A wide range of U.S. organizations have urged President Bush "to refrain from promising any military assistance to Indonesia's armed forces" on his upcoming visit to Indonesia.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – Former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid has denied helping the State Intelligence Agency (BIN) lobby the United States to lift a military embargo agai

Ary Hermawan, Jakarta – Human rights campaigners are questioning a report that the State Intelligence Agency (BIN) hired Washington lobbying firm Richard L. Collins & Co.

Rieka Rahadiana, Jakarta – The US Senate Appropriation Committee Bill is discussing an increase of foreign military financing proposed by the US Administration.

With Australia's Prime Minister John Howard set to meet Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono later today, West Papua campaigners in Australia are pleased but sceptical about r

The East Timor and Indonesia Action Network (ETAN) today urged Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld to promote justice and reform, not the Indonesian military, when he visits Jakarta Tu

Paul Eckert, Jakarta – Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld hailed restored US military ties with Indonesia, but was told that America was seen as "overbearing" when it appeared to be push

Jakarta – Indonesia and the United States will discuss ways to improve military ties during a visit by Secretary of Defense Donald H.

The East Timor and Indonesia Action Network (ETAN) today urged Congress to restore restrictions on military assistance for Indonesia in the FY 2007 Foreign Operations Appropriations bil

Human rights, religious and other organizations today urged a key congressional subcommittee to reinstate restrictions on US

Two key US Senators recently criticized the Bush Administration's "premature" use of a waiver to allow weapons exports to Indonesia.

Roy Tupai – A human rights group has criticized the US government for inviting the chief of the Indonesian Army's elite Special Forces (Kopassus) to a recent regional military conferenc

Jakarta – Indonesia and the United States will restore their joint military training programs, especially for elite forces, after they were halted due to the US military embargo imposed

The East Timor and Indonesia Action Network (ETAN) called participation of the commander of Indonesia's Kopassus Special Forces in a US military conference a bad precedent and a setback

The Army's Special Forces (Kopassus) is to join the annual Pacific Area Special Operation Conference for the first time since a military embargo was imposed on the country by the United

Jakarta – Indonesian Defence Forces (TNI) chief Marshal Djoko Suyanto said military cooperation between Indonesia and Australia would remain normal despite the souring of Indonesia-Aust

Jim Lobe, Washington – Moving with unusual speed, the administration of US President George W Bush officially normalized military relations with Indonesia on Wednesday when the State De

The announcement during British Prime Minister Tony Blair's visit to Indonesia yesterday that the two countries plan to strengthen military and anti-terror ties is a blow to Indonesian

Shawn Donnan, Jakarta – British Prime Minister Tony Blair signalled on Thursday that London would normalise its defence ties with Indonesia, saying in Jakarta that the two countries wer

The East Timor and Indonesia Action Network (ETAN) denounced today's formal notice that the Department of State will consider provision of lethal military equipment to Indonesia.

The Australia West Papua Association believes the time is not right for either the Australian or US Governments to renew ties with the Indonesian military.

Jakarta – Human rights groups criticized US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Wednesday for restoring full military ties with Indonesia, saying the army remains a threat to the cou

Lisa Misol, New York – US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's visit to Jakarta today is intended to showcase Indonesia's transition to democracy.

Anne Gearan, Jakarta – Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Indonesia has earned the restoration of close military ties with the United States, despite complaints from human rights

The East Timor and Indonesia Action Network (ETAN) today urged Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to support an Indonesia policy that genuinely promotes justice, peace and human rights

The emergence of democracy in Indonesia has "thoroughly transformed" US relations with that country, the US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, said in remarks made public yesterday.

P.O. Box 15774, Washington, DC 20003

8 March 2006

Jakarta – A US envoy said that ongoing reform in Indonesia's powerful armed forces (TNI) was on the right path and the United States wanted to provide more support for the changes ahead

Australia's decision to buy long-range stealth cruise missiles for the RAAF will make Jakarta "feel safer", a senior Indonesian defence official said.

Jakarta – Indonesia's army special forces, Kopassus, has resumed a joint exercise with Australia's special forces SASR after the program was stopped in 2002.

The East Timor and Indonesia Action Network (ETAN) today urged Congress to reject the Bush administration's request for increased Foreign Military Financing (FMF) funds for Indonesia.

Jakarta – The United States will undermine efforts to reform Indonesia's armed forces if it sharply increases military sales to the world's most populous Muslim nation next year, rights

Kylie Williams – The defence department has rejected a refugee group's claims that training Indonesian special forces troops will endanger West Papuan lives.

Jon Lamb – The recent arrival of West Papuan asylum seekers in northern Australia and the restricted release of the United Nations-commissioned report from the Commission for Reception,

The Australia West Papua Association calls on the new Defence Minister, Brendan Nelson, to re-think the plan to renew ties or train with the Indonesian military and in particular the In

Jakarta – The United States said it was working towards a closer relationship with Indonesia, the world's largest Islamic nation, despite past strains between the two countries.

Sian Powell, Jakarta – Indonesia's Kopassus special forces have been directly implicated in thousands of human rights violations in East Timor in a new report documenting instances of m

Damien Kingsbury, Indonesia expert and Associate Professor of International and Political Studies at Deakin University, writes:

Duncan Graham, Surabaya – The treaty now being negotiated between Australia and Indonesia raises some interesting questions: The foremost is – who benefits?

Tom McCawley, Jakarta – A security pact expected to be signed this year between Indonesia and Australia will mark a formal end to a six-year rift over violence in East Timor and signals

Bill Guerin, Jakarta – An event in the remote Indonesian province of Papua, thousands of kilometers from Washington, seems certain to result in a much stronger position for Jakarta with

Tom Allard – Australia and Indonesia are poised to sign a security treaty that will pave the way for a new era of close relations between the two nations.

Damien Kingsbury, Indonesia expert and Associate Professor of International and Political Studies at Deakin University, writes:

Jakarta – Indonesia will not buy more jet fighters and submarines for 10 years despite the United States lifting its arms embargo on the country, the defense minister said Thursday.

Australia is to resume training Indonesia's most feared Army unit, Kopassus, which has been linked to the murder of New Zealand soldier Private Leonard Manning in Timor, and to human ri

The Indonesia Human Rights Committee has written to the Prime Minister to express its support for her statement made at the East Asia Summit that re-starting military ties with Indonesi

Members of the House of Representatives Commission I on defense Permadi and Djoko Susilo examine various types of weaponry belonging to the Army Special Forces (Kopassus) at the unit's

Ben Terrall – As the US empire continues its so-called "war on terror" via blank checks for the military-industrial complex, the Bush Administration recently overrode a congressional ba

Jakarta – The USA, according to US-Indonesia (USINDO) society President Alphonse Laporta, might impose a new military embargo on Indonesia because every year the Congress has a differen

Reporter: Alexandra Kirk

Mark Colvin: There's been a mixed reaction to the Federal Government's decision to resume training with Indonesia's special forces.