Bahasa Indonesia original
Translation via TAPOL
Four Jakarta NGOs Reject the Plan to Train Kopassus
March 18, 2010
Four of Indonesia's leading human rights organizations have
issued a Joint Statement today rejecting US military training for
members of Kopassus.
In their Joint Statement, they said:
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Posters displaying the face
of Wiji Thukul, one of the disappeared, thought to have been a victim of
Kopassus actions. |
Since 1997, the Leahy Law in the US has prohibited military
assistance to military units which have been involved in human
rights violations. By virtue of the Leahy Law, the US government in
1997 halted training for members of Kopassus because of their
involvement in a number of incidents of human rights violations such
as the forced disappearance of Indonesian activists in 1997-98, acts
of violence in East Timor and the murder of the Papuan leader Theys
Hiyo Eluay in November 2001.
The Leahy Law states that the
Indonesian government must first take effective legal action against
the members of Kopassus who were involved in these human rights
violations if it wishes to restore joint military training,
including providing assistance to Kopassus. This is clearly a sign
that the US intends to uphold respect for human rights and comply
with the demands for justice from the victims of these incidents.
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All this discussion about ending the ban on programs of
joint collaboration is a sign that the government regards these past
incidents as having been resolved, while nothing has been done to restore
the rights of the victims or punish those who were responsible.
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But now, with the forthcoming visit to Indonesia of U.S.
President Barack Obama, there have been calls for joint training
programs for Kopassus to be resumed. Yet, as we know, the incidents
of human rights violations involving Kopassus have not yet been
dealt with by the Indonesian government (the names of the officers
are given below). The case of the disappeared in 1997-98 is still in
limbo with no clarity on what will happen although a plenary session
of the Indonesian Parliament (DPR) adopted four recommendations for
implementation by the Indonesian government. (See below)
There has been talk recently about ending the ban on joint military
programmes with the Indonesian military following the visit to
Washington of four Indonesian generals including General Lodewijk
Paulus, commander of Kopassus, to lobby the US government. The
Indonesian minister of defense Purnomo Yusgiantoro has said that he
feels very optimistic that US collaboration with Kopassus will be
resumed, after speaking to the US Pacific Region commander, Marshall
Robert F Willard during his visit to Jakarta in February this year.
All this discussion about ending the ban on programmes of joint
collaboration is a sign that the government regards these past
incidents as having been resolved, while nothing has been done to
restore the rights of the victims or punish those who were
responsible.
Another example is the Mawar Team composed of eleven Kopassus
officers who kidnapped and caused the disappearance of activists in
1997-98. Although the Mawar Team case was dealt with by a court in
1999, the fact is that the seven Kopassus officers are still on
active service and all have been promoted.
In view of the above, we reject the proposal to end the ban on
giving training to members of Kopassus, an elite military force in
Indonesia. On the other hand, we would have no objection to ending
the ban on the following conditions:
Firstly, that the Indonesian government resolves the cases of
human rights violations which involved Kopassus and other units
of the security forces, and secondly, that the government take
action to ensure that similar human rights violations do not
occur.
We also call on the Indonesian government to implement the
recommendations of the DPR on 28 September 2009 regarding the
disappearance of activists in 1997-98. The Indonesian President,
SBY, must take urgent action by issuing a presidential decree to
set up a team to investigate the disappearance of the activists
in 1997-97, as well as restoring the rights of the victims and
families of those who disappeared in 1997-98.
Jakarta, 18 March 2010
Mugiyanto, IKOHI - the Families of the Disappeared.
Usman Hami, KontraS
Poengky Indarti, Imparsial
Atnike Nova Sigiro, ELHAM
Punishment of officers who were members of the Team Mawar:
1. Major Bambang Kristiano, sentenced to 22 months, and dismissed.
2. Captain F. Musthazar, sentenced tp 20 months, and dismissed.
3. Captain Nugroho Sulistyo, sentenced to 20 months and dismissed.
4. Captain Yulius Selvanus,sentenced to 20 months and dismissed.
5. Captain Untung Budi, sentenced to 20 months and dismissed.
6. Captain Dadang Hendra, sentenced to 16 months
7. Captain Djaka Budi Utama, sentenced to 16 months
8. Captain Fauka Noor Farid, sentenced to 16 months
9. Sergeant Sunarsyo, sentenced to 12 months
10. Sergeant Sigit Sunaryo, sentenced to 12 months
11 Sergeant Sukadi, sentenced to 12 months.
[We presume that the latter six are the ones still on active
service, although a figure of seven in mentioned in the statement.
Recommendations of the DPR:
1. That the President should set up an ad hoc Human Rights Court
2. That the President and all relevant state institutions should
conduct a search for the 13 disappeared activists.
3. That the government should rehabilitate and grant compensation
to the families of the disappeared.
4. That the government should without delay ratify the International
Covenant Against Enforced Disappearances as a sign of its commitment
to and support for action against the practice of enforced
disappearances in Indonesia
Posters displaying the face of Wiji Thukul, one of the disappeared,
thought to have been a victim of Kopassus actions.and posters of the
faces of the other disappeared are regularly displayed at
demonstrations.