Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – Indonesian Defence Minister Juwono Sudarsono said yesterday that the police and military did not have sufficient funding to deal with the sectarian and separatist violence that has dogged the country and spooked investors.

He said the defence forces (TNI) and the National Police institutions were "under performing" in riot-prone areas such as Maluku, where sectarian clashes have dragged on for over a year, because they are "undermanned, under-paid, under-loved and overstretched".

"They have to handle too many and too diverse problems, and deal with enormous public pressures, while at the same time are limited by the number and by financial constraint," he said. "They are also under-loved at this moment. The level of public appreciations of their profession is at its lowest."

Indonesia has been racked by sectarian and ethnic violence, which has killed thousands, for the past two years. Clashes between Christians and Muslims erupted again in the spice islands last week, and violence continues in Aceh province despite a peace accord with rebels due to come into effect in June. The violence has been fuelled by the economic crisis which first hit in mid- 1997, sending millions into poverty.

Mr Juwono, the first civilian holding the top defence post in over three decades, has previously sought to explain the problems faced by the much-maligned military for its inability to maintain security and for often resorting to violence against civilians to quell riots.

He has repeatedly warned that the military, which is gradually shedding its strong political role, might strike back if the public continued to denounce it.

Compared to other Asian countries, he said the TNI and police get the least funds. This year, the government has allocated 5.5 per cent or 10.9 trillion rupiahs (S$2.4 billion) of its state budget for security and defence.

This is 1.2 per cent of the gross domestic product, and makes up only 30 per cent the amount needed to help deal with unrest. The police's portion makes up 3.6 trillion rupiahs or 35 per cent of the state budget. The army's share of the budget is 3.3 trillion rupiahs, the Navy 1.02 trillion rupiahs, and the air force 657 billion rupiahs.

With the continuing sectarian violence, Mr Juwono said this was the worst time to tighten security expenses. Citing an example of the ill-equipped armed forces, he said the navy had only 15 patrol ships to guard the archipelago against sea piracies and illegal fishing. "Now is not the best time to be a Minister of Defence either," he lamented.