[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 137 (Saturday, September 28, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1771-E1772]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              FIFTH ANNIVERSARY, EAST TIMOR DILI MASSACRE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. RONALD V. DELLUMS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 27, 1996

  Mr. DELLUMS. Mr. Speaker, I rise to address conditions in East Timor. 
November 12 will mark the fifth anniversary of the massacre at Santa 
Cruz cemetery, when Indonesian troops fired on a gathering of thousands 
of innocent people. A distinguished Californian, Bishop Melvin Talbert, 
presiding bishop of the California Nevada Annual Conference of the 
United Methodist Church and also the President of the National Council 
of Churches, has written a statement in connection with these events. 
It is my belief that the Congress should be vigilant during this 
crucial period in East Timor and Indonesia, and lend what weight we 
have to efforts to foster justice in these areas.
  I take this opportunity to share Bishop Melvin G. Talbert's comments, 
``Remembering East Timor'' with my distinguished colleagues:
  For some time I have been concerned about the tragedy in the former 
Portuguese colony of East Timor. On November 12, 1996, it will be 5 
years since Indonesian troops opened fire on peaceful East Timorese 
mourners and demonstrators at Sana Cruz cemetery in the East Timor 
capital of Dili, killing more than 250 innocent people. The Santa Cruz 
massacre drew considerable international attention to the plight of 
East Timor. As the fifth anniversary of this event approaches, we 
should bear in mind the conclusions of the United Nations special 
rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary executions, Mr. 
Bacre Waly Ndiaye of Senegal. His report, based on a visit to the area, 
issued on November 1, 1994, remains relevant today and should be heeded 
by the international community, especially the United States. Among 
other things, Mr. Bacre concluded that ``conditions that allowed the 
Santa Cruz killings to take place are still present.''
  ``I strongly believe that the United States must use its influence 
with the Indonesian Government to prevent violence in East Timor, 
especially in light of the history of the conflict: Congressional 
testimony by State Department officials have made it clear that roughly 
90

[[Page E1772]]

percent of the military equipment available to the Indonesian Armed 
Forces when they invaded East Timor in 1975 had been supplied by the 
United States. Shipments of American weaponary were stepped up in the 
later 1970's, when as much as a third of East Timor's population of 
less than 700,000 perished as a result of Indonesian military action. 
The Clinton administration put restrictions in 1994 on the transfer to 
Indonesia of certain small arms that could be used in places like East 
Timor and in recent weeks, has also placed restrictions on the transfer 
of armored personnel carriers. These are welcome steps but they can 
never erase the earlier history, in which American diplomacy and arms 
played a significant role in making the East Timor tragedy possible.

  ``The United States therefore has a special responsibility to help 
protect the East Timorese people in the 1990's. The world must be 
particularly vigilant as the fifth anniversary of the Santa Cruz 
massacre approaches. The United States must also be alert to 
opportunities to support East Timor's international law and democratic 
principles. The continued denial of these rights led to the Santa Cruz 
tragedy in 1991 and is the root of the sorry situation that exists at 
present. In addition to taking diplomatic action to protect the people 
of East Timor from further violence, the United States must do whatever 
is possible to foster an authentic, peaceful solution to the conflict 
that is based on the wishes of the East Timorese people themselves.''

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