[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 115 (Tuesday, July 28, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H8944-H8946]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                CONDEMNING TERRORIST ATTACK IN INDONESIA

  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
agree to the resolution (H. Res. 675) condemning the July 17, 2009, 
terrorist bombings in Indonesia and expressing condolences to the 
people of Indonesia and the various other countries suffering 
casualties in the attacks.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 675

       Whereas, on July 17, 2009, 2 unidentified terrorists 
     carried out twin suicide bombings at the J.W. Marriott and 
     Ritz-Carlton hotels in the central business district of 
     Jakarta, killing at least 7 people and wounding at least 50;
       Whereas the majority of the victims of the attacks were 
     Indonesian citizens, according to reports;
       Whereas in addition to the Indonesian victims, citizens of 
     Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore lost their lives in the 
     attacks, and citizens of Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, India, 
     Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, South Korea, the 
     United Kingdom, and the United States were injured, according 
     to reports;
       Whereas this tragic bombing was the first suicide attack in 
     Indonesia since September 2005, demonstrating the progress 
     that the Government of Indonesia has made in combating 
     terrorism in recent years;
       Whereas Indonesia is the most populous Muslim-majority 
     country in the world and is founded on principles of 
     religious tolerance and moderation;
       Whereas Indonesia is developing into a strong multiparty 
     democracy, as demonstrated by its April 2009 parliamentary 
     elections, in which 9 different parties won seats in the 
     People's Representative Council (DPR) and voter turnout 
     exceeded 60 percent, and its July 2009 presidential election, 
     which was characterized as free and fair by preliminary 
     reports;
       Whereas the continued development of Indonesia's democratic 
     norms and institutions will be critical to stemming the tide 
     of violent extremism and therefore is in the mutual interest 
     of the United States and Indonesia; and
       Whereas the United States Congress has worked in support of 
     Indonesian democracy through the Congressional Caucus on 
     Indonesia and the House Democracy Assistance Commission, 
     which has had a productive partnership with the DPR since 
     2006 and remains firmly committed to continuing this 
     partnership: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) condemns in the strongest terms the July 17, 2009, 
     attacks in Jakarta and all other terrorist attacks against 
     targets in Indonesia;
       (2) expresses its condolences to the people of Indonesia 
     and the various other countries suffering casualties in the 
     attacks;
       (3) supports the efforts of the Government of Indonesia to 
     investigate and prosecute the attacks to the fullest extent 
     of the law, and calls upon Indonesia and its neighbors to 
     work together to combat terrorism in Southeast Asia;
       (4) expresses its confidence that Indonesia remains a 
     reliable partner in the global struggle against terrorism and 
     a stable destination for trade, travel, and investment; and
       (5) reaffirms the long-term commitment of the United States 
     to the strengthening of democratic institutions and the 
     promotion of peace, prosperity, and ethnic and religious 
     tolerance in Indonesia.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega) and the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms.

[[Page H8945]]

Ros-Lehtinen) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from American Samoa.


                             General Leave

  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from American Samoa?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this 
resolution.
  At this time, I would yield as much time as he could consume to the 
gentleman, my good friend, the chief sponsor of this resolution, to now 
address the Chamber, the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Price).
  Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. Thank you to the distinguished chairman 
of the subcommittee for his work on H. Res. 675, which I'm proud to 
rise in support of. It's a message of solidarity to the people of 
Indonesia.
  I want to first thank the leadership of the Committee on Foreign 
Affairs and the Asia-Pacific Subcommittee, in particular, for their 
leadership on this issue in putting this resolution forward on behalf 
of the House Democracy Assistance Commission. Mr. Dreier and I have 
worked closely with the committee leadership and staff, as well as the 
leadership of the Indonesia Caucus, Mr. Wexler and Mr. Burton of 
Indiana.
  A week ago last Friday, July 17, two terrorists detonated suicide 
bombs inside the Ritz-Carlton and Marriott Hotels in the central 
business district of Jakarta, killing themselves and seven others and 
wounding over 50. It was the first successful attack in Indonesia since 
2005, and it comes at a time when the country has made substantial 
progress in the fight against terrorism.
  The attackers appeared to have been targeting a conference of Western 
businessmen meeting at the Marriott and citizens of over a dozen 
countries, including eight Americans, who were injured in these 
horrific attacks. The majority of the victims were Indonesian citizens 
going peacefully about their daily affairs.
  For my HDAC colleagues and me, these attacks hit pretty close to home 
because our commission had visited Jakarta just 2 weeks before to 
continue the partnership we have been forging with the Indonesia 
Parliament since 2006. We met with parliamentary leaders as well as 
with a number of newly elected members discussing their progress 
towards democratic reforms during this time of political transition in 
Indonesia.
  In light of this productive and mutually enriching partnership, it's 
fitting that a delegation from the Indonesian equivalent of our House 
Administration Committee is visiting the House today and tomorrow for 2 
days of meetings arranged by the House Democracy Assistance Commission. 
Led by Chairwoman Indria Octavia Muaja, the delegation is here to meet 
with our Foreign Affairs Committee, as well as our House Administration 
Committee and chief administrative officer, to discuss how to implement 
and manage an effective human resources system in their parliament.
  Now, this may not grab any headlines, but it's this type of 
partnership that will help build the foundations of a stable and 
prosperous democracy in the years ahead.
  And so, Madam Speaker, we offer this resolution today to extend our 
condolences to our guests and all of the people of Indonesia and all of 
the other countries suffering casualties in these attacks, to condemn 
these senseless acts of terrorism in the strongest possible terms and 
to reaffirm our commitment to the strengthening of democratic 
institutions and the promotion of peace, prosperity, and tolerance in 
Indonesia.
  I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I rise today in strong support of House Resolution 675. The suicide 
bombings of the Marriott and the Ritz-Carlton Hotels in the central 
business district of Jakarta, Indonesia, left at least seven people 
dead and an estimated 50 persons wounded.
  The Jakarta Marriott Hotel, of course, was the site of a previous car 
bomb attack in the year 2003. This was followed by suicide bombings on 
the resort island in Bali in 2005. The fact that no attacks occurred 
for the following 4 years in Indonesia until the events of July 17 is a 
testimony to the government and security forces of Indonesia that have 
proved stalwart partners in the global war on terrorism.
  The Jakarta bombers have been linked to an an Indonesian-based 
Islamic militant organization with ties to al Qaeda. It had been 
inactive for the past several years due to the comprehensive work of 
the security forces of Indonesia. The fact that it is once again able 
to carry out the attacks is cause for concern for us all. If JI is back 
today, al Qaeda could be back tomorrow.
  The selection of sites in the international business district of 
Jakarta shows the clear intent of the perpetrators to spread fear in 
the international community and to disrupt commercial enterprise 
between Indonesia's still-expanding economy and its international 
business partners.
  Well, the Congress has a message for these militants. We will 
continue to stand with Indonesia, its people, during this most 
difficult time. We salute the brave people of Indonesia. Together we 
can defeat this international scourge of the 21st century, the hidden 
weapon of the suicide bomber.
  I urge my colleagues to strongly support this resolution.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Again, I want to commend my good friend, the gentleman from North 
Carolina, Mr. Price, as co-Chair with our good friend and colleague, 
Mr. Dreier from California in this House Democracy Assistance 
Commission, and I do want to commend him for the tremendous job they 
are doing in promoting democratic principles throughout the world among 
countries that we give our support to.
  This resolution condemns the two terrorist bombings in Indonesia on 
July 17, 2009, and expresses condolences to the people of Indonesia and 
other countries who were killed and injured by the attacks.
  I want to thank my friend, Mr. Price, for sponsoring this important 
resolution that allows the House to show its strong support for 
Indonesia and its people after these horrific terrorist attacks in 
Jakarta.
  Shortly before 8 a.m. in the morning on July 17, a bomb ripped 
through the lobby of the Marriott Hotel in Jakarta. Minutes later, a 
second bomb exploded in the nearby Ritz-Carlton Hotel. The twin 
bombings killed nine people, including the two suicide bombers and 
wounded over 50 others.
  I would like to certainly express my condolences and sympathies to 
both the families who lost their loved ones in the attacks that morning 
and to those who were injured.
  I would also like to condemn in the strongest terms possible the 
senseless act of violence committed against innocent people by vicious 
suicide terrorists. The majority of the victims were Indonesian 
citizens, although citizens from a number of other countries also 
suffered casualties.
  The two bombings serves as a stark reminder to all of us that the 
threat of terrorism remains very real. It also reminds us that the 
world must continue to work together to confront violent extremists who 
will kill innocent people. The United States will continue to work with 
Indonesia and other countries to combat terrorism and to promote a 
common vision for a more peaceful and prosperous future for all of the 
world's citizens.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and 
I also want to commend the recent presidential election in Indonesia 
that was held and that the President was elected by a margin of over 60 
percent of the voters. Indonesia with 225 million people, the largest, 
most populous Muslim nation in the world has demonstrated to the world 
that democracy can function quite well even in a Muslim country.
  And certainly we want to commend the good people of Indonesia and 
their leaders in achieving this degree of democracy and how they've 
developed their government from times past.

[[Page H8946]]

  With that, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Again, I thank my good friend, the gentlelady from 
Florida.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega) that the House suspend 
the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 675.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Madam Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground 
that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum 
is not present.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.
  The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.

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