Linda Mottram – Out of control and not to be trusted: that's the caution being sounded this morning to the Federal Government about Kopassus, as Canberra contemplates re-establishing links with Indonesia's disgraced special forces unit, which is also the country's special counter-terrorism unit.

After considerable speculation, the Prime Minister John Howard confirmed last night that the issue is under consideration, though Kopassus has been implicated in human rights abuses across Indonesia and in East Timor.

But the man formerly responsible for Australia's defence co-operation program with Indonesia has warned that the unit remains beyond the control of Indonesia's elected representatives.

Matt Brown reports from Canberra.

Matt Brown: Between 1996 and last year, Allan Behm was in charge of Australia's defence co-operation program.

This was back when the Australian SAS and Indonesia's disgraced Kopassus special forces used to train together in plane hijack scenarios and jungle warfare. And Allan Behm is enthusiastic about re-establishing close ties with the Indonesian military.

Allan Behm: Those particular activities were simply relatively minor outcomes from a program which was about policy and it was about the development of business links, if you like, between the Australian Defence Force and the Indonesian armed forces.

Matt Brown: Now, in the wake of the Bali bombings, that business is counter-terrorism and the government is considering rejuvenating the links with Kopassus at considerable political risk.

Allan Behm: The concern that you may not have long enough a handle on your spoon when you are supping with this particular devil.

Matt Brown: Allan Behm says there must be high level co-operation with the Indonesian military and between the two defence ministers, and he acknowledges that Kopassus is the most likely unit to be used if Australians are caught up in the middle of a plane hijack or hostage drama in Jakarta. But he is concerned that elements of Kopassus have been running out of control.

Allan Behm: The problem with control, always, is that you may transfer skills to these people which could be abused.

Matt Brown: Allan Behm was still responsible for the defence co-operation program in 1999, when the Kopassus sponsored militias razed East Timor.

Allan Behm: Kopassus was not under effective command and control of the most senior leadership of Indonesia. That led to the loss of many lives in East Timor and constituted quite serious threats to our own forces when General Cosgrove took them there in September 1999.

Matt Brown: Mr Behm says Kopassus has demonstrated its own terrorist tendencies, most recently amidst religious and ethnic violence in places like Kalimantan, and the Moluccas.

Allan Behm: Attacks on the churches and on the Christians, the way in which ethnic Chinese communities were singled out and subject, I think, to very serious application of terror, they look to me like skills that are not simply available to most regiments in the Indonesian armed forces.

Linda Mottram: Allan Behm, who was the head of the International Policy Division in the Department of Defence until last year.

Matt Brown was our reporter.