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Sunday, Nov 8, 2009
The U.S. has backed Indonesia's military thugs for decades.
Sep 10, 1999 | Killer militias organized by elements of Indonesia's army have murdered hundreds of East Timorese civilians and forced thousands more into exile. There is much talk of United Nations intervention and what form it should take. But the more important question behind the brutal local campaign is who will control Indonesia -- and what kind of Indonesia the world can live with.
The fall of Indonesian dictator Suharto in May 1998 seemed to promise the end of his "New Order" -- the ruthless suppression of a diverse nation by the army, motivated by a spoils system, with the lion's share of the spoils going to Suharto's family.
The new president, B.J. Habibie, a civilian, took steps (including holding parliamentary elections) to move toward civilian rule. A key signal was the departure of Gen. Prabowo, one of the Army's leading strongmen and Suharto's son-in-law. Prabowo was forced to resign and go into exile after an investigation showed that elements of his former Special Forces command, Kopassus, had been involved in the torture and "disappearances" of civilians.
Perhaps Habibie's clearest break with the "New Order" was his startling announcement that he would allow the East Timorese to determine their future relationship to Indonesia in a plebiscite. This angered elements in the army, particularly Kopassus, which had played a prominent role in the 1975 invasion of East Timor and also subsequent atrocities. It must surely have angered the Suharto family as well -- they are said to control 40 percent of East Timor's natural resources (including much of its land).
Habibie faces major opposition. Serious investigations -- such as an inquiry into Kopassus involvement in the rapes and murders of ethnic Chinese last year -- have been allowed to lapse quietly. The army was ordered out of the province of Aceh on the basis of clear evidence of its crimes against civilians -- but soon let back in.
Elements in Kopassus, perhaps still answering to Prabowo, continue to use violence. These are not rogue elements, but act with the backing of high-level civilian and military leaders. Indeed, it appears to many that beneath the surface, the "New Order" is still very much in force, supported by the wealth of the Suharto family.
Observers find it difficult to assess the role of Habibie's defense minister, Gen. Wiranto. Repeatedly, Wiranto -- as head of the Indonesian armed forces -- has ordered restraint, but these orders have had little or no impact. This ineffectiveness may derive from a fear that any real reform effort would be resisted, possibly by force, leading to increased violence and upheaval not just in the army but in the country as a whole.
