TNI orders new weapons for Aceh operation

TNI orders new weapons for Aceh operation

Yuli Trisuwarni and Nani Farida, The Jakarta Post, Bandung/Banda Aceh

The Indonesian Military is ordering 5,000 SS-2 rifles from state
arms producer PT Pindad for troops deployed in the war-torn
province of Aceh.

TNI chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto said the purchase would be
financed using the state fund allocated for the military
operation in Aceh.

"Of the Rp 1.2 trillion (US$141 million) fund allocated for
the operation, half has been disbursed and we have spent it on
ammunition, night goggles, some 40 tactical vehicles and SS-2
rifles," Endriartono said on the sidelines of his visit to PT
Pindad in Bandung.

He also witnessed the testing of the rifle, the new generation
SS-1, produced under the license of its Belgian maker.

Endriartono said the new rifle suited the TNI soldiers.

"It's quite light and has been adjusted to our soldiers. The
purchase is practical because the SS-2 uses the same bullets as
the SS-1, so we do not have to buy new bullets," he said.

The new rifle weighs 3.5 kilograms, one kg lighter than the
SS-1. Compared to the old rifle, SS-2 has a range of 600 meters,
superior to the SS-1.

Endriartono said most of the TNI troops in Aceh carried either
the SS-1 or the United States-made M-16.

"We are trying to decrease our dependence on the U.S. for
weapons," he said.

The U.S. imposed an embargo on military equipment for
Indonesia following the atrocities in East Timor in 1999 which
implicated the TNI.

The TNI chief's assistant Maj. Gen. Adam Damiri said 40
percent of the 84,000 TNI combat troops were carrying M-16s.

The director of PT Pindad, Budi Santoso, said an SS-2 rifle
cost between Rp 3 million and Rp 4 million.

He said the TNI order would be completed in April next year at
the latest as the company had also received an order for 110,000
revolvers from the National Police.

Since the start of the operation almost five months ago, 841
Free Aceh Movement (GAM) rebels have been killed, the martial law
administrator in the province claimed on Wednesday.

The government troops have also managed to capture 635
separatists.

Meanwhile, the Banda Aceh District Court resumed the trial of
former GAM negotiator, Amni bin Marzuki, who claimed that he was
ignorant of any terror acts committed by the rebel group.

Amni is being charged with involvement in terror activities,
which caused the death of innocent civilians and the destruction
of public facilities, including school buildings and government
offices.

"If I were informed about the acts of GAM members, I and other
GAM negotiators would have tried to stop them," he told the
court.

During the trial, Amni was accompanied by his six lawyers,
including seasoned lawyer Adnan Buyung Nasution.

Amni told the court he was recruited by the rebel group in
1995 and was appointed their negotiator in 2000 for the
humanitarian pause dialog.

He said during his term as negotiator, he had never helped
launch terror attacks. He added his job as a negotiator was to
seek a peaceful solution to the prolonged Aceh conflict.

Amni also claimed ignorance about the sources of weapons
purchased by GAM, or the existence of the Aceh National Army
(TNA), the armed wing of the movement.

The trial was adjourned until Sept. 17 to hear the sentence
demand by the prosecutors.