Arms build-up unlikely to spark enmity in SE Asia

JAKARTA (JP): Increased arms spending in Southeast Asia does not indicate the presence of enmity among countries in the region, but the demand for modern military equipment, Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas said yesterday.

Alatas told a hearing with the House of Representatives' Commission I there was evidence that cooperation among Southeast Asian countries had been on the increase, comprising all fields including defense.

"An arms build-up does not always mean an arms race... suspicion or enmity among member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

"Several ASEAN members have been modernizing their armed forces for technological reasons. Besides, the weapons will be used to combat pirates and smugglers," Alatas told members of the House Commission II for domestic and foreign political affairs.

He was commenting on an International Institute for Strategic Studies' finding that Indonesia and Thailand were the biggest arms buyers in Southeast Asia, amounting to US$700 million in 1996. According to the report, Saudi Arabia and East Asian countries are the biggest importers of military equipment.

Alatas said each country had its own reasons for expanding its military capabilities.

"Maybe it is facing conflict or threats from other countries, or maybe it is only trying to fulfill its reasonable need for arms," he said.

He said Indonesia had always set a small budget for arms purchases but had bought a lot of military equipment recently.

"The increase in spending for military equipment must include the purchase of some jet fighters," Alatas said.

Indonesia bought 12 Sukhoi jet fighters and nine M-17-IV helicopters from Russia under a counter purchase deal worth $500 million in September.

In May, Britain delivered 24 Hawk jets to Indonesia. The sale of Hawk trainers and ground attack fighters worth about 500 million, was approved by the British government in late 1995 after concluding that they would probably not be used against opponents of the Indonesian government.

Minister of Defense Edi Sudrajat told another hearing with the House last week that Indonesia had always spent an average of 1.2 percent of its gross domestic product on its military budget, far lower than the ideal rate of 2.5 percent.

Alatas said yesterday that ASEAN countries would not procure military equipment for offensive or defensive reasons, because they had agreed to establish regional resilience together through a comprehensive security approach.

He admitted that the overlapping claims of the South China Sea carried seeds of conflict in the future, involving four ASEAN members, China and Chinese Taipei.

"But all claimants have tried to refrain themselves and encouraged a peaceful settlement," Alatas said.

China, the biggest claimant country, has approved a mutual plan to carry out certain development projects in various areas agreed by the six claimants.

ASEAN comprises Brunei, Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos and Thailand. (amd)