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?