WASHINGTON (US), 18 July 2003 - The House of Representatives has moved to block Indonesia from receiving military training assistance funds, complaining it has conducted a lax investigation of an August 2002 attack in Papua that killed two Americans and an Indonesian. The House approved an amendment by voice vote on Wednesday to block the funds as part of a bill it passed to authorize State Department programs for the next two years.
The move blocks less than $1 million through the International Military Education and Training program. Although a relatively small amount of money, it shows the strain in relations as U.S. officials have complained that Jakarta has dragged its feet investigating the attack that reportedly may have involved Indonesia's military.
With the amendment, the IMET funds would be withheld "until the Indonesian government decides to cooperate with U.S. investigators and provide credible and honest answers about the attack," according to a statement from the measure's sponsor, Colorado Republican Rep. Joel Hefley.
A similar amendment was to be offered in the Senate, but the Senate's version of the State Department authorization bill was pulled from the floor last week after it became ensnarled in a debate over the U.S. minimum wage. The attack occurred as teachers from the Tembagapura International School were on a picnic outing in Papua, Indonesia, on August 31, 2002. Two vehicles were ambushed, killing Coloradan Rick Spier, Oregonian Tom Burgon and one Indonesian man, and injuring eight others.
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