Posted on 05/22/2005 4:03:56 AM PDT by snowsislander
Jakarta, 18 May (AKI) - The Indonesian government has announced it will collaborate with China in a programme of production of short, medium and long-range missiles. The project, announced by the Indonesian minister of Research and Technology - Kusmayanto Kadiman. In recent statements, the defence minister, Juwono Sudarsono, has said the modernisation of the Indonesian army (TNI) is essential, and described China as the "ideal" partner. The Indonesian army is the largest in south east Asia, with 400,000 soldiers in active service.
"We are a maritime country, and the defence of our country must begin from here. The long distance missiles could be stationed on small islands or on ships," Kadiman was quoted as saying by the Antara national news agency.
The government has allocated six percent of the national budget to the modernisation of the army for the year 2005. Years of under-investment and an arms embargo imposed by Washington since 1999 - following the East Timor massacres - have contributed to the current under-developed state of the army.
Sudarsono has requested an immediate additional investment of at least 538 billion dollars, and Indonesian president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, seems to agree, at least in principle, to a huge boost in funding. During a seminar in January, Susilo said the ideal defence budget would be "between three and five percent of GDP". The 2005 Indonesian defence allocation represents only one percent of GDP - whereas neighbouring Malaysia and Thailand invest at least two percent annually in defence.
In late April, Susilo signed a "strategic accord" with Chinese president Hu Jintao, which laid the base for a preferential arms deal between Beijing and Jakarta.
Susilo has explained that in addition to guaranteeing national integrity and the defence of the national territory, the modernisation of the military will prove essential to face emergency situations - like the aftermath of the December tsunami in the North Sumatra province of Aceh - and in the fight against illegal logging.
The TNI has come under constant accusations from the international community and human rights groups for abuses of human rights, particularly in areas characterised by separatist movements - Aceh and Papua. In February, Washington officially announced it had re-admitted Indonesia to its training programme for foreign military forces. The step was seen as the first towards restoration of military ties between the US and Indonesia, and Washington had said the training would provide opportunities for reforms within the TNI.
However, Indonesia still faces a US embargo which prevents it from benefitting from the US foreign military financing (FMF) scheme. This embargo was imposed following another massacre by the TNI and pro-Jakarta militia after the people of East Timor voted for independence in 1999.
Tensions with neighbouring Malaysia remain high over oil-rich Amblatt region, which both countries claim as their own. In a recent interview with Adnkronos International (AKI) Australian analyst Rob Goodfellow, had said that the TNI would not be capable of facing a war against Malaysia.
ping
PING!!!
Tough predicament. The world's most populace nation aligning with the world's most populated Muslim nation; both of which will screw us and not bother to call us in the morning ...
(one of my finer mixed metaphors ... if only I were wrong...)
Can you see it coming? Missles flying all over the globe in all directions. Ammegedon right around the corner. Time to get back to building those underground shelters again. Am I the only one that sees humman kind as colonies of ants, always at war with each other with no end in sight?
Not at all suprised by this. Maybe Australia will finally wake up to the threat that China poses.
There does seem to be a strategic relationship developing between Indonesia and China. With the explosive growth of the Chinese economy, I think that many countries are going to feel something of a pull toward China, particularly those that are already pariah or semi-pariah states.
Yeah. Thankful for Australia's help in Iraq but John Howard really needs to wake up before the missiles fly. He said he would not help the US out in a war over Taiwan. At least we have Japan and Taiwan itself.
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