Amien Rais 'forced' to talk on East Timor
Amien Rais 'forced' to talk on East Timor
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Antara): Moslem scholar Amien Rais has
expressed disappointment that the Human Rights Caucus "forced"
him to talk on the issue of East Timor before a formal forum
without sufficient preparation.
"I am disappointed they did not inform me earlier (that they
wanted me) to talk on the issue of East Timor," said Amien,
chairman of Indonesia's second largest Moslem organization,
Muhammadiyah, after attending the Caucus meeting here Thursday.
The Human Rights Caucus is a group of human rights observers
based in Washington D.C.
Amien also said the U.S. National Council of Churches (NCC),
which organized his visit here, told him he was to talk about the
Wolf/Specter Bill at the Caucus. If passed, the legislation could
open the way to the United States imposing economic sanctions on
Indonesia for its allegedly poor human rights record.
According to Amien, who was accompanied by executives of the
Communion of Churches in Indonesia (PGI) J.M. Pattiasina and
S.A.E Nababan: "I had not expected to be asked to brief them on
the issue of East Timor this morning. It would be different if
they had informed me first."
Pattiasina and Nababan agreed with Amien, saying they were not
well-informed on the latest development in East Timor.
"We are not the right people to talk about the matter,
especially without being informed ahead of time," Pattiasina
explained.
The Caucus presented two speakers from East Timor Action
Network and Amnesty International to speak on East Timor.
The event was attended by Senator Joseph R. Pitts (R-
Pennsylvania) and Patrick Kennedy (D-Rhode Island), both of whom
are known for their anti-Indonesian stance on the East Timor
issue.
Kennedy once opposed U.S. military assistance to Indonesia.
During the meeting, Kennedy announced his plan to issue a formal
statement on East Timor along with Senator Howard Burman (D-
California).
In response, Amien Rais, Pattiasina and Nababan underscored
that Indonesia considers the problem "finished" since East Timor
was formally integrated into Indonesia in 1976.
AP reported that Amien also urged the United States to exert
pressure on Indonesia to introduce democratic reform.
"I don't want any (U.S.) intervention. I don't want any
interference," Amien said after testifying before the
Congressional Human Rights Caucus.
"But I hope that the United States does not escape from its
global responsibilities. ...Giving strong signals ...to
Indonesia to open up the democratization process is the best
way," he added.
Amien said he has reversed his initial opposition to linking
badly needed economic aid with progress on the human rights front
because the "nature of my government is so anti-progress,
antidemocratic, you need external pressure to change (its)
heart."