; and
Whereas Irwandi Yusuf, a former leader of the Free Aceh Movement, won the 
        gubernatorial election with the highest support of more than 38 percent 
        of total votes: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved,  That the House of Representatives--
            (1) commends the first democratic elections in Aceh, a 
        province in Sumatra, Indonesia, in which the Acehnese have 
        shown their strong commitment to democracy and peace, and 
        congratulates Irwandi Yusuf, the first democratic elected 
        governor of Aceh;
            (2) expresses its ongoing support for the further 
        democratic development of Aceh and the Helsinki Memorandum of 
        Understanding signed by the Government of Indonesia and the 
        Free Aceh Movement on August 15, 2005;
            (3) encourages both parties to live up to their commitments 
        under the Helsinki Memorandum of Understanding, especially with 
        regard to establishing a Human Rights Court for Aceh and a 
        Commission of Truth and Reconciliation; and
            (4) encourages the Secretary of State and the Administrator 
        of the United States Agency for International Development to 
        commit resources in supporting the peace and building a strong 
        civil society in Aceh.
                                 <all>