March 3, 2006
Indonesia a Frontline in the War on Terror
By Richard
Halloran
Jakarta, Indonesia—From
Manado on the northern tip of this sprawling Indonesian archipelago
to Banda Aceh on its western edge, the commanding officer of U.S.
forces in the Pacific and Asia has been out inspecting a front
line in the war on terror.
"I
wanted to see for myself," Admiral William J. Fallon said
after a long flight from this capital to the far end of the island
of Celebes next to the Celebes Sea. The islands surrounding that
sea have become highways, or what some Americans call "ratlines,"
for terrorists moving men and materiel to and from Indonesia,
Malaysia, and the Philippines.
Similarly, he flew to the island of Sumatra that stretches alongside
the vital and vulnerable Straits of Malacca to look at Indonesian
defenses. Through that strait and the South China Sea pass more
ships every year than through the Panama and Suez Canals combined,
making those sea lanes crucial to the economies of East and Southeast
Asia and, indirectly, to the rest of the industrialized world.
Piracy has been rampant in those waters for more than five years,
although American and Indonesian officials say it has dropped
recently. U.S. and Southeast Asian intelligence services have
been watching for possible links between the pirates, who are
criminals, and terrorists, such as Jemaah Islamiya, who may seek
to close the straits to cause political and economic disruption.
Terrorists struck the island of Bali in 2002, Jakarta in 2003
and 2004, and Bali again last October. Moreover, Indonesia is
the world’s largest nation in which the Islamic religion
dominates. U.S. and Indonesian officials worry that it may have
become a source of terrorist recruits.
Fallon began his journey in Jakarta where he conferred with President
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and senior defense officials. "I
came to solidify our relationship and to see where we go from
here," he said in an interview. He referred to military relations
recently revived when the U.S. lifted restrictions imposed several
years ago to protest human rights violations by Indonesian forces.
In Manado, Fallon conferred with local political, military and
police leaders and was piped aboard an Indonesian frigate just
before she went back on patrol in the Celebes Sea. "I was
surprised," he said later, "at how much security they
have up here. The police chief told me that if anyone comes ashore
in that area, the police will know about it within 24 hours."
Even so, Fallon underscored his concerns about terrorists in this
region just by his presence. The Celebes Sea is remote from the
capitals in Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, and Manila and therefore seems
to be out of sight and out of mind of leaders there. Fallon’s
subtle message was that they should pay more attention to the
threat of terror from the Celebes Sea.
In Medan, on Sumatra, Fallon heard Indonesia naval and police
officers say they had only 32 small boats and three larger boats
to chase pirates and told the admiral that the United States could
help them best with training and equipment. They were adamant,
however, that they should do the patrolling themselves.
"Do not send U.S. ships to patrol here," said an Indonesian
officer. "Indonesia and Singapore," which is just across
the strait, "want to solve this issue ourselves," said
another. As with all Southeast Asian nations, the anti-colonial
legacy is still strong and they are sensitive to actions they
perceive to be an intrusion on their sovereignty.
Fallon readily agreed, pointing out that the U.S. Navy had extensive
commitments elsewhere and that he wanted only to help the Indonesians
acquire the capabilities they need. "It’s your neighborhood,"
he said, "and you should do it yourselves."
Critical to defending the strait against pirates and terrorists
will be the success of a peace agreement between the Indonesian
government and separatists in the Free Aceh Movement, known as
GAM, which fought each other for more than a decade. A memorandum
of understanding between them was signed in August last year.
In Banda Aceh, which was devastated by the tsunami of December
2004, Fallon met with local officials of the Indonesian government,
leaders of the GAM, and the international mission that is monitoring
the execution of the peace agreement. It includes provisions for
disarming the GAM and reducing the number Indonesian troops and
police in this region.
The admiral encouraged them to continue working together, asserting
that in the complicated world today, "Little is ever settled
by force of arms."
Richard Halloran, formerly
with The New York Times as a foreign correspondent in Asia and
military correspondent in Washington, writes from Honolulu. He
can be reached at oranhall@hawaii.rr.com
