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Euronews
6 days ago
- Politics
- Euronews
Germany's armed forces to introduce new camouflage uniforms by 2029
Germany's armed forces, the Bundeswehr, are set to undergo a transformation in the coming years with the introduction of a new camouflage pattern intended to replace the current uniform. According to Hartpunkt defence news portal, all soldiers are to be equipped with the new "multi-camouflage print" by no later than 2029. The German Ministry of Defence confirmed to military publication Augen geradeaus that it is currently working on supplying troops with updated combat gear, in line with the newly designated personnel size of 460,000 troops. 'To achieve this, we'll begin urgent procurement to quickly boost our supply of combat clothing. At the same time, we'll set up long-term contracts to ensure a steady supply and replacement of this gear, including plans for a gradual switch to the new multi-camouflage pattern. Since the process is still ongoing, we can't yet give a clear timeline or cost estimate,' the ministry stated. The new camouflage design had previously been reserved exclusively for special forces units. The decision to roll it out across the entire Bundeswehr reportedly followed an extended internal debate. For years, the ministry had resisted a full-scale introduction of the pattern, but now a concrete plan is in place. The phased transition is set to begin in 2026, with full implementation targeted for 2028 and 2029. The change was brought on for tactical and security reasons. A study conducted by the Wehrwissenschaftliches Institut für Werk- und Betriebsstoffe, the research body of the German army, found that the multi-camouflage pattern provides better concealment across a range of operational environments, particularly in urban settings. Another reason for the shift is to prevent special forces from standing out during joint operations. Until now, only elite units such as the Army's Special Forces Command (KSK) and the Navy's Special Forces Command (KSM) wore the pattern, which made them easier to identify in the field. The pattern is considered highly adaptable, especially given climate-related changes to natural landscapes and recent battlefield experience, including Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The Star
23-07-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Asean calls for joint natural disaster strategies as regional exercises kick off
PHNOM PENH: Senior Minister Kun Kim (pic) has highlighted how the Asean states are some of the region's most vulnerable to natural disasters, which severely impact lives, livelihoods and socio-economic development. He urged the implementation of comprehensive joint strategies to address these challenges. His remarks were made at the opening ceremony of the Asean Regional Disaster Emergency Response Simulation Exercise 2025 (Ardex-25), held at the Special Forces Command in Phnom Penh on Tuesday (July 22). 'Asean is highly susceptible to natural disasters such as floods, droughts, earthquakes, tsunamis and storms. These disasters have caused severe impacts on lives, living conditions and socio-economic development. "These challenges require collective, wide-ranging approaches that go beyond the capacity of any single country,' said Kim, who serves as first vice-president of the National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM) and is chairing Ardex-25. Speaking on behalf of Cambodia — a country which is vulnerable to such disasters — he underlined the importance of proactive preparedness and timely response. The Cambodian government has implemented a National Action Plan for Disaster Risk Reduction 2024–2028, a National Early Warning Map, strategic plans and various other policies to strengthen national disaster management capacities. He noted that the simulation exercises will significantly contribute to implementing Cambodia's national action plan and serve as a strong indicator of the country's commitment to Asean's socio-cultural community resilience through enhanced regional cooperation. Kim also recognised the critical role of the Asean Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre) as a key operational mechanism that coordinates Asean 's collective disaster response efforts. He stated that Ardex-25 is not merely a simulation but a vital step in deepening the implementation of the Asean Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER). He added that it is an essential opportunity to test the effectiveness of Asean's Standard Operating Procedures (SASOP) for regional readiness and coordinated disaster response. He expressed strong hope that this simulation would provide valuable lessons, laying the groundwork for further strengthening disaster management systems, sharing experiences, raising awareness and fostering closer bonds among Asean member states and international partners. This will help build a resilient Asean community, equipped with the resources, capabilities and protocols needed for rapid and effective response to emergencies — including search and rescue, humanitarian aid, joint assessments and efficient recovery efforts. The three-day regional simulation exercise, taking place from July 22 to 24, includes the participation of key figures such as Kao Kim Hourn, secretary-general of Asean, Kim Virak, secretary-general of the NCDM and chair of the Asean Committee on Disaster Management 2025 (ACDM 2025), Igor Driesmans, EU ambassador to Cambodia and Lee Yam Ming, executive director of the AHA Centre, as well as distinguished representatives from various ministries and embassies in Cambodia. Alongside them are senior officials from relevant ministries and institutions, foreign military attachés, Asean member states, Asean dialogue partners, development agencies, domestic and international organisations, and other stakeholders. Virak expressed appreciation for the presence of all delegates, saying it reflected a collective commitment to strengthen regional disaster response cooperation. He noted Cambodia's pride in hosting this major regional exercise. The exercise is also testing the Asean Standard Operating Procedure for Regional Standby Arrangements and Coordination of Joint Disaster Relief and Emergency Response Operations (SASOP) and the terms of reference for the Asean secretary-general as the Asean Humanitarian Assistance Coordinator. Ardex-25 comprises of table top, command post and field training exercises. - The Phnom Penh Post/ANN
The Star
18-06-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Indonesian minister faces backlash after calling 1998 mass rape a ‘rumour'
JAKARTA: Indonesia's Cultural Affairs Minister Fadli Zon, already under fire for his initiative to rewrite Indonesian history, is facing a renewed public backlash for downplaying the well-documented mass rapes of Indonesians of Chinese descent during the May 1998 protests and riots that led to the fall of then-president Suharto. In a June 11 podcast, Fadli dismissed the rapes as mere rumours, claiming there has never been any evidence to support the allegations, comments that have triggered painful memories of the deadly chaos that engulfed Jakarta and elsewhere. Criticism has lit up social media, with responses coming from prominent human rights activists to a former police general. 'Has Fadli Zon never read about the mass rapes in the 1998 riots or does he actually know of the incidents but chooses to be in denial?' X social media user @bangjerrrr from Indonesia wrote. The controversy also raises questions about the political motivations for Fadli's remarks and the project to revise Indonesian history, with the aim of the latter to produce a book that is the nation's 'official history'. There are also concerns that it is an attempt to downplay politically sensitive episodes in the nation's past. The 1998 events have also dogged President Prabowo Subianto for years. He is a former Commandant General of Kopassus (Special Forces Command) and has been accused of involvement in abducting activists and orchestrating the 1998 riots, accusations he has repeatedly denied. He is also Suharto's former son-in-law. Prabowo married Siti Hediati Hariyadi, a daughter of Suharto, in 1983. They divorced in 1998. Usman Hamid, executive director of Amnesty International Indonesia, cited findings from a government-commissioned fact-finding team that confirmed the mass rapes happened, noting the team's report prompted then-president B.J. Habibie to acknowledge and express regret in his first speech before Parliament in August 1998. Usman called Fadli's remarks 'a fatal mistake' and 'an arrogant denial against a fact the mass rapes occurred', arguing that such facts cannot be categorised as rumours because it was confirmed by a report from an authoritative party. 'The report was done by a joint fact-finding task force consisting of various ministries including defence ministry, justice affairs ministry and the attorney-general's office that was formed by then-president Habibie,' Usman said, referring to the Tim Gabungan Pencari Fakta task force (TGPF). The task force recorded 52 cases of rape, 14 cases of rape and assault, 10 cases of attacks and sexual assault, and 9 cases of sexual abuse. But it stressed that this does not represent the full number of actual victims because the report was based on the testimonies of the victims who were willing to come forward between May and July 3, 1998. 'The majority of the rape cases were gang rapes... And most of the rapes were done while other people were watching,' the report says. Former national police chief Oegroseno, who uses one name, also condemned the minister. 'Fadli Zon, if you don't know the situation on the ground in 1998, you shouldn't talk too much. The people who were victims feel hurt by your statement,' the retired three-star police general wrote in an Instagram post on June 17. In his Aug 14, 1998, speech that cited the report, Habibie said: 'The looting and burning of shopping centres and residential homes were even accompanied by acts of violence and sexual abuse against women, particularly those from the ethnic Chinese community. 'All of these irresponsible criminal acts are very shameful and have tarnished our reputation as a civilised and religious nation; we condemn such barbarity,' he added. Fadli was a noted student activist who opposed Suharto's authoritarianism and played a key role in organising street rallies at the time. Scores of Prabowo's inner circle -- those who supported his presidential campaigns and currently serving in the Cabinet -- come from among the 1998 pro-reform student leaders, who boldly went against Suharto. Political analysts Burhanuddin Muhtadi and Adi Prayitno, quoted by local media, have considered Prabowo's recruitment pro-reform activists as a political strategy to try to convince voters he has reformed, and to expand constituency base. Other 1998 pro-reform activists include Budiman Sudjatmiko, who is head of the poverty eradication agency, Immanuel Ebenezer Gerungan, who is deputy manpower minister, and Nezar Patria, who is deputy communications and digital affairs minister. Nezar was reported to be among the abductees who managed to return home in 1998. Responding to the mounting criticism, Fadli said on June 16: 'Various criminal acts occurred amid the May 13-14, 1998 riots, including acts of sexual violence, however, with regard to mass rapes, caution is needed as data on the incident has never been conclusive.' Fadli said that he does not interfere in the rewriting of Indonesian history, stressing that he entirely has left it to the historians to do this and to complete the rewriting project. Chinese descendant Indonesian Pauline Irawati, 55, a retiree, sees Fadli's motive as an attempted cover-up for Prabowo. 'What Fadli Zon said is otherwise incomprehensible,' she told The Straits Times. Prabowo's alleged role in human rights violations in 1998, East Timor and elsewhere has dogged his political career. Prabowo was once banned by the US for rights violations. Pauline remembers the violent gangs that hunted the Chinese in 1998. She managed to evade the mobs on May 14 as she took a 2½-hour journey from her colleague's home in Karawaci, a Jakarta satellite town, to her home in Cengkareng, West Jakarta. Her office sent staff home early the day before and she, the only Chinese in the office, decided to spend the night at a colleague's home near the office, before making the trip home in a public minivan. 'On the way home, we were stopped a few times by mobs who asked, 'Are there Chinese on board?' I was the only Chinese there. I kept my head down to avoid being noticed,' Pauline recalled, adding that other passengers protected her by always saying there were no Chinese on board. While Fadli has promised he will not interfere in the work of historians revising the nation's history, Bambang Wuryanto, an MP from the opposition Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), isn't so sure. He said in Parliament on June 17 that subjectivity in the history rewriting project initiated by Fadli, a senior politician of the ruling party Gerindra, would definitely play in the process. Parliament's education and culture committee member Bonnie Triyana said on June 18 that Parliament will invite Fadli to a House hearing to give explanation about the history rewriting project. 'Don't rewrite history using a power-driven approach, and don't be selective and partial based on political interest. If that's so, It's better to stop the programme altogether,' he said. - The Straits Times/ANN
Straits Times
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Indonesian minister who says '98 mass rape a rumour faces flak from netizens
Indonesia's Cultural Affairs Minister Fadli Zon claimed there has never been any evidence to support the mass rape allegations. PHOTO: REUTERS – Indonesia's Cultural Affairs Minister Fadli Zon, already under fire for his initiative to rewrite Indonesian history, is facing a renewed public backlash for downplaying the well-documented mass rapes of Indonesians of Chinese descent during the May 1998 protests and riots that led to the fall of then-president Suharto. In a June 11 podcast, Mr Fadli dismissed the rapes as mere rumours, claiming there has never been any evidence to support the allegations, comments that have triggered painful memories of the deadly chaos that engulfed Jakarta and elsewhere. Criticism has lit up social media, with responses coming from prominent human rights activists to a former police general. 'Has Fadli Zon never read about the mass rapes in the 1998 riots or does he actually know of the incidents but chooses to be in denial?' X social media user @bangjerrrr from Indonesia wrote. The controversy also raises questions about the political motivations for Mr Fadli's remarks and the project to revise Indonesian history, with the aim of the latter to produce a book that is the nation's 'official history'. There are also concerns that it is an attempt to downplay politically sensitive episodes in the nation's past. The 1998 events have also dogged President Prabowo Subianto for years. He is a former Commandant General of Kopassus (Special Forces Command) and has been accused of involvement in abducting activists and orchestrating the 1998 riots, accusations he has repeatedly denied . He is also Mr Suharto's former son-in-law. Mr Prabowo married Ms Siti Hediati Hariyadi, a daughter of Mr Suharto, in 1983. They divorced in 1998. Mr Usman Hamid, executive director of Amnesty International Indonesia, cited findings from a government-commissioned fact-finding team that confirmed the mass rapes happened, noting the team's report prompted then-president B.J. Habibie to acknowledge and express regret in his first speech before Parliament in August 1998. Mr Usman called Mr Fadli's remarks 'a fatal mistake' and 'an arrogant denial against a fact the mass rapes occurred', arguing that such facts cannot be categorised as rumours because it was confirmed by a report from an authoritative party. 'The report was done by a joint fact-finding task force consisting of various ministries including defence ministry, justice affairs ministry and the attorney-general's office that was formed by then-president Habibie,' Mr Usman said, referring to the Tim Gabungan Pencari Fakta task force (TGPF). The task force recorded 52 cases of rape, 14 cases of rape and assault, 10 cases of attacks and sexual assault, and 9 cases of sexual abuse. But it stressed that this does not represent the full number of actual victims because the report was based on the testimonies of the victims who were willing to come forward between May and July 3, 1998. 'The majority of the rape cases were gang rapes... And most of the rapes were done while other people were watching,' the report says. Former national police chief Oegroseno, who uses one name, also condemned the minister. 'Fadli Zon, if you don't know the situation on the ground in 1998, you shouldn't talk too much. The people who were victims feel hurt by your statement,' the retired three-star police general wrote in an Instagram post on June 17. In his Aug 14, 1998, speech that cited the report, Mr Habibie said: 'The looting and burning of shopping centres and residential homes were even accompanied by acts of violence and sexual abuse against women, particularly those from the ethnic Chinese community. 'All of these irresponsible criminal acts are very shameful and have tarnished our reputation as a civilised and religious nation; we condemn such barbarity,' he added. Mr Fadli was a noted student activist who opposed Mr Suharto's authoritarianism and played a key role in organising street rallies at the time. Scores of Mr Prabowo's inner circle -- those who supported his presidential campaigns and currently serving in the Cabinet -- come from among the 1998 pro-reform student leaders, who boldly went against Mr Suharto. Political analysts Burhanuddin Muhtadi and Adi Prayitno, quoted by local media, have considered Mr Prabowo's recruitment pro-reform activists as a political strategy to try to convince voters he has reformed, and to expand constituency base. Other 1998 pro-reform activists include Mr Budiman Sudjatmiko, who is head of the poverty eradication agency, Immanuel Mr Ebenezer Gerungan, who is deputy manpower minister, and Mr Nezar Patria, who is deputy communications and digital affairs minister. Mr Nezar was reported to be among the abductees who managed to return home in 1998. Responding to the mounting criticism, Mr Fadli said on June 16: 'Various criminal acts occurred amid the May 13-14, 1998 riots, including acts of sexual violence, however, with regard to mass rapes, caution is needed as data on the incident has never been conclusive.' Mr Fadli said that he does not interfere in the rewriting of Indonesian history, stressing that he entirely has left it to the historians to do this and to complete the rewriting project. Chinese descendant Indonesian Pauline Irawati, 55, a retiree, sees Mr Fadli's motive as an attempted cover-up for Mr Prabowo. 'What Fadli Zon said is otherwise incomprehensible,' she told The Straits Times. Mr Prabowo's alleged role in human rights violations in 1998, East Timor and elsewhere has dogged his political career. Mr Prabowo was once banned by the US for rights violations. Ms Pauline remembers the violent gangs that hunted the Chinese in 1998. She managed to evade the mobs on May 14 as she took a 2½-hour journey from her colleague's home in Karawaci, a Jakarta satellite town, to her home in Cengkareng, West Jakarta. Her office sent staff home early the day before and she, the only Chinese in the office, decided to spend the night at a colleague's home near the office, before making the trip home in a public minivan. 'On the way home, we were stopped a few times by mobs who asked, 'Are there Chinese on board?' I was the only Chinese there. I kept my head down to avoid being noticed,' Ms Pauline recalled, adding that other passengers protected her by always saying there were no Chinese on board. While Mr Fadli has promised he will not interfere in the work of historians revising the nation's history, Mr Bambang Wuryanto, an MP from the opposition Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), isn't so sure. He said in Parliament on June 17 that subjectivity in the history rewriting project initiated by Mr Fadli, a senior politician of the ruling party Gerindra, would definitely play in the process. Parliament's education and culture committee member Bonnie Triyana said on June 18 that Parliament will invite Mr Fadli to a House hearing to give explanation about the history rewriting project. 'Don't rewrite history using a power-driven approach, and don't be selective and partial based on political interest. If that's so, It's better to stop the programme altogether,' he said . Wahyudi Soeriaatmadja has been Indonesia correspondent at The Straits Times since 2008, and is based in Jakarta. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
