Indonesian officers still training in NZ

By Eugene Bingham

Indonesian officers are still being trained in New Zealand - more than a week after the Government announced it was suspending military cooperation with Jakarta.

Since the announcement, four have continued their New Zealand taxpayer-funded studies, while two have been sent home.

Campaigners are appalled that New Zealand is maintaining its ties with the Indonesian military, especially as Kiwi soldiers are being sent to East Timor.

"It's nothing short of outrageous - what sort of double message are we sending?" asked Maire Leadbeater, of the East Timorese Independence Committee.

Following evidence of links between rampaging militiamen in East Timor and the Indonesian forces, Prime Minister Jenny Shipley and Defence Minister Max Bradford declared on the eve of the Apec leaders' conference that New Zealand would cut its defence ties with Jakarta.

In a statement headed "New Zealand suspends military cooperation with Indonesia," Mr Bradford said he would suspend and review activities under the military assistance programme.

Since the announcement on September 10, two naval officers attending military skills programmes with the Navy have been sent home. But four men studying at Massey University have continued. It is understood they have not been wearing their uniforms.

It is believed the men are living in quarters at Linton Army Camp. The first contingent of soldiers bound for East Timor left from the camp yesterday.

"The Government never said those four were leaving," said a spokesman for Mr Bradford. "They are locked up in the library at Massey University and the Government is still reviewing their repatriation date."

He said the men were studying masters of philosophy: "These guys are learning about philosophy - they are not studying how to kill people."

But Mrs Leadbeater said the situation was unacceptable. "They are not studying philosophy in an abstract sense. They are studying things much more related to military strategy. Is it okay for us still to be supporting a military which has proved itself capable of genocide?"

A defence and strategic studies department is attached to Massey University's department of history and philosophy. But the university said privacy reasons prevented it from saying which courses the officers were enrolled in.

Green Party foreign affairs spokesman Keith Locke, who has campaigned against the military programme, said the officers were due to stay in New Zealand until December 18.

"I'm sure they are nice people and some of the courses they are studying are too, but this is about New Zealand taxpayers supporting the Indonesian Army."