abuses in Indonesia
From: "Andrew Haydon Alcock" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1999 17:17:50 +1030
Sender: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Precedence: bulk
Dear Comrades and Friends
The following letter was sent to His Excellency Kofi Annan, UN
Secretary
General, regarding further
acts of brutality committed by the Indonesian regime.
Please feel free to support the sentiments expressed in this
letter.
In solidarity
Andy Alcock
Information Officer
CIET(SA) Inc
Spokesperson
Australian Coalition for a Free East Timor
Phone: 08 83710480 (home)
Pager: 08 84157467
Facsimile: 08 82236509
Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Campaign for an Independent East Timor (S.A.) Inc.
(Member of the Australian Coalition for a Free East Timor and the
East
Timor Relief Association/Affiliated to the Australian East Timor
Network)
first floor, Torrens House
220 Victoria Square,
ADELAIDE
SOUTH AUSTRALIA 5000
5 January 1999
Mr Kofi Annan
Secretary General
UNITED NATIONS
NEW YORK
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Your Excellency
RE: CONTINUING HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES BY INDONESIA
We write following the continuation of human rights abuses in East
Timor,
West Papua and Indonesia by Indonesia. This letter follows our
letters of
September and October 1998 which urged the UN to take stronger
action in
relation to the recalcitrance of Indonesia's violations of human
rights.
Further recent violations compel us to write again. The Melbourne
Age (5
January 1999) reported that two men were killed and five wounded
in East
Timor on 4 January when supporters of a referendum on the future
of the
troubled territory clashed with an armed militia backing autonomy.
The report stated that militia members at a security post in the
Ainaro
district fired into a group of about 100 people on 4 January after
warning
shots were ignored.
This outrage is just another of a long list of violations against
human
rights committed by the forces of the Indonesian dictatorship.
Other reports in the New York Times and the Melbourne Age (5/1/99)
indicate
that the same type of brutality has been committed by the
Indonesian
military at Lhokseumawe in the province of Acheh in the past few
days which
has resulted in the deaths of 9 civilians.
In late 1998, Mr Kenneth Sunquist, the Canadian Ambassador to
Indonesia,
after a visit to East Timor claimed that human rights abuses had
intensified over the previous two months.
We find it concerning that Indonesia thinks that it is acceptable
for
soldiers to discharge weapons into crowds of unarmed civilians as
a so
called method of crowd control. These are not isolated
occurrences.
We believe that this brutal behaviour violates the UN Charter of
Human
Rights and is totally unacceptable on humanitarian grounds. These
actions
should elicit the strongest condemnation and stern responses from
the
leadership of the UN and leaders of responsible democratic
nations.
Mr Jamsheed Marker, the Special UN Envoy to East Timor visited the
country
between 19-20 December. He called on both sides to show restraint,
but did
not condemn Indonesia which is clearly responsible for genocide
and
continuing human rights abuses. He also failed to criticise the
regime for
its dishonesty over its troop movements in East Timor.
Further, Mr Marker failed to visit Alas, the site of the most
recent
massacre which allegedly claimed between 50 - 100 lives in late
1998. His
earlier visit, a few months earlier, was only 3 hours long.
With respect, we believe that these responses to this regime's
criminal
actions tend to hold the UN to ridicule. To allow the Indonesian
regime to
continue to commit brutally horrific crimes against humanity in
East
Timor, West Papua and Indonesia and it still illegally occupies
East Timor
in contravention of a number of UN resolutions is a serious
failure on the
part of the UN and the world community.
There is, therefore, a pressing need for the UN to take decisive
action.
We call on the UN to devote more resources and personnel to East
Timor to:
call upon member nations to halt to all forms of military
cooperation with
Indonesia stop further loss of life and human rights abuses
provide humanitarian aid
monitor Indonesian troop movements
investigate crimes against humanity
initiate a referendum for self determination
Yours sincerely
Andrew Alcock
Information Officer
Richie Gun
Chairperson
for the Campaign Committee
end
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