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The Star
13-05-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Indonesian military's security protection for Attorney General's Office draws flak
JAKARTA: The Indonesian Military's (TNI) expanded deployment of personnel to provide security protection for prosecutors nationwide has once again landed the institution in hot water for stoking fears of military intervention in the judicial realm. The military is dispatching its soldiers to guard all prosecutors' offices nationwide in order to ensure smoothness and security for prosecutors in their work following a telegram message signed by TNI chief Gen Agus Subiyanto on May 5. The telegram message instructed the deployment of 30 military personnel for every provincial prosecutor's office and 10 for every district level office. Attorney General's Office (AGO) spokesperson Harli Siregar said on Monday that the security protection shows the TNI's support for the prosecutors and is based on a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) dated April 6, 2023, that aims to bolster cooperation between the two institutions. The military dispatch has alerted human rights activists who see it as a hint toward the military's growing presence in the civil sector during the administration of President Prabowo Subianto, particularly after the recent controversial amendment to the TNI Law. 'This kind of deployment further strengthens the military's intervention in the civilian sphere, especially in the law enforcement area,' a coalition of 20 rights groups, including the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) and the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), said in a statement on Sunday (May 11). The coalition called on the military to revoke the letter of deployment, as it warned that the military's defense duties could degrade the independence of Indonesia's law. Usman Hamid, executive director of Amnesty International Indonesia, said the order violates the Constitution and a number of laws, including the law governing the AGO and the TNI Law itself, which was revised in March despite public protest against provisions many believe pave the way for TNI's expansion into civilian roles. Army spokesperson Wahyu rebuked the claim, saying that the TNI law stipulates that the AGO is among the state institutions that active military personnel can be assigned to. But Institute for Security and Strategic Studies (ISESS) cofounder Khairul Fahmi said that the provision applies only to those who work at the office of the assistant attorney general for intelligence (Jampidmil). 'The law simply cannot be used as a basis for troop deployment,' Khairul said. Usman of Amnesty noted that this deployment order 'further strengthens public suspicion that the TNI will return to its dwifungsi [dual function] following the amendment to the TNI law', referring to the military rule of the New Order authoritarian regime under late president Suharto which led to dozens of human rights violations. The last time the military deployed its personnel to guard the AGO headquarters in Jakarta was in May of last year following an alleged attempt by members of the National Police's anti-terror unit Densus 88 to spy on the agency's top prosecutors. The latest dispatch, however, was not based on any 'special needs', Army spokesperson Brig. Gen. Wahyu Yudhayana said. 'This is only part of a routine and preventive security cooperation, as has been done previously,' Wahyu said on Monday, adding that the military will continue to be professional in carrying out their tasks. Harli of the AGO stopped short of revealing whether the AGO requested the military dispatch or not but said his office had 'no certain urgency to do so', Rizal Darma Putra, executive director of the Indonesia Institute for Defense and Strategic Studies (Lesperssi), warned that the military could set a bad precedent if it put its troops at the AGO under no special circumstances. 'If the AGO is not facing a combatant threat, maintaining its security is certainly not the military's task. If the TNI cannot explain the urgency of ordering the dispatch, this could pave the way for more troop deployment in civilian affairs in the future,' Rizal said. Harli of the AGO dismissed the concerns about intervention, describing the security protection offered by the TNI as 'a collaborative effort' between the two institutions. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
Arab News
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Indonesia deploys 1,090 soldiers for UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon
JAKARTA: The Indonesian military dispatched 1,090 peacekeepers on Wednesday to serve in the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, for which Indonesia is the main troop-contributing country. Indonesia has contributed troops to UNIFIL since 2006, after the operation's mandate was expanded by the UN Security Council following the Second Lebanon War to help the Lebanese Army keep control over the south of the country, which borders Israel. The new batch of Indonesian soldiers will replace the current group serving in the country's Garuda Contingent, which consists of 1,230 personnel and whose terms expire at the end of this month. 'Today, I am very proud to send off 1,090 selected Indonesian soldiers to join the Garuda Contingent, which is on duty in the UNIFIL Mission in Lebanon,' Indonesian Armed Forces Chief Gen. Agus Subiyanto said at a pre-departure briefing in Jakarta. 'The trust that the UN has given to Indonesia to continue sending forces for its peacekeeping operations is proof that the world recognizes the professionalism, discipline and dedication of the Indonesian Armed Forces.' As of December 2024, UNIFIL's force consists of 10,251 peacekeepers from 48 troop-contributing countries, with Indonesia topping the list, followed by Italy and India. 'The Indonesian Army's involvement in UN peacekeeping operations is not merely a military mission, but also a humanitarian and cultural mission, and a national diplomacy at the global level,' Subiyanto said. 'I wish to remind every soldier that this mission is a sacred and noble mandate, so carry out this task as best as you can.' UNIFIL has been patrolling the border area between Lebanon and Israel for almost 50 years. The peacekeeping forces have been attacked multiple times by Israeli troops since Israel's invasion of Lebanon last year. Two Indonesian soldiers were among those wounded in October when Israeli tanks entered Naqoura village — where UNIFIL headquarters is located — and began firing on peacekeepers. 'The escalating conflict between Hezbollah and Israel has been intensifying more lately. This tension has a huge impact on the south Lebanon region, where you have been assigned. For this I ask that you always prioritize safety while conducting your duties,' Subiyanto told the new batch of Indonesian peacekeepers. 'If the threat escalates and you are required to leave the area of operations, implement the contingency plan prepared by the UN.' Indonesia is among the main troop-contributing countries in UN's global peacekeeping operations, with 2,736 soldiers serving across eight missions.
South China Morning Post
17-03-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Indonesia's military once called all the shots. It may again under Prabowo
Indonesian rights groups have decried proposed revisions to a military law that could pave the way for active-duty military personnel to hold more civilian posts and engage in business activities, a haunting hallmark of dictator Suharto's New Order era. Advertisement Rights and pro-democracy activists fear the practice, referred to as military dual-function or dwifungsi, could potentially return as lawmakers are pushing to revise a 2004 law on the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI). Under Suharto's 32-year rule, the military permeated national politics, as well as domestic affairs, as it helped Suharto cling to power and maintain order during various crises. Military chief General Agus Subiyanto has said the current law is 'outdated' as it has not been amended for more than 20 years. The 2004 military law 'is considered no longer relevant' to address various problems 'in implementing the fundamental norms of state policies and political decisions', Agus said at a meeting with the House of Representatives on Thursday. Advertisement The revision bill was included by lawmakers in this year's legislative priority bills. Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin had earlier last week revealed the government's focus on the legal amendment, including an article that restricts military personnel from holding civilian posts.
