The Guardian 14 June, 2006
Editorial
Australia-Indonesian treaty
It has been confirmed that negotiations for a new treaty between Indonesia and Australia are taking place. The former Labor Keating Government had negotiated a treaty with Indonesia. While the details have not been made public, some media outlets have been able to indicate the likely contents of the treaty.
There appears to be a commitment by Australia to resume training of the Indonesian forces despite the recent history of those forces in East Timor and the atrocities they are still committing in West Papua. Many in Australia will find this commitment highly objectionable. There was and still is widespread sympathy and support for the East Timorese struggle in Australia. Such training had been taking place for many years before official relations cooled following the successful independence struggle waged by the people of East Timor. The long struggle of the East Timorese for independence was met by savage oppression, even after they had overwhelmingly voted for independence. Some of these Indonesian forces had been trained by Australia.
A Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) (8/6/06) report of the treaty now being negotiated said it was expected to include "significant" military cooperation, intelligence sharing and joint naval and surveillance patrols. Australia will pledge support for Indonesia’s territorial integrity said the SMH report.
The proposed "joint naval and surveillance patrols" are aimed against the West Papuans and will result in them being imprisoned in their own homeland by the powerful navy patrols of both countries. There will be little chance for West Papuans to escape the persecutions and killings that have been going on inside West Papua for many years. Even if refugees succeed in reaching the Australian mainland they will be shipped off to Christmas Island or Nauru where they will be beyond help by Australian legal supporters and will, almost certainly, be secretly returned to West Papua and the vengeance of the Indonesians. That is the purpose of the refugee legislation now before parliament (see report opposite).
The Australian Government will also commit itself to provide the Indonesians with whatever "intelligence" may be collected from within West Papua by Australian intelligence organisations concerning the Free Papua Movement (OPM). And no doubt Indonesia along with Australia will continue their attempts to destabilise the progressive Government of Mari Alkatiri.
A policy document on East Timor published in 2002 by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) makes this position clear. (The ASPI was set up by the Howard Government to "provide fresh ideas on Australia’s defence and strategic policy choices".) It says that "Australia’s relations with Indonesia are greater than our interests in East Timor". It also claims that "Australia will have an interest in making sure that Indonesia fully respects East Timor’s sovereignty". The report notes that "Indonesia shares our concern that East Timor should not fall under the influence of external powers that could destabilise our neighbourhood" and, "East Timor’s security from external subversion or aggression is an enduring strategic interest for Australia — and it is an interest we share with Indonesia".
It does not take much imagination to conclude that the "external powers" being alluded to include the People’s Republic of China but not Taiwan or Japan which are also active in the region.
Earlier this year China’s Premier attended a heads-of-state conference with most South Pacific island nations at which China indicated its willingness to extend "mutually beneficial" trade relations with these nations without strings attached. Although East Timor was not among those attending, an agreement to prospect for oil and gas in East Timor by a consortium which includes China may be a factor in the strenuous campaign being waged in Australia calling for the removal of the Mari Alkatiri Government. (see CPA East Timor resolution)
That the Australian Government wants Indonesia to be party to this campaign by talking about the "common interest" of the two countries to preserve the "stability of the neighbourhood" is a major thought behind the treaty now being negotiated. It will inevitably be directed against any progressive government arising in the South Pacific that adopts policies not in the interests of the Howard Government and its corporate backers.