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In 2005 the US Congress revised the previous US policy of silence about human rights abuses in Indonesia and on 28th July 2008 passed the US Congress 2006 Foreign Relations Authorization Bill H.R. 2601 which made specific mention of the ongoing genocide and legitimacy of its sovereignty of West Papua. Section 1115 was specific section referring to Indonesia and on 30th July 2005 the 'Jakarta Post' reported:
In 2005 the US Congress revised the previous fifty six year US policy of silence about human rights abuses in Indonesia and on 28th July 2008 passed the US Congress 2006 Foreign Relations Authorization Bill H.R. 2601 which made specific mention of the ongoing genocide and legitimacy of its sovereignty of West Papua. Section 1115 was specific section referring to Indonesia and on 30th July 2005 the 'Jakarta Post' reported:
"President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono warned the U.S. not to interfere in
"President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono warned the U.S. not to interfere in
Indonesia's domestic affairs after the U.S. House of Representatives recently approved a bill that questions the status of Papua."
Indonesia's domestic affairs after the U.S. House of Representatives recently approved a bill that questions the status of Papua."


Although not mention in the US media, Section 1115 had become a leading Indonesian news story through August and September 2005. In the United States the US Senate had since early 2001 been rejecting repeated efforts by the Bush administration to have US funding of the Indonesian military resumed, a ban which had been relucantly imposed by the Clinton administration after TNI officers were filmed coordinating the [[Timor-Leste Scorched Earth|Dili Scorched Earth]] campaign. Section 1115 by joining the Senate earlier efforts to reduce if not disengauge from the fiscal and political support of the [[Military of Indonesia|Indonesian military]] mark a signifcant change by also opposing the Whitehouse on this issue. Though Section 1115 states humanitarian and legal reasons for its existence, security concerns due to ongoing employment of Al Qaeda related terrorist militia by the [[Military of Indonesia|Indonesian military]] and their continued funding programs for the Al Qaeda network.
Athough the Whitehouse had managed to keep this international conflict from the US media, the Congress Bill marked the first time in four and a half years that the US Congress joined the US Senate in its rejection of the Bush administration campaign to resume US Aid and support of the Indonesian military (TNI).


Following President SBY's denuncement of this Section of the US Bill, the Indonesian lobby groups such as the US Indonesia Society ( usindo.org ) began renew efforts to promote a Indonesian image of good management and renewed non-militant behaviour under General Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's administration. SBY follows the administration of Megawati who in 2001 gave a public speech to the TNI instructing all members that they should disregard the issues of human rights in enforcing Indonesian unity and repressing any independence movements.
Following President SBY's denouncement of Section 1115 and , the Indonesian lobby groups such as the US Indonesia Society ( usindo.org ) began renew efforts to promote a Indonesian image of good management and renewed non-militant behaviour under General Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's administration. SBY follows the administration of Megawati who in 2001 gave a public speech to the TNI instructing all members that they should disregard the issues of human rights in enforcing Indonesian unity and repressing any independence movements.


==External link==
Text of Section 1115.
[[http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/HR_2601_Section_1115|Text of Section 1115]]

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.

(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.

Revision as of 11:31, 16 September 2005

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In 2005 the US Congress revised the previous fifty six year US policy of silence about human rights abuses in Indonesia and on 28th July 2008 passed the US Congress 2006 Foreign Relations Authorization Bill H.R. 2601 which made specific mention of the ongoing genocide and legitimacy of its sovereignty of West Papua. Section 1115 was specific section referring to Indonesia and on 30th July 2005 the 'Jakarta Post' reported: "President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono warned the U.S. not to interfere in Indonesia's domestic affairs after the U.S. House of Representatives recently approved a bill that questions the status of Papua."

Although not mention in the US media, Section 1115 had become a leading Indonesian news story through August and September 2005. In the United States the US Senate had since early 2001 been rejecting repeated efforts by the Bush administration to have US funding of the Indonesian military resumed, a ban which had been relucantly imposed by the Clinton administration after TNI officers were filmed coordinating the Dili Scorched Earth campaign. Section 1115 by joining the Senate earlier efforts to reduce if not disengauge from the fiscal and political support of the Indonesian military mark a signifcant change by also opposing the Whitehouse on this issue. Though Section 1115 states humanitarian and legal reasons for its existence, security concerns due to ongoing employment of Al Qaeda related terrorist militia by the Indonesian military and their continued funding programs for the Al Qaeda network.

Following President SBY's denouncement of Section 1115 and , the Indonesian lobby groups such as the US Indonesia Society ( usindo.org ) began renew efforts to promote a Indonesian image of good management and renewed non-militant behaviour under General Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's administration. SBY follows the administration of Megawati who in 2001 gave a public speech to the TNI instructing all members that they should disregard the issues of human rights in enforcing Indonesian unity and repressing any independence movements.

[of Section 1115]

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