Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy
On
Restoring International Military Education
And Training Assistance To The Indonesian Military

January 22, 2003

Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I strongly support this amendment. It addresses a problem that has been a concern of mine for years, which is the involvement of the Indonesian military in deliberate attacks against American citizens.

I fully appreciate that Indonesia is an important country with an elected president. We want to support Indonesia in every way we can, and we are doing so. The foreign operations portion of this omnibus appropriations bill provides $150,000,000 in economic assistance for Indonesia , a significant increase above the amount requested by the President.

We are also supporting the Indonesian military. Our armed forces are engaging with the Indonesian military at all levels, including providing them millions of dollars in antiterrorism training assistance.

So no one should be under any illusion that we are not engaging with the Indonesian military or that we are not working with them to thwart international terrorism. We are training them and we are working with them.

We are doing that despite the fact--and this is widely known--that the Indonesian military was responsible for creating and arming some of the most radical Muslim terrorist groups in that country.

But that is not what this amendment is about. This amendment focuses on a separate, $400,000 military training program, which was suspended in 1999 after senior Indonesian military officers orchestrated the massacre of some 1,000 people in East Timor, and then lied about it.

It was criminal, it was shameful, and it was universally condemned.

At that time, we, the Congress, said that we would resume that IMET training program when the Indonesian military took steps to bring to justice those responsible. 

Was that too much to ask? No one thought so at the time. Not here, not in the Pentagon.

There has been no justice. In fact, the Indonesian military has flagrantly obstructed justice, intimidating, judges and threatening witnesses.

But even worse, there is credible evidence that 5 months ago--last August--the Indonesian military purposefully singled out American citizens for assassination. That they planned an attack which left two American teachers dead and several others wounded. Since the, they have actively tried to obstruct the police investigation of the crime.

We all agree that Indonesia is an important country, and that we need to work with the Indonesian government to combat international terrorism, and on other issues. We are doing that. But should we not at least expect the Indonesian military to cooperate with the investigation of the murders of American citizens.

Is that too much to ask? It is not about the money. The amount of money is insignificant. It is about the message it sends. This amendment says that before we resume this tiny military training program, the deaths of Americans need to be investigated and the people involved brought to justice.

If the military had not actively obstructed the investigation, this amendment would not be necessary. There is even evidence that an army officer shot at a police investigator, and that a police vehicle was attacked. Only after months of refusals and obfuscation, have they finally agreed to let the FBI assist in the investigation, and we do not yet know what access to witnesses or other evidence the FBI will have.

This amendment does not cut off anti-terrorism training and it does not cut off the IMET program. In fact, it reinstates the IMET program. There should be no confusion about that. The Feingold amendment reinstates the IMET program. But not for combat training--not until they meet the conditions in the amendment.

It is a timely and reasonable amendment. It is a simple amendment. It is a victims rights amendment.

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