Australia asks Kopassus to join antiterror drill
Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Australia has invited Indonesia's special forces Kopassus to join a two-week counterterrorism exercise next year, a move which rights activists say is inconsistent.
"In this era of heightened terrorist threats, it is in Australia's interests to engage with regional special forces, such as Kopassus, to safeguard the lives of Australians and Australian interests abroad," Australian Defense Minister Robert Hill was quoted by AP as saying on Sunday.
The exercise will be the first since Canberra suspended joint training with the commando force following widespread allegations of Indonesian Military (TNI) involvement in atrocities in Timor Leste prior to and after the 1999 independence vote there.
Australia follows in the footsteps of the United States which lifted its ban last month on arms sales to Indonesia after TNI soldiers shot dead dozens of protesters in Timor Leste in 1992.
Hill said members of Australia's Special Air Service Regiment and Indonesia's 81st counterterrorism unit would be involved in the two-week exercise that would include training in counterterrorism, dealing with hijackings and hostage recovery.
"In the event of a terrorist incident, the safety of Australians in Indonesia could well rest on effective cooperation between the TNI and the ADF," Hill added, referring to the Indonesian and Australian armed forces by their acronyms.
A total of 88 Australians were killed by terrorists in the 2002 Bali blasts, several others died in the second attack on the island last October. Terrorists also detonated a bomb in front of the Australian Embassy in Jakarta last year.
Following the Oct. 1 terror strike on Bali, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono asked the TNI to take part in the war on terror. The police have taken the lead in the fight against terrorism, in line with their responsibility for security.
Australia has consistently warned its citizens to avoid unnecessary travel to Indonesia due to the terror threats.
Usman Hamid of rights watch Imparsial criticized Australia for being inconsistent in helping Indonesia fight terrorism.
"Australia, like the U.S., has ensured that the Indonesian police stand in the front line in the antiterrorism campaign. It is inconsistent, therefore, if Australia now asks Kopassus troops to join the exercise," said Usman.
He agreed that the police were unable to handle domestic security, but said that intelligence authorities had contributed a lot to the failure for not providing accurate information to the police.
Australia, he added, could threaten TNI's internal reform.
"Australia should know that Kopassus has not contributed to the reform movement. So, there is no strong reason for Canberra to turn to the TNI, instead of the police to seek a partner in the antiterror war," Usman said.
Australian Federal Police have been cooperating with the Indonesian police in unraveling the masterminds of bomb attacks.
Meanwhile, U.S. Congressman Christopher Kit-Bond said his country hoped to see respect for human rights upheld in Indonesia.
"A modern military should respect human rights, civilian supremacy, law enforcement, and other standards of performance in free and democratic countries," Kit-Bond said in a joint press conference with Minister of Defense Juwono Sudarsono.
The visiting Republican lawmaker had held talks with Juwono on defense cooperation between the two nations.