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Demand End to Military Campaign in Aceh and Justice for East Timor
URGENT ACTION: Indonesia Network
The Indonesian military (TNI) recently launched a massive military assault on the people of Aceh following the imposition of martial law on May 19. Civilian casualties are mounting rapidly, with village massacres reported. The TNI plans to forcibly relocate as many as 200,000 people to military-supervised camps. Human rights monitors, journalists and nonviolent advocates have been targeted. U.S.-supplied weapons have been used in the assault.
The Indonesian military (TNI) recently launched a massive military assault on the people of Aceh following the imposition of martial law on May 19. Civilian casualties are mounting rapidly, with village massacres reported. The TNI plans to forcibly relocate as many as 200,000 people to military-supervised camps. Human rights monitors, journalists and nonviolent advocates have been targeted. U.S.-supplied weapons have been used in the assault.
Senate and House Letters Demand End to Military Campaign in Aceh and Justice for East Timor
Call Your Senators and Representatives Today to Sign on to Letters
The Indonesian military (TNI) recently launched a massive military assault on the people of Aceh following the imposition of martial law on May 19. Civilian casualties are mounting rapidly, with village massacres reported. The TNI plans to forcibly relocate as many as 200,000 people to military-supervised camps. Human rights monitors and nonviolent advocates have been targeted. U.S.-supplied weapons have been used in the assault.
The TNI continues to successfully evaded accountability for crimes against humanity committed in East Timor. The final verdict of Indonesia's ad hoc Human Rights Court for East Timor is due July 1, and the prosecutor recently announced he would request an acquittal. As of now, the court has acquitted 12 and convicted five, delivering light sentences.
The House of Representatives and the Senate are each circulating two Dear Colleague letters one on the military assault in Aceh, and the other on justice for East Timor. Call your Representative and Senators today to urge them to sign these letters! The Congressional switchboard number is
202-224-3121. (Please note that those who have signed one or more the letters as of June 17 are listed below .)
Tell Senators to:
Sign the Dear Colleague letter being circulated by Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) urging President Bush to convey to Indonesian authorities in the strongest terms possible that the military must respect human rights and ceases attacks and intimidation against civilians under threat as the Indonesian military continues its offensive in Aceh. The letter expresses support for a peaceful strategy to be pursued in the conflict.
Senators should contact Richard Harper at 224-3841 by Monday June 23 to sign on.
Sign the Dear Colleague letter being circulated by Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) emphasizing international responsibility for justice for East Timor and urging Secretary of State Powell to support the joint UN-East Timor Serious Crimes Unit (SCU) and Special Panel courts (charged with investigating, prosecuting, and trying serious crimes committed in 1999); the establishment of an international tribunal; and the release of documents requested by East Timor's Commission for Reception, Truth and
Reconciliation. Senators should contact Elizabeth King at 224-4642 by Friday, June 20 to sign on.
Tell Representatives to:
Sign the Dear Colleague letter being circulated by Representatives Tom Lantos (D-CA) and Christopher Smith (R-NJ) expressing deep concern about the Indonesian military campaign in Aceh and major human rights abuses committed against civilians there. The bipartisan letter urges Secretary of State Powell to ask the Indonesian government to end the use of U.S. equipment in Aceh, work toward an immediate ceasefire, and raise the human rights tragedy in Aceh at the United Nations Security Council. To sign on, Representatives should contact Carol Doherty at 202-225-2480 by Monday, June 23.
Sign the Dear Colleague letter being circulated by Representative Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) urging President Bush to respond positively to a request by East Timor's Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation to release U.S. documents to help clarify specific events and especially egregious human rights violations. The letter also encourages the President's active support in extending the mandate of the joint UN-East Timor Serious Crimes Unit and Special Panels beyond May 2004. Without an extension, cases will be left unfinished and justice denied. To sign on, Representatives should contact David Stacy at 225-2906 by Friday, June 20.
Please call your Senators and Representative today. The letters' deadlines are approaching quickly we have limited time to maximize the pressure! If you don't know who your Senators or Representative are go to http://www.congress.org and enter your zip code. The Congressional switchboard number is 202-224-3121.
You are the key to Congressional support. Your calls do make a difference. Please let us know the results of your calls by contacting John M. Miller, ETAN's Outreach Coordinator, at john [at] etan.org. Thank you!
Additional Background
Aceh : Last month, the Indonesian military launched its largest
military offensive since the 1975 invasion of East Timor, obliterating an internationally-supported ceasefire agreement in Aceh. The government has imposed martial law and restricted media access. Civilian casualties of TNI "sweeps," including children, are mounting rapidly. Thousands of civilians have fled their villages, and the TNI plans to forcibly relocate as many as 200,000 others to military-supervised camps. Human rights monitors and nonviolent advocates have been targeted with threats, arrests, attacks, torture, and extrajudicial killing. The government has warned foreign aid organizations to leave the province and threatened to impose press censorship. U.S.-supplied weapons have reportedly been used in the assault, including OV-10 Bronco counter-insurgency aircraft, C-130 Hercules transport planes, and F-16 fighter jets. The Bush administration has said the conflict cannot be resolved militarily and has urged a return to negotiations.
Justice for East Timor : The TNI has thus far successfully evaded
accountability for crimes against humanity committed in East Timor. The Indonesian Ad Hoc Human Rights Court for East Timor has been characterized by poorly drawn indictments, inadequate witness protection, an intimidating courtroom atmosphere and distortions of events that took place in 1999. The court's very limited mandate (two months of 1999 in
three of East Timor's 13 districts) makes a systematic accounting of the coordination and policy behind the 1999 violence impossible and ignores the many atrocities that took place outside of the mandate and prior to 1999. The alleged masterminds of the 1999 scorched earth campaign have not been prosecuted by Indonesia. As of now, the court has acquitted 12 and convicted five, delivering light sentences (four of the five are less than the legal minimum under Indonesian law); those convicted remain free pending appeal. The final verdict is due July 1st, and the prosecutor recently announced he would request an acquittal of Major General Adam Damiri, the highest-ranking officer prosecuted. Damiri has missed several court appearances because he is involved in the military assault on Aceh.
In East Timor, the UN-East Timor Serious Crimes Unit (SCU) investigates and prosecutes crimes against humanity committed in 1999. The Special Panels are courts that hear these cases. The SCU and Special Panels, as well as the East Timorese government's own judicial system, are severely under-resourced. The SCU and Special Panels will expire at the end of May 2004 unless their mandate is extended, leaving unfinished investigations and trials, and denying justice. Thus far, nearly two-thirds of the 247 people already indicted by the SCU are in Indonesia, yet Indonesian authorities have refused to cooperate. Indeed, Indonesian authorities have threatened East Timor over the SCU's indictment of high-level Indonesian
military personnel, including General Wiranto.
Signatures as of June 17, 2003
Lantos (D-CA) Smith (R-NJ) letter on Aceh
Berman (D-CA), Crowley (D-NY), DeFazio (D-OR), Doggett (D-TX), Farr (D-CA), Flake (R-AZ), Frank (D-MA), Grijalva (D-AZ), Kildee (D-MI), Langevin (D-RI), Oberstar (D-MN), Holt (D-NJ), Geo. Miller (D-CA), Norton (D-DC), Pastor (D-AZ), Mark Udall (D-CO)
Baldwin (D-WI) on Justice
Abercrombie (D-HI), Bordallo (D-GU), Brown (D-OH), DeFazio (D-OR), Doggett (D-TX), Evans (D-IL), Grijalva (D-AZ), Kennedy (D-RI), Kucinich (D-OH), Lee (D-CA), Maloney (D-NY), McCollum (D-MN), McDermott (D-MA), Norton (D-DC), Oberstar (D-MN), Pastor (D-AZ), Owens (D-NY), Tauscher (D-CA), Udall (D-CO), Waxman (D-CA), Wexler (D-FL), Woolsey (D-CA)
Reed (D-RI) Letter on Timor Justice
Akaka (D-HI), Collins (R-ME), Dodd (D-CT), Feingold (D-WI), Feinstein (D-CA), Gregg (R-NH), Levin (D-MI)
Feinstein (D-CA) Letter (Aceh)
Akaka (D-HI), Boxer (D-CA), Dodd (D-CT), Durbin (D-IL), Feingold (D-WI), Kohl (D-WI), Levin (D-MI), Murray (D-WA), Stabenow (D-MI), Wyden (D-OR)
http://indonesianetwork.org/action/2003/congress_signon.htm
Call Your Senators and Representatives Today to Sign on to Letters
The Indonesian military (TNI) recently launched a massive military assault on the people of Aceh following the imposition of martial law on May 19. Civilian casualties are mounting rapidly, with village massacres reported. The TNI plans to forcibly relocate as many as 200,000 people to military-supervised camps. Human rights monitors and nonviolent advocates have been targeted. U.S.-supplied weapons have been used in the assault.
The TNI continues to successfully evaded accountability for crimes against humanity committed in East Timor. The final verdict of Indonesia's ad hoc Human Rights Court for East Timor is due July 1, and the prosecutor recently announced he would request an acquittal. As of now, the court has acquitted 12 and convicted five, delivering light sentences.
The House of Representatives and the Senate are each circulating two Dear Colleague letters one on the military assault in Aceh, and the other on justice for East Timor. Call your Representative and Senators today to urge them to sign these letters! The Congressional switchboard number is
202-224-3121. (Please note that those who have signed one or more the letters as of June 17 are listed below .)
Tell Senators to:
Sign the Dear Colleague letter being circulated by Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) urging President Bush to convey to Indonesian authorities in the strongest terms possible that the military must respect human rights and ceases attacks and intimidation against civilians under threat as the Indonesian military continues its offensive in Aceh. The letter expresses support for a peaceful strategy to be pursued in the conflict.
Senators should contact Richard Harper at 224-3841 by Monday June 23 to sign on.
Sign the Dear Colleague letter being circulated by Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) emphasizing international responsibility for justice for East Timor and urging Secretary of State Powell to support the joint UN-East Timor Serious Crimes Unit (SCU) and Special Panel courts (charged with investigating, prosecuting, and trying serious crimes committed in 1999); the establishment of an international tribunal; and the release of documents requested by East Timor's Commission for Reception, Truth and
Reconciliation. Senators should contact Elizabeth King at 224-4642 by Friday, June 20 to sign on.
Tell Representatives to:
Sign the Dear Colleague letter being circulated by Representatives Tom Lantos (D-CA) and Christopher Smith (R-NJ) expressing deep concern about the Indonesian military campaign in Aceh and major human rights abuses committed against civilians there. The bipartisan letter urges Secretary of State Powell to ask the Indonesian government to end the use of U.S. equipment in Aceh, work toward an immediate ceasefire, and raise the human rights tragedy in Aceh at the United Nations Security Council. To sign on, Representatives should contact Carol Doherty at 202-225-2480 by Monday, June 23.
Sign the Dear Colleague letter being circulated by Representative Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) urging President Bush to respond positively to a request by East Timor's Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation to release U.S. documents to help clarify specific events and especially egregious human rights violations. The letter also encourages the President's active support in extending the mandate of the joint UN-East Timor Serious Crimes Unit and Special Panels beyond May 2004. Without an extension, cases will be left unfinished and justice denied. To sign on, Representatives should contact David Stacy at 225-2906 by Friday, June 20.
Please call your Senators and Representative today. The letters' deadlines are approaching quickly we have limited time to maximize the pressure! If you don't know who your Senators or Representative are go to http://www.congress.org and enter your zip code. The Congressional switchboard number is 202-224-3121.
You are the key to Congressional support. Your calls do make a difference. Please let us know the results of your calls by contacting John M. Miller, ETAN's Outreach Coordinator, at john [at] etan.org. Thank you!
Additional Background
Aceh : Last month, the Indonesian military launched its largest
military offensive since the 1975 invasion of East Timor, obliterating an internationally-supported ceasefire agreement in Aceh. The government has imposed martial law and restricted media access. Civilian casualties of TNI "sweeps," including children, are mounting rapidly. Thousands of civilians have fled their villages, and the TNI plans to forcibly relocate as many as 200,000 others to military-supervised camps. Human rights monitors and nonviolent advocates have been targeted with threats, arrests, attacks, torture, and extrajudicial killing. The government has warned foreign aid organizations to leave the province and threatened to impose press censorship. U.S.-supplied weapons have reportedly been used in the assault, including OV-10 Bronco counter-insurgency aircraft, C-130 Hercules transport planes, and F-16 fighter jets. The Bush administration has said the conflict cannot be resolved militarily and has urged a return to negotiations.
Justice for East Timor : The TNI has thus far successfully evaded
accountability for crimes against humanity committed in East Timor. The Indonesian Ad Hoc Human Rights Court for East Timor has been characterized by poorly drawn indictments, inadequate witness protection, an intimidating courtroom atmosphere and distortions of events that took place in 1999. The court's very limited mandate (two months of 1999 in
three of East Timor's 13 districts) makes a systematic accounting of the coordination and policy behind the 1999 violence impossible and ignores the many atrocities that took place outside of the mandate and prior to 1999. The alleged masterminds of the 1999 scorched earth campaign have not been prosecuted by Indonesia. As of now, the court has acquitted 12 and convicted five, delivering light sentences (four of the five are less than the legal minimum under Indonesian law); those convicted remain free pending appeal. The final verdict is due July 1st, and the prosecutor recently announced he would request an acquittal of Major General Adam Damiri, the highest-ranking officer prosecuted. Damiri has missed several court appearances because he is involved in the military assault on Aceh.
In East Timor, the UN-East Timor Serious Crimes Unit (SCU) investigates and prosecutes crimes against humanity committed in 1999. The Special Panels are courts that hear these cases. The SCU and Special Panels, as well as the East Timorese government's own judicial system, are severely under-resourced. The SCU and Special Panels will expire at the end of May 2004 unless their mandate is extended, leaving unfinished investigations and trials, and denying justice. Thus far, nearly two-thirds of the 247 people already indicted by the SCU are in Indonesia, yet Indonesian authorities have refused to cooperate. Indeed, Indonesian authorities have threatened East Timor over the SCU's indictment of high-level Indonesian
military personnel, including General Wiranto.
Signatures as of June 17, 2003
Lantos (D-CA) Smith (R-NJ) letter on Aceh
Berman (D-CA), Crowley (D-NY), DeFazio (D-OR), Doggett (D-TX), Farr (D-CA), Flake (R-AZ), Frank (D-MA), Grijalva (D-AZ), Kildee (D-MI), Langevin (D-RI), Oberstar (D-MN), Holt (D-NJ), Geo. Miller (D-CA), Norton (D-DC), Pastor (D-AZ), Mark Udall (D-CO)
Baldwin (D-WI) on Justice
Abercrombie (D-HI), Bordallo (D-GU), Brown (D-OH), DeFazio (D-OR), Doggett (D-TX), Evans (D-IL), Grijalva (D-AZ), Kennedy (D-RI), Kucinich (D-OH), Lee (D-CA), Maloney (D-NY), McCollum (D-MN), McDermott (D-MA), Norton (D-DC), Oberstar (D-MN), Pastor (D-AZ), Owens (D-NY), Tauscher (D-CA), Udall (D-CO), Waxman (D-CA), Wexler (D-FL), Woolsey (D-CA)
Reed (D-RI) Letter on Timor Justice
Akaka (D-HI), Collins (R-ME), Dodd (D-CT), Feingold (D-WI), Feinstein (D-CA), Gregg (R-NH), Levin (D-MI)
Feinstein (D-CA) Letter (Aceh)
Akaka (D-HI), Boxer (D-CA), Dodd (D-CT), Durbin (D-IL), Feingold (D-WI), Kohl (D-WI), Levin (D-MI), Murray (D-WA), Stabenow (D-MI), Wyden (D-OR)
http://indonesianetwork.org/action/2003/congress_signon.htm
For more information:
http://www.indonesianetwork.org
Add Your Comments
Comments
(Hide Comments)
Please support indonesianetwork.org's call to action to stop military aggression in Aceh and East Timor.
Right now, civilian villagers are under attack by US supplied F-16s and OV-10 Broncos fighter planes, reports William Nessen, a freelance journalist embedded with the Free Aceh Movement (GAM.) Despite efforts to surrender, the villagers, and journalists have been fired upon by US trained military forces, and threatened with arrest, interrogation.
On June 17th, 2003, the body of Mohamad Jamal, a cameraman for Indonesian state run TVRI was recovered by locals in Banda Aceh, the provincial capital of strife-torn Aceh, where a major Indonesian military offensive is underway to crush a long-running separatist insurgency. A military spokesman told the Reuters news agency that Jamal's body was found in a river. Other witnesses said that Jamal's eyes and mouth had been covered with duct tape, his hands bound with a nylon cord, and a noose lashed to a boulder was tied around his neck, according to Reuters.
Journalists in Aceh said that unidentified gunmen had kidnapped Jamal on May 20, the day after martial law was imposed in Aceh. The motive behind his kidnapping and murder remain unclear.
Right now, civilian villagers are under attack by US supplied F-16s and OV-10 Broncos fighter planes, reports William Nessen, a freelance journalist embedded with the Free Aceh Movement (GAM.) Despite efforts to surrender, the villagers, and journalists have been fired upon by US trained military forces, and threatened with arrest, interrogation.
On June 17th, 2003, the body of Mohamad Jamal, a cameraman for Indonesian state run TVRI was recovered by locals in Banda Aceh, the provincial capital of strife-torn Aceh, where a major Indonesian military offensive is underway to crush a long-running separatist insurgency. A military spokesman told the Reuters news agency that Jamal's body was found in a river. Other witnesses said that Jamal's eyes and mouth had been covered with duct tape, his hands bound with a nylon cord, and a noose lashed to a boulder was tied around his neck, according to Reuters.
Journalists in Aceh said that unidentified gunmen had kidnapped Jamal on May 20, the day after martial law was imposed in Aceh. The motive behind his kidnapping and murder remain unclear.
Please support indonesianetwork.org's call to action to stop military aggression in Aceh and East Timor.
Right now, civilian villagers are under attack by US supplied F-16s and OV-10 Broncos fighter planes, reports William Nessen, a freelance journalist embedded with the Free Aceh Movement (GAM.) Despite efforts to surrender, the villagers, and journalists have been fired upon by US trained military forces, and threatened with arrest, interrogation.
On June 17th, 2003, the body of Mohamad Jamal, a cameraman for Indonesian state run TVRI was recovered by locals in Banda Aceh, the provincial capital of strife-torn Aceh, where a major Indonesian military offensive is underway to crush a long-running separatist insurgency. A military spokesman told the Reuters news agency that Jamal's body was found in a river. Other witnesses said that Jamal's eyes and mouth had been covered with duct tape, his hands bound with a nylon cord, and a noose lashed to a boulder was tied around his neck, according to Reuters.
Journalists in Aceh said that unidentified gunmen had kidnapped Jamal on May 20, the day after martial law was imposed in Aceh. The motive behind his kidnapping and murder remain unclear.
For more current info on Aceh see "Billie Nessen Missing????" posts
http://www.indybay.org/news/2003/06/1618606_comment.php#1620653
Right now, civilian villagers are under attack by US supplied F-16s and OV-10 Broncos fighter planes, reports William Nessen, a freelance journalist embedded with the Free Aceh Movement (GAM.) Despite efforts to surrender, the villagers, and journalists have been fired upon by US trained military forces, and threatened with arrest, interrogation.
On June 17th, 2003, the body of Mohamad Jamal, a cameraman for Indonesian state run TVRI was recovered by locals in Banda Aceh, the provincial capital of strife-torn Aceh, where a major Indonesian military offensive is underway to crush a long-running separatist insurgency. A military spokesman told the Reuters news agency that Jamal's body was found in a river. Other witnesses said that Jamal's eyes and mouth had been covered with duct tape, his hands bound with a nylon cord, and a noose lashed to a boulder was tied around his neck, according to Reuters.
Journalists in Aceh said that unidentified gunmen had kidnapped Jamal on May 20, the day after martial law was imposed in Aceh. The motive behind his kidnapping and murder remain unclear.
For more current info on Aceh see "Billie Nessen Missing????" posts
http://www.indybay.org/news/2003/06/1618606_comment.php#1620653
Support the Demand to End US-trained Indonesian Military Aggression Against Aceh and East Timor Peoples.
More on Aceh and East Timor and A Journalist Under Fire: Billie Nessen
http://www.indybay.org/news/2003/06/1618606_comment.php#1620678
"I will come out if the TNI and the Indonesian government guarantee that I can leave the country without being arrested, interrogated or stopped," William Nessen told The Jakarta Post by telephone from his hiding place about 30 minutes after the deadline. (Jakarta Post, June 19, 2003)
Brig. Gen. Bambang Darmano: "If you don't want to be shot, tell us your position." (Sydney Morning Herald)
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/06/15/1055615680644.html
http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/Weekly2003/06.17.2003/Indonesia.htm
http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/Weekly2003/06.10.2003/Indonesia2.htm
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/030615/1/3bt6q.html
quotes from US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Richard Lugar: http://www.theage.com.au/text/articles/2003/06/17/1055828328699.htm
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailweekly.asp?fileid=20030615.@02
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailweekly.asp?fileid=20030616.@03
http://www.tempo.co.id/news/2003/6/12/1,1,33,uk.html
http://www.tempo.co.id/news/2003/6/17/1,1,4,uk.html
http://www.tempo.co.id/news/2003/6/15/1,1,13,uk.html
http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2003/s881758.htm
the Committee to Protect Journalists letter to Indonesian Government:
http://www.cpj.org/protests/03ltrs/Indonesia10june03pl.html
CPJ: The Threat is Real!
RE: Mohamad Jamal Killed INDONESIA: Missing cameraman's body found in Aceh
http://www.cpj.org/protests/03ltrs/Indonesia18june03pl.html
background info on web:
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/12/06/1038950195475.html
BACK DOOR Newsletter on East Timor:
http://www.tip.net.au/~wildwood/01octarms.htm
Photos by Nessen in Aceh Times:
http://www.achehtimes.com/pu/newsphotos/012003i00.htm
http://www.reliefweb.int/w/rwb.nsf/6686f45896f15dbc852567ae00530132/01b54f6c2590455cc1256d4400405940?OpenDocument
With all the international coverage, coupled with the fact that Nessen's a contributing reporter to the CHRON, the Chronicle ran a very short piece by Teresa Castle on June 18, front section p.10
More on Aceh and East Timor and A Journalist Under Fire: Billie Nessen
http://www.indybay.org/news/2003/06/1618606_comment.php#1620678
"I will come out if the TNI and the Indonesian government guarantee that I can leave the country without being arrested, interrogated or stopped," William Nessen told The Jakarta Post by telephone from his hiding place about 30 minutes after the deadline. (Jakarta Post, June 19, 2003)
Brig. Gen. Bambang Darmano: "If you don't want to be shot, tell us your position." (Sydney Morning Herald)
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/06/15/1055615680644.html
http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/Weekly2003/06.17.2003/Indonesia.htm
http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/Weekly2003/06.10.2003/Indonesia2.htm
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/030615/1/3bt6q.html
quotes from US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Richard Lugar: http://www.theage.com.au/text/articles/2003/06/17/1055828328699.htm
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailweekly.asp?fileid=20030615.@02
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailweekly.asp?fileid=20030616.@03
http://www.tempo.co.id/news/2003/6/12/1,1,33,uk.html
http://www.tempo.co.id/news/2003/6/17/1,1,4,uk.html
http://www.tempo.co.id/news/2003/6/15/1,1,13,uk.html
http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2003/s881758.htm
the Committee to Protect Journalists letter to Indonesian Government:
http://www.cpj.org/protests/03ltrs/Indonesia10june03pl.html
CPJ: The Threat is Real!
RE: Mohamad Jamal Killed INDONESIA: Missing cameraman's body found in Aceh
http://www.cpj.org/protests/03ltrs/Indonesia18june03pl.html
background info on web:
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/12/06/1038950195475.html
BACK DOOR Newsletter on East Timor:
http://www.tip.net.au/~wildwood/01octarms.htm
Photos by Nessen in Aceh Times:
http://www.achehtimes.com/pu/newsphotos/012003i00.htm
http://www.reliefweb.int/w/rwb.nsf/6686f45896f15dbc852567ae00530132/01b54f6c2590455cc1256d4400405940?OpenDocument
With all the international coverage, coupled with the fact that Nessen's a contributing reporter to the CHRON, the Chronicle ran a very short piece by Teresa Castle on June 18, front section p.10
URGENT: US journalist?s life in danger in Aceh Province, Indonesia.
by Global Exchange Friday June 20, 2003 at 03:49 PM
Please pass this alert on to others. Friends: Last month the Indonesian military commenced a major offensive against the Free Aceh Movement (the GAM). At that time, a USjournalist, Billy Nessen, was traveling with and writing about the GAM, and is now trapped in the fighting. Last week he attempted to enter a government controlled area, was fired upon and fled, losing his camera, computer, and passport.
The Indonesian military is widely known for brutality in East Timor. Obviously they do not want outside observers in Aceh, and Nessen
is the last international journalist in the war zone. Maj. Gen. Endang Suwarya, the head of the martial law administration in Aceh, has made
threatening comments, refused to promise Nessen safe passage, and insisted he ?give himself up<sum>.
We believe Billy?s life is in great danger. The number of Aceh citizens killed is unknown, but two German tourists have been shot by the
military,and on June 17th an Indonesian TV camerman was found dead in Aceh, his hands
tied and his eyes and mouth taped shut.
The Committee to Protect Journalists, faculty and staff at the Columbia School of Journalism (Nessen?s alma mater), the San Francisco Local of
the National Writers Union, Media Alliance, and Billy?s friends and family are all working to get him home safely.
NESSEN?S LIFE IS AT STAKE. PLEASE FAX TWO LETTERS TODAY TO:
US Ambassador to Indonesia Ralph Boyce. Fax: 011-6221-3435-9922
Indonesian Ambassador to the U.S. Soemadi D.M. Brotodiningrat. Fax:
202-775-5365
For more information, Google Billy Nessen, contact the Committee to
Protect
Journalists at the site below, or email scottb [at] igc.org.
************************************************
SAMPLE LETTER:
DATE:
TO:
Sir: I am aware that US journalist Billy Nessen is in great danger in
Aceh
province, Indonesia.
It is the international right of journalists to travel freely and
interview
who they choose in the course of their work.
It is the responsibility of the US and Indonesian governments to uphold
these rights.
I demand that a ranking member of the US embassy travel to Aceh
province and
escort Billy Nessen out of the fighting and that the Indonesian
government
allow Nessen to leave the country without injury, arrest, or
interrogation.
Sincerely,
Your Name
Your Title if pertinent
************************************************
BACKGROUND______
From the Committee to Protect Journalist, NYNY
INDONESIA: American journalist in danger in Aceh
June 10, 2003
TO: Her Excellency Megawati Sukarnoputri
President, Republic of Indonesia
Office of the President
Bina Graha, Jalan Veteran No. 1
Jakarta Pusat, Indonesia
Your Excellency:
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is deeply concerned about the safety of American free-lance journalist William Nessen, who is
currently traveling with separatist rebels in the restive Indonesian province of Aceh,
where a massive military campaign is underway. The group Nessen is with has come under direct attack from Indonesian government soldiers, and his life is currently at great risk.
Nessen has been covering the insurgency in Aceh for years and is known for having rare access to rebels with the Free Aceh Movement, known by its
Indonesian acronym as GAM. A free-lance reporter and photographer, he has contributed to such publications as The Boston Globe, The Sydney
Morning Herald, and the British newspaper The Independent.
Nessen last spoke to his wife, Shadia Marhaban, at about 5:30 p.m.,local time, using a satellite phone. During this conversation, he said that
when he attempted to surrender to government soldiers, troops opened fire, forcing him to flee with the rebels for safety. "I could hear gunfire, and then the line went dead," Marhaban told CPJ.
Yesterday, Maj. Gen. Endang Suwarya, the head of the martial law administration in Aceh, told a press conference that he was aware that
an American journalist was trapped in rebel-held territory. However, Suwarya added that it was up to the reporter to extract himself from danger as, "We cannot guarantee the safety of foreign journalists in Aceh," according to The Associated Press and the regional daily Serambi Indonesia.
After the military offensive was launched on May 19, Suwarya stated that he would no longer allow the views of GAM to be reported by the media.
Indonesian authorities have said repeatedly that Suwarya has the sole discretion to control the media in Aceh. Authorities also have announced
their intention to ban all foreign journalists from reporting in Aceh, an order that has yet to go into effect.
Diplomatic sources told CPJ that Nessen appears to be "in a great deal of danger" and that efforts are underway to secure his safe departure from the province. Marhaban and others have sought assistance for Nessen from the United States Embassy in Jakarta. The Indonesian government has offered no assurances yet about his safety.
Nessen has press accreditation issued by the Indonesian government, according to Marhaban and colleagues who have seen the credentials.
But Indonesian Information Ministry official Wahid Supriyadi denied that Nessen was an accredited journalist. "As far as we are concerned he is a tourist, and he has no right to be there," Supriyadi told CPJ.
Last week, soldiers in Aceh shot two German tourists, one of whom was killed. An official inquiry into that incident is underway.
As an organization dedicated to the protection of our colleagues worldwide, CPJ calls on the Your Excellency to ensure that the Indonesian military
guarantees Nessen's safety and acts immediately to allow him safe passage out of Aceh. The Indonesian government has a responsibility to ensure that civilians, including journalists, are not harmed during military operations.
We thank you for your attention to these urgent matters and await your response.
Sincerely,
Ann K. Cooper
Executive Director
© 2003 Committee to Protect Journalists. http://www.cpj.org
E-mail: info [at] cpj.org <mailto:info [at] cpj.org>
origin:http://www.indybay.org/news/2003/06/1621005.php
by Global Exchange Friday June 20, 2003 at 03:49 PM
Please pass this alert on to others. Friends: Last month the Indonesian military commenced a major offensive against the Free Aceh Movement (the GAM). At that time, a USjournalist, Billy Nessen, was traveling with and writing about the GAM, and is now trapped in the fighting. Last week he attempted to enter a government controlled area, was fired upon and fled, losing his camera, computer, and passport.
The Indonesian military is widely known for brutality in East Timor. Obviously they do not want outside observers in Aceh, and Nessen
is the last international journalist in the war zone. Maj. Gen. Endang Suwarya, the head of the martial law administration in Aceh, has made
threatening comments, refused to promise Nessen safe passage, and insisted he ?give himself up<sum>.
We believe Billy?s life is in great danger. The number of Aceh citizens killed is unknown, but two German tourists have been shot by the
military,and on June 17th an Indonesian TV camerman was found dead in Aceh, his hands
tied and his eyes and mouth taped shut.
The Committee to Protect Journalists, faculty and staff at the Columbia School of Journalism (Nessen?s alma mater), the San Francisco Local of
the National Writers Union, Media Alliance, and Billy?s friends and family are all working to get him home safely.
NESSEN?S LIFE IS AT STAKE. PLEASE FAX TWO LETTERS TODAY TO:
US Ambassador to Indonesia Ralph Boyce. Fax: 011-6221-3435-9922
Indonesian Ambassador to the U.S. Soemadi D.M. Brotodiningrat. Fax:
202-775-5365
For more information, Google Billy Nessen, contact the Committee to
Protect
Journalists at the site below, or email scottb [at] igc.org.
************************************************
SAMPLE LETTER:
DATE:
TO:
Sir: I am aware that US journalist Billy Nessen is in great danger in
Aceh
province, Indonesia.
It is the international right of journalists to travel freely and
interview
who they choose in the course of their work.
It is the responsibility of the US and Indonesian governments to uphold
these rights.
I demand that a ranking member of the US embassy travel to Aceh
province and
escort Billy Nessen out of the fighting and that the Indonesian
government
allow Nessen to leave the country without injury, arrest, or
interrogation.
Sincerely,
Your Name
Your Title if pertinent
************************************************
BACKGROUND______
From the Committee to Protect Journalist, NYNY
INDONESIA: American journalist in danger in Aceh
June 10, 2003
TO: Her Excellency Megawati Sukarnoputri
President, Republic of Indonesia
Office of the President
Bina Graha, Jalan Veteran No. 1
Jakarta Pusat, Indonesia
Your Excellency:
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is deeply concerned about the safety of American free-lance journalist William Nessen, who is
currently traveling with separatist rebels in the restive Indonesian province of Aceh,
where a massive military campaign is underway. The group Nessen is with has come under direct attack from Indonesian government soldiers, and his life is currently at great risk.
Nessen has been covering the insurgency in Aceh for years and is known for having rare access to rebels with the Free Aceh Movement, known by its
Indonesian acronym as GAM. A free-lance reporter and photographer, he has contributed to such publications as The Boston Globe, The Sydney
Morning Herald, and the British newspaper The Independent.
Nessen last spoke to his wife, Shadia Marhaban, at about 5:30 p.m.,local time, using a satellite phone. During this conversation, he said that
when he attempted to surrender to government soldiers, troops opened fire, forcing him to flee with the rebels for safety. "I could hear gunfire, and then the line went dead," Marhaban told CPJ.
Yesterday, Maj. Gen. Endang Suwarya, the head of the martial law administration in Aceh, told a press conference that he was aware that
an American journalist was trapped in rebel-held territory. However, Suwarya added that it was up to the reporter to extract himself from danger as, "We cannot guarantee the safety of foreign journalists in Aceh," according to The Associated Press and the regional daily Serambi Indonesia.
After the military offensive was launched on May 19, Suwarya stated that he would no longer allow the views of GAM to be reported by the media.
Indonesian authorities have said repeatedly that Suwarya has the sole discretion to control the media in Aceh. Authorities also have announced
their intention to ban all foreign journalists from reporting in Aceh, an order that has yet to go into effect.
Diplomatic sources told CPJ that Nessen appears to be "in a great deal of danger" and that efforts are underway to secure his safe departure from the province. Marhaban and others have sought assistance for Nessen from the United States Embassy in Jakarta. The Indonesian government has offered no assurances yet about his safety.
Nessen has press accreditation issued by the Indonesian government, according to Marhaban and colleagues who have seen the credentials.
But Indonesian Information Ministry official Wahid Supriyadi denied that Nessen was an accredited journalist. "As far as we are concerned he is a tourist, and he has no right to be there," Supriyadi told CPJ.
Last week, soldiers in Aceh shot two German tourists, one of whom was killed. An official inquiry into that incident is underway.
As an organization dedicated to the protection of our colleagues worldwide, CPJ calls on the Your Excellency to ensure that the Indonesian military
guarantees Nessen's safety and acts immediately to allow him safe passage out of Aceh. The Indonesian government has a responsibility to ensure that civilians, including journalists, are not harmed during military operations.
We thank you for your attention to these urgent matters and await your response.
Sincerely,
Ann K. Cooper
Executive Director
© 2003 Committee to Protect Journalists. http://www.cpj.org
E-mail: info [at] cpj.org <mailto:info [at] cpj.org>
origin:http://www.indybay.org/news/2003/06/1621005.php
The situation in Aceh and East Timor is severe and intense. Hundreds of thousands of villagers have been either re-located, killed, maimed, tortured, and starved by the US trained Indonesian Military Forces attempts to stem the rising popularity and support for the Free Aceh Movement.
This week, US supplied F-16s and other fighter planes have been dropping bombs on villages where "suspected" guerillas may be hiding.
Coincidentally, EXXON-MOBIL natural gas fields are but twenty miles away from the Aceh province targetted by military attacks.
Billie Nessen, a free-lance journalist focusing on human rights abuses, is "embedded," last we know, with the Free Aceh Movement (GAM)--all of whom are facing threat of death by the military's Brig. Gen'l.
Help stop the military violence and oppression in Indonesia province of Aceh and East Timor.
Take a moment to stop the madness. Join the Committee to Protect Journalists and the Indonesian Network's efforts to stop military aggression and demand the safe passage of Billie Nessen and GAM members.
see these other indy posts for more info:
global exchange/committee to protect jounalists
http://www.indybay.org/news/2003/06/1621005.php
Billie Nessen missing????
http://www.indybay.org/news/2003/06/1618606_comment.php#1620653
This week, US supplied F-16s and other fighter planes have been dropping bombs on villages where "suspected" guerillas may be hiding.
Coincidentally, EXXON-MOBIL natural gas fields are but twenty miles away from the Aceh province targetted by military attacks.
Billie Nessen, a free-lance journalist focusing on human rights abuses, is "embedded," last we know, with the Free Aceh Movement (GAM)--all of whom are facing threat of death by the military's Brig. Gen'l.
Help stop the military violence and oppression in Indonesia province of Aceh and East Timor.
Take a moment to stop the madness. Join the Committee to Protect Journalists and the Indonesian Network's efforts to stop military aggression and demand the safe passage of Billie Nessen and GAM members.
see these other indy posts for more info:
global exchange/committee to protect jounalists
http://www.indybay.org/news/2003/06/1621005.php
Billie Nessen missing????
http://www.indybay.org/news/2003/06/1618606_comment.php#1620653
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