Justifiable intervention?
Justifiable intervention?
The United States seems to be pulling out all stops to make
sure that Indonesia brings the killers of two Americans in Papua
last August to justice. The killing of the two teachers in
Tembagapura has been raised at almost every occasion that top
officials of the two governments have met, and is becoming a real
sticking point in relations between the two countries.
The issue came up again during the meeting between Minister of
Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirajuda and Secretary of State Colin
Powell in Phnom Penh when they attended the ASEAN Regional Forum
last week. On Monday, the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee
approved an amendment banning the release of US$600,000 in
military training funds for Indonesia until President George W.
Bush certified that the Indonesian government would bring to
justice those responsible for the attack.
Some die-hard nationalists might resent this seemingly endless
badgering by the U.S., but to be fair, Washington is only doing
what any decent government in the world would do for its people:
ensuring that they are fairly and justly treated, wherever they
live.
The pursuit of justice for the killing in Tembagapura, in
which one Indonesian was also shot dead during the ambush by
unidentified gunmen, should be a matter of course for the
Indonesian government, even without American prodding. Yet, it
has now been 10 months since the shooting took place, and the
authorities have yet to find even a single suspect.
The police investigation seems to have encountered a stumbling
block because the shooting took place in an area that was
effectively under the jurisdiction of the military, and also
because of indications that soldiers might have been involved.
The government has agreed to a U.S. request to allow members
of the Federal Bureau of Investigation to carry out their own
investigation. Originally, the FBI was given limited access, but
following more pressure from Washington, the Indonesian
government (or TNI, to be more precise) relented and has now
agreed to give the FBI greater access.
Whether or not U.S. intervention in this affair is justifiable
may be a matter of debate for politicians and diplomats. It is
our hope that this investigation will be completed soon, not only
to fulfill the demands of the U.S., but also those on the
Indonesian government to ensure that justice is upheld in this
country.
This episode is another sad reminder of the poor state of our
legal system and its ability to deliver justice. The fact of the
matter is that justice is hard to come by in this country,
especially when you are confronting powerful people or
institutions.
If you happen to be an American citizen, you can at least
count on the support of your government to intervene -- to ensure
that justice is seen to be done. But if you are an Indonesian
citizen, whether you hail from Aceh, Papua, Jakarta or anywhere
else, what recourse do you have?