Poll: Does community support H.R. 2601 Sec. 1115

[Daeron]

On July 28 the U.S. House of Representative passed H.R. 2601 , the Department of State Authorization Bill for FY 2006 with a vote of 351 to 78 in favor.

The Bill included Section 1115 which for the first time addressed the human rights abuses and military occupation of Aceh and West Papua, including requirements for the US Sec. of State to make a report on the 1969 ‘Act of Free Choice’ by which Indonesia claimed West Papua as a colony in the Pacific.

On July 30th the Indonesian President demanded the US change this Bill ; someone in the State Department in Washington named Sean McCormack stated “The United States will never support nor tolerate attempts to promote the separation of Papua from the Republic of Indonesia”.

I have THREE QUESTIONS for the US public,
do you support the wording in Section 1115 ?

And would you support Papua’s right for a one person one vote plebiscite as Indonesia agreeded to in the 1962 New York Agreement ?

Would you tell the Dept. of State what you want the US to be seen doing in the world ?

 

[Daeron]

For Your Reference:

SEC. 1115. DEVELOPMENTS IN AND POLICY TOWARD INDONESIA.

(a) Statement of Congress Relating to Recent Developments, Human Rights, and Reform- Congress–

(1) recognizes the remarkable progress in democratization and decentralization made by Indonesia in recent years and commends the people of Indonesia on the pace and scale of those continuing reforms;

(2) reaffirms–

(A) its deep condolences to the people of Indonesia for the profound losses inflicted by the December 26, 2004, earthquake and tsunami; and

(B) its commitment to generous United States support for relief and long term reconstruction efforts in affected areas;

(3) expresses its hope that in the aftermath of the tsunami tragedy the Government of Indonesia and other parties will succeed in reaching and implementing a peaceful, negotiated settlement of the long-standing conflict in Aceh;

(4) commends the Government of Indonesia for allowing broad international access to Aceh after the December 2004 tsunami, and urges that international nongovernmental organizations and media be allowed unfettered access throughout Indonesia, including in Papua and Aceh;

(5) notes with grave concern that–

(A) reform of the Indonesian security forces has not kept pace with democratic political reform, and that the Indonesian military is subject to inadequate civilian control and oversight, lacks budgetary transparency, and continues to emphasize an internal security role within Indonesia;

(B) members of the Indonesian security forces continue to commit many serious human rights violations, including killings, torture, rape, and arbitrary detention, particularly in areas of communal and separatist conflict; and

(C) the Government of Indonesia largely fails to hold soldiers and police accountable for extrajudicial killings and other serious human rights abuses, both past and present, including atrocities committed in East Timor prior to its independence from Indonesia;

(6) condemns the intimidation and harassment of human rights and civil society organizations by members of the Indonesian security forces and military-backed militia groups, and urges a complete investigation of the fatal poisoning of prominent human rights activist Munir in September 2004; and

(7) urges the Government of Indonesia and the Indonesian military to continue to provide full, active, and unfettered cooperation to the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the Department of Justice in its investigation of the August 31, 2002, attack near Timika, Papua, which killed three people (including two Americans, Rick Spier and Ted Burgon) and injured 12 others, and to pursue the indictment, apprehension, and prosecution of all parties responsible for that attack.

(b) Findings Relating to Papua- Congress finds the following:

(1) Papua, a resource-rich province whose indigenous inhabitants are predominantly Melanesian, was formerly a colony of the Netherlands.

(2) While Indonesia has claimed Papua as part of its territory since its independence in the late 1940s, Papua remained under Dutch administrative control until 1962.

(3) On August 15, 1962, Indonesia and the Netherlands signed an agreement at the United Nations in New York (commonly referred to as the **New York Agreement**') which transferred administration of Papua first to a United Nations Temporary Executive Authority (UNTEA), and then to Indonesia in 1963, pending an act of free choice . . . to permit the inhabitants to decide whether they wish to remain with Indonesia’.

(4) In the New York Agreement, Indonesia formally recognized the eligibility of all adults [in Papua] . . . to participate in [an] act of self-determination to be carried out in accordance with international practice', and pledged to give the people of the territory the opportunity to exercise freedom of choice . . . before the end of 1969’.

(5) In July and August 1969, Indonesia conducted an `Act of Free Choice’, in which 1,025 selected Papuan elders voted unanimously to join Indonesia, in circumstances that were subject to both overt and covert forms of manipulation.

 

[Daeron]

(6) In the intervening years, indigenous Papuans have suffered extensive human rights abuses, natural resource exploitation, environmental degradation, and commercial dominance by immigrant communities, and some individuals and groups estimate that more than 100,000 Papuans have been killed during Indonesian rule, primarily during the Sukarno and Suharto administrations.

(7) While the United States supports the territorial integrity of Indonesia, Indonesia’s historical reliance on force for the maintenance of control has been counterproductive, and long-standing abuses by security forces have galvanized independence sentiments among many Papuans.

(8) While the Indonesian parliament passed a Special Autonomy Law for Papua in October 2001 that was intended to allocate greater revenue and decision making authority to the Papuan provincial government, the promise of special autonomy has not been effectively realized and has been undermined in its implementation, such as by conflicting legal directives further subdividing the province in apparent contravention of the law and without the consent of appropriate provincial authorities.

(9) Rather than demilitarizing its approach, Indonesia has reportedly sent thousands of additional troops to Papua, and military operations in the central highlands since the fall of 2004 have displaced thousands of civilians into very vulnerable circumstances, contributing further to mistrust of the central government by many indigenous Papuans.

(10) According to the 2004 Annual Country Report on Human Rights Practices of the Department of State, in Indonesia security force members murdered, tortured, raped, beat, and arbitrarily detained civilians and members of separatist movements' and police frequently and arbitrarily detained persons without warrants, charges, or court proceedings’ in Papua.

(c) Reporting Requirements-

(1) REPORT ON SPECIAL AUTONOMY- Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act and one year thereafter, the Secretary of State shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report detailing implementation of special autonomy for Papua and Aceh. Such reports shall include–

(A) an assessment of the extent to which each province has enjoyed an increase in revenue allocations and decision making authority;

(B) a description of access by international press and non-governmental organizations to each province;

(C) an assessment of the role played by local civil society in governance and decision making;

(D) a description of force levels and conduct of Indonesian security forces in each province; and

(E) a description of United States efforts to promote respect for human rights in each province.

(2) REPORT ON THE 1969 ACT OF FREE CHOICE- Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report analyzing the 1969 Act of Free Choice.

==== End of Sec. 1115 ====

 

[Daeron]

Daeron:

Susilo warns U.S. not to interfere in Papua

mlchance:

That’s kind of like my 7-year-old daughter warning me not to touch her toys. I might comply just to be polite, but if the toys need to be put away right away…

– Mark L. Chance.

Unfortunately for decades Indonesia has spent billions buying support in Washington (for profit, they get more in US Aid), and I guess on the the 78 Congressmen who voted against Sec. 1115 was
The chairman of the Indonesian Caucus in the US
Congress, Robert Wexler who says the US will not support Papuan independence or hope for the vote promised in the 1962 New York Agreement:

“I hope my visit here can be something like an assurance from the US government of its support for Indonesia`s territorial integrity,” Wexler said after a meeting with Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono.

He said US President George W Bush had likewise expressed the same stance to his Indonesian counterpart Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono during the latter`s visit to the US last May.

“The differing opinions in the US Congress on Papua`s status are part of democracy. Like Indonesia, the United States is a democratic country that respects differences of opinion,” Wexler said.

But in principle, he said, the United States is in full support of Indonesia`s territorial integrity and strongly opposes any form of separatism in Indonesia.​

His view which currently opposes the majority of Congress, was also re-enforced by some State Dept. minor?
US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said in Washington DC on Friday. In the face of ememrgence of separatist tendencies in Indonesia, the US will continue to suppot Indonesia’s territorial integrity, he said.
“The United States will never support nor tolerate attempts to promote the separation of Papua from the Republic of Indonesia,” McCorck said.​

** That is WHY I’m asking the question / poll of American citizens, what do you think ?**