INDEPENDENT NEWS

Cablegate: Hawaii Governor Lingle Visits Indonesia: National

Published: Fri 6 Jul 2007 09:18 AM
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RR RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHJA #1835/01 1870918
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 060918Z JUL 07
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RHHJJPI/USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5323
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 0875
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON 1569
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STATE FOR EAP/MTS COMLEY (TO CONVEY TO NGB FINNEY)
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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
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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.)
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