HAWAII GOVERNOR LINGLE VISITS INDONESIA: NATIONAL

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 JAKARTA 001835 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/MTS COMLEY (TO CONVEY TO NGB FINNEY) E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL MARR PGOV EFIS ID SUBJECT: HAWAII GOVERNOR LINGLE VISITS INDONESIA: NATIONAL GUARD PARTNERSHIP, TSUNAMI WARNING, DISASTER MANAGEMENT ¶1. Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle (R) in Jakarta on June 10-12 explored potential partnerships related to disaster preparedness, investment and trade, women's leadership, health, education and regional development. Her interlocutors included Vice President Kalla, Defense Minister Sudarsono, Legislative Foreign and Security Affairs Committee Chairman Sambuaga, Aceh Provincial Governor Irwandi Yusuf, officials at the Department of Marine Affairs and Fisheries and AmCham leaders. The highlight of the visit was the inauguration of the State Partnership Program (SPP) between the Hawaii National Guard and the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI),in coordination with the U.S. Pacific Command (USPACOM). Hawaii National Guard Adjutant General Robert Lee, who accompanied the Governor, met separately with TNI officials on modalities for the SPP. AmCham Board members expressed concern over possible new restrictions on U.S. military assistance to Indonesia and Governor Lingle said she would lobby Hawaii Senator Daniel Inouye to oppose such restrictions. ¶2. Lingle also discussed disaster preparedness, including the Hawaii-based Pacific Ocean Early Warning System (EWS),with GOI officials. Governor Lingle held a Women Leaders' Forum with prominent Indonesian senior and future women leaders and announced plans to invite Indonesian women to her Fourth Annual International Women's Leadership Conference in Honolulu in September. A roundtable discussion with the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) will be reported septel. End summary. MEETING WITH VICE PRESIDENT KALLA ¶3. Governor Lingle discussed disaster relief, economic development and tourism with Indonesian Vice President Yusuf Kalla. On disaster relief, the Vice President said the military remained the most capable force in Indonesia for disaster relief and humanitarian assistance and was therefore an appropriate counterpart for the State Partnership Program. The Governor described how the National Guard in the United States could be mobilized by both the federal and state governments. Kalla said local governments in Indonesia did not have access to any such force; although the TNI had a network of territorial commands, TNI forces remained formally under the control of the national government, although they could be and often were detailed to assist local civilian authorities. ¶4. On the economy, Kalla said foreign investment was particularly welcome in fossil fuel extraction, palm oil plantations, mining, manufacturing and tourism. The Governor mentioned deep-water fish farming and bio-diesel processing as two areas in which Hawaiian businesses could provide expertise to Indonesia. On tourism, the VP described the various security improvements in Bali since 2002 and quipped that the U.S. travel warning represented a "success" for the terrorists since it had dissuaded Americans from visiting Indonesia. Bali had the highest ratio of police to population, he said, and security had been tightened at airports and seaports. DPR COMMISSION CHAIRMAN THEO SAMBUAGA ¶5. Governor Lingle told Theo Sambuaga, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Security Commission in the Indonesian legislature (DPR) that Hawaii wanted to cooperate with Indonesia on avian influenza, to which Hawaii's isolated bird species were especially vulnerable. Sambuaga welcomed this and said Indonesia was very much in need of cooperation on AI. On defense cooperation, Sambuaga noted that Indonesia needed assistance in maintaining Indonesia's ageing fleet of U.S. F-16, F-5 and C-130 aircraft and was working with the Pentagon to obtain the necessary parts. Underscoring the dampening effect of the State Department's travel warning on Indonesia, Sambuaga urged that it be relaxed. Lingle said the warning had recently been softened and said she personally encouraged all Americans to visit Indonesia in order to witness its transformation. STATE PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM AND DEFENSE ASSISTANCE -------------- --- ¶6. DEFENSE MINISTER SUDARSONO: Governor Lingle and Defense Minister Dr. Juwono Sudarsono inaugurated a joint State Partnership Program (SPP) between the Hawaii National Guard and the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI). Lingle described the National Guard's role in disaster relief and cited the JAKARTA 00001835 002 OF 003 experience of recent earthquakes in Hawaii, which had occurred in remote areas, as an example. Major General Robert Lee noted that the Hawaiian National Guard had Army and Air Force units but no Navy component. Although small, Hawaii was an archipelago of islands like Indonesia. This made the Hawaii National Guard a natural partner for the TNI. ¶7. Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono described Indonesia as a poor country. One priority was to reform the judicial infrastructure and to make the rule of law affordable to all. Although Indonesia had a large Muslim majority, it was not an Islamic state and Indonesians espoused religious tolerance. Some political parties advocated the establishment of sharia law, but those parties were losing public support. The TNI's job was to defend the integrity of the Indonesian state. Indonesia welcomed assistance in the training of its military officers. ¶8. At the press conference, Sudarsono explained that it focused on military-to-military, military-to-civilian and civilian-to-civilian cooperation. Military-to-military initiatives emphasized professional development for officers and NCOs. Military-to-civilian activities included preparation for military support to civilian authorities during times of natural disaster. The civilian-to-civilian activities included exchanges in domestic emergency readiness, search and rescue operations and enhancement of democratic institutions. Governor Lingle thanked Sudarsono for the opportunity to partner with Indonesia and welcomed his proposal to cooperate on disaster response and search and rescue. She announced that the first event, beginning in July, would entail training on helicopter maintenance in Hawaii. ¶9. TEMPEST EXPRESS EXERCISE: Separately, Governor Lingle visited and received a briefing on a disaster relief workshop (Tempest Express 12) which was being held in Jakarta during the week of her visit, as an example of the sort of activities conducted by the U.S. Pacific Command (USPACOM) and the TNI in which the Hawaii National Guard could participate. ¶10. TERRITORIAL SYSTEM: MG Lee met separately with Hotmangaradja Pandjaitan, Commander of the Army Territorial Center, which oversees Indonesia's far-flung network of territorial commands. Lee briefed on the structure, functions and role of the National Guard and Panjaitan described the Territorial System. Lee said the National Guard was looking forward to sharing its expertise with the TNI. The discussion pointed up differences between the TNI's centralized structure, while the National Guard was organized at the state level and subordinate to state governors. Lee noted the interaction might open a way for development of an Indonesian force which could respond directly to local civilian authorities regarding disaster relief. He toured the Indonesian National Defense Institute (LEMHANAS) and discussed the program of instruction. Adjutant Major Toto Riyanto, the school's Deputy Governor, invited the Hawaii National Guard to send a guest lecturer to the institute, which Lee said he would consider. FISHERIES, DISASTER MANAGEMENT AND TSUNAMI EARLY WARNING -------------- -------------- ¶11. DEPARTMENT OF MARINE AFFAIRS AND FISHERIES: Dr. Gellwynn Jusaf in the Department of Marine Affairs and Fisheries described legal reforms under way to protect and improve Indonesia's ocean resources. A Fisheries Management Act passed in 2006 reserved primary access to Indonesia's fisheries for domestic enterprises and international partners interested in developing value-added products with Indonesia. A National Coastal Zone Management Law, developed with USAID assistance and slated for enactment later in June 2007, was patterned after the U.S. Coastal Zone Management Act. Gellwynn noted the department had a number of exchanges and partnerships with the University of Hawaii and other agencies located in Hawaii. He also said Indonesia would host the Global Ocean Summit in Manado, North Sulawesi in 2009. The Governor outlined potential areas of future collaboration, including developing off-shore deep-water aquaculture, protecting and empowering coastal communities and enhancing the role of the radio internet (RANET) system in Indonesia's Tsunami Early Warning System to improve its service to small SIPDIS islands. ¶12. NATIONAL DIASTER MANAGEMENT AGENCY: The Governor met JAKARTA 00001835 003 OF 003 with officials from the Indonesian Coordinating Agency for Disaster Management (BAKORNAS) to compare U.S. and Indonesian practices in coordinating command and control of emergencies. BAKORNAS officials said the Indonesian Disaster Management Law enacted in March 2007 had expanded BAKORNAS' scope of disaster-response activities to include preparedness, mitigation, response, recovery and rehabilitation. The restructuring process was to be completed by October 2007. The agency was also in the process of adopting a U.S.-developed Incident Command System (ICS) as the agency's approach to command and control in disaster response. The ICS was particularly useful in integrating military and civilian logistics and activities. The Governor noted Hawaii's expertise in ICS training and civil-military DR coordination, described the importance of the National Guard as a first responder and discussed practical aspects of coordinating military and civilian responses. ¶13. BUREAU OF METEOROLOGY AND GEOPHYSICS: Director General Sri Woro of the Indonesian Bureau of Meteorology and Geophysics (BMG) hosted a briefing and discussion for the Governor and Dr. Charles McCreery of the Pacific Tsunami Early Warning Center in Hawaii. Participants compared the Indonesian and Hawaiian early-warning systems. Other topics were the mechanics of transmitting warnings from national to provincial and local authorities and the handling of "false" warnings. Although Hawaii was already providing assistance in this area, as none of Indonesia's provinces yet possessed a functional TEWS, much remained to be done. The Hawaii TEWS and its services to Indonesia figured prominently in a subsequent press conference with Indonesian media. WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP PROMOTION ¶14. Governor Lingle met with over a dozen prominent Indonesian women leaders to discuss the role of women in government, education, business, publishing, broadcasting and law. Other topics included Indonesia's high illiteracy and maternal mortality rates, human trafficking, domestic abuse and prosecution of sexual crimes. Key observations: -- Indonesia has the highest maternal mortality rate in ASEAN. -- Many international organizations are helping with maternal health, including with mid-wife programs. -- Males take priority in education; if money is short for school fees, sons are given preference. -- Traditional thinking is still a great obstacle for women in Indonesia. -- Women prosecutors tend to handle cases in which women are the victims, such as trafficking and rape. -- A gender bias still exists in many organizations in Indonesia, where women are expected to do more menial work. The Governor announced plans to convene the Fourth Annual International Women's Leadership Conference in Honolulu on September 25. ACEH GOVERNOR IRWANDI YUSUF ¶15. Governor Lingle met in Jakarta with Irwandi Yusuf, the recently elected Governor of Aceh Province, to discuss possible cooperation. Irwandi described a new program with Aceh banks to provide subsidized credits to the poor through micro-loans with no collateral and a five-percent interest rate. The program had been immensely popular, with 60,000 borrowers registered so far. Lingle outlined three potential areas of assistance: 1) investments by Dole or another company in the processing of agricultural products, 2) university scholarships and exchanges, including with the University of Hawaii's Tropical Agriculture Department and 3) deep-ocean aquafarming, which raised fish in large underwater cages and shipped them live to Japan for sashimi. Irwandi Yusuf expressed interest in this technology and requested more information. (Note: Embassy is following up with Governor's office to explore this further.) HUME