SYDNEY - The threat of regional terrorism has forced an ended to a seven year ban on military contact between Australian special forces and Indonesiaâs elite Kopassus unit, with the two forces set to train together in early 2006.
Australia cut links with Kopassus in 1999 after the former Indonesian territory of East Timor voted for independence, sparking a spree of violence by pro-Jakarta militias backed by Indonesian military elements. âIn this era of heightened terrorist threats, it is in Australiaâs interests to engage with regional special forces, such as Kopassus, to safeguard the lives of Australians,â Defence Minister Robert Hill said on Sunday.
Hill said Australiaâs Special Air Service (SAS) Regiment and Kopassusâ counter-terrorism Unit 81 will stage a two week exercise in Australia in early 2006 called âDawn Kookaburraâ which will focus on counter-hijack and hostage recovery. âKopassus Unit 81 has the most effective capability to respond to a counter-hijack or hostage recovery threat in Indonesia,â Hill said in a statement. âIn the event of a terrorist incident, the safety of Australians in Indonesia could well rest on effective cooperation between TNI (Indonesiaâs armed forces) and the ADF (Australian Defence Force),â he said.
| Necessity, bedfellows, etc. |
In light of the 2002 Bali bombings, Australia announced a year later that it would renew links with Kopassus, but the closer ties collapsed due to restrictions on the training imposed by Australia. An Australian think tank report released a year ago found Kopassus had not reformed and urged the Australian Defence Force not to renew ties.
The report by the Australian National Universityâs Strategic and Defence Studies Centre said Kopassus had not changed from its history of illegal operations and human rights abuses. Kopassus earned a notorious reputation for its alleged role in the torture and abduction of dissidents during former autocrat Suhartoâs 32-year rule of Indonesia that ended in chaos in 1998. The last training exercise between Australian military and Kopassus took place in 1997. |