Australia's defense ties with Indonesia solid: Moore<\/p>\n
CANBERRA (AP): Planned military exercises involving elite
\nunits of the Indonesian and Australian defense forces have been
\ndeferred, not abandoned, Australian Minister of Defense John
\nMoore said on Thursday.<\/p>\n
He said Indonesian budget cuts were behind a decision to delay
\ntwo planned joint military exercises, not the bad human rights
\nrecord of the Indonesian Army's Special Force (Kopassus) as
\nreported in some Australian media.<\/p>\n
Moore, who took over the defense post earlier this month after
\na national election, said Australia's defense relationship with
\nIndonesia was unchanged.<\/p>\n
The Australian newspaper reported on Thursday the exercises
\nhad been abandoned after a ministerial level decision in
\nAustralia.<\/p>\n
The newspaper linked the decision to what it claimed were
\nmonths of bad publicity over the poor human rights record of the
\nelite Kopassus unit of Indonesia's Armed Forces (ABRI).<\/p>\n
Moore said the decision was made by Australia's armed forces.<\/p>\n
Adm. Chris Barrie, the chief of Australia's defense forces,
\nhad advised the government that planned exercises had been
\ndeferred by mutual agreement with the Indonesian government,
\nMoore said.<\/p>\n
Exercise Night Falcon, an Australian Special Air Services
\nexercise, was scheduled to be held in Indonesia last May.
\nMoore said the exercise was deferred due to the deteriorating
\npolitical and economic situation in Indonesia at the time.<\/p>\n
Exercise Kookaburra and Exercise Komodo, scheduled for
\nNovember, have also been postponed to a date yet to be decided.<\/p>\n
\"I am advised that the exercises have been deferred in the
\nlight of the budget cuts imposed by the Indonesian government on
\nABRI training and by ABRI's priority requirement for the
\nrestructuring of Kopassus,\" Moore said.<\/p>\n
\"These are internal matters for the Indonesian government and
\nits defense force.\"<\/p>\n
He said the Indonesian government was also concerned about
\nimproving the \"professional standards and accountability\" of its
\nSpecial Force.<\/p>\n
Moore said it was expected training exercises involving
\nAustralian defense forces and Kopassus would resume once
\nIndonesia's internal reform processes were completed.<\/p>\n
Two former Kopassus commanders, including former president
\nSoeharto's son-in-law Prabowo Subianto, have been discharged from
\nABRI over their role in the kidnapping and torturing of political
\nactivists.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/australias-defense-ties-with-indonesia-solid-moore-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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