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UK ministers continue to back arms sales to Indonesia

FAO Defence and Parliamentary correspondents

4 June 2004

The Government continues to back the sale of military equipment to Indonesia despite widespread parliamentary and public concern about the human rights record of the Indonesian military and its use of imported equipment against civilians [see note 1].

Whitehall's latest annual report on military exports, published today, reveals that 106 licences were approved in 2003 for equipment ranging from components for combat aircraft, tanks, and aircraft machine guns to air guns, missile launching equipment, weapons sights and gun silencers [see note 2].

The licences include components for equipment used in Indonesia's martial-law offensive in the province of Aceh, its largest military operation since the invasion of East Timor in 1975.

"We are alarmed by this latest revelation about the high level of arms exports to a country where there is real risk that equipment will fuel internal conflicts and be used in violation of human rights. We repeat our longstanding call for the Government to introduce an embargo on the supply of British military equipment to Indonesia," says TAPOL spokesperson Paul Barber.

This latest revelation comes in the wake of last month's criticism by a committee of MPs that the Government failed to investigate claims that UK-supplied equipment has been used in violation of human rights or for offensive purposes in Aceh.

The MPs also criticised the Government for its inadequate monitoring of the end use of equipment and described end-use assurance provided by Indonesia as "not worth paper they are written on." [see http://tapol.gn.apc.org/pr040518.htm]

UK-supplied Hawk jets, Scorpion tanks, and Saracen and Stormer armoured personnel carriers were used in the year-long offensive in Aceh between May 2003 and May 2004, which claimed at least 2,000 lives. Although martial law has been formally lifted, military operations continue with the ongoing risk that UK equipment will be used to violate human rights.

ENDS

Notes: 1. A factsheet on Arms to Indonesia is available at http://tapol.gn.apc.org/st040604.htm

2. The report is available at www.fco.gov.uk/reports/strategicexportcontrols

For more information, contact Paul Barber on 01420 80153 or 0776 180 8095.

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