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fascimile of letter
Senators Write U.S. State Dept. on Training
Kopassus and Brimob
United States Senate
WASHINGTON, DC 20510
April 3, 2008
Dr. Condoleezza Rice
Secretary of State
2201 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20520
Dear Madam Secretary:
Following recent conversations with U.S. Ambassador to
Indonesia, Cameron Hume and officials at the State
Department to discuss the Administration's intention to
re-engage with certain units of Indonesia's military and
police forces, we are writing to express our opposition to
this initiative.
We recognize the importance of a strong and effective
partnership with Indonesia, and have supported various
initiatives to re-engage with and provide assistance to the
Indonesian military and police, particularly as we seek to
combat extremism around the globe. However, this
relationship must not come at the expense of a principled
stance on human rights and accountability for past abuses
which have yet to be adequately addressed, if at all.
Human rights training for both the military and police is a
critical next step to the country's progression, but we are
concerned that neither Kopassus, Indonesia's Special Forces,
nor Brimob, the paramilitary police, have demonstrated a
commitment to the rule of law. We believe that re-engaging
with them, absent such a commitment, would undermine the
goal of creating a professional military and police force
that upholds international human rights norms and
contributes to broader efforts by our government to promote
governance, accountability, and respect for civilian
control.
Although the Ambassador indicated that he would be
personally involved in the "vetting" of individuals
considered for training, it remains unclear what vetting
criteria will be utilized or even how such vetting will
occur, particularly given that there are no formal records
of those who have committed abuses. Without the appropriate
mechanisms in place or an ability to distinguish the
perpetrators, it will be very difficult, if not impossible,
to ensure the reliability of any vetting process.
Additionally, given the recent arrests and ongoing detention
of protestors in West Papua, we have yet one more reason to
believe that the military is not adequately respecting
civilian control and is demonstrating troubling signs of
regression.
As you know, we have a longstanding interest in these issues
and have passed legislation designed to hold the Indonesian
military more accountable for past atrocities and to ensure
the development of proper mechanisms so such abuses are not
repeated. Unfortunately, little progress has been made
toward these goals, which continues to undermine the other
positive reforms Indonesia has made since the end of the
Suharto regime. We strongly urge you take these concerns
into account before making a decision to move forward with
this training.
Thank you for your attention to these concerns.
Sincerely,
Russell D. Feingold
United States Senator
Patrick Leahy
United States Senator
CC: Ambassador Cameron Hume, U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia
