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Follow on Google News | On Massacre Anniversary ETAN Urges UN and U.S. to Act for Justice for Timor-LesteEast Timor and Indonesia Action Network (ETAN) urges the UN, U.S., and other governments to fulfill promises of justice for the victims of Indonesia's illegal occupation of Timor-Leste on massacre anniversary.
By: ETAN The Security Council meets today on the 21st anniversary of one of the most notorious attacks on civilians during Indonesia's brutal occupation. On November 12, 1991, Indonesian troops attacked a peaceful demonstration at the Santa Cruz cemetery in Dili, Timor-Leste's capital. Hundreds were killed and injured and the final resting place of many of the victims of the Santa Cruz massacre remain unknown. "As the latest UN mission ends, promises of justice remain unfulfilled," "The East Timorese people can not fully overcome their past until they know the fate of the bodies of their relatives and friends," said Miller. "Impunity for decades of systematic Indonesian military and police atrocities prevents both countries from consolidating the rule of law as they transition from military dictatorship do democracy." ETAN continues to urge Congress and the Obama administration to respond to the recommendations of Timor-Leste's Commission for Truth, Reception and Reconciliation, including its calls for an international tribunal to try perpetrators of crimes against humanity during the Indonesian occupation, reparations from Indonesia and other countries that supported the occupation, and restrictions on foreign assistance to the Indonesian military. "The U.S. and others should press President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to immediately release all information that can help identify and locate those who were killed or disappeared during the occupation," "President Obama must restrict U.S. military assistance until the Indonesian generals and political leaders who organized and directed numerous crimes during the 24-years of illegal occupation are credibly tried. Instead, the Obama administration is plans to sell deadly Apache attack helicopters (http://etan.org/ President Obama is expected to meet Indonesia's President along with other ASEAN leaders at the East Asia Summit in Cambodia next week. Officials credibly accused (and in some cases indicted) of crimes against humanity in Timor and elsewhere continue to hold important positions as civilians or in the Indonesian military in West Papua and elsewhere. "Without sustained pressure on the Indonesian government, U.S. government support for the rights of the East Timorese will end at the Indonesian border," said Miller. "The U.S. needs to back up its talk of rights with actions." During a joint media conference (http://www.state.gov/ Background The UN is ending the UN Mission Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT), but will remain engaged in the country through its agencies. On November 12, 1991, Indonesian troops opened fire on a memorial procession - turned into a peaceful pro-independence demonstration - at the Santa Cruz cemetery in Dili, the capital of Timor-Leste. More than 270 mostly-young Timorese were murdered. Unlike previous mass atrocities committed during Indonesia's 24-year occupation, the massacre was witnessed by the NY-based Amy Goodman (http://www.democracynow.org/ During more than two decades of U.S.-backed occupation of Timor-Leste, Indonesian soldiers committed serious crimes with impunity, taking as many as 184,000 Timorese lives and torturing, raping and displacing countless others. Timor-Leste became independent in 2002. Earlier this month, the Timorese organization La'o Hamutuk wrote (http://www.laohamutuk.org/ In her May 2012 report (http://daccess- Timor-Leste's Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation (http://etan.org/ Indonesia has failed to provide information about the fate of the disappeared. This despite an agreement to create a Commission for Disappeared Persons "to acquire information about the fate of disappeared people and cooperate to gather data and provide information to their families." ETAN was formed in 1991 reaction to the Santa Cruz massacre. The 20-year old U.S.-based organization advocates for democracy, justice and human rights for Timor-Leste and Indonesia. For more information on the massacre see http://etan.org/ End
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