PROMOTING HUMAN RIGHTS, PEACE AND DEMOCRACY IN INDONESIA

111 Northwood Road, Thornton Heath, Surrey CR7 8HW, UK
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West Timor: NGOs urge international community not to commit further aid to Indonesia until violence ends

Clare Short called upon to support postponement of October aid donors' meeting

25 September 2000

Calling for action, not just words, four prominent British NGOs working on Indonesia - TAPOL, CAFOD, CIIR and Down to Earth - have today written to international development secretary, Clare Short, urging her to support a postponement of the annual meeting of Indonesia's international aid donors, scheduled for 18/19 October , until the Indonesian Government ends the violence in West Timor and ensures the safe repatriation of East Timorese refugees.

The letter follows statements by the President of the World Bank, James Wolfensohn, US Defense Secretary, William Cohen, and the National Council of Timorese Resistance (CNRT) linking further aid to Indonesia to a drastic improvement in the situation in West Timor.

Paul Barber of TAPOL says: 'Britain is one of Indonesia's leading aid donors and cannot stand aside while pro-Indonesian militias continue their brutal reign of terror in West Timor.. We have already called for an arms embargo and for an international tribunal to try those responsible for crimes against humanity in East and West Timor. We now urge the Government to make economic assistance to Indonesia conditional upon an end to the appalling violence in West Timor.'

In their letter, the NGOs insist that the aid donors meeting must not go ahead until the Indonesian Government has disarmed and disbanded the militias and removed them from the refugee camps, restored law and order in the territory, secure the unimpeded access of international relieF agencies to West Timor and ensured the safe return of all East Timorese refugees who wish to return home. They have also urged the Secretary of State to demand action from the Indonesian Government during her forthcoming visit to Indonesia from 9 to 12 October.

It was the threat of economic sanctions against the then government of President Habibie which led to the eventual restoration of order and security in East Timor last year. The present human rights situation in West Timor has been compared to that which prevailed in East Timor last year.

All aid and humanitarian workers were evacuated from West Timor following the murder on 6 September of at least five people, including three UNHCR workers, by a militia-led mob. The 100,000 or so remaining refugees have been left at the mercy of the Indonesian military-backed militias who unleashed a wave of violence following East Timor's overwhelming vote in favour of independence on August 30 last year. Around 250,000 East Timorese were forcibly deported to West Timor.

The aid donors' meeting - known as the CGI (Consultative Group on Indonesia) - is chaired by the World Bank and comprises Indonesia's leading bilateral and multilateral aid donors. It meets annually to agree aid pledges for the forthcoming year. A request from Indonesia for US$ 4.8 billion is due to be considered at this year's meeting in Tokyo.

A copy of the letter to Clare Short is available on the TAPOL website at www.gn.apc.org/tapol/let000925.htm or by telephoning 01420 80153

ENDS

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