1) THIS IS AN OPEN LETTER TO THE NEWS ORGANIZATIONS AND TO SUPPORTERS OF THE DEMONSTRATION AGAINST THE MAY 12-15 INDONESIA ATROCITY

In the Indonesia May riots, atrocities were committed towards Chinese Indonesians. The atrocities included burning and looting of private properties, and violating human rights of local Chinese Indonesian, many are racially motivated and allegedly organized and directed by the political and military elites. The reported attacks ranged from the degrading and humiliating violations of women who were made to strip and perform calisthenics in public, to assaulting women who were repeatedly raped and then thrown into the flames of burning buildings. The reports involve girls and women ranging in age from 10 to 55. Some were gang-raped in front of a crowd in the Chinese commercial districts.

The Indonesian government has not taken any serious steps of condemning this savage and inhumane incidence but provides only lip service of a simple investigation. Even the new president has not pointed out to the failure of the police or army to protect properties and lives, specially the female members of the society.

We plan to organize a peaceful protest in front of the Indonesia Embassy in Washington DC from 10:00am to 12:00pm, August 7, 1998 to demand the followings:

• Stop discrimination against minorities and protect minority human rights and religious freedom.Make sure nothing like this type of atrocities ever to happen again.
• Perpetrators be immediately brought to justice and be punished.
• Provide help and compensation to the victims and their families.
• Apologize to the local Chinese Indonesian community for not providing adequate protection.

Most importantly, we want the whole world to know that such atrocities have been committed so that pressure will put to bare to the Indonesian government and perpetrators, so that this kind of inhumane atrocity will never happen again. We need to expose this atrocity to the world financial communities like IMF such that human rights issue and compliance can be attacked to aids. We need your supports to do the followings:

• Join us in the protest on August 7.
• Organize protests to all Indonesian government local offices.
• Prepare to send protesting letters to pertinent organizations and supporting letters to local Chinese Indonesian organizations.
• Inform your congressmen and senators of the atrocity and do not forget the executive branch.
• Inform all human rights organizations and amnesty international.

2) A letter to be read to the masses and to be presented to the Indonesia Government at its Washington DC Embassy on August 7, 1998.

We the undersigned organizations want to inform you of some of the atrocities and human rights violations committed by the organized indigenous-Indonesian gangs with alleged links to the security forces of the government as reported in the reliable news organizations during the recent May riots:

• 1188 people killed or raped to death, 4083 shops burned, 1020 houses destroyed, 163 women raped with 20 deaths from age 10 to 55.
• Ethnic Chinese Communities (mostly christians) were the focus of this savage atrocity.
• Military chief denial of all these incidence.
• Reports of allegation that the atrocity was organized and instigated by the political and military elites of the government.

We are here to demand that the following actions be taken immediately:

• Stop discrimination against minorities and protect minority human rights and religious freedom.
• Make sure nothing like this type of atrocities ever to happen again.
• Perpetrators be immediately brought to justice and be punished.
• Provide help and compensation to the victims and their families.
• Apologize to the local Chinese Indonesian community for not providing adequate protection.

We will also be informing the world organizations and US Governments of the atrocities and request that they apply pressure to your government so that the above demands are complied with and not providing lip service of a simple investigation. We will also be seeking supports from the financial communities like the IMF such that human rights issue and compliance can be attached to the financial aids.

We sincerely hope that you will take this human rights violation incidence most seriously and take proper actions.

3) Organization and planned activities on August 7, 1998

* DEMONSTRATION PLAN

We will organize a peaceful demonstration in front of the Indonesia Embassy in Washington DC from 10:00am to 12:00pm on Friday, August 7, 1998. The following is our plan:

1. Gathering and handling out of posters to participates in front of the Indonesia Embassy by 9:40am.
Address of the Indonesia Embassy
2020 Massachusetts Ave., N.W.
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: (202) 775-5200
Fax: (202) 775-5365

2. 20 to 30 participants will be assigned at stationary position as guard with the walking paths be designated with guides. Two official photographers will be assigned to take pictures.
3. The demonstration will be contacted Between 10:00am and 12:00pm by walking in a circular path within the designated walkway carrying the posters.
4. Handing out leaflets to by-standers and newsmen.
5. A letter to the Indonesian Government will be read out loud to the masses.
• Poster writing suggestions:
1. 1188 killed + pictures
2. 4083 shops burned + pictures
3. 1020 houses burned + pictures
4. 163 women and children raped + pictures
5. STOP Violence against Women and Children
6. STOP Religion Persecution
7. STOP Discrimination
8. Prosecute Perpetrators
9. Protect Minority
10. Support and Protect Human Rights
11. Punish Violators
12. Violators Brought to Justice

We welcome any suggetion for the demonstration.
Thanks for your attention.

Sincerely yours,

Xingguo Li
President
Chinese Student and Scholar Association
Univerisy of Cincinnati
Office: 556-6038 (403 Rhodes Hall)
CSSA Office: 556-6105 (248 TUC, Office Hour: 12:30-1:30pm Mon - Fri)
CSSA Web Site: http://www.soa.uc.edu/org/FASSPRC/

IHCC - Indonesian Huaren Crisis Center

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