Annan says consensus over Asian for U.N. top post

NEW DELHI (Reuters) -
United Nations members generally agree that Asia should provide the next head for the global body, after a break of three decades, Secretary General
Kofi Annan said on Thursday.

The last general secretary from Asia was U Thant of Burma, now Myanmar, whose decade-long term ended in 1971 and Annan said it was the continent's turn again.

"I think unless there are dramatic changes, most member states see it as Asia's chance," Annan, whose second term as secretary general finishes at the end of next year, told a news conference in New Delhi.

Asia has emerged as an economic powerhouse in recent decades, with India and China among the strongest economies in the world.

The continent already has one declared candidate, Thai Deputy Prime Minister Surakiart Sathirathai, who has the backing of the 10 member Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Annan, speaking at the end of a three-day visit to New Delhi, played down the hopes of his hosts that India could win a right of veto if it won a permanent Security Council seat in a rejigged United Nations.

Annan, who is pushing for wide-ranging reform of the world body, said candidates for new slots should not expect to get a veto power if Security Council was expanded.

"I believe enlargement without veto is a major step forward," 66-year-old Annan told diplomats, foreign policy analysts and other guests at a function.

"Let us not get so focused on the veto."

India, Japan, Germany and Brazil have pledged to support each others' candidacy for permanent seats on the Security Council.

Annan said calls by some U.N. members for the five current permanent members of the Security Council to lose their coveted veto powers was utopian and not realistic.

Critics say the veto rights of the United States, France, Britain, China and Russia reflect the situation when the U.N. was formed in 1945, not the reality of the 21st century.

"What is important is to have effective representation to make the council more democratic and ensure voices of all the regions are heard," Annan said.

Annan wants general agreement by September on the reforms he put forward last month, which also seek a commitment by rich countries to increase aid funding and an overhaul of the U.N's human rights body.


It's kinda proud to have Indonesian as UN GS .....
besides now he is one of the UN GS Envoy right ?

the front runner guy is some Thai guy...looks like Asean will back him.

the front runner guy is some Thai guy...looks like Asean will back him.

Yes Alvin ... It's the Thai FM ...

However others not agree since Thai already lead the WTO ...

Nope. Until last month I was using SBC (aka Cingular, SBC Yahoo, Bell, etc.) DSL, but now I use the local cable company's service. It's about the same speed as Roadrunner (3x DSL). Why do you ask?

I was about to give you some advice about roadrunner since your IP is similar with them but its all good since you dont use them. I had problem with them in the past, not to mention its cable connection easy to get hacked.

cheers

I prefer Indonesia to start campaigning for security council permanent seat rather than UN SG. Because it has much power and pride than being a SG which only gets you abused and being criticised, not to mention the scandals! (Oil for food program)

cheers

Yep.
Permanent seat in security council is more prestigious and strategic than being a Secretary General.

Indonesia seems to have little support though.
The most likely ones are...(if the SC does get expanded) - Germany, Japan, Brazil and India. They've lodged a joint application and have agreed to support each other. But I think Annan mentioned expanding SC to include 6 more nations? It will include an African country - possibly Nigeria or South Africa...and hopefully...us.

Indonesia seems to have little support though.
The most likely ones are...(if the SC does get expanded) - Germany, Japan, Brazil and India. They've lodged a joint application and have agreed to support each other. But I think Annan mentioned expanding SC to include 6 more nations? It will include an African country - possibly Nigeria or South Africa...and hopefully...us.
I have my doubt about Japan. I think China is going to bloc Japan's attempt to join the SC. I can be wrong though. As for the African country, it looks like South Africa will get it.

China will block it, possibly, yes.
But I don't think the others are gonna let it happen...there will be negotiations, we can be sure about that. I think the US would rather have an expanded SC with Japan rather than not (its first preference would be the status quo, obviously).

China will block it, possibly, yes.
But I don't think the others are gonna let it happen...there will be negotiations, we can be sure about that. I think the US would rather have an expanded SC with Japan rather than not (its first preference would be the status quo, obviously).
I don't thing the other can do anything about it. Remember, China has a veto power. Which is why, if we are smart about it, we can be an acceptable alternative to Japan. I think both US and China can accept us on the SC.

The only country that is officially support Indonesia bid to be SC permanent council is Australia. I dont know about ASEAN and Middle east country, I am sure they want Indonesia to represent them as moderate muslim country and south east asia largest economy.

cheers

Japan has the most support from the international community, regardless of China's position. They are the world's 2nd largest economy in terms of market value, and the population there has over $11 trillion in private savings. They should have been allowed in during the late 1980s.

The only country that is officially support Indonesia bid to be SC permanent council is Australia. I dont know about ASEAN and Middle east country, I am sure they want Indonesia to represent them as moderate muslim country and south east asia largest economy.

cheers

Yes During the previous trial of UN reform ....
It was in SOeharto Era .... ( before Economic Crisis ) .... Indonesia is Among the strong candidate .... with Brazil , Japan , India , Germany .....

If you see that Indonesia is the #4 most populous country ...
[ If GOD see 25 people from ABOVE .. ..... One is INDONESIAN .... :) ]
and Indonesia is #1 Moslem Population in the world .... ( 180 Million ) ....

With this " Unique .....fact " .... Indonesia has a good chance to be one of them ......

My prediction however .... the additional SC will not happen in 2006 .... but maybe .... 2011 ..... when Indonesia has already more developed ...... :cheers:

yeah, indonesia definitely lost a lot of international stature in the last 6 years. But we are definitely rebounding under SBY! If we can clock a gdp growth of 7%/annum for the next 10 years the world will take notice again...and I'm optimistic of the prospects..

Indonesia being courted by both US and CHina...good article.

CHINA AND US RELATIONS, JAKARTA PLAYS FOR THE BEST DEALS

Jakarta, 29 April (AKI) - Since Indonesia's democratisation process began back in 1998, the country has attracted so much interest from China and the US, that the two giants are tussling over which one of them can wield more influence over the strategically positioned, natural resource-rich archipelago. For now, Indonesia - the world’s largest Islamic country and the planet’s third largest democracy - is keeping its options open, maintaining a non-committal stance and getting the best deal from both sides.“As of now, Jakarta has no reason to rally behind just one power since it can deal with both China and the US and gain the best from both,” a leading political analyst at US-based The Power and Interest News Report, Erich Marquardt, told Adnkronos International (AKI) .

Under the former dictator Suharto, Indonesia leaned firmly towards the US which propped the archipelago as a buffer against the spread of communism in Asia. Indonesia and China severed diplomatic relations in 1968 after Suharto blamed the Indonesian Communist Party for plotting a coup against him. Jakarta-Beijing’s economic relations were re-established in 1985 although diplomatic ties resumed only in 1990.

Indonesia has recently taken a more balanced approach towards the two superpowers. At present, current Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono - who trained at an American military school - is doing a good job at balancing the requests of the economically important China and the demands of the United States, which has made security issues its priority.

According to Marquardt, the two superpowers’ competing "courtship" gives Jakarta a high degree of political freedom with which to juggle.

“If the US comes in too strong, Jakarta will lean towards China. If China comes in too strong, it will lean towards the US. Neither can afford to press Jakarta too much,” the analyst said.

Marquardt highlighted Indonesia’s territorial control over key sections of the Malacca Straits - a quarter of the world's commerce and half of the world's oil transits through the Strait - as one of the main reasons why none of the superpowers can afford to erode relations with Jakarta.

“Indonesia has control over major shipping lanes which means that all powerful states in the region - the US, China, Japan, and others - need to be concerned over any one state dominating these sea lanes,” he added.

Recent events have demonstrated Jakarta’s independence and political pragmatism.

Earlier this week Yudhoyono and Chinese president Hu Jintao signed a ‘strategic partnership.’ The deal marked a new phase in the political, economic and security ties between the two Asian giants. At the same time, the signature marked a further shift by Indonesia towards the middle of the triangle that includes the US.

Through the agreement, China is expected to gain even more access to Indonesia’s vast natural resources - oil and natural gas - while Jakarta hopes to get a foothold into the massive Chinese market as well as attracting Chinese investments. According to the two Asian leaders, bilateral trade should reach 20 billion dollars in the next few years. China is already Indonesia's fourth-largest export market.

In pure political terms, the ‘strategic partnerships’ served as a counterpoint to the US’s interest in the area and as an opportunity for the two countries to reinforce each other’s support for national integrity. Jakarta confirmed support for the ‘one China policy’ – in contrast to Washington’s ambiguous position towards Taiwan - while Beijing stated its support for Indonesia’s struggle to against separatist movements on some of its islands.

But Indonesia has also been pursuing its interests with Washington. Only a few weeks before Yudhoyono shook hands with Jintao, representatives of Indonesia and the US met in Jakarta to revive bilateral talks on trade and investment. Some analysts believe the talks could lead to the start of free trade negotiations between the two countries. The US has been Indonesia's major market for decades (especially for non oil and gas exports) which reached 10.2 billion dollars last year.

Politically, Jakarta remains fairly close to Washington. Ties between the two countries were reinforced following December’s tsunami when US troops helped in the aftermath of the disaster in Aceh. Washington, who considers Indonesia an essential ally in the ‘global war on terror,’ has recently decided to resume a training program for the Indonesian military, embargoed since 1992.

According to Marquardt, Indonesia’s balancing act will continue unabated unless in the future Jakarta should feel threatened by China.

“If Indonesia became concerned that China would expand its power throughout southeast Asia, and attempt to weaken Indonesia or dominate Jakarta, then Indonesia would increase its relations with the United States. In that case Washington – continued Marquardt - would be more than willing since it would use Indonesia as a beach-head to prevent further Chinese expansion.”

U.S. Seeks Improved SE Asia Ties
Zoellick Trip Is Aimed at Building Economic, Political Links

By Glenn Kessler
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, April 30, 2005; Page A15

The United States, building on the massive humanitarian effort after the Indian Ocean tsunami in December, plans an aggressive effort to build economic, political and security links with Southeast Asian nations, Deputy Secretary of State Robert B. Zoellick said yesterday.

Zoellick, who on Monday begins a nine-day trip to the region, said that China had been "very shrewd" in recent years in making clear its "size and weight and influence" in the region. But he said the U.S. response will not be to block China, but to make the case that the U.S. market is critically important to the economies of Southeast Asia, as well.

"For me, the theme is not U.S. versus China in Southeast Asia," Zoellick told reporters at a briefing on his trip. "We need a response with an activist set of policies, not by complaining about other people's policies."

Zoellick, the number two U.S. diplomat, will visit Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore and the Philippines. "Part of what I will be doing is trying to work, particularly in Indonesia, on the pivot from the immediate humanitarian support to how this fits into the reconstruction effort," he said.

Zoellick said Indonesia is the linchpin of the region, given its size and also its status as the world's largest Muslim country. He planned to visit Sumatra's Aceh region, which suffered the greatest loss of life in the tsunami, to assess the pace and needs of the reconstruction effort.

On the economic front, Zoellick noted that China, the United States and the region have what he called "triangular trade flows" in which many of the exports from China to the United States are assembled from commodities or parts that originated in Southeast Asia. So he planned to make the case that the U.S. market "is not only important to China's growth, but it is important to Southeast Asia's growth."

In Vietnam, Zoellick will mark the 10th anniversary of U.S.-Vietnamese diplomatic relations after the Vietnam War, which ended 30 years ago. Zoellick said a high-level Vietnamese official may soon visit the United States to help strengthen ties. "They want to have a very good and strong relationship because they don't want to be totally dependent on China," he said.

Indonesia being courted by both US and CHina...good article.

CHINA AND US RELATIONS, JAKARTA PLAYS FOR THE BEST DEALS

Jakarta, 29 April (AKI) - Since Indonesia's democratisation process began back in 1998, the country has attracted so much interest from China and the US, that the two giants are tussling over which one of them can wield more influence over the strategically positioned, natural resource-rich archipelago. For now, Indonesia - the world’s largest Islamic country and the planet’s third largest democracy - is keeping its options open, maintaining a non-committal stance and getting the best deal from both sides.“As of now, Jakarta has no reason to rally behind just one power since it can deal with both China and the US and gain the best from both,” a leading political analyst at US-based The Power and Interest News Report, Erich Marquardt, told Adnkronos International (AKI) .

Under the former dictator Suharto, Indonesia leaned firmly towards the US which propped the archipelago as a buffer against the spread of communism in Asia. Indonesia and China severed diplomatic relations in 1968 after Suharto blamed the Indonesian Communist Party for plotting a coup against him. Jakarta-Beijing’s economic relations were re-established in 1985 although diplomatic ties resumed only in 1990.

Indonesia has recently taken a more balanced approach towards the two superpowers. At present, current Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono - who trained at an American military school - is doing a good job at balancing the requests of the economically important China and the demands of the United States, which has made security issues its priority.

According to Marquardt, the two superpowers’ competing "courtship" gives Jakarta a high degree of political freedom with which to juggle.

“If the US comes in too strong, Jakarta will lean towards China. If China comes in too strong, it will lean towards the US. Neither can afford to press Jakarta too much,” the analyst said.


Marquardt highlighted Indonesia’s territorial control over key sections of the Malacca Straits - a quarter of the world's commerce and half of the world's oil transits through the Strait - as one of the main reasons why none of the superpowers can afford to erode relations with Jakarta.

“Indonesia has control over major shipping lanes which means that all powerful states in the region - the US, China, Japan, and others - need to be concerned over any one state dominating these sea lanes,” he added.

Recent events have demonstrated Jakarta’s independence and political pragmatism.

Earlier this week Yudhoyono and Chinese president Hu Jintao signed a ‘strategic partnership.’ The deal marked a new phase in the political, economic and security ties between the two Asian giants. At the same time, the signature marked a further shift by Indonesia towards the middle of the triangle that includes the US.

Through the agreement, China is expected to gain even more access to Indonesia’s vast natural resources - oil and natural gas - while Jakarta hopes to get a foothold into the massive Chinese market as well as attracting Chinese investments. According to the two Asian leaders, bilateral trade should reach 20 billion dollars in the next few years. China is already Indonesia's fourth-largest export market.

In pure political terms, the ‘strategic partnerships’ served as a counterpoint to the US’s interest in the area and as an opportunity for the two countries to reinforce each other’s support for national integrity. Jakarta confirmed support for the ‘one China policy’ – in contrast to Washington’s ambiguous position towards Taiwan - while Beijing stated its support for Indonesia’s struggle to against separatist movements on some of its islands.

But Indonesia has also been pursuing its interests with Washington. Only a few weeks before Yudhoyono shook hands with Jintao, representatives of Indonesia and the US met in Jakarta to revive bilateral talks on trade and investment. Some analysts believe the talks could lead to the start of free trade negotiations between the two countries. The US has been Indonesia's major market for decades (especially for non oil and gas exports) which reached 10.2 billion dollars last year.

Politically, Jakarta remains fairly close to Washington. Ties between the two countries were reinforced following December’s tsunami when US troops helped in the aftermath of the disaster in Aceh. Washington, who considers Indonesia an essential ally in the ‘global war on terror,’ has recently decided to resume a training program for the Indonesian military, embargoed since 1992.

According to Marquardt, Indonesia’s balancing act will continue unabated unless in the future Jakarta should feel threatened by China.

“If Indonesia became concerned that China would expand its power throughout southeast Asia, and attempt to weaken Indonesia or dominate Jakarta, then Indonesia would increase its relations with the United States. In that case Washington – continued Marquardt - would be more than willing since it would use Indonesia as a beach-head to prevent further Chinese expansion.”


Good Article Alvin ...

But I don't like the Idea behind .... the last bolded pharagraph ....

US eyes Indonesia, Vietnam as potential strategic allies in Southeast Asia Sun May 1, 6:43 PM ET


WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States is eyeing Muslim giant Indonesia and erstwhile enemy Vietnam as potential strategic allies in Southeast Asia as it moves to expand a counter-terrorism drive and contain China's growing influence in the region.


At present, the United States has three close allies in the region -- treaty allies the Philippines and Thailand as well as key security partner Singapore.

Strong US-Vietnam relations will be an effective bulwark against any Chinese regional military expansion while Indonesia is crucial in the US "war on terror," of which predominantly-Muslim Southeast Asia is seen as a key front, analysts say.

Ahead of groundbreaking visits by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of Indonesia and Vietnam's Prime Minister Phan Van Khai to Washington this summer, Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick will hold critical discussions with the two leaders during his 10-day visit to Southeast Asia beginning Monday.

It is the highest level American visit to the region since President George W. Bush launched his second term in office earlier this year.

Zoellick is expected to discuss prospective security partnerships with the Indonesian and Vietnamese leaders on top of identifying areas for economic cooperation.

The Vietnamese "have been very, very interested in strengthening the overall relationship," he told reporters in Washington ahead of the visit. "Economics is one of the drivers but there is very strong security interest. This is obviously true for a country like Indonesia too."

For Vietnam, which is eager to erase the bitter memories of its war with America three decades ago, any security cooperation with the United States will ease its increasing fears about neighbouring China's rapid military expansion.

Vietnam and China are ideological comrades but historical foes. China invaded Vietnam in February 1979 following Hanoi's intervention in Cambodia to oust Beijing's Khmer Rouge allies.

They came to blows again in 1988 in the disputed Spratly Islands, a potentially oil-rich archipelago in the South China Sea.

US-Vietnam military ties received a boost with the visit of Hanoi's defence minister to the Pentagon in November 2003. American aircraft carriers have docked at the central Vietnamese port of Danang, a former US military base, and discussions are underway for joint training programs.

Zoellick has hinted US backing for Vietnam's membership in the World Trade Organization this year based on "some good progress" on the reform front but also cited "strong dialogue" to push for greater freedom, including respect for freedom of religion, in the communist state.

Ernest Bower, an American expert on US-Southeast Asian relations, said President George W. Bush and Vietnamese Premier Khai should signal to the world that bilateral ties were moving forward.

"They should do this by advancing Vietnams membership in the WTO, ending post-war vestiges, announcing next steps in military cooperation, and witnessing the signing significant business deals," said the former president of the US-ASEAN Business Council.

Zoellick also said the United States wanted to strengthen counter-terrorism cooperation with Indonesia, where experts believe the al-Qaeda Southeast Asian chapter Jemaah Islamiyah's operational and support infrastructure remains very much intact.

Washington also wishes to help Indonesia regain its leadership role in ASEAN, the third largest market for US exports and a key American investment destination, he said.

Until recently, Indonesia, the largest Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) state and the world's most populous Muslim nation, had taken a backseat in the grouping since being gripped by a 1997-1998 financial crisis that sparked leadership changes and democratic reforms.

The US initiatives "relate to the larger point about starting to lay the foundation for the second term (of the Bush administration) on relations with ASEAN," Zoellick said.

A massive American military relief effort for Indonesia's tsunami-devastated victims earlier this year has burnished America's image, which had sunk to a record low after Washington's invasion of Iraq.

The Bush administration has seized the opportunity to press Congress for the restoration of training and education programs for the Indonesian military that had been suspended since 1992 due to human rights concerns.

President Yudhoyono, a retired army general with American training, has laid out an ambitious agenda for anti-corruption and political and economic reform.

"I hope this makes his agenda as well: controlling the terrorist threat and the reach of al-Qaeda into Southeast Asia and eliminating Jemaah Islamiyah," said US Senator Christopher Bond.

It's weird the enthusiasm that many Vietnamese show for the prospect of being an American ally. However, if you talk to Vietnamese they make earnest efforts to totally block the memory of the war from their minds. I guess it's easier for them to forgive and forget the US's outing in Southeast Asia than it is for the rest of the world.

yama, any reason why?

I suppose it's because Vietnamese see themselves, like other nations, as being pulled by two different major powers: China and the USA. Vietnam has resisted Chinese invasions and influence for 2000 years, and even after the US-Vietnam war China invaded once again and there were long battles during the 1980s. During this time they were allied with the USSR, but that fell. So, where are they going to turn? In spite of China's massively expanding influence, they seem to be reaching out to the US. They appear to be passively resisting China while practically recieving support from them. That's just my guess on one of the major factors.

There's also the small factor of Vietnamese residents in the USA sending back over $4 billion annually in remittances which accounts for almost 10% of Vietnam's entire economy.

Lastly, here's a good article by The Economist I just found: http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=3914886
It talks about how southern Vietnam is vastly more wealthy than northern Vietnam today.

Good article from The Economist as usual.


Uprooting graft
Apr 28th 2005 | JAKARTA
From The Economist print edition

Maybe for real, this time

IS PRESIDENT Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at last getting serious about tackling corruption? April saw Indonesia's new anti-corruption court hand down a first verdict, when it convicted the governor of Aceh province, Abdullah Puteh, of trousering 3.6 billion rupiah ($380,000) of 12.6 billion rupiah that had been allocated to buy a helicopter. Mr Puteh was imprisoned for ten years—two more than the prosecutors had demanded—and fined 500m rupiah.

The greedy governor is not the only regional official or elected representative facing graft charges. Indonesia Corruption Watch, a non-governmental organisation, says several hundred more are either being investigated, prosecuted or are in jail for similar alleged offences. After Mr Puteh's conviction, attention has turned to the national electoral commission (KPU), into whose maw the independent anti-corruption commission believes millions of dollars have disappeared during the printing of ballot papers and other logistical operations. Two senior KPU officials have formally been declared suspects, one step short of being charged, and more such namings are expected.

Other signs that the president's long-promised war on corruption is gathering pace are an intensifying campaign against illegal loggers and a high-profile investigation into billions of dollars in loans from the country's largest state bank, Mandiri, which quickly had to be written off as bad debts. Earlier in April, the head of the armed forces promised that in two years' time the army would end its role in business. On a smaller scale, your correspondent can report that police at Jakarta's main driving-licence centre no longer expect bribes to expedite applications.

Such green shoots need to be put in perspective. In one recent survey of businessmen, Indonesia was rated the most corrupt country in Asia in which to do business. Transparency International places Indonesia fifth-worst in its global rankings. When Mr Yudhoyono visited Australia this month, businessmen there complained of the corruption they encounter at all levels of government in Indonesia. A Swiss minister visiting Indonesia said much the same.

The next big test will be the disbursement of the billions of dollars donated for rebuilding the tsunami-ravaged regions of northern Sumatra. Some aid agencies are refusing to hand over a penny unless they are certain that the money will not be stolen. The more pragmatic donors, resigned to the inevitability of some “leakage”, are focusing on reducing its scope. Venal officials will have to be careful. With so many millions of individuals around the world having contributed to tsunami relief, eyes are fixed as never before on Indonesia and its war on corruption.

With provincial level autonomy in place, it is absolutely required to have a tight control on governor. Esp, regarding coruption.

following the theme above, SBY yesterday officiated the formation of an anti corruption team comprising judges, police, auditors and headed by himself. Only time will tell if he will be any different from previous presidents.

Susilo puts the squeeze on corruption


The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, Nusa Dua, Bali

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has repeated his promise to seriously fight corruption at all levels of both state and private institutions, establishing a special team to strengthen and speed up his antigraft drive.

"Once the anticorruption wheels and machine runs, (it must) never stop," he said in Jakarta on Wednesday after inaugurating the team, which is led by Deputy Attorney General for special crimes Hendarman Supandji.

The team, called the Coordinating Team for Corruption Eradication, was established under Presidential Decree No. 11/2005, and comprised prosecutors, police officials and state auditors.

Earlier on Wednesday, Susilo told the opening of the 15th Inter-Pacific Bar Association Conference in Nusa Dua, Bali, that he would enforce the rule of law in combating corruption and bringing to justice anyone involved in corrupt practices.

"There will be no more room for corruption. Not anymore. The time has come to deal seriously with corruption, which has brought so many problems to the country," he said before more than 500 lawyers and legal practitioners from 40 countries at the five-day conference.

Susilo said his government would not only focus on improving macroeconomic conditions in the country, but also social and security conditions.

"Our main priority is to build a good legal framework and to enforce the rule of law in order to create legal certainty in the country and build good governance.

"You (lawyers) have to play a significant role in the fight against corruption. You are also important agents in creating a just and prosperous society," he said.

Susilo said last week his government was ready to begin tackling the problem of corruption, starting with his own office.

The government will soon audit the Office of the President, the Office of the Vice President, the Office of the Cabinet Secretary and the Office of the State Secretary, as well as their foundations.

Last year, Susilo issued a Presidential Instruction to accelerate the national anticorruption campaign. However, he has admitted that the drive has thus far borne little fruit.

The President had also reached an agreement with the Attorney General, the National Police, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), the Anti-Money Laundering Center (PPATK) and National Ombudsman to meet once a month to coordinate and synchronize the antigraft movement.

The government has also set up a team consisting of prosecutors, police officers, State Audit Body (BPK) officials, and those from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to hunt graft suspects and convicts who fled abroad.

The team, labeled the "Swindler's Hunting Team", was initiated and is led by Vice President Jusuf Kalla.

Cabinet Secretary Sudi Silalahi claimed the establishment of the new team would not overlap with other antigraft teams or commissions, such as KPK.

During Wednesday's opening session of the Bali conference that had the theme "Getting it Right in the New Asia: The Rule of Law in Regional Economic Development", Andrew Steer, country director for the World Bank in Indonesia, said economic development had fundamentally changed.

For the past 25 years, the stress had been on macroeconomic, trade and investment development.

"Now it has changed drastically," Steer said. "Asian countries have experienced rapid progress in macroeconomic conditions, social sectors and many others."

"But these countries have done poorly in building good governance and in the enforcement of the rule of law," he said, adding that good policies were not sustainable without implementing laws to promote economic development.

Jusuf Wanandi, executive director of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, said that over the past 30 years economic development in Indonesia had been built on "fragile" economic and political grounds.

During the New Order regime of Soeharto, the judicial system was marginalized. When the regime ended, Soeharto's political and economical stability crumbled overnight, he said.

"It is urgent to establish legal certainty to regain international trust and to draw back investment to the country," Jusuf said.

Special antigraft team installed


Rendi A. Witular and Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono installed on Wednesday 51 members of a special team charged with the task of intensifying and improving the government's anticorruption campaign.

The Coordinating Team for Corruption Eradication is aimed at speeding up the anticorruption campaign. The drive, which was launched six months ago, has yet to record significant results.

Its members comprise prosecutors, police officers and officials of the Development Finance Controller (BPKP). The team is chaired by Deputy Attorney General for special crimes Hendarman Supandji.

The team will run for two years, but the term may be extended if deemed necessary.

It is assigned to investigate and prosecute graft cases, hunt down and arrest suspects, as well as tracing assets and preventing them from possibly being laundered or illegally transferred abroad.

The new team is obliged to report developments in their duties at any time to the president. Results of its activities must be presented to the President and his advisers every three months.

The first duty of the team will be to investigate possible graft cases in 16 state enterprises, four ministries and three private companies, as well as hunt down 12 white collar swindlers who have fled abroad.

"We have decided to take necessary legal measures against 16 state enterprises, four ministries and three private companies," Susilo said, adding that the decision was taken during a coordination meeting last week.

National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar said there would be no problem with possible overlapping between the new team and other antigraft institutions set up earlier.

"So be it, because the purpose of all the institutions is to eradicate corruption," he said.

Da'i said that the team is mainly tasked with coordinating police and prosecutors in fighting corruption.

"So that prosecutors will not return case files on graft cases submitted by the police, or vice versa, which often prolongs the prosecution proceedings," he explained.

Team chief Hendarman Supandji concurred with Da'i, saying police and prosecutors should not waste time by returning case files on graft cases to each other.

The Coordinating Team for Corruption Eradication:

Advisors:
Attorney General Abdul Rahman Saleh National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar BPKP head Arie Soelendro

Head: Deputy Attorney General for special crime Hendarman Supandji
Deputy Head: National Police director of anticorruption division Brig. Gen. Indarto and BPKP deputy head of investigation division Nasib Padmomihardjo

Members:
Prosecutors: Arnold Angkow, Ali Mukartono, Bambang Setyo Wahyudi, Daniel Tombe, Dicky Rahmat Raharjo, Heru Chaerudin, Hendrizal Husin, Muhammad Salman, Ninik Mariyanti, Pantono, Ranu Mihardja Teguh and Tony Spontana

Police officials: Sr. Comr. Alpiner Sinaga, Sr. Comr. Didik Tato P., Sr. Comr. Noor Ali, Adj. Sr. Comr. Bambang K., Adj. Sr. Comr. Farman, Adj. Sr. Comr. Iswandi Hari, Adj. Sr. Comr. Ismu Gunadi, Adj. Sr. Comr. Mahendra Jaya, Adj. Sr. Comr. Opik Taufik, Comr. Gupuh Setiyono, Comr. Ika Waskita, Comr. Slamet Pribadi, Adj. Comr. Didik Suyadi and Adj. Comr. Joko Cipto

BPKP auditors: Ade Suhendar, Andy Budiman, Andi Pamanius, Arman Sahri Harahap, Buntoro Hery Prasetyo, Didi Prakoso, Dulhadi Ganang Sugiarso, Gilbert Sihombing, Herry Supratman, Nanang Ariseno, Pratama Hary Nugraha, Sofyan Sunrizal and Yus Muharam

US encourages Indonesia to play greater role in Asia



Visiting US Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick has encouraged Indonesia to play a greater role in Asia and take steps to strengthen economic ties between the two countries.

Zoellick said he was eager to see Indonesia take more leadership role in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which has 10 member countries in the region.

"I hope and believe that ASEAN can play a larger role in the political, economic and security context in the Asian region, fromSouth Asia to Northeast Asia. Frankly, for ASEAN to play that role,it really requires that Indonesia take its traditional place in terms of guiding the ASEAN process," the US official was quoted as saying by the daily Jakarta Post here on Sunday.

However, he also added, "for a very understandable reason, that hasn't really occurred since 1997 because of the preoccupation with the political process and change."

Zoellick made the remarks following a signing ceremony over a 73.7 million US dollar aid package for the country with Indonesian State Minister for National Development Planning Sri Mulyani Indrawati here on Saturday.

The money is provided as economic development aid to help the Indonesian government strengthen its anti-corruption program, increase competitiveness in key sectors and create financial stability.

This is part of a five-year United States Agency for International Development (USAID) strategy to help Indonesia strengthen bilateral ties. Over the five years, the United States will provide 750 million US dollars in assistance to the country.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono met with the US envoy at the State Palace and had discussions over some issues in the region. Susilo is scheduled to begin a two-day visit to the United States on May 25, during which trade and economic issues would be on top of the agenda in his meeting with the US president.

(Xinhua)

AFX News Limited
US' Zoellick urges Indonesia to deal with Timor legacy, solve Papua killings
05.08.2005, 08:33 AM

JAKARTA (AFX) - US Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick said that full normalisation of military ties with Indonesia is contingent on Jakarta's efforts to solve the killing of two Americans in Papua province and its dealing with atrocities in East Timor.

While praising the country as a 'great example of democracy', Zoellick urged Indonesia to do more in its investigation into the ambush shootings near a Freeport gold mine in Papua province in 2002. Two American teachers and an Indonesian were killed.

'I explained to the president... for us to do more we need to make additional progress on that investigation and we also hope that they can have a follow-through of some of the rights issues with East Timor,' Zoellick told a press conference after he met President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

'We would like to extend the efforts but we need to do so in the context of what we do with some of these legacies,' said Zoellick.

Last year, then US Attorney General John Ashcroft charged Antonius Wamang with killing the Americans in Papua.

US officials said Wamang was a commander of the separatist Free Papua Movement, which has been fighting a sporadic and low-level guerrilla war since Indonesia in 1963 took over the huge mountainous and undeveloped territory from Dutch colonisers.

Police in Papua had earlier quoted a witness as linking Indonesian special forces soldiers to the killings.

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation sent teams on several trips to Papua and Washington later said there was no evidence to support any theory that the Indonesian military participated in the attack.

The US decided in February to resume training members of the Indonesian armed forces. Earlier Washington also eased an embargo on the supply of US military hardware to help boost relief efforts in tsunami-hit Aceh province.

The US imposed restrictions on contacts after the Indonesian military massacred pro-independence protesters in East Timor in November 1991.

The restrictions were further tightened in 1999 after the Indonesian army was accused of being behind killings in East Timor, which voted that year to separate from Indonesia. The United Nations alleged that at least 1,400 people were murdered in military-backed violence. Whole towns were razed.

An Indonesian tribunal set up to try military officers and officials for atrocities in East Timor drew international criticism for failing to jail any high-ranking Indonesians.

Zoellick said he had an impression that Indonesia is determined to tackle the issues that concern the US.

'I won't be happy until the perpetrators (of the Papua killings) are brought to justice but I certainly have a strong sense from the visit today that the Indonesian government shares our interests,' he said.

Yesterday Zoellick also witnessed the signing of an agreement on a 73.7 mln usd economic aid package. The agreement is part of 87 mln usd in assistance to help Indonesia combat corruption and improve the investment climate.

US Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick said that full normalisation of military ties with Indonesia is contingent on Jakarta's efforts to solve the killing of two Americans in Papua province

This has been solved already, FBI also concluded if the killings wasnt done by the Indonesian armed forces rather it points out to the FPM members....Why they still waiting for the suspects?

here is the quote from that reading.

Last year, then US Attorney General John Ashcroft charged Antonius Wamang with killing the Americans in Papua.

something fishy? LOL...I guess zoellick wasnt paying much attention to the case.

cheers

Here is related news which the US state department should read this news. If they bother anyway.


East Timor says it's willing to wait 20 years for justice against Indonesian rights abuses

East Timor will wait patiently _ even if takes 20 years _ for Indonesian military and militia members to be tried for human rights abuses during the country's bloody break from Indonesia in 1999, its foreign minister said Tuesday.

Indonesia is in transition toward democracy, and opening old wounds or pushing it too hard for reforms could destabilize the government and push the country into the hands of Islamic radicals, East Timor's Foreign Minister Jose Ramos Horta told reporters during a visit to Malaysia.

Horta said the United States and other Western powers should also be patient with Indonesia, and restore military ties with it to improve its military's human rights performance through training.

"We have to sympathize and understand the difficulties of those inside the country who are trying to change Indonesia. If you push too hard and too fast, there can be nationalist and Islamic backlash that ... will destabilize the democratic government," said Horta, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

After East Timor voted for independence under a 1999 U.N.-sponsored referendum, Indonesia's military and its proxy militias went on a rampage that left about 1,500 Timorese dead and displaced about 300,000 people.

East Timor's limited jurisdiction has failed to punish the perpetrators. An Indonesian court charged 18 people with human rights crimes, but 12 were acquitted and four had their sentences overturned on appeal. Two other appeals were pending
Human rights groups want the United Nations to oversee an international tribunal to investigate suspects.

But Horta said a truth and friendship panel set up by East Timor and Indonesia will serve justice much better than a normal prosecutorial system _ even if it takes a lot longer.

"As much as we want those who committed violence to face justice, we have to understand the complex and delicate transition in Indonesia," said Horta, referring to the government of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who was elected in October in Indonesia's first direct presidential election.

"We have been waiting several hundred years to be free. Can't we be patient and wait 10-20 years for democracy and stability to consolidate in Indonesia? Well, we can be very patient," he said.

"Indonesia (of today) should not be treated like Indonesia of 1999," he said.

What do guys think? I think we will see full military ties very soon. Even US Pacific commander General Fargo is very optimistic with it.

cheers

That's a very good article. I agree with Horta's comments. Suprised he made those comments though . I always saw him as a bit of a hardliner...

Starting to scare me...


Accused Indonesian Cleric Preaches Jihad
By CHRIS BRUMMITT, Associated Press Writer

JAKARTA, Indonesia - Dressed in flowing brown robe and turban, Abu Jibril raised his fist and promised worshippers in a packed suburban mosque that every coin they donate to overthrow Indonesia's secular government will be repaid hundreds of times over in heaven.

"The government no longer looks to Allah, but to America," said the soft-spoken preacher, who argues that only jihad, or holy war, can establish an Islamic state in the 210 million-strong country, home to more Muslims than any other. "Prepare your forces and banish the enemy."

Two years after Washington blocked Jibril's assets and declared him a terrorist — the alleged "primary recruiter and second in command" of Southeast Asia's deadliest al-Qaida-linked group, Jemaah Islamiyah — he's back delivering extremist sermons.

Indonesian authorities keep Jibril under surveillance, but say they have no evidence he has committed a crime in the country, where he was deported after his release a year ago from prison in Malaysia. Now, he travels, preaches and meets other known extremists and followers.

His case presents a dilemma for Indonesia as it tries to balance U.S. demands to further crack down on Islamic terrorists with the need to preserve democratic freedoms ushered in after the 1998 downfall of the dictator
Suharto.

It also illustrates the difficulties authorities in Southeast Asia and elsewhere face in bringing to court terrorist suspects who have operated outside their countries. In cases against alleged militants, getting admissible evidence across borders has proved difficult.

Jibril, who is also known by a host of aliases including Mohammed Iqbal bin Abdul Rahman, denies having terrorist links and insists the U.S. allegations against him are false.

"They are no surprise because they come from a government of unbelievers," he told The Associated Press, sitting cross-legged on the floor of the Ar-Rahma Mosque on the grounds of a hospital in south Jakarta. "If they have proof, why don't they present it?"

But Jibril, 47, won't talk about his past, saying with a smile, "It is a long story."

In January 2003, the U.S.
Treasury Department blocked Jibril's assets and accused him of being the "primary recruiter and second in command" of Jemaah Islamiyah, whose operations span 10 years and a half-dozen Southeast Asian countries.

The group, which officials say got funding from al-Qaida, is blamed for the 2002 bombings that killed 202 people on the resort island of Bali, a 2003 suicide bombing at a U.S.-owned hotel in Jakarta and a string of other attacks and plots against Western targets.

In Washington, Treasury Department spokeswoman Molly Millerwise said Jibril's designation was based on domestic and foreign intelligence. She declined to give details — including how much money was frozen — or say if the information was shared with Indonesian authorities.

In his sermon last month, Jibril said Muslims were obliged to join a jihad to topple Indonesia's government and replace it with one based on Islamic law or Shariah.

"Those who say a jihad is not necessary are speaking nonsense," he said, without explicitly stating what form this holy war should take. Mainstream Islamic thinking argues violent jihad is only permissible in self-defense.

The sermon would have almost certainly got Jibril arrested under Suharto, who imprisoned hundreds of Muslim activists he saw as a threat to his U.S.-backed rule. Indonesian police have arrested more than 100 militants since 2001, at least 35 involved in the Bali conspiracy.

"His heart is certainly in the wrong place, but you can't put him behind bars for that," said Ken Conboy, a security analyst in Jakarta who is writing a book on Jemaah Islamiyah.

Building a case against Jibril is made more difficult because Indonesia has not outlawed Jemaah Islamiyah, a move that could trigger opposition from Muslim groups and political parties.

Ansyaad Mbai, who heads the counterterrorism desk at Indonesia's Security Affairs Ministry, acknowledged that fighting terrorism would be easier if the group was banned.

"We know there are many JI members who have military training and the ability to make bombs and use weapons who are still around," Mbai told AP. "But the police cannot arrest them unless there is evidence they are involved in a particular act of terrorism."

Jemaah Islamiyah's alleged leader, Hambali, is in U.S. custody.

Abu Bakar Bashir, Jemaah Islamiyah's alleged spiritual chief, is serving a 30-month sentence on terrorism charges related to the Bali attack. He has twice escaped longer punishments after judges ruled there was not enough evidence to back up more serious charges.

Jibril was among a small group of clerics — including Hambali and Bashir — who fled Suharto's Indonesia in 1985 and set up a hard-line religious school in Malaysia.

Group members, including Jibril and Hambali, traveled to
Afghanistan to join the fight against the Soviet invaders, and became the nucleus of Jemaah Islamiyah.

After Suharto's fall, Jibril was free to return to Indonesia.

In the late 1990s and early 2000, he became a key recruiter of Muslim fighters in a bloody war against Christians in the country's eastern Maluku province, Indonesian officials said. A video recording from this time shows Jibril with a pistol in one hand and a copy of the Quran, Islam's holy book, in the other, calling for death to Christians.

Jibril was arrested in Malaysia June 2001 for militant activities and sent to a prison camp under a law allowing indefinite detention without trial. A crackdown launched after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States netted scores of other militant suspects in Malaysia, many linked to Jibril.

Two years later, Malaysia let the militancy allegations lapse and deported Jibril to Indonesia. His wife and children followed. Jibril was detained and questioned on his return, charged with immigration offenses and served 5 1/2 months in prison.

At a recent meeting of militants in the backroom of a Jakarta restaurant, Jibril led prayers for the "holy warriors in Afghanistan, the Philippines and Indonesia." As he spoke his 3-year-old son played at his feet, hiding in his flowing robe.

Two policemen assigned to monitor the meeting sat in one corner, struggling to stay awake.

yeah. it is a dilemma for the government, sadly. Doesnt have to be that way though. I don't understand why he couldn't be charged on the basis of anti-secession laws...considering what he said about overthrowing the government??

I don't understand this at all. A few months ago, a student was sentenced to prison for insulting the President. Yet, this guy has openly advocated the overthrow of the government and nothing has happen to him. There need to be an equal implementation of the law here. Either they need to get rid of the particular law or they need to arrest this cleric for insulting the President.

I really hope that article is made to scare people but not the reality. If its true then i see two reason why the Police arent arresting him so far.

1. They use Jibril to catch the remaining JI members all over Indonesia, like the recent arrest in Yogyakarta, where JI members actually burned mosque to get propaganda going in that city, but its failed.

2. They dont really have any proof yet.

I am hoping the 1st to be the truth though, I believe Detachment 88 is now looking for any reason to get him. FYI, D-88 is funded 80% by foreign government such US, Australia and etc.

Australia and US government also helping Gultor anti terror (unit under kopassus) so they can operate together along with D-88 and BIN.

cheers

on a side note I read somewhere recently that the construction of the new 23 storey D88 headquarters have been halted due to lack of funds..

Yeah, the funds that used to be for training and network survelliance was used in that building construction, thus receive some complaints from the government and dephan.

cheers

good article by John McBeth

COMMENT / POLITICAL TRANSITION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

Indonesians look to Thai model

Indonesia's democratisation has come a long way in a short time, but there is still much it can learn

By JOHN MCBETH

Jakarta _ It has now been nearly two decades since I left Thailand in the middle of its difficult democratic transition, moving first to South Korea, where I experienced one of the fastest political transformations in history, and then to the supposedly democratic Philippines, where the feudal overlords still celebrate that cruel hoax called the 1986 People's Power uprising. Now, after 10 years in Indonesia, I am back in the throes of another political reinvention that began with President Suharto's downfall in mid-1998 and made rapid strides through the successful 2004 parliamentary and direct presidential elections.

From this vantage point, it is possible to look back and marvel, yes marvel, at the fact that Thailand now has a leader with a majority in parliament and no apparent coalition to worry about. It seems almost unbelievable given the dominance of the military through the 1970s and 1980s as fractious civilian governments struggled to take root. Yet for all this miracle, almost everything written about Thailand these days is an attack on Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and on what critics perceive to be his insidious efforts to undermine the country's democratic institutions.

After this length of time away, it wouldn't be a good idea to take issue with the criticism being heaped on Mr Thaksin and the obvious mis-steps he has made in the southern provinces in particular. But judging by the outcome of the 2001 and 2005 elections, one thing seems clear: the Bangkok elite and large segments of the Thai media appear to be out of touch with the voting population.

Strangely enough, that same phenomena was apparent during last year's Indonesian elections, when politicians and journalists alike failed to understand what impact decentralisation, six years of democracy _ and television's penetration of the villages _ has had on Indonesian voters.

In many ways, they still don't understand. For years, rural voters have been regarded as uneducated and stupid, unable to make a decision without the guidance of village and religious leaders. The 2004 elections demonstrated something quite different, sending a message to the larger political parties in particular that it can't simply be business as usual.

Alas, the recent season of party conventions has thrown up the same brand of personality politics and a refusal so far to develop mechanisms and policy platforms that convey and reflect the aspirations of grassroots supporters. In 2009, that may very well prove to be fatal.

My first close-quarters encounter with Mr Thaksin was at the 2003 Asean summit in Bali, where hundreds of prominent Asian businessmen had gathered for a parallel conference.

Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri appeared briefly to deliver a 10-minute prepared speech, lacking in both substance and panache. Mr Thaksin stood and delivered in a manner that left the Indonesians in the audience with their mouths open. It was their first real taste of a populist, democratically-elected leader being just that: a leader. During question time _ something Ms Megawati made sure to avoid _ one executive even asked him how he had managed to rein in the Thai military. Mr Thaksin replied that it all came down to winning big at the ballot box. It's hard to argue with that.

Indonesia's economic coordinating minister, businessman Aburizal Bakrie, makes no secret of his admiration of Mr Thaksin. In fact, he regards him as a role model. Indonesian politicians could well take a lesson from the Thai prime minister, given the way Thai Rak Thai campaigned on issues and promises _ and then essentially delivered.

Perhaps the most startling development for me was Mr Thaksin's success in winning over Bangkok voters, in contrast to previous governments which came to power by buying the loyalties of rural voters in the North, Northeast and Central Plains. As analysts have noted, this support came from shopkeepers, taxi drivers, labourers and lower income neighbourhoods, not from the traditional elite whose brief fling with Mr Thaksin has now given way to outright cynicism.

No matter which way you cut it, it was a singular achievement by a self-made man from provincial roots who has transformed the Thai political scene, possibly forever. Segments of the Bangkok elite clearly feel left out, as they do to a certain extent in Indonesia, where President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono sits in the same corner of the political spectrum occupied by Fidel Ramos during his enlightened, yet all too short rule in the Philippines. But fears that Mr Thaksin is returning Thailand to its authoritarian past seem, on the surface at least, somewhat misplaced.

Granted, he may have taken advantage of constitutional reforms that led to the creation of a much stronger executive, but in 1973 and again in 1992 the Thais have demonstrated they are ready to hit the street in numbers if they feel their leaders have overstepped the mark. The rapid growth of a genuine middle class in Thailand over the past 15 years has only swelled the ranks of those potential dissidents.

But there is also another more important factor: as with Mr Suharto in 1998, even the strongest leader becomes vulnerable if the economy goes off the rails, particularly in a country like Thailand with all of its heightened expectations. So it will be with Mr Thaksin. He knows that better than anyone.

Expectations are not nearly as high in Indonesia. But for all his obvious sincerity, Mr Yudhoyono still has to prove himself to the rural voters who placed so much stock in him. One prominent cabinet minister told me recently that the president had to stop trying to reach a consensus on everything and start showing more ruthlessness. How's that again? Is this the same man that many political activists never even considered voting for because he is a retired general?

The so-called popular uprisings in Manila in 1986 and in Jakarta in 1998 came about essentially because of splits in the elite. Once the smoke had cleared, mindsets and traditional players remained depressingly intact. But what makes Indonesia different from Thailand and, to a much greater extent, the Philippines is that while established power-holders have access to the levers of central government, they have only marginal influence over the provinces. That has made it possible for changes to occur through the ballot box _ a phenomenon that could become even more pronounced with a rolling series of direct elections for governors, district chiefs and mayors that begin next month and go on until the next general election in 2009.

Accountability may be important to political development, but as Mr Suharto himself noted in a parliamentary speech as far back as 1980, it is only the growth of a critical middle class and a serious reduction in poverty that provides the underpinnings of a true democracy. Thailand, thanks partly to its contiguous character, is a lot further along that road than Indonesia; as long as corruption and a weak legal system keep job-creating foreign investment away, consumerism will continue to be the main driver of Indonesian growth.

Sadly, the Philippines seems almost a hopeless case. Lorded over by a landed gentry who form probably the most selfish elite in the Asian region, it is sometimes tempting to believe that the Philippines is one country where the communist party has the only real formula for breaking down the endless cycle of patronage and dependency that mires the country in stagnation. Certainly, it explains why the Communist Party of the Philippines continues to thrive 25 years after it collapsed in most other parts of the world.

John McBeth is an independent journalist who has covered East Asia for the past 30 years

Let's hope they don't fall for it. If Thaksin was the president of Indonesia he would raise already high taxes on the middle class, disperse nonexistent wealth to the rural farmers, turn Indonesia's account surplus into a deficit, and maintain ridiculous attempts at government control on fuel prices (though he would cut them marginally) rather than allowing the free market to decide which would in turn lead to a massive budget deficit.

Tsunami Rebuilding Effort Stalls
By MICHAEL CASEY, Associated Press Writer

DEAH GEULUMPANG, Indonesia - Political squabbling, donor demands and government indecision have stalled the building of roads, water treatment plants and nearly 180,000 homes for survivors of last December's tsunami.

Aid agencies, which plan to spend more than $7 billion on tsunami relief across the Indian Ocean basin, have put massive building projects on hold while waiting for Indonesian authorities to come up with a solid plan. Only now, nearly five months later, are concrete reconstruction agreements being signed.

Meanwhile, survivors along the battered coasts of Aceh province on the Indonesian island of Sumatra have largely been left to fend for themselves while wondering whether they will rebuild their old homes and revive the fishing industry, their main livelihood.

"People are coming back here to nothing," said Herman Hasbalah, a 33-year-old village leader from Deah Geulumpang, where returning survivors sleep in a damaged coffee house and crowded tents.

"The government hasn't done anything and people are getting frustrated and angry," he said.

The earthquake and tsunami killed more than 180,000 people in 11 countries, and left about 50,000 missing and hundreds of thousands homeless. But the massive international relief effort that followed was credited with averting a health and food disaster.

Now the aid groups that were at the front lines of the relief effort are waiting for the government to provide guidelines for building clinics, schools, homes and roads in Aceh.

"We have not done any reconstruction. We cannot do it without a plan," Holger Leipe, head of International red Cross operations in Aceh, said in an interview.

"If we put up a building and later it's pulled down, it would be a waste of donors' money," Leipe said. "To get it right, we have to have everyone on board."

The first sign of trouble was the government's master plan, released in February to criticism from Acehnese leaders for ignoring their input and barring reconstruction along the coast.

An amended draft released a month later was largely without specifics. The government also set out to establish an agency to oversee the four-year, $4.8 billion reconstruction project. But with at least three ministries fighting for a say in new body, it was not until April 30 that former Energy Minister Kuntoro Mangkusubroto was appointed to run it.

"It's shocking," Kuntoro told a news conference Monday. "There are no roads being built, there are no bridges being built, there are no harbors being built. When it comes to reconstruction — zero."

The government says the delay is due partly to the magnitude of the task — rebuilding 179,000 houses and dozens of bridges and major roads that crisscross the province — and the need to involve the local community in planning.

It also accuses some donors of setting overly strict conditions. It says donors have refused to release any aid until the government provides a detailed reconstruction blueprint and anti-corruption mechanism.

"Donors want to help but then they say they don't want this help to be corrupted," Planning Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati told The Associated Press. "The president assured them a system that includes monitoring and oversight would be established but it has taken time to design."

Along Aceh's coast, life is slowly returning to the desolate landscape. Aid agencies have started building temporary homes and small shops sell fresh vegetables, packaged noodles and water. The reopened coastal highway is crowded with army vehicles, families on motorbikes and trucks delivering supplies.

This month, the government signed the first of a series of agreements paving the way for agencies to start more permanent rebuilding. The Red Cross has agreed to spend $600 million to build 22,500 homes, 110 clinics and 110 schools. The U.S. Agency for International Development will spend $245 million to rebuild a major road starting in July.

Indonesia and foreign donors agreed Tuesday to spend $250 million to build 20,000 homes, repair roads and bridges, and set up a system to recover lost land records.

Still, many of these projects are weeks away from starting. Meanwhile the landscape — vast stretches of emptiness broken only by the occasional standing wall or coconut tree — has changed little.

Sutiyoso Eyes Democrat Party Leadership
May 16, 2005 03:59 PM,

Laksamana.Net - Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso is considering running for the leadership of the Democrat Party, which will hold its national congress at the end of this week to select a chairman for the 2005-2010 period.

Sutiyoso, a retired Army general, has been governor of the national capital since 1997. His current term of office is until 2007, so he won’t be standing for re-election when Indonesia holds its first direct elections for provincial governors and other regional heads next month.

Founded in 2001, the Democrat Party is one of the youngest and most successful political parties in Indonesia, coming fifth in the April 2004 general election with 7.45% of the vote and now holding 57 seats in parliament. Its success is almost entirely due to the popularity of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who is chairman of the party’s board of founders.

Led by Subur Budhisantoso, the party shot to prominence after it nominated Yudhoyono for the presidency last year. Yudhoyono, a retired general and former chief security minister, won the September 2004 direct presidential election with 60.68% of the vote.

According to the Democrat Party’s deputy chairman Vince Rumangkan, Yudhoyono has “verbally agreed” to remain chairman of the board of founders.

That leaves the party’s leadership race wide open. Among the many figures being mentioned as likely candidates for the position are:

Subur Budhisantoso. A professor of anthropology at the University of Indonesia, he has been chairman of the Democrat Party since its inception in 2001. Some analysts feel he is unlikely to remain party leader in view of his advanced age of 67 years. His age was said to have prevented him from winning a cabinet post after Yudhoyono’s election victory.

Sutiyoso. A retired three-star Army general, he has been governor of Jakarta province since October 1997. His appointment to the position was seen as a reward from then-president Suharto for a successful crackdown on pro-democracy activists in 1996, when Sutiyoso was chief of the Jakarta Military Command. He was re-elected governor in 2002 amid allegations of corruption and his term will finish in 2007. He is 59-years-old.

Taufik Effendi. A retired Police brigadier general, he is presently State Minister of Administrative Reform and a member of the Democrat Party’s Central Executive Board. He previously served as a consulate general in Toronto.

Hayono Isman. He served as youth and sports affairs minister in Suharto’s cabinet from 1993-98. He is presently chairman of the Golkar Party-linked business organization Kosgoro, which was founded by his father, the late Major General Mas Isman. He is a former member of the Communication Forum of Daughters and Sons of the Indonesian Armed Forces (FKPPI) – a group notorious for backing Suharto in clashes with pro-democracy groups in the late 1990s. He joined Yudhoyono’s campaign team last year and is now a member of the Democrat Party.

Hadi Hutomo. He is deputy secretary general of the Democrat Party’s Central Executive Board. Analysts say he may be disadvantaged in the race because he is Yudhoyono’s brother-in-law and the party wants to avoid any allegations of nepotism.

Sukartono Hadi Warsito. He is chairman of the Democrat Party’s faction in the House of Representatives.

Suratto Siswodihardjo. A retired one-star Air Force brigadier general, he is chairman of the Democrat Party’s Election Victory Board.

Heroe Syswanto Ns Soerio Soebagyo Better known as Sys N.S., he is a prominent actor and a member of the Democrat Party’s Central Executive Board. He has pledged to make the party “modern and funky” in order to attract support from younger Indonesians. He served as a member of the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) from 1999-2004 as the representative of the Actors Guild.

Ahmad Mubarok. He is a member of the Democrat Party’s Central Executive Board and is on the organizing committee of the upcoming congress.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Bali Congress
Yudhoyono is scheduled to open the Democrat Party’s national congress, which will take place in Bali from May 20-23 and be attended by about 1,200 delegates.

Head of the party’s Bali chapter, I Dewa Gede Bagus Badra, said the opening ceremony at the Inna Grand Bali Beach Hotel will also be attended by Home Affairs Minister M. Maruf, Administrative Reform Minister Taufik Effendi and Culture and Tourism Minister Jero Wacik.

Democrat Party executive Jansen Leo Siagian has said Yudhoyono is the only figure worthy of the leading the party for the next five years, as he has the ability and charisma to make it the country’s leading pro-reform party.

He further said that as a founder of the party, Yudhoyono understands the party’s character, platform and history, and will therefore be able to resolve its internal rifts.

Siagian said the party should be restructured from top to bottom by appointing members to positions in accordance with their qualifications and expertise.

Deputy party leader Rumangkan said one of the internal problems facing the party is the existence of dual leaderships of provincial chapters in North Sumatra, Riau, the Riau Islands and West Sumatra. "This problem must be resolved otherwise it will later have a negative impact on the party,” he said.

He said Effendi appeared to be in the strongest position to win the leadership election, having so far received support from 23 of the party’s provincial chapters.

He said the party’s Central Executive Board should comprise nine members from the country’s major islands in order to ensure the party achieves its goal of winning at least 15% of the vote in the 2009 general election.

Although Yudhoyono remains the dominant figure, Rumangkan expressed hope the party would eventually be able to broaden its support base and no longer have to rely on the popularity of a few individuals.

How Much Support for Sutiyoso?
Sutiyoso last week claimed he had “never thought of joining a political party” until several Democrat Party officials recently paid him a midnight visit to request that he accept their nomination for the party’s leadership.

He said the “surprise nomination” was made by managers of the party’s provincial chapters from Jakarta, Banten and West Java.

"When they first asked for me, I did not want it. Later I thought why had they come to my house at midnight. If the available support grows and is really strong, I will think about accepting this nomination. But definitely there must be a green light from the [presidential] palace and it should not affect my position as governor,” he was quoted as saying by detikcom online news portal.

“If the regulations enable me to run, I will run. If not, then no,” he added. Among the many matters keeping Sutiyoso busy as Jakarta governor is his plan to breed doves at the National Monument Park, so the city’s residents can relieve stress by listening to the birds signing.

Sutiyoso on Friday denied reports that he was lobbying the Democrat Party’s chapters from Bali, East Nusa Tenggara and West Nusa Tenggara to support his nomination. He said he was preoccupied with the Sudirman Cup badminton championship in Beijing. China defeated Indonesia 3-0 over the weekend to win the cup. Sutiyoso is head of the Indonesian Badminton Association, although last year he admitted to having never played the game.

Head of the Democrat Party’s chapter in South Sulawesi, A. Reza Ali, last week claimed Sutiyoso was supported by 30 of the party’s provincial chapters.

At a press conference in Jakarta, he said the chapters – including South Sulawesi, East Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, Bengkulu and Central Sulawesi – support Sutiyoso because he is a “strong figure, trusted by the people” and “capable of the accommodating the regional chapters’ aspirations”.

Some Democrat Party members have said it will be difficult for Sutiyoso to meet the party’s administrative criteria to contest the leadership, although the requirements are yet to be made official.

Head of the party’s chapter in the Central Java city of Solo, Herry S. Nugroho, said three criteria had so far been proposed. First, a candidate must have been a member the party for at least two years. Second, a candidate must not be a government official. Third, a candidate must have the vision to unite the party’s two factions.

"Whereas the blessing of the party’s founders, especially SBY, is no guarantee in my opinion although important,” Nugroho was quoted as saying Friday by Tempointeraktif.com.

He said other key candidates also failed to meet the proposed criteria. “Taufik Effendi presently holds a ministerial position, while Hayono Isman and Suratto have not yet been members of the party for two years.”

Reza acknowledged that Sutiyoso did not meet the proposed criteria for contesting the leadership election but said the matter would be decided on by the participants of the congress.

Despite being criticized by human rights groups, Sutiyoso remains a popular and powerful figure among the nation’s ruling elite, having survived the presidencies of Suharto, B.J. Habibie, Abdurrahman Wahid, Megawati Sukarnoputri and now Yudhoyono.

His popularity with the Jakarta legislative assembly is likely to grown further after his administration decided to provide each of the city’s 71 legislators with a Rp15 million ($1,580) monthly housing allowance and a new car. The make and value of the new cars is yet to be announced.

Indonesia election chief arrested in graft probe

JAKARTA (Reuters) - The chairman of Indonesia's election commission was arrested overnight after being named a suspect in a corruption probe that has badly tainted the once respected organisation, officials said.

Investigators from the Anti-Corruption Commission, known by its Indonesian acronym KPK, arrested Nazaruddin Sjamsuddin around midnight on Friday and took him to a police jail cell.

His arrest came just days after prosecutors arrested the former CEO of Indonesia's largest bank in a separate graft investigation that analysts said signalled President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was serious in tackling endemic corruption.

The head of the KPK unit probing the case, Tumpak Hatorangan Panggabean, said on Friday Sjamsuddin admitted receiving $45,000 that the investigator said was from firms that won contracts related to the holding of Indonesia's elections last year.

Sjamsuddin then took investigators to his home and returned the money, less $100, Panggabean told reporters around midnight on Friday.

"The result of the investigation is he admitted receiving $45,000," Panggabean said.

"The civil servant received the funds, which came from the suppliers of goods and services to the election commission, and which it is suspected were given because of the power or authority related to his position as chairman."

A lawyer for Sjamsuddin, Josef Badioda, told Reuters on Saturday that his client had admitted to possessing the money but believed it was legitimate funds he could use for things such as travel expenses, paying his aides and his driver.

"His explanation that he received that money...is true, but that it was for his use in carrying out his tasks as chairman," Badioda said.

If found guilty, Sjamsuddin faces up to five years in jail.

As he was led away from the Anti-Corruption Commission offices to a police station, Sjamsuddin declined to comment. He had told reporters earlier this week he knew nothing about the transfer of suspect funds to election commission members.

Three others have already been detained in the scandal.

The probe has tarnished the election commission, which had been praised for successfully organising a complex set of parliamentary and presidential elections across the world's most populous Muslim nation last year.

The case centres around a report by the State Audit Agency, which said private firms that won contracts for items such as the supply of election materials had given kickbacks.

Taufiequrrachman Ruki, a deputy chairman of KPK, has told Reuters investigators were looking into 23.4 billion rupiah ($2.47 million) in questionable monetary gifts from the firms.

The Anti-Corruption Commission was set up around 18 months ago and has the power to name suspects and make arrests.

Global graft watchdog Transparency International lists Indonesia as the fifth most corrupt country in the world.

On Tuesday, prosecutors arrested Edward Neloe, former chief executive officer of PT Bank Mandiri Tbk and two other sacked directors, in an investigation focusing on $105 million in questionable loans to several local companies.


http://us.news3.yimg.com/us.i2.yimg.com/p/ap/20050521/capt.jak10105210352.indonesia_corruption_jak101.jpg
Indonesia's election commission chief Nazaruddin Syamsudin, center, escorted by the Corruption Eradication Commission officials, walks to police prison in Jakarta police headquarters, Indonesia, Friday night, May 20, 2005. Syamsudin was named a suspect Friday in a multimillion dollar corruption probe that has exposed massive graft during last year's historic vote, his lawyer said. (AP Photo/ Irwin Ferdiansyah)

Indonesia's anti-graft war starts to show some bite
Sun May 22, 2005 9:23 AM GMT+05:30

By Tomi Soetjipto

JAKARTA (Reuters) - An aggressive graft probe into the Indonesian election commission could succeed in doing what no anti-corruption campaign has done before -- make people fear the consequences before they start greasing palms.

In a country where bribes and kickbacks are so common it never seems to provoke shame among the accused, that would be a big step in President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's effort to clean up government and business, anti-graft activists said.

"The public -- and I'm talking about everyone -- government officials, bankers and businessmen are now thinking twice about corruption," said Teten Masduki, the fearless and outspoken chief of Indonesia Corruption Watch.

"This case is having a strong deterrent effect on the public and hopefully may set a positive precedent to stop the practice."

At midnight on Friday, investigators from the Anti-Corruption Commission (KPK) arrested Nazaruddin Sjamsuddin, the respected head of the election commission.

The case centres on alleged kickbacks paid by firms that won contracts to supply materials for last year's landmark elections. Three other senior election commission members have already been declared suspects.

Sjamsuddin has denied any wrongdoing.

The move against Sjamsuddin came just days after prosecutors from the Attorney General's office arrested the then chief executive officer of Indonesia's largest bank in a separate graft investigation. He has since been sacked.

Yudhoyono's aides also make much of his decision to authorise graft probes into dozens of provincial officials and several national legislators since he took power last October.

However, there have been few reported arrests in those cases and critics say that, despite the apparent change in mood, they won't be convinced until major political and government players at a national level do jail time.

Indeed, Masduki noted that those named suspects at the election commission lacked strong political connections.

For now, the KPK is working to make its presence felt.

Set up 18 months ago amid scepticism about its chances of making an impact, it has since been flooded with 4,000 reports of alleged graft from the public, KPK officials said.

It has the power to name suspects, make arrests, take over investigations from the police, and it works in tandem with a special anti-corruption court that was established to try to fast-track sensitive graft cases.

"The KPK does not go for a specific target, it goes for corruption cases, wherever, whomever," Taufiequrrachman Ruki, a deputy chairman of the KPK, told Reuters.

MORAL GROUND

Yudhoyono appears to have energised the KPK, and can claim the high moral ground because no scandal, either those being probed or rumoured, has any links to himself or his family.

In April, the commission's partner, the anti-corruption court, passed its first verdict, jailing the governor of Aceh province for 10 years on corruption charges related to the purchase of a helicopter in 2001. The verdict followed a KPK investigation that began before Yudhoyono took office.

But then there is the reality of Indonesia, Merle Ricklefs, a prominent Australian academic and expert on the country, wrote in The Straits Times of Singapore recently.

He said a country where official salaries were so low would always be a dilemma for those who sought "good governance".

"The (corruption) situation in Indonesia is so extreme that it represents a core problem for the nation. Dr Yudhoyono cannot simply order a ban on corruption and then watch it take effect across his vast nation," he wrote.

Global graft watchdog Transparency International lists Indonesia as the fifth most corrupt country in the world.

Meanwhile, the probe into the election commission has generated consistent front-page headlines and shocked the public because of the alleged wrongdoing by respectable figures, including several academics.

The commission was widely praised for successfully organising last year's complex set of parliamentary and presidential polls.

"It's a blow to the scholarly world. It shows corruption just doesn't discriminate in Indonesia," said Eep Saefulloh Fatah from the Indonesian Institute think tank

I hope the KPK continues its relentless campaign and totally annihilates corruption. Anyone can come up with an excuse for corruption (low wages or whatever) but the fact is that these vultures are stealing money from the Indonesian people, and the only way it will ever end is if they are sent to prison. I gaurantee you if it continues at this pace within 4 years (end of SBY's term) a lot of people will be scared and corruption will be reduced by half.

---

SBY endorses replacement of KPU members

Wahyoe Boediwardhana and Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar/Jakarta

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has given the green light for a formal investigation into Minister of Justice and Human Rights Hamid Awaluddin, and also for the possible replacement of all General Elections Commission (KPU) members, in connection with allegations of corruption that have plagued the poll body.

Susilo said Hamid Awaluddin was a KPU member when the alleged scams took place, although no summons has yet been issued by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) for the minister.

"In regard to Hamid Awaluddin... it is my prerogative to dismiss him from the Cabinet if he is proven guilty. I will allow the KPK to investigate him and I will suspend him as a minister once the KPK asks me to do so," Susilo said.

Susilo presided over an unscheduled, limited Cabinet meeting on Sunday in Denpasar, on the sidelines of the first national congress of the Democrat Party that he helped found. Susilo is the party's chief patron.

Attending the meeting were Cabinet Secretary Sudi Silalahi, State Secretary Yusril Ihza Mahendra, Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Widodo Adi Sucipto, Minister of Home Affairs Moh. Ma'ruf and Attorney General Abdul Rahman Saleh,

Hamid, whose appointment to the Cabinet was reportedly proposed by Vice President Jusuf Kalla, has said that as a KPU member he received payment outside of his salary for his participation in the poll body's working groups.

A suspect in the case, KPU treasurer Hamdani Amin, said each of five KPU members received US$105,000, while the KPU chairman got $145,000 and deputy chairman $125,000 in kickbacks that were collected from companies that won tenders to provide election materials.

KPK has also named KPU chief Nazaruddin Syamsuddin, member Mulyana W. Kusumah and acting secretary-general Sussongko Suhardjo as suspects and has detained them over the case.

Legal proceedings against Hamid in the near future may affect the fourth and decisive informal talks in Helsinki between the Indonesian government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) that aim to end decades of conflict in the province, and which are slated to start on May 26. Hamid is the government's chief negotiator.

Susilo, who has declared the issue of corruption to be his administration's top priority, said he would consult with the House of Representatives, the Supreme Court and the KPK to respond to demands for a major shake-up in the poll body.

House speaker Agung Laksono suggested on Saturday that the President issue a government regulation in lieu of law to replace KPU members, citing its key role in the upcoming direct regional elections.

The same request would also be made by the KPK, its deputy chairman Erry Riyana Hardjapamekas said.

Terms of current KPU members will not expire until next March, but Susilo has agreed that a reshuffle would be necessary if the investigation into the case affected the poll body's performance.

If deemed urgent, the consultation should take place on Monday as Susilo is due to begin a two-week overseas visit on Tuesday morning.

As the head of state, the President selects KPU member candidates who are then scrutinized by the House. The KPU falls under the authority of the President.

Susilo said he was also pondering a suggestion from the KPK that Nazaruddin be suspended to facilitate the investigation.

However, chairman of the House's Commission II on domestic and political affairs Ferry Mursyidan Baldan suggested that the President apply Law No. 12/2003 on general elections, which stipulates that KPU members who are charged with crimes be stood down until a legally binding verdict from the Supreme Court is handed down.

U.S., Indonesia meet for key talks this week

By Paul Eckert, Asia Correspondent
2 hours, 15 minutes ago



WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Indonesia's president will face pressure to improve policies for foreign investors and clear up human rights issues that impede closer military ties with the United States in talks this week with President Bush.

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President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who will meet Bush on Wednesday, is expected to push for closer ties and highlight economic reforms he hopes will boost the attraction of the world's fourth most populous country.

Indonesia has suffered a spate of bombings and last year was devastated by the Indian Ocean tsunami, but has rebounded from ethnic strife and political and economic chaos following the 1997 Asian financial crisis, analysts say.

"Indonesia is no longer a country in crisis and has re-emerged as remarkably stable, highly democratic, highly decentralized country which has the distinction of being the largest Muslim-majority democracy in the world," said Douglas Ramage, Jakarta representative of the Asia Foundation.

But Indonesia, which straddles vital shipping routes and is a U.S. ally in the war against terrorism, performs a delicate balancing act between Washington and a populace that opposes America's wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

"Military-to-military ties, the joint fight against terrorism, stability in the region: These are all things that are important to U.S. interests as well as the region," said a State Department official.

Yudhoyono, a U.S.-trained former general who last year became his country's first directly elected president, will face calls to account for past human rights abuses by the Indonesia army in conflicts in East Timor and other regions.

State Department spokesman Richard Boucher told reporters the talks on resuming military ties will cover "steps that are needed to be able to do that, on both sides, including the continuing progress on some of these human rights issues."

OPAQUE BUSINESS RULES

In February, Washington revived the small International Military and Education and Training program with Indonesia that was frozen in the early 1990s because of human rights abuses in East Timor attributed to the military.

But Washington has said fuller military ties required accounting for violence in East Timor in 1999 and prosecution of the killers of two Americans in remote Papua in 2002.

John Miller, whose East Timor and Indonesia Action Network lobbies against resuming military ties, said Jakarta has a mixed record of dealing with past army abuses.

"It's very hard to look at the case and be convinced that either side -- the FBI on this end or the Indonesians -- is serious about looking at the suspect's military ties," Miller said of an Indonesian arrested for the Papua killings.

Although the Indonesian army has moved out of politics, "there's no pressure in Indonesia to bring the military to account," said Ohio State University's William Liddle, an authority on Indonesia.

Yudhoyono will face questions on opaque investment rules and problems with honoring or enforcing contracts from U.S. firms keen to tap Indonesia's huge energy resources, said Matthew Daley, head of the U.S.-Asean Business Council.

"American companies alone have real hard, firm, active plans to invest over $10 billion in the near term in increased exploration and productive capacity, but that's being set back by legal and regulatory problems and tax policies," he said.

(Additional reporting by Saul Hudson)

According to kompas.com, Yudhoyono is also scheduled to meet Bill Gates in Seattle...hahaha...does Bill want to launch the Xbox in Indonesia? :D

Indonesia eyes military ties with US as president heads to Washington
31 minutes ago



JAKARTA (AFP) - Indonesia's president was headed for Washington, hoping his country's giant strides in democracy and tough line on terror will lead to a restoration of strategic military ties despite lingering qualms over Jakarta's rights record.


Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will spend two days in the United States, meeting President George W. Bush and other officials on his first trip to the White House since taking the helm of the world's largest Muslim-populated nation last October.

While trade and tsunami relief operations are expected to top the agenda, Yudhoyono is certain to use his visit to push for a normalisation of military relations frozen for 13 years.

Clouding his mission are unrelenting demands for Indonesia to address past human rights abuses and the excesses of its armed forces, particularly during the bloody mayhem of 1999 as East Timor broke away from the archipelago nation.

But with Yudhoyono's credibility riding high on a series of West-friendly policies and support growing in Washington for renewed military bonds with the Southeast Asian giant, analysts expect the former general will be successful.

"Indonesia-US relations are moving into a stronger sphere and Yudhoyono would not be making this trip unless he expected to get something out of it," said Robert Broadfoot of the Political and Economic Research Consultancy in Hong Kong.

Earlier this month, Admiral William Fallon, head of the US Pacific Command, expressed optimism his country would soon resume full military cooperation, saying Jakarta had made progress on human rights.

The United States decided in February to resume training members of the Indonesian armed forces. Washington in January also eased an embargo on the supply of US military hardware to help boost tsunami relief efforts.

Restrictions were imposed after Indonesian troops massacred pro-independence protesters in East Timor in 1991. They were tightened in 1999 when the military was blamed for about 1,500 deaths during the territory's separation.

Ties chilled further three years later after the Indonesian army allegedly blocked US investigations into the killing of two American teachers in the insurgency-hit remote eastern province of Papua.

Indonesia, which recently launched reforms to rein in its powerful military, says it needs assistance from the United States to revitalise its overstretched and poorly-equipped armed forces.

Many in Washington argue the United States will benefit from better links, with a better-outfitted Indonesia more able to secure key oil supply routes in the piracy-prone Malacca Strait, seen as vulnerable to a terrorist strike.

They say Indonesia's progress in tackling Al-Qaeda-linked extremists behind attacks including the October 2002 Bali bombings and the country's successful transition from dictatorship to democracy weigh heavily in its favour.

But right groups oppose the move, saying Indonesia's army still commits abuses and -- after a controversial Indonesian tribunal failed to jail any high ranking Indonesians for East Timor atrocities -- continues to show no remorse.

During a visit to Indonesia earlier this month, US Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick told Yudhoyono that the East Timor atrocities and the probe into deaths of the teachers in Papua were still stumbling blocks.

"For us to do more we need to make additional progress on that investigation and we also hope that they can have a follow-through of some of the rights issues with East Timor," Zoellick said.

"We would like to extend the efforts but we need to do so in the context of what we do with some of these legacies."

In an apparent conciliatory move, Indonesia last week granted access to a UN legal team formed to assess Jakarta's efforts to account for abuses during East Timor's separation, despite earlier declaring their mission redundant.

Although it is uncertain whether this step alone will be enough to sway US senators, according to Broadfoot, any pledge by Yudhoyono to take action is likely to hold more water than those of predecessor Megawati Sukarnoputri, who left empty-handed from a similar mission to the White House in 2001.

"Yudhoyono has demonstrated a firmer leadership than Megawati did. He has indicated certain policies and followed them through.

"Megawati just waffled and I think there were concerns in the US when she was in power that nothing was being done on those scores."

Indonesia, at least at goverment level, must embrace open source.

The attacks on Brimob were carried out by Islamic militants. Will anything be done about that?

---

Attack in Indonesia Sparks Fears

Africa Leader

Monday, May. 23, 2005

An attack that killed five paramilitary policemen last week in eastern Indonesia has raised fears that Muslim-Christian violence may resume in the Moluccas Islands. Violent clashes there from 1999-2002 killed 5,000 people.

The five men dead were members of the elite Mobile Brigade, known as Brimob. They were shot as they slept in a security post at a remote Loki Village in Seram island. One assailant and a civilian were reportedly killed during the attack.

“This incident is a type of terror designed to weaken the security and stability in the Moluccas,” police spokesman, Endro Prasetyo, said to Reuters.

According to Reuters, Brig. Gen. Aityawarman reported that two suspects confessed to being involved in the attack. The suspects claimed that the slain officers were protecting a Christian village nearby,

Although Indonesia is 87 percent Muslim, the ratio of Christians and Muslims is evenly split in the Moluccas Islands, said Asia Times Online.

Since 2002, there has been a tense-truce in the islands, located about 1,400 miles east of Jakarta. Sporadic violence, however, continues to fuel tensions, says Reuters.

Several days prior to last week's attack, Asian Times reported violence in the eastern Indonesian Islands, citing concerns that radical Islamic groups would once “again expose ethnic and religious fault lines” by using local conflicts in the Moluccas to spread radicalism throughout Indonesia's provinces.

The International Crisis Group (ICG), a Belgium-based conflict analysis group, stated recently that militants in eastern Indonesia may be using non-religious conflicts to incite so-called religious battles.

On April 24, ICG reported an attack in Mamasa, Sulawesi - west of the Moluccas Islands - that killed five people and burned five houses. The victims were primarily Christian.

The ICG reported stated that "...because Mamasa is majority Christian and the villages in which opposition was initially concentrated are majority Muslim, the conflict is widely misunderstood in Indonesia as communal."

"The conflict is essentially administrative, but it is widely perceived as religious", said Sidney Jones, ICG South East Asia Project Director, in a recent report. "Such perceptions increase passions and risks alike".

The group stated that none of the individuals interviewed believed that religious differences caused the reported April 24 attack. The sources claimed that the attack, instead, may have arisen from disagreements caused by an old district being split-in-two in 2002. The split apparently occured by local officials seeking personal gain.

In another ICG report issued May 3, the Indonesian government made quick arrests in connection to the Mamasa attack after recognizing the danger of polarization along religious lines.

The attacks on Brimob were carried out by Islamic militants. Will anything be done about that?

Knowing Brimob, something will be done. However, we won't know anything about it.

That's true. Also, I should have said "Apparently the attacks etc." Innocent until proven guilty (even though they confessed).

just wanted to say, there's a good article about radical islam in Indonesia in the current edition of Far Eastern Economic Review...anyone got a chance to read it?

This article about how the Australian's media have been covering the Corby trial has really pissed me off. Especially what one radio host have said about our country:

Elliott: "The judges don't even speak English, mate, they're straight out of the trees, if you excuse my expression."

Caller: "Don't you think that disrespects the whole of our neighbouring nation?"

Elliott: "I have total disrespect for our neighbouring nation my friend. Total disrespect.

"And then we get this joke of a trial, and it's nothing more than a joke. An absolute joke the way they sit there. And they do look like the three wise monkeys, I'll say it.

"They don't speak English, they read books, they don't listen to her. They show us absolutely no respect those judges."

Read the rest of the article here:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=6&ObjectID=10127446

lol... how can u blame someone for not speaking your language? that's bordering on racism.

who's Elliott?

a radio host

The judges dont listen to the accused women because all she said just clemency. I mostly blame her lawyer for not doing anything constructive which will defend her. Rather than finding way to defend her, the defending lawyer is looking for media attention and support from the australian public

for example, Corby's father said he was the one who packing her bag before she left to Bali. Why dont Corby's lawyer ask her father to testify?

cheers

if its true..that the thing that has been said was was only clemency... then....you go judges...i agree..why listen? the lawyer should have said sumthing that can defend his client, then even i will be all ears...

and what the hell?? who is she to insult those judges...

Bush Promises to Help Indonesia
By JENNIFER LOVEN, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 1 minute ago

http://us.news3.yimg.com/us.i2.yimg.com/p/ap/20050525/capt.dcgh10305252112.bush_us_indonesia_dcgh103.jpg?x=380&y=340&sig=yi0VSGqalziv9ihhRlIsKw-- http://us.news3.yimg.com/us.i2.yimg.com/p/rids/20050525/i/r1203076713.jpg?x=380&y=221&sig=Qeuzvm2f3ciFTGRfSyu60Q-- http://us.news3.yimg.com/us.i2.yimg.com/p/ap/20050525/capt.dccd10505252122.bush_us_indonesia_dccd105.jpg?x=380&y=297&sig=ZkUnQ_5RC5mD3Nm3XIbhrw-- http://us.news3.yimg.com/us.i2.yimg.com/p/ap/20050525/capt.dccd10405252145.us_indonesia_bush_dccd104.jpg?x=380&y=221&sig=FB5w0pI7AIMiZN2_sK.VCw--

WASHINGTON - President Bush on Wednesday promised Indonesia continued help toward democracy and tsunami recovery and held out hope that the two countries' militaries would resume full ties for the war on terror.

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"Indonesia and America may be on the opposite sides of the ocean, but we have a lot in common," Bush said at an East Room celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, which Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono attended after the leaders' Oval Office meeting.

"We're both among the world's largest democracies. We both share a belief that our great diversity is a source of strength," Bush said.

The United States, concerned about al-Qaida gaining a foothold in Indonesia, views the archipelago nation foremost as an important ally against Islamic militant groups in Asia. Muslim terrorists have carried out three major attacks against Western targets in Indonesia, including the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people, most of them foreign tourists.

As a result, the United States is seeking to resume full ties with Indonesia's military, banned since 1999 after Indonesian troops devastated the province of East Timor following a U.N.-organized independence referendum.

Many citizens of the world's most populous Muslim nation are suspicious of the United States because of the Iraq war, its policies toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and its anti-terror steps after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. But Yudhoyono said he hoped for full normalization of the U.S.-Indonesia military relationship, and he knew his military needed to reform to get there.

Recently, there have been joint anti-terror exercises and Washington restored a training program for Indonesian officers. Bush said those moves would lead to more.

"The president told me he's in the process of reforming the military, and I believe him," Bush said. "So this is a first step toward what will be fuller mil-to-mil cooperation."

U.S. officials have insisted that Indonesia first bring to justice those responsible for the shooting deaths three years ago of two American schoolteachers in the eastern province of West Papua. An FBI probe led to a U.S. grand jury indictment of an Indonesian civilian, Anthonius Wamang, who has not been captured. He was described as a pro-independence guerrilla, but separatist activists maintain he was a military informer.

Indonesia's military has long been accused of human rights violations.

The country has endured a turbulent transition to democracy since dictator Suharto's downfall in 1998. Yudhoyono, a U.S.-educated general, was elected in October in Indonesia's first direct presidential elections. Washington had preferred Yudhoyono over his predecessor, Megawati Sukarnoputri, because he was expected to be more active in the war on terror.

Bush praised Yudhoyono's leadership of his country after the devastating Dec. 26 tsunami that killed at least 126,000 people in Indonesia, and 48,000 in 10 other countries in the Indian Ocean basin.

"By acting with skill and courage, Mr. President, you helped bring your country together in a time of great crisis," Bush said.

Bush also pointed to the $950 million he has proposed in U.S. spending on tsunami relief efforts, most earmarked for Aceh. The U.S. military arrived on the scene within days, flying dozens of helicopter missions to distribute lifesaving medicines and food and positioning a hospital ship off Indonesia's shores.

"Providing relief, our country has really, I hope, showed that we're a friend when you've got a problem," Bush said.

Yudhoyono expressed thanks "from a grateful nation halfway around the world."

"America has every reason to be proud for what your government, your citizens and your volunteers have done for the tsunami victims," he said.

Those pictures remind me, why do a lot of Indonesian businesses and restaurants have this picture on their wall:

http://history.sandiego.edu/cdr2/USPIcs/26210.jpg

who's this elliott character? does anyone have any know what radio station he represents or the website or nething? what the fuck? didn't the australian government do anything about him saying that on public radio

aand that picture is probably everwhere cuz kennedy rocks

I suppose this is politics. :(


Twin Bomb Explosions in Indonesia Kill 22
By IRWAN FIRDAUS, Associated Press Writer

PALU, Indonesia - Two bombs exploded in a crowded market in a Christian-dominated town in central Indonesia on Saturday, killing at least 22 people and wounding 40, police said. The blasts came two days after unspecified security threats prompted the United States to close its diplomatic offices.

The explosions within 15 minutes of each other flattened food stands in the Sulawesi island town of Tentena. Witnesses said many of the victims had come to help those injured in the first blast, only to be killed by a second, larger explosion that left a 3-foot-deep crater. The blasts also damaged a bank, a church and a police station.

"The latest report says 22 people were killed," Vice President Jusuf Kalla told a news conference in Makassar, provincial capital of South Sulawesi.

A Christian clergyman and a 3-year-old boy were among the dead, police said.

No one claimed responsibility for the bombings at the meat and produce market, but Kalla said without offering proof that they were not connected with ongoing sectarian violence between Muslims and Christians.

"It was carried out by the terrorists instead of warring Muslim and Christian factions," he said. "The motive of the perpetrators is to disturb the security situation in Poso."

More than 90 percent of Indonesia's 210 million people are Muslims. It is the world's most populous Muslim nation, but central Sulawesi has roughly equal Muslim and Christian populations.

Tentena, site of the market bombings, is 35 miles from Poso, where fighting between Muslims and Christians claimed at least 1,000 lives in 2000-2002. Palu is 74 miles from Poso.

Rinaldy Damanik, a Christian clergyman and leader of the Synod Churches of Central Sulawesi, also ruled out the involvement of local groups.

"The blasts were different with what happened here in the past," he said. "This has nothing to do with the sectarian conflict. This is the work of uncivilized terrorists who just don't want to see peace in this region."

Police later discovered an unexploded bomb outside a nearby church, said Poso district chief Andi Asikin Suyuti.

In January, police found 60 homemade bombs in an abandoned house in Poso, and security officials last year blamed the al-Qaida-linked Jemaah Islamiyah group for attacks that killed at least 12 Christians.

On Thursday, the United States closed its embassy and diplomatic offices — including those in Jakarta, Surabaya, Medan and the island of Bali — until further notice, citing security concerns.

Police said they did not know of any specific threats against Americans but added that they had intelligence indicating that Malaysian terror suspects Azahari bin Husin and Noordin Mohamed Top might be planning attacks. Their targets typically are Western-related.

National police spokesman Maj. Gen. Anang Budihardjo said he could not rule out the possibility that Azahari played a role in the latest Poso bombing.

"I cannot say (the bombs) were the work of Azahari's group, but because he has been a fugitive for long, it is possible that he has recruited new members in the region," the spokesman said Saturday.

The two Malaysians are believed to have masterminded two of the worst past attacks: a Sept. 9, 2004, blast at the Australian Embassy in Jakarta that killed 10 people, and an Aug. 5, 2003, blast in Jakarta that killed 12 at a Marriott hotel.

I wonder why Indonesia isn't pushing a permanent seat in the Security Council. I guess it doesn't feel the need to play a greater role in international relations where there are plenty of domestic problems for leaders to attend to...or perhaps, simply pessimistic about the level of support they are likely to get. any thoughts?

Indonesia Not Ready to Support Japan's Security Council Bid
By Steve Herman
Tokyo
03 June 2005

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Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono answers reporters' questions during press conference
Indonesia's leader, on a visit to Japan, has failed to say the one thing Japanese officials really wanted to hear - an unequivocal endorsement of Tokyo's quest for a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council. But there was progress on boosting economic ties.

Indonesian President praised Japan for its "crucial role" in the economic development of the region and said he hopes that will continue.

The Indonesian leader also said Jakarta and Tokyo will work together to promote reform of the United Nations. But at a news conference he stopped short of backing Japan's bid for a permanent Security Council seat - either with or without veto power.

"There is eligibility of Japan to run for the candidacy of the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council," he said. "But the Indonesian stance will, of course, be announced in due time because we are still exercising, we are still formulating, that kind of formal stance [and] recommendations."

Indonesia is in a delicate situation when it comes to this issue. While Japan has been a major investor and aid donor in Indonesia, Jakarta is building stronger ties - including military cooperation - with Beijing, which strongly opposes Japan holding a permanent seat.

Japan, Brazil, Germany, and India have banded together in an effort to create up to six new permanent council positions.

China's ambassador to the United Nations this week called the so-called G-4 proposal dangerous, saying it would divide the world body and derail discussion of U.N. reforms.

Japan and Indonesia did find themselves in agreement on trade issues, during Mr. Yudhoyono's four-day visit.

Japanese officials say the Indonesian president and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi talked for 20 minutes Thursday, their fourth meeting since last November, and agreed to begin negotiations on a free trade pact next month.

A trade deal would give Japanese companies greater access to Indonesia, the world's fourth most-populous nation. Indonesia supplies Japan with significant quantities of oil and gas, helping to make Japan Indonesia's biggest overseas market, accounting for about a quarter of its exports.

Japan already has free trade pacts with Singapore and Mexico and less than two weeks ago concluded a similar agreement with Malaysia. It is also in trade discussions with South Korean and Thailand.

I suppose this is politics. :(




a warning from US ...hotel lobbies are targeted.
If a major explosion happens again in jakarta, like Mariott or aust embassy, I'm pretty sure SBY will do something radical to deal with the problem. Perhaps some sort of internal security act...which will be met with opposition from human rights and certain islamic groups...but he's got the numbers in parliament i would think.........hmmm...

I'm going to Jakarta in July. I know nothing will happen to me, but I hope nothing happens while I am there so it won't scare my family too bad.

The big problem with Indonesia's international image is that our country has absolutely crap PR in international level. We are totally passive, unassertive, voiceless, and totally unable to defend our country's image and dignity to people overseas. I'm very sad when comparing our diplomats' public relations skills and those of diplomats from other much smaller and weaker countries. Even the PR of non-entities like GAM, OPM, or Fretilin way outclassed the performance of our whole diplomatic corps! As a result, people think we are easy meat and our country is always eaten alive on international discourse by everyone, such as these Aussie mob who dare to tell our judges how to make their verdict (even the president of Vanuatu dares to tell our president how to run West Papua province!). This pitiful situation is because:

1. Excessive inferiority complex and lack self-confidence when facing foreigners.
2. Lack of articulateness in foreign language.
3. Lack of lobbying skills.
4. Lack in opinion-forming "propaganda" skills.
5. Overemphasise on Indonesian cultural traits like "politeness", "friendliness", and "fear to offend others" which is of little or no value in hard diplomatic discourses
6. Inability to make our own thoughts and philosophies abt ourselves, so with "deference" we just accept when foreigners tell us what to think of ourselves (worthless corrupt country, violent savage people, den of terrorism, etc).
7. Deliberate low-profile foreign policy with the hope that if other countries don't know us they won't bother us.

We have to be more aggresive in our PR abroad if we don't want to be treated as "sick man of Asia" abroad, which we are not!

The big problem with Indonesia's international image is that our country has absolutely crap PR in international level. We are totally passive, unassertive, voiceless, and totally unable to defend our country's image and dignity to people overseas. I'm very sad when comparing our diplomats' public relations skills and those of diplomats from other much smaller and weaker countries. Even the PR of non-entities like GAM, OPM, or Fretilin way outclassed the performance of our whole diplomatic corps! As a result, people think we are easy meat and our country is always eaten alive on international discourse by everyone, such as these Aussie mob who dare to tell our judges how to make their verdict (even the president of Vanuatu dares to tell our president how to run West Papua province!). This pitiful situation is because:

1. Excessive inferiority complex and lack self-confidence when facing foreigners.
2. Lack of articulateness in foreign language.
3. Lack of lobbying skills.
4. Lack in opinion-forming "propaganda" skills.
5. Overemphasise on Indonesian cultural traits like "politeness", "friendliness", and "fear to offend others" which is of little or no value in hard diplomatic discourses
6. Inability to make our own thoughts and philosophies abt ourselves, so with "deference" we just accept when foreigners tell us what to think of ourselves (worthless corrupt country, violent savage people, den of terrorism, etc).
7. Deliberate low-profile foreign policy with the hope that if other countries don't know us they won't bother us.

We have to be more aggresive in our PR abroad if we don't want to be treated as "sick man of Asia" abroad, which we are not!

Hmm Sukarno certainly wasn't like this. He was one of the most revered leader of the developing world during his time...initiator of the Asia-Africa Conference and Non-Aligned Movement. During Suharto, Indonesia gained its international stature through its economic development. Its only in the last 7 years that we've been 'lost' ......but i think sby is an improvement over his immediate predecessor(s).

but generally I agree with your statement, indonesia has a wayyy disproportionately low profile in the world stage compared to its population and potential.

Normalisation of US-Indonesia military ties to help democracy: Sutarto Sat Jun 4, 4:16 AM ET



SINGAPORE (AFP) - Indonesia's armed forces chief said the normalisation of military ties between Jakarta and Washington would help strengthen democracy in his country and ensure regional stability.

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General Endriartono Sutarto said Saturday the full restoration of military links was a matter for the political leaders of both nations to decide, but said he would like to see this happen.

"Normalisation of relations is one of the most important things and it will help a lot to give us knowledge concerning democracy, concerning the respect for human rights, and also how to conduct humanitarian activities," he told an international security forum in Singapore.

"It's up to the politicians to decide that, but it will help a lot in the stability of the region and also it will help a lot the process of democracy in Indonesia."

Sutarto, the commander-in-chief of the Indonesian National Defence Forces, noted that he had received military training in the United States in 1977 and acknowledged this bolstered his career.

The United States froze military ties with Indonesia, the world's biggest Islamic country, more than a decade ago because of alleged human rights abuses by the armed forces.

But Washington announced on May 26 it had lifted a ban on the US government selling nonlethal defence equipment to Indonesia as part of a process to restore full military links.

"That means we can do foreign military sales in excess defence articles," US State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said.

Washington's announcement coincided with a visit by Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to the United States in which he met with US President George W. Bush.

Direct US commercial sales of nonlethal defence articles and services were allowed in January and involved providing spare parts to Indonesian C-130 military transport planes used in relief operations after the December 26 tsunami that ravaged Indonesia's Aceh province.

Boucher described last month's decision to allow government-to-government sales as the "third step" in a process aimed at easing the military embargo after the reformist Yudhoyono came into power through the country's first direct presidential elections last year.

Indonesia is seeking military hardware and training assistance from the United States to revitalise its overstretched and poorly equipped armed forces guarding a vast archipelago.

In his speech to the delegates attending the Institute for International Strategic Studies' Asia Security Conference, Sutarto also thanked all the armed forces worldwide which came to Indonesia's rescue in the aftermath of the tsunami.

The United States sent a large-scale military and humanitarian contingent to Indonesia for the relief operations, including the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln and the floating hospital ship USNS Mercy.

The Australian, French, German, Japanese and Singaporean militaries also sent help.

"This is an example of how the militaries can work together, not to kill each other but to save lives," Sutarto told the audience, comprised of defence ministers, senior military officals, diplomats and scholars.

"It's really very helpful, very useful, all the soldiers that you sent to Aceh... Good job."

The chairman of the US Joints Chief of Staff, General Richard Myers, was in the audience for Sutarto's address.

Agree. I think SBY pushing Indonesia image to the right direction currently. Sometime it really bother me to read those non-indonesia pers that using Indonesia related news to make more money. People will get bored soon though. I hope ;)

People will get bored soon though. I hope ;)

yeah, they do. A poll published today found that only 51% of Australians believed corby is not guilty, while 21% believes she is guilty and 28% unsure. THat's a far cry from the 95% figure hyped up by the media a week ago, when the frenzy was at its peak.

I think SBY put way too much emphasis on pleasing other countries, to the extenet of endangering our country. Just look at this latest ridicilous talks with GAM, which is motivated to "improve" Indonesia's international image as peace-loving country. Can't anyone in our govt realise these Swedish citizens has no interest in peace? What they want is the destruction of Indonesia! Look at their website and you'll find their long-term goal is an Aceh-led "Sumatran Confederation" which will be a totally separate entity from Indonesia.

We absolutely have no reason to talk with GAM. On the ground, the rebels are very weak and pose little threat to our administration. The only reason for these talks is to please foreigners! What I find so disgusting is there's absolutely no anti-GAM propaganda abroad by Indonesia, while the enemy has total freedom to launch rabid anti-Indonesian propaganda to everyone, including making important lobbying with EU MPs! We must start calling the enemey as what they are, a bunch of pirates and chauvinistic terrorists, just like the way the Turks successfully launch propaganda warfare against their Kurdish separatists and China against their Xinjiang separatists whereby both groups were branded as "terrorist organisations".

The GAM "leaders" in Sweden actually has no power to stop their GAM forces in the jungle. They both seems working separately, with no clue. I bet their soldiers in the jungle doesnt even know if there is peace deal going on right now.

cheers

I think the point should be to come to peace with the exiles in Sweden who have basically no control over the fighters while at the same time allowing the military to kill the militants (which they have been doing). The reason Indonesia can't be compared to those nations is because East Timor successfully broke away and there have been seperatist conflicts in Papua, the Maluku Islands, and Aceh. Branding any seperatist group as terrorists would simply not hold any water to the international community, especially while Indonesia refuses to outlaw notorious and wide-reaching terrorist organizations such as JI.

The problem with Indonesia is we are easily dictated by the "international community" in our internal policies. We must stop this passive spineless behaviour. It is about time we took our rightful freedom of action in dealing with our internal problems, while dealing with our enemies who lived abroad through a concerted propaganda campaign designed to expose the piratical and terroristic actions done by the enemy to the international community. My proposal:

1. Start demolishing the myth of "genocide" in East Timor. This myth is the most damaging to Indonesia's name abroad, while the truth is the population of East Timor doubled during our rule. We must stop acting like we are guilty and expose the facts that by all accounts (GDP growth, per capita income, life expectancy, etc) East Timorese were way better off under Indonesia than now as independent country.

2. Against the GAM, we use the current concerns on piracy in Mallacan Strait, which according to IMB (International Maritime Bureau), is mostly perpetrated by GAM. There are heaps of evidence for this, for example the rebels issued "tax receipts" to their extortion victims such as many Malaysian fishermen. We have to put our offensive against GAM in context of fighting piracy in Mallaca Strait, which is truly the case. Also we must start calling the separatists as Indonesia's "Slobodan Milosevics" for the many massacres they have done against non-Acehnese (especially Javanese) civilains between 1999-2003, which way outnumbered the victims of DOM. We say we are suppresing a terrorist movement with a program of ethnic cleansing of non-Acehnese, which is truly the case.

3. Against the OPM, this Papuan group is pretty much harmless and not a serious source for concern, but we must start to launch diplomatic offensive in Pacific countries where there are sympathies for the rebels by giving them some economic aid (eg. to PNG who's in total chaos right now). We must spread the word that Indonesia has the world's LARGEST Melanesian population and that more than 90% of our officials in Papua are Melanesian Christians. This will destroy the nonsense that Indonesians are Muslim Malays that is out to destroy Melanesian Christians.

Certain groups like the Heritage Foundation and the PNAC in the USA have tried to get GAM added to the list of UN-recognized terrorists, but these same groups have policies that anger Indonesians and lead them out in the streets and protest. With those contradictions, while also lacking "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" mentality which is necessary in international relations, Indonesia will not be able to make any progress in the international propaganda game.

I often wonder what our diplomats learn in Deplu schools? Maybe only diplomatic protocols and bits of world history. The only Indonesian diplomat who showed some skills in international lobbying is Ali Alatas, maybe due to his Arab background. Other than him, our whole diplomatic corps seems so impotent and unproductive, not knowing how to play our cards.

On the other hand, I agree that we should follow the example of Turkey and Pakistan in joining the war on terror by banning the JI and formulating Singapore-like ISA (Internal Security Act) in order to get USA's support against separatists. In the past, Sukarno and Suharto utilised the Cold War very well to serve Indonesia's interests.

To tackle internal problems to this policy, our govt should run propaganda campaign against Islamic extremism such as the very effective program run by Suharto against PKI and Muslim terrorists in 1960s and 1980s. The tools are there with close relations between SBY and Surya Paloh's influential Media Indonesia and MetroTV for the higher to middle class and through Aburizal Bakrie's ANTeve and TVRI for the lower class. Also use the Muhammadiyah and NU to give theological backing to anti-terror policy. Re-empower the military intelligence network that worked so well during New Order. We say we are fighting terror in order to defend democracy and return security to our country, if we have excessive democracy at this point, we might not be able to have the luxury of democracy in the future. Democracy does not mean the freedom to bomb others. Those terrorists won't be appeased by Indonesia's softly-softly policy.

General Pervez Musharraf dares to follow the US despite the fact Pakistan is Osama bin Laden's homeground and that his country is totally infested in all sectors of society by extremists who tried many times to assassinate him. Why should SBY be so spineless in pursuing the same policy while the level of extremism in Indonesia is way weaker than in Pakistan. Sukarno was not intimidated in fighting Islamic extremism when there are well-sustained Islamic insurgencies (DI-TII) who occupied one-third of West Java, 90% of South and Southeast Celebes, and almost 100% of Aceh during 1950s and early 1960s. In the end, Sukarno won and DI-TII was totally defeated. I think SBY should build-up some backbone and try emulating Sukarno and Musharraf!

I agree with your assessments entirely. However, it's important to remember that Musharraf is one of the most cunning leaders of this era. Some said his people would turn against him when he started to hunt down terrorists in the tribal regions. He sent in the army and killed any villagers that protected foreign elements and took over 700 al-Qaeda prisoners. The excuse that most Indonesians don't believe JI exists also doesn't cut the butter because the vast majority of Pakistanis didn't think al-Qaeda had anything to do with any terrorist attacks.

I don't think SBY will ever have that kind of backbone, but I do agree with the steps he is taking. He's not simplistic in the way he views the world as many world leaders are, and he's been visiting many countries. He's also business-minded and slowly improving the corruption problem. Once people see a few years of the fruit of his labor (good economic growth) he will have a stronger powerbase, and he'll be able to go ahead and commit to solving the terrorist problem among other things. So I say give him two years, and then we'll have a better idea of his vision.

GOLKAR - gaining strength - a headache for SBY?


COMMENT: Golkar may ride back on regional muscle
Amy Chew

June 6:
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Indonesia’s first-ever regional elections look like putting the former Golkar ruling party back on track as the country’s most formidable power broker, deepening the rivalry at the top of the tree, says AMY CHEW.
INDONESIA’S largest political party, Golkar, looks set to further expand its power as the party enters the country’s first-ever regional elections, which kicked off on June 1, as the contender widely tipped to win the most seats.

Vice-President Jusuf Kalla, by virtue of his position as chairman of Golkar, will become even more powerful when his party’s cadres start grabbing the top jobs in the provinces, thus gaining control of local government.

The regional elections will further deepen the rivalry between Jusuf and his boss, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, according to observers.

"De facto, power is in the hands of Jusuf Kalla," a Susilo aide told the New Straits Times.

The polls will see the election of provincial governors, heads of regencies and districts chiefs, previously government appointments, in an on-going process scheduled to last more than a year to give greater autonomy to the regions.

Golkar was the political vehicle of former President Suharto, who ruled with an iron fist for 32 years and kept his grip on power by controlling the masses through an extensive network of provincial governors, heads of regencies and district chiefs.

That network has remained largely intact and continues to be dominated by Golkar cadres despite Suharto’s ouster in 1998, which ushered in four presidents in the space of six years.

In the provinces, Golkar cadres, by and large, are familiar faces to the local community, having served as local chiefs for many years. Their closeness to the people makes it easy for them to gain support in the elections.

Added to that is Golkar’s mighty and well-oiled party machinery, which reaches the remotest part of the vast archipelago of more than 17,000 islands and is unmatched by any other party.

"Our target is to win 60 per cent of the seats in the regional elections. We have been working on this for the past two to three years," said Andi Matalatta, head of the Golkar faction in Parliament.

By contrast, Susilo’s Democratic Party is tiny and new, established only in 2002. The party does not have enough members to put up candidates in many of the regions.

"The Democratic Party does not have enough capable people to stand in the local elections. It is difficult to halt Golkar in this election," said the Susilo aide.

The regional elections are not expected to bring about much change in the provincial leaderships, save for a few new faces here and there. In any case, it would only serve to give greater legitimacy to the Golkar cadres who currently run the local bureaucracies.

"It is not a change. This situation has been in existence from before. It will only be a strengthening of the situation we are seeing," said Agus Widjoyo, an analyst from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

However, former Regional Autonomy Minister Professor Ryaas Rasyid believes it would be difficult to predict the outcome.

"Golkar stands a good chance, but it’s not a foregone conclusion. The regional elections will be very local and culturally driven. There will be a lot of emotional, cultural and ethnic ties between the candidate and the voters," said Ryaas.

For 2005, a total of 215 heads of regencies and districts are up for contest. In addition, the governorships of 11 out of 33 provinces are being vied for.

At the national level, Golkar holds the largest bloc of seats in Parliament, having won 128 in the 550-seat legislature at the April 2004 parliamentary elections, far more than Susilo’s Democratic Party, which holds just 57 seats.

Affectionately known by his initials, SBY, Susilo won the presidency with more than 60 per cent of the popular vote at the September 2004 presidential election.

SBY now faces the challenge of translating his overwhelming presidential mandate into support in Parliament and local government to push through his campaign promises of fighting graft and reviving the economy to provide jobs to more than 40 million unemployed.

Should Golkar achieve its target of controlling 60 per cent of local governments, analysts and politicians say the party will be on a stronger footing to make demands for greater power-sharing in the central Government.

And Susilo will placed in a dilemma since the support of local government is crucial in carrying out Jakarta’s policies.

"If Golkar should achieve its target of a clean sweep in the regional elections, SBY will be weakened. If the local government does not fully co-operate with the central Government, that will be an obstacle to SBY’s efforts to push for reform," said the Susilo aide.

Already, some Golkar party members are asking for an increase in the party’s representation in the Cabinet, from the present two ministers to five.

The regional elections will also serve to further embolden the provinces, which will no longer be acquiescent to Jakarta as in the past. They are expected to press the central Government for concessions on wide-ranging issues.

"After the regional elections, a new pattern of relationship between the local and central governments will emerge," said Ryaas who is also a Member of Parliament.

"The locally elected leader will consider himself to be more independent and more predisposed to oppose the central Government if its policies are considered to be against the interests of his community," said Ryaas.

Indonesia first started implementing regional autonomy piecemeal in 2000. One of the casualties of the haphazard devolution is foreign investors, who suddenly found themselves having to deal with red tape and cumbersome rules in both the central and local governments.

With greater legitimacy rendered to local leaders via the ballot box, investors worry the investment climate could get worse, with corruption likely to thrive at the regional level.

"This poses another challenge for the central government to streamline laws and regulations so that there’s consistency, and not create obstacles and more bureaucracy for the investor and businessman," said CSIS’s Widjoyo.

A strengthened Golkar working through emboldened provinces add up to a tough challenge for President Susilo in the months to come, which could decide whether or not he would have to compromise on the pledges of reform he made to the people.

I agree with your assessments entirely. However, it's important to remember that Musharraf is one of the most cunning leaders of this era. Some said his people would turn against him when he started to hunt down terrorists in the tribal regions. He sent in the army and killed any villagers that protected foreign elements and took over 700 al-Qaeda prisoners. The excuse that most Indonesians don't believe JI exists also doesn't cut the butter because the vast majority of Pakistanis didn't think al-Qaeda had anything to do with any terrorist attacks.

I don't think SBY will ever have that kind of backbone, but I do agree with the steps he is taking. He's not simplistic in the way he views the world as many world leaders are, and he's been visiting many countries. He's also business-minded and slowly improving the corruption problem. Once people see a few years of the fruit of his labor (good economic growth) he will have a stronger powerbase, and he'll be able to go ahead and commit to solving the terrorist problem among other things. So I say give him two years, and then we'll have a better idea of his vision.

I only hope nothing come out of this silly talks in Helsinki. Any concession given to the enemy would be like helping them to accomplish their long-term goal of destroying Indonesia. Who will won insurgencies like in Aceh is determined by who have the longest perseverence. We, who experienced virtually no effect from the conflict, should not be the one with the weakest perseverence. We should not be easily fooled by rebel propaganda that we are the one who started the conflict. It is they who chose to force their point of view by the way of violence, they have no right to complain when their members are being killed. What our military is doing in Aceh is stopping anarchic violence and preventing ethnic-cleansing. We have the right to defend ourselves since the enemy is trying to destroy our country.

Good progress, the govt is re-empowering the military intelligence network to fight terrorism!

Indonesia's military backs anti-terror spy plan
Fri Jun 10, 2005 07:39 AM ET

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia's military threw its backing on Friday behind a controversial government anti-terror plan to revive a far-reaching intelligence network used to quell dissent during the country's authoritarian past.
Military chief General Endriartono Sutarto told reporters at the presidential palace the plan was needed to prevent terrorist cells operating in the vast archipelago.

The plan to resurrect the network of multi-agency intelligence offices, a design used by ousted autocrat Suharto during his 32-year rule that ended in 1998, was proposed by home affairs minister Muhammad Ma'ruf on Thursday.

Ma'ruf had said the regional intelligence coordinating bodies, known by the Indonesian acronym Bakorinda, would synchronise the anti-terror efforts of the military, police and judiciary in all regions of Indonesia.

"If the system in the centre works but the regions don't, prevention will not be at the maximum. Intelligence bodies have to cooperate at the lowest level," Sutarto said after a meeting with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

"We know terror can be foiled if we tackle it from the lowest level."

Security officials are still formulating how the network can be revived and which institution will ultimately be in charge of it, he said.

The plan, first mooted after the 2002 Bali nightclub bombings that killed 202 people and thrust Indonesia onto the front lines in the fight against terrorism, is strongly opposed by several legislators and human rights groups.

Asked about fears the plan would only revive repressive government, the country's top soldier said: "Which do you prefer, having such fears or losing lives."

"Should we allow another 200 people to become victims? The government has the duty to provide security," he said, referring to the Bali bombings.

Authorities have blamed the al Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiah militant network for the Bali blasts and for other recent attacks in Indonesia.

Police have received praise for bringing dozens of terror perpetrators to justice, but they have also reaped criticism for failing to prevent terror at the planning level.

RI undecided on UN Security Council reform proposals


Ivy Susanti, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

The Indonesian government is sitting on its decision on the proposed reform of the United Nations Security Council, saying that it does not want to get involved in a "head-long rush" to support any of the two models proposed by a UN panel.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Marty Natalegawa, however, hinted on Friday that Indonesia was still interested in getting a permanent seat on the Security Council, citing Indonesia's relative independence from the influence of any global power.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan released a 63-page report in March on the most wide-ranging changes within the UN since its creation in 1945. Among the proposed changes, Annan recommended the reform of the UN Security Council in two optional models.

Model A provides for six new permanent seats -- besides the current five -- with no veto power, and three new two-year non-permanent seats, divided among the major regions of Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Europe and the Americas.

Model B provides for no new permanent seats but creates a new category of eight four-year renewable seats and one new two-year non-permanent (and non-renewable) seat, divided among Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Europe and the Americas.

Any change has to be approved by a two-thirds vote in the 191-member General Assembly, with no veto rights for the permanent members: the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China.

Meanwhile, the so-named Group of Four -- Brazil, Germany, India and Japan -- who are bidding for a permanent seat on the Council under model A, reportedly circulated a draft resolution last month that called for the Council's expansion from 15 to 25 members, with six new entrants having veto rights and four alternating members.

The draft was issued only a day after the U.S. had reportedly signaled it would not support the G4 nations' quest for a permanent seat on the Council unless they give up their demand for veto rights.

Indonesia does not recognize the G4's draft resolution.

"On the reform of the United Nations Security Council, we are aware that there are two options presented by the UN secretary-general. We have yet to confirm which of the two options are our final preference," Marty said on Friday.

"We feel it is difficult to support the current effort to have model A adopted in the form of a resolution at the UN General Assembly. Not only in terms of substance, but there is the potential that it can underscore the inequity of the UN Security Council. Also, the process to reach the decision may in fact create more division than unity among UN members," he added.

He did not mention Indonesia's support for any particular country, but said that Indonesia would abide by the following principles: Any new permanent members must be able to represent developing nations; to instill a sense of common ownership; and to prevent unfairness.

"Indonesia has not abandoned its bid for a permanent seat. We have to think what difference Indonesia, or other countries aspiring for the seat, can make. A permanent member must be able to contribute more.

"Now we have to ask whether the countries like Germany and Japan have any particular qualities to contribute that are different from the dominant perspectives in the UN. In Indonesia's diplomacy, we are confident that we can make a difference. But whether other countries share our views or not it remains to be seen," Marty said.


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Foreign ministry spokesperson Marty Natalegawa, however, hinted on Friday that Indonesia was still interested in getting a permanent seat on the Security Council, citing Indonesia's relative independence from the influence of any global power.

realllllyyyyyyy.......................?

I think he's referring to our official status as a 'non-bloc' country.
but that view of the world is quite outdated...:) haha ...I don't really know what he means there.

The phone with the most SMS in Indonesia.......sby's

SBY to receive phone calls from the public on 24-hr basis

JAKARTA (Antara): President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said on Saturday that he was ready to receive telephone calls, 24-hours-a-day from citizens who want to complain about various issues.

"If you feel neglected by local or national governmental institutions and your problems are left unresolved, my mobile phone is on 24-hours-a-day," Susilo said at an informal dialog with farmers and fishermen after the launching of the agriculturerevitalization program in Purwakarta, West Java.

The President later gave his mobile phone number to the people --0811-109-949 (the last four numbers denote the President's birthday -- September 9, 1949.

Susilo explained that upon receiving an sms message from a contract teacher from Pati, Central Java, recently, complaining that his wages had not been paid over the last four months. So the President immediately checked with Minister of NationalEducation Bambang Sudibyo about the background of the case.

Susilo got information that teachers' wages from January to March this year were sent late due to delays from the central government.

The President considered that any sms message or telephone call he received functioned as an extended eye and ear for him to understand the problems that people face.

But, he reminded the public not to tell him or send him baseless accusations or other things that are not backed by facts.

"Slander is much crueler than murder....terror is not welcomed as well," he added. (**)

The phone with the most SMS in Indonesia.......sby's

SBY to receive phone calls from the public on 24-hr basis

JAKARTA (Antara): President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said on Saturday that he was ready to receive telephone calls, 24-hours-a-day from citizens who want to complain about various issues.

"If you feel neglected by local or national governmental institutions and your problems are left unresolved, my mobile phone is on 24-hours-a-day," Susilo said at an informal dialog with farmers and fishermen after the launching of the agriculturerevitalization program in Purwakarta, West Java.

The President later gave his mobile phone number to the people --0811-109-949 (the last four numbers denote the President's birthday -- September 9, 1949.

Susilo explained that upon receiving an sms message from a contract teacher from Pati, Central Java, recently, complaining that his wages had not been paid over the last four months. So the President immediately checked with Minister of NationalEducation Bambang Sudibyo about the background of the case.

Susilo got information that teachers' wages from January to March this year were sent late due to delays from the central government.

The President considered that any sms message or telephone call he received functioned as an extended eye and ear for him to understand the problems that people face.

But, he reminded the public not to tell him or send him baseless accusations or other things that are not backed by facts.

"Slander is much crueler than murder....terror is not welcomed as well," he added. (**)

IMHO, SBY could create a great milestone for the next 4 yrs...

IMHO, SBY could create a great milestone for the next 4 yrs...
here's an idea - only for skyscraper freaks out there - SMS SBY and ask him to build a supertall in Jakarta :D
:jk:

Indonesian politicians saying the darnest thing:

Collecting facts is not done by summoning people.
-A.M. Hendropriyono, former BIN Chief
Link to the source (http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailnational.asp?fileid=20050616.C01&irec=0)

Uhm, summoning people for interviews is one of the way to collect evidence. From the evidence, one may be able to establish fact. I hope he doesn't feel this way when he was in charge of our inteligence community.

Adiguna Sutowo got 7 years for murder. Maybe the Australians weren't so wrong.

Adiguna Sutowo got 7 years for murder. Maybe the Australians weren't so wrong.
that's disgraceful. You know prior to the verdict the family of the victim publcly forgave him and said that the judge should give him as light punishment as possible...I guess money talks.

Adiguna got 7 years? Not surprising, given maximum penalty for murder is only 15 years. Somebody should revise these outdated colonial criminal laws and make tougher punishment for murder.

yeah, not surprising. i was expecting less than that though. money talks. and i guess the judges might be afraid of their family safety. goverment need to provide more safety and protection to judges. especially when they are dealing with a dog like this.

7 years is not long enough for the murder of a student who was just doing his job. Adiguna should've been put away for at least 30 years. Unfortunately, this is the law of the land. I hope the prosecutor appeal the sentence and ask for the full term.

yeah, not surprising. i was expecting less than that though. money talks. and i guess the judges might be afraid of their family safety. goverment need to provide more safety and protection to judges. especially when they are dealing with a dog like this.
yeah, I remember the judge who sentenced Tommy Suharto to 15 years got murdered..

money talks indeed , and this piece of sh.. is laughing. he ll probable stay in a comfortable 'jail ' with a heli-pad.
This makes me angry that rich people in Indonesia always get away with it when they do something wrong. and in this case that Aussie girl should be set free or received 1 year in prison iso 20 yrs.

Well, if she's guilty i disagree that Corby deserve less than her current sentence (currently there are 25 people on the death row for drug trafficking), but this guy definitely deserve more than 7 years. He doesnt even show remorse. I'd agree with Ara, 30 years would be more appropriate, though no amount of punishment would be 'fair' for the family of the victim.

But what I don t understand is this , someone who committed a murder , who happenned to be a bigshot , only got 7yrs and a foreigner who committed a 'less' offense got 20yrs.

his family apparently (read in the paper today) approached the victim's family, visited them in their hometown and performed some local ritual to express their condolences and gave them an "envelope". A few days later the family of the victim wrote a letter to the court to say that they've forgiven the murderer and asking the court to give him as light a penalty as possible.

Well, that's how we work in Indonesia, dont we? Always compromise. Btw, just a comment to Jag, I disagree that drug trafficking is a 'less serious' offence than murder.

remember that if this thing were to happen during New Order, he probably would have got acquitted easily, or if not evaded police arrest at all! We shouldn't take for granted out democracy and press freedom now, which acts as a 'surveillance monitor' for the rest of us.

what I meant is not of course hard drugs , but marijuhana which is a soft drug.

As much as I hate drugs, I can't say I consider that smuggling in 4.2kg of marijuana is comparable to shooting a waiter in the head for no reason. Likewise, I can't call a system that would give the latter 1/3 of the sentence of the former as the "rule of law."

Philippines, Indonesia renew vows to fight terrorism
http://us.news3.yimg.com/us.i2.yimg.com/p/rids/20050621/i/r2546204360.jpg?x=379&y=345&sig=Qf3KI9IA4fHIQCLBest8LA--
First posted 10:25pm (Mla time) June 21, 2005
By Lira Dalangin-Fernandez
INQ7.net


PRESIDENT Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo announced that the Philippines and Indonesia have renewed their commitment to fight terrorism together, saying that the possibility of renewed terror attacks could not be ignored.
"For countries like us that had a long experience with terrorism, we can't ignore the possibility of renewed attacks, including those that will be planned in terrorist cells, whether these cells are in these two countries or in other countries," said President Arroyo at a state dinner hosted for visiting Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in Malacañang Tuesday.

In his speech, Yudhoyono said his government is resolved to work with the Philippines "in all fronts on the basis of mutual trust and common interest."

He said Indonesia regards the Philippines an "old friend," and his visit reaffirms his country's commitment to work together with its Southeast Asian neighbor.

Arroyo said the continuing threat of terrorism makes it necessary for the two countries to continue working together on various aspects such as "intelligence sharing and cooperation."

She said both the Philippine and Indonesian governments are "determined to rid terrorism from our shores" the same way that they are "determined to eradicate poverty that have become the ground for terrorism."

"Our two countries' success in tracking down and arresting those responsible for high profile terrorist and heinous acts are a testament to our common commitment," she added.

Earlier this month, Virtus Gil, a senior security adviser to Philippine Arroyo, said two Jemaah Islamiyah figures linked to the 2002 Bali bombings were hiding in the southern Philippines, indicating a possible shift there by the militant network.

Gil named the two fugitives as Omar Patek and Dulmatin, who he said had been seen in recent weeks on the island of Mindanao, the hotbed of a decades-old Muslim separatist insurgency.

In bilateral talks held earlier, Arroyo assured Yudhoyono that the Philippine law enforcers would rescue the remaining Indonesian fisherman held captive in southern Philippines.

She said efforts are underway to safely free the remaining hostage of a group that called itself Jamiat al-Islamiah of Southern Mindanao.

Abducted in March in Mindanao, two of the three hostages were rescued by elite forces in June 12.

The group is allegedly affiliated with the Abu Sayyaf, which has been linked by the US and Philippine governments to Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda network.

Arroyo said both Indonesia and the Philippines are exerting efforts to patrol their common borders to prevent "extremist elements" from sowing terror.

She also acknowledged the Indonesian government for playing a "critical role" in forging the peace agreement between the Philippine government and the Moro National Liberation Front in 1996.

President Arroyo thanked Indonesia for supporting the country's bid for a permanent observer status in the Organization of the Islamic Conference.

She said both countries have extended assistance to each other in times of calamities.

Indonesia sent relief goods and medical supplies to the victims of the 2004 landslide in Quezon province, while the Philippine government sent medical teams in Aceh and Nias Island when Indonesia was hit by the December 2004 tsunami.


©2005 www.inq7.net all rights reserved

sounds a bit sus.....hmmm

Supreme Court cuts jail term for Soeharto son

JAKARTA (Agencies): The Indonesian Supreme Court has upheld a 2002 murder conviction for the youngest son of former President Soeharto, but cut his jail term from 15 years to 10, an official said on Friday.

"The punishment has become 10 years, but I can't reveal the reasoning," said Supreme Court spokesman Joko Upoyo Pribadi. He said the ruling was made early this month, but was only sent to the court that issued the first verdict on Friday.

Since August 2002, Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra has served time on Nusakambangan prison island in Central Java province, home to some of the country's most dangerous criminals.

Tommy appealed against his conviction for masterminding the killing of a Supreme Court judge in 2003, a year after receiving the sentence.

Tommy's lawyers could not be reached for comment.Attorney general's office spokesman Suhandoyo said it was studying the Supreme Court's verdict and may appeal for a tougher sentence.

"We can also ask for a review of the case," Suhandoyo said. (**)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wow, Gloria is really short.

About Tommy Suharto, he should've been sentenced to at least 30 years. It seems that we are tough with drugs, but not with murder. We need to be tough with all crimes.

No. Those people are afraid of what Tommy can do. And money talks.

This is stupid and sad.

saddest thing is, the panel was headed by Bagir Manan, a noted reformer of the Indonesia's judiciary (or is he??)

Tommy Suharto’s Jail Sentence Cut By 5 Years
June 24, 2005 05:38 PM,

Laksamana.Net - Former president Suharto’s youngest son Hutomo ‘Tommy’ Mandala Putra, currently incarcerated for murder and other crimes, has had his jail sentence reduced from 15 years to 10 years.

Supreme Court chief justice Bagir Manan on Friday (24/6/05) announced that a panel of five judges, including himself, had upheld Tommy's murder conviction but decided to cut his sentence by five years.

"Yes, it has been issued,” he was quoted as saying by detikcom online news portal. He refused to give the reason for the reduced sentence or any further details.

“Just ask the Supreme Court’s [criminal] directorate,” he was quoted as saying by tempointeraktif.com.

Unconfirmed reports said the Supreme Court made the decision in a 134-page ruling on June 6, after deliberating for several months over Tommy’s request for a judicial review.

Tommy’s legal woes started in September 2000, when Supreme Court judge Syarifuddin Kartasasmita sentenced him to 18 months in jail for a multi-million dollar property swindle. Rather than go to jail, he paid a Rp15 billion ($1.6 million) bribe in the hope of winning a presidential pardon or a favorable judicial review. The bribe failed, so the former playboy went into hiding. In July 2001, he paid two hitmen to murder Kartasasmita.

In a move that baffled legal experts, the Supreme Court on October 1, 2001, annulled Tommy’s corruption verdict and jail sentence, even though he had virtually admitted guilt in the case by having sought a presidential pardon. The fugitive then gave himself up to police on November 28, 2001.

Central Jakarta District Court on July 26, 2002, convicted Tommy of murder, illegal possession of weapons and fleeing justice. Prosecutors had recommended a sentence of 20-years in jail. Based on his 15-year sentence, he should have remained behind bars until 2017.

But since his sentencing he has received hefty remissions twice every year, on Independence Day and the Muslim holiday of Idul Fitri, purportedly for good behavior. Last year his remissions totaled a whopping 9 months and 10 days. The total remissions so far have reduced his sentence from 15 to 11 years.

Adding the lengthy remissions and the Supreme Court’s decision to cut the sentence by five years mean he will be out of jail by 2008 or earlier.

Tommy is serving his sentence at Batu prison on Nusakambangan island penitentiary off the coast of Central Java. Prison life has not been too hard on him. He’s been able to take the occasional helicopter flight back to Jakarta, ostensibly for hospital treatment.

Visitors to the jail talk of not seeing Tommy in his luxury cell, fueling rumors that he’s able to slip away to the mainland, allegedly staying at a house in the coastal town of Cilacap. Former inmates of Indonesian jails have said prisoners with enough money can easily buy “weekend leave” from corrupt prison officials.

Prison food apparently isn’t to his liking, so his bodyguards use speedboats to bring him specially prepared meals from the mainland.

Lest he get bored in his carpeted cell, which contains air-conditioning, cable TV, an exercise bike and an en-suite bathroom, he’s able to enjoy various outdoor activities. He has already built four fishponds to breed Louhan, an expensive ornamental tropical fish.

He’s also funded the construction of a badminton court to allow him to indulge in one of his favorite sports. He’s even been able to have at least one his girlfriends spend nights in his cell.

Controversial Review
Tommy had initially accepted his murder conviction and sentence, but in July 2003 his lawyers submitted his request for a judicial review.

Manan announced on May 13, 2005, that he had placed himself in charge of the panel of Supreme Court judges considering the judicial review.

The chief justice said he took over the leadership of the panel and replaced all of its members because of rumors that judges initially on the panel had received threats or been offered bribes to exonerate Tommy.

In addition to Manan, the other judges on the revised panel were Iskandar Kamil, Harifin A. Tumpa, Abdul Kadir Mapong and Mugihardjo.

In his appeal, Tommy argued that police lacked a permit when they raided two of his Jakarta residences and discovered a cache of weapons and explosives. Prosecutors had said Tommy had no new evidence to justify his request for a judicial review.

Analysts say the Supreme Court’s decision to cut Tommy’s sentence could be seen as an effort to undermine the credibility of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s administration. There is also speculation the decision was based on bribery.

Attorney General’s Office spokesman Suhandojo said his office could not yet comment on the matter because it had not received a copy of the Supreme Court’s decision.

"We do not yet know the Supreme Court’s reason for reducing the sentence,” he said, adding that a review of the case could be requested.

He said the ruling would be accepted if there was new evidence to support Tommy’s appeal.

hey! i know who this is! isnt he the presidents son? doesnt he have some sort of car dealership because my dad n uncle used to buy cars from him along time ago.

hey! i know who this is! isnt he the presidents son? doesnt he have some sort of car dealership because my dad n uncle used to buy cars from him along time ago.

He's Suharto's youngest son. It really anger me that judges have to fear for their lives. It means that we have no credible justice system.

Do we need another HUGE demonstration like those in 1998 to fix Indonesia problem?
Maybe from now on people should attack the family of those bastards? Hang. Burn. Kill as necessary. Yeah I sound reckless, uneducated etc etc. But well... ;)

Do we need another HUGE demonstration like those in 1998 to fix Indonesia problem?
Maybe from now on people should attack the family of those bastards? Hang. Burn. Kill as necessary. Yeah I sound reckless, uneducated etc etc. But well... ;)

Don't know about killing part, but I think we should've another demonstration in front of Suharto's house. This time, it's going to be a party. A celebration of life and the future. A message to the old guards that this time, the people are in charge. Also, I wan't drag queens because they will make the party funner.

Corby's new man to apologise to Indonesia
By Marian Carroll
Denpasar
June 26, 2005

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A consultant hired to take over Schapelle Corby's appeal against her 20-year jail term says the new legal team's first priority will be to apologise to Indonesia for Australia's arrogance over the case.

Walter Tonetto, an Australian-born academic who has lived in Indonesia for six years, has criticised the former legal team's handling of the case.

Corby, 27, has fired her entire Indonesian legal team after allegations they planned to bribe judges hearing her appeal.

Dr Tonetto said the Denpasar District Court had been entirely fair and reasonable in handing down a guilty verdict to Corby based on the evidence before it. He said there was little hope the Bali High Court would overturn this decision or order a reopening of the trial.

In anticipation of an unfavourable judgement, he said the new legal team, which will be announced at a press conference in the coming week, will focus on appealing to the Jakarta Supreme Court.

Dr Tonetto, the non-legal co-ordinator of Corby's new team at Facta Associates, a firm based in West Java, said the new team "will not speak out of turn as the previous legal team did".

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AdvertisementHowever, Dr Tonetto was noncommittal on whether Perth QCs Mark Trowell and Tom Percy, who joined Corby's team on the request of the Australian Government, would have any further input.

"I don't want to be seen to be dismissing them, but any advice or help should be confidential," he said.

"The whole idea of Australia flying our own silks in and telling Indonesia how the legal process should be done has been counterproductive to Schapelle.

"I don't mean to offend anyone, but at the press conference I will be doing a lot of bowing and apologising to Indonesia for the cultural insults and Australia's arrogance."

Corby sacked her entire Indonesian legal team after Mr Trowell caused an uproar by telling journalists that her main Bali lawyer, Lily Sri Rahayu Lubis, and case co-ordinator Vasu Rasiah planned to bribe the appeal judges. Dr Tonetto, who approached Corby's sister Mercedes a week ago to offer help, said Corby initially agreed to hire him to take over Mr Rasiah's role as chief strategist to work with Ms Lubis and her three other Indonesian lawyers.

However, following the bribery allegations, Dr Tonetto recommended Corby replace the entire team.

"We will be looking for new evidence that was not brought to the attention of the previous judges, that was neglected, and we will be examining the credibility and presentation of witnesses called by the defence," Dr Tonetto said. "There were so many things done in poor form by the legal team."

For example, he said the way the defence presented evidence about Indonesian police not fingerprinting the bag containing marijuana found in Corby's luggage and the Australian investigation into baggage handlers could have been done better. He also questioned the wisdom of calling as a defence witness an Australian criminologist as opposed to an Indonesian one.

Dr Tonetto said that after a press conference next week, the new legal team would withdraw from the spotlight to focus on tackling the legal aspects of the case and mending the damage done to Corby's image in Indonesia.

Dr Tonetto, who has a German passport and grew up there, said he would also seek meetings with Australia's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister and their Indonesian counterparts.

Anti-drugs tsar picked to head Indonesia police
27 Jun 2005 07:42:46 GMT

Source: Reuters

JAKARTA, June 27 (Reuters) - Indonesia's top anti-narcotics policeman, who also has also played a prominent role in several terrorism cases, has been chosen to head the national police force, the president said on Monday.

Commissioner General Sutanto, a long-time confidant of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, has led the anti-narcotics agency since February 2005.

He made headlines for a string of busts, including the April arrest of nine Australian men alleged to be part of a heroin smuggling ring centred on the resort island of Bali.

Yudhoyono, a former army general who took the presidency last year, told reporters he has asked parliament to approve his nominee as soon as possible. Parliament is unlikely to reject the nomination.

Current national police chief Da'i Bachtiar has led the force since 2001, winning praise for taking a tough stance against the Jemaah Islamiah militant network blamed for a string of deadly bombings, including the 2002 Bali blasts that killed 202 people.

During his watch, police arrested dozens of militants involved in those attacks and allowed room for foreign countries, including the United States to support the war on terror in the world's most populous Muslim nation, despite objections from nationalist and Islamic groups.

When he led police in East Java province, Sutanto dealt with the deadly 2000 Christmas Eve bombings of several churches. A few months before that, he handled a string of church bombing cases in North Sumatra province.

Online news portal detik.com reported Bachtiar might become Indonesia's ambassador for Australia, which lost 88 nationals in the Bali blasts, topping the list of victims by nationality.

Yudhoyono's "Triple-Track Strategy"
Indonesia's President talks about raising growth, creating jobs, and alleviating poverty. Plus: His take on corruption and terrorism

Last October, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono took control of the world's most populous Islamic nation -- and one that has had its share of challenges. The Dec. 26 tsunami took roughly 128,000 Indonesian lives in Aceh Provinces and other sections of Northern Sumatra Island. This sprawling archipelago of 224 million has also been a staging ground for al Qaeda-inspired terrorist attacks, including the bombing of a Bali nightclub in 2002. There's also the ongoing problem of separatist groups in Aceh and elsewhere. Advertisement

Yet for the first time in years Indonesia has reason for some optimism. Since winning the country's first direct-election presidential campaign in September, Yudhoyono has won international praise for his crisis-management following the tsunami and his efforts to fight terrorism and the corruption that's rampant in Indonesia's political and business circles.

The retired general turned political reformer, who holds a PhD in economics, is also overseeing a long-sought-after economic recovery. The economy shot up 6.4% year-over-year in the first quarter, the best showing since 1996. And foreign investment is starting to stream back into this $255 billion economy, after slowing to a trickle since the mid-1990s.

Yudhoyono is clearly the most accomplished President Indonesia has had since the end of the authoritative Suharto regime in 1998. On June 17, a fit-looking and relaxed Yudhoyono discussed his economic plans for Indonesia, the scourges of terrorism and corruption, and other matters with BusinessWeek Hong Kong-based Asian Regional Editor Brian Bremner and Singapore-based correspondent Assif Shameen at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta. Edited excerpts from the interview follow:

Q: How is Indonesia coping with the aftermath of last December's tsunami?
A: The tsunami was kind of a wake-up call and also a test -- a test for our solidarity, and a test for our ability to deal with disasters. I flew directly to Banda Aceh on Day 2. Everything was paralyzed. I realized we had to build from zero.

The tsunami was certainly the greatest challenge of my entire public-service career. It wasn't difficult for me to mobilize the nation, because the whole nation mobilized itself. It was a powerful unifying event for Indonesia, and also for the world.

Looking back on our emergency relief operations, I think the most important things were speed and coordination. We were able to synchronize operations among the military, NGOS [nongovernmental organizations], government agencies, and so on. I promised I would appoint a man of competence and integrity to oversee Aceh's reconstruction -- and I did that with the appointment of Dr. Kuntoro Mangkusubroto as director of the Rehabilitation & Reconstruction Executing Agency. We want to rebuild Aceh speedily, but also effectively and accountably. So far, $1.2 billion in funds has been disbursed.

Q: Was the tsunami also an opportunity to end the separatist violence in Aceh?
A: Well, one month after my inauguration last October, I went to Aceh. I called upon all brothers and sisters involved in the separatist movement to unite and join us to build Aceh based on special autonomous standards.

After the tsunami hit, I once again called on them to terminate the conflict. I also instructed the military to change the mode of operations. In my view, the response has been positive. I'm optimistic that if this trend continues, we will be able to terminate the conflict.

Q: How do you propose to bring Indonesia back onto the prosperity track?
A: I have set up economic objectives to be achieved in the next five years. We have to have 6% to 7% growth over the next five years just to create jobs. My government's development strategy is based on what I call the Triple Track Strategy.

The first track is to achieve sustainable higher growth through a combination of strong exports and increased investment, both domestic and foreign. The second track is to stimulate the performance of the economic sectors to create employment. And the third track is to promote the development of the rural economy and agriculture to alleviate poverty.

By 2009, we aim to reduce the unemployment rate from 9.5% to 5.1%, and we seek to cut the poverty rate in half, to 8.1%. We also seek to increase growth on average of 6.6% per annum during the next five years. But we want to do more than pump up numbers. We intend to create quality growth that creates good jobs for around 2 million new job seekers each year. We also aim to improve the climate of doing business within Indonesia.

Q: To achieve any of that Indonesia needs to address its widespread problems with corruption, considered the worst in Asia. How do you plan to achieve that?
A: Fighting corruption is very, very important to our competitiveness. If we fail, we will lose the battle to attract foreign capital and stimulate our domestic economy. In many provinces, we have put corrupt local bureaucrats, political leaders and parliamentarians, majors, and even a governor in jail for their wrongdoings. Many government officials now have to think twice. The people really support my effort to combat corruption.

I have also listened to foreign and domestic businesspeople about the need for a sound legal framework and economic policies and less regulation. It takes about six months just to establish business in Indonesia. I have instructed my government to get that down to no more than two months.

Q: How can Indonesia attract foreign capital when so many business executives are fixated on growth in China and India?
A: I will do my best to fix many things in Indonesia, and I want to improve the climate to invest. We have to put our house in order. But actually, if you look at the existing trade between Indonesia and China, it's actually in a surplus for Indonesia. We realize that China and India are emerging, but that creates new markets. I'm a true believer that economic exchanges benefit both parties.

Q: The Australian government recently issued a warning about a possible new terrorist outrage in Indonesia. Is your government on top of this threat?
A: Indonesia is a large country, and the threat of terrorism is real. But this is true of other developing countries. The fight against terrorism, like corruption, is never-ending.

What I'm doing is launching a two-track strategy. We're conducting massive intelligence and police operations to find the terrorist cells and harass them. But there is a misunderstanding among some that terrorism is connected to Islam.

I say to my people again and again there is no relationship between the two. So -- and this is very important for Indonesia -- I want to strengthen the role of moderate Islam. We need moderate religious leaders who won't let their people be taken hostage by the radicals, by the terrorists. In doing so, I have to improve our education and communication to tell people that terrorism destroys everything economically, [as well as] the image of Indonesia.

Q: As the world's most populous Islamic society and a fledgling democracy, could Indonesia serve as a model for the developing world and the Arab states of the Middle East?
A: I have a dream and the Indonesian people have a dream also that we can someday show the world that Islam and democracy can live together. We proved it in our past elections last fall, which went smoothly, democratically, and peacefully. I want people to look at Indonesia as moderate, Islamic, and peaceful.

Malaysia freezes circulation of pro-Falun Gong newspaper printed in Indonesia

Malaysia (AP): Malaysia has frozen the distribution of an Indonesian-printed newspaper that supports the spiritual movement Falun Gong and is critical of China's communist policies, officials said on Friday.

Authorities seized about 17,000 copies of the Chinese-language weekly Epoch Times' June issue and told the distributor, DZY Marketing, to halt further imports, DZY spokesman Raymond Ng said.

"The government has not given a reason for taking such a move," Ng told The Associated Press.

He claimed the Chinese Embassy asked authorities to stop the circulation of Epoch Times in Malaysia. Embassy officials did not immediately respond to the allegation.Epoch Times is published in several countries and distributed free. It was started in May 2000 "in response to the growing need for uncensored coverage of events in China," the paper says on its Website.

DZY Marketing began importing the Southeast Asian edition from the Indonesian province of Surabaya in February 2004.

Ng said the newspaper had received a "good response" from the ethnic Chinese community in Malaysia and appealed to the government to review the ban.

A letter urging the lifting of the ban was sent to Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on Wednesday, he said. (*)

Why can't these people have freedom of religion? Malaysia needs to get a clue. Oh yeah, there is really something wrong with these Falung Gong people because they say bad things about the tyrannical government that burns their members alive in public view. Thanks Malaysia for protecting your people from those dirty Falun Gong rascals.

Why can't these people have freedom of religion? Malaysia needs to get a clue. Oh yeah, there is really something wrong with these Falung Gong people because they say bad things about the tyrannical government that burns their members alive in public view. Thanks Malaysia for protecting your people from those dirty Falun Gong rascals.
its all about trade...everyone is "scared" of china now. There was a scandal recently in australia, a chiense diplomat defected/asked for asylum in aust and told the aust public about chinese spies in aust and his job in the past which was to prosecutre, torture and interrogate FLG followers. It made headlines in austraila and it seemed obvious that the aust govt was reluctant to do anything about it for fear it might influence the FTA negotiations currently underway.

A man who speaks the truth. Rule of law needs to be established.

-----

Arresting decay in Indonesia
By Gary LaMoshi

DENPASAR, Bali - Four presidents and seven years since the fall of Suharto's authoritarian regime in Indonesia, his New Order acolytes are still cast as the dalang, the unseen master controlling the characters in Javanese shadow puppet shows. A presidential fact-finding team's investigation into the murder of Indonesia's foremost human-rights activist provides fresh fodder for conspiracy theorists. Reaction to those findings highlights the staying power of New Order remnants and the impact of the cabal, regardless of whether it exists or not.

Munir Said Thalib, a leading critic of New Order abuses, died on a flight from Jakarta to Amsterdam aboard Indonesia's flag carrier, Garuda, last September. (See Asia Times Online, An Indonesian murder mystery, November 16, 2004) He was on his way to the Netherlands to begin scholarship studies for a law degree. At age 38, Munir had distinguished himself as the nation's most forceful crusader against New Order brutality, from activists' mysterious disappearances to shootings of students to massacres in East Timor.

Those activities made Munir the target of death threats and mob rampages against his office. His opponents apparently found their mark aboard flight GA 974. Munir became violently ill on the leg of the flight between Singapore and Amsterdam and died. The autopsy in the Netherlands revealed a massive, fatal dose of arsenic in his stomach, almost certainly fed to him during the flight.

Intelligence links
The fact-finding panel headed by a police general, featuring legal experts and human-rights activists, delivered its report to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on June 23. The team's six-month investigation found evidence that officials of the National Intelligence Agency (BIN by its Indonesian acronym) were "involved in a conspiracy to murder Munir." The 100-page report was not made public, but team members revealed key findings.

The team corroborated leading suspect Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto's claims of links to BIN. Pollycarpus, a Garuda pilot, rode on the Jakarta-Singapore leg of GA 974 under the pretence of a phony assignment and gave his business class seat to Munir. The presidential panel found more than 30 phone calls between Pollycarpus and BIN numbers before and after the September 7 murder. They also heard testimony about Pollycarpus' previous involvement with BIN operatives. Most damning, the team said it uncovered documents linked to intelligence officials outlining four scenarios for murdering Munir, including poisoning him aboard an aircraft.

Yudhoyono, a general under Suharto but a PhD rather than a dalang, accepted the team's report and reiterated his commitment to bring the murderers to justice. Yudhoyono's government has fried some big fish on corruption charges, including a provincial governor, but it has steered clear of military stalwarts. The team's findings, however, chart a collision course with Abdullah Makhmud Hendropriyono, a New Order army general who headed BIN at the time of Munir's murder.

Still more equal than others
Ironically, the limited fruits of reformasi give new ammunition to its enemies. Separation of power restrictions designed to prevent the return of Suharto's virtual dictatorship help his supporters remain above the law. For example, Hendropriyono refused to honor three summonses from the fact-finding commission, claiming he wasn't subject to the authority of a body created by "merely a presidential decree".

In a bit of doublespeak worthy of a George Orwell novel, Hendropriyono explained his defiance of the team's summonses: "This way, I'm showing everyone that the authorities can no longer summon anyone without good justification. The authorities should no longer scare people in this new atmosphere of democracy."

Despite Indonesia's progress along the road to reformasi , including the military renouncing its formal political role, the armed forces - the backbone of Suharto's regime - remain beyond civilian control and most loyal to their own membership, past and present. The military is linked to many unpunished crimes: the 1998 student shootings and mob violence that led to Suharto's resignation, massacres in East Timor, outbreaks of religious violence and radical Muslim militias in the Malukus and Central Sulawesi. Discussions of these events usually focus on possible New Order loyalist involvement, rather than on the devastating impact of the violence.

Jose Manuel Tesoro covered Indonesia for Asiaweek from 1997 to 2000 and wrote The Invisible Palace (See Asia Times Online, Reporter's murder a shadow puppet farce, September 11, 2004), examining the 1996 unsolved murder of a newspaper reporter in Yogyakarta whose articles had angered a powerful local official. Tesoro says looking for conspiracy theories may be a pointless distraction from what really matters.

"[T]he networks and habits formed during the New Order didn't go away just because Suharto stepped down. The lack of respect for human life, the arrogance that comes with feeling untouchable by the law, the knowledge that nearly anyone or anything can be bought - all this still exists in many places in the elite," Tesoro, now a student at Harvard Law School, observes. "You'll see it in the minister's son who thinks nothing of shooting a waiter for a supposed slight. Or the corrupt judge or cop who thinks bribery and extortion come with the job. None of this has to be centrally directed by Suharto or some general or whatever, but the effects are still there and still corrosive."

Arresting decay
Munir was one of the people trying to stop the corrosion that resonates throughout Indonesian society and beyond its borders. As important as solving Munir's murder is for Indonesia's fledgling freedom, it's just as important for its economy, for its Association of Southeast Asian Nations neighbors and the world at large. As the world's fourth-most populous nation located on the strategic Malacca Strait and at the borders of Asia, Indonesia has geopolitical weight along with its symbolic significance as the largest predominantly Muslim democracy. Indonesia has the potential to flourish or to spiral downward toward economic and social chaos, orchestrated or otherwise.

Rule of law is what will tip the balance. Equality under the law is still far away when a tourist carrying 4.2 kilograms of marijuana gets 20 years in jail - and prosecutors appeal the sentence as too lenient - while Tommy Suharto gets 15 years for hiring thugs to kill a judge who ruled against him in a corruption case - reduced to 10 years by the Supreme Court within days of the Munir report, and with release likely after serving less than four years. Of course, it's progress that the former president's son was convicted at all.

Particularly in civil cases, verdicts remain for sale to the highest bidder. Police, though vastly improved since their separation from the military, and prosecutors can still be induced to harass for the right price. That makes Indonesia a ridiculous place to invest for foreigners and Indonesians alike and explains a good deal about why Indonesia's economy has failed to recover from the regional crisis of 1997-98.

Persistent poverty and powerlessness are dangerous conditions for any nation. In Indonesia those circumstances are giving radical Islam growing support and disproportionate political influence. The threat is more terrorist violence in Indonesia and a terrorist breeding ground for attacks globally. To counteract that threat, Indonesia and its friends need police, military, and especially intelligence services that are trustworthy and pursuing the government's agenda. Regardless of whether BIN is proven to have been behind Munir's murder, the findings to date suggest how far it is from being a reliable partner for anyone outside its elite circle.

Rule of law was at the heart of Munir's work. It would be a fitting tribute, and perhaps his most lasting contribution, if bringing his killer(s) to justice marked a turning point for rule of law in Indonesia.

A MILESTONE DEVELOPMENT???? too daring a move???



Indonesia prepared to offer key concession to Aceh rebels Thu Jul 7, 2:30 AM ET



JAKARTA (AFP) - Indonesia is on the brink of making a major concession to separatist rebels in tsunami-hit Aceh ahead of a new round of peace talks to end a decades-old war.

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President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has sought the support needed to offer the rebels political representation under an autonomy deal -- a key negotiating point that would sidestep Indonesia's 60-year-old constitution, the reports said Thursday.

Yudhoyono met with the leaders of prominent parties late Wednesday in an effort to push his proposal and dispel parliamentary opposition to an ongoing dialogue with the rebels, set to conclude next week in Helsinki.

Malem Sambat Kaban, chair of the Crescent and Star Party, said the president wanted parliament to allow former rebels to stand for election as district chiefs.

This would get around Indonesian law under which groups wanting political representation must form national parties with a country-wide power base.

Top security minister Widodo Adisucipto last month rejected the demand by the GAM negotiators that rebels be allowed to take part in future local elections.

He said Yudhoyono's entreaties were positively received, but full cooperation from parliament would depend on rebel willingness to abandon full claims to resource-rich Aceh.

"In principle, all parties agreed and support it, if the GAM opts for peaceful negotiations with the government. We, from the political parties, have no objection," he said, according to the Detikcom online news service.

The move comes amid political criticism of the talks in Finland with the Free Aceh Movement, or GAM, which some parties say is an internal conflict that should not be discussed in the international arena.

Indonesia began new talks with the rebels in the wake of last year's tsunami, reviving a dialogue abandoned ahead of a major government offensive in 2003 that sparked some of the worst violence in a conflict that began in 1976.

Kaban said that the political leaders had also agreed to allow former guerrillas to run for the vice governorship of Aceh, but not the top post in the province.

"As long as it is still within the 1945 constitution ... we will be open to the political participation of former GAM members if they want to run (in elections,)" Abdillah Toha of the National Mandate Party said, according to Detikcom.

Vice President Yusuf Kalla on Wednesday said the government was finalising a draft peace deal with GAM and would use next week's talks in Finland to set up a formal meeting to end the conflict that has left almost 15,000 people dead.

http://www.cadtm.org/article.php3?id_article=1529

Indonesia's Aceh rebels demand self-government, reject 'special autonomy' Wed Jul 13, 2:58 AM ET



JAKARTA (AFP) - Separatists in Indonesia's troubled Aceh province have reiterated their demand for self-government to end a decades-long war, saying democratic local elections are a basic right.

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The Free Aceh Movement (GAM) said its agreement this week that the province would not try to separate from Indonesia did not mean it accepted the present system of special autonomy, which it said had led to bloodshed and corruption.

The agreement has raised hopes of success at peace talks between the rebels and the government under way in Helsinki.

GAM spokesman Bakhtiar Abdullah said self-government would be a compromise that would end the rebel uprising, which started in 1976 and has claimed nearly 15,000 lives, mostly of civilians.

"We have offered the compromise position of self-government as a way of resolving the Aceh conflict," Abdullah said in a statement.

The system of self-government should be based on elections contested by local political parties, he said.

"What we are proposing is nothing less than basic democratic rights," Abdullah said.

However Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said last weekend the government would not allow local parties to stand in elections in Aceh as this would be against the law, although former GAM members would be allowed to stand.

The government has also said the position of governor would be off limits to the former rebels, although they could run for the vice governorship post and those of districts chiefs and mayors.

Abdullah said GAM "categorically rejects the status quo of special autonomy', which has produced only bloodshed, corruption and the denial of the fundamental rights of the people of Aceh to determine their own affairs."

The system, implemented in 2001, allows Aceh to take profits from its wealth of natural resources, partially implement Islamic Sharia law and control its own judicial and education system.

Saying that GAM had already made "major compromises", Abdullah called on Jakarta to make similar concessions to end the bloody conflict.

The first day of a fifth round of informal peace talks between the government of Indonesia and the GAM was held in Helsinki on Tuesday.

The December 26 tsunami which devastated most of Aceh's coastline and killed more than 130,000 people there prompted both sides to reopen the peace talks in January.

The talks stalled in May 2003 when Jakarta declared martial law and launched a major military offensive in the province.

What would happen if GAM lose the local election? Will they go back to being a terrorist organization?

What would happen if GAM lose the local election? Will they go back to being a terrorist organization?
A lot of people that I know ridicule GAM in the same way as the ridicule any politicians - that its all about their own self interest, wealth & status. Don't think they care about the plight of ordinary Aceh-nese any more than the current government does.

why can't they all just get along...~ ::sigh::

GAM : gerakan anak mami.... because all they do is asking for human rights help...what a crap...

cheers

GAM : gerakan anak mami.... because all they do is asking for human rights help...what a crap...

cheers
its all about the money...do you notice what cars they drive to those Helsinki meetings? brand new S-classes, if I'm not mistaken!

Perkosa WNI, Dua Polisi Laut Malaysia DiadiliMinggu, 09 Oktober 2005 | 12:57 WIB

TEMPO Interaktif, Johor Bahru: Dua polisi laut daerah Johor Bahru dihadapkan ke Mahkamah Seksyen atas tuduhan memperkosa dan menyodomi Hafifah, 33 tahun, warga Indonesia asal Tanjung Pinang. Janda beranak satu dan berprofesi penjahit itu diperkosa saat hendak membeli kain di Malaysia.

"Kedua terdakwa juga terjerat dengan dakwaan telah mencederai badan korban serta merampas uang, perhiasan, dan handphone milik korban," kata Kepala Konsulat Jenderal RI di Johor Bahru Maryadi Hadisuwiryo kepada Tempo.

Kedua tertuduh keturunan India. Mereka baru saja menyelesaikan pendidikan kepolisiannya, yakni Paramasivam Krisnan, 23 tahun, dan Nanda Kumaran Nacappha, 26 tahun.

Menurut informasi dari Konsulat RI Johor, peristiwa terjadi di daerah perkuburan Islam Mahmoodiyah, Jalan Dobbi, Johor Bahru, pada 21 Januari 2004 sekitar pukul 04:00-06:00 waktu setempat.

Hafifah, Sabtu, hadir ke mahkamah mengenakan jubah cokelat dan berjilbab hitam. Ia didampingi oleh pengacaranya, Hisyam bin Abdulah, dan kepala Konsulat Jenderal RI Johor, Maryadi Hadisuwiryo. Dua diplomat yakni P. Budi Prakoso dan Wita P. Kamil serta koordinator Aliansi Buruh Migran (ABM) Jawa Timur di Kuala Lumpur, Saiful Aiman, juga hadir.

Persidangan dimulai pukul 15.00 dan berlangsung tertutup. Selain pengacara korban, hanya wakil ABM Jawa Timur yang diizinkan masuk ke ruangan sidang untuk bantuan penerjemahan keterangan yang disampaikan Hafifah kepada hakim Haji Aliman bin Misri.

"Ini adalah kasus sangat serius yang sangat memalukan. KJRI Johor telah membuat laporan ke Perdana Menteri Abdullah Badawi dan pemerintah di Jakarta," kata Maryadi.

Letnan Pilly Dewi Ros, pegawai penanggulangan kriminal Kepolisian Johor, yang hadir ke mahkamah, menyatakan bahwa kasus ini memalukan kesatuan polisi. Kedua terdakwa, kata dia, telah dipecat karena melanggar wewenang sebagai anggota perwira polisi.

Usai persidangan, Saiful Aiman menjelaskan, segala keterangan saksi korban sudah disampaikan kepada hakim melalui jaksa penuntut umum, Pn. Syarifah. T.H. Salengke

http://www.tempointeraktif.com/hg/luarnegeri/2005/10/09/brk,20051009-67741,id.html

David/GreyX, please close this thread. cheers.

Done, I missed out this thread. Thanks for the reminder.

cheers