A press release from the East Timor and Indonesia Action Network (ETAN) jointly signed by 89 other organisations.

Ninety organizations today urged the US government and Congress not to provide deadly attack helicopters to Indonesia. Indonesia has announced that it plans to buy eight AH-64 Apache attack helicopters from the United States.

The groups warned that the helicopters will escalate conflicts in Indonesia, especially in the rebellious region of West Papua: "Providing these helicopters would pose a direct threat to Papuan civilians."

The Indonesian military (TNI) regularly conducts "sweep operations," involving attacks on villages where innocent villagers are forced from their homes. The groups write that "Papuan civilians either flee the attacks to neighboring villages or into the surrounding forests where many die or face starvation, cut off from access to their gardens, shelter, and medical care." Sweep operations are now underway in the Central Highlands region of West Papua.

The letter was organized by the US-based East Timor and IndonesiaAction Network (ETAN) and the West Papua Advocacy Team and signed by human rights, religious, indigenous rights, disarmament and other organizations based in 14 countries.

Signers include: Faith-based Network on West Papua, Fellowship of Reconciliation, Peace Action, International Lawyers for West Papua, Land Is Life, KontrS (Indonesia), and Pax Christi Australia. A complete list of signers can be found here: http://www.etan.org/news/2012/03helicop.htm

The AH-64 is designed for air to ground attack. It can operate day or night and is armed with high caliber chain guns and equipped to fire missiles.

Text of letter

As organizations concerned about human rights in Indonesia and West Papua, we are writing to urge the US government and Congress not to allow the sale of AH-64 Apache attack helicopters to the Indonesian military (TNI). Providing these helicopters would pose a direct threat to Papuan civilians, who have been the target of deadly TNI assaults for many years.

The sale of this weapons system to the TNI – notwithstanding its long record of disregard for civilian casualties, corruption, human rights violations and impunity in East Timor, Aceh and elsewhere – would only increase the suffering of the Papuan population.

Indonesia's Deputy Minister of Defense Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin told the Antara news agency, that Indonesia intends to buy eight AH-64 Apache helicopter from the United States.

The heavily-armed AH-64 is a highly lethal weapon which can be used to escalate conflict within Indonesia and in West Papua. These aircraft will substantially augment the TNI's capacity to prosecute its "sweep operations" in West Papua and thereby, almost certainly lead to increased suffering among the civilian populations long victimized by such operations.

TNI "sweep operations," including several now underway in the Central Highlands region of West Papua, involve attacks on villages. Homes are destroyed, along with churches and public buildings. These assaults, purportedly to eliminate the poorly armed Papuan armed resistance, force innocent villagers from their homes. Papuan civilians either flee the attacks to neighboring villages or into the surrounding forests where many die or face starvation, cut off from access to their gardens, shelter, and medical care.

The AH-64 is designed for air to ground attack. It can operate day or night and is armed with high caliber chain guns. It is also equipped to fire missiles.

Congress must be notified of major weapons sales. We urge Congress to oppose the sale of these helicopters.

Signed,

• East Timor and Indonesia Action Network
• West Papua Advocacy Team
• Asia-Pacific Solidarity Coalition (APSOC)
• Asian Human Rights Commission
• Australia East Timor Friendship Association of South Australia Inc.
• Australia West Papua Association - Melbourne
• Australia West Papua Association (Sydney)
• Australians for a Free East Timor
• Baptist Church, Papua, Indonesia
• Campaign for Peace and Democracy
• Center For Creative Activities, Philadelphia
• Columbus Campaign for Arms Control
• ETAN-Madison
• East Timor Action Network/Portland
• East Timor National Victims "74-99" Association
• East Timor Religious Outreach
• Episcopal Peace Fellowship
• Faith-based Network on West Papua (FBN)
• Fellowship of Reconciliation
• Foreign Policy In Focus
• Foundation Pro Papua, The Netherlands
• Franciscans International
• Genesee Valley Citizens for Peace
• Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space
• Green Delaware
• Health Alliance International
• Hunter East Timor Sisters, Australia
• Indonesia Human Rights Committee, Auckland New Zealand
• Hunter East Timor Sisters, Australia
• Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice, Ann Arbor, MI
• International Federation for East Timor
• International Labor Rights Forum
• International Lawyers for West Papua
• International Platform of Jurists for East Timor
• Japan East Timor Coalition
• Jews Against Genocide, USA
• Justice for Palestine Matters, Australia
• KontrS, Indonesia
• Koalisi Anti Utang, Indonesia
• Land Is Life
• La'o Hamutuk - Timor-Leste Institute for Development Monitoring and Analysis
• LEPOCO Peace Center
• Massachusetts Peace Actionon
• Metta Center for Nonviolence
• Missionaries of the Sacred Heart Justice and Peace Centre, Australia
• Moana Nui Action Alliance
• Mornington Branch of the Australian Greens Victoria
• Neighbors for Peace, Chicago
• Nicaragua Center for Community Action
• Nonviolence International
• Office of the Americas
• Ohio Valley PEACE
• Pace e Bene Australia
• Pantau Foundation Jakarta
• Partij voor de Liefde, The Netherlands
• Pax Christi Aotearoa-New Zealand
• Pax Christi Australia
• Pax Christi Australia (NSW)
• Pax Christi Metro New York
• Pax Christi New Orleans
• Pax Christi Victoria (International Christian Peace Movement)
• Peace Action
• Peace Action of Washington State
• Peace House, Ashland, OR
• Peace Island Foundation, Boston, MA
• Peace Movement Aotearoa
• Philippine Workers Support Committee
• Shomer Shalom Network for Jewish Nonviolence
• Socialist Party of the Netherlands
• Stg. Timor Lorosae Solidarity (TLS), The Netherlands
• Stichting Akar, The Netherlands
• Swedish East Timor Committee
• Swedish Free Papua Association
• TAPOL
• Urban Poor Consortium (UPC), Indonesia
• Vereniging Papuavrouwen in Nederland – the Netherlands
• Veterans for Peace NYC Chapter 34
• Voices for Creative Nonviolence
• Volunteers for International Solidarity
• War Resisters League
• War Resisters League, Chicago Chapter
• War Resisters League, Portland
• WarIsACrime.org
• Watch Indonesia, Germany
• WESPAC Foundation
• West Papua Action Network, USA
• West Papua Netzwerk, Germany
• West Papua Solidarity Wellington
• Western New York Peace Center
• Wheaton Franciscan Sisters
• Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice, Madison WI

• John M. Miller, +1-718-596-7668; mobile: +1-917-690-4391, john@etan.org
• Ed McWilliams, +1-575-648-2078, edmcw@msn.com