INDONESIA PLEDGES SUPPORT TOWARDS INTERNATIONAL PEACE BUILDING

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BY GEORGINA KEKEA
In Yogyakarta, Indonesia

INDONESIAN National Defence Forces (INDF) Peace keeping Center is a training facility of various institutions, ministries, institutions for both civilian and military. Inaugurated in 2014, it is the largest security center owned by an ASEAN (Association of South East Asia Nations) member.

For 2018, Indonesia is aiming to send 4000 peacekeepers in the Peacekeeping Force thus the center plays a very crucial role in ensuring Indonesian peace keepers are well trained to carry out their duties in countries of assignment. But the focus of peace keeping only extends to international countries.


 When answering a question from journalists, it was said that Indonesia’s focus in peace building is mainly in international conflict areas and not so much in domestic areas.

“There’s nothing to do about the area of Papua. It’s totally different.  Because the peacekeeping force is mainly for international peacekeeping”, a spokesperson from the Indonesia Foreign Affairs Ministry said.

He said the center is different and not involved in the issues of the province of West Papua.
The issue of West Papua has been an ongoing one with Indonesia since the 1960s. There had been reports of human rights abuse by Indonesia towards Papuans in that province.

At the same time, Colonel Aldrin Mongan, Deputy Commandant of INDF Peace Keeping Center says the challenge for them is to change the mindset of their personals from combatant mind to peacekeeper mind.

“Naturally the military has been trained for combat. It is their job. But the challenge when we train our troop for peacekeeping, we have to shift their mind and way of thinking from combatant to non-combatant. The result is we are now in number eight, the top ten in serving peace in the world. So what does this mean, it’s up to you”, Colonel Aldrin said.

He also said Diplomatic relations is left with those doing Diplomacy work whilst the military is focused only on doing their job.

“Like you are a journalist that is your area. Same for military that is their area”, he said.

He also said that in international areas’ Indonesia have tried their best in ensuring there is global peace with troops encountering casualties in conflict areas with a few that lost their lives.

 INDF as a training facility for peace building is obliged to adhere to the United Nation’s standards. The center is located in Sentul, Bogol Regency in the West Java province and is an initiative of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in 2010.

The INDF peacekeeping Center consists of the Indonesia National Army Peace Maintenance Mission Center, TNI standby center, military sports center, the Indonesian Defense University and carry out trainings on Disaster Prevention education, counter terrorism and deradicalisation, center for linguistic development and diplomacy, language development and development agency and culture of the Republic of Indonesia.

Since 2017, it is also certified as an institution to train designated EU Diplomats for deployment to ASEAN countries.

It also has a number of partnership and collaboration in training with countries like Australia, Canada, Thailand, EU and the United States.

Indonesia for the fourth time since 1970 has been elected into the UN Security Council and has pledged its support for world peace through its peacekeeping mission.

“We are not interfering which I would we say and we are not lecturing but giving our effort to help”, the journalists were told when questioning Indonesia’s involvement in some conflict areas.

The center is looked after by the Indonesian government through its Defense Ministry.

ENDS///

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