State terror in Indonesia, past and present
A paper presented at the Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence at St Andrews University, Scotland, 20 November 2001
Carmel Budiardjo Since 11 September, the global airwaves and media have been virtually taken over by the ‘war against terrorism’ launched by President George Bush and backed up to the hilt by Tony Blair. This war, which in fact amounts to a war on Afghanistan, has focused on an act of terrorism directed against the US. The proponents of the war have declared it to be their intention to take similar action against ‘all states that harbour...
Indonesia and West Papua
Presentation to the West Papua Solidarity Meeting in Germany, 15 - 17 October 2001Indonesia is today confronted by two serious challenges to its commitment to preserving its territorial integrity, to preserve NKRI, the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia. These challenges come from Aceh, the most westerly province and from West Papua, in the east. The people in both these regions have strong historic reasons for challenging their inclusion within the Republic. They have also been inspired by the decision of the people of East Timor to reject integration with Indonesia and have...
163, October 2001
Bulletin no. 163 Contents1. Massacres and assassinations in Aceh2. No change for Aceh under Megawati [text unavailable]3. The key figures in Megawati's kitchen cabinet4. A Human Rights Agenda for Megawati5. West keen to enhance military ties [text unavailable]7. Timorese go to the polls [text unavailable]8. 1965: What the US and Britain knew but never revealed9. Indonesia's Transformation and the Stability of Southeast Asia, by Angela Rabasa and Peter Chalk [text unavailable]10. Special autonomy for Papua provokes controversy [text unavailable]...
162, August 2001
Bulletin no. 162 Contents1. Megawati takes power with army backing2. Aceh sinks deeper into war3. Peace talks sabotaged [text unavailable]4. Exxon taken to court in the US5. EDITORIAL: Prospects for human rights in Indonesia [text unavailable]6. Rights trial still a distant dream [text unavailable]7. Police crackdown on seminar [text unavailable]8. Brimob violence engulfs Manokwari9. Mama Yosepha wins environmental award [text unavailable]10. Rights commission accuses police [text unavailable]11. Wamena campaign [text unavailable...
161, April 2001
Bulletin no. 161 Contents1. Deadly conflict in Central Kalimantan2. Human rights defenders slain in cold blood3. All out war in Aceh as US oil company halts operations [text unavailable]4. Suharto-style trials back in fashion5. The birth of a new organisation [text unavailable]6. PRD takes Suharto to court [text unavailable]7. West Papuan refugees at risk in PNG [text unavailable]8. Wamena tragedy a provocation9. A visit to new East Timor [text unavailable]10. UNTAET slow to investigate crimes against humanity [text unavailable]11....
It's the military, stupid!
TAPOL paper presented at the International workshop 'Violence in Indonesia: Its historical roots and its contemporary manifestations' at the Universiteit LeidenThe collapse of an authoritarian regime and the period of transition towards a more stable and formal democratic system can often take years and is often characterised with periods of much tension, turmoil and bloodshed. It is argued that countries with a relatively high GDP per capita will have a smoother road towards democracy while countries with a low GDP per capita will face a long and winding road. Examples on...
160, November 2000
Bulletin no. 160 Contents1. Tens of thousands rally for peace in Aceh2. Victims' Congress wants the world to hear [text unavailable]3. Military operations violate truce4. Seeking the truth about G30S [text unavailable]5. G30S, an army intelligence operation [text unavailable]6. Contribution by Coen Holtzappel [text unavailable]7. Kontras founder gets major rights award [text unavailable]8. Justice on trial in Indonesia and East Timor9. Hawk aircraft terrorise West Papua [text unavailable]10. Police attack on flag-raisers in Wamena...
159, August 2000
Bulletin no. 159 Contents1. Acehnese activist sadistically murdered2. A visit to Banda Aceh3. Demand for international intervention growing [text unavailable]4. East Timor, one year on [text unavailable]5. TNI-backed militias murder UNHCR workers6. Renewed violence threatens West Papua7. Carmel's visit to Indonesia [text unavailable]8. Suharto and TNI win immunity from MPR9. Jakarta's refugee problem unmanageable [text unavailable]10. Tanjung Priok revisited [text unavailable]11. Peasants arrested for demanding land [text unavailable]...
158, June 2000
Bulletin no. 158 Contents1. A Reign of Terror in Aceh2. Defending women's rights in Aceh3. Impressions of East Timor4. Human rights court to be established5. President wants 1965 killings investigated6. UK companies must help remove military from the workplace7. Draft labour law condemned 1. A Reign of Terror in AcehA major report on the grave human rights situation in Aceh has been published by TAPOL. It documents the escalation in human rights violations since the army announced the lifting of Aceh’s designation as a ‘military operations area’ in August 1998. Among its many...
157, April 2000
Bulletin no. 157 Contents1. A Reign of Terror in Aceh2. Seeking justice in Aceh is getting nowhere [text unavailable]3. No respite in Aceh killings [text unavailable]4. Defending women's rights in Aceh5. Impressions of East Timor6. Human rights court to be established7. Serious blows for the military [text unavailable]8. Bakorstanas and Litsus powers revoked [text unavailable]9. President wants 1965 killings investigated10. Report on UK companies11. The Nabire tragedy [text unavailable]12. Papuan Congress rejects 1969 Act [text unavailable...
154-155, November 1999
Bulletin no. 154 Contents1. Human rights agenda for the government2. East Timor wins its independence [text unavailable]3. East Timor: How many people died? [text unavailable]4. East Timor: Nationalist backlash and the Indonesian press [text unavailable]5. East Timorese trapped in West Timor [text unavailable]6. East Timor: Observing the fear and terror [text unavailable]7. Xanana and Horta on Timor's future [text unavailable]8. UN Commission of inquiry set up [text unavailable]9. The Kopassus-militia alliance10. The TNI’s...
153, July 1999
Bulletin no. 153 Contents1. East Timor: Referendum to be held in East Timor2. The army's dirty war in East Timor - Indonesian Police, the prodigal son [text unavailable]3. Politics: Free elections after 44 years4. Aceh: Turmoil in Aceh escalates5. West Papua: Truth about Biak atrocity revealed - Joint SAS-Kopassus hostage operation [text unavailable]6. Literature: Pramoedya warmly welcomed everywhere7. 1965 massacre: Suharto must be indicted8. Police open fire on demonstrators [text unavailable] 1. Referendum to be held in East TimorAfter 23 years of...
Statement on East Timor to the United Nations Special Committee
Mr. Chairman and Honourable Members,TAPOL, the Indonesia Human Rights Campaign is grateful for this opportunity to petition the Committee once again on East Timor. This Committee has for years been a platform for petitions to expose the depressing features of the East Timor tragedy. East Timor is today the centre of international attention following the Accords signed on 5 May between Indonesia and Portugal and the adoption of resolutions 1236 and 1246 by the UN Security Council We welcome the establishment of UNAMET, the UN Assistance Mission to East Timor, whose task is to organise a free...
The 1965 Coup in Indonesia - A Bibliography
Amnesty International Dutch Section. Indonesia Special, March 1973Anderson, B. How did the generals die ? Indonesia No. 43 April 1987 Anderson, B. & McVev. R. A preliminary analysis of the Octoher 1, 1965, coup in Indonesia. Cornell Universitv Press, 1971 Anderson, B. & McVey, R. What happened in Indonesia? New York Review of Books June 1 1978 Aveling, H. ed. Gestapu: Indonesian short stories on the abortive communist coup of 30 September 1965 Honolulu: University of Hawaii Southeast Asian Studies Working Paper No. 6 1975 Bass, J. The PKI and the Attempted Coup Journal of Southeast...
The TNI's 'Dirty War' in East Timor
The decision by President Habibie on 27 January 1999 to allow the people of East Timor to choose between autonomy within Indonesia and independence prompted a reaction within the Indonesian armed forces, the TNI, the Indonesian National Army (formerly known as ABRI) to defy their supreme commander, a weak civilian president, and mount an operation to render the decision unworkable. In order to reverse the Habibie decision, a new military intelligence operation was launched. Within weeks of the Habibie decision, a Crisis Team on East Timor to wage a 'dirty war' was set up under Major-General...
'A global failure on human rights in East Timor'
East Timor in Transition, Sovereignty. Self-Determination and Human Rights
Conference speech by Carmel Budiardjo, Nottingham University, May 1999 At a time when the world’s press is awash with information about the tragic plight of hundreds of thousands of Kosovars who have been forced to leave their country, while NATO forces, claiming to act for the international community, pound Serbian military and non-military installations, it is worth reflecting on what the international community, for want of a better term, has done over the past 23 years to stay the hand of one of the...
152, May 1999
Bulletin no.152 Contents1. Growing conflicts within ABRI2. Mass killings sweep across East Timor3. Ethnic cleansing of Madurese4. Maluku: the violence spreads5. Political killings in West Java6. Police separated from the armed forces7. Anti-subversion law repeal changes little 1. Growing conflicts within ABRIRecent events in East Timor, West Kalimantan and Maluku expose deep-rooted differences within the Indonesian armed forces, ABRI, both at the top and in the field. Indonesian contemporary history is marked by violent internal conflicts resulting in misery for the Indonesian...
Comments on the 1997 Annual Report on Strategic Export Controls
April 1999 1. For many years TAPOL has been concerned that British military equipment exported to Indonesia has been directly involved in violations of human rights and has strengthened a military regime engaged in international aggression against East Timor. TAPOL has called for, and continues to call for, a complete ban on all arms exports to Indonesia. 2. In relation to Indonesia, the Annual Report shows that, between 2 May 1997 and 31 December 1997, the Government issued 34 Standard Individual Export Licences (SIELs) for ‘Goods on the Military List’, 5 SIELs for ‘Other goods’ and...
Tapol speech on Aceh
Delivered at the International Conference on Aceh, Washington (US), 3 April 1999I must first extend warm greetings from TAPOL and our gratitude to the International Forum on Aceh for holding this conference and inviting us to attend. We are very keen to be a part of the joint efforts to mobilise international support for the people of Aceh in the struggle to have their human rights upheld in all respects. We now stand at a turning point in the struggle of the Acehnese people. The downfall last year of Suharto, the Indonesian dictator, opened the floodgates for thousands of Acehnese,...
Impact of the Asian crisis on minorities
Delivered at the Conference on the Asian Crisis "A Chance for Democracy and Human Rights?", Berlin, 26 - 28 March 1999 Many journalists nowadays raise the burning question: Is Indonesia facing Balkanisation? If one follows recent events in Indonesia it is tempting to answer in the affirmative, but my answer is: I don’t think so. The danger facing Indonesia at present is much more one of social rather than territorial of disintegration Any country hit by economic contraction of 15 per cent after years of 7 per cent growth, comparable to the global crisis of the thirties, will face...