From fbp at igc.org Wed Mar 6 07:16:53 2002 From: fbp at igc.org (John M. Miller) Date: Tue, 05 Mar 2002 17:16:53 -0500 Subject: [asia-apec 1849] Kissinger Watch #1 Message-ID: <5.1.0.14.0.20020305171539.03aca590@pop.igc.org> - Please circulate this bulletin as widely as possible - Note: Introduction and table of contents are included below. Click the link to access full contents. ****************************************** Kissinger Watch ( www.icai-online.org/kissingerwatch ) - a joint project of East-Timor Action Network International Campaign against Impunity Instituto Cono Sur ****************************************** Dear readers, In the past few years, the international movement against the impunity of public officials has gained unprecedented momentum; activists worldwide have made significant efforts to assure that these high-ranking politicians and soldiers will be held accountable for their acts, which include crimes against humanity, war crimes, torture, and genocide. General Pinochet was detained in London for more than 500 days and escaped extradition to Spain only after a dubious medical assessment found him unfit to stand trial. Slobodan Milosevic was extradited last June to the Hague Tribunal (ICTY) on charges of war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity. A second international ad hoc tribunal (ICTR) has been established for Rwanda and tries suspected perpetrators of the genocide. Support for the establishment of similar tribunals for Sierra Leone, Cambodia, and East Timor is strong. In the last week of February 2002, Portugal and Ecuador joined the International Criminal Court (ICC). Only eight ratifications remain before the ICC treaty enters into force. Impunity, however, is not limited to those countries that are placed under the label of the "second" or "third world." The West must also confront its criminals; it cannot remain blind to the crimes of its officials. For this reason and with this issue, we launch KissingerWatch. To many, Henry Kissinger epitomizes the failure of the Western world to pay serious attention to the grave crimes committed by its leadership. In response, KissingerWatch is designed to examine this specific case of impunity, to provide information about Kissinger's alleged role in the violation of human rights worldwide, to kindle debate, and to facilitate the exchange of opinions among experts and activists. Inspired by the success of the Pinochet Watch bulletin (http://www.tni.org/pinochet/), KissingerWatch will be published as an email bulletin that will be distributed several times per annum. The first issue aims at providing a comprehensive - but far from complete - overview of Kissinger's past and present activities. It also serves to introduce other initiatives that raise awareness on Kissinger's alleged involvement in crimes against humanity, war crimes, and genocide. Future issues will be more concise and hence more easily digestible. To subscribe to KissingerWatch (free of charge), send an email to: subscribe-kw@icai-online.org We also welcome your active participation in this project. We encourage all readers to share the results of their research with us. (kissingerwatch@icai-online.org) Thank you, and we appreciate your readership. Michael Schmitt, The International Campaign against Impunity, www.icai-online.org ) michael@icai-online.org John Miller, East-Timor Action Network ( www.etan.org ) fbp@igc.org G?rman Westphal, Instituto Cono Sur westphal@umbc.edu TABLE OF CONTENTS *********************** 1.HOLDING INDIVIDUAL LEADERS RESPONSIBLE FOR VIOLATION OF CUSTOMARY INTERNATIONAL LAW The US-bombing of Cambodia and Laos (summary) 2.FORD AND KISSINGER GAVE GREEN LIGHT TO INDONESIA'S INVASION OF EAST TIMOR IN 1975 New Documents Detail Conversations with Suharto Source: Press release by National Security Archive 3.THE ASSASSINATION OF GENERAL SCHNEIDER / LAWSUIT FILED IN THE US by ICAI 4.FRENCH AND CHILEAN JUDGES TRY TO INTERROGATE KISSINGER Source: Pinochet Watch 36 5.KISSINGER HAD A HAND IN "DIRTY WAR" By Martin Andersen & John Dinges Source: Insight Magazine, The Washington Times 6.RESOLUTION OF THE GENEVAN PARLIAMENT By Antonio Hodgers (Member of Genevan Parliament) 7.NPR RADIO INTERVIEW: "I AM NOT A CRIMINAL" 8.THE PITFALLS OF UNIVERSAL JURISDICTION by Henry Kissinger Source: Foreign Affairs, July / August 2001 9.THE CASE FOR UNIVERSAL JURISDICTION By Kenneth Roth (Executive Director of Human Rights Watch), Source: Foreign Affairs, July / August 2001 10.WEBSITES RELATING TO HERNY KISSINGER 11.FAIR USE NOTICE From fbp at igc.org Tue Mar 12 02:59:32 2002 From: fbp at igc.org (John M. Miller) Date: Mon, 11 Mar 2002 12:59:32 -0500 Subject: [asia-apec 1850] Take Action for E Timor this week, Call Today Message-ID: <5.1.0.14.0.20020311125850.03c55ec0@pop.igc.org> http://www.etan.org/action/action2/04alert.htm East Timor ACTION Network ALERT Support Justice for East Timor the time for an International Tribunal is NOW! Without an international tribunal, decades of crimes against humanity will go unpunished and the brutal, unreformed Indonesian military will continue to enjoy impunity. (see background below). * Make 3 Calls to Congress TODAY! * Ask women's studies scholars and women's organizations to sign onto a statement supporting justice for the women of East Timor! When you talk to your Representative's and Senators' offices: * urge them to co-sponsor congressional resolutions calling for an international tribunal for crimes against humanity committed in East Timor, House Concurrent Resolution 60 and Senate Concurrent Resolution 9, "Condemning the Violence in East Timor and Urging the Establishment of an International War Crimes Tribunal for Prosecuting Crimes Against Humanity". For a list of current co-sponsors, see www.etan.org/legislation. * thank members of Congress who have already co-sponsored the resolution and ask them to personally let the State Department and National Security Council know of their support for an international tribunal for East Timor. Contact the Washington office of your Representative and Senators and ask to speak with the foreign policy staff person. All offices can be reached through the Congressional Switchboard at 202-224-3121. To find out who represents you, visit http://www.congress.gov. Please let ETAN Washington Representative Karen Orenstein know the results of your Congressional calls, at 202-544-6911 or karen@etan.org. When you talk to scholars, leaders and organizations focused on women's issues: * inform them how women were specifically targeted during the Indonesian military occupation of East Timor through sexual assault, forced sterilization and forced "marriage" to Indonesian military personnel. East Timorese women in Indonesian refugee camps continue to suffer rape at the hands of the military and its militias. Many women refugees are forced into prostitution to support their families and live under horrible conditions, with high rates of domestic violence in the camps. * ask them to sign on to a statement calling for an international tribunal to ensure these crimes against the women of East Timor are meaningfully prosecuted. The statement can be found at www.etan.org/news/2002a/02women.htm. Please notify ETAN of any signatures (please include name, organization, city and state for identification) at diane@etan.org or 608-347-4598. Thank you for your support! Your efforts do make a difference. Sample E-mail/ Fax to Congressional offices Congressional e-mail addresses and fax numbers are available at: http://www.congress.gov. For a list of current co-sponsors, see www.etan.org/legislation. Date Dear Senator /Representative _________, I am very concerned that decades of crimes against humanity and war crimes committed against the East Timorese people will go unpunished if Congress does not act now. East Timor's women and men suffered under a brutal Indonesian military occupation that ended with the military and its militia proxies carrying out a devastating scorched-earth campaign in retaliation for East Timor's overwhelming vote for independence in 1999. East Timor will become fully independent on May 20. However, no Indonesian military or police have been brought to trial for a quarter century of horrific human rights abuses. The recently-established Indonesian ad hoc Human Rights Court for East Timor is fatally flawed, and today approximately one-tenth of the East Timorese population remains held in militia- and military-controlled Indonesian refugee camps. I am writing to urge you to uphold international human rights standards and support justice for East Timor by: * Co-sponsoring (House Concurrent Resolution 60 or Senate Concurrent Resolution 9), which urges the administration to work actively to establish an international tribunal for crimes against humanity committed in East Timor, as called for by United Nations commissions, East Timorese Nobel Laureate Bishop Carlos Belo, and many others in East Timor and internationally. * For any members of Congress who have already co-sponsored the resolution: Communicating to the State Department and National Security Council (the Rep's/Sen's) support for an international tribunal for East Timor, as shown by (her/his) co-sponsorship of (H.Con.Res.60 or Sen.Con.Res.9). I thank you for your attention to these important issues, [thank Sen/Rep ______ if they have already co-sponsored H.Con.Res.60 or S.Con.Res.9] and would appreciate your informing me of the actions (Rep/Sen) _________ takes on these matters. Sincerely, Your name, address, city, state, zip and contact information Background A UNITED NATIONS COMMISSION CALLED FOR AN INTERNATIONAL TRIBUNAL FOR EAST TIMOR IN JANUARY 2000. The commission called such a move "fundamental for the future social and political stability of East Timor" and stated "ultimately the Indonesian Army was responsible for the intimidation, terror, killings and other acts of violence" there. Two years later, East Timor has yet to see justice. The Indonesian government promised to set up its own ad hoc Human Rights Court for East Timor. But the faults of this court are numerous: the court's mandate is limited to just two months and three of 13 districts in East Timor; the judges named to the court include people with no court experience and with close ties to the Indonesian military; the politically powerful military will try to block attempts to hold its top brass accountable; traumatized East Timorese will be reluctant to testify in Indonesian courts; and the court will not hear cases of the widespread, systematic use of violence against women, including mass rape and forced sterilization. The U.S. which provided Indonesia with substantial military and political support during its occupation of East Timor must take a leadership role in calling for an international tribunal. And the time for a tribunal is NOW. The Indonesian military and its militia proxies razed East Timor following the August 1999 referendum for independence, murdering thousands, raping hundreds of women and girls, forcing hundreds of thousands into Indonesian West Timor and destroying 75% of the country's infrastructure. In January 2000 the United Nations International Commission of Inquiry on East Timor and the Indonesian government's own human rights commission both found the Indonesian military responsible for these crimes against humanity. The UN commission called for the establishment of an international tribunal. The Indonesian government balked at the possibility of international trials and promised to establish its own ad hoc Human Rights Court for East Timor. Shortly after taking power, current Indonesian president Megawati Sukarnoputri severely limited the mandate of the court to only two months in 1999 and just three of 13 districts in East Timor. These limitations, along with other serious problems few trials for high-ranking military and government figures, the continued political power of the Indonesian military, widespread corruption in the Indonesian judicial system, no cases regarding the widespread, systematic use of violence against women make the Indonesian court unacceptable. This leaves an international tribunal as the only way to achieve real justice for East Timor, since Indonesian generals and political leaders and East Timorese militia leaders are in Indonesia, inaccessible to East Timorese courts, and Indonesia has stated it will not extradite them for prosecution. Today, no Indonesian military or police have been held responsible by the Indonesian government for the atrocities committed in East Timor in 1999, and some 80,000 East Timorese remain trapped in militia-and military-controlled Indonesian refugee camps. The near-total impunity enjoyed by the military and militia leaders in Indonesia is a major factor perpetuating the refugee crisis. Reports from Jesuit Refugee Services note the "generally very poor" condition of the refugees' health and "continued intimidation in the camps". An international tribunal for East Timor must be established NOW, to provide justice for the women and men of East Timor, to support nation-building in East Timor and rule of law in Indonesia where systematic abuses continue, and to facilitate the return of the one-tenth of the East Timorese population still under Indonesian occupation in squalid refugee camps. East Timor was invaded by Indonesia in December 1975 with U.S. weapons and political support. More than 200,000 East Timorese were killed. On August 30, 1999, the East Timorese voted overwhelmingly for independence in a UN-organized referendum. After a period of UN administration, East Timor will become the first new nation of the 21st century on May 20. etanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetan John M. Miller Internet: john@etan.org Media & Outreach Coordinator East Timor Action Network: 10 Years for Self-Determination & Justice 48 Duffield St., Brooklyn, NY 11201 USA Phone: (718)596-7668 Fax: (718)222-4097 Mobile phone: (917)690-4391 Web site: http://www.etan.org Support ETAN, make a secure financial contribution: http://etan.org/etan/donate.htm Send a blank e-mail message to info@etan.org to find out how to learn more about East Timor on the Internet etanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetan From fbp at igc.org Tue Mar 12 10:17:29 2002 From: fbp at igc.org (John M. Miller) Date: Mon, 11 Mar 2002 20:17:29 -0500 Subject: [asia-apec 1851] Media Release: Will the UN force East Timor to forgo needed tax revenue? Message-ID: <5.1.0.14.0.20020311201239.03289a70@pop.igc.org> Please embargo release until 12 March 2002 10:00 am Dili (Tokyo) time For further information: Charles Scheiner or Thomas Freitas at La?o Hamutuk Tel: +670(390)325013 or +61(408)811373 email: laohamutuk@easttimor.minihub.org Can the Rule of Law Prevail? Pressure from UNHQ Exacerbates Amos W Tax Controversy The East Timor Revenue Service (ETRS) has assessed Intership, an international corporation, for more than $750,000 in unpaid back taxes. Pressure from United Nations Headquarters in New York on ETRS and the UN Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) not to follow the law has complicated the ongoing dispute. According to documents anonymously given to La?o Hamutuk, the East Timor Revenue Service is trying to collect $766,272 from Intership Limited, which owns the Amos W floating hotel in Dili harbor. Since Intership has not paid, a lien has been issued, prohibiting the Amos W from leaving. UN Headquarters has pushed UNTAET to overturn the lien and allow the ship to leave, although UNTAET?s tax law is clear that the Amos cannot depart until the tax liability has been resolved. This debate has been discussed at the highest levels of the United Nations and by East Timor?s Council of Ministers (Cabinet), but it has not become public. La?o Hamutuk is releasing this information because we believe that the rule of law is under attack in East Timor, and that the public needs, and has the right, to know of the decisions their government and UNTAET officials are faced with. The core of the current controversy is whether business done by private companies under contract with the UN is exempt from taxes. UNTAET Regulation 2000/18, which established the UNTAET taxation system, contains no such exemption. In fact, standard UN practice where there is no agreement to the contrary is that UN contractors pay taxes. The East Timor Revenue Service, with the support of the Minister for Finance, is enforcing this law and is trying to collect service and income taxes from Intership, mostly for the year 2000. But the heads of the United Nations Office of Legal Affairs and Department of Peacekeeping Operations in New York are insisting that UNTAET violate or amend its laws and allow the Amos W to sail away. Although this issue relates to Intership, the larger question as to whether UN contractors owe taxes has major implications for East Timor?s ability to finance government operations, both now and in the future. UN contract business is and will continue to be a significant portion of East Timor?s economy. If it were excluded from taxation, government revenues would decrease drastically, which the people of this impoverished country cannot afford. If the UN succeeds in enforcing such an exemption, it would be placing UN interests above the rule of law and the sovereignty of the soon-to-be-independent East Timor. La?o Hamutuk supports the position of the East Timor Revenue Service and the Minister for Finance, which is apparently supported by the Council of Ministers. We also appreciate the role of the SRSG, who has thus far declined to exercise his unilateral power to amend or override UNTAET Regulations. We encourage him to further support East Timor?s Transitional Administration by urging Intership to pay their taxes. We remain concerned for the future will East Timor be able to stand up to such pressure from the United Nations or other international institutions? When the Democratic Republic of East Timor (whose new Constitution declares that ?The State shall be subject to the Constitution and to the law?) and the UN negotiate a tax agreement for the future, will it be fair, arrived at without coercion and meeting East Timor?s economic needs? The appended chronology gives more specifics of the tax dispute and the pressure from UNHQ. Full public disclosure and transparency can help East Timor?s people ensure that their country achieves true independence. That is why we are releasing this information. La?o Hamutuk is a joint East Timorese/international NGO which has monitored international institutions in East Timor since April 2000, based on the principle that the East Timorese people should be the primary decision-makers for the reconstruction, development and government of their country. We distribute our information by print and via radio, to help bridge communications and understanding between East Timorese civil society and the international agencies. - end of release, chronology follows - Chronology of the Intership-UNTAET Tax Dispute 1. In December 1999, the London-based company Intership Limited, owner of the floating hotels Amos W and Olympia, brought the hotels to Dili, where they have provided hotel, restaurant and other services both for private individuals and for the United Nations under contract. . On 30 June 2000, after consultation with the National Council, SRSG Sergio Vieira de Mello issued Regulation 2000/18, which assesses a 10% service tax on individuals and businesses providing services in East Timor. It was later amended to include wage and income taxes. The regulation does not exempt businesses contracting with the United Nations. The ETRS has applied this regulation in the context of the Vienna Convention which exempts the UN and its subsidiary agencies from taxation, but contains no exemption for UN contractors. . During 2000, Intership paid commissions or ?spotters fees? totaling $650,000 to unknown persons, which has raised questions about whether these payments have influenced policy on this matter. . Intership, apparently on the advice of UN Headquarters in New York (UNHQ), refused to pay some of the tax assessed, claiming that their contractual business with the UN was not taxable. . On 5 January 2001, then Assistant SRSG Jean Christian Cady notified UNHQ that Intership had paid taxes due through the end of 2000, except for $100,072 in service taxes. The Olympia left in January 2001, but the Amos W remained, considered by Mr. Cady as ?sufficient security against possible non-payment.? The East Timor Revenue Service also assessed Intership for $407,275 in back income taxes, but this was disputed because it stemmed from business performed under contract with the UN. Mr. Cady indicated that this issue was to be negotiated between the ETRS and UNHQ, and implied that Intership did not need to pay that portion of the assessment. . On 1 December 2001, ETRS notified Intership that they owed outstanding taxes and penalties of $766,272. Because of this obligation, a lien has automatically issued under UNTAET Regulation 2000/18 and the Amos W is barred from leaving East Timor. . On 16 January 2002, Intership wrote to UNHQ acknowledging that they owe some taxes, but disputing more than half the assessment. They claimed that the lien has prevented the Amos W from fulfilling a contract elsewhere and has cost Intership $294,500, with the possibility of much greater losses in the future. Intership implied that they might sue the United Nations. . On 24 January, Hans Corell, head of the UNHQ Office of Legal Affairs (OLA), recommended to Jean-Marie Gu?henno, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, to direct ETRS to revise Intership?s assessment to exclude taxes due to UN contractual business, which would reduce the assessment by more than two-thirds. This was passed on to Dili. . On 30 January, ETRS Interim Commissioner Graham Daniels informed Finance Minister Fernanda Borges and Chief Minister Mari Alkatiri of pressure he was receiving from UNHQ, writing that ?blatant disregard for the rule of law is displayed just to do whatever is possible in a self-serving way to protect UN interests.? 0. On 5 February, Intership faxed the OLA in New York, threatening to ?make a claim against the United Nations? and reiterating that ?we MUST have the matter resolved during the week.? 1. On 6 February, Hans Corell (OLA) asked Jean-Marie Gu?henno (DPKO) to tell UNTAET to ?immediately issue an executive order for the release of the Amos W.? Mr. Gu?henno conveyed Mr. Corell?s message to SRSG de Mello the following day. 2. On 11 February, Commissioner Daniels (ETRS) informed Finance Minister Borges of continuing pressure from UNHQ, and pointed out that he cannot overrule the law without a ?transparent Executive Order? from the SRSG. Ms. Borges supported him, asking ?Does the UN or UNTAET want to nullify a court order? Where is the independence of the judicial system? What about the UN not observing the laws it has promulgated in East Timor?? 13. As far as we can determine, there has been no substantive action since February 11. Intership has neither paid the taxes nor filed a lawsuit, and the SRSG has not issued an executive order. The assessment and tax lien remain, barring the Amos W from leaving East Timor. - end - The East Timor Institute for Reconstruction Monitoring and Analysis 1a Rua Mozambique, Farol, Dili, Timor Lorosa?e P.O. Box 340, Dili, East Timor (via Darwin, Australia) Tel: +670(390)325013 or +61(408)811373 email: laohamutuk@easttimor.minihub.org Web: http://www.etan.org/lh etanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetan John M. Miller Internet: john@etan.org Media & Outreach Coordinator East Timor Action Network: 10 Years for Self-Determination & Justice 48 Duffield St., Brooklyn, NY 11201 USA Phone: (718)596-7668 Fax: (718)222-4097 Mobile phone: (917)690-4391 Web site: http://www.etan.org Support ETAN, make a secure financial contribution: http://etan.org/etan/donate.htm Send a blank e-mail message to info@etan.org to find out how to learn more about East Timor on the Internet etanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetan From fbp at igc.org Thu Mar 14 21:36:45 2002 From: fbp at igc.org (John M. Miller) Date: Thu, 14 Mar 2002 07:36:45 -0500 Subject: [asia-apec 1852] 10 Reasons Why Indonesian Courts Will Not Bring Justice to E Timor Message-ID: <5.1.0.14.0.20020314073610.043bcc80@pop.igc.org> For Immediate Release Contact: John M. Miller, (718)596-7668; 917-690-4391 (mobile) john@etan.org 10 Reasons Why Indonesian Courts Will Not Bring Justice to East Timor 14 March 2002 -- In January 2000, the United Nations International Commission of Inquiry on East Timor and the Indonesian government's own human rights commission both found the Indonesian military responsible for crimes against humanity committed in East Timor in 1999. The UN commission called for the establishment of an international tribunal. The Indonesian government balked at the possibility of international trials and in response promised to establish its own Ad Hoc Human Rights Court for East Timor. After numerous delays, prosecutions are expected to begin today in Jakarta. The East Timor Action Network, along with most Indonesian and East Timorese human rights groups, does not expect these trials to be thorough or impartial or to provide justice for the people of East Timor. Here are 10 reasons why: 1. The Court's limited jurisdiction covers only April and September 1999 and only three of East Timor's 13 districts -- Suai, Liquicia and Dili. Numerous serious crimes committed in 1999 in East Timor will not be prosecuted. This piecemeal approach makes impossible prosecution of overall coordination by Indonesian security forces and political officials at the highest levels to disrupt the UN consultation, terrorize the East Timorese people before the vote and punish them for voting overwhelmingly in favor of independence. Many of these officials are not even listed as suspects. 2. The crimes were committed in East Timor, a territory never internationally recognized as Indonesian. They were committed against a UN mission created by the Security Council and involved assaults on both East Timorese and UN personnel. East Timorese staff of the UN mission were murdered in the aftermath of the ballot. 3. The Indonesian military (TNI) remains extremely powerful and continues to operate with impunity. Many members of the military accused of crimes against humanity and other abuses in East Timor continue to hold prominent positions and receive promotions. While the military may allow a few token prosecutions as a public relations effort to create the illusion of TNI reform and to re-establish military ties with the U.S., meaningful prosecutions of high-ranking officials are unlikely to be tolerated. As the head of the team deciding prosecutions for crimes in East Timor, Indonesia's Attorney General M.A. Rahman recommended that only low-ranking officers be prosecuted. 4. The Court will not address crimes committed before April 1999. Most of the more than 200,000 East Timorese killed by Indonesian forces died in the first decade after the 1975 invasion. Since 1975, thousands were raped, imprisoned and tortured. With courts in East Timor overwhelmed and severely under-resourced, and Indonesia refusing to extradite suspects, despite an agreement with the UN administration, victims and their families are unlikely to see justice unless an international tribunal is created. 5. Indonesian prosecutors have not targeted any of the many systematic crimes committed against women in 1999, including rape and sexual slavery, as well as widespread forced sterilization during many years of the occupation. 6. East Timorese witnesses are unlikely to testify. They have been traumatized by decades of Indonesian occupation and, given the military and police refusal to ensure security during the UN ballot period, are distrustful of Indonesian commitments to protect them. The last minute issuance of untested witness protection regulations will not reassure anyone. 7. While Indonesia's constitution bars retroactive prosecution, Indonesia's legislature stated that this constitutional provision will not apply to past violations of internationally-recognized human rights heard by Ad Hoc Human Rights Courts. An appeals court may well rule that the constitution is paramount and overturn any convictions. 8. Many of the judges are unqualified, with little or no trial experience or knowledge of international human rights standards. Some have close ties to the Indonesian military. 9. Indonesian courts are notoriously corrupt and susceptible to political pressure. The U.S. State Department's Country Report on Human Rights Practices described Indonesia's judiciary as riddled with "pervasive corruption" and "subordinated to the executive." 10. In the rare instances when low- or mid-level soldiers or militia were prosecuted, Indonesian courts have given light punishments for the most heinous human rights abuses. After the November 12, 1991 Santa Cruz massacre in East Timor, a Military Honor Council sentenced some low ranking soldiers to between eight and 18 months in prison. Several higher-ranking officers were "punished" by being sent abroad to study. On the other hand, East Timorese human rights activists who participated in the Santa Cruz protest and a Jakarta demonstration protesting the massacre were imprisoned for up to 15 years. More recently, militia members who confessed to brutally killing three UN refugee workers in West Timor initially received sentences of 10-20 months after they were convicted for inciting mob violence not murder. These were increased to a maximum of seven years only after an international outcry. etanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetan John M. Miller Internet: john@etan.org Media & Outreach Coordinator East Timor Action Network: 10 Years for Self-Determination & Justice 48 Duffield St., Brooklyn, NY 11201 USA Phone: (718)596-7668 Fax: (718)222-4097 Mobile phone: (917)690-4391 Web site: http://www.etan.org Support ETAN, make a secure financial contribution: http://etan.org/etan/donate.htm Send a blank e-mail message to info@etan.org to find out how to learn more about East Timor on the Internet etanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetan From fbp at igc.org Thu Mar 21 09:30:15 2002 From: fbp at igc.org (John M. Miller) Date: Wed, 20 Mar 2002 19:30:15 -0500 Subject: [asia-apec 1853] ETAN calls for a debt free East Timor Message-ID: <5.1.0.14.0.20020320193013.03b1be50@pop.igc.org> For Immediate Release Contact: John M. Miller, 718-5967668; mobile: 917-690-4391 Karen Orenstein, 202-544-6911 East Timor Action Network to Bush: "Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is" Calls for a Debt-Free East Timor March 21, 2002 - The East Timor Action Network (ETAN) today urged President Bush to "put your money where your mouth is" by supporting a debt-free start for East Timor. The world's newest nation gains independence on May 20, and its government projects a gap in its national budget during its first three years before expected natural gas and oil revenues begin to flow in. The call came as President George W. Bush's spoke before the United Nations' International Conference on Financing for Development in Monterrey, Mexico. ETAN urged donor nations, including the U.S., and international institutions to fund the gap through grants rather than loans and free of crippling conditions. "The Bush administration and other governments have stated their commitment to eradicating global poverty, and the U.S. advocates that a large portion of international assistance to poor countries should come in the form of grants. We are telling President Bush to "put your money where your mouth is" and help East Timor embark on its new nationhood free of debt," said Karen Orenstein, Washington Coordinator for ETAN. "The endless cycle of debt and cuts in social spending to which so many poor nations are condemned must not be repeated for East Timor. Grants for East Timor must be given without the strings of structural adjustment programs that further impoverish those who are already poor," continued Orenstein. East Timor expects a $154-$184 million shortfall in the government's recurrent and development budget over the first three years of independence. East Timorese government officials and civil society have repeatedly stated that the government should not mortgage its future by incurring debt. Centuries of Portuguese colonial rule and 24 years of brutal Indonesian occupation have left East Timor one of the poorest countries in the world. "East Timor is literally rebuilding itself from ashes. The Indonesian military exited East Timor in 1999 by destroying 75% of the country's infrastructure." stated Orenstein. "The money East Timor needs is a mere drop in the bucket in international terms." "East Timor has a government committed to alleviating poverty. The United States and other industrialized countries should seize the opportunity to put their stated principles into action," said John M. Miller, Media and Outreach Coordinator for ETAN. "Otherwise, they will be doomed to repeat failed policies and practices, and it will be the East Timorese people who suffer." "Governments like the U.S. actively aided Indonesia's genocidal occupation of East Timor with weapons, military training and political support. The least they should do is provide East Timor with a chance at financial and economic independence," added Miller. Gathered at the International Conference on Financing for Development are dozens of heads of governments and states and hundreds of finance, trade, foreign and other ministers. The conference is discussing ways to better finance established development goals, including halving the number of people who live in extreme poverty, lack access to safe drinking water and suffer from hunger; reducing maternal mortality by three-quarters; and assuring universal primary education by 2015. According to international agencies, East Timor's annual per capita gross national product is just $340, life expectancy is 48 years and the infant mortality rate is 135 per 1000 live births. At 890 per 100,000 live births, the maternal mortality rate is twice that of other countries in Southeast Asia or the Western Pacific according to the World Health Organization. The East Timor Action Network/U.S. (ETAN) supports human dignity for the people of East Timor by advocating for democracy, sustainable development, and justice and human rights, including women's rights. ETAN has 26 local chapters throughout the U.S. For additional information see ETAN's web site (http://www.etan.org). -30- http://www.etan.org/news/2002a/03debt.htm etanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetan John M. Miller Internet: john@etan.org Media & Outreach Coordinator East Timor Action Network: 10 Years for Self-Determination & Justice 48 Duffield St., Brooklyn, NY 11201 USA Phone: (718)596-7668 Fax: (718)222-4097 Mobile phone: (917)690-4391 Web site: http://www.etan.org Support ETAN, make a secure financial contribution: http://etan.org/etan/donate.htm Send a blank e-mail message to info@etan.org to find out how to learn more about East Timor on the Internet etanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetanetan From fbp at igc.org Thu Mar 28 07:01:46 2002 From: fbp at igc.org (John M. Miller) Date: Wed, 27 Mar 2002 17:01:46 -0500 Subject: [asia-apec 1854] Kofi Annan Urged to Examine UN's Misconduct In West Papua Message-ID: <5.1.0.14.0.20020327170105.0210af80@pop.igc.org> For Immediate Release Contact: Carmel Budiardjo, (212)447-7292; tapol@gn.apc.org Octovianus Mote, (607)257-6157; om26@cornell.edu KOFI ANNAN URGED TO EXAMINE UN?S MISCONDUCT IN WEST PAPUA March 27, 2002 - Human rights activists from around the world, including representatives of West Papua?s leading human rights organization, ELSHAM, submitted a petition to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan this week urging him to conduct an investigation into the United Nations' endorsement of a sham referendum held over 30 years ago endorsing Indonesia's take over of West Papua. After the so-called "Act of ?Free? Choice, the UN General Assembly removed West Papua from its agenda, consigning the people of West Papua to decades of brutality and mass murder under Indonesian rule. Military repression in West Papua has intensified in the past year in many parts of the territory, culminating last November in the assassination of pro-independence leader, Theys Hiyo Eluay. Human rights organizations in West Papua are convinced that the assassination was perpetrated by elements within the Indonesian military. Under an agreement brokered by the UN in 1962, the international body assumed responsibility for supervising the Act which should have been conducted in accordance with international practice, requiring all adults to participate. In fact only 1,022 persons, handpicked by the Indonesian military, voted without a dissenting voice to accept integration into the Indonesian Republic. West Papua is extremely rich in minerals, which have been exploited for four decades by foreign companies, in particular the New Orleans-based mining multinational, Freeport-McMoRan, inflicting untold hardship on local communities. Investigations undertaken by researchers in the past two years have revealed that the UN mission turned a blind eye to manipulations by the Indonesian military to ensure that the vote would secure the territory as Indonesia?s 26th province. The Act, which West Papuans contemptuously call the "Act of NO Choice," took place under conditions of violent repression, under the very noses of the UN mission. UN documents reveal that the mission stood by as the faked vote was held. In November 2002, the former UN deputy Secretary General, Chakravarthy Narasimhan, who was in charge of the UN mission?s work throughout, admitted that the Act was a ?whitewash?. The petitioners lobbied several important institutions in New York concerned with the situation in Indonesia and met representatives of some South Pacific missions at the UN. Carmel Budiardjo of the London-based Indonesia Human Rights Campaign, TAPOL, who is currently in New York to present the petition, said: "The UN is responsible for a grave betrayal of the West Papuan people?s right to self-determination. Its failure to ensure a proper referendum has resulted in decades of suffering. The UN should re-open the question and rectify one of the worst breaches its commitment and duty to uphold the right of peoples to determine their own future." Issued in New York by the West Papua Association ? UK, on behalf of the International Solidarity Movement for West Papua. Additional background can be found at http://westpapuaaction.buz.org/unreview/index.htm#briefing-document -30-