Cablegate: Scenesetter for Fbi Director Mueller

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DE RUEHJA #1408/01 2040826
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 220826Z JUL 08
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9607
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS PRIORITY
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 2808
RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 1110
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 2034
RUEHPB/AMEMBASSY PORT MORESBY 3884
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 2263
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON 2869
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 2825
RUEHPT/AMCONSUL PERTH 0976
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUEAWJB/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC
RHMCSUU/FBI WASHINGTON DC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RHHJJPI/USPACOM HONOLULU HI

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 JAKARTA 001408

SIPDIS

CANBERRA: PLEASE PASS TO FBI DIRECTOR MUELLER
STATE FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EEB/IFD/OIA, INL BARCLAY
FBI FOR DIRECTOR ROBERT S MUELLER
DOJ FOR CRIM AAG SWARTZ
DOJ/OIA FOR WARNER/ROBINSON
DOJ/OPDAT FOR ALEXANDRE/LEHMANN/JOHNSON
USAID FOR ANE/AA WARD

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL KJUS KCOR PTER ID
SUBJECT: SCENESETTER FOR FBI DIRECTOR MUELLER

JAKARTA 00001408 001.2 OF 003

1. (U) This message is Sensitive but Unclassified.

2. (SBU) SUMMARY: FBI assistance programs are critical for
Indonesia's democratic development. Over the past ten years
of its democratic transition, Indonesia has worked to
establish the laws, institutions, and procedures for
sustained governance reform and improving rule of law. It
has made strides in these areas thanks, in part, to USG
assistance, but much needs to be done.

3. (SBU) SUMMARY (Con'd): To assist the overall effort, the
FBI and the Department of Justice are partnering with
Indonesia on many fronts: counterterrorism; anti-corruption;
criminal procedure reform; anti-money laundering; asset
forfeiture; trafficking in persons; environment protection;
and, in the building of overall investigative and
prosecutorial capacity. This partnership has yielded
concrete results, including the arrest and conviction of
terrorists, effective corruption prosecutions, seizures of
illegal drugs and the overall advancement of U.S. strategic
interests. The FBI Director's visit to Indonesia underscores
the importance of the growing bilateral partnership in the
areas of law enforcement and the rule of law. END SUMMARY.

DEMOCRACY IN ACTION

4. (SBU) Many observers believe Indonesia to be the most
democratic country in Southeast Asia. President Yudhoyono
has moved to enact a reform agenda during his tenure. The
legislature--while still experiencing growing pains--has
increasingly asserted itself in domestic affairs and foreign
policy. Indonesia has held over 350 local elections--without
major incident--in the past five years, many in former
conflict areas such as Ambon, Central Sulawesi, and Aceh.
Key provinces in Java are holding or have held elections
involving well over a 100 million people this year.

5. (U) In the spring of 2009, Indonesia will conduct its
second direct Presidential election. The 2004 Indonesian
presidential election went smoothly. The 2009 contest is
expected to be a close battle between Yudhoyono and former
president Megawati Sukarnoputri (daughter of the country's
first president, Sukarno). The economy is Yudhoyono's
Achilles heel, and as Indonesia gears up for these
presidential and legislative elections, domestic issues will
increasingly dominate the political scene. Despite economic
uncertainty, the prospects for a peaceful and transparent
election remain high.

6. (U) That said, rising prices of both food and fuel, both
of which are subsidized by the Indonesian government, have
created challenges for the Yudhoyono administration. In May,
the government mandated a nearly 30-percent increase in fuel
prices which sparked some public protests and a decline in
the popularity of President Yudhoyono. Rapidly rising prices
for basic commodities are chewing up the disposable income of
the poor--precisely the people Yudhoyono pledged to help in
his last presidential campaign. Nearly half of the
approximately 240 million Indonesians live on $2 a day or
less. Increasing subsidies to keep fuel prices in check are
forcing the government to divert money from health, education
and infrastructure--basic drivers of long-term prosperity.

7. (SBU) Despite the deep-rooted moderation of Indonesia's
pluralistic society and constitutionally guaranteed religious
freedom, Islamic hard-liners remain a problem. The
governmental advisory body, the Indonesian Ulema Council
(MUI), has issued conservative fatwas against pluralism,
liberalism, and secularism. Most recently, the MUI issued a
fatwa against Muslim sect, Ahmadiyah, declaring it heretical,

JAKARTA 00001408 002.2 OF 003

which resulted in a series of attacks against members of the
sect. The Government of Indonesia subsequently banned
Ahmadiyah from proselytizing, creating further confusion as
to the sect's status. Because the Islamic vote is critical
in the upcoming presidential and legislative elections,
Indonesian political leaders are reluctant to challenge the
hard-liners.

OVERVIEW OF LAW ENFORCEMENT ASSISTANCE

8. (SBU) Functions exercised by the Department of Justice in
the U.S. are divided among several institutions in Indonesia.
Since its separation from the military in 1999, the
Indonesian National Police are responsible for internal
security. The Indonesian National Police (INP) are primarily
responsible for criminal investigations. The Attorney
General's Office (AGO) handles prosecutions in ordinary cases
in the general courts and is authorized to investigate
corruption cases. The Corruption Eradication Commission
(KPK) leads high-level corruption investigations and
prosecutions, and presents its cases in a specialized
Anti-Corruption Court. The Ministry of Law and Human Rights
is responsible for developing justice sector legislation,
administration of the prisons, and serves as Indonesia's
central authority for mutual legal assistance requests.

9. (SBU) Reform of law enforcement institutions and their
procedures are a cornerstone of Mission efforts to support
rule of law in Indonesia. In addition to operational duties,
FBI/Legat is a critical component in the Mission's efforts to
advance rule of law. FBI/Legat Jakarta provides operational
and investigative support to the police in the areas of
counterterrorism, corruption, and transnational crime.

10. (SBU) In these efforts, FBI/Legat works closely with
DOJ/ICITAP to develop the operational and organizational
capacity of the police through technical assistance and
training in evidence handling; investigating cyber crime;
disarming and preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass
destruction; post-blast handling; and report writing.
FBI/Legat is working with DOJ/OPDAT to reform the criminal
procedure code; foster better cooperation between police and
prosecutors; and provide training to the KPK on undercover
operations and case management.

SUCCESS IN COUNTER-TERRORISM PARTNERSHIP

11. (SBU) In May 2008, the Department of State lifted the
travel warning for Indonesia, reflecting the improved
security situation since the spate of terrorist attacks from
2002-2005. Indonesian National Police Chief General Sutanto
is a reformer who is dedicated to establishing a professional
police force that manages internal security and serves the
people. Over the last six years, Indonesian Police have
arrested and prosecuted hundreds of terrorists, including the
three Bali bombers who currently await execution. The recent
and highly publicized arrests of operatives of Jemaah
Islamiyah, a regional terrorist organization, and the seizure
of approximately 20 Improvised Explosive Devices in Palembang
is the latest in a series of successes and reflects on the
increased capacity of the Indonesian National Police.

12. (SBU) The FBI works closely with Indonesian National
Police, along with other U.S. partners and the Australian
Federal Police, in quietly providing operational support on
CT and transnational crime. The U.S.-supported Attorney
General's Terrorism and Transnational Crime Task Force has
been responsible for the successful prosecution of
approximately 43 terrorist suspects, including 26 JI members.

JAKARTA 00001408 003.2 OF 003

ANTI-CORRUPTION REFORM

13. (SBU) When President Yudhoyono was elected in 2004, he
made combating corruption his top priority. As a result, the
Corruption Eradication Commission was founded in 2004, as an
independent governmental body. The KPK has prosecuted
numerous high profile cases and has coordinated
government-wide prevention strategies. The FBI and other
Mission entities have provided a wide range of operational
and technical support for the KPK. For example, ICITAP,
using funding from U.S. Millennium Challenge Corporation
Threshold Program (MCC), is purchasing millions of dollars in
electronic surveillance equipment to assist the KPK in
gathering electronic evidence which will more effectively
assist in prosecutions. The FBI has worked with OPDAT to
provide corruption investigative training and money
laundering training. With support from the USG, the AGO
recently created an elite Anti-Corruption Task Force modeled
after the highly successful Terrorism and Transnational Crime
Task Force.

A KEY VISIT

14. (SBU) With the continuing assistance of the FBI and
other USG entities, Indonesia is still developing its
governance architecture and the results are only now slowly
starting to materialize. A sustained U.S.-Indonesian
partnership to promote regional stability and rule of law is
essential to Indonesia continuing its democratic development.
The FBI is a critical element in continuing and enhancing
rule of law in Indonesia. This visit to Indonesia provides
an important opportunity to express appreciation and support
for the efforts of the Indonesian government and to encourage
greater cooperation.

HUME

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