[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 67 (Friday, May 22, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5459-S5460]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 237--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING THE 
                 SITUATION IN INDONESIA AND EAST TIMOR

  Mr. FEINGOLD (for himself, Mr. Reed, Mr. Moynihan, Mr. Kohl, Mr. 
Kennedy, Mr. Harkin, and Mr. Wellstone) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 237

       Whereas recent political turmoil and economic failure in 
     Indonesia have endangered the people of that country and 
     fomented instability in the region;
       Whereas President Suharto has properly responded to this 
     crisis by resigning, after 32 years in office, the presidency 
     of Indonesia in accordance with Indonesia's constitutional 
     processes;
       Whereas Indonesia is now embarking on a new era that is 
     ripe for political and economic reform;
       Whereas in 1975 Indonesia invaded, and since that time has 
     illegally occupied, East Timor claiming the lives of 
     approximately 200,000 East Timorese;
       Whereas Indonesia has systematically committed human rights 
     abuses against the people of East Timor through arbitrary 
     arrests, torture, disappearances, extra-judicial executions, 
     and general political repression;
       Whereas 8 United Nations General Assembly and 2 United 
     Nations Security Council resolutions have reaffirmed the 
     right of the people of East Timor to self-determination;
       Whereas Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo and Jose Ramos-
     Horta, who were awarded the 1996 Nobel Peace Prize for their 
     courageous contribution to the East Timorese struggle, have 
     called for a United Nations-sponsored referendum on self-
     determination of the East Timorese;
       Whereas President Clinton in a letter dated December 27, 
     1996, expressed interest in the idea of a United Nations-
     sponsored referendum on self-determination in East Timor;
       Whereas the United States cosponsored a 1997 United Nations 
     Human Rights Commission Resolution calling for Indonesia to 
     comply with the directives of existing United Nations 
     resolutions regarding East Timor; and
       Whereas present circumstances provide a unique opportunity 
     for a resolution of the East Timor question: Now, therefore, 
     be it
       Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that the 
     President should--
       (1) encourage the new political leadership in Indonesia to 
     institute genuine democratic and economic reforms, including 
     the establishment of an independent judiciary, civilian 
     control of the military, and the release of political 
     prisoners;
       (2) encourage the new political leadership in Indonesia to 
     promote and protect the human rights and fundamental freedoms 
     of all the people of Indonesia and East Timor; and
       (3) work actively, through the United Nations and with 
     United States allies, to carry out the directives of existing 
     United Nations resolutions on East Timor and to support an 
     internationally supervised referendum on self-determination.
       Sec. 2. The Secretary of the Senate shall transmit a copy 
     of this resolution to the President.

 Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, over the past few days, the world 
has watched in disbelief as Indonesia has unraveled. Barely two days 
ago, in response to mounting domestic and international pressure, 
President Suharto, Indonesia's authoritarian ruler for 32 years, 
announced his resignation. For the moment, power has been transferred 
to Suharto's longtime confidant, the former Minister of Research and 
Technology, Vice President, B.J. Habibie.
  Mr. President, it is too soon to tell whether this transition will 
satisfy the demands of the students and other Indonesians who have been 
protesting Suharto's rule for the past three months. To be honest, I 
doubt it. These students want real political reform, and I believe all 
of Indonesia's people deserve such reform.
  I hope Indonesia's new leadership will exercise restraint during this 
period of

[[Page S5460]]

transition, and will use the present circumstances to enact policies 
that appropriately address the needs of all Indonesians.
  At the same time, I think these circumstances present a unique 
opportunity to deal with one of Indonesia's most vexing problems, and 
one that I have been actively engaged in since before I joined the 
Senate--the question of the political status of East Timor.
  Mr. President, today my colleague from Rhode Island [Mr. Reed] and I 
are submitting a resolution encouraging a solution to the political 
status of East Timor. This resolution is similar to H. Con. Res. 258, 
introduced in the House of Representatives by Rep. Nita Lowey and 
others.
  This resolution says simply: the United States should support an 
internationally supervised self-determination referendum in East Timor.
  Indonesia has sustained a brutal military occupation of East Timor 
for more than 20 years, and thousands of East Timorese have lost their 
lives as a result. Human rights organizations from around the world, as 
well as our own State Department, continue to report substantial human 
rights violations by the Indonesian military--including arbitrary 
arrest and detention, curbs on freedom of expression and association, 
and the use of torture and summary killings of civilians.
  Immediately after the Indonesian occupation of East Timor in 1975, 
and again in 1976, the United Nations Security Council called for 
Indonesia to withdraw from the region and called for the recognition of 
East Timorese self-determination. From 1976 to 1982, the U.N. General 
Assembly adopted eight separate resolutions calling for the withdrawal 
of Indonesian armed forces from the territory. In the past few years, 
several nations, including the European Union and the Australian 
Senate, have delivered strong statements condemning the actions of the 
Indonesian government in East Timor and calling for a process of self-
determination.
  As you know, Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo, co-winner with Jose Ramos 
Horta of the 1996 Nobel Peace Prize, has long called for the self-
determination of his people and reiterated his plea for a self-
determination referendum immediately after receiving news of his Nobel 
prize.
  Even President Clinton, who has not engaged on this issue in the 
past, expressed interest in the idea of a United Nations-sponsored 
self-determination referendum in a December 1996 letter to me.
  Mr. President, as we know, although the larger political crisis in 
Indonesia has been brewing for sometime now, events of recent days have 
taken on a surreal intensity. Since the early part of this year, there 
had been relatively peaceful protests taking place largely in Jakarta, 
the capital. For the most part, these demonstrations were led by 
students and confined to university campuses. But while the protests 
were triggered in response to the economic turmoil caused by the larger 
financial crisis in Asia, they quickly gave voice to political dissent 
of a sort not seen in Indonesia for decades. As the students slowly 
realized they had a political voice, they began to speak out more 
forcefully, and the demonstrations increased--moving out to more cities 
and spilling off of the campuses.
  Now, the situation has become dangerous, fatal for some, as 
widespread riots and looting have spread across Jakarta and elsewhere. 
The economy is nearing a standstill and the military is beginning to 
show signs of stress and fracture. Reports of the dead and injured 
continue to grow. Hundreds of people have been arrested.
  And of course no one really knows what to expect during the unfolding 
political drama of Indonesia.
  This crisis clearly has affected all of Indonesia and will have 
serious implications for the country's future, but I am particularly 
concerned about the impact of these recent events on East Timor.

  As my colleagues well know, I have been monitoring the situation in 
East Timor for more than six years. What particularly worries me now, 
given this larger political crisis, are reports of increasing numbers 
of troops in some of East Timor's major cities. This is extremely 
destabilizing, coming on the heels of a dire humanitarian situation on 
that captive island because of poor access to food.
  The resolution Senator Reed and I are submitting today is important 
at this time because it is clear that whatever happens in Jakarta over 
the next weeks and months will no doubt have profound implications for 
political and military development in East Timor. The great irony of 
the latest crisis in Indonesia is that it may actually present us with 
an opportunity once and for all to help the people of East Timor 
exercise their right to self-determination. Habibie, or any other 
leader that succeeds him--through legitimate means or by brutal coup--
will have to reevaluate Indonesia's relationship with East Timor. It is 
my sincere hope that any successor will recognize that Indonesia's 
brutal occupation of the territory is entirely unsustainable and will 
look to the natural solution of a self-determination referendum to help 
determine East Timor's political status.
  Mr. President, the East Timorese deserve the support of people of 
conscience all over the world, and the United States should use it 
world leadership position on their behalf. The United States should 
begin immediately to encourage the process of self-determination in 
both Indonesia and in East Timor.
  It is long overdue.
 Mr. REED. Mr. President, I am proud to join with my colleague 
from Wisconsin, Senator Feingold, submitting this resolution which 
addresses the unfolding events in Indonesia.
  On Thursday, President Suharto resigned his position after leading 
Indonesia for thirty-two years. His action was a response to civil 
unrest and economic turmoil which reached a crescendo in the past few 
weeks. President Suharto is to be commended for heeding the call of the 
Indonesian people for change, for avoiding further bloodshed, and for 
permitting a change of leadership in accordance with the constitutional 
processes of Indonesia.
  Now, it is time for change. The people of Indonesia and the world 
have called for it. The United States should do everything in its power 
to encourage and support the new political leadership of Indonesia to 
implement reforms.
  Most importantly, we are on the threshold of the chance to resolve 
the question of East Timor. In 1975, Indonesia invaded East Timor. For 
over two decades that land has been wracked by fear, suppression, 
torture and death. Approximately one third of the population has been 
killed. The United Nations has called again and again for a just, 
comprehensive and internationally acceptable solution in East Timor, 
but to no avail.
  Mr. President, we must seize this opportunity. The oppression of East 
Timor must end. The people of East Timor have a right to self-
determination. They, and the people of Indonesia, deserve to live 
securely in economic, political and physical freedom.
  Against overwhelming odds, the people of Indonesia and East Timor 
have bravely fought for their rights and caused a powerful leader to 
resign. The United States if obligated to support them and encourage 
the new leadership of Indonesia to institute genuine democratic and 
economic reforms, promote and protect the human rights of the citizens, 
and respect the right of the people of East Timor to self-
determination. I join Senator Feingold in urging the Senate to adopt 
this resolution.

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