Indonesian Police Used FPI as ‘Attack Dog,’ Leaked US Cable Alleges

[kullatiro]

Unredacted US diplomatic cables published by antisecrecy Web site WikiLeaks on Friday allege collusion between Indonesian security forces and the radical Islamic Defenders Front.

Though the claims are not new, the leaked cables go into far greater detail than before and name the sources providing the US Embassy in Jakarta with information on a number of recent controversies, each of which has the potential to embarrass the Indonesian government.

One of the cables states that a contact within the State Intelligence Agency (BIN), Yahya Asagaf, had "sufficiently close contacts within" the Front, known as the FPI, to warn the embassy that it would be attacked by the vigilante group on Feb. 19, 2006, during protests against the publication of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed.

The cable says the contact alleged that then National Police Chief Gen. Sutanto, the current head of BIN, had provided the FPI with funds prior to the attack, but cut off the funding after the incident.

"When we questioned [the contact's] allegation that Sutanto funded FPI, Yahya said the police chief found it useful to have FPI available to him as an 'attack dog,'" the cable says.

"When pressed further on the usefulness of FPI playing this role, noting that the police should be sufficiently capable of intimidation, Yahya characterized FPI as a tool that could spare the security forces from criticism for human rights violations, and he said funding FPI was a 'tradition' of the Police and BIN."

The contact said the FPI had obtained the "majority of its funds from the security forces" but faced a "budget crunch" after the attack.

Another cable also alleges the FPI had close contacts with former Jakarta Police Chief Nugroho Djayusman, who admitted the connections to embassy officials.

"He then explained defensively that it was natural for him, as the Jakarta Police Chief, to have contacts with all sorts of organizations," the cable continues. "This was necessary because the sudden release of energy from the Islamists, who had been repressed under [former dictator] Suharto, could have posed a security risk.

"'But it doesn't mean I was involved,' he said, distancing himself from responsibility for any violent activities."

The cable said that Nugroho illustrated his point by claiming that Sutanto lacked useful connections, "and when the violent FPI demonstration took place, Sutanto had to call Nugroho to request assistance."

"Nugroho told us that he then called FPI Chairman Habib Rizieq and arranged the surrender of three men who had arranged the violence outside of the US Embassy. "

Nugroho, a controversial figure also blamed for failing to prevent the deadly anti-Chinese riots after the downfall of Suharto in 1998, also took a swipe at the FPI's Islamic credentials.

Though he acknowledged the FPI had a "clear track record of violence" he labeled the group a "small, relatively insignificant group" that was "not ideological, except insofar as it opposed gambling, prostitution and pornography."

"By contrast, he noted that 'Ngruki' (shorthand for [Abu Bakar] Bashir's pesantren and, one can assume, the Jemaah Islamiyah organization) was a much more serious ideological group."

In a later cable in the second quarter of 2006, Yenny Wahid, the daughter of former President Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid, said the retired group of security officers who had helped form and finance the FPI — including Nugroho — had lost control of the group, saying they had "'created a monster' that now functioned independently of its former sponsors and did not feel beholden to them."

"Although anyone with money could hire FPI for political purposes, no one outside of the group could control FPI head Habib Rizieq, who functions as his own boss," the cable said.

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[kullatiro]

terjemahan indonesia nya

Polisi Indonesia menggunakan FPI sebagai anjing penyerang, kata bocoran telegram AS.

Telegram diplomatik yang tidak diedit yang dipublikasikan website anti-kerahasiaan WIKILEAKS pada hari minggu menyiratkan kolusi antara petugas keamanan indonesia dan grup radikal Front Pembela Islam

Walaupun klain ini tidaklah baru, telegram yg bocor ini melangkah lebih detil dan menyediakan nama sumber yang memberikan Kedutaan Besar AS di Jakarta informasi pada sejumlah kontroversi baru-baru ini, yang masing-masing dapat mempermalukan pemerintah indonesia

Satu telegram mengatakan bahwa kontak dari BIN (Badan Intelejen Negara), Yahya Asagaf, mempunyai "kedekatan yang cukup dengan orang di dalam" FPI, sehingga bisa memperingatkan Kedubes bahwa mereka akan diserang grup barbar ini pada 19 februari 2006, ketika demonstrasi menentang publikasi kartun Nabi Muhammad.

Telegram mengatakan bahwa kontak mengatakan bahwa Kepala Polisi Nasional Jendral Sutanto dan kepala BIN saat ini, telah mendanai FPI sebelum serangan, namun menghentikan dana setelah serangan terjadi.

"Ketika kami menanyakan (kontak) tentang pendanaan FPI oleh Sutanto, Yahya mengatakan bahwa kepala polisi menganggap FPI bermanfaat sebagai "anjing penyerang", begitu kata telegram.

"Ketika ditanya lebih jauh tentang manfaat FPI memainkan peran ini, karena bukankah Polisi cukup menakutkan?, Yahya mengkarakterisasi FPI sebagai alat yang dapat digunakan supaya petugas keamanan tidak kena kritik pelanggaran Hak asasi manusia, dan dia mengatakan bahwa mendanai FPI adalah tradisi polisi dan BIN."

Kontak mengatakan bahwa FPI mendapatkan "sebagian besar dananya dari petugas keamanan" tetapi menghadapi "pemotongan dana" setelah serangan.

Telegram lainnya menyiratkan bahwa FPI mempunyai kedekatan dengan kepala polisi Jakarta Nugroho Djayusman, yang mengakui hal itu ke pejabat kedubes AS

"Ia kemudian membela diri dengan mengatakan bahwa hal itu lumrah, sebagai kepala polisi jakarta, untuk mempunyai kontak dengan segala macam organisasi"
"Hal ini perlu karena energi yang dilepaskan tiba-tiba dari Islamis, yang dahulu ditekan (oleh Suharto), dapat menyebabkan gangguan keamanan."

"Bukan berarti saya terlibat lho", kata dia, menjauhkan diri dari segala tanggung jawab atas aktivitas kekerasan.

Telegram ini kemudian membeberkan bagaimana Nugroho menggambarkan hal ini, dengan mengklaim bahwa Sutanto (kepala polisi nasional) kekurangan koneksi yang diperlukan, "dan ketika demonstrasi kekerasan FPI terjadi, Sutanto harus menelepon Nugroho untuk meminta bantuan"

"Nugroho kemudian mengatakan kepada kami bahwa dia kemudian menelepon ketua FPI Habib Rizieq dan mengatur penyerahan diri tiga orang yang mengatur kekerasan di depan Kedubes AS"

Nugroho adalah tokoh kontroversial yang disalahkan atas kegagalan mencegah kerusuhan anti-cin setelah kejatuhan Suharto tahun 1998. Dia juga meremehkan FPI.

Walaupun dia mengakui FPI mempunyai "catatan kekerasan yang jelas", dia mengatakan kelompok ini "kecil, relatif tidak penting" yang "tidak ideologis, kecuali menyangkut perjudian, prostitusi, dan pornografi"

"Secara kontras dia mengatakan bahwa Ngruki (pesantren Abu bakar Bashir) dan Jamaah Islamiyah adalah kelompok ideologis yang lebih serius

Di telegram yang lebih kemudian akkhir 2006, Yenny Wahid, putri mantan presiden Abdurahman Wahid (Gus Dur), mengatakan bahwa kelompok pensiunan petugas keamanan yang telah membantu membuat dan mendanai FPI, termasuk Nugroho, telah kehilangan kontrol atas kelompok ini, mengatakan bahwa mereka telah "menciptakan monster" yang sekarang berfungsi independen dari bekas sponsornya dan tidak merasa terikat kepada mereka"

"Walaupun siapa saja yang mempunyai uang dapat menyewa FPI untuk kepentingan politik, tidak ada seorang pun di luar kelompok dapat mengontrol Habib Rizieq, yang menjadi bos dirinya sendiri