Don't isolate Indonesia's military

Don't isolate Indonesia's military

News that Indonesian soldiers might have been involved in an
August ambush in Papua that killed two Americans and Indonesian
and wounded 11 isn't surprising. Yet Jakarta's acknowledgement
that soldiers may have been involved in the August abuses has
brought new demands from human rights advocates that foreign
governments shun the Indonesia military.

The initial Indonesian response was a claim that anti-
government insurgent were responsible for the attack, which is
certainly a plausible theory in the absence of more solid
evidence. But recent government actions show that Jakarta is
seriously trying to get to the bottom of the crimes. For
starters, local officials are reported to be cooperating openly
with the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, a refreshing
improvement from a government that had been dragging its feet in
helping America with the war on terror.

More to the point, it was an Indonesian police investigator
named I Made Mangku Pastika who first went public with the news
that members of the elite Kopassus army unit might have had a
role. An investigation by Mr. Pastika last year led to the arrest
of several other Kopassus members for assassinating a Papuan
rebel leader.

But cutting off U.S. aid to or communication with the
Indonesian military is hardly an intelligent answer to the
problem of dark deeds by rogue military units. What is needed now
is not a weaker military but one that is better trained, better
disciplined and obedient to civil authorities. That can best be
furthered by contact with such a force in being, specifically the
U.S. military.

In the past successful programs have brought officers and
cadets to U.S. military academies for training. Increased contact
with the world's most powerful fighting force would inevitably
convince Indonesian soldiers that unquestioning deference to
civilian rule and respect for human rights in no way diminishes
the importance of a nation's military.

Indonesia's armed forces have been consistently ceding more
power to the civilian government since Soeharto stepped down in
1998. Earlier this year, President Megawati announced another
series of reforms, including an accelerated schedule for removing
the seats reserved for military officers in the national
parliament. This is progress.

The most important reason not to isolate the Indonesian
military is that it would set back the world war against terror.
After the attacks on New York and Washington on Sept. 11, 2001,
and especially following the October Bali bombings, international
leaders have asked Ms. Megawati to take bold steps to crack down
on radical Islamic groups operating in Indonesia. There is no way
jihadist organizations can be controlled in the world's most
populous Muslim nation without the assistance of strong armed
forces.

-- The Asian Wall Street Journal. Hong Kong