SUBMISSION TO IPAN\u2019s INQUIRY into
\nThe Case for an Independent and Peaceful Australia
\nWhat are the costs and consequences of Australia\u2019s
\ninvolvement in US-led wars and the US Alliance?<\/p>\n
FROM:
\nDave Arkins
\nSecretary of Australia West Papua Association SA INC (AWPA SA)
\nMember of Australia East Timor Friendship Assoc SA INC (AETFA SA)
\nAndy Alcock
\nMember of AETFA SA
\nMember of AWPA SA
\nBob Hanney
\nMember of AETFA SA
\nMember of AWPA SA<\/p>\n
INTRODUCTION
\nAWPA SA and AETFA SA are two solidarity groups that have been working in SA
\nfor the peoples of West Papua and Timor-Leste respectively. Both groups also
\nwork in solidarity with other groups in Australia and overseas that represent
\npeoples who have suffered genocide and human rights abuses at the hands of the
\nIndonesian military (TNI) since the early 1960s.<\/p>\n
Both associations view the Indonesian army (TNI) and the Indonesian police
\n(POLRI) as major terrorist organisations in Australia\u2019s region of the world given
\nthe crimes that they have committed against the peoples of West Papua, East
\nTimor (now Timor-Leste), Aceh and regions within Indonesia itself eg Maluku – ie
\nincluding against it\u2019s own people.<\/p>\n
We believe that Australians working for peace need to be working to ensure that
\nAustralia does not support wars instigated by the US Military Industrial Complex,
\nbut that it also ceases its support of US illegal actions to bring about regime
\nchange or to support the brutal actions of US client states which not only include
\nIndonesia, but many others as well eg Israel, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Brazil, the
\nPhilippines \u2013 all of which have committed crimes against humanity.<\/p>\n
THE US, INDONESIA & WEST PAPUA
\nThe US administration of John Kennedy intervened in the decolonisation process
\nthat was being undertaken by the Dutch government in the early 1960s to prepare
\nthe West Papuan people for independence to ensure that the country was
\nintegrated into Indonesia. In the early 1960s prior to the takeover, US
\ncorporations had conducted geological surveys and were well aware of the mineral
\nwealth that exists in West Papua. Immediately after Indonesia took control, the
\nAmerican mining company Freeport McMoRan commenced construction of
\nits Grasberg mine, which is one of the largest gold mines \u2013 and third largest
\ncopper mine \u2013 in the world.<\/p>\n
The only time that the people of West Papua were consulted about being part of
\nIndonesia was in 1969 when the TNI conducted the very threatening, brutal and
\nundemocratic exercise known as the Act of Free Choice. It is known by the West
\nPapuans as the Act of NO Choice. Because there was not a valid ballot held.
\nOnly1026 West Papuans were chosen by Indonesia from across the country to
\nvote on behalf of their villages and they were held in isolation for a month while
\ntheir families were held hostage for their behaviour to ensure that they voted the
\nway Indonesia wanted. Finally only 1022 were able to vote and 100 % voted to
\njoin Indonesia. Afterwards those who were selected to vote have documented
\ntheir records of torture and threats to their families. Many who demonstrated
\nagainst this flawed process were arrested by the TNI. Many were never seen
\nagain.<\/p>\n
In West Papua evisceration was added to the list of other disgusting abuses the
\nTNI and POLRI have carried out. Since 1963, well over 100,000 (some say about
\n500,000) West Papuans have died because of TNI repressive actions and policies.
\nDespite the propaganda of the Suharto dictatorship and Indonesian governments
\nsince this flawed and brutal exercise the UN and the international community
\nshould never have approved it. The UN should also recognise the fact that the
\nWest Papuan people are Melanesians and are not Asians. The common factor in
\ntheir history of the two peoples is merely the fact that both nations were occupied
\nby the same colonising power. Ironically Indonesian and US leaders claim to be
\nvehemently opposed to colonialism but hypocritically defend their policies that
\namount to them having their own colonies. Indonesia has colonised West Papua
\nand the US has colonised Hawaii, Guantanamo Bay (Cuba), the Marshall Islands,
\nGuam and Puerto Rico.<\/p>\n
West Papua is still occupied by the TNI. US corporations have made billions of
\ndollars profit out of the nation\u2019s copper and gold deposits, Indonesian timber
\ncompanies have logged its forests and caused great environmental devastation.
\nWest Papuan forests that provide traditional food and medicines have been
\nforcibly confiscated by major timber companies to become palm oil plantations.
\nThe taxes and bribes paid to the TNI account for the major income of the
\nIndonesian government and military. The West Papuan people derive very little
\nbenefits from the profits of the mine but have had to endure the degradation of
\ntheir environment and the brutality of the TNI which was paid by McMoRan to
\nprovide security for the mine.<\/p>\n
In 1965, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) assisted General Suharto and other
\nright wing generals to overthrow the democratically elected government of
\nPresident Sukarno. Amnesty International estimated that between half to a million
\nIndonesians perished in a series of mass killings carried out by the TNI and its
\nvigilantes around the country in the year after the coup. CIA operatives in
\nIndonesia drew up lists of people to be murdered.<\/p>\n
Some Indonesians believe that the actual death toll was nearer 3 million people
\nand this is considered as one of the worst massacres in the 20th century.
\nIn his book The Jakarta Method \u2013 Washington\u2019s Anticommunist Crusade & the
\nMass Murder Program that Shaped Our World, US scholar and journalist (Public
\nAffairs NY) 2020, Vincent Bevins describes how the US used the same type of
\nmass murder and intimidation program to bring about regime change in 22 other
\nnations. In each case, the new governments were usually very repressive,
\nundemocratic and did the bidding of US administrations and corporations even
\nwhen this was not in the interests of the ordinary people.<\/p>\n
THE INDONESIAN DICTATORSHIP & ACTIONS IN EAST TIMOR & ACEH
\nTen years after the Suharto coup that ousted Sukarno, the TNI invaded East
\nTimor and the Indonesian dictatorship occupied it until 1999. In the 24 years of
\nillegal and brutal occupation, about 1\/3 of the East Timorese population perished,
\ngross human rights abuses \u2013 including rape as a weapon, torture and intimidation
\noccurred and 80% of the nation\u2019s infrastructure was destroyed. The illegal
\ninvasion was fully supported to the hilt by the U.S. administration at the time.
\nFormer President Ford and his Secretary of State Henry Kissinger met with
\ndictator Suharto in Jakarta just six hours before and gave full approval for the
\ninvasion but advised him not to use US weapons.<\/p>\n
The TNI used similar methods in Aceh as those it used in West Papua and East
\nTimor. Since 1979, it has been estimated that over 5000 Acehnese have perished
\nbecause of TNI repression and fighting between the Free Acheh Movement (GAM)
\nand the TNI.<\/p>\n
Since the fall of the Suharto dictatorship in 1998, there has been some improved
\nfreedom of Indonesia\u2019s media and the TNI plays a less up front role in Indonesian
\npolitics than what it did, however, the politics of the Indonesian state are basically
\nstill controlled by the military. Two war criminals \u2013 former General Wiranto and
\nLieutenant General Prabowo Subianto – are in the current civilian government
\ncabinet and the TNI genocidal policies in West Papua continue.<\/p>\n
THE ACTIONS OF THE US & ITS ALLIES
\nThe leaders of the US and its allies – including Australia\u2019s leaders – claim that the
\nUS is a beacon of democracy in the world despite the mountain of evidence that
\nclearly shows this to be untrue.<\/p>\n
They never criticise the US for its actions in initiating wars or bringing about
\nundemocratic changes of governments. Nor do they criticise the crimes committed
\nby the US client states when they occur \u2013 eg Indonesia, Israel, Saudi Arabia,
\nTurkey etc. Further, they seek to cover up the crimes or act as apologists for the
\nregimes when these crimes are committed.<\/p>\n
In addition, they aid and abet the crimes by giving military aid, military
\ncooperation and sales of military hardware to the TNI and other militaries that
\ncommit violations against international law.<\/p>\n
FUTURE GOALS TO WORK FOR BY THE AUSTRALIAN PEACE MOVEMENT
\nThe Australian peace and human rights movements should be working for the
\nfollowing aims:\u00b7 An Australia that is a truly free and truly independent and non-aligned nation
\nwhose leaders contribute to taking action to achieve world peace, human rights,
\nsocial justice, environmental responsibility, equality etc
\n[This would mean that Australia would work to be on friendly terms with all
\nnations and not supporting powerful nations to interfere adversely in other nations
\nas we have done by supporting the actions of US leaders]
\n\u00b7 Australia to become a member of the Non-Aligned Movement of nations
\n\u00b7 Australia to be more involved in UN peacekeeping forces and UN aid projects
\nrather than supporting US, UK or any other form of neo-colonialism
\n\u00b7 Lobbying federal politicians to support legislation that the Australian Parliament
\nhas to approve Australian involvement in any conflict before the government can
\nenter hostilities – unless Australia is directly attacked.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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