http://www.worldnetdaily.com/bluesky_smith/19990615_xcsof_indonesian.shtml In 1994, U.S. Commerce officials knew there was a crime in progress. The crime involved millions of U.S. taxpayer dollars being used to payoff corrupt foreign politicians. The Commerce Dept. did not stop the crime. In fact, the Commerce Dept. did its best to help the criminals succeed. On November 16, 1994, Bill Clinton and the late Ron Brown traveled to Jakarta, Indonesia, for the Asia Pacific Economic Conference (APEC). In Jakarta, Clinton signed deals to supply Indonesia with electric power using U.S. taxpayer loans. The deals were worth billions to U.S. corporations such as Cal Energy, Mission Energy and General Electric. "As markets expand, as information flows, the roots of an open society will grow and strengthen and contribute to stability," stated Clinton during the 1994 signing. In September 1994, long before Clinton signed the power deal, the Commerce Dept. documented that Indonesian dictator Suharto had cut himself in for a bribe. According to a 1994 Commerce Dept. document, ".75% ownership" of a $2 billion dollar, U.S. - backed power project was given - at no cost - to dictator Suharto's second daughter, Siti Hediati Prabowo. Ms. Prabowo's ".75%" ownership totals to a free gift from the U.S. taxpayer of $15 million. The $15 million is part of a $50 million bribe split between Ms. Prabowo and other Suharto relatives. In return, the Indonesian dictator selected companies owned by major Clinton donors to build the Paiton power plant in east Java. In 1998, the Commerce Dept. returned a "blacked-out" version of a document that it had previously sent in full. The mistakenly released document from the Commerce Dept., titled "Indonesia Advocacy Projects", contained information on the privately held east Java Paiton Power Plant. The Paiton power project consisted of two 600 million watt, coal-fired plants to provide electricity for east Java. The partners in the U.S. led consortium included Mission Energy, Mitsui & Co., Ltd. of Japan, General Electric Capital Corporation of the U.S., and P.T. Batu Hitam Perkasa, an Indonesian firm formed in 1989 to participate in the development of the country's private power industry. The leader of the U.S. project in the Paiton power plant, Mission Energy, is also a partner of Indonesia's Lippo group, a consortium part owned by Indonesian billionaire Moctar Riady and the Chinese Army CITIC (China International Trust and Investment Corporation) bank. According to Federal Election Commission records, Mission Energy CEO, John Bryson, donated money to Clinton's campaigns and donated money to Clinton's legal defense fund. Moctar Riady, Bryson's partner in the Paiton project, is also accused of illegally donated money to Bill Clinton's political campaigns. A September 1994 Commerce Department document states that the Indonesian Paiton project encountered difficulties with financing because the Asian Development Bank (ADB) knew it also contained the Suharto family kickback. Suharto's son-in-law, according to the U.S. government advocacy document, was known to be a shareholder in P.T. Batu. On Sept. 30 1994 Commerce Dept., State Dept., Mission Energy and several consultants met to review the Paiton project. According to hand written notes: "ADB is still considering this, b/c of very minimal involvement of Indo ruling family in the Mission project... ADB's delay revolves around concern for projects in Indonesia involving the first family. .75% ownership of the Mission project by daughter of Indo pres." In another document dated, November 1, 1994, only days before the Jakarta signing by Clinton, the Commerce Dept. wrote: "Ambassador Barry stated that the project is facing two problems," "(i) the ADB financing may cave in and (ii) EXIM financing. Regarding ADB, technical questions have been satisfied, but ADB is skittish about involvement of Indonesia's first family (a minority shareholder is married to Pres. Suharto's daughter)." The Commerce Dept. documented that Indonesian Dictator Suharto had cut his son-in-law into a kickback scheme. The documents show that the Commerce Dept. was not only aware of Suharto's corrupt activities but quietly cooperated by seeking U.S. backed financial aid for the project. The Commerce documentation shows that U.S. Ambassador Barry worked directly with Executive Director of the Asian Development Bank, Linda Yang, to obtain financial support despite the questions of kickbacks to Suharto. In fact, one document states that Ms. Yang was "doing all she can" to help Indonesia obtain the financing for Paiton. However, after the signing by Clinton, in 1995, the ADB decided to not finance the Paiton deal due to their concerns. According to notes taken by Commerce Dept. officials at a Paiton meeting, "Mission Energy expecting default by March (1995)... first project to go on bond market $180 M and will default also." In April, 1995, Ron Brown came to the rescue and provided the U.S. EXPORT-IMPORT bank and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation ("OPIC") to substitute for the Asian Development Bank. $1.82 billion in limited recourse project debt was provided to Paiton by The Export-Import Bank of Japan, the Export-Import Bank of the United States, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation ("OPIC") of the United States, and eight commercial banks. Commerce documents show that Lippo business partner Mission Energy (now named Edison Mission Energy) received strong Clinton administration support for the Paiton project. In March 1995, Mission Energy CEO John Bryson wrote Commerce Secretary Brown: "Dear Ron - Thank you once again for being so ready to support a successful completion of the Paiton Power Project... The U.S. Government, from the President on down, has put a high priority on the Paiton Project." Furthermore, the Paiton power plant was designed to burn "low-sulfur Indonesian coal." In 1996 President Clinton created he 1.7 million-acre Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah, placing off-limits the world's largest deposit of low-sulfur coal. In the process, Clinton also greatly enriched Suharto. The coal for the Paiton plant is provided under a no bid contract from the global monopoly of "soft" environmental coal. Ms. Prabowo's bother-in-law, Hashim Djojohadikusumo, owns the Indonesian reserves of soft coal. Mr. Hasim is also another partner in the Mission-Energy/GE partner at Paiton. Hashim is not only an old friend of Suharto but Hashim's brother is Suharto's son-in-law and a General in the Indonesian Army. Today the Indonesian power companies are bankrupt. Some U.S. companies, such as Cal Energy, have taken their Indonesian partners to court for non-payment. Indonesia cannot pay for the power plants nor can their population afford the inflated rates driven by the Suharto corruption. The U.S. jobs created by the corrupt project are gone. Yet, the Paiton profits lined more than one pocket. Clinton and Suharto are not the only political connections to the corrupt Paiton power plant. According to a December 1998 article in the Wall Street Journal, "Dan Quayle, Robert Rubin and Ron Brown all pushed for Paiton One at various times while they were in government. Warren Christopher and Henry Kissenger pushed for it as Mission-GE lobbyists." The corruption continues to this day. The Commerce Dept. has done its best to conceal evidence and hide the facts. On June 7, 1999, the Commerce Dept. refused to release all the information on the Indonesian "Paiton" power plant, citing "commercial" privacy. Many of the documents released by the Commerce Dept. contained whole sections blacked out for "privacy" reasons. However, mistakes were made. Once again, this reporter has obtained the complete copy of a document blacked out as secret by the Clinton administration in 1999. The critical section blacked out by Commerce officials states: "First Family Involvement: ADB had raised concern about first family involvement during is consideration of the $50 million." The blacked-out version of the same document from the U.S. Commerce Dept. clearly demonstrates that the privacy of former dictator Suharto comes before the right to know how U.S. tax dollars are spent. The blacked out documents show that corruption and cover-ups still continue to be the norm inside the Clinton administration. ================================================================ source documents - http://www.softwar.net/paiton2.html ================================================================ 1 if by land, 2 if by sea. Paul Revere - encryption 1775 Charles R. Smith SOFTWAR http://www.softwar.net [EMAIL PROTECTED] Pcyphered SIGNATURE: 7BF4A532D0F87593FC227290A9E3CFA906A870A9AF5813BA6E70C60218BD47D1 C49218DCFF4F727D6FD5C6568A6A4CF1F8DC3192918F9D7464A87346469D425B 6E1EEE9B3C45DAEB ================================================================ SOFTWAR EMAIL NEWSLETTER 06/15/99 *** to unsubscribe reply with "unsubscribe" as subject *** ================================================================
