TNI to step up security in Papua, Aceh

Tiarma Siboro and Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Leaders of the Indonesian military (TNI) have agreed to pay more attention to sea security and secessionist movements in Papua and Aceh provinces in 2003.

"Separatism remains our concern this year, particularly in Aceh and Papua," TNI spokesman Maj. Gen. Sjafrie Syamsoeddin told a press conference marking the end of a two-day military leaders' meeting in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Sjafrie, however, fell short of explaining the new security measures that could be introduced in Papua and Aceh, saying only that the military would follow government policies on separatism issues in both provinces.

"The military will not deploy more troops in both conflict- torn provinces," he said, but added that the military would increase the salary of the troops currently serving a tour of duty in those areas.

This year, the TNI will also focus on the defense of Indonesia's water territory by increasing the Navy's budget allocation.

According to Sjafrie, the country's Navy would receive Rp 700 billion, or Rp 100 billion more than received by the Army and the Air Force, in a bid to improve its performance to guard the national territory from growing threats such as illegal logging, poaching and people smuggling.

"The improvement of military professionalism must be in line with equipment improvement," he said.

Sjafrie said the budget allocation would be used to purchase several patrol ships as most of the Navy's ships are not seaworthy. He did not specify further, but added that the Navy was currently negotiating with a "local producer".

The Navy currently has 117 ships, but only 30 percent are seaworthy.

The Army and Air Force would buy new helicopters this year, Sjafrie also said without elaborating.

The government slightly increased the budget for the TNI to Rp 13.9 trillion. Last year, it got Rp 11 trillion. However, TNI's budget was heavily burdened by soldiers' salaries. The TNI headquarters allocated Rp 11.5 trillion in wages alone.

The military usually allocates more for the Army. Earlier this year, the Ministry of Defense said that it would release a white paper on defense strategy that would give a greater role to the Army to handle security disturbances and internal threats over the next decade.

However, analysts have said that the government should build up the Air Force and Navy instead as TNI's main role is to deal with external security threats mandated by the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) decree No. VII/2000, under which the TNI surrendered most of the domestic security affairs to the National Police.

Currently, Indonesia has some 297,000 active military members with 400,000 reserves. The Army has 230,000 members, the Air Force 27,000 members and the Navy 40,000.

The meeting was attended by several state officials, including Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda, Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno, Coordinating Minister of Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Minister of Defense Matori Abdul Jalil and Minister of Finance Boediono, who presented their recommendations to the military, Sjafrie said

Unlike last year, the military chief would not officially report this year's programs to the president, Sjafrie said.