[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 273 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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114th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 273
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 and
1966.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
October 1, 2015
Mr. Udall 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 and
1966.
Whereas, on October 1, 1965, 6 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 3 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 and 1966 mass killings have largely lived with
impunity, and the survivors and descendants of the victims suffer
continuing economic discrimination and had limited civil and political
rights for decades, as noted in the 2012 report by the Indonesian
National Commission on Human Rights;
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 during
1965 and 1966;
Whereas the United States Government has recently 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 2 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 during 1965 and
1966;
(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--
(A) to consider a truth, justice, and
reconciliation commission to address alleged crimes
against humanity and other human rights violations; and
(B) to work to mend differences and animosity that
remain after the mass killings during 1965 and 1966;
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--
(A) to 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) to coordinate with Federal agencies and take
such actions as necessary to expedite the release of
such records to the public; and
(C) to submit a report to Congress that describes
all such records, the disposition of such records, and
the activities of the Interagency Group.
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