VZCZCXRO3748
PP RUEHCHI RUEHCN RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHJA #2194/01 3371027
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 021027Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0867
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 7846

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 002194 
 
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: BIOSECURITY ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM IN INDONESIA 
 
REF: JAKARTA   01409 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary. The Biosecurity Engagement Program (BEP) is a 
pathogen security program run out of the Bureau of International 
Security and Nonproliferation (ISN).  BEP Indonesia works with 
partner institutions in the Ministries of Health (MOH), Research and 
Technology, and Agriculture to support biosafety and biosecurity 
capacity building efforts. The Government of Indonesia (GOI) paid 
for the construction of BSL-3 labs at all three of these facilities. 
BEP supports training, security upgrades and equipment for partner 
institutions. BEP is a successful program with good collaboration 
from a number of institutions, but a lack of a Memorandum of 
Understanding (MOU) and interference from Minister of Health Supari 
hamper the program's full effectiveness. Descriptions of BEP 
activities by Ministry follow. End Summary 
 
------------------------------------------ 
Memorandum of Understanding Still Unsigned 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶2. (U) The BEP MOU is a blanket MOU between the State Department and 
the Indonesian Department of Foreign Affairs (DEPLU). Implementing 
agreements with the Ministries of Health, Agriculture and Research 
and Technology would follow a signed agreement. The Ministry of 
Health, and Minister Supari in particular, appears to be the lone 
hold-out on the agreement, refusing to permit its signature 
(REFTEL). DEPLU will not sign without consensus from all three 
affected ministries. Approximately $700,000 in project funding has 
been held until the MOU is signed.  Embassy is working with DEPLU to 
try to get the agreement signed within the next two months. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
National Institute of Health Research and Development 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
¶3. (U) BEP's partner institution in the Ministry of Health is the 
National Institute of Health Research and Development (NIHRD, or 
"Litbangkes"). NIHRD is the central public health laboratory for 
Indonesia. BEP has supported NIHRD staff attendance at biosafety and 
biosecurity training courses and conferences in the U.S., as well as 
three post-graduate scholarships for Masters degrees at American 
Universities. BEP plans to support the development and 
implementation of an in-house biosafety and biosecurity training 
program in 2009.  BEP has also supported expert consultation for the 
commissioning of NIHRD's Biosafety Level 3 (BSL-3) lab, development 
of standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the lab, and intends to 
support select equipment for the lab. 
 
¶4. (SBU) BEP's existing activities with NIHRD continue, although 
hampered somewhat by Ministry of Health policies. BEP is still 
supporting the post graduate education for NIHRD's three applicants, 
as well as consulting advice on BSL-3 SOPs. Additional planned 
projects, such as the support of a Lab Information Management System 
staff and equipment purchases, are on hold until the Ministry 
softens its policies. Lower level management continues to push for 
these projects once political issues subside. Dr. Trihono, NIHRD's 
h/XQQQGor, noted recently, "There are politics, but 
these are not my politics", an allusion to the Minister's own 
nationalistic policies. 
 
------------------------------------------ 
The Eijkman Institute of Molecular Biology 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶5. (U) BEP's partner institution with the Ministry of Research and 
Technology (MINRISTEK) is the Eijkman Institute of Molecular 
Biology.  Eijkman is the premier institution for R&D in the life 
sciences. BEP currently supports salary for BSL-3 staff. In 2009, 
BEP plans to support funding for an expert international virologist 
to develop a research agenda, train scientists and ensure biosafety 
and biosecurity. BEP also supports the BSL-3 lab's ongoing 
operations and maintenance through a grant. 
 
¶6. (SBU) While Eijkman currently falls under MINRISTEK, the MOH 
would like to take over control of the Institute. Dr. Sangkot 
Marzuki, Director of the Institute, would like Eijkman to become a 
separate entity directly reporting into the President's office with 
 
JAKARTA 00002194  002 OF 002 
 
 
a dotted line to MOH, in order to have independence but also access 
Health's funding streams. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Dr. Marzuki is an ally on science and technology policy, 
and provides sound advice to Embassy staff. He is well-connected 
politically and socially, and is the recently-elected head of the 
Indonesian Academy of Sciences. He hopes to raise both the profile 
and the influence of the Academy, to perform the policy advisory 
role in the same vein as the American Academy of Sciences. His 
constituents have pushed him to combat the MOH's policies 
restricting international scientific research collaborations. 
 
--------- 
BBALITVET 
--------- 
 
¶8. (U) BEP partners with the Indonesian Research Centre for 
Veterinary Science (Balitvet) in Bogor, the country's central animal 
health laboratory. Biosecurity projects include a risk assessment, 
comprehensive physical security upgrades, security training and SOP 
development. Staff training activities include the REDI Center Train 
the Trainer Program in Biosafety and Biosecurity and the BSL-3 
Science and Safety Training at Emory University. BEP also provided 
assistance with the development and implementation of an in-house 
biosafety and biosecurity training program for researchers and 
technicians. Lab support includes design consultation and SOP 
development for their BSL-2 zoonoses lab, and expert consultation 
for design, commissioning and start of operation for a new modular 
BSL-3 lab. 
 
¶9. (SBU) Balitvet has some setbacks with their BSL-3 lab which will 
delay its opening to after the deadline of 15 December. The lab 
shipped late from its American manufacturer, Certek, and was caught 
in a typhoon en route to Indonesia. The full extent of the damage 
remains to be seen, but at a minimum two of the outside condensers 
need to be replaced. Balitvet leadership have a great deal of 
anxiety about this, since they have already received two extensions 
from the Ministry of Finance for the completion of this project, and 
are under scrutiny by the Attorney General's office. BEP consultants 
will put together a plan for the lab's repair and opening once they 
get a sense of the damage incurred. 
 
--------------------------------- 
Disease Investigation Center Labs 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶10. (U) BEP partners with the seven Disease Investigation Center 
(DIC) laboratories under the Director General of Livestock Services 
(DGLS), which also falls under the Ministry of Agriculture. BEP 
projects include support of staff attendance at the biosafety and 
biosecurity training workshop hosted by Balitvet. Biological safety 
cabinet testing and certification are planned for 2009. On-site risk 
assessment, along with a broader biosafety and biosecurity training 
is also planned for 2009. BEP is also supporting staff education, 
with three scholarships for Masters in Veterinary Sciences in 
progress, and another 6 planned for 2009. BEP's goal is to support 
Masters-level education of one staff member from each of the DICs. 
BEP also plans to support reagents and equipment for the DIC labs, 
but must delay this support until the MOU is signed and it is 
allowed to proceed. 
 
¶11. (SBU) DIC labs have expressed concern that BEP is unable to 
provide equipment and reagents until the MOU has been signed to 
grant the tax exemption for these items. BEP staff have restated 
their commitment to providing this support as soon as they are able 
to do so. 
 
HUME