VZCZCXRO4735
PP RUEHCHI RUEHCN RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHJA #1257/01 1790725
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 270725Z JUN 08
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9405
RUEHPH/CDC ATLANTA GA
INFO RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHINGTON DC
RUEAWJB/DOJ WASHDC
RUEHRC/USDA FAS WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 7794

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 001257 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR EAP/MTS, G/AIAG, L/DL, EAP/EX, AND OES/IHA 
USAID FOR ANE/CLEMENTS AND GH/CARROLL 
DEPT ALSO PASS TO HHS/WSTEIGER/MSTLOUIS AND HHS/NIH 
DEPT ALSO PASS TO DOJ for OFL 
GENEVA FOR WHO/HOHMAN 
USDA/FAS/OSTA BRANT, ROSENBLUM 
USDA/APHIS ANNELLI 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: TBIO EAGR AMGT PGOV ID KLIG
SUBJECT: INDONESIA - JUNE 27 AVIAN INFLUENZA (AI) UPDATE 
 
REFTEL:  A) Jakarta 1247 B) Jakarta 786 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary.  On June 25, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs 
(DEPLU) indefinitely postponed the June 26 signing of a Biosecurity 
Engagement Program (BEP) Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), citing 
current NAMRU-2 politics as the reason for the signing ceremony 
cancellation.  On June 19, the Ministry of Health (MOH) officially 
notified the World Health Organization (WHO) about two Avian 
Influenza (AI) cases confirmed in May.  Dr. Widjaja Lukito, Senior 
Advisor to the Minister of Health later told us that the Associated 
Press (AP) had erroneously released a story about Minister of Health 
Fadilah Siti Supari refusing to share avian influenza case data as 
cases occurred. On June 25, the WHO Jakarta Office received a legal 
summons from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs naming the WHO as a 
co-defendant with U.S. Government in a case brought by the family of 
a deceased avian influenza victim.   Minister of Health Supari 
launched a new ASEAN website on emerging infectious diseases (EID) 
on June 17.  The AI independent panel review team completed their 
three-week review on June 25 and briefed Ambassador Hume.  End 
Summary. 
 
-------------------------------------------- 
Biosecurity Engagement Program MOU postponed 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) On June 25, DEPLU informed us that the June 26 signing 
ceremony for a BEP MOU would be indefinitely postponed due to heated 
debates in the press and legislature regarding NAMRU-2 (See Reftel 
A). The MOU is an umbrella agreement between the United States and 
Indonesia on capacity building to strengthen the security of 
biological pathogens.  DEPLU officials reported that the decision to 
postpone the signing was made at the highest levels, following a 
cabinet level meeting involving multiple ministries.  Government 
officials later confided that Minister of Health Supari had demanded 
that the signing ceremony be stopped and threatened to go public 
with her opposition (despite her earlier authorization of the MOU 
process), and that other ministries reluctantly conceded. 
 
¶3. (SBU) On June 26, Desra Percaya, DEPLU Director for International 
Security and Disarmament expressed regret to Patricia McNerney, 
Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of International Security and 
Nonproliferation about the ceremony's sudden postponement. 
Assistant Secretary McNerney had intended to sign the agreement 
while in Indonesia.  Percaya assured her that DEPLU still stood 
behind the agreement and would ask Ambassador Hume to sign in a 
quiet meeting, following a sufficient cooling off period. 
 
 
----------------------------------------- 
MOH Shares Data, Claims Misunderstanding 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶4. (SBU) On June 19, the MOH officially notified the WHO about two 
confirmed Avian Influenza (AI) cases confirmed in May.  These 
included a 16 year-old female from South Jakarta who died in May and 
a 34 year-old female from Tangerang who died in early June.   Dr. 
Lukito Widjaja told us on June 22 the AP erroneously reported that 
the Minister stopping sharing AI case information and that the 
Ministry had been unofficially sharing information with the WHO.  He 
claimed she never intended to violate International Health 
Regulations (IHR) which requires notification of new avian influenza 
cases within 24 hours and that the press had unfortunately confused 
the facts.  Widjaja's comments came after the Jakarta Post published 
a highly critical op-ed piece on June 20, describing the 
shortcomings of current MOH practices in both reporting and handling 
avian influenza cases.   As of June 26, Indonesia reports 135 cases 
of avain influenza, with 110 deaths. 
 
--------------------------------------- 
WHO Local Office Receives Court Summons 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) On June 25, the WHO Jakarta Office received a legal summons 
from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs naming the WHO and the U.S. 
Government as defendants in a case brought by the family of an avian 
influenza victim.  (This is the same case that the Embassy had 
received a summons for on April 16. See Reftel B.) The suit rests on 
 
JAKARTA 00001257  002 OF 002 
 
 
the claims made by Minister of Health Supari that the USG may be 
behind the development of a bio-terrorism weapon derived from AI 
samples.  The summons lists a mid September court date.  Embassy 
Jakarta has not received similar notification for this court date. 
 
--------------------------------- 
Supari Launches ASEAN EID Website 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (U) Minister Supari gave a welcoming speech at the June 17 launch 
of a website for ASEAN Plus 3 countries (includes all ASEAN 
countries plus China, S. Korea, and Japan) to exchange infectious 
disease surveillance information.  The Indonesian MOH will maintain 
the web site, with AusAid funding.  '"Multilateral coordination 
which is mutually beneficial should be developed and maintained so 
it can continue, including through information exchange among 
nations," Indonesian Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari was quoted 
as saying by state news agency Antara.'  The web site links to a 
document describing the information sharing protocol between the 
participating countries.  Although AI is not specifically listed, 
"human influenza caused by a new subtype" is posted as one of nine 
reportable diseases, under a sub-heading of diseases/events that 
fall under the International Health Regulations from the WHO. 
 
-------------------------------- 
AI Review Team Completes Review 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶7.  (SBU) On June 25, the AI independent evaluation panel reviewing 
USG activities in Indonesia to control avian influenza, presented 
draft recommendations to Ambassador Hume. Recommendations fell into 
four basic categories, general recommendations, and recommendations 
for animal disease control, human health and social mobilization and 
behavioral change communication. The nine member team completed a 
three-week extensive evaluation of USG programs and visited numerous 
government veterinary and public health institutions, private health 
facilities, universities, community programs, laboratories, other 
donor and international organizations, toured wet markets, small 
commercial poultry farms, poultry slaughterhouses and poultry 
vaccine manufacturers.  The evaluation team departed Indonesia on 
June 26 and will provide a draft report by June 28. 
 
HUME