CONGRESSIONAL LETTER ON EAST TIMOR

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90B01370R000801050018-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 30, 2010
• Sequence Number: 18
• Publication Date: July 9, 1984
• Content Type: CABLE

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FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO RUEHJA/AMEMBASSY JAKARTA IMMEDIATE 0000
INFO RUEHKL/AMEMBASSY KUALA LUMPUR IMMEDIATE 0000
RUEHGP/AMEMBASSY SINGAPORE IMMEDIATE 0000
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C 0 N F I DENT I A L
E.O. 12356: N/A
TAGS: PSIS, ID
SUBJECT: CON ESSTONAL LETTER ON EAST TIOW
1. FOLLOWING IS TEXT OF CONGRESSIONAL LETTER ON EAST
TIMOR RECEIVED IN THE DEPARTMENT ON JULY 6.
DEPARTMENT'S RESPONSE IS BEING DRAFTED AND WILL BE
TRANSMITTED ASAP.
HONORABLE GEORGE P. SHULTZ
SECRETARY OF STATE
WE ARE DISTRESSED OVER THE CONTINUING TRAGEDY IN EAST
TIMOR, THE LARGELY ROMAN CATHOLIC TERRITORY WHICH WAS
INVADED BY INDONESIA IN 1975. SINCE THAT TIME, BY MOST
CREDIBLE ACCOUNTS, MORE THAN 100,000 EAST TIMORESE HAVE
PERISHED FROM THE COMBINED EFFECTS OF THE INDONESIAN
OCCUPATION.
RECENT REPORTS INDICATE THAT THE DEATH AND SUFFERING IN
THE FORMER PORTUGUESE COLONY ARE CONTINUING. WE
BELIEVE THAT IT IS OF CRITICAL IMPORTANCE THAT THE
PLIGHT OF THE PEOPLE OF EAST TIMOR BE ACCORDED SERIOUS
ATTENTION IN THE MEETINGS THAT YOU WILL CONDUCT WITH
THE INDONESIAN LEADERSHIP ON THE OCCASION OF YOUR VISIT
TO INDONESIA, THE FIRST BY AN AMERICAN SECRETARY OF
STATE SINCE THE 1975 INVASION.
WE ARE KEENLY AWARE OF THE IMPORTANCE OF INDONESIA AND
THE NEED TO MAINTAIN GOOD RELATIONS BETWEEN OUR TWO
COUNTRIES. NEVERTHELESS, WE CANNOT OVERLOOK THE
SITUATION IN EAST TIMOR WHERE, AS IN AFGHANISTAN, A
PEOPLE ARE LIVING UNDER A MILITARY REGIME IMPOSED BY
FORCE, IN VIOLATION OF INTERNATIONAL LAW.
INFORMATION REACHING US THIS YEAR FROM A VARIETY OF
CHURCH AND REFUGEE SOURCES SUGGESTS THAT THE INDONESIAN
OFFENSIVE BEGUN LAST SUMMER HAS CONTINUED AND HAS BEEN
ACCOMPANIED BY ATROCITIES AGAINST THE TIMORESE
OLL/LD
INCOMING
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25X1
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POPULATION. FOR EXAMPLE, A LETTER DATED
FEBRUARY 18. 1984, FROM THE HEAD OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
IN EAST TIMOR, MONSIGNOR CARLOS XIMENES BELO, TO HIS
PREDECESSOR, MONSIGNOR MARTINHO DA COSTA LOPES,
DESCRIBED ACTIVITIES IN SOME PARTS OF THE TERRITORY
THAT ARE SIMILAR TO THE FORCED MARCH OF TENS OF
THOUSANDS OF TIMORESE MALES BY THE INDONESIAN MILITARY
IN 1981 THAT CAUSED GREAT LOSS OF LIFE. MONSIGNOR BELO
ALSO CLAIMED THAT THE TIMORESE PEOPLE ARE BESET BY
"SICKNESS, HUNGER, LACK OF LIBERTY AND PERSECUTION."
THE WELL-REGARDED CLERGYMAN STATED THAT "THE CHURCH IS
BEING PERSECUTED AND ACCUSED," WITH THE RESIDENCE OF
SALESIAN PRIESTS IN ONE CENTER BEING "SAVAGELY
SEARCHED" BY ELITE INDONESIAN TROOPS. OTHER CHURCH
ACCOUNTS IN RECENT MONTHS HAVE SPOKEN OF LARGE-SCALE
AERIAL BOMBARDMENTS OF VILLAGES AND STILL OTHERS OF
MASSACRES.
ADDITIONAL DETAILS ARE VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO OBTAIN,
FOR THE INDONESIAN MILITARY CONTINUES TO SEAL OFF EAST
TIMOR FROM CONTACT WITH INDEPENDENT JOURNALISTS AND
INTERNATIONAL CHURCH AND HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS. IT HAS
BEEN A SOURCE OF FRUSTRATION TO MANY INTERNATIONAL
OBSERVERS OVER THE YEARS THAT IT HAS BEEN SO HARD TO
GET THE FACTS ABOUT EAST TIMOR.
THE OVERALL PICTURE THAT EMERGES IS VERY
DISCONCERTING. PROGRESS TOWARD UNRESTRICTED,
NORMALIZED ACCESS TO EAST TIMOR HAS BEEN NEGLIGIBLE.
CONGRESSIONAL CONCERN IN THIS REGARD PROMPTED THE HOUSE
TO ADOPT AN EAST TIMOR AMENDMENT TO H.R. 5119, THE
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY AND DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION ACT
OF 1984. THIS AMENDMENT, NOW SECTION 914 OF THE
FOREIGN AID AUTHORIZATION BILL, EXPRESSES THE SENSE OF
CONGRESS THAT THE PRESIDENT SHOULD TAKE ALL APPROPRIATE
MEASURES TO ENCOURAGE THE INDONESIANS TO ALLOW
INCREASED ACCESS TO EAST TIMOR BY INTERNATIONAL RELIEF
AGENCIES, INTERNATIONAL JOURNALISTS, AND INTERNATIONAL
HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS.
TO HELP IMPLEMENT THE CONCERN EXPRESSED BY THE HOUSE IN
SECTION 914, WE RESPECTFULLY REQUEST THAT YOU RAISE
THESE ISSUES WITH THE INDONESIAN GOVERNMENT DURING YOUR
VISIT TO JAKARTA. IN PARTICULAR, WE WOULD URGE YOU TO
REQUEST THAT THE INTERNATIONAL RED CROSS BE ALLOWED
INCREASED ACCESS TO EAST TIMOR. WE ARE MINDFUL OF THE
DISASTROUS FAMINE AND SUFFERING THAT OCCURRED BETWEEN
1978 AND 1980 WHEN SUCH INTERNATIONAL AGENCIES AT LEAST
WERE PERMITTED LIMITED VISITATIONS. WE ALSO WOULD
REQUEST THAT YOU RAISE THE ISSUE OF THE CHURCH'S RIGHT
TO EXIST IN EAST TIMOR FREE OF PERSECUTION AND
HARASSMENT.
FINALLY, WE WOULD NOTE THAT SECTION 914 CALLS UPON THE
ADMINISTRATION TO WORK WITH OUR CONCERNED ALLIES AND
THE APPROPRIATE INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS "TO DEVELOP
POLICIES TO END THE ONGOING HUMAN SUFFERING IN EAST
TIMOR." WE HOPE THAT YOU WILL TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOUR
TRIP TO INDONESIA TO BEGIN A DIALOGUE WITH THE
INDONESIANS ON CONSTRUCTIVE INITIATIVES THAT COULD LEAD
TO AN EQUITABLE SETTLEMENT OF THE CONFLICT IN EAST
TIMOR. POSITIVE DEVELOPMENTS ON THE HUMANITARIAN
ISSUES WE HAVE RAISED COULD IMPROVE THE PROSPECTS FOR A
RESOLUTION OF THE CAUSES OF THE HUMAN MISERY EAST TIMOR
HAS EXPERIENCED FOR NEARLY NINE YEARS. WE URGE YOU TO
MAKE EAST TIMOR AN IMPORTANT PART OF YOUR AGENDA WITH
THE GOVERNMENT OF INDONESIA.
CONFIDENTIAL
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TONY P. HALL
BENJAMIN A. GILMAN
JOE MOAKLEY
STEPHEN L. NEAL
MATTHEW F. MCHUGH
BERKLEY BEDELL
ROBERT T. MATSUI
JOHN EDWARD PORTER
DOUGLAS K. BEREUTER
BILL GREEN
DAN GLICKMAN
MAJOR R. OWENS
FORTNEY H. STARK
WALTER E. FAUNTROY
ROBERT A. ROE
DOUGLAS H. BOSCO
STENY H. HOVER
PETER H. KOSTMAYER
PATRICIA SCHROEDER
AL SWIFT
DAVID E. BONIOR
THOMAS J. DOWNEY
MARY ROSE DAKAR
DOUG WALGREN
JERRY M. PATTERSON
MICKEY LELAND
EDOLPHUS TOWNS
BILL RICHARDSON
JAMES H. SCHEUER
ROBERT G. TORRICELLI
RICHARD H. LEHMAN
ANTHONY C. BEILENSON
EDWARD F. FEIGHAN
JAMES WEAVER
EDWARD J. MARKEY
HENRY A. WAXMAN
LOUIS STOKES
BARBARA BOXER
TOM HARKIN
MORRIS K. UDALL
DON EDWARDS
BRUCE A. MORRISON
BARNEY FRANK
HOWARD L. BERMAN
GERRY SIKORSKI
MEL LEVINE
RONALD V. DELLUMS
MARCY KAPTUR
WILLIAM LEHMAN
JIM BATES
WILLIAM R. RATCHFORD
HARRY M. REID
LANE EVANS
JOHN F. SEIBERLING
BARBARA B. KENNELLY
THOMAS A. DASCHLE
NICHOLAS MAVROULES
BOB EDGAR
WILLIAM J.
JOSEPH P.
HUGHES
ADDABBO
SAM GEJDENSON
ROBERT J. MRAZEK
DALE E. KILDEE
GEORGE E. BROWN
PARREN J. MITCHELL
MICHAEL D. BARNES
JAMES M. SHANNON
THOMAS M. FOGLIETTA
GARY L. ACKERMAN
AUSTIN J. MURPHY
STEWART B. MCKINNEY
GEORGE MILLER
TED WEISS
RICHARD L. OTTINGER
TIMOTHY E. WIRTH
GERRY E. STUDDS
VIC FAZIO
PAUL SIMON
TOM LANTOS
TONY COELHO
MARTIN OLAV SABO
RON WYDEN
PETER W. RODINO, JR.
BRIAN J. DONNELLY
AUGUSTUS F. HAWKINS
SALA BURTON
MATTHEW G. MARTINEZ
FERNAND J. ST GERMAIN
THOMAS A. LUKEN
MIKE LOWRY
CLAUDE PEPPER
JAMES L. OBERSTAR
JAMES J. HOWARD
ROBERT GARCIA
JIM MOODY
LES AUCOIN
DENNIS M. HERTEL
DONALD J. PEASE
ROBERT W. KASTENMEIR
LEON E. PANETTA
SANDER M. LEVIN
NORMAN Y.
MINETA
RAY KOGOVSEK
JULIAN C.
DIXON
JOHN CONYERS, JR.
GUS SAVAGE
BARBARA A. MIKULSKI
WILLIAM J.
COYNE
ALAN WHEAT
DENNIS E.
ECKART
MERVYN M. DYMALLY
CLAUDINE
SCHNEIDER
HOWARD WOLPE
CHARLES A.
HAYES
CHARLES E. SCHUMER
CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH
THOMAS R. CARPER
ROBERT A. BORSKI
KATIE HALL
WILLIAM H. GRAY, III
RICHARD J. DURBIN
ROD CHANDLER
CONFIDENTIAL
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