[APSNet] 1 March 2007: Austral Peace and Security Network

Thu Mar 1 00:49:18 CST 2007

Thursday 1 March 2007
Bi-weekly report from the Nautilus Institute at RMIT, Australia.
Broken links?  Try on-line: <http://nautilus.rmit.edu.au>

1. Trouble Brewing in East Timor Again?
2. Some 1,000 Soldiers Deployed along Indonesia-East Timor Border
3. East Timor: Balibo Inquest Keeps Lid on Old Spy Methods
4. China's Strategic Southeast Asian Embrace
5. Australia: Ships Come in $1bn over Defence Budget
6. Australia Faces Growing Submarine Threat
7. Nuclear: A Road Australia Has Travelled Already
8. Australia-Indonesia: Security Framework a Benchmark

Austral Policy Forum 07-05A 
Military Links between Australia and Indonesia: An Amoral Assessment -
Clinton Fernandes

1. Trouble Brewing in East Timor Again? SIIA, 2007-02-26
This time, over the possible sacking of troops on strike, the shooting
of an East Timorese refugee by an Australian peacekeeper. This and other
incidents have sparked a wave of anti-Australian feelings in East Timor.
As a result, the Australian-led UN and International Security Forces
(ISF) have been targeted in a series of rock throwing incidents, with 50
UN vehicles hit over two days.
<http://www.siiaonline.org/home?wid=171&func=viewSubmission&sid=1133>

	East Timor Army Strike Sparks Security Fears, Karen Percy with
Brendan Nelson, ABC, 2007-02-27 [transcript]
	<http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2006/s1579486.htm>

2. Some 1,000 Soldiers Deployed along RI-East Timor Border, Jakarta
Post, 2007-03-01
The Indonesian military has deployed some 1,000 soldiers along border
areas between East Timor and Indonesia, following the security crisis in
the newest Asian country. The deployment was to anticipate possible
penetration of East Timor rebels led by Maj. Alfredo Reinado. Indonesia
has closed checkpoints between the two countries to prevent any exodus
of East Timorese into Indonesia.
<http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailtoplatest.asp?fileid=20070228123455&irec=1>

	Diggers Blockade Timor Rebels, Lindsay Murdoch, Age, 2007-03-01 

	<http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/diggers-blockade-timor-rebels/2007/02/28/1172338709256.html>

3. Balibo Inquest Keeps Lid on Old Spy Methods, Hamish McDonald, SMH,
2007-02-27
The Federal Government has brought down the cone of silence over the
Balibo inquest, shielding key intelligence evidence from the public and
the media. One of the world's leading authorities on signals
intelligence, Desmond Ball of the Australian National University, said
the court secrecy was "nonsense" and added: "The coroner has been snowed
by Defence Signals Directorate."
<http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/balibo-inquest-keeps-lid-on-old-spy-methods/2007/02/26/1172338547087.html>

	Massacre Cable Went to Whitlam, Hamish McDonald, SMH,
2007-03-01
	<http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/massacre-cable-went-to-whitlam/2007/02/28/1172338710475.html?page=fullpage>

4. China's Strategic Southeast Asian Embrace, David Fullbrook, Asia
Times, 2007-02-21 
If all goes to plan, China will for the first time ever in July host
joint military exercises with troops from the 10-member Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Beijing's friendly overture would
appear to mark a significant strategic departure, with China moving
toward more limited multilateralism rather than its historical
unilateralism to advance its regional-security interests.
<http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/IB21Ae02.html>

5. Ships Come in $1bn over Defence Budget, Geoffrey Barker, AFR*,
2007-02-28
The federal government is facing a $1 billion blow-out in the estimated
$6 billion cost of its three planned air-warfare destroyers. The failure
of the bidders to keep their prices close to defence's $6 billion
estimate has confronted the government with new concerns over the
project and over Australia's $19.6 billion annual defence budget,
already under severe pressure.
<http://newsstore.fairfax.com.au/apps/newsSearch.ac?page=1&kw=The+AWDs+will+be+built+at+the+ASC+shipyard+near+Adelaide>
*Subscription required

6. Australia Faces Growing Submarine Threat, AAP, SMH, 2007-03-01
Australia faces a growing threat from regional nations equipped with
modern submarines, a new study warns. The Australian Strategic Policy
Institute (ASPI) says Australia's anti-submarine warfare (ASW)
capabilities had lagged behind because regional nations had few
submarines and those were of dubious capability. But many regional
nations were now acquiring modern submarines and weapons.
<http://www.smh.com.au/news/NATIONAL/Australia-faces-growing-submarine-threat/2007/03/01/1172338764858.html>

	The Enemy Below: Anti-Submarine Warfare in the ADF, Andrew
Davies , ASPI, 2007-03-01
	<http://www.aspi.org.au/publications/publication_details.aspx?ContentID=116&pubtype=10>

7. A Road Australia Has Travelled Already, Hugh White, SMH, 2007-03-01
The Federal Government has yet to respond to the Switkowski report on
Australia's nuclear future. Debate about its recommendations on nuclear
power generation has moved into a higher gear with news that senior
businessmen, some with strong Liberal Party affiliations, have formed a
company to develop nuclear power stations here. But there is also the
question of Australia's nuclear weapons capability. 
<http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/a-road-australia-has-travelled-already/2007/02/28/1172338709545.html?page=fullpage>

	PM: Nuclear Firm 'A Great Idea', John Breusch and Mark Phillips,
AFR*, 2007-02-28
	<http://newsstore.fairfax.com.au/apps/newsSearch.ac?page=1&kw=PM%3A

+Nuclear+Firm+%27A+Great+Idea%27>
	*Subscription required

8. Security Framework a Benchmark, Graeme Dobell with Gillian Bird,
June Verrier and Bill Rowlings, ABC, 2007-02-26
The Australian Government says its new security treaty with Indonesia
is a benchmark for the rest of Asia. A parliament committee into the
Australia-Indonesia Framework for Security Cooperation is hearing
submissions from the public, including activists from the Indonesian
province of Papua. 
<http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/connectasia/stories/s1858137.htm>

	Submissions to the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties, Treaty
Tabled on 6 December 2006 [Australia-Indonesia Framework for Security
Cooperation], Joint Committee Parliament of Australia, 2007-02-28
	<http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/jsct/6december2006/subs.htm>

	Agreement between Australia and the Republic of Indonesia on the
Framework for Security Cooperation (Mataram, Lombok, 13 November 2006),
ATNIF 25 [Primary Source]
	<http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/other/dfat/nia/2006/43/>

9. Austral Policy Forum 07-05A: Military Links Between Australia and
Indonesia: An Amoral Assessment - Clinton Fernandes
Clinton Fernandes from the University of NSW at the ADF Academy reviews
the 2006 security agreement between Australia and Indonesia and finds
"that the realpolitik argument fails on its own terms." He rejects
claims that military cooperation will enhance counter-terrorism,
contribute to stability in Indonesia, or facilitate awareness of human
rights issues within the Indonesian armed forces. The success of the ADF
role in InterFET, he argues, came from the Indonesian military's
diplomatic isolation and the preponderance of Australian force rather
than access to senior Indonesian military personnel. Finally Fernandes
rejects the argument that "Australia would have to spend a prohibitively
high sum of money on defence in the absence of close relations with the
TNI." Leaving aside the absence of aggressive intent, Fernandes
concludes that "the Indonesian military does not have the naval or air
assets required to project power against Australia, let alone to sustain
itself logistically."
Read the complete essay:
<http://nautilus.rmit.edu.au/forum-reports/0705a-fernandes.html>

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Jane Mullett
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