CONGRESSIONAL HEARING PHONE CHAMPAIGN

Urgent: Please Make a Critical Call.
By: Indonesian, Chinese and American Network (ICANet)

Really appreciate your willingness to call Congress people for Chinese Indonesian cause.

Please urge your friends to help. We need to call them starting tomorrow, because there'll will be Congressional Caucus Briefing this Thursday (july 30) on atrocity against the Indonesians of Chinese descent in Washington DC.

ICANet (Indonesian, Chinese and American Network) have sent them a package a week ago which consists of 600 signatures petition, articles and a letter to urge Congress to schedule hearings and pass a resolution:

  1. Condemn strongly the savage violation of human rights in Indonesia.
  2. Set up an international independent group to conduct a thorough investigation to punish the violators.
  3. Charge the violators as international criminals to be brought to the International Crime Court in the Netherlands.
  4. Urge the Indonesian government to make guarantee that no such racial incident and mass rapes against Chinese-Indonesians will recur in the future.
  5. Press the Indonesian government to protect Chinese-Indonesians, especially the women and human rights and women's aid groups who are under constant threat and danger.
  6. Grant refugee status to the Chinese Indonesians whose lives are in extreme danger.
  7. Relax entrance visa requirements for Chinese Indonesians to come to US for the purpose of temporary sanctuary.
I have talked to Tom Lantos' staff, Patrick Kennedy's staff, John Porter, Diane Feinstein, Benjamin Gilman. Some of us have talked to Nancy Pelosi and Pete Stark's staff. We need your help.

These Congress people should have received our package by now.

According to Patrick Kennedy's office, there'll be IMF session this week whether they should give the fund to Indonesia.

Our position is that Indonesia gov needs to make a guarantee that the killings and rapes stop if they want the money. That the Indonesia gov should prosecute the perpetrators to the fullest degree that the law allows.

Below is the list of the Congress people that you can call.

Here's what you need to tell them:
  1. You want to talk to someone with human rights specialty.
  2. Ask the members of Congress to attend the Human Rights Caucus Briefing this Thursday (July 30) sponsored by Congressman Joseph Pitt (of Pennyslvania). This is really important for Congress person and staff to attend the briefing. The invitation should have been sent by Congressman Pitt by now.
  3. refer them to ICANet package and tell them your concern,
  4. tell them our demands (read above: resolution and hearing).
  5. Ask the staff to pass the package to the Congress person.
  6. Make sure IMF fund is given with a string-attached of Chinese Indonesian guarantee protection.
Everyone in the list are Congress person except Barbara Boxer and Feinstein who are senators. Don't use the wrong title please :-)

Keep calling at least twice a week. Here's the list and please call your other representatives if needed (see http://www.house.gov/lantos/caucus/CaucusContact.htm)

Attention: Members and Staff ONLY

Congressional Human Rights Caucus
Briefing with
Victims of the Riots in Indonesia:
Thursday, July 30
3:30 p.m. -- 5:00 p.m.
2360 Rayburn HOB

Dear Colleague:

The Congressional Human Rights Caucus invites you to join us on Thursday, July 30 from 3:30 - 5:00 in 2360 Rayburn HOB to hear the testimony of victims of the riots in Indonesia.

The recent economic turmoil in Indonesia has created extreme shortages of food and other provisions. The tension resulting from the shortages caused an increase in ethnic and religious tension. In the end, large-scale riots destroyed numerous businesses, homes and churches in Indonesia. In addition, a number of Chinese and other ethnic and religious minority women and girls were subjected to brutal mass rapes.

The expert witnesses include the following individuals:

Father Sandyawan Sumardi, S.J. is a Jesuit priest and has been the Director of Institut Sosial Jakarta (Jakarta Social Institute) since 1989. Father Sumardi is the Secretary of Tim Relawan untuk Kemanusiaan (Team of Volunteers for Humanity).

Dr. Karlina Leksono Supelli is the Coordinator of Suara Ibu Peduli (SIP) (Voice of Concerned Mothers), and a member of the Tim Relawan untuk Kemanusiaan (Team of Volunteers for Humanity). Dr. Supelli is a lecturer at the University of Indonesia in Jakarta.

Ms. Dewi Puspita* is an ethnic Chinese woman in her twenties who was attacked and raped at the end of June. Her rapists used methods of attack similar to those used by attackers against several hundred girls and women in May.

Mr. Budi Santosa* is a native Indonesian whose 20-year-old brother was a victim. Mr. Santosa's brother was burned to death inside the Yogya Plaza at Klender. Mr. Santosa himself was helping other people at the location, but was unable to help his own brother.

* victims' names have been changed to protect their identity

We urge you to join us to learn about the horrifying experiences of much of the Indonesian population.

Should you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact Kelley Currie (Rep. Porter) at 225-4835, Hans Hogrefe (Rep. Lantos) at 225-3531, or Karin Finkler (Rep. Pitts) at 225-2411.

Sincerely,

John Edward Porter Tom Lantos Joseph R. Pitts
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress

IHCC - Indonesian Huaren Crisis Center Back to Witnesses/News