[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 143 (Thursday, October 1, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Page S7105]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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SENATE RESOLUTION 273--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING THE 
   NEED FOR RECONCILIATION IN INDONESIA AND DISCLOSURE BY THE UNITED 
 STATES GOVERNMENT OF EVENTS SURROUNDING THE MASS KILLINGS DURING 1965 
                                AND 1966

  Mr. UDALL submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 273

       Whereas, on October 1, 1965, 6 Indonesian Army generals 
     were killed by military personnel, including members of 
     Indonesia's Presidential Guard, and these killings were 
     blamed on the Indonesian Communist Party and labeled an 
     ``attempted Communist coup d'etat'';
       Whereas this alleged coup was used to justify the mass 
     killing of alleged supporters of the Indonesian Communist 
     Party, with estimates of the number of dead ranging from 
     500,000 to 1,000,000 killed;
       Whereas the targeted individuals were predominantly unarmed 
     civilians, and often included members of trade unions, 
     intellectuals, teachers, ethnic Chinese, and those involved 
     in the women's movement;
       Whereas these killings and the imprisonment of up to 
     1,000,000 targeted individuals were done without due process 
     of law;
       Whereas the targeted individuals were subject to 
     extrajudicial execution, torture, rape, forced disappearance, 
     forced labor, and forced eviction;
       Whereas the United States Central Intelligence Agency, in a 
     1968 research study, described the period as one of the worst 
     mass murders of the twentieth century;
       Whereas the United States Government provided the 
     Indonesian Army with financial, military, and intelligence 
     support during the period of the mass killings, and did so 
     aware that such killings were taking place as recorded in 
     partially declassified documents in the Department of State 
     history, ``Foreign Relations of the United States'', 
     pertaining to this period;
       Whereas, within months of military leader Suharto's 
     assumption of the Presidency following the mass killing, the 
     United States Government began sending economic and military 
     support to Suharto's military regime, and played an 
     indispensable role in its consolidation of power;
       Whereas aid to the Suharto government continued for more 
     than 3 decades, despite on-going crimes against humanity 
     committed by the Suharto government, including mass killing 
     and other gross violations of human rights during the 
     invasion and subsequent 24-year occupation of East Timor;
       Whereas perpetrators of the 1965 and 1966 mass killings 
     have largely lived with impunity, and the survivors and 
     descendants of the victims suffer continuing economic 
     discrimination and had limited civil and political rights for 
     decades, as noted in the 2012 report by the Indonesian 
     National Commission on Human Rights;
       Whereas the United States Government has not yet fully 
     declassified all relevant documents concerning this time 
     period, and full disclosure could help bring historical 
     clarity to atrocities committed in Indonesia during 1965 and 
     1966;
       Whereas the United States Government has recently supported 
     the declassification and release of documents in support of 
     truth and reconciliation efforts following periods of 
     violence in countries such as Chile and Brazil;
       Whereas open dialogue about alleged past crimes against 
     humanity and past human rights violations is important for 
     continued efforts to reconcile populations of Indonesia and 
     to ensure a stable, sustainable peace that will benefit the 
     region and beyond;
       Whereas, Indonesia has undergone a remarkable democratic 
     transition over the last 2 decades, and is the world's third 
     largest democracy with the largest Muslim population in the 
     world;
       Whereas through free and fair elections, the people of 
     Indonesia have elected new leaders who now have the 
     opportunity to establish a culture of accountability in 
     partnership with the country's vibrant civil society, press, 
     academia, and human rights activists;
       Whereas the relationship between the United States and 
     Indonesia is strong and involves many shared interests, as 
     reflected in the 2010 United States-Indonesia Comprehensive 
     Partnership, including democracy and civil society, 
     education, security, climate and environment, energy, and 
     trade and investment;
       Whereas the economic relationship between the United States 
     and Indonesia is strong, with bilateral goods trade exceeding 
     $27,000,000,000 and with major United States companies making 
     significant long-term investments in Indonesia; and
       Whereas strong relations between the United States and 
     Indonesia are mutually beneficial to both countries: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) condemns the mass murder in Indonesia during 1965 and 
     1966;
       (2) expresses great concern about the lack of 
     accountability enjoyed by those who carried out crimes during 
     this period;
       (3) urges political leaders in Indonesia--
       (A) to consider a truth, justice, and reconciliation 
     commission to address alleged crimes against humanity and 
     other human rights violations; and
       (B) to work to mend differences and animosity that remain 
     after the mass killings during 1965 and 1966; and
       (4) calls on the Department of State, the Department of 
     Defense, the Central Intelligence Agency, and others involved 
     in developing and implementing policy towards Indonesia 
     during this time period to establish an interagency working 
     group--
       (A) to locate, identify, inventory, recommend for 
     declassification, and make available to the public all 
     classified records and documents concerning the mass killings 
     of 1965 and 1966, including records and documents pertaining 
     to covert operations in Indonesia from January 1, 1964, 
     through March 30, 1966;
       (B) to coordinate with Federal agencies and take such 
     actions as necessary to expedite the release of such records 
     to the public; and
       (C) to submit a report to Congress that describes all such 
     records, the disposition of such records, and the activities 
     of the Interagency Group.

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