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)