VZCZCXRO3361
OO RUEHCHI RUEHCN RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHJA #0339/01 0520728
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 210728Z FEB 08
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8043
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS PRIORITY
RUEAWJB/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 2021
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 1537
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON 2339
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 2428
RHHJJPI/USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RHMCSUU/FBI WASHINGTON DC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
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