VZCZCXRO3361
OO RUEHCHI RUEHCN RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHJA #0339/01 0520728
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 210728Z FEB 08
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8043
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS PRIORITY
RUEAWJB/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 2021
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 1537
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON 2339
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 2428
RHHJJPI/USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RHMCSUU/FBI WASHINGTON DC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 000339 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/PD, EAP/MLS, S/CT, INL FOR 
BOULDIN/BUHLER 
DOJ FOR CRIM AAG SWARTZ, DOJ/OPDAT FOR 
LEHMANN/ALEXANDRE/BERMAN 
DOJ/CTS FOR MULLANEY, ST HILAIRE 
FBI FOR ETTUI/SSA ROTH 
NCTC WASHDC 
NSC FOR EPHU 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL KPAO PTER KJUS ID
SUBJECT: PROSECUTOR TRAINING AND PUBLIC OUTREACH IN 
SOUTHERN SUMATRA 
 
REF: A. 07 JAKARTA 2797 
     ¶B. 07 JAKARTA 2195 
 
¶1.  (U) This cable was coordinated with Consulate Medan.  It 
is Sensitive but Unclassified -- Please handle accordingly. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) SUMMARY:  On February 14-15, the Attorney General's 
Terrorism and Transnational Crime Task Force--the GOI's key 
body involved in prosecuting terrorism-related 
cases--conducted a USG-supported training program for 
prosecutors in southern Sumatra.  Task Force experts and 
Mission's DOJ/OPDAT Legal Advisor used the program to provide 
substantive training to the prosecutors in the areas of 
terrorism, money laundering, TIP, and cybercrime.  Jakarta 
poloff and Medan pol/econoff also teamed up for outreach 
events at a local university and an Islamic boarding school. 
END SUMMARY. 
 
TRAINING FOR PROSECUTORS 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Mission continues its efforts to train Indonesian 
prosecutors.  With USG financial support, the Terrorism and 
Transnational Crime Task Force carried out a fifth regional 
training program, February 14-15.  In this event, a team of 
Task Force prosecutors traveled to Lampung Province in 
southern Sumatra to provide substantive training to local 
prosecutors.  (Note:  Lampung is an important province 
located directly across the Sunda Strait from Java.  It 
contains roughly 10 million inhabitants.) 
 
FOCUS ON TERRORISM, MONEY LAUNDERING, TIP 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Like earlier programs in Sumatra, Sulawesi, Bali 
and Kalimantan (ref B), the program helped build 
relationships with local prosecution offices, an objective 
which is central to the Task Force's national mission.  Task 
Force members also held a retreat to review the body's 
progress since its inception some 18 months ago.  (Note: 
Septel will discuss the retreat.  In general, observers 
consider the Task Force to have been highly successful in its 
anti-terrorist prosecutions and other efforts--see ref A.) 
 
¶5.  (SBU) The program was presided over by Task Force Chief 
Thomson Siagian, who was recently appointed Lampung's top 
prosecutor by the Attorney General.  (Note:  The move to 
Lampung means that Thomson--who is considered very 
effective--may soon be replaced as Chief of the Task Force. 
However, the AGO has yet to take any decision on the matter.) 
 The program consisted of presentations by Task Force experts 
on terrorism, money laundering, trafficking in persons, and 
international legal cooperation, as well as a presentation by 
the DOJ/OPDAT RLA on cybercrime. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) A new element in the program was the addition of 
the AGO's Legal Consul in Hong Kong.  The Legal Consul gave a 
overview of mutual legal assistance and recounted his 
personal experiences in dealing with foreign law enforcement. 
 All of the presentations were well received by the 
participants. 
 
PUBLIC OUTREACH IN SOUTH SUMATRA 
 
¶7.  (U) During Mission's visit, Jakarta poloff and Medan 
pol/econoff teamed up for two public outreach events focused 
on students.  The first event was held at the University of 
Lampung (UNILA), the province's premier university, where 
poloff gave a presentation on the 2008 U.S. elections to 
approximately 130 students from the social sciences.  The 
students showed great interest in the topic, asking 
insightful questions about the role of race in the current 
election, the role of students in the campaign and the 
 
JAKARTA 00000339  002 OF 002 
 
 
election's potential impact on U.S. foreign policy. 
 
¶8.  (U) The second event was held at a local Islamic boarding 
school, Pesantren Al-Hikmah, where poloff gave a presentation 
on the U.S. high school system to over 200 secondary 
students.  The students--all in traditional dress and all but 
one of whom had never met an American before--followed the 
discussion enthusiastically and asked numerous questions 
about how Americans viewed education and how Muslims are 
treated in U.S. public schools. 
 
¶9.  (SBU) After the presentation, the team met with local 
school leaders and religious figures, including the head of 
the local chapter of the Islamic Cleric's Council (MUI), to 
discuss U.S. foreign policy and relations between the U.S. 
and the Muslim world.  While critical of U.S. policy in some 
areas, the group was clearly open to dialogue on these 
issues, and one teacher repeatedly assured the team that "we 
are not radicals here." 
 
HUME