Reply #15: Yes, lets look at that record in Indonesia

[Vladimir]

http://www.firstofthemonth.org/9_11/9_11_shorrock_asian.html : "During his years as Reagan's point man on Asia, Wolfowitz's job was to portray some of the world's most notorious police states as worthy allies who simply needed a little patience from US policymakers and Congress. He was willing to overlook systematic human rights violations in the name of the greater good: US national security and economic interests. Today in Indonesia, he is continuing in that vein by leading, in the name of fighting terrorism, the Bush administration's push to lift congressional sanctions on US training programs for the Indonesian military, which is highly tainted by its brutality in East Timor three years ago and its sponsorship of vigilante groups and death squads that, to this day, continue to terrorize dissidents and opponents of US mining and oil companies. "

http://www.westpapuanews.com/articles/publish/article_1851.shtml : "Wolfowitz later cited Jakarta's accountability charade as an example of Indonesia's many "achievements" over the previous several years in testimony to a congressional subcommittee in 1997. And despite a growing international consensus critical of Indonesia's occupation of East Timor, he argued against any talk in Washington of East Timorese independence, while calling for a renewal of U.S. military training of the TNI.

In his written statement to the subcommittee, Wolfowitz praised Indonesia's dictator, Suharto, who seized power in 1965-66 through a slaughter of hundreds of thousands. "Any balanced judgment" of the country's human rights situation, he opined, "needs to take account of the significant progress that Indonesia has already made." Much of the progress, he asserted, was due to Suharto's "strong and remarkable leadership."

In 1998, massive protests led Asia's longest-reigning dictator to step down. Wolfowitz quickly changed his tune, characterizing Suharto in an interview as someone who "without any question was fighting reform every step of the way." Yet, he continued to defend the Indonesian military as a force for good."