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US-Indonesia ties strained by recent past

Nearly six years after its troops and civilian militia laid waste to tiny East Timor, triggering worldwide outrage, Indonesia has begun to repair its military ties with the US. But the violent 1999 pullout by Indonesia from the now independent half-island state continues to shadow relations between the two former cold war allies. Although President Bush has restored partial ties and pushed for normalization, Congress has refused to restart the training of Indonesian Army officers and the sale of lethal weapons while past abuses go unpunished.

The tussle over how to handle Indonesia",s powerful military mirrors a wider debate over the building of alliances in the war on terror, as well as the US security footprint in Southeast Asia. Administration officials argue that Indonesian support in counterterrorism is crucial and that its armed forces are adapting to democratic rule and deserve US support for further reforms.

"We continue to focus on the role the Indonesian military has in terms of democracy and respect for human rights. That`s not a focus of ours that has gone away," says a US official in Indonesia. Critics, though, contend that pandering to abusive allies undercuts the push for greater democracy and the rule of law. Indonesian troops are accused of extrajudicial killings, beatings, torture, and forced disappearances of civilians in East Timor, Aceh, and Papua.

Last year`s tsunami in the Indonesian province of Aceh offered a chance to soften that reputation as Indonesian soldiers joined an international aid effort. President Bush and other leaders were quick to praise Indonesian forces for their cooperation in Aceh. Indonesia used the opportunity to press for the sale of spare parts for their ageing cargo planes.