[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 15]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 21569]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                     STOP THE KILLING IN EAST TIMOR

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. DOUG BEREUTER

                              of nebraska

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 14, 1999

  Mr. BEREUTER. Mr. Speaker, the violence and bloodshed in recent days 
in East Timor has shocked the world. Pro-Indonesia thugs have run 
rampant in this tiny former Portuguese colony, killing pro-independence 
Timorese. The political leadership in Jakarta totally failed in its 
guarantee of safety to the local Timorese populace, and has become the 
source of shame both for the government and the Indonesian military.
  It is clear that an international peacekeeping force will be 
necessary to restore order in East Timor. As the Omaha World Herald 
correctly noted in a September 14, 1999, editorial entitled ``First, 
Stop the Killing,'' this bloody repression must be stopped. ``This is 
too early to talk about resolving the sides' differences. For now it is 
enough simply to separate them and try to calm the situation.''
  Mr. Speaker, this Member commends to this colleagues the excellent 
editorial in the Omaha World Herald.

                        First, Stop the Killing

       Few Americans take any joy in the prospect of sending 
     peacekeeping troops into the violence and intrigues of East 
     Timor. But the situation is relieved greatly by the 
     announcement that Indonesian President B.J. Habibie now 
     welcomes them.
       International pressure was mounting to somehow stop the 
     bloodletting. Having to subdue both pro-Indonesian militias 
     and troops, while at the same time strong-arming the 
     legitimate Indonesian government, would have been a daunting 
     prospect. Now Habibie has conceded the obvious--his defense 
     forces can't control the situation--and so relief may be in 
     sight within a few days. Australia, which is literally in the 
     neighborhood, expects to send a force of up to 7,000 on 
     short-notice deployment.
       This is appropriate, given the geography and the fact that 
     Australia has been among the staunchest advocates of 
     intervention. It will be at least as appropriate when other 
     nations of Asian ethnicity in that part of the world can 
     supplement Australia's effort. So far, at least, this is a 
     regional problem in need of regional solutions.
       For these reasons, it also is right for the United States 
     basically to stay out--at least for the short term, and 
     possibly for the long. U.S. armed forces taking part are 
     likely to number in the hundreds. Their role would be in 
     support functions--what National Security Adviser Sandy 
     Berger characterized as ``airlift to bring forces to the 
     region, logistical and transportation capabilities, 
     communications capabilities.''
       The boiling over of East Timor can't be justified, but in 
     hindsight the degree to which it caught the international 
     community napping is a little surprising. Indonesia, which 
     sprawls over 17,000 islands and encompasses hundreds of 
     ethnicities and languages, is a nation that for half a 
     century has been held together by smoke, mirrors and the 
     threat of just what is happening now; violent repression.
       East Timor's U.N.-sponsored vote for independence was 
     perceived by the militias and the military as a foretaste of 
     similar efforts in other independence-minded regions, of 
     which there are several. And since by the military's and 
     militia's perception, they have only one tool with which to 
     ``repair'' the situation, that's the tool they're using.
       The whole world is watching the rivers of blood that are 
     the result. It cries out to be stopped. This is too early to 
     talk about resolving the sides' differences. For now it is 
     enough simply to separate them and try to calm the situation.
       Down the road, better solutions are needed--in part for 
     humanitarian reasons, but also for practical ones. Indonesia 
     is flung across a vast reach of water linking the Pacific and 
     Indian oceans, and through this maze of islands threads a 
     major oil-shipping lane. The effects of disrupting that could 
     ripple through economies worldwide.
       For now, though, the most urgent need has just one focus: 
     Stop the killing. It's heartening to see events there aimed 
     toward that end.

     

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