Soeharto defends Armed Forces' dual role
Soeharto defends Armed Forces' dual role
JAKARTA (JP): The Armed Forces' (ABRI) dual role in defense
and politics has been the key to successful development in
Indonesia, President Soeharto told an Asia-Pacific seminar here
yesterday.
Soeharto said that unlike most countries' armed forces, ABRI
also played a vital role in the country's political system.
He said ABRI had exercised its dual role wisely and
consistently.
"That's why we have enjoyed the dynamic stability that has
allowed us to pay full attention to development," Soeharto said.
The opening ceremony for the seminar on the
International/Regional Use of Military and Civil Defense Assets
in Disaster Relief was at State Palace. But the United Nations-
sponsored seminar is actually underway in Yogyakarta until
Thursday, with participants from 26 countries.
Soeharto is ABRI's highest commander. He said ABRI was very
familiar with civic missions, including relief operations.
"As far as Indonesia is concerned, there is nothing new about
using military assets for non-military purposes, especially for
humanitarian reasons," he said.
He said that Indonesia, a country of some 17,000 islands and
200 million people, was vulnerable to typhoons, earthquakes,
tidal waves, volcanic eruptions and forest fires.
Indonesia has about 500 active volcanoes, and volcanic
eruptions are one of the most common natural disasters here.
"They (volcanic eruptions) can cause serious damage if
disaster relief is not properly and quickly handled," Soeharto
said.
The last major volcanic eruption in Indonesia was at Mount
Galunggung in West Java in 1982, in which more than 100 people
were killed. In 1994, Mount Merapi erupted killing 68 people.
One of the worst volcanic eruptions in Indonesia's history was
Krakatau in the Sunda Straits, separating Java and Sumatra, in
1883. The eruption killed 36,000 people.
The eruption of Mount Tambora on the eastern Indonesian island
of Sumbawa in 1915 took the biggest death toll, 90,000 people.
In February last year, tidal waves caused by an earthquake
claimed more than 100 lives in Biak Numfor in northern Irian
Jaya.
Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Azwar Anas told
Soeharto at the opening ceremony that the seminar would discuss
the use of military and civil defense assets in joint
international relief operations, particularly emergency responses
to natural and technological disasters.
"Participants will discuss the formation of national networks
in each participating country, joint disaster management,
research, data collection and processing, training and
education," Azwar said.
Participants would see a demonstration of routine disaster
management practices for crises at the country's most active
volcano, Mount Merapi, which is about 30 kilometers north of
Yogyakarta. (06)