PROMOTING HUMAN RIGHTS, PEACE AND DEMOCRACY IN INDONESIA

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The following letter was sent by TAPOL to British Foreign Office Minister, Mike O'Brien, on 19 May 2003

See also press release dated 19 May 2003

Mike O’Brien,
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State,
Foreign and Commonwealth Office,
Whitehall,
London SW1

Dear Mr O’Brien,

I am most concerned that, despite my warnings about the deployment of Scorpion tanks and Hawk aircraft to Aceh (see my letters of 8 and 11 May), the British Government has done nothing to prevent the use of this equipment in the military operations in Aceh announced today.

Today's edition of Kompas reported that Hawks were this morning used to escort Hercules aircraft transporting troops to Aceh:

'Rapid Reaction troops (PPRC) have been dropped in Aceh this morning and OV-10 Broncos have rocketed Cot Keueung, an area near Banda Aceh. Six Hercules aircraft from Squadrons 31 and 32 transported 468 rapid reaction troops which were parachuted to Sultan Iskandar Muda airfield in Aceh on Monday.

'The troops are from Airborne Infantry battalions 502 Kostrad and Infantry Brigade 18, Kostrad.

'The troops were flown from the TNI airbase in Medan where they had been waiting in readiness for about a week

'The troops were parachuted at 7.30 this morning to Cot Keueung, preceded by an air attack by two OV-10 Broncos. The planes which dropped the troops were escorted by four Hawk-200 and a Fokker aircraft.

'Major Edir Fernandi of the army Koops (operational command in Aceh) confirmed the landing of airborne troops and said that this would continue. More troops from Kostrad airborne unit 501 are waiting in readiness in Medan.' [Translated by TAPOL]

The use of the aircraft in this way is, in our view, a clear breach of assurances given by the Indonesian Government that British equipment will not be used for internal repression or in counter insurgency operations (see your letter of 17 July 2002).

In answer to a parliamentary question by Jeremy Corbyn MP last week, you stated that there have been no confirmed reports of offensive use of UK-built military equipment in Indonesia. With respect, we would submit that the deployment and use of equipment as part of the current military operations in Aceh is unquestionably offensive.

We further believe that the use of British equipment in this way is wholly inconsistent with the British Government's stated support for the peace process. We, therefore, urge you to protest to the Indonesian Government in the strongest possible terms and demand that the British equipment be withdrawn forthwith.

We would also like to reiterate our warning that the military operations represent a grave threat to the safety and security of the Acehnese people and we urge you to do all you can to persuade the Indonesian Government that military force will solve nothing and that it must renew its efforts to resolve the conflict by means of peaceful dialogue.

Yours sincerely,

Carmel Budiardjo
Director

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