Indonesia's National Human Rights Commission has criticised Australian training for the controversial Special Forces unit, Kopassus.

Soldiers from Australia's SAS and Kopassus are wrapping-up counter terrorism training after a hostage rescue exercise on Bali. Australia's commander of Special Forces says Kopasuss is working hard to overcome concern about human rights abuses that have blighted its record. But Indonesia's Human Rights Commission says Kopassus needs human rights training, not combat drills.

Presenter: Matt Brown

Speakers: Nur Khollisnational, Human Rights Commission Vice Chairman; Oktovianus Pogau, Papuan activist

Matt Brown: The National Human Rights Commission was established by the Indonesian Government to highlight serious abuse. In the past it's investigated and found members of Kopassus implicated in major crimes. It says Kopassus is changing.

But vice chairman, Nur Khollis, says the counter terrorism training provided to Kopassus by Australia's SAS isn't part of the solution.

(Nur Khollis speaking)

"I don't think Kopassus needs it right now" he says, "because the most important thing for this highly skilled unit is the knowledge of human rights. This is the main problem in several cases."

(Papuan activists protesting)

Papuan activists, protesting against human rights abuses in their province, have a similar plea.

(Oktovianus Pogau speaking)

"We respectfully request the Australian Government to stop the cooperation with Kopassus", Papuan Student Oktovianus Pogau, says. "Kopassus mistreats people in Papua right now".

(Kopassus shooting exercise sounds)

The Australian training involved close quarters battle yesterday in Bali's international airport as Kopassus soldiers killed mock terrorists with ease and rescued their hostages.

(Kopassus shooting exercise sounds)

Several Australian soldiers were amongst the assault team. Supporters of the training have argued it doesn't legitimise or bolster Kopassus as a whole because it's focused on Detachment 81, the counter terrorism unit. But the idea that it's sealed off from other sections of Kopassus is a fiction.

The ABC has learned that last week, while the SAS was training Detachment 81 for their exercise, another group of officers was in Bali, studying the terrain. They weren't from Detachment 81, they were from Sandi Yudha the much feared covert warfare and intelligence unit of Kopassus.

For decades the unit has targeted separatists and democracy activists alike. And a week ago, in Bali its members were at the airport, preparing the way, mapping the terminal and gathering intelligence for their joint exercise with the SAS.

(Kopassus shooting exercise sounds)

As Kopassus prepares for renewed assistance from the United States military it's reaching out to the National Human Rights Commission for training in civil rights. It's part of an effort to satisfy American conditions on deeper ties.

The Commission is keen to oblige but vice chairman Nur Khollis warns real change won't be easy.

(Nur Khollis speaking)

"I think the most difficult thing to change is the paradigm," he says, "it's about learning, an ethos which develops within an organisation, this takes a long time."

He says the Commission's efforts to bring human rights abusers to justice have been met with a barrier of resistance and inaction, stretching from Kopassus all the way to the President of Indonesia.