[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Page 18415]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     REMEMBERING MUNIR SAID THALIB

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, today we remember the life and work of 
Munir Said Thalib, Indonesia's foremost human rights defender, who on 
September 7, 2004, was fatally poisoned while on an airplane flight to 
the Netherlands where he planned to continue his legal studies. This 
despicable crime, in which the Indonesian Intelligence Service has been 
implicated, had repercussions throughout Asia and around the world and 
has particularly serious implications for Indonesia.
  Munir was an outstanding human rights advocate best known as a 
founder and director of the highly respected Commission for 
``Disappeared'' Persons and Victims of Violence. He was working as the 
director of the Jakarta-based human rights group Imparsial before his 
murder. In 2000, Munir received the Right Livelihood Award ``for his 
courage and dedication in fighting for human rights and the civilian 
control of the military in Indonesia.''
  Two years after his untimely and tragic death, the Indonesian 
Government has failed to properly investigate and prosecute those 
responsible. Despite the conviction of an airline pilot for his role in 
the murder, the police and Attorney General's office continue to ignore 
the evidence and recommendations of a Presidential fact-finding team 
that has implicated senior Indonesian intelligence officers and airline 
officials in the crime. President Yudhoyono has rightly described this 
matter as a test case for whether Indonesia has changed from its 
authoritarian past. At this point, it appears that a culture of 
impunity remains deeply embedded in Indonesian society.
  The fiscal year 2007 State, Foreign Operations appropriations bill 
that was reported by the Appropriations Committee on July 10, 2006, 
includes my amendment which requires a report on progress on human 
rights in Indonesia, including the investigation of the murder of Munir 
Said Thaib. If the Indonesia Government aspires to be seen as one that 
respects human rights and the rule of law, which is fundamental to any 
democracy, it is essential that whoever was responsible for ordering 
and carrying out this heinous crime be identified and brought to 
justice.

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