Louise Williams, Surabaya – Australia would maintain a close working relationship with Indonesia's armed forces, despite increasing domestic and international criticism over the shooting of student protesters in Jakarta earlier this month and concerns of more civil unrest ahead, the Defence Minister, Mr Moore, said yesterday.
Mr Moore, who met his Indonesian counterpart, Defence Minister and Armed Forces Commander, General Wiranto, in the Javanese port city of Surabaya yesterday, said Australia had made its choice to actively support the Indonesian Government in "extraordinarily difficult times".
However, he said there were no current plans to resume training links between the special forces, after exercises were postponed indefinitely last month following the dismissal of Indonesia's former special forces commander, Prabowo Subianto, and the implication of special forces troops in the disappearances, torture and illegal detention of pro-democracy activists.
"At the present moment there are no plans for exercises in that area ... but that is not to say it [operations] have been abandoned," Mr Moore said after the two-hour meeting.
He said he raised Australia's concerns over human rights, referring to recent violence in Jakarta, as well as long-term human rights problems in East Timor, Irian Jaya and the northern Sumatran province of Aceh.
He had asked General Wiranto for access to East Timor for Mr Tom Sherman, who conducted the investigation into the deaths of five Australian-based journalists in 1975, to pursue new claims that the journalists had been shot, and were not caught in cross-fire as Jakarta has consistently stated. General Wiranto gave no immediate response.
The Australian ambassador to Indonesia, Mr John McCarthy, also told the news conference that clearance had been granted for Australia's army attachi to travel to East Timor next Tuesday, where new clashes broke out between Indonesian forces and pro-independence Fretilin guerillas earlier this month.
"We do press upon Indonesia to exercise restraint and I am not saying that the future is without concerns," Mr Moore said. The minister said Australia believed the Indonesian military was moving away from its dominant politicised role in Government to a more traditional defence role, but that the transition to democracy during the current economic crisis was "one hell of a job".
Of criticism of ongoing links with the Indonesian military, despite serious human rights abuses by Indonesian troops, Mr Moore said: "It is quite simple, you make a choice.
"You either stand back and say, 'I'll join the chardonnay set and sit back on the edges and not do much', or you engage with your nearest neighbour.
"We can walk away from our relations with the Indonesian military at a time of change or co-operate with them on matters such as training, which we believe make an important contribution to the reform process.
"It is in the national interest of Australia to be alongside."
Despite the timetable set by Indonesia's People's Consultative Assembly for democratic elections next year there were genuine concerns that recent civil unrest across the country may see the Indonesian military resume a more political role. There were also fears that the 600,000 strong armed forces may be unable to maintain internal stability, in the face of daily demonstrations and sporadic rioting.
Mr Moore said internal instability "had to be an area of concern". However, he said, Australia had no reason to believe Indonesia would not follow the democratic timetable, or that the armed forces would make any unconstitutional moves to seize power.