A new page in US-Indonesian military relations opens
Jakarta (AsiaNews/Agencies) Washington's decision to renew military ties with Jakarta opens a new page in the relationship between United States and Indonesia. Human rights groups have however expressed concern over the warming ties.
"This is a new page, a new chapter in the strategic relations between Indonesia and the United States which have since 1999 gone through substantial ups and downs in relation to their defence cooperation," Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said.
The US is to restore military ties with Indonesia after they were cut in 1992 over Indonesian actions in East Timor, where more than 200 protesters were killed by the army.
A ban on military contact was also put in place in 1999 in response to the violent suppression of the independence movement in East Timor.
But in May, the US partially lifted the arms embargo after President Susilo paid a visit to Washington.
The US administration's proposal is now to help Indonesia modernise its armed forces and increase anti-terrorist co-operationit is expected to go to Congress for approval soon.
"Indonesia is a voice of moderation in the Islamic world," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said in a statement that also highlighted Indonesia's "significant progress in advancing its democratic institutions".
Not only is Indonesia the most populous Muslim country in the world but it has experienced several terrorist attacks and is at the forefront of the struggle against Islamic radicalism.
Its religious leaders have issued a fatwa (religious edict) against Islamic terrorism and condemned attacks in Indonesia since the country is not the scene of anti-Islamic war.
Now that East Timor is independent and the Aceh rebellion solved, observers believe that strengthening Jakarta's military might improve defences against Islamic terrorism by providing Indonesia with the wherewithal needed to protect its oil and gas installations, boost internal security, and deter piracy on the seas.
But for human rights activists the decision "betrayed the untold tens of thousands of victims of the Indonesian military's brutality".
"Not even two weeks ago, Congress sent a clear message to the Indonesian government and security forces that it expected real improvements in military reform, human rights protections, and accountability for crimes against humanity," said John Miller, from the East Timor and Indonesia Action Network.
Indeed, the officials responsible for the massacres in East Timor have never been apprehended and punished.
Because of the US ban, Jakarta was increasingly turning to Moscow. After Yudhyono's recent discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin, it was announced that both leaders had agreed to start up intensive negotiations on setting up a joint production facility for certain sophisticated military equipment and to develop a national defence industry.
In September, Air Force Vice Marshal Pieter Wattimena had led a delegation to Moscow to discuss weapons supplies.
And on a state visit to Beijing at the end of July, Yudhyono and Chinese President Hu Jintao had issued a joint statement in which they agreed to intensify bilateral cooperation in defence and military fields.
The US was Indonesia's main military supplier until the embargo was imposed with dire consequences for the Indonesian military.
Earlier this month, Defence Minister Juwono Sudarsono said that "the condition of our military, [. . . its] numbers and equipment are inadequate"; it is "a miracle that we are able to keep this vast territory from breaking apart."
Even the navy'117 ships are either obsolete or run down because it does not have the resources needed to keep them in working order. (PB)
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