Jerry Norton, Jakarta – Indonesia's military must stay the course on reforms toward civilian control and respect for human rights if it wants normal ties with the United States, the top American commander in the Pacific said on Thursday.
Admiral Thomas Fargo, Commander in Chief of US Forces in the Pacific, also praised a decision last weekend to remove military representatives from Indonesia's top legislative body by 2004.
"I think that's positive, part of indications of reform," he told a media briefing during a visit to meet top Indonesian civilian and military leaders including President Megawati Sukarnoputri.
But he was cautious in his comments on trials under way in the world's fourth most populous nation over human rights violations in East Timor. The violations were a key element in Washington's decision to sever most military ties with Indonesia.
In 1999 East Timor was racked by violence surrounding a vote to break from Jakarta's rule. Militia backed by elements of the Indonesian military were blamed for atrocities that took the lives of more than 1,000 people, according to UN estimates.
Asked about a court decision on Wednesday finding the then-governor of East Timor guilty of human rights violations and giving him a three-year sentence, Fargo said: "I think it would be inappropriate for me to comment on the legal proceedings, but obviously a large part of our effort is to encourage accountability and reform."
Civilian control
"Certainly we believe that a professional military is one that adheres very closely to civilian control ... to human rights, and to the rule of law, and every step in that direction is something we strongly support," he said.
His comments came before verdicts were rendered in six other East Timor cases with all the defendants – soldiers, a policeman and a civilian official – found not guilty.
Those decisions brought condemnation from human rights groups already unhappy the top military brass at the time were not among the accused, although some say the fact Indonesia is even holding hearings at all is a step forward from attitudes that gave the military a virtual free rein and major political power. Eleven other cases are still pending.
Fargo said while Washington looked forward to improved military ties, moves toward normalisation had only just begun and "future progress will depend on the [Indonesian military] continuing to transform itself" into an accountable institution that respects democratic principles and human rights.
Powell package
The most significant recent US step toward normal ties was a $50 million package announced by US Secretary of State Colin Powell this month. The bulk of the money will go to the police but the plan also includes funds for military training in counterterrorism and military-civilian relations. Fargo echoed senior US officials like Powell in praising Indonesia for its help in combating terrorism.
"... we think that the government of Indonesia is committed to combating international terrorism, and we certainly appreciate their contribution to date and encourage further efforts in this particular area," he said.
Asked if Indonesia should go further in cracking down on militant Muslim groups some linked to terrorism, Fargo said that was an internal matter. He also said he had nothing to offer on reports an al Qaeda training camp had operated in Indonesia.
But he did suggest Indonesia's navy had a formidable task in keeping its 17,000 islands, which sprawl over 5,000 km, secure from terrorist and other threats, and Jakarta needed to make sure it had the balance right among the navy and other forces.
"I think the Indonesian navy probably has one of the great challenges of any navy in the world ... my guess is that they feel under-resourced," he said.