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FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9498
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS PRIORITY
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA PRIORITY 9895
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 0003
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON PRIORITY 1018
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUCNFB/DIR FBI WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RHHMUNA/USCINCPAC HONOLULU HI PRIORITY

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 010926 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/01/2016 
TAGS: PTER ASEC EFIN KCRM KHLS KPAO ID
SUBJECT: MOVING FORWARD WITH THE MARITIME BORDER NEEDS 
ASSESSMENT 
 
REF: A. STATE 143178 
     ¶B. JAKARTA 07378 
     ¶C. STATE 87696 
 
Classified By: Political Officer David Willis for reasons 1.4 (b) and ( 
d). 
 
¶1. (S) Summary: Post strongly supports S/CT's proposal for a 
border control technical needs assessment for the triborder 
area and will welcome the assessment team to Indonesia, with 
the below recommendations for S/CT and DS/ATA's further 
consideration.  Post has received encouragement from various 
GOI Foreign Affairs, Immigration, Customs, Police, and other 
security officials when discussing the proposed border 
assessment.  Meetings with GOI officials confirm the focus of 
the assessment should be to secure and legitimize 
cross-border transit of the main official maritime ports of 
entry used by transnational criminals, including terrorists, 
as their primary border crossing points.  Post encourages the 
USG assessment team to review the existing border assessments 
conducted by Canberra and Tokyo of Indonesian ports, and 
focus the USG assessment on the gaps.  GOI officials agree 
that the proposed assessment should focus on Nunukan and 
Tarakan in East Kalimantan, Manado/Bitung in North Sulawesi, 
and Tahuna in the Sangihe Islands.  Post recommends the USG 
team allot additional time in the border area and cautions 
the team not to underestimate the distances involved within 
and between North Sulawesi and East Kalimantan.  Post 
recommends the team revise its schedule to include at least 
4-5 full days to accommodate logistical arrangements.  End 
Summary 
 
GOI Reaction Warm But Noncommittal 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (C) No GOI office has sole authority over border control 
issues.  Since June, we have met with various GOI Foreign 
Affairs, Immigration, Customs, Police, and other security 
officials to discuss the proposed border assessment.  On 
average, the GOI reaction to the proposal has been positive. 
As Post mentioned in REF B, heightened GOI sensitivities on 
CT issues suggest the assessment should identify 
transnational crime and narcotics, not solely terrorism, as 
the focus of the assessment to avoid engendering unnecessary 
criticism. 
 
¶3. (C) The August 21-25 Indonesia Malaysia Philippines 
triborder tabletop exercise in Kuala Lumpur sponsored by U.S. 
Pacific Command (PACOM) and the Southeast Asian Centre for 
Counterterrorism (SEARCCT) included an impressive GOI 
multi-agency delegation from the Indonesian Navy, Police, 
Immigration, Customs, and policy offices.  Embassy officers 
briefed the delegation on the proposed assessment and Post 
will maintain contact with these officials to further ease 
the roll-out of the proposed assessment. 
 
Focus of Assessment 
------------------- 
 
¶4. (C) GOI officials continue to tell us that the immediate 
need is to secure and legitimize the main official maritime 
ports that receive cross-border traffic.  The Indonesian 
National Police and other GOI security officials assess that 
transnational criminals, including terrorists, currently use 
official maritime ports of entry as their primary crossing 
points when transiting among Indonesia, Malaysia, and the 
Southern Philippines. 
 
¶5. (C) GOI Immigration officials told Embassy officers of a 
similarly framed border assessment conducted by the 
Australian Government in 2004 with the assistance of GOI 
Immigration officials.  Australian Transportation and Customs 
officials subsequently identified possible overlap with a 
Japanese Government funded port assessment that the 
Australians said they will adopt to guide Australian capacity 
building projects at Indonesian ports.  Post is attempting to 
obtain copies of these port assessments and will pass them to 
the assessment team as soon as possible, if Washington does 
not already have access to them.  Post strongly encourages 
the assessment team to focus their assessments in Indonesia 
on the gaps not covered by either the Australian or Japanese 
assessments.  (Note: Post acknowledges that the US Coast 
Guard has also conducted assessments of select Indonesian 
ports.) 
 
JAKARTA 00010926  002 OF 002 
 
 
 
¶6. (SBU) Post and GOI officials agree that the Indonesian leg 
of the proposed assessment should be focused on the following 
primary ports of entry: 
 
-- East Kalimantan: Nunukan (est. two or more official entry 
points) 
 
-- East Kalimantan: Tarakan (est. two or more official entry 
points) 
 
-- North Sulawesi: Manado/Bitung (est. two or more official 
entry points) 
 
-- Sangihe Islands: Tahuna (est. single port of entry) 
 
Additional Time at Border for Assessment 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶7. (C) While we welcome the ATA-led assessment team to 
Jakarta per Ref A notional schedule, Post does not anticipate 
significant, substantive meetings with GOI officials in 
Jakarta will be required.  We strongly encourage additional 
time be allotted for the team's assessment time in the border 
area and caution the team not to underestimate the distances 
involved within and between North Sulawesi and East 
Kalimantan.  We urge the team to revise its schedule to 
include at least 4-5 full working days to cover the above 
geographic areas.  Some travel may require returning to major 
transit hubs in order to travel within these areas.  As an 
additional point, Post reminds the team that Fridays should 
be used as planning or traved days, as the observance of 
Friday pprayer servicesduring Ramadan in most of  these areas 
will prohiit substantive meetings with GOI officials. 
 
¶8. U) Post requests traveler details be forwarded when 
available to facilitate further logistical arranements. 
 
¶9. (U) The primary point of contact forthe Indonesian leg of 
th(e assessment is Politica Officer David Willis.  He can be 
reached via unlassified e-mail: willisdr(at)state.gov, and 
clasified e-mail: willisdr(at)state.sgov.gov. 
PASCOE