[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 107 (Friday, July 18, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1506]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    FOREIGN RELATIONS AUTHORIZATION ACT, FISCAL YEARS 2004 AND 2005

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                            HON. GREG WALDEN

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 15, 2003

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 1950) to 
     authorize appropriations for the Department of State for the 
     fiscal years 2004 and 2005, to authorize appropriations under 
     the Arms Export Control Act and the Foreign Assistance Act of 
     1961 for security assistance for fiscal years 2004 and 2005, 
     and for other purposes:

  Mr. WALDEN of Oregon. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to express my strong 
support for the amendment offered by my colleague from Colorado, which 
is designed to force the government of Indonesia to do what until now 
it has utterly failed to do--bring to justice the murderers who killed 
two American citizens and wounded eight others in Papua, Indonesia, in 
August of 2002.
  Among the victims of that tragic attack were Ted Burgon of Sunriver, 
Oregon, and Rick Spier of Colorado, both of whom lost their lives. 
Ted's wife, Nancy Burgon, was wounded in the ambush, as were Ken Balk 
and Saundra Hopkins, also of Sunriver, and their young daughter, Taia. 
A number of other members of their party suffered injuries at the hands 
of the terrorists who perpetrated this cowardly attack.
  Mr. Chairman, despite the time that has elapsed since the tragedy in 
Indonesia, the murderers of Burgon and Spier have not been brought to 
justice. Perhaps most disturbingly, there seems to have been little 
effort on the part of the Indonesian government, which receives 
substantial aid from the people of the United States, to ensure that 
these killers are made to pay for their crimes. Indeed, strong evidence 
suggests that government officials have actively thwarted the American 
investigation into the attack. This amendment is intended to correct 
this inequity.
  Mr. Chairman, since the attack occurred, evidence has been brought to 
light suggesting that members of the Indonesian military, and not a 
rogue band of criminals, bears responsibility for the ambush. Following 
the attack, the Indonesian police conducted an inquiry and ultimately 
issued a report asserting that, ``there is a strong possibility that 
the [attack] was perpetrated by members of the Indonesian National Army 
Force.'' Indeed, the attack occurred less than a half-mile away from an 
Indonesian military checkpoint. Moreover, various news services have 
reported that U.S. intelligence agencies have intercepted messages 
between Indonesian military officials implicating army personnel in the 
attack.
  Mr. Chairman, from the beginning Indonesian authorities have been 
less than cooperative in assisting with the FBI investigation into the 
murders. Investigative agents were denied the opportunity to interview 
witnesses without Indonesian authorities present and were not permitted 
to bring forensic evidence back to the United States for analysis. It 
is my firm belief that if prosecuting the murderers of American 
citizens on Indonesian soil is not a priority for the government of 
Indonesia, they should not expect to receive assistance from the people 
of the United States.
  My colleague's amendment would prevent Indonesia from receiving 
International Military Education and Training (IMET) funds until the 
President certifies to Congress that the Indonesian government and the 
Indonesian military are cooperating with American authorities in their 
investigation into the attack. Given the strong possibility that 
members of the Indonesian military were involved in the ambush, it 
would be an affront to the memory of Ted Burgon and Rick Spier, as well 
as the grieving families they left behind, to continue providing 
funding to the Indonesian armed forces. I urge my colleagues to support 
this amendment.

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