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U.S. Restores Training to Indonesian Military

HeadlineFeb 28, 2005

In other news, the Bush administration announced Saturday it would resume training the Indonesian military for the first time in over a decade. All training was suspended in 1992, months after U.S.-trained Indonesian forces killed two hundred 271 pro-independence demonstrators in East Timor in what became known as the Santa Cruz Massacre. The U.S. cut off all official military ties with Indonesia in 1999 following the killing of over fifteen hundred in East Timor. The decision to resume training was made by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice with strong backing from Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, who once served as U.S. ambassador to Indonesia. State Department spokesperson Richard Boucher said Saturday “Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has determined that Indonesia has satisfied legislative conditions for restarting its full international military education and training program.” The East Timor Action Network condemned the decision describing it as a setback for justice, human rights and democratic reform.

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