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Fwd: Invitation April 3, 1999: The



Subject: Re: Fwd: Invitation April 3, 1999: The Future Integration  ofIndonesia:Focus on Aceh

Dear Friends from DC area,

Here is the infro for the indonesia conference.  It will be very
interesting topic for all of us to learn the events and struggle by the
fellow Indonesians to compare with our ruthless regime.
I hope some of you have time to attend the conference.

regards

Htun Aung Gyaw




>To: ISSO-L@xxxxxxxxxxx
>Subject: Invitation April 3, 1999: The Future Integration of
>	Indonesia:Focus on Aceh
>Mime-Version: 1.0
>Content-Type: text/plain
>Content-Disposition: inline
>
>Dear Sir/Madam
>
> International Forum For Aceh will convene a conference about Indonesia on
>Sarurday April 3, 1999, on the campus of The American University. The
theme of
>this conference is: 
>
>The Future Integration of Indonesia: Focus on Aceh
>Butler Board Room 6th floor. Butler Pavilion, The American University 
>4400 Massachusetts Avenue, NW . Washington, D.C. 20016 USA 
>SATURDAY -- APRIL 3, 1999, TIME: 10.00 AM- 5.00 PM 
>
> The focus of discussion is to be a positive 'resource-based' approach
>dialogue for justice in Indonesia and will be the initial steps to bring
>Indonesian government, the Aceh / Sumatra Liberation Front and human rights
>group to work out a peaceful solution and avoid futher conflicts. Attached is
>the proposal to help you understand better the proposed conference.
>
> This letter extends to invite you to come and to offer, share contribution
>for peace in Indonesia in this conference. If you wish to attend, please
>respond by phone, e-mail or fax to confirm your presence. 
>
>Attached is the proposal to understand further about the seminar. 
>
>We look forward to your presence.
>
>Sincerely Yours,
>Coordinators
>Suraiya IT (Vice Chairman of IFA) & Iskandar Bakri (Washington, D.C.)
>703.820.2214        acehforum@xxxxxxx       http://aceh.org/forum
>----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>-----------------------------------------
>
>THE FUTURE INTEGRATION OF INDONESIA: FOCUS ON ACEH
>
>Proposed place:
>Butler Board Room 6th floor. Butler Pavilion, The American University 4400
>Massachusetts Avenue, NW . Washington, D.C. 20016 USA Date: SATURDAY -- APRIL
>3, 1999, TIME: 10.00 AM- 5.00 PM

>
>I. CONFERENCE ORGANIZERS
>
>International Forum for Aceh (IFA) is the organizer for the conference.
>International Forum For Aceh was declared at the request of participants of
>International Conference on Aceh held in New York University on December 12,
>1998 titled "Years of Living Dangerously: The Struggle for Justice in Aceh,
>Indonesia Beyond Sueharto". The conference was sponsored by Aceh Forum of New
>York and Asian/Pacific / American Studies Program & Institute, New York
>University.
>
>II. OBJECTIVE
>
>The conference provides an open forum in addressing the Acehnese request for
>full autonomy, referendum or independence from Indonesia. It will cover
>theoretical, legal and practical questions of the dialogue for justice in
>Indonesia. The dialog will be addressed from diverse perspectives. Those
>perspective will be from Indonesian government officials, Indonesian
military,
>opposition group, politician, religious scholars, UNCHR officials, legal
>scholars, students and the Acehnese and Indonesian communities in the United
>States. The main focus for this conference will be the initial steps to bring
>Indonesian government, Armed Forces and the opposition to work out a peaceful
>solution to the conflict.
>
>II. CONFERENCE PANELS
>
>Panel I: State and Civil Society in Indonesia & Historical Perspective of
>Integration
>
>10.00AM - 12.30PM
>
>Proposed Speakers
>
>Lieutenant General Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (Head of Staff Territorial
>Indonesian Armed Forces)
>Prof. Dr. Syamsuddin Mahmud (Governor of Special Territory of Aceh Province)
>Dr. Dorojatun Kuntorojakti (Indonesian Ambassador to the United States)
>DR. Tgk Hasan Muhamad di Tiro (Aceh / Sumatra National Liberation Front)
>T. Kumar (Amnesty International, Advocacy Director Asia Pacific)
>
>12.30 - 1.00 Break and Lunch 1:00 - 3:00PM
>
>DR. Ibrahim Alfian (Professor of Gajah Mada University)
>Prof. DR. Ryaas Rasyid (Director General for Regional Autonomy)
>Abubakar Hashim (Association of Acehnese in Malaysia)
>Sidney Jones (Executive Director, Human Rights Watch Asian Division)
>Drs. Ghazali Abbas (Members of Indonesian Parliament from Aceh)
>
>3.00 - 3.15PM Break
>
>
>Panel II: Human Rights Perspective in Indonesian
>
>3.30 - 4:50PM
>
>Proposed Speakers
>
>Drs. Hasballah MS (Secretary General, Commission for Human Rights for Aceh)
>Dr. Husaini Hasan (Acheh Sumatra National Liberation Front)
>Jana Mason (United States Committee for Refugee)
>Hamdiah A.Latief (McGill University, Canada)
>DR. Jacqueline Siapno (University of California-Irvine)
>
>5:00PM Summary & Closing Remarks
>
>
>IV. ANALYSIS
>
>Indonesia, an archipelago, is the world's fourth most populous nation. It
>consists of more than 13,000 islands, of which 3,000 are inhabited. With 360
>tribal and ethno-linguistic groups and more than 250 different languages and
>dialects in Indonesia, the country is far from homogenous. Aceh, a special
>territory of Indonesia, located on the western most tip of Indonesia, is
>renowned for its prominent role in the struggle for its independence against
>Dutch colonialism. The post-independence central government acknowledged
these

>contributions by granting Aceh status of "Special Territory" with
autonomy in
>matters of religion, education and social customs.
>
>In reality, however, Aceh was never permitted to exercise its autonomy,
>therefore the majority of Acehnese do not benefit and have not become
>integrated into the new nation-state. Aceh is one of the richest provinces in
>Indonesia, providing central government substantial revenues from its oil,
>natural gas, and other resources. From its oil and gas resources, Aceh was
>able to lift Indonesia out of poverty in 1970s. In spite of its major
>contributions, Aceh is still one of the poorest and underdeveloped provinces
>in Indonesia with a high number of villages living below poverty level.
>
>This stark economic inequality, among many other factors, is one of the roots
>of the struggle for independence.  Aceh / Sumatra National Liberation Front
>(ASNLF) lead by Dr. Teungku Hasan M. Tiro declared Aceh as an independent
>state in 1976. The ASNLF was crushed by the Indonesian army (ABRI) years
>later. But the ASNLF revived again in 1989.
>
>Instead of working to ameliorate socio-political and economic conflict
through
>open dialogue, the central government mobilized the military to
>institutionalize state violence and counter-insurgency against suspected
>members of the independence movement. From 1989 to August 1998, Indonesian
>second President, Soeharto, designated Aceh as Military Operational Area
>(DOM), nominally to rid the province of the armed Free Aceh Movement (GAM /
>ASNLF).  During that period, thousand of Acehnese civilians were killed,
>raped, tortured and left orphaned.
>
>During "Reformasi" (Reformation era) and after the fall of Suharto, the
people
>of Aceh found the courage to come forward and bring the years of terror and
>brutality to the attention of the national and international communities. And
>some villagers are suing Mobil Oil Corp. for allowing the Indonesian Military
>to use its base to held civilians.
>
>Commander-in-Chief of the Indonesian armed forces, General Wiranto, announced
>on August 8, 1998 that DOM would be lifted and "non-organic" troops withdrawn
>from Aceh . However, the violence against civilians still continue to this
>day. Recently, the U.S Ambassador to Indonesia, J. Stapelton Roy and his team
>went to Aceh on a fact finding mission to see the reality on the ground. (Feb
>17 -18, 1999)
>
>Government-appointed Commission on Human rights, after its investigations in
>Aceh, recommended that the military be disciplined and made accountable for
>its heinous crimes. It also recommended the re-examination and revision of
>military law and the function of the military accordance with recent
political
>developments, in particular in terms of "Special Operation." The continuation
>of violence against civilians have increases new recruits and sympathy for
>ASNLF among the population.
>
>Given Indonesian's current problems and social tension in Aceh, a new
>perspective in the troubled territory has emerged. The majority of Acehnese
>are rather inclined to persuade full autonomy or referendum than ever before.
>Some are openly calling for independence from Indonesia and majority of

>Acehnese students declared referendum as in East Timor as the solution.
>
>This new perspective demands serious attention from different factions, such
>as the government, opposition, ulama and intellectuals, to mutually seek
>doable and peaceful solutions.
>
>Base on the problems above, we propose to organize an international
conference
>titled "The Future Integration of Indonesia: Focus on Aceh".
>                                 
>