Open Letter to Kevin Rudd re: ISF in West Papua

Australian groups call for no ties with Indonesia Special Forces, Kopassus

In a letter to the Australian Prime Minister, Australian -West Papuan support groups have called on the Prime Minister to cease all ties between the Australian military and the Indonesian special forces. Joe Collins, spokesperson for the Sydney group said that "Under the terms of the Lombok Treaty (Agreement Between the Republic of Indonesia and Australia on the Framework for Security Cooperation) Australia is committed to enhancing security cooperation with the Indonesian military. The is the same military who is committing human rights abuses in West Papua".

A report released las week by Human Rights Watch documents abuses being committed by the Indonesian Special Forces Kopassus against West Papuans in the Merauke region. Joe Collins said "During the occupation of East Timor by Indonesia, the Australian Government appeared to believe that by continuing ties with the Indonesian military that the professionalism of the Australian military would rub off on the Indonesian military. However, this proved to be wishful thinking and a complete failure as was shown by the behavior of the Indonesian military at the time of the referendum in East Timor".

The groups urged the Australian Government to cease all ties between the Australian military and the Indonesian special forces until such time that Indonesian military personnel involved in past human rights abuses are brought to justice and the culture of the Indonesian military becomes of an acceptable standard to both the Australian military and the Australian people.

They also called on the Prime Minister to urge the Indonesian President to investigate the Kopassus troops in Merauke urging that those found guilty of abuses mentioned in the report are called to account.

Letter to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd

The Hon Kevin Rudd MP
Prime Minister
Parliament House
Canberra
ACT 2600

6 July 2009

Dear Prime Minister,

We are writing to you about the release of a report by Human Rights Watch concerning abuses being committed by the Indonesian Special Forces Kopassus, in West Papua. The Report titled “What Did I Do Wrong?” Papuans in Merauke Face Abuses by Indonesian Special Forces, documents a number of cases of West Papuans who were tortured by Kopassus troops.

Under the terms of the Lombok Treaty (Agreement Between the Republic of Indonesia and Australia on the Framework for Security Cooperation) Australia is committed to enhancing security cooperation with the Indonesian military. The is the same military who is committing human rights abuses in West Papua. Many of the NGO submissions to the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties (JSCOT) re the Lombok treaty, raised concerns about the past history of the Indonesian military's treatment of civilian populations. Unfortunately these concerns have proven yet again justified in the case of the treatment of West Papuans.

Without going into any great detail of its past history, the Indonesian military and in particular Kopassus has been notorious for its role in human rights abuses in Aceh, East Timor and West Papua and these abuses are ongoing in West Papua.

During the occupation of East Timor by Indonesia, the Australian Government appeared to believe that by continuing ties with the Indonesian military that the professionalism of the Australian military would rub off on the Indonesian military. However, this proved to be wishful thinking and a complete failure as was shown by the behavior of the Indonesian military at the time of the referendum in East Timor. It is also a failure now. To quote from the Human Rights Watch Report "The cases in this report illustrate how violence thrives when a culture of impunity persists in the heart of what is supposed to be one of Indonesia’s best trained fighting units".

Human Rights Watch has called on the Australian Government to "Withhold training for Kopassus personnel until serious efforts are made to investigate and hold accountable Kopassus members, regardless of rank, responsible for past serious rights violations, including the incidents in Merauke ".

The Australia West Papua Association continues to urge you to cease all ties between the Australian military and the Indonesian special forces until such time that Indonesian military personnel involved in past human rights abuses are brought to justice and the culture of the Indonesian military becomes of an acceptable standard to both the Australian military and the Australian people.

We also call on you to urge the Indonesian President to investigate the Kopassus troops in Merauke urging that those found guilty of abuses mentioned in the report are called to account.

Yours sincerely

Joe Collins
AWPA (Sydney)

Matthew Jamieson
Institute for Papuan Advocacy & Human Rights (IPAHR)

Rob Wesley-Smith
Australians for a Free West Papua-Darwin

Neil Sullivan
AWPA-WA

CC.
The Hon Stephen Smith MP. Minister for Foreign Affairs
Senator the Hon John Faulkner, Minister for Defence
various human rights organisations

ENDS

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