A/S HILL'S MEETING WITH INDONESIAN DEFENSE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 001576

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS
SECDEF FOR OSD/ISA/AP

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/30/2017
TAGS: PREL MARR PHUM PGOV ID
SUBJECT: A/S HILL'S MEETING WITH INDONESIAN DEFENSE
MINISTER SUDARSONO

Classified By: CDA John A. Heffern, for reasons 1.4 (b,d).


1. (C) Summary: EAP A/S Christopher Hill emphasized the need
for continued attention to human rights and reform of
Indonesia's military during his meeting with Indonesian
Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono in Jakarta on May 29.
Sudarsono provided examples of officers who had been punished
for human rights abuses, offered an explanation of Tommy
Suharto's appearance at a recent KOPASSUS event, suggested
that the emergence of civilian leadership was essential to
the military's redefinition and cited low wages for soldiers
as a prime concern. Sudarsono said Indonesia was cooperating
with Singapore to increase security in the Malacca Strait,
wanted to increase exchanges with U.S. military academies and
was working with the Department of Finance to wind up
military businesses. End summary.


2. (C) Observing that human rights remained a "heavy legacy,"
Hill stressed the United States wanted to "make the
relationship with Indonesia work." Washington welcomed
progress so far but hoped for Indonesia's continued work on
this issue. TNI reform remained high on the list of U.S.
priorities. The conviction of the Timika murderers of 2002
by Indonesian courts had been a welcome step. The use of
human rights modules in TNI training was also positive.
Although there was talk in Congress of placing new
restrictions on Indonesia, this idea appeared to have little
momentum.


3. (C) Sudarsono agreed that the central issue remained the
"logistics of justice" regarding past cases of human rights
abuses. Indonesia had taken action. For example, four
KOPASSUS officers and three non-commissioned officers had
been convicted of kidnapping civilians in 1998. Three of
those had since left military service after receiving
sentences of 18 to 24 months in prison. The others had
returned to service but their promotions had been delayed,
although two of those recently had been promoted to district
commander.


4. (C) Sudarsono asserted that recent press reports of
KOPASSUS feting Tommy Suharto were misleading. At the event
on April 23 in Solo, a KOPASSUS unit had held an open
shooting competition for the public in celebration of the
anniversary of the force. Both of the Suharto sons had
attended as private citizens, and the unit's commander, who
previously had served in the protective detail for President
Suharto, had bowed to them, not out of continued deference
but simply in conformity with Indonesian culture.


5. (C) Hill said the United States was seeking to become more
active in regional disaster relief activities, particularly
within the framework of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and
including command post exercises and other events. The
United States was committed to bilateral cooperation in this
area but also wanted to work regionally. The upcoming visit
of President Bush to Singapore in September to celebrate the
30th anniversary of the U.S.-ASEAN Dialogue demonstrated
Washington's commitment to ASEAN. Defense Secretary Gates
was planning to participate in the Shangri-la Defense
Conference in Singapore in early June.


6. (C) Sudarsono said Indonesia was trying to "synergize" its
defense capabilities through cooperation with Singapore,
particularly in the Malacca Strait. Indonesian peacekeeping
forces were deployed in Lebanon under UNIFIL and a growing
number of Indonesian cadets were involved in exchange
programs with U.S. Army, Navy and Air Force academies.
Indonesia also wanted to send two civilian staff from the its
Department of Defense to the Naval Postgraduate School in
Monterrey, California. Bilateral cooperation had grown to
157 distinct events in 2007, up from zero four years earlier.
Hill strongly encouraged Sudarsono to work closely with the
new PACOM commander Admiral Keating to develop this
cooperation further.


7. (C) Noting the recent release of the Brookings Institution
study on military businesses, Sudarsono said DEPHAN was
working with the Department of Finance to wind up the TNI's
business operations. The TNI's long history of involvement
in governance in Indonesia was gradually disappearing, but
had to be accompanied by the emergence of capable civilian
leadership to fill the void. Indonesia was in a process of
"graduated democratization." Disaster management was a case
in point of military skills which continued to prove valuable
to the civilian population's welfare. Hill responded that

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experience in the United States suggested that in many cases
the military remained the best first responder in disaster
relief, a role which would likely grow in the future.


8. (C) Sudarsono said soldiers' pay was one of his biggest
concerns regarding the TNI. Receiving less than $110 per
month in salary, Indonesian soldiers were among the lowest
paid in the region. Low salaries increased the temptation to
find income outside. With 490,000 troops, 286,000 of them in
the Army, Indonesia had the region's largest force, but with
a smaller proportion of officers than other countries in the
region.


9. (U) This message was cleared by A/S Hill.
HEFFERN