RI to send army medics and engineers to Bosnia and Somalia
RI to send army medics and engineers to Bosnia and Somalia
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia will send a detachment of army medics
to Bosnia-Herzegovina and another detachment of army engineers to
Somalia, the government announced yesterday.
Coordinating Minister of Political Affairs and Security
Soesilo Soedarman told a press conference yesterday that the
decision was made at a meeting of ministers under his charge.
"The team to Bosnia, consisting of 221 individuals, will leave
in July," Soesilo said.
The detachment to Somalia will comprise 250 people, he said
but did not mention when the team will leave.
The government has resisted domestic pressures from local
Moslem organizations to send troops to Bosnia on the grounds that
Indonesian soldiers are ill equipped and insufficiently trained
to deal with the wintry terrain of the former Yugoslav republic.
Soesilo said yesterday that the health detachment to Bosnia
and engineers going to Somalia are all that Indonesia can afford
to send under the current budgetary constraints and given the
level of preparedness.
The monthly meeting yesterday also reviewed the overall
political and security situation in Indonesia.
"Everything is fine and under control. We will continue with
Operasi Bersih, which has already been carried out in several
large cities of the country," he said referring to the crackdown
against crime that has also targeted the illegal production and
distribution of alcoholic beverages.
The meeting agreed that such an operation will be conducted on
a more regular basis to keep the crime rate down.
The ministers also discussed preparations for an Asia Pacific
ministerial conference on women in development scheduled for June
7-14 in Jakarta as well as a conference of the information
ministers of the Organization of Islamic Congress, also this
month.
On another issue, Soesilo yesterday said Indonesia is
satisfied with the results of the meeting of the Indonesia-
Malaysia Joint Commission in Kuala Lumpur last week.
The two governments agreed to maintain the status quo of two
disputed islets, Sipadan and Ligitan, pending a resolution
satisfactory to both parties.
"This is positive progress," Soesilo said.
Malaysia had earlier violated the status quo by developing the
Sipadan island and touting it overseas as one of its latest
tourist resorts. This prompted Indonesia to protest. (pwn)