[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 195 (Friday, December 8, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2328]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  REMEMBERING THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE INDONESIAN INVASION OF EAST 
       TIMOR AND CONDEMNING THE HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES IN EAST TIMOR

                                 ______


                       HON. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, December 7, 1995

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, today is a day of several 
anniversaries. As Americans we cannot forget that 54 year ago today our 
nation was invaded and attacked and lives were lost at Pearl Harbor. 
Today we remember those who lost their lives and honor those who 
bravely served in our Armed Forces and defended our borders.
  Today is also the anniversary of another invasion. Twenty years ago 
today the nation of Indonesia invaded the territory of East Timor and 1 
year later forcibly annexed it. Within a matter of hours and days after 
the invasion entire families were wiped out. And since December 7, 
1975, over 200,000 Timorese have been killed--one-third of the entire 
population.
  What has happened in East Timor over the last 20 years has been 
sarcastically called by John Pilger, an Australian journalist, ``one of 
the world's great secrets.'' Indonesia severely restricts access to 
East Timor, making it difficult to monitor abuses, while human rights 
organizations and activists are subject to harassment and threats from 
the government. Still, well-respected organizations such as Amnesty 
International and Human Rights Watch/Asia have been able to report on 
the continuing human rights problems in East Timor.
  In addition to the thousands killed over the last 20 years, the 
Indonesian Government has unleashed a reign of terror over the East 
Timorese which includes detaining political prisons, torture and rape, 
and disappearances. According to Roman Catholic Bishop Ximenes Belo, an 
outspoken defender of human rights in East Timor and a Nobel Peace 
Prize nominee, ``There is always fear. We lack freedom to speak, to 
walk where we want, to have different opinions. If people talk, they 
know they will be interrogated. They will be tortured.''
  Because of Bishop Belo's strong defense of human rights, the Jakarta 
Government is actively seeking his replacement as leader of East 
Timor's Roman Catholic Church. The government's attempt to control the 
church is an attempt to control even the spiritual life of the East 
Timorese people. In addition to the campaign against Bishop Belo, 
Amnesty International reports that church officials are subject to 
surveillance, including the tapping of phones and interception of 
letters. Members of the clergy also face harassment and intimidation by 
security forces and Indonesian troops.
  In October of this year young people, unable to tolerate the 
suppression any longer, protested against the Indonesian Government. 
The response of the military was swift and violent. Over 200 people 
were injured by gunfire, while 150 others who were attending a meeting 
at a convent were arrested and detained. Many of those who were 
detained were reported to have been tortured with electric prods or 
beaten while in custody.
  Mr. Speaker, the territory of East Timor has been held in captivity 
for 20 years by the Indonesian Government and there are few indications 
that the reign of terror will soon end. On this day, when we remember 
that our own nation was once invaded by another nation, we must not 
forget the people of East Timor who have not known freedom and peace 
since the Indonesian invasion on December 7, 1975. And unlike the 
attack on Pearl Harbor where we were able to overcome the invaders, the 
invaders of East Timor have yet to be defeated. We can only imagine 
what life must be like, denied the right of self-determination and 
other basic human rights. But the words of one man who has spent the 
last 20 years of his life under the Indonesian dictatorship might help 
us understand: ``We the people in East Timor call it the biggest prison 
island in the world. You must understand that. For us who live here 
it's hell.''

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