WHEREAS, In 1975, after the former Portuguese colony of East Timor gained its independence, Indonesian forces invaded East Timor and occupied the country despite the call of the United Nations Security Council for Indonesia to withdraw its forces; and

WHEREAS, In 1976 the Indonesian government admitted that 60,000 East Timorese had been killed since the invasion and President Suharto signed legislation declaring East Timor as Indonesia’s 27th province; and

WHEREAS, In the 1970’s and 1980’s, tens of thousands of East Timorese died of starvation, military bombardment, and executions as thousands of others suffered malnutrition, sterilization, relocation in settlement camps, and arrest and torture at the hands of the Indonesian forces; and

WHEREAS, Despite continued military attacks on East Timorese civilians during 1999 and fears of widespread violence against voters, a heavy turnout at the polls on August 30, 1999, provided almost an 80 percent vote for the independence of East Timor from Indonesia; and

WHEREAS, Within hours of the announcement of the election results on September 4, 1999, a systematic campaign of terror was launched against the East Timorese by the Indonesian armed forces and their allied militias during which three-quarters of the population was displaced. In a coordinated manner, the Indonesian military and militias forced hundreds of thousands of East Timorese at gunpoint to board trucks, boats, and airplanes for transportation to West Timor and other parts of Indonesia; and

WHEREAS, By the end of 1999, United Nations agencies reported that over 125,000 East Timorese had returned home; however, more than 100,000 East Timorese remain unable to return home, many months after the announcement of the referendum results and despite repeated pledges by the Indonesian government to remedy the situation. Thousands of East Timorese taken to other areas of Indonesia remain unaccounted for; now, therefore, be it