Simon Cameron-Moore and Elaine Monaghan, Bandar Seri Begawan/Singapore – Indonesia defended its record in fighting terrorism on Tuesday as US Secretary of State Colin Powell lent support, hinting Washington was ready to consider resuming military ties.
The United States cut military links with Jakarta, including the training of officers and arms sales, in 1999 when the Indonesian military was implicated in the murderous wave of violence that swept East Timor after the territory voted for independence.
Powell, on his way to a regional security forum in Brunei, told a news conference in Singapore that he was carrying ideas to help Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri fight militancy in the world's most populous Muslim nation. He heads to Jakarta on Thursday.
"I think they recognise the danger that we all face and I think they have been cooperating more fully with us as time goes by, and I'm quite and sure that Mrs Megawati is committed to this cause," Powell told a news conference in Singapore.
"We have some ideas and some initiatives that we will present to them that I think will help them in their efforts in the campaign against terrorism," he said.
Powell will attend the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum on Wednesday along with foreign ministers from 21 other countries and the European Union.
Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong and a senior Philippine diplomat urged the United States to restore military ties to help Indonesia counter the threat of militancy.
Powell responded by saying he saw no inconsistency with the restoration of military cooperation through training and the United States' desire to reduce instances of human rights abuse.
"If you get young officers, expose them to a military organisation that is within a democratic political institution such as the United States ... that rubs off on them," he said.
Support crucial
Domingo Siazon, Philippine ambassador to Japan and ASEAN envoy, told reporters in Brunei that support for Indonesia was crucial for the whole region.
"I think it is necessary to re-establish these ties ... Indonesia is very important to the security of the whole of East Asia. More than 80 percent of the oil going to Japan is going through the Strait of Malacca," said the diplomat, whose country is Washington's staunchest ally in the region.
Neighbouring countries have been frustrated by Indonesia's failure to hunt down Islamic militants they say are hiding out in its vast archipelago, but Jakarta defended its record.
"We did what we can within our ability. For example, we captured two suspected terrorists," Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda told reporters at the end the ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting.
"Of course, I know you wanted us to arrest radical groups, but radical is not equal to terrorism," he said. Since the advent of democracy in 1998, no less than 29 Islamic political parties have emerged in Indonesia, where the vast majority of its 210 million people are Muslim.
The government also has to contend with militant groups like Laskar Jihad, which is mainly active in the strife-torn Moluccas islands where a bomb wounded more than 50 people on Saturday. Thousands have died in Muslim-Christian violence over the past several years.
Malaysian and Philippine security officials feel Indonesia is the weak link in a three-way pact to fight terrorism they sealed earlier this year. But there is political understanding for difficulties Megawati faces managing her unwieldy nation while it comes to grips with democracy.
Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore have arrested dozens of members of Jemaah Islamiah, a militant group which their intelligence agencies say has ties with Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network. Indonesia has made no arrests even though a group leader is said to be hiding out in the country.