[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 596 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

113th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 596

       Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the need for 
    reconciliation in Indonesia and disclosure by the United States 
   Government of events surrounding the mass killings during 1965-66.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           December 10, 2014

 Mr. Udall of New Mexico submitted the following resolution; which was 
             referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
       Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the need for 
    reconciliation in Indonesia and disclosure by the United States 
   Government of events surrounding the mass killings during 1965-66.

Whereas, on October 1, 1965, six Indonesian Army generals were killed by 
        military personnel, including members of Indonesia's Presidential Guard, 
        and these killings were blamed on the Indonesian Communist Party and 
        labeled an ``attempted Communist coup d'etat'';
Whereas this alleged coup was used to justify the mass killing of alleged 
        supporters of the Indonesian Communist Party, with estimates of the 
        number of dead ranging from 500,000 to 1,000,000 killed;
Whereas the targeted individuals were predominantly unarmed civilians, and often 
        included members of trade unions, intellectuals, teachers, ethnic 
        Chinese, and those involved in the women's movement;
Whereas these killings and the imprisonment of up to 1,000,000 targeted 
        individuals were done without due process of law;
Whereas the targeted individuals were subject to extrajudicial execution, 
        torture, rape, forced disappearance, forced labor, and forced eviction;
Whereas the United States Central Intelligence Agency in a 1968 research study 
        described the period as one of the worst mass murders of the twentieth 
        century;
Whereas the United States Government provided the Indonesian Army with 
        financial, military, and intelligence support during the period of the 
        mass killings, and did so aware that such killings were taking place as 
        recorded in partially declassified documents in the Department of State 
        history, ``Foreign Relations of the United States'', pertaining to this 
        period;
Whereas, within months of military leader Suharto's assumption of the Presidency 
        following the mass killing, the United States Government began sending 
        economic and military support to Suharto's military regime, and played 
        an indispensable role in its consolidation of power;
Whereas aid to the Suharto government continued for more than three decades, 
        despite on-going crimes against humanity committed by the Suharto 
        government, including mass killing and other gross violations of human 
        rights during the invasion and subsequent 24-year occupation of East 
        Timor;
Whereas perpetrators of the 1965-66 mass killings have largely lived with 
        impunity, and the survivors and descendants of the victims suffer 
        continuing discrimination economically and for decades had limited civil 
        and political rights, as noted in the 2012 Indonesia National Commission 
        on Human Rights report;
Whereas the United States Government has not yet fully declassified all relevant 
        documents concerning this time period, and full disclosure could help 
        bring historical clarity to atrocities committed in Indonesia between 
        1965 and 1966;
Whereas the United States Government has in recent years supported the 
        declassification and release of documents in support of truth and 
        reconciliation efforts following periods of violence in countries such 
        as Chile and Brazil;
Whereas open dialogue about alleged past crimes against humanity and past human 
        rights violations is important for continued efforts to reconcile 
        populations of Indonesia and to ensure a stable, sustainable peace that 
        will benefit the region and beyond;
Whereas, Indonesia has undergone a remarkable democratic transition over the 
        last two decades, and is the world's third largest democracy with the 
        largest Muslim population in the world;
Whereas through free and fair elections, the people of Indonesia have elected 
        new leaders who now have the opportunity to establish a culture of 
        accountability in partnership with the country's vibrant civil society, 
        press, academia, and human rights activists;
Whereas the relationship between the United States and Indonesia is strong and 
        involves many shared interests, as reflected in the 2010 United States-
        Indonesia Comprehensive Partnership, including democracy and civil 
        society, education, security, climate and environment, energy, and trade 
        and investment;
Whereas the economic relationship between the United States and Indonesia is 
        strong, with bilateral goods trade exceeding $27,000,000,000 and with 
        major United States companies making significant long-term investments 
        in Indonesia; and
Whereas strong relations between the United States and Indonesia are mutually 
        beneficial to both countries: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) condemns the mass murder in Indonesia in 1965-66;
            (2) expresses great concern about the lack of 
        accountability enjoyed by those who carried out crimes during 
        this period;
            (3) urges political leaders in Indonesia to consider a 
        truth, justice, and reconciliation commission to address 
        alleged crimes against humanity and other human rights 
        violations, and to work to mend differences and animosity that 
        remain after the 1965-66 mass killings; and
            (4) calls on the Department of State, the Department of 
        Defense, the Central Intelligence Agency, and others involved 
        in developing and implementing policy towards Indonesia during 
        this time period to establish an interagency working group to--
                    (A) locate, identify, inventory, recommend for 
                declassification, and make available to the public all 
                classified records and documents concerning the mass 
                killings of 1965 and 1966, including records and 
                documents pertaining to covert operations in Indonesia 
                from January 1, 1964, through March 30, 1966;
                    (B) coordinate with Federal agencies and take such 
                actions as necessary to expedite the release of such 
                records to the public; and
                    (C) submit a report to Congress describing all such 
                records, the disposition of such records, and the 
                activities of the Interagency Group.
                                 <all>