US sells attack copters to I'nesia

The US decision to sell eight advanced attack helicopters to Indonesia confirms the superpower’s acknowledgment of Southeast Asia’s biggest economy as its most important partner in its pivot to the Asia-Pacific region.

The deal to sell Boeing AH-64E Apache helicopters worth US$500 million (Bt16.1 billion) to the Indonesian Military (TNI), which includes pilot training, radars and maintenance, was disclosed after a bilateral meeting between Defence Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro and his US counterpart Chuck Hagel at Defence Ministry headquarters on Monday.

In spite of the TNI’s human rights record in Papua and a recent raid on a civilian prison by members of the Army’s Special Forces (Kopassus) in Yogyakarta, Hagel said Washington was determined to help Jakarta build its military capability.

“A strong Indonesia is good for the region,” Hagel said. “I welcome the progress Indonesia has made in improving transparency and the protection of human rights.”

Hagel had earlier been briefed by Army Chief of Staff General Moeldoko on the Cebongan Penitentiary raid in Yogyakarta in March, Purnomo said. 

“Since I was able to get the current status [of the case] and was able to express the point of view of the US on this, and because it has been before the courts [...] that’s all I can say about it for now,” Hagel said when asked about the incident.

The US is seeking to bolster ties with Southeast Asian nations as part of its “pivot” toward the Asia-Pacific region amid concerns about China’s growing assertiveness.

Hagel said that the US would stay on its course in Asia-Pacific despite crises in other parts of the world. 

“[US] President Barrack Obama a couple of years ago put forward the rebalancing of America’s relationship priorities in the world, it is focused very much on Asia-Pacific, an area which is particularly important to the future of the US,” Hagel said.

He said that the rebalancing did not concern only security issues. 

“This rebalance is not just about security, it’s not just about enhancing military relationships, although that’s important, but it’s also focused on our diplomatic relationships, our economic, trade, commercial, cultural and educational relationships.”

Jakarta was Hagel’s second stop on his week-long Southeast Asian tour after Kuala Lumpur. He is attending the Asean Defence Ministers Meeting (ADMM) Plus in Brunei Darussalam today, after which he will travel to the Philippines.

Hagel said the US had allocated $90 million for foreign military financing and international military education and training programmes in Southeast Asia, an increase of more than 50 per cent compared to four years ago.

He also said that he supported Asean’s efforts to start formal negotiations on a binding code of conduct for the South China Sea.