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Earlier he oversaw occupied Timor militias, and "was a Kopassas intelligence chief there during the 1999 TNI terror...."
Indonesian National Police (POLRI) confirmed the above account, but "with evident reluctance, even fear." (POLRI) also kills and tortures civilians, and mounts joint task forces with TNI, (but TNI) has more guns and cash, and (they're unencumbered by) POLRI's political burden of having to claim that they're enforcing the murder laws."
General Sunarko told Nairn "that he was an enthusiastic supporter of President Obama's plan to boost aid to Kopassas and to TNI generally. (He said America and TNI have had) a long, close partnership that had 'raised the capacity of TNI,' and that Obama's (full) restoration of aid would make for 'a still more intimate collaboration." Since the 1980s, he, in fact, was US-trained at various Indonesian sites along with many other TNI officers.
In June, when Obama visits Indonesian leaders, "on the table is a big aid package for TNI, negotiated over recent months, the political centerpiece of which is an apparent renewal of open aid for Kopassas."
Among all Indonesian units implicated in past atrocities:
"those of Kopassas are the most celebrated, and, as their former commander, the US-trained Gen. Prabowo, once told me, they have historically been the unit most closely identified with Washington....Obama's planned (restoration of aid) to Kopassas is now awaited by TNI as sweet vindication, and by many of (its) survivors" as the green light for terror.
Other TNI components are also implicated, including "BAIS intelligence and the mainline regional and local commands, KODAM, KOREM, and KODIM, all of them, most importantly, reporting ultimately to" top TNI commanders and theirs in the government.
Importantly, whether or not Kopassas aid is restored, "TNI as a whole already has the green light," 2,800 of its forces "being trained in the US (according to) Indonesia's Defense Minister." The Pentagon wants other weapons and equipment sales and US loans to "further empower TNI overall."
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