Support continues for East Timor
9/22/1998 News media contact: Linda Bloom · (646) 369-3759 · New York by United Methodist News Service Recent votes in the U.S. House of Representatives have strengthened support for self-determination in East Timor, but the congressional measures await final action.
United Methodists having been among those urging Congress to support the tiny Southeast Asian nation, which has been under military occupation by Indonesia since 1975.
"The support for this issue and the awareness of this issue have really been building up in Congress," said Rebecca Asedillo, a United Methodist who serves as staff for the National Council of Churches' East Timor working group.
In September, the U.S. House Appropriations Committee endorsed self-determination and called for an "internationally supervised referendum" on East Timor when it passed the foreign operations appropriations bill. The committee also called for an end to human rights abuses in Indonesia and East Timor. The appropriations bill still faces a vote by the entire House.
More than 100 members of the House also sent separate letters to President Clinton and Indonesian President B.J. Habibie urging a just solution in East Timor based on the wishes of its citizens, Asedillo said.
On Sept. 3, the Senate banned the use of U.S. weapons in East Timor in its version of the foreign operations appropriations bill. Earlier, on July 10, it had passed Senate Resolution 237, which urges the Clinton administration to work with the United Nations and with its allies to support the referendum on self-determination.
Asedillo said United Methodists still should encourage their U.S. representatives to vote for House Concurrent Resolution 258, which also supports East Timor's right to self-determination.
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