Halt in US aid may hold up military reforms'

The US Congress' decision last Wednesday to block military aid to Jakarta was 'hasty' and could slow down the progress of military reforms here, said a senior Indonesian official as quoted by Strait Times.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Marty Natalegawa said on Friday that the US Congress should have waited until the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Indonesian police completed investigations into last August's fatal shooting of two Americans in West Papua province before deciding to withhold military aid slated for Jakarta.

He told reporters: 'The US Congress should not have taken that decision; FBI teams have come to Indonesia and the investigations are still ongoing.

'It is inappropriate to say this issue has reached a dead end and there can be no further progress.'

He added that the approximately US$1 million (S$1.76 million) meant to help Indonesian officers take part in the International Military Education and Training (Imet) programme next year could have 'improved professionalism' within the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI).

Also at stake here is about US$400,000 in similar Imet funds that have been previously approved for this year but are not yet disbursed and could be held up by the US Congress.

The first response from the TNI on the latest US move came from the armed forces chief, General Endriartono Sutarto, who said the issue was not a big deal.

'It is within their right to do so,' he said. 'After all, we are not asking for any help.'

Meanwhile, Indonesia's outspoken army chief warned yesterday against 'politicising' the ambush killing of the two American school teachers, which occurred almost a year ago near a Timika mine run by US-based Freeport-McMoRan Copper and Gold.

General Ryamizard Ryacudu was quoted by the state Antara news agency as saying: 'This is a criminal issue. Don't politicise it and don't link it to political matters because you don't like the Indonesian armed forces.

'I'm certain only crazy people would carry out that shooting.'

The murders have become a major sticking point in United States-Indonesia relations.

Besides the two American teachers and an Indonesian colleague who died, 12 others, mostly Americans, were wounded in the incident.

For US legislators, the main issues include allegations that TNI elements were the ones who carried out the shootings and the perception that Indonesia had not done all it could to investigate the case and prosecute the culprits.

From the Indonesian perspective, the money held back by the US Congress was relatively small, but would have served as a pat on the back and as Washington's endorsement of claimed ongoing reforms here.

Imet funding was first cut in the early 1990s after US legislators began to question TNI's role in massacres in Timor Leste, the former Indonesian province of East Timor.

Gen Endriartono and his aides had vehemently denied the possibility that any of their officers planned and perpetrated the Timika ambush.

But Indonesian police said weapons used in the attack were similar to those of the military.

Human rights groups working in West Papua argue it is possible that members of TNI carried out the ambush to squeeze more protection money from Freeport-McMoRan.

The FBI has sent two teams to Indonesia so far, and the last one left Jakarta last week bearing evidence which they intend to test in crime laboratories back home.(*)