Indonesia offers defence sales to Pakistan
Jon Grevatt, Bangkok - IHS Jane's Defence Industry
21 September 2016
Earlier upon arrival at Headquarter Tentara Nasional Indonesia (TNI), The Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) General Rashad Mahmood was presented the Guard of Honour.
The Indonesian government has offered to sell a range of defence equipment to Pakistan, Indonesia's state-run news agency Antara reported on 21 September.
The country's co-ordinating political, legal, and security affairs minister, Wiranto, who goes by one name, said that Indonesian defence officials are discussing with Pakistan counterparts potential sales of platforms including the CN-235 medium-lift transport aircraft and the 6x6 Anoa armoured personnel carrier (APC).
The CN-235 is produced by PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI) under licence from Airbus, while the Anoa, which is very similar in appearance to the widely deployed French Renault Trucks Defense Vehicule de l'Avant (VAB), is manufactured by PT Pindad.
http://www.janes.com/article/63989/indonesia-offers-defence-sales-to-pakistan
Indonesia explores possibility of obtaining US aid to finance base in South China Sea
Ridzwan Rahmat, Singapore - IHS Jane's Navy International
21 September 2016
The Wulung UAV, shown here at the Indodefence 2014 exhibition in Jakarta, is likely to be one of the UAV platforms that Indonesia plans to deploy on its facilities on Pulau Natuna Besar. (IHS/Patrick Allen)
A delegation of five senior Indonesian Navy (Tentara Nasional Indonesia-Angkatan Laut, or TNI-AL) officers are currently in the United States to explore the possibility of tapping into Washington's foreign military financing (FMF) programme to fund upgrades of a naval base in the South China Sea, sources within the service told
IHS Jane's on 20 September.
The delegation of flag officers has been invited under Washington's Distinguished Visitor Orientation Tour (DVOT) and will also make visits in several cities to study the US Navy's installations and training facilities including Quantico in Virginia, and San Diego in California. The visits are taking place over two weeks till end-September 2016.
Jakarta is currently in the process of upgrading the TNI-AL's facilities at Ranai on Pulau Natuna Besar to support a larger deployment of ships in the South China Sea region.
A transcript of a meeting between Indonesian National Armed Forces commander, General Gatot Nurmantyo, and the Indonesian House of Representatives commission on defence, intelligence, and foreign affairs (Komisi I) in February 2016 also revealed that the country is planning to locate its third submarine base on the same island.
Besides upgrading its base in the South China Sea, proceeds from the FMF is also being planned for the upgrade of another naval base at Piabung in Lampung, which lies close to the Sunda Strait - a major sea line of communication through the archipelago.
Depending on the outcome of this exploratory visit,
IHS Jane's understands that a formal request for the FMF will be made by the Indonesian Ministry of Defence to the US' Department of Defence at a later time.
http://www.janes.com/article/63976/...ing-us-aid-to-finance-base-in-south-china-sea
Indonesia on alert as ‘Daesh members’ return from Syria
Defense ministry tracking dozens of suspected Daesh sympathizers who returned from war-torn country
21.09.2016
world,
asia - pacific
Indonesia’s defense minister announced Wednesday that the country is on alert against any possible terror attacks as dozens of its citizens suspected of joining Daesh have returned from Syria.
Ryamizard Ryacudu was quoted by detik.com as saying that his ministry is tracking 23 suspected Daesh sympathizers who returned from the war-torn country over the last three months.
"They're [back] from Syria since two or three months ago. I've been wary of them," he stressed, adding that those suspected reportedly mingled with other citizens to reduce the suspicion of security officials.
According to the National Counter Terrorism Agency, around 500 Indonesians have traveled to Syria citing a variety of reasons as of the end of May, with many believed to have joined Daesh.
The minister expressed hope that a revised anti-terrorism law currently being discussed in parliament would be better suited to dealing with the influence of Daesh in Indonesia -- including detailing penalties for nationals who join the terror group.
Putting the number of Daesh members in the Middle East at “no more than 30,000”, Ryacudu underlined that the group was nonetheless able to spread terror in many countries -- meaning that Indonesia needed to exert serious efforts to prevent its influence in the world’s most populous Muslim country.
"The number of Muslims in Indonesia is very big, making it a recruitment target," he said.
"There are 200 million Muslims here. If one percent of those were radicals such as ISIS [Daesh], then there would be 2 million extremists. Then the world would be finished.”
Suhardi Alius, National Counter Terrorism Agency chief, also confirmed the return to Indonesia of some nationals who had joined Daesh, but refrained from providing a figure.
He said that of the hundreds of Indonesians fighting with terror groups, 69 have died in Syria.
He stressed that related ministries are now coordinating to prevent the spread of radical thinking, including among inmates and nationals who returned from Syria.
"We must be able to anticipate [the spread of radical thinking]... Because they've got militants’ ability," he was quoted as saying by kompas.com, warning that such suspects’ children and families could have potentially been radicalized.
Indonesia has been on alert against extremist activities over the past year, further heightening security measures after an attack in Jakarta left eight people -- including four Daesh-linked suspects -- dead in January.
http://aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/indonesia-on-alert-as-daesh-members-return-from-syria/649625
