Indonesian Army to upgrade training
Indonesian Army to upgrade training
By Lela A. Madjiah
BANGKOK (JP): The Indonesian Army has pledged to improve its
training on and application of international humanitarian law as
part of its commitment to uphold the 1949 Geneva Conventions for
the protection of victims of war.
Brig. Gen. Kiki Syahnakri, deputy assistant for operations to
the Army Chief, said that as a first step, the army would focus
on training soldiers being sent on (combat) operations, to ensure
that they understood the law of war and, most importantly,
complied with it.
"As a second step, we will review current training programs on
the subject to find a more suitable method of disseminating the
(information about the) law among members of the Army to improve
their understanding and awareness of the law. Only then can we
expect them to practice the law in daily life as well as in
combat situations," Syahnakri told The Jakarta Post here
yesterday.
He was speaking at the closing of a five-day seminar on
international humanitarian law, also known as the law of war, for
east Asian military instructors.
Fifteen east Asian countries took part in the seminar that was
organized by the International Committee for the Red Cross
(ICRC).
One way to improve compliance with the law is through
simulating real-life situations in which soldiers have to make
split-second decisions by taking the rules of law into account
without sacrificing tactical goals, said Syahnakri.
"What we have so far is good, but there is always room for
improvement, especially with regard to our role as a member of
the international community. It is important that we speak and
act on the same platform as other members of the international
community," he said.
Syahnakri stressed that the law of war was not a new thing for
ABRI. In 1994, for example, the Dili Resort Military Command, in
cooperation with the local ICRC office, organized a seminar on
international humanitarian law for battalion commanders.
That same year the Dili military command issued an operation
manual that included a detailed directive on how to uphold human
rights in combat situations.
"The Trikora Regional Military Command in Irian Jaya is even
more progressive, for it has integrated the law of war into its
operation procedures," said Syahnakri.
Brig. Gen. P. Lt. Sihombing, deputy military chief prosecutor
at the Armed Forces headquarters who also attended the seminar,
said that ABRI members adhered to national laws and traditional
military values that were similar to the law of war.
Maj. Gen. Louis Geiger of Switzerland, the ICRC military
adviser, warned Thursday that military activities were subject to
international scrutiny and should be conducted carefully if the
armed forces wanted international support for their actions.
According to Geiger, there are five humanitarian rules
governing the conduct of hostilities in armed conflicts that must
be imposed in all circumstances.
These are the obligation to distinguish between combatants
and civilians; the immunity of the civilian population; the
prohibition of attacks on civilians; the prohibition of causing
superfluous injury or unnecessary suffering; the prohibition of
recourse to perfidy; and, finally the obligation to respect and
protect medical and religious personnel, medical units and means
of transport.