The Straits Times, Saturday May 25, 2002
US may fund Jakarta troops policing Malukus
Under $29m funding plan, troops would be trained to form peacekeeping force to deal
with ethnic and sectarian violence
By Marianne Kearney
STRAITS TIMES INDONESIA BUREAU
JAKARTA - The United States is considering a plan to fund Indonesian domestic
peacekeepers for trouble spots like the Malukus and West Papua, under a new
foreign-aid Bill.
If approved, it will be the first direct US military assistance since Congress banned
military ties after the Indonesian armed forces were implicated in the carnage in East
Timor in 1999.
Under a US$16-million (S$28.8-million) funding plan being being considered by the
House of Representatives and the Senate, Washington would also fund
counter-terrorism training for the Indonesian police.
A Bill proposing that a special group of troops be trained and equipped to form a
peacekeeping force to deal with sectarian and ethnic violence was discussed by
legislators this week, said US Embassy sources.
The State Department argued that 'rapid restoration of order will reduce tensions and
weaken extremist groups, thus serving counter-terrorism goals in Indonesia and
beyond', according to documents obtained by Asia Human Rights Watch.
While Indonesia's military has said it has not been consulted about such a force, the
Defence Ministry would be keen to back any move which renews military ties with the
US, analysts said.
Defence Minister Matori Abdul Djalil has just returned from Washington, where he
lobbied the Pentagon and Congress to lift the 1999 ban on military training and
weapons sales to Jakarta.
But US legislators - keen to ensure the plan does not create an elite unit that could
commit human-rights violations with immunity - have demanded changes to the
proposal, sources close to congressional members said. A new draft is likely to be
discussed by Congress in September.
The idea to provide US$8 million to train the police in counter-terrorism measures has
drawn wide support.
The US plan has, however, been criticised by several military analysts here. They said
it was not lack of training but the way the government managed conflicts, coupled with
corruption in the military, that hindered its ability to quell conflicts quickly.
'The problem is, if such a force were formed, how would it coordinate with ordinary
troops? Because we often see that conflicts between police and the military, or within
the military, arise over the issue of who is in charge,' said analyst Kusnanto Anggoro.
Former defence minister Juwono Sudarsono said that if the US wanted a more
professional Indonesian army, then financial-management training, not combat
training, should be a priority.
The military has admitted in the past that government funding accounts for only 60 per
cent of its operational budget. The rest is thought to be raised through businesses
and illegal means.
There was also criticism that the proposal would hinder efforts by reformists to make
the police - not the military - responsible for domestic security. Police often complain
they lack the training and equipment to quell ethnic or sectarian conflicts.
News of Washington's plan comes as visiting Australian Foreign Minister Alexander
Downer indicated that Canberra was discussing renewing high-level military ties - also
suspended after the violence in East Timor.
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