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