US Dept. of State - IIP: U.S. Support for Democracy and Human Rights in Indonesia and East Timor

Text: Assistant Secretary Koh Remarks to Press in Jakarta Oct. 9
(Koh contrasts Jakarta's democratic hope, Timor's terror)
The United States supports Indonesia's emergence as a democratic society, but stresses the need for addressing the humanitarian crisis of East Timor, says Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Harold Hongju Koh.
"Even as this democratic transition progresses in Jakarta," Koh told reporters in an October 9 media availability in Jakarta, "a major human rights crisis looms in Timor."
As many as 230,000 of the inhabitants of East Timor -- one fourth of the population -- have been "displaced from their homes and are living in extremely harsh conditions," Koh said.
U.S. officials who have inspected conditions for displaced East Timorese, "all believe that Indonesian civilian authorities at all levels of government have worked hard and sincerely to make a good-faith effort" to provide them with adequate levels of food, shelter, water, and medicine," Koh said.
But, he stressed, "the residents of these camps are living in fear of the militias, which elements of the TNI (Indonesian military) organized, trained, directed, and still support.
"We saw clear indications that these militias are still terrorizing and targeting pro-independence East Timorese citizens throughout the West Timor camps," Koh charged.
The U.S. official blasted attempts at disinformation by the militias to prevent East Timorese from returning to their homes, including spreading rumors that the international peacekeeping forces were massacring returning East Timorese.
"Residents of the camps fear for their safety if they publicly express their preference to return home, and a troubling disinformation campaign has frightened many of these displaced persons into believing that they would be in danger from INTERFET (the Australian-led international peacekeeping forces) if they were to return to East Timor," Koh said.
The State Department official emphasized the importance the United States puts on Indonesia's successful democratization, noting that it will become the world's third largest democracy, after India and the United States.
Following is the text of Koh's remarks, as delivered:
(begin text)

STATEMENT OF HAROLD HONGJU KOH
ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE FOR DEMOCRACY,
HUMAN RIGHTS, AND LABOR
at a media availability
U.S. Embassy Jakarta, Indonesia
October 9, 1999

Let me begin by thanking State Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Dr. Haryono Suyono and Governor Piet Tallo of the Province of West Timor for their extraordinary graciousness and hospitality during my visit here. Let me also thank our splendid new Ambassador, Robert Gelbard, and his most able country team for their outstanding support during this, my third trip to Indonesia as Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor.
As President Clinton and Secretary of State Madeleine Albright have made clear in Washington, and as Secretary of Defense William Cohen reiterated here in Jakarta last week, the United States recognizes that this is a critical moment in Indonesia's history. The most democratic MPR in Indonesia's history is now organizing itself and laying the groundwork for its operations. It will soon choose Indonesia's next President, and the new DPR will begin passing laws reflecting the democratic will of the Indonesian people. The United States stands ready to support Indonesia's transition to democracy, which will soon produce the third largest democracy in the world. We look forward to working with a democratic Indonesia, where civil society prospers, the rule of law thrives, and accountability is standard practice. The consultation in East Timor, like Indonesia's recent national elections, should be regarded as another significant step toward democracy.
But even as this democratic transition progresses in Jakarta, a major human rights crisis looms in Timor. As I speak, as many as 230,000 of the inhabitants of East Timor -- representing as much as a quarter of the populations of that region -- have been displaced from their homes and are living in extremely harsh conditions.
On September 29, Secretary Albright and Indonesian Foreign Minister Ali Alatas met in New York to discuss the tragic humanitarian and human rights crisis in West and East Timor. During their discussion, Foreign Minister Alatas extended an invitation for the U.S. Government to follow up on the recent visit to Timor of a multinational delegation that included my colleague, Julia Taft, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration.
For the past five days, I have traveled in and around the cities of Kupang, Atambua, Dili, and Denpasar, with a delegation that included six other U.S. Government officials and two Indonesian officials. Our delegation visited approximately a dozen camps of displaced persons in West Timor and spoke with many East Timorese who are living under extreme hardship, not just in these camps, but in Bali and other parts of the country. We talked candidly with a very wide range of civilian officials at the national, provincial, and local levels, UN officials, religious leaders, and NGO representatives.
We focused on four questions: whether humanitarian assistance levels in the West Timor camps are adequate; whether the safety of individuals living in those camps is adequately protected; whether camp conditions permit international organizations and international NGOS to operate safely within the camps; and whether camp conditions adequately protect the free choice of persons living there to decide whether or not to return to East Timor.
Our U.S. delegation found problems in all four areas. We all believe that Indonesian civilian authorities at all levels of government have worked hard and sincerely to make a good-faith effort to provide the East Timorese displaced with adequate levels of food, shelter, water, and medicine. But the residents of these camps are living in fear of the militias, which elements of the TNI organized, trained, directed, and still support. We saw clear indications that these militias are still terrorizing and targeting pro-independence East Timorese citizens throughout the West Timor camps.
International humanitarian organizations are ready and willing to help. But the militia presence in the West Timor camps is so pervasive, that these organizations cannot safely enter the camps to do the critical work that they have done so effectively elsewhere in the world. Under these conditions, the residents of the West Timor camps are denied their right to make a fully informed, free choice whether or not to return to East Timor. Residents of the camps fear for their safety if they publicly express their preference to return home, and a troubling disinformation campaign has frightened many of these displaced persons into believing that they would be in danger from INTERFET forces if they were to return to East Timor. In short, the situation that has been created in West Timor by the militias -- acting in collusion with parts of the TNI -- has reached a crisis point that can only get worse as we approach the rainy season and the prospect for a missed planting season back in East Timor. This crisis demands an immediate response.
The civilian authorities at the local and national levels have expressed to me their sincere concern, and their commitment to address this situation. Now those commitments must be met by actions by all relevant authorities. Yesterday, the Government of Indonesia and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees launched a joint effort to begin evacuating East Timorese displaced persons out of camps in West Timor back to East Timor. This is a welcome and positive first step. If the displaced persons are registered, international organizations must be involved, and the process must meet international standards. The UNHCR must be involved in each step so that this process works. The crisis in Timor can only be resolved through a cooperative effort between the Indonesian authorities and the international community. The United States is prepared to do its part.
In my meetings in West Timor and here in Jakarta, my message has been the same: It is critical that repatriation of all those who want to return to East Timor be carried out swiftly and in cooperation with international agencies and NGOS. The Indonesian Government must take immediate steps to halt, disarm, and disband militia activities in order to create a safe, secure environment- free from intimidation- both inside and outside the West Timor camps. It is essential that East Timorese refugees be allowed to make a free and informed choice about whether to return to East Timor, to remain in West Timor, or to be resettled elsewhere, without fear of retribution.
The military must respect human rights throughout Indonesia, and it must be clear that the military operates under civilian control. Human rights will not be fully respected here until wanton killings and destruction are fully investigated and those responsible are held accountable whether for the brutal devastation of East Timor or for illegal acts by security forces against student demonstrators elsewhere in the country. This country's military leadership has repeatedly stated its intention to respect the will of the people - whether in East or West Timor, or anywhere else in the country. They have also stated their intention to assure that the militias and, in particular, their leaders, do not threaten and do not harm anyone. My government calls on the TNI leadership to carry out this stated commitment.
Let me also say a word about the disinformation campaign that is now being carried out in the West Timor refugee camps. Many of the East Timorese with whom we met said they feared to return because INTERFET was "massacring" people in East Timor. Of course, nothing of the sort is happening, and the Indonesian Government needs to take immediate steps to counter this kind of militia-generated propaganda. I know that Coordinating Minister Haryono has launched an information campaign advising refugees that they can make their own choices as to whether to return to East Timor or remain in Indonesia. This campaign must urgently be supplemented with accurate information informing refugees about the true state of affairs in East Timor.
In urging these actions, I speak not as an unsympathetic critic, but as an Asian-American, who like you, has deep ties to this part of the world. My parents were born in South Korea and also experienced the pain of watching their homeland divided and watching their country struggle toward a democratic transition. At stake in this crisis are not just the lives and safety of as many as 230,000 East Timorese people, but Indonesia's international reputation. I pledge my whole-hearted support, and that of my government, to the efforts of all Indonesians to bring their country into the new millennium as a democracy in which the human rights of all inhabitants are fully respected.
Thank you.
(end text)

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