[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 136 (Friday, September 27, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1766]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




[[Page E1766]]



             SITUATION IN EAST TIMOR OF INCREASING CONCERN

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. NANCY PELOSI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 27, 1996

  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, the situation in East Timor, which was 
invaded and occupied by the Indonesian Government in 1975, has been of 
increasing concern to Americans in recent years. Five years ago, on 
November 12, 1991, in full view of a British television journalist, 
Indonesian troops opened fire on thousands of predominantly young East 
Timorese at a church cemetery. The Santa Cruz massacre became known 
throughout the world as a result of this shocking televised film. Now, 
nearly 5 years later, the Timor situation still cries out for a 
solution.
  One heroic figure in the midst of this grim tragedy is Bishop Carlos 
Felipe Ximenes Belo, the head of the Roman Catholic Church in East 
Timor. At the time of the Santa Cruz massacre, Bishop Belo helped 
hundreds of young East Timorese avert a violent end. To this day, 
Bishop Belo continues to work tirelessly to defend his people. Bishop 
Belo deserves our strong support for his efforts to defend human rights 
and to promote a just and peaceful solution to the conflict in East 
Timor.
  As we approach the fifth anniversary of the tragic Santa Cruz 
massacre, I hope the administration will encourage the release of all 
East Timorese prisoners still being held in connection with the Santa 
Cruz events. Such a gesture of reconciliation would be in keeping with 
the portion on Humanitarianism of Indonesia's state philosophy, the 
Panca Sila. It would also be in keeping with Bishop Belo's 
extraordinary work for peace and human rights.
  The United States Catholic Conference, the public policy unit of the 
National Conference of Catholic Bishops, has long taken a strong 
interest in East Timor. In 1994, the Catholic Conference issued a 
statement of solidarity with the East Timor Church. This statement is 
still relevant today. I request that the Bishops' statement be 
published in the Record and urge my colleagues to read it.

                        Statement on East Timor

                 (By Bishop Daniel P. Reilly, Chairman)

       Small nations oppressed by larger neighbors often draw 
     sympathetic responses from the world community, but seldom 
     has a population as small, and as distant from us, as East 
     Timor held our attention as that tiny community continues to 
     do. A population of some 650,000 Timorese has, for almost 
     twenty years, lived under the control, and the abusive, harsh 
     and often violent treatment, of their Indonesian military 
     overseers.
       These people have survived the brutal invasion of December 
     7, 1975 and the subsequent policies which have been described 
     by serious observers as nearly genocidal. More than 100,000 
     people--some estimates are much higher--perished in the early 
     years as a direct result of Indonesian military rule. The 
     massacre of unarmed and non-violent demonstrators at the 
     Santa Cruz cemetery on November 12, 1991, captured in 
     horrifying detail on film by a foreign filmmaker, is now 
     etched in the consciousness of many. Repressive policies and 
     actions directed especially against the young people of East 
     Timor, and often against the Catholic church there, are a 
     continuing reality.
       We admire the people of East Timor for their bravery, their 
     suffering and their determination to preserve their culture 
     against overwhelming odds, but we also feel the special bond 
     with them that comes from our shared Catholic faith. The 
     Church of East Timor, led by Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo, 
     S.D.B., has become a source of hope and encouragement for all 
     the people. It is instructive to note that, during the 400 
     years of Portuguese colonial rule, Catholics remained a 
     relatively small minority among the largely animist 
     population, whereas today over 90% of all East Timor is now 
     Catholic. It is surely a testament to the fidelity of that 
     local church to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to the 
     church's commitment to the defense of human rights and the 
     dignity of every person.
       East Timor continues to pose a political challenge to the 
     community of nations. It presents a set of conflicting 
     interests and rights not unlike other situations in the world 
     today. Some of these areas of conflict, as in South Africa, 
     the Middle East, and Central America, have witnessed 
     extraordinary breakthroughs in just the last years; others, 
     as in the Balkans and parts of Africa, remain apparently 
     intractable. East Timor, it seems to us, represents a far 
     less thorny problem than many others; it is a problem that 
     can and should be solved.
       The mechanism that is already in place, namely the 
     ministerial meetings between the governments of Indonesia and 
     Portugal under the auspices of the United Nations, is the 
     appropriate vehicle to advance the negotiations. Ever since 
     1983, the U.N. Secretary General has been entrusted with the 
     task of finding a settlement to the dispute. The recent 
     meetings, held in Rome and New York last year and in Geneva 
     this May, thus far without participation of Timorese 
     representatives, appear not to be moved by a sense of 
     urgency. It seems appropriate for the Secretary General to 
     press for more vigorous action to come from these meetings, 
     and we urge him to do so.
       The United States and Indonesia are very important partners 
     of one another. We recognize that our government has made a 
     number of useful overtures to Jakarta concerning East Timor, 
     for which we are grateful. We urge, however, that new 
     initiatives be undertaken, to encourage both the resolution 
     of the political crisis and full compliance on issues of 
     human rights.
       We recognize that differing proposals for resolving the 
     region's status may exist among the people, some apparently 
     favoring annexation, others full independence, and the rest 
     calling for a process that would eventually lead to a 
     referendum determining the relationship. Prior to any 
     political resolution, however, all can agree that there must 
     be an end to the kind of political and even religious 
     persecution and violation of human rights that continue to 
     plague that tortured community.
       A year ago, Pope John Pall II expressed to the Indonesian 
     foreign minister his wish that new talks on the future of 
     East Timor might promote ``the well-being of that people in 
     respect of their rights and cultural and religious 
     traditions.'' We invite our Catholic people to pray for the 
     well-being of our Timorese brothers and sisters, that they 
     may continue to grow in their rich cultural and religious 
     traditions, free of outside pressures and coercion. And we 
     express our fraternal solidarity with Bishop Belo and all the 
     church of Dili, asking God's blessing on their ministry to 
     the people of East Timor.

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