Australia asks Kopassus to join antiterror drill<\/p>\n
Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Australia has invited Indonesia's special forces Kopassus to join
\na two-week counterterrorism exercise next year, a move which
\nrights activists say is inconsistent.<\/p>\n
\"In this era of heightened terrorist threats, it is in
\nAustralia's interests to engage with regional special forces,
\nsuch as Kopassus, to safeguard the lives of Australians and
\nAustralian interests abroad,\" Australian Defense Minister Robert
\nHill was quoted by AP as saying on Sunday.<\/p>\n
The exercise will be the first since Canberra suspended joint
\ntraining with the commando force following widespread allegations
\nof Indonesian Military (TNI) involvement in atrocities in Timor
\nLeste prior to and after the 1999 independence vote there.<\/p>\n
Australia follows in the footsteps of the United States which
\nlifted its ban last month on arms sales to Indonesia after TNI
\nsoldiers shot dead dozens of protesters in Timor Leste in 1992.<\/p>\n
Hill said members of Australia's Special Air Service Regiment
\nand Indonesia's 81st counterterrorism unit would be involved in
\nthe two-week exercise that would include training in
\ncounterterrorism, dealing with hijackings and hostage recovery.<\/p>\n
\"In the event of a terrorist incident, the safety of
\nAustralians in Indonesia could well rest on effective cooperation
\nbetween the TNI and the ADF,\" Hill added, referring to the
\nIndonesian and Australian armed forces by their acronyms.<\/p>\n
A total of 88 Australians were killed by terrorists in the
\n2002 Bali blasts, several others died in the second attack on the
\nisland last October. Terrorists also detonated a bomb in front of
\nthe Australian Embassy in Jakarta last year.<\/p>\n
Following the Oct. 1 terror strike on Bali, President Susilo
\nBambang Yudhoyono asked the TNI to take part in the war on
\nterror. The police have taken the lead in the fight against
\nterrorism, in line with their responsibility for security.<\/p>\n
Australia has consistently warned its citizens to avoid
\nunnecessary travel to Indonesia due to the terror threats.<\/p>\n
Usman Hamid of rights watch Imparsial criticized Australia for
\nbeing inconsistent in helping Indonesia fight terrorism.<\/p>\n
\"Australia, like the U.S., has ensured that the Indonesian
\npolice stand in the front line in the antiterrorism campaign. It
\nis inconsistent, therefore, if Australia now asks Kopassus troops
\nto join the exercise,\" said Usman.<\/p>\n
He agreed that the police were unable to handle domestic
\nsecurity, but said that intelligence authorities had contributed
\na lot to the failure for not providing accurate information to
\nthe police.<\/p>\n
Australia, he added, could threaten TNI's internal reform.<\/p>\n
\"Australia should know that Kopassus has not contributed to
\nthe reform movement. So, there is no strong reason for Canberra
\nto turn to the TNI, instead of the police to seek a partner in
\nthe antiterror war,\" Usman said.<\/p>\n
Australian Federal Police have been cooperating with the
\nIndonesian police in unraveling the masterminds of bomb attacks.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, U.S. Congressman Christopher Kit-Bond said his
\ncountry hoped to see respect for human rights upheld in
\nIndonesia.<\/p>\n
\"A modern military should respect human rights, civilian
\nsupremacy, law enforcement, and other standards of performance in
\nfree and democratic countries,\" Kit-Bond said in a joint press
\nconference with Minister of Defense Juwono Sudarsono.<\/p>\n
The visiting Republican lawmaker had held talks with Juwono on
\ndefense cooperation between the two nations.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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