VZCZCXRO7464
PP RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHJA #3294/01 3280453
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 240453Z NOV 06
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2207
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 0120
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RHHMUNA/USCINCPAC HONOLULU HI
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 013294 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
AIDAC 
SENSITIVE 
 
Dept for EAP/MTS 
NSC for Holly Morrow 
 
From American Consulate Medan # 32, 2006 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV AS ID
SUBJECT: TNI Commander Reaffirms Military's Commitment to 
Helsinki MOU 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: In a speech in Aceh on November 6, TNI 
Commander Air Marshal Djoko Suyanto said TNI would continue 
to respect the Helsinki MOU after the departure of the Aceh 
Monitoring Mission (AMM) next month.  He also reminded his 
audience that TNI had withdrawn from politics, acted under 
the direction of the province's civilian authorities, and 
could play an important role in Aceh's reconstruction and 
development. Responding to blunt questions from the 
audience, Suyanto said that TNI does not insist that GAM 
disband and cited the fact that the military no longer 
engaged in kidnapping as proof that the TNI had genuinely 
reformed. Although other military officials have admitted 
that "excesses" were committed in Aceh, this appears to be 
the first specific admission that TNI had engaged in 
kidnapping. End Summary. 
 
¶2. (U) On November 6, TNI Commander Air Marshal Djoko 
Suyanto spoke in Aceh to a large audience of government 
officials, GAM representatives, ulamas, and civil society 
representatives.  The purpose of the speech was to reassure 
the Acehenese that TNI remained committed to the Helsinki 
MOU and that it would continue to respect it after the 
departure of the European Union led Aceh Monitoring Mission 
(AMM) next month. 
 
¶3. (U) In his speech, Suyanto told his audience that despite 
the significant progress made since the signing of the 
Helsinki MOU in August 2005, distrust and fear of the 
military remains widespread; all parties in attendance, 
including GAM, TNI, and civil society, he said, should work 
together to overcome these fears and suspicions.  TNI has 
lived up to its commitments in the MOU and the Acehenese 
should not be afraid, he continued, because TNI has fully 
withdrawn from politics and is now under the control of 
civilian authorities.  Emphasizing this point, he repeated 
several times throughout his speech that the KODAM no longer 
has independent authority and can only act with the consent 
of officials in Jakarta and Aceh. Fears that TNI will 
abandon its commitment to the MOU or to Peace, even after 
AMM's mission has concluded, he said, are completely 
unfounded. 
 
¶4. (U)Discussing the role of the military in Aceh, Suyanto 
expressed his belief that the military TNI might one day 
play an important role in Aceh's reconstruction and 
development.  Citing the case of Irian Jaya, Suyanto said 
that TNI could be an engine for development of critical 
infrastructure like roads and bridges.  He also denied 
allegations that the military is constructing new bases in 
Aceh and explained that the new facilities are intended to 
replace those destroyed in the 2004 Boxing Day earthquake 
and tsunami.  Anyone who knows about the TNI budget, he 
said, knows that we don't have the funds to be expanding in 
Aceh. People who worry about the role of TNI in Aceh should 
remember, he said, TNI is not spreading in the province and 
it is not acting alone, it is working under control of the 
civilian authorities and the direction of the governor. 
 
¶5. (U) Commenting on the election, Suyanto warned that there 
will inevitably be parties who are disappointed by the 
outcome. Those groups should act with self control and 
restraint or risk promoting anarchy. 
 
¶6. (U) A rough transcript of Suyanto's remarks and photos of 
the event can be accessed on OSIS (unclassified) at 
http://transition.intelink.gov/state/sumatra/ 2006/11/panglim 
a_speaks_to_aceh.html. 
 
¶7. (U) During the question and answer period, Suyanto faced 
blunt questions from a skeptical audience. Almost all the 
questions came from ulamas and local officials; no GAM 
representative asked any questions or made any comments.  In 
responding to the questions, Suyanto told the audience that 
the military did not insist that GAM disband - GAM, the 
acronym for Gerakan Aceh Merdeka (the Free Aceh Movement) 
could just as easily stand for Gerakan Aceh Maju (Movement 
for Progress in Aceh) or Gerakan Aceh Membangun (Aceh 
Development Movement), he said. 
 
JAKARTA 00013294  002 OF 002 
 
 
 
¶8. (SBU) Suyanto also pointed to the fact that he has 
personally signed orders punishing 30 soldiers in the seven 
months he has been military commander and the fact that TNI 
was no longer engaged in kidnapping as proof that TNI has 
genuinely reformed and is committed to peace in Aceh. 
 
¶9. (SBU) Comment: although other senior TNI officials have 
acknowledged that excesses were committed in Aceh, this 
appears to be the first time kidnapping has been 
specifically mentioned. 
Pascoe