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U.S. Department of State's Recent Action to Reinstate Foreign Military Financing and Defense Exports to Indonesia

Date: Dec. 18, 2005
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Defense Military Personnel


U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE'S RECENT ACTION TO REINSTATE FOREIGN MILITARY FINANCING AND DEFENSE EXPORTS TO INDONESIA -- (Extensions of Remarks - December 18, 2005)

SPEECH OF
HON. TAMMY BALDWIN
OF WISCONSIN
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2005

Ms. BALDWIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to the U.S. Department of State's recent action to reinstate Foreign Military Financing (FMF) and defense exports to Indonesia, by waiving restrictions placed on that aid by this Congress.

In 2000, due to the Indonesian military's record of abuse in places such as East Timor, Congress responsibly placed conditions on military assistance packages to Indonesia. The restrictions on military aid to Indonesia were included, once again, in the Fiscal Year 2006 Foreign Operations Appropriations bill. Two days after the bill became law in November 2005, the State Department waived all remaining restrictions on Foreign Military Financing and defense exports to Indonesia. This Administration's waiver was in clear contravention of the will of this Congress. It greatly diminishes the leverage we have to press for human rights improvements.

Organizations such as the East Timor Action Group and Human Rights Watch are highly critical of this waiver. Indonesian military officers and soldiers who have committed human rights violations have not been prosecuted. At least 15 human rights defenders, including Indonesia's foremost human rights advocate Munir, have been murdered since 2000. To date, no senior Indonesian officer has been held accountable for crimes against humanity in East Timor in 1999 or before.

To this day, there are reports of the Indonesian military terrorizing the people of West Papua, but documenting these human rights violations is nearly impossible because the government and military severely limit access to the province.

While the people of Indonesia have made democratic advances, these have happened in spite of the military. I believe the Bush Administration's decision to waive the restrictions this Congress placed on FMF and defense exports to Indonesia could threaten the democratic advances by once again propping up brutal forces. Human rights activists in Indonesia and East Timor have repeatedly called for continued restrictions of U.S. military assistance to Indonesia. I am disappointed the Bush Administration has chosen to ignore them.

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