CENTRAL JAVA -- SUCCESSFUL OUTREACH AT AN ISLAMIC

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 002992 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, INR/EAP, DRL, EAP/PD NSC FOR E. PHU E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/25/2017 TAGS: PREL PGOV KISL KPAO ID SUBJECT: CENTRAL JAVA -- SUCCESSFUL OUTREACH AT AN ISLAMIC SCHOOL JAKARTA 00002992 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: Pol/C Joseph Legend Novak, reasons 1.4 (b)(d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Poloff spoke at a pesantren (Islamic school) during an October 23-24 visit to the Central Javan region. Poloff underlined the importance of the U.S.-Indonesian relationship and the need for additional efforts to foster dialogue. Students asked questions about U,S, policy in the Middle East and about the U.S. presidential election process. As part of the trip, poloff also met with two chiefs of police, who appealed for training and assistance. The visit to a region with a strong Islamic orientation was highly successful in spreading the U.S. message of friendship and mutual cooperation. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (U) STOP AT A PESANTREN: Poloff spoke October 23 at Al-Muaayadi Pesantren in Solo, Central Java, making the following key points to faculty and students: -- Poloff emphasized the close nature of the U.S.-Indonesia relationship, stressing that our countries must continue to work together to counter radicalism and poverty. -- He noted the impressive diversity of Indonesia's population. Poloff stressed the importance of democracy and embracing other religions. -- Indonesia's status as the fourth most populous country in the world, the world's largest Muslim country by population and the world's third-largest democracy make Indonesia a vital partner for the United States in the Southeast Asian region and internationally. ¶3. (U) The approximately 50 faculty and students in attendance asked various questions. U.S. policy re the Israeli-Palestinian conflict came under criticism, with one student asking why the United States always sided with Israel. Poloff stressed that we wanted a just peace for both sides, as evidenced by our efforts to move all sides together toward a peace conference. Poloff also reviewed the U.S. electoral process, which sparked many questions. ¶4. (C) POLICE ISSUES: Poloff also visited with Solo Chief of Police Lutfi Lubihanto and his senior officers. The Chief mentioned the need for more training for his officers in forensics and cyber-crime investigations. Poloff told him of the new U.S.-sponsored DNA laboratory in Surabaya and noted that Mission's DOJ ICITAP office had worked with Indonesian National Police (INP) in Jakarta to create training opportunities. Lubihanto also mentioned the need for global positioning system (GPS) devices in obtaining exact coordinates when investigating possible terrorist hideouts and crime scenes. He also stated that Abu Bakar Ba'asyir's pesantren was not fomenting radicalism at this time (this pesantren is located in the Solo area). (Note: Ba'asyir is the co-founder of the terrorist group Jemaah Islamiah and was involved in the planning of the attacks in Bali in October 2002.) Lubihanto also asserted that the public had increased confidence in the professionalism of the police. Lubihanto acknowledged that corruption was still a problem within the force and expressed the hope that the Indonesian national legislature (DPR) would increase salaries. He thanked the USG for its support of the INP. ¶5. (C) In a separate meeting in nearby Yogyakarta, Provincial Police Chief Brigadier General Hari Anwar asked poloff about the USG's view of the terrorist problem in Indonesia and how the USG viewed INP efforts to combat it. Poloff emphasized the excellent work that the INP had done to arrest terrorists, including the June arrests in Yogyakarta of Jemaah Islamiya (JI) leaders Zarkasih and Abu Dujana. The Chief--like his colleague in Solo--requested more training for his officers in investigation techniques, including forensics and cyber-crime. Anwar said his greatest challenge in Central Java was the protection of foreign tourists. He said JI had been weakened by the recent arrests of its members. ¶6. (C) Poloff also met Muhadi Sugiono, Director of the Center for Security and Peace Studies at Gajah Mada University in JAKARTA 00002992 002.2 OF 002 Yogyakarta. He told poloff that the Center--which is partially funded by the Asia Foundation--provided police officers with human rights training. Classes were taught at the National Police Academy and at regional training sites in Central Java. Sugiono said the INP was very enthusiastic about the training and wanted to increase the number of locations to provide more opportunities for officers to attend. Sugiono lauded INP Chief Sutanto for his reformist policies and forward-looking goals of increased professionalism and decreased corruption within the force. ¶7. (C) POSITIVE OUTREACH: The visit to a region with a strong Islamic orientation was highly successful in spreading the U.S. message of friendship and mutual cooperation. The pesantren was modern, with a moderate course of instruction. Teachers understood the need to prepare their students for lives and careers in the 21st century. The students were obviously hungry for information about the U.S. and clearly appreciated the opportunity to interact with an American. HUME