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)