ADMIRAL FALLON AND SENATOR FEINGOLD DISCUSS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 JAKARTA 003405 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS AIDAC DEPARTMENT PASS USTR KATZ DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/IET, DS/IP/EAP, DS/DSS, DSERCC, INR/EAP and INL DEPARTMENT PLEASE PASS AID USAID FOR ANE/EAA, J. Kunder and R. Cavitt Treasury for IA -- Anna Jewell NSC for Holly Morrow Embassy Jakarta Medan Affairs Office # 09, 2006 E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV ECON ASEC EWWT PINR PREL SI MY TH ID SUBJECT: ADMIRAL FALLON AND SENATOR FEINGOLD DISCUSS SECURITY IN STRAIT OF MALACCA REFTELS: (A) JAKARTA 001503 (B) 05 JAKARTA 012776 (C) 05 JAKARTA 003741 Summary -------------- ¶1. (U) Commander Pacific Command (PACOM) Admiral William J. Fallon and Senator Russell Feingold met on February 25 in Medan with representatives of Indonesian military and police to discuss security in the Straits of Malacca. The Admiral underscored USG interest in maintaining a safe and secure Strait and expressed concern that the Strait remained vulnerable to acts of terrorism. Senator Feingold noted Indonesia's important role in combating piracy and terrorism. All Indonesian interlocutors agreed terrorists had no known role in current piracy incidents. Although cooperation among the littoral nations is good, Indonesia needs better communication equipment, boats, and training. End Summary. ¶2. (U) Admiral Fallon and Senator Feingold met on February 25 with representatives of Indonesian military and police at Consulate Medan to discuss security issues in the Strait of Malacca. Indonesian Army (TNI) Chief of Staff for North Sumatra Brigadier General Wilono Djati Wiyono, Deputy Commander of Belawan Naval Port Colonel Rahardjo Pri Hanggono, Navy Chief Legal Assistant Yuli Dharmawanto, and Navy Intel Officer Lieutenant Colonel Amri represented the Indonesian military; North Sumatra Police Head of Intelligence Herman Effendy and Marine Police Head of Operations Omad represented the civilian security forces. PACOM POLAD Ravic Huso, PolCouns, and Medan Acting Consul also attended. Strait Security in U.S. Interest -------------- ¶3. (U) Admiral Fallon underscored USG interest in maintaining a safe and secure Strait for international commerce and shipping, and expressed concern that the Strait remained vulnerable to acts of international terrorism. He asked about Indonesian military and police capabilities to combat piracy in the Strait and what assistance they would find helpful. The Admiral emphasized the USG wanted to provide the ability for the nations around the Strait to police the water themselves, noting it is "your neighborhood." ¶4. (U) Senator Feingold seconded Fallon's concerns about the threat to international maritime shipping from possible terrorist attacks in the Straits. Feingold pointed to Indonesia's importance in regional efforts to combat piracy and international terrorism. Criminals to Blame for Attacks -------------- ¶5. (SBU) All Indonesian interlocutors agreed terrorists had no role in current pirate incidents; criminals attacked ships for purely economic reasons, for an illegal profit or JAKARTA 00003405 002 OF 003 in some cases simply to secure a livelihood. Effendy noted a sharp decline in the number of attacks after August 2005 when the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) and GOI signed an MOU ending hostilities in Aceh. Hanggono added that before the MOU, some acts of piracy were for the purpose of securing resources for the GAM, but such politically motivated attacks no longer occur. Cooperation Requires Enhanced Capability -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Effendy claimed domestic cooperation between police and military and fisheries officials was good. Dharmawanto noted that police and navy conducted joint patrols since ¶1980. Amri noted that since December 2005, in cooperation with the U.S., two radar installations operated along the Sumatran coast and plans were for more radar sites to be installed from Riau province to Aceh. 7.(SBU) International cooperation, however, suffered because of lack of direct communications. Hanggono lamented that all communication from Malaysia or Singapore ships must be passed to military headquarters in Jakarta so that it can be relayed to the Indonesian ship. This lack of communications makes it difficult to hand off suspicious vessels from one country's ships to the other's. ¶8. (SBU) Amri reported Singapore will host a meeting in March for the four countries (Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Indonesia) on the topic of maritime security. Indonesia intends to discuss the Strait of Malacca (SOM) Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that they have been rewriting. If the SOM-MOU language is acceptable to all countries, the long delayed "eye in the sky" program may begin. Dharmawanto reported there is no evidence that any acts of piracy in Indonesian waters were committed by non-Indonesians. ¶9. (SBU) The police and navy agreed that lack of adequate ships impaired their ability to interdict pirate ships. North Sumatran Marine Police have only three 12-meter boats and only 32 speedboats to cover both coasts of the province. Hanggono said the navy has the same problem without offering any numbers. The pirates have faster boats and can escape into adjoining jurisdictions before the Indonesians can react, Effendy said. Comment -------------- ¶10. (U) Indonesian security forces firmly believe criminal elements with only financial motivations perpetrate the pirate attacks. The reduction in numbers of attacks since the MOU signing further convinces them that many attacks in previous years were for the purpose of supporting the GAM. Nonetheless, they recognize the serious threat to shipping posed by attacks even if they downplay any connection to terrorism. The Indonesians know the weakness in their fight against piracy in the Strait lies in the overall poor quality of their boats, radio equipment, and training. Political sensitivities remain, however, as Effendy noted, asking that the U.S. not engage directly because of JAKARTA 00003405 003 OF 003 "sensitive border issues." End Comment. ¶11. (U) Admiral Fallon has cleared on this cable. Pascoe