PROSECUTOR TRAINING AND PUBLIC OUTREACH IN

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 000339 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/PD, EAP/MLS, S/CT, INL FOR BOULDIN/BUHLER DOJ FOR CRIM AAG SWARTZ, DOJ/OPDAT FOR LEHMANN/ALEXANDRE/BERMAN DOJ/CTS FOR MULLANEY, ST HILAIRE FBI FOR ETTUI/SSA ROTH NCTC WASHDC NSC FOR EPHU E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL KPAO PTER KJUS ID SUBJECT: PROSECUTOR TRAINING AND PUBLIC OUTREACH IN SOUTHERN SUMATRA REF: A. 07 JAKARTA 2797 ¶B. 07 JAKARTA 2195 ¶1. (U) This cable was coordinated with Consulate Medan. It is Sensitive but Unclassified -- Please handle accordingly. ¶2. (SBU) SUMMARY: On February 14-15, the Attorney General's Terrorism and Transnational Crime Task Force--the GOI's key body involved in prosecuting terrorism-related cases--conducted a USG-supported training program for prosecutors in southern Sumatra. Task Force experts and Mission's DOJ/OPDAT Legal Advisor used the program to provide substantive training to the prosecutors in the areas of terrorism, money laundering, TIP, and cybercrime. Jakarta poloff and Medan pol/econoff also teamed up for outreach events at a local university and an Islamic boarding school. END SUMMARY. TRAINING FOR PROSECUTORS ¶3. (SBU) Mission continues its efforts to train Indonesian prosecutors. With USG financial support, the Terrorism and Transnational Crime Task Force carried out a fifth regional training program, February 14-15. In this event, a team of Task Force prosecutors traveled to Lampung Province in southern Sumatra to provide substantive training to local prosecutors. (Note: Lampung is an important province located directly across the Sunda Strait from Java. It contains roughly 10 million inhabitants.) FOCUS ON TERRORISM, MONEY LAUNDERING, TIP ¶4. (SBU) Like earlier programs in Sumatra, Sulawesi, Bali and Kalimantan (ref B),the program helped build relationships with local prosecution offices, an objective which is central to the Task Force's national mission. Task Force members also held a retreat to review the body's progress since its inception some 18 months ago. (Note: Septel will discuss the retreat. In general, observers consider the Task Force to have been highly successful in its anti-terrorist prosecutions and other efforts--see ref A.) ¶5. (SBU) The program was presided over by Task Force Chief Thomson Siagian, who was recently appointed Lampung's top prosecutor by the Attorney General. (Note: The move to Lampung means that Thomson--who is considered very effective--may soon be replaced as Chief of the Task Force. However, the AGO has yet to take any decision on the matter.) The program consisted of presentations by Task Force experts on terrorism, money laundering, trafficking in persons, and international legal cooperation, as well as a presentation by the DOJ/OPDAT RLA on cybercrime. ¶6. (SBU) A new element in the program was the addition of the AGO's Legal Consul in Hong Kong. The Legal Consul gave a overview of mutual legal assistance and recounted his personal experiences in dealing with foreign law enforcement. All of the presentations were well received by the participants. PUBLIC OUTREACH IN SOUTH SUMATRA ¶7. (U) During Mission's visit, Jakarta poloff and Medan pol/econoff teamed up for two public outreach events focused on students. The first event was held at the University of Lampung (UNILA),the province's premier university, where poloff gave a presentation on the 2008 U.S. elections to approximately 130 students from the social sciences. The students showed great interest in the topic, asking insightful questions about the role of race in the current election, the role of students in the campaign and the JAKARTA 00000339 002 OF 002 election's potential impact on U.S. foreign policy. ¶8. (U) The second event was held at a local Islamic boarding school, Pesantren Al-Hikmah, where poloff gave a presentation on the U.S. high school system to over 200 secondary students. The students--all in traditional dress and all but one of whom had never met an American before--followed the discussion enthusiastically and asked numerous questions about how Americans viewed education and how Muslims are treated in U.S. public schools. ¶9. (SBU) After the presentation, the team met with local school leaders and religious figures, including the head of the local chapter of the Islamic Cleric's Council (MUI),to discuss U.S. foreign policy and relations between the U.S. and the Muslim world. While critical of U.S. policy in some areas, the group was clearly open to dialogue on these issues, and one teacher repeatedly assured the team that "we are not radicals here." HUME