By Allan Nairn
At one point during our meetings in Jakarta in 2001, General Prabowo started talking about the US National Security Agency (NSA).
Prabowo had already described how he reported to the US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) at least weekly and had mentioned his extensive work with other parts of the Pentagon.
When I asked about crimes by the TNI/ ABRI (the armed forces of Indonesia) Prabowo said that evidence of them could be found in the archives of the NSA.
He said his US handlers had talked to him about the extensive electronic surveillance that NSA, with help from Australia, was carrying out against Indonesia.
Some of this was already public record, but Prabowo said he knew more.
I asked if he had passed this information to his superiors and subordinates in the TNI/ABRI.
Prabowo replied "I don't remember if I sent a memo warning about it [the intercepts] but everyone should assume that" -- ie. assume that they were taking place.
The context for this was interesting.
Prabowo was not referring to his own crimes, but to those of his rival, General Wiranto.
He said that Wiranto was responsible for the 1999 East Timor TNI militia arson and massacre, and that Wiranto's main man on the ground was General Zacky Anwar Makarim.
Prabowo noted with apparent bitterness "I was the Americans' fair-haired boy," but now that the US had ditched him "Wiranto is their fair-haired boy."
Prabowo said that during the terror Wiranto was "close to" the US CINCPAC (Commander in Chief, Pacific) Admiral Dennis Blair.
Prabowo added that from its intercepts and from its direct involvement, the US knew exactly what Wiranto had been up to.
As far as I can tell, all of this was accurate.
I had reported in 1999, as TNI and the militias were burning Dili, internal US documents showed that Wiranto had a green light from Blair. ("US Complicity in Timor," The Nation [US], September 27, 1999; see also "Breaking News: US Intel Nominee Lied About '99 Massacre. US, Church Documents Show Adm. Dennis Blair Knew of Church Killings Before Crucial Meeting.")
It was also the case, as I reported then, that many TNI atrocities were ordered through communications equipment that was interceptable.
Prabowo said "Only they [the NSA] would have the evidence of Wiranto's militia operations."
He said he had "heard that now DC is saying prosecution of Wiranto is no longer necessary."
This latter statement was misleading, since the US had never backed prosecution (The UN, though, did indict Wiranto for crimes against humanity).
But Prabowo's point that the US was shielding Wiranto was indeed correct.
Prabowo knew the US procedures well. The US had backed and shielded his crimes for decades.
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NSA surveillance has recently become an international issue.
The US should be pushed to divulge what it has on crimes by itself and those it sponsors.
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When Prabowo implicated General Zacky to me it wasn't entirely self-serving, since Prabowo acknowledged that he himself had often set up such militias.
He said correctly that such forces were part of US counterinsurgency doctrine, and that he, Prabowo, had set militias up during his years in Timor.
He said "All counterinsurgency operations need militias, paramilitaries. The US uses them."
"They speak the local dialect, know the area. They use tactics of claiming to be the other side."
He said that he presumed that as we spoke, in 2001, Kopassus was running such militias in Aceh, and was hiding its men in plainclothes and in BRIMOB uniform.
Prabowo knew in detail about Zacky's Timor operation because Zacky had been his -- Prabowo's -- man until he "abandoned" Prabowo for Wiranto.
The TNI-run militiamen committed rape, mass murder, torture and arson.
But Prabowo's objection to them was not their crimes but their uncouth personalities.
He said Eurico Guterres, of Timor's Aitarak, was "a street punk, a gambler, barely literate." Though Eurico worked for Kopassus, Prabowo said he found him "disgusting."
Today, the press says Eurico is "ready to become a minister in a Prabowo cabinet." ("Eurico Guterres siap jadi menteri kabinet Prabowo").
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At the time we spoke, there had been a bombing at the Jakarta stock exchange (JSX) nine months earlier.
Prabowo said one of those involved was an ethnic Acehnese ex-Kopassus (Group 5).
He said "Its a problem letting Acehnese in there," (the military) because the Acehnese were not trustworthy.
Prabowo said"Its like Black Panthers in the US. Do you keep blacks out of the military?"
Today, the Aceh ex-GAM leadership has endorsed Prabowo for president.
I discussed this twice with Muzakir Manaf, the former GAM guerrilla commander.
The first time was on April 10, 2012 right after ex-GAM won local Aceh elections. The second was last February 9 when Muzakir was serving as the Aceh vice governor.
On both occasions I asked Muzakir if it was true that, as I had reported in 2010, the former Kopassus commander, General Sunarko, had helped assassinate pro-GAM activists during 2009.
Muzakir's response on this was significant since, by 2012, Sunarko had become a Muzakir ally. They were waging an election campaign together.
On both occasions Muzakir said yes, it was true, Sunarko helped command the murders.
So why was GAM now supporting Sunarko, this man who had killed their comrades?
Two reasons, Muzakir said, first, Sunarko could help with the Central Aceh Gayo vote, and second, Sunarko was in Prabowo's party and Prabowo was giving GAM lots of money.
Last February Muzakir acknowledged to me that Prabowo's Kopassus had murdered Aceh civilians.
But Muzakir said "He [Prabowo] had his orders, that was his national necessity. That is all in the past now."
When I asked Muzakir if his new friend Prabowo should be tried for crimes against humanity, he replied "That is not up to me. That is up to others, maybe internationally."
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Prabowo was careful when he spoke to me to avoid implicating himself criminally.
It was not that he was denying things, he was just refusing to talk about them.
But there was one interesting case, when he appeared to come to the verge of discussing his role in the 1998 Jakarta riots that featured murder, rape and anti-Chinese violence.
Prabowo had just finished blaming Wiranto for a long list of what he saw as political embarrassments, including the highly-publicized ABRI murders of civilian demonstrators at Trisakti and at Semanggi 1 and 2.
But when it came to the riots, Prabowo did not attempt to blame Wiranto.
Instead, he said, with what could have been pride: "There were 128 fires at one time. This was an operation: planned, instigated, controlled."
The only thing he would not say was who had done the controlling.
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Prabowo reminisced that during his time in occupied Timor, in the Kopassus camps, he had the use of "slaves."
But then Prabowo caught himself.
Boasting about "slaves" was not advisable.
He corrected, in good American idiom: "Well, not really slaves -- gofers."
He complained that as we spoke, in 2001, he was short of money: "I am not rich."
Prabowo said "I have 15 servants. Maybe you really only need 3."
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Monday, July 7, 2014
Prabowo, Part 3: The NSA, Militia Terror, Aceh, Servants, and "Slaves"
Sunday, July 6, 2014
Reddit AMA Tonight, WIB
NOTE TO READERS: News and Comment is looking for assistance with translating blog postings into other languages, and also with fund raising and distributing the blog content more widely. Those interested please get in touch via the e-mail link below. NOTE TO READERS RE. TRANSLATION: Portions of News and Comment are now available in Arabic, Brazilian Portuguese, Danish, French, German, Russian and Spanish translation (click preceding links or Profile link above) but translation help is still needed -- particularly with older postings, in these and all other languages. NOTE TO READERS RE. POTENTIAL EVIDENCE: News and Comment is looking for public and private documents and first-hand information that could develop into evidence regarding war crimes or crimes against humanity by officials. Please forward material via the email link below. Email Me
SIKAP KELUARGA KH ABDURRAHMAN WAHID MENGENAI KONTROVERSI WAWANCARA BP. PRABOWO SUBIANTO YANG DIANGGAP HINA GUS DUR
Link ke "Prabowo Didesak oleh Keluarga Almarhum Gus Dur untuk Lakukan Klarifikasi"
Link ke NU Online: "Sikap Keluarga Gus Dur Terkait Kontroversi Pernyataan Prabowo"
NOTE TO READERS: News and Comment is looking for assistance with translating blog postings into other languages, and also with fund raising and distributing the blog content more widely. Those interested please get in touch via the e-mail link below. NOTE TO READERS RE. TRANSLATION: Portions of News and Comment are now available in Arabic, Brazilian Portuguese, Danish, French, German, Russian and Spanish translation (click preceding links or Profile link above) but translation help is still needed -- particularly with older postings, in these and all other languages. NOTE TO READERS RE. POTENTIAL EVIDENCE: News and Comment is looking for public and private documents and first-hand information that could develop into evidence regarding war crimes or crimes against humanity by officials. Please forward material via the email link below. Email Me
Ancaman Dari Kopassus, Konfirmasi Dari Intel. Informasi Terbaru Tentang Operasi Senyap Untuk Memenangkan Prabowo
Link ke versi Bahasa Inggris
Link to "Breaking News: Indonesian Special Forces, Intelligence, in Covert Operation to Influence Election"
Link ke "Breaking News: Operasi Rahasia Kopassus dan BIN Untuk Mempengaruhi Hasil Pemilu"
Special Forces Threaten, Intel Man Confirms. An Update on the Covert Operation to Make Gen. Prabowo President.
At midnight (WIB) I received a call from a man who has just been threatened because Kopassus mistakenly believes that he is helping me.
The man was told that the Kopassus commander is "very angry" at him and that he has "done harm to the state."
He immediately left the city.
Kopassus is apparently upset that on Saturday I reported that they and the state intelligence agency (BIN) are engaged in a covert operation to use ballot tampering, violence and other means to make General Prabowo president.
Also this evening, word came through that a BIN man has confirmed the story.
It is illegal under Indonesian law for Kopassus or BIN to influence elections.
The vote for president will be held on Wednesday, July 9.
Allan Nairn
Link ke versi Bahasa Indonesia
Link to "Breaking News: Indonesian Special Forces, Intelligence, in Covert Operation to Influence Election"
Link ke "Breaking News: Operasi Rahasia Kopassus dan BIN Untuk Mempengaruhi Hasil Pemilu"
NOTE TO READERS: News and Comment is looking for assistance with translating blog postings into other languages, and also with fund raising and distributing the blog content more widely. Those interested please get in touch via the e-mail link below.
NOTE TO READERS RE. TRANSLATION: Portions of News and Comment are now available in Arabic, Brazilian Portuguese, Danish, French, German, Russian and Spanish translation (click preceding links or Profile link above) but translation help is still needed -- particularly with older postings, in these and all other languages.
NOTE TO READERS RE. POTENTIAL EVIDENCE: News and Comment is looking for public and private documents and first-hand information that could develop into evidence regarding war crimes or crimes against humanity by officials. Please forward material via the email link below.
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Saturday, July 5, 2014
Breaking News: Operasi Rahasia Kopassus dan BIN Untuk Mempengaruhi Hasil Pemilu
5 Juli 2014
Oleh Allan Nairn
Jakarta
Kopassus dan Badan Intelijen Negara (BIN) terlibat dalam operasi rahasia guna mempengaruhi pemilihan presiden.
Menurut laporan-laporan yang terdokumentasikan tentang pertemuan-pertemuan di markas Kopassus belakangan ini, operasi tersebut dirancang untuk menjamin kemenangan Jenderal Prabowo pada 9 Juli. Prabowo Subianto sempat lama menjadi orang binaan Pentagon dan intelijen AS.
Survey-survey menunjukkan, Prabowo kini bersaing ketat dengan lawannya yang sipil, gubernur Jakarta Joko "Jokowi" Widodo.
Prabowo dan Jokowi dijadwalkan berdebat di televisi untuk terakhir kalinya sebelum hari pencoblosan.
Pemilihan umum di negara kepulauan ini, dan di tengah diaspora global masyarakat indonesia, diperkirakan merupakan kedua yang paling besar di tahun ini. Nomor satu ditempati oleh pemilu India yang diselenggarakan Mei lalu.
Prabowo terlibat dalam kasus-kasus pembunuhan warga sipil dan penyiksaan. Meskipun kini memasang pose nasionalis tulen, karirnya di militer dihabiskan untuk bekerjasama dengan DIA (Badan Intelijen Pertahanan AS) dan pejabat-pejabat tingkat tinggi Amerika. Ia pun pernah membawa masuk Pasukan Khusus AS bersenjata lengkap ke wilayah Indonesia.
Prabowo telah menyerukan agar hak rakyat Indonesia untuk memilih dalam pemilihan langsung (direct vote) dicabut. Ia menjelaskan bahwa hal ini akan dilakukan setelah musyawarah dengan "elit-elit politik."
Dalam dua obrolan off-the-record bersama saya, Prabowo mengatakan Indonesia "belum siap untuk demokrasi." Ia katakan bahwa presiden waktu itu, Gus Dur, seorang ulama populer dari kalangan sipil, "bikin malu" Indonesia karena buta. Prabowo menyesalkan angkatan bersenjata yang tunduk pada Gus Dur dan bicara panjang lebar tentang masa depan politik dirinya. "Apa saya cukup punya nyali," tanya Prabowo, "Apa saya punya nyali untuk disebut diktator fasis?"
Rangkaian laporan dan komentar saya tentang Jenderal Prabowo telah menjadi isu dalam pemilu kali ini.
[Tim] Kampanye Prabowo menuding saya "musuh bangsa" dan menghimbau agar militer menangkap saya. Angkatan bersenjata telah menyatakan bahwa saya telah "menjadi target operasional." Kamis pekan ini Prabowo berpidato, memohon agar rakyat Indonesia mengabaikan laporan-laporan saya tentang dirinya hanya karena saya orang asing.
Laporan-laporan di bawah ini datang dari orang-orang yang terlibat dalam operasi BIN/Kopassus. Mereka berbicara kepada saya secara anonim.
Laporan mengenai rapat-rapat di markas Kopassus di Cijantung datang dari sumber-sumber yang hadir dalam rapat-rapat tersebut.
Panggilan telepon dari saya pada tanggal 4 Juli untuk meminta komentar Jenderal Prabowo tidak dijawab. Saya menelpon ke nomor telepon genggam yang pernah saya kontak saat menghubungi Prabowo sebelumnya.
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Markas Kopassus di Cijantung, Jakarta Timur, adalah sebuah tempat yang terkenal di Indonesia.
Di tempat inilah para aktivis pro-demokrasi diculik oleh Kopassus (yang saat itu dimimpin Prabowo), disiksa, dan rupanya-rupanya dieksekusi pada tahun 1997-98. Ketika itu terjadi perlawanan besar-besaran terhadap mertua Jenderal Prabowo, yakni Suharto, seorang diktator yang dibekingi AS.
Tiga belas dari keseluruhan korban penculikan hingga kini masih hilang dan diduga telah meninggal. Salah satu pimpinan tim kampanye Prabowo, Jenderal Kivlan Zen, menyatakan bahwa dirnya mengetahui di mana mayat mereka dikuburkan.
Cijantung juga merupakan situs pelatihan Kopassus yang diselenggarakan AS. Ke tempat ini pula para pejabat AS sering berkunjung. Selama Prabowo masih menjabat, sejumlah nama jenderal, Panglima Pasifik (CINCPAC) dan Sekretaris Pertahanan, tertulis dalam buku tamu.
Pada suatu hari dalam pekan ini (sumber-sumber terlibat minta agar saya tidak menyebut tanggalnya), para agen senior Kopassus mengadakan rapat di Cijantung pada malam hari.
Topik pembicaraannya adalah operasi rahasia untuk menjadikan Prabowo Presiden.
Diantara hadirin adalah sejumlah veteran operasi-operasi rahasia di Aceh dan Papua Barat.
Sang komandan-pimpinan memulai rapat dengan mengatakan "Kamu nyantai aja, kita udah kerja, teman-teman udah kerja semua dan kita menang — Kopassus dan orangnya Prabowo, kita menang."
Mereka menyebutnya "operasi khusus" yang dilakukan oleh "pasukan khusus ini."
Kendati sifatnya luar biasa--mencurangi pemilu sipil untuk memenangkan salah satu kandidat--sang komandan menyebut operasi tersebut sebagai perpanjangan (extension) dari taktik lumrah "operasi a la Kopassus".
Menurut seorang peserta rapat, operasi ini dimulai setelah pemilu legislatif April lalu, ketika Prabowo dan Jokowi keluar sebagai dua kandidat presiden.
Menurut aturan hukum Indonesia, angkatan bersenjata dan badan-badan intelijen harus mengambil sikap netral.
Anggota aktif TNI bahkan tidak punya hak untuk memilih.
Presiden Indonesia saat ini, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, adalah seorang jenderal pensiunan. Susilo juga bekas atasan Prabowo.
Susilo secara teknis netral dalam pemilihan ini, walaupun baru-baru ini dia memberi sinyal bekingan ke Prabowo.
Menurut bahasan rapat tersebut dan rapat-rapat lainnya, dan menurut pihak-pihak yang terlibat, operasi rahasia ini akan melibatkan kecurangan di bilik suara (ballot tampering), aksi kekerasan jalanan, ancaman terhadap pendukung Jokowi, dan jika perlu "menghabisi orang."
Operasi tersebut juga melibatkan tindakan-tindakan berskala lebih kecil, termasuk oleh pihak-pihak yang terpancing--dalam pandangan mereka--fakta bahwa artikel saya yang mengutip cercaan Prabowo terhadap Gus Dur telah menjadi isu di akar rumput.
Minggu lalu ketika saya mengeluarkan artikel tersebut, muncul spanduk-spanduk di jalanan yang menampilkan foto Gus Dur berjejer dengan kutipan Prabowo yang berbunyi:
"Militer pun bahkan tunduk pada presiden buta! Bayangkan! Coba lihat dia, bikin malu saja!"
Menurut seorang agen, "soal spanduk itu sangat ditakuti di dalam [pimpinan tim Kopassus/BIN], sangat merugikan."
Akibatnya, orang-orang berkendaraan sepeda motor Kopasus diperintahan untuk melepas spanduk-spanduk tersebut.
Namun demikian, bahwa Prabowo melecehkan Gus Dur masih dibahas hingga kini.
Kamis kemarin, sesuai permintaan mereka, saya bertemu dengan keluarga Gus Dur di Jakarta. (lihat "Regarding the Late Gus Dur," "Terkait Almarhum Gus Dur").
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Operasi Kopassus/BIN untuk mencurangi bilik suara--setidaknya menurut yang diketahui sumber-sumber saya--tidak menyasar tabulasi suara di pusat, melainkan penghitungan suara pada TPS-TPS yang terletak di unit-unit kecil pemerintahan setempat, dari kabupaten ke bawah (local precincts).
Operasi ini akan melibatkan pendistribusian uang terselubung (covert money) yang kini tengah berlangsung, "uang itu tidak kelihatan, uang di pinggir jalan."
Uang tersebut (sebagian besar dalam bentuk uang kontan) digunakan untuk "main dengan kertas suara", dengan menempatkan agen di dalam ruang-ruang penghitungan suara atau membayar pegawai negeri yang akan mengawal kotak suara.
Upaya ini khususnya difokuskan di Jawa Tengah, Bawat dan Timur, namun katanya akan berlangsung pula di sejumlah tempat di seluruh provinsi.
Menurut para peserta rapat, uang ini didistribusikan lewat Kopassus dan BIN, namun sumber utama dari dana ini masih rahasia, "sangat tertutup sumbernya dari mana".
Menurut pihak-pihak yang terlibat, operasi rahasia ini dijalankan oleh para komandan senior. Untuk Kopassus sendiri, mereka sebetulnya belum yakin akan peranan komandan Kopassus, Jenderal Agus Sutomo. Namun, seperti yang diklaim dalam salah satu rapat di Cijantung, persetujuan tersebut datang dari Presiden, Jenderal Susilo, sebagai "perintah langsung" yang turun dalam minggu-minggu terakhir ini, dan bahwa koordinasi operasi--di luar rantai komando--berasal dari Prabowo.
(Prabowo sebenarnya dipecat dari militer setelah kalah dari perebutan kekuasaan pada tahun 1998. Jenderal Susilo adalah salah satu dari para jenderal yang menandatangani perintah pemecatan tersebut).
Meski demikian, dalam kasus BIN, kepala BIN saat ini, Marciano Norman, dikatakan terlibat penuh (fully on board) dalam operasi tersebut. Marciano dekat dengan Aburizal Bakrie, seorang oligark dan pendukung Prabowo.
BIN memiliki hubungan dengan CIA. Namun masih belum jelas--sama sekali--bagaimana CIA berhubungan dengan operasi ini.
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Banyak orang Indonesia menyatakan kekhawatiran mereka bahwa pemilu kali ini akan berlangsung dengan kekerasan.
Operasi Kopassus/BIN diam-diam telah melakukan kekerasan atas nama kubu Prabowo.
Diantara mereka yang berada di ruang rapat Cijantung itu adalah para organizer berlatar belakang agen sipil yang mendapat tugas dari Kopassus untuk membuat "ribut di bawah."
Beberapa peserta rapat mengaku telah memancing massa bayaran untuk menyerang pertemuan-pertemuan pro-Jokowi dan lainnya. Mereka bekerjasama dengan milisi-milisi jalanan milik Prabowo yang telah mendapat pelatihan di Bogor. Beberapa unit serupa digambarkan "..sudah berlatih, [dan] sering merampok di mana mana."
Taktik yang sering dipakai Kopassus/BIN ini ditambah lagi dengan pendekatan baku lainnya: telepon dan sms anonim yang mengancam sasaran yang dituju atau orang-orang terdekat mereka dengan kematian, atau hal yang lebih buruk dari itu.
Pada kenyataannya, sebuah buku panduan lama Kopassus yang bocor ke publik telah secara resmi menyebutkan keberadaan taktik ini. Panduan itu menyatakan: anggota Kopassus harus terlatih menggunakan "taktik dan teknik teror."
Terkait pelaksanaan ancaman-ancaman tersebut, pembunuhan politik yang dilakukan Kopassus memiliki sejarah yang panjang. BIN dikenal dengan teknik-tekniknya yang rumit, misalnya arsenik yang digunakan untuk membunuh Munir.
Namun, pembunuhan politik dalam pemilihan tingkat nasional adalah urusan sensitif. Dalam salah satu rapat di Cijantung, dinyatakan bahwa dulu jika situasi bertambah buruk, mereka akan "ambil orang, habisi orang", seperti yang dilakukan Kopassus di bawah pimpinan Prabowo selama krisis tahun 1997-98.
Mengacu pada perencanaan kemungkinan pembunuhan/penganiayaan dalam waktu dekat ini, salah seorang komandan Kopassus di Cijantung mengatakan: "Orang sipil tidak bisa, hanya kopasus yang bisa."
Pernyataan ini mengacu pada fakta bahwa banyak dari kerja-kerja operasi di lapangan dilakukan oleh orang-orang sipil yang secara rahasia bekerja sebagai agen Kopassus paruh waktu/tetap.
Pada tanggal 9 November 2010, saya mengeluarkan dokumen-dokumen Kopassus yang diantaranya meliputi daftar aktivis yang ditarget Kopassus di Papua. Dokumen-dokumen tersebut juga merinci jaringan agen sipil Kopassus di tempat yang sama.
Menurut data-data personil Kopassus yang saya laporkan saat itu, jejaring agen sipil Kopassus meliputi "reporter suratkabar lokal dan stasiun-stasiun televisi nasional, mahasiswa, staf hotel, seorang pegawai pengadilan, seorang pegawai negeri sipil yang bekerja di bidang seni dan budaya, seorang anak usia 14 tahun ... petani [lebih dari satu]. buruh [lebih dari satu] ... sopir ojek, [dan] seorang penjaga kios pula yang mengawasi orang-orang yang membeli SIM card, serta seorang sopir yang bekerja pada sebuah perusahaan rental mobil..."
Dengan jejaring seperti ini, Kopassus memiliki posisi yang nyaman untuk mengintai--dan bertindak melawan--orang-orang yang menarik perhatian mereka dalam pemilihan yang akan berlangsung pekan depan dan di waktu-waktu pasca-pilpres.
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Link ke versi Bahasa Inggris
Link ke "Special Forces Threaten, Intel Man Confirms. An Update on the Covert Operation to Make Gen. Prabowo President."
Link ke "Ancaman Dari Kopassus, Konfirmasi Dari Intel. Informasi Terbaru Tentang Operasi Senyap Untuk Memenangkan Prabowo"
Link ke "'Do I have the guts,' Prabowo asked, 'am I ready to be called a fascist dictator?'"
Link ke "'Apa saya cukup punya nyali,' tanya Prabowo, 'apa saya siap jika disebut 'diktator fasis'?"
Link ke "A Response and Several Challenges to General Prabowo"
Link ke "Tanggapan dan Beberapa Tantangan Saya untuk Jenderal Prabowo"
Link ke "Regarding the Late Gus Dur"
Link ke "Terkait Almarhum Gus Dur"
Link ke "Prabowo, Part 2: "'I was the Americans' fair-haired boy.' The Nationalist General and the United States"
Link ke "Prabowo, Bagian 2: 'Saya anak kesayangan Amerika.' Sang Jenderal Nasionalis dan Amerika Serikat."
Link ke "General Prabowo Retreats"
Link ke "Jenderal Prabowo Mundur"
NOTE TO READERS: News and Comment is looking for assistance with translating blog postings into other languages, and also with fund raising and distributing the blog content more widely. Those interested please get in touch via the e-mail link below. NOTE TO READERS RE. TRANSLATION: Portions of News and Comment are now available in Arabic, Brazilian Portuguese, Danish, French, German, Russian and Spanish translation (click preceding links or Profile link above) but translation help is still needed -- particularly with older postings, in these and all other languages. NOTE TO READERS RE. POTENTIAL EVIDENCE: News and Comment is looking for public and private documents and first-hand information that could develop into evidence regarding war crimes or crimes against humanity by officials. Please forward material via the email link below. Email Me
Breaking News: Indonesian Special Forces, Intelligence, in Covert Operation to Influence Election
July 5, 2014
By Allan Nairn
Jakarta
Indonesia's army special forces (Kopassus) and the state intelligence agency (BIN) are involved in a covert operation to influence the presidential election.
According to documented accounts of recent meetings at Kopassus headquarters, the operation is designed to ensure that the July 9 vote count will be won by General Prabowo Subianto, the former Kopassus commander who was a longtime protege of the Pentagon and US intelligence.
Polls suggest that General Prabowo is currently running neck-and-neck with his civilian opponent, Joko Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, the governor of Jakarta.
Prabowo and Jokowi are scheduled to face off in their final televised debate this evening.
The vote across the archipelago and the Indonesian global diaspora is expected to be the second-largest in the world this year. The largest was completed last May in India.
Prabowo has been implicated in killing civilians and in torture. Though currently running as an ardent nationalist, he spent his army career in collaboration with the US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and with top US leadership, as well as with US Special Forces whom he brought, armed, into Indonesia.
Prabowo has called for rolling back Indonesians' right to vote in direct elections. He has suggested that this be done after consultation with "the political elite."
In two off-the-record 2001 discussions with me Prabowo said Indonesia "is not ready for democracy." He said that the country's then-president, the popular civilian Muslim cleric Gus Dur, was an "embarrass[ment]" to Indonesia because Gus Dur was legally blind. Prabowo lamented that the army obeyed Gus Dur, and mused about his own political future. "Do I have the guts," Prabowo asked himself, "am I ready to be called a fascist dictator?"
My reporting and commentary about General Prabowo has become an issue in this election.
The Prabowo campaign denounced me as "an enemy of the nation" and suggested the army should capture me. The armed forces stated I have "become an operational target." General Prabowo himself gave a speech on Thursday in which he implored Indonesia's poor to discount my reporting about him because I am a foreigner.
The accounts below come from individuals who are involved in the Kopassus/BIN operation. They spoke to me on condition of anonymity.
The accounts of meetings at Kopassus headquarters in Cijantung come from sources who were present.
A July 4 call for comment to General Prabowo went unanswered. The call was made to a private cell phone number through which I have contacted Prabowo previously.
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The Kopassus headquarters in Cijantung, East Jakarta, is a famous venue in Indonesia.
It is the site where pro-democracy activists who were kidnapped by Prabowo's Kopassus were tortured and, apparently, executed, in 1997-'98. This was during uprising against General Prabowo's father-in-law, the US-backed dictator, General Suharto.
Thirteen of those abductees are still missing, presumed dead. One of Prabowo's top campaigners (Gen. Kivlan Zein) says he knows where the bodies are buried.
Cijantung is also one of the sites of US training of Kopassus, and of numerous visits to Kopassus by US dignitaries. Under Prabowo these included generals, Commanders in Chief Pacific(CINCPACs), and Secretaries of Defense.
On a date this week which the sources involved have asked that I not specify, senior Kopassus operatives held a nighttime meeting at Cijantung.
The topic was a covert operation to make Prabowo president.
Among those present were veterans of covert ops in Aceh and West Papua.
The lead commander started the session by saying "You just relax. We've all worked, friends have worked, and we've won -- Kopassus and Prabowo's people, we've won." ("Kamu nyantai aja, kita udah kerja, teman-teman udah kerja semua dan kita menang -- Kopassus dan orangnya Prabowo, kita menang").
They referred to it as a "special operation" ("operas khusus") by "this special force" ("pasukan khusus ini").
Although it is extraordinary -- stealing a civilian election for one of the candidates, the commander referred to it as an extension of normal special forces tactics "an operation 'a la Kopassus.'" ("operasi 'a la Kopassus').
According to a participant, the operation started after Indonesia's legislative elections in April when Prabowo and Jokowi emerged as the two presidential candidates.
Under Indonesian law, the armed forces and intelligence agencies must be neutral.
Active members of the armed forces, the TNI, do not even have the right to vote.
The current president of Indonesia is another retired general, Prabowo's former superior, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
Susilo has been technically neutral in the election, though he has sent recent public signals that he is backing Prabowo.
According to the contents of this and other meetings and to those directly involved, the operation involves ballot tampering, street violence, and threats against Jokowi supporters, and could involve, in extremis, "the elimination of people" ("habisi orang") if need be.
It also involves lesser actions, including those necessitated by -- in their view -- the fact that my article quoting Prabowo insulting Gus Dur has become a grassroots issue.
Last week, after I released the article, banners began appearing on the streets juxtaposing a photo of the well-remembered Gus Dur alongside the Prabowo quotation:
"The military even obeys a blind president! Imagine! Look at him, he's embarrassing! Look at Tony Blair, Bush, Putin. Young, ganteng [handsome] -- and we have a blind man!"
According to one operative, the Gus Dur banner matter, "really frightened, really hurt" ("soal spanduk itu sangat takuti di dalam, sangat buat mereka ini merugikan…") the Kopassus/BIN team leadership.
So street men with Kopassus motorcycles have been assigned to go out and yank down those Gus Dur banners.
The issue, nonetheless, still stands.
This past Thursday, at their request, I met in Jakarta with the Gus Dur family. (See "Regarding the Late Gus Dur," "Terkait Almarhum Gus Dur").
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The ballot tampering part of the Kopassus/ BIN operation -- at least as discussed at the level my sources know of, does not involve the national central vote tabulation, but rather the count in key local precincts.
It involves the ongoing deployment of covert money, "money that is not seen, money from the side of the road" ("uang itu tidak kelihatan, uang di pinggir jalan").
The purpose of that money, almost all in cash, is to "play with the ballot papers" ("main dengan kertas suara") by placing agents inside counting rooms or paying off state employees who guard the ballot boxes.
This effort is particularly concentrated in Central, West, and East Java, but is said to involve parts of all provinces.
According to participants, the money is being distributed via Kopassus and BIN, but the ultimate source of the funds is a secret,"very closed" matter ("sangat tertutup sumbernya dari mana").
According to those involved, the operation is being run by senior commanders. In the case of Kopassus, they are actually unsure of the role of top Kopassus commander, General Agus Sutomo, but it was claimed at one Cijantung meeting that approval had come from the President, General Susilo, as "a direct order" ("perintah langsung") in recent weeks, and that operational coordination was coming -- outside the chain of command -- from Prabowo.
(Prabowo was actually fired from the army after he lost a '98 power struggle. Gen. Susilo was one of the generals who signed the order that removed him).
In the case of BIN, though, the current BIN commander, ex army general Marciano Norman, is said to fully on board with the operation. Marciano is close to Aburizal Bakrie, the oligarch and Prabowo supporter.
BIN has a relationship with the CIA. But it is not clear how, if at all, the CIA relates to this.
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Many Indonesians have stated their worry that this election could involve violence.
The Kopassus/BIN operation has quietly started deploying it on Prabowo's side.
Among those in the room at some Cijantung meetings were organizers of civilian agents whose task from Kopassus is to "ribut di bawah," make trouble from below
Some participants spoke of personally leading paid crowds that attacked and broke up pro-Jokowi or other gatherings. They have worked with private Prabowo street militias that have gotten training in Bogor. Some such units are described as "having been trained, and frequently rob/ plunder wherever" ("..sudah berlatih, [dan] sering merampok ke mana mana").
This often-used Kopassus/ BIN tactic has supplemented another standard approach: anonymous calls and text messages threatening the target or their loved ones with death, or worse. An old leaked Kopassus training manual actually refers to this formally, saying that Kopassus men must be trained "in the tactic and technique of terror."
As to carrying through on those threats, Kopassus political murder has a long history. BIN is known for its elaborate technique, like the arsenic used to kill Munir.
But assassination in a national election is a sensitive matter. At one of the Cijantung meetings it was stated that if worse came to worse they might have to "take people, finish people off" ("ambil orang, habisi orang"), as General Prabowo's Kopassus did during the '97-'98 crisis.
But today it is a different world. Covert operators must be politically sensitive. One made the comment regarding some targets, "one can wound them," ("bisa melukai"), perhaps not kill them.
But more to the point, it was stated at one session, regarding killing: "under current conditions, people from the [Jokowi] top ranks, don't" ("paling tidak, dalam kondisi ini, dari kubu [Jokowi], jangan." But as to "small [Jokowi] employees -- who knows? It's nothing to worry about." ("karyawan kecil -- entah, nggak apa-apa.").
This policy closely parallels what Prabowo told me about massacre, in 2001: don't do it in a capital, in front of witnesses, but "in villages where no one will ever know." (See: "Do I have the guts," Prabowo asked, "am I ready to be called a fascist dictator?").
Referring to planning for these possible upcoming killings/ woundings, one of the Kopassus Cijantung commanders said: "orang sipil tidak bisa, hanya Kopassus yang bisa" -- civilians will not be handling them, "only Kopassus."
This is a reference to the fact that much of the operational work on the ground is being done by civilians who covertly work as full or part-time Kopassus agents.
On November 9, 2010 I released secret Kopassus documents that, among other things, included a list of activists targeted by Kopassus, but which also detailed the network of Kopassus civilian agents, in that case in West Papua.
Based on Kopassus personnel files I reported at that time that the web of agents included: politicians, "reporters for a local newspaper and for a national TV news channel, students, hotel staff, a court employee, a senior civil servant who works on art and culture, a 14 year old child…farmer[s]… worker[s] … a motorcycle taxi driver, [and] a cellphone kiosk clerk who watches people who buy SIM card numbers, and a driver for a car rental company…"
With networks such as this, Kopassus is in good position to watch -- and act against -- people of interest to them in this upcoming election and its aftermath.
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Link to Bahasa Indonesia translation
Link to "Special Forces Threaten, Intel Man Confirms. An Update on the Covert Operation to Make Gen. Prabowo President."
Link ke "Ancaman Dari Kopassus, Konfirmasi Dari Intel. Informasi Terbaru Tentang Operasi Senyap Untuk Memenangkan Prabowo"
Link to "'Do I have the guts,' Prabowo asked, 'am I ready to be called a fascist dictator?'"
Link to "'Apa saya cukup punya nyali,' tanya Prabowo, 'apa saya siap jika disebut 'diktator fasis'?"
Link to "A Response and Several Challenges to General Prabowo"
Link to "Tanggapan dan Beberapa Tantangan Saya untuk Jenderal Prabowo"
Link to "Regarding the Late Gus Dur"
Link to "Terkait Almarhum Gus Dur"
Link to "Prabowo, Part 2: "'I was the Americans' fair-haired boy.' The Nationalist General and the United States"
Link to "Prabowo, Bagian 2: 'Saya anak kesayangan Amerika.' Sang Jenderal Nasionalis dan Amerika Serikat."
Link to "General Prabowo Retreats"
Link to "Jenderal Prabowo Mundur"
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Thursday, July 3, 2014
Jenderal Prabowo Mundur
Dua hari yang lalu, saya mengeluarkan tulisan tentang kerja-kerja Jenderal Prabowo untuk Pentagon dan intelijen Amerika. Sore ini saya menerbitkan terjemahan Indonesianya.
Sekarang, tepat pada malam ini, media memberi indikasi bahwa Prabowo dan tim kampanyenya telah mundur dari ancaman halus mereka yang menyerukan angkatan bersenjata Indonesia agar segera menangkap saya.
Nampaknya Prabowo pun mundur dari tantangan saya untuk melaporkan saya ke pihak yang berwenang atas tuduhan pencemaran nama baik.
Prabowo alih-alih menyatakan kepada seluruh rakyat Indonesia untuk berhenti menyimak laporan-laporan yang saya tulis tentang dirinya.
Hari ini, seorang Prabowo yang rupa-rupanya telah kehilangan kepercayaan diri, berbicara dalam nada tinggi dan marah-marah di muka publik: "Kenapa sih kamu, kalau satu orang asing bicara, kok kamu ribut sih? Satu orang kulit putih kita harus ribut."
"Kita ini 240 juta orang, tenang saja. Tanya rakyatmu lah, jangan tanya orang asing." ("Ditantang Allan Nairn, Prabowo pun menjawab."; "Ditantang Allan Nairn, Ini Tanggapan Prabowo").
Jika pernyataan-pernyataan yang saya kutip akurat, maka pertanyaan-pertanyaan berikut ini sudah sepantasnya tertuju pada Prabowo:
Jika masalahnya adalah rakyat vs. asing, mengapa Prabowo pernah bekerja untuk pihak asing? (persisnya, melayani kepentingan Badan Intelijen Pertahanan AS [DIA] dan Pentagon).
Dan jika benar Prabowo mempedulikan nasib rakyat, mengapa dia dan rekan-rekannya di TNI membantai begitu banyak rakyat?
Allan Nairn
Link ke versi Bahasa Inggris
Link ke "Breaking News: Operasi Rahasia Kopassus dan BIN Untuk Mempengaruhi Hasil Pemilu"
Link ke "Breaking News: Indonesian Special Forces, Intelligence, in Covert Operation to Influence Election"
Link ke "'Do I have the guts,' Prabowo asked, 'am I ready to be called a fascist dictator?'"
Link ke "'Apa saya cukup punya nyali,' tanya Prabowo, 'apa saya siap jika disebut 'diktator fasis'?"
Link ke "A Response and Several Challenges to General Prabowo"
Link ke "Tanggapan dan Beberapa Tantangan Saya untuk Jenderal Prabowo"
Link ke "Regarding the Late Gus Dur"
Link ke "Terkait Almarhum Gus Dur"
Link ke "Prabowo, Part 2: "'I was the Americans' fair-haired boy.' The Nationalist General and the United States"
Link ke "Prabowo, Bagian 2: 'Saya anak kesayangan Amerika.' Sang Jenderal Nasionalis dan Amerika Serikat."
Link ke "General Prabowo Retreats"
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NOTE TO READERS RE. TRANSLATION: Portions of News and Comment are now available in Arabic, Brazilian Portuguese, Danish, French, German, Russian and Spanish translation (click preceding links or Profile link above) but translation help is still needed -- particularly with older postings, in these and all other languages.
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General Prabowo Retreats
Two days ago I released a piece on General Prabowo's work for the American Pentagon and US intelligence. This afternoon, I posted a Bahasa Indonesia translation of that piece.
Now, this evening, the press indicates that Prabowo and his campaign have retreated from their insinuation that the armed forces of Indonesia ought to capture me.
It also appears that Prabowo has backed down from my challenge that he file criminal libel charges against me.
Instead, Prabowo is telling Indonesians to stop paying attention to what I've reported about him.
Today, an apparently unnerved Prabowo, speaking "in a high tone" ("dengan nada tinggi") scolded the public: "What's with you? One foreigner speaks and you get all worked up? One white-skinned guy, and we have to get agitated?" ("Kenapa sih kamu, kalau satu orang asing bicara, kok kamu ribut sih? Satu orang kulit putih kita harus ribut").
"We are 240 million people. Just stay calm. Ask the rakyat [the people/ the masses/ the broad society], don't ask foreigners." ("Kita ini 240 juta orang, tenang saja. Tanya rakyatmu lah, jangan tanya orang asing,"). ("Ditantang Allan Nairn, Prabowo pun menjawab."; "Ditantang Allan Nairn, Ini Tanggapan Prabowo").
If these quotations are accurate, Prabowo should be asked these questions:
If the issue is the rakyat vs. the foreigners, why did Prabowo work for the foreigners? (Specifically, the US Defense Intelligence Agency [DIA] and the US Pentagon).
And if Prabowo cares about the rakyat, why did he and his TNI friends kill so many of them?
Allan Nairn
Link to Bahasa Indonesia translation
Link to "Breaking News: Indonesian Special Forces, Intelligence, in Covert Operation to Influence Election"
NOTE TO READERS: News and Comment is looking for assistance with translating blog postings into other languages, and also with fund raising and distributing the blog content more widely. Those interested please get in touch via the e-mail link below.
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Prabowo, Bagian 2: “Saya anak kesayangan Amerika.” Sang Jenderal Nasionalis dan Amerika Serikat.
Prabowo bilang: “Mereka melakukan pengintaian, mereka meninjau medan [Indonesia].”
Prabowo mengatakan: “rencana invasi AS untuk Indonesia bukan hal yang aneh. AS adalah negara adidaya dengan intel di mana-mana.”
Prabowo memberitahu saya sebuah buku yang baru dirilis waktu itu, “Special Forces: A Guided Tour of U.S. Army Special Forces” yang ditulis oleh Tom Clancy, orang kepercayaan Gedung Putih/Pentagon yang menyertakan, dalam istilah Prabowo, “sebuah skenario [invasi] Indonesia dengan bom atom.”
Terakhir kali AS diketahui memasuki Indonesia, tahun 1958 (operasi yang melibatkan pengeboman Indonesia oleh pilot-pilot CIA (ketika saya duduk di sekolah dasar AS, saya kebetulan kenal dengan anak salah satu pilot tersebut), Indonesia dipimpin oleh Sukarno yang merupakan musuh bebuyutan Washington.
Sukarno menghadang perusahaan-perusahaan asing dan seraya merangkul gagasan-gagasan pemberontak: hak-hak pekerja, kesejahteraan sosial, nasionalisme Indonesia dan negara Dunia Ketiga, serta Non-Blok. Cara berpikir macam ini tidak bisa diterima Washington, cara berpikir “komunis.” Ditambah lagi, Sukarno memberi keleluasaan bagi partai Komunis dan serikat tani untuk berorganisasi.
Pada tahun 1993 Ethel Kennedy, janda Bobby Kennedy, menceritakan kepada saya betapa “Bobby membenci orang itu, Sukarno.”
Tapi selepas Sukarno ceritanya lain lagi.
Mentor sekaligus mertua Prabowo, Jendral Suharto, sejak mulanya, adalah kaki tangan Washington.
AS mendukung serta menyambut baik Suharto dan ABRI ketika, setelah AS melangsungkan subversi selama lebih dari satu dekade, mereka berhasil menggulingkan Sukarno dan mengkonsolidasikan kekuasaan absolut melalui salah satu pembunuhan massal terbesar di abad ke-20.
Maka, Washington tidak perlu menginvasi orang yang cocok dengan mereka, dan bahkan setelah Suharto tumbang, ABRI/TNI serta korporasi memiliki pengaruh yang sedemikian besar sehingga Jakarta tetap berada di kubu Washington.
Keadaan invasi siaga AS ketika saya berbincang dengan Prabowo, sejenis dengan sebuah diskusi antara saya besama perencana Departemen Pertahanan AS pada 14 Januari 1999. Selepas seminar sipil-militer Korps Marinir AS tentang Indonesia, pernyataan resmi bahwa perencanaan AS berpusat pada spekulasi skenario masa depan “Hukum Laut”, yang di dalamnya AS bisa saja memutuskan untuk mengambil beberapa tindakan jika Indonesia mengubah haluan politik dan memutuskan untuk menolak praktek-praktek Washington yang berkenaan dengan pelayaran bebas di seantero kepulauan Indonesia.
Namun dua bulan kemudian pada pertemuan kedua kami, serangan 11 September terjadi.
Selepas peristiwa itu, proposal serangan Pasukan Khusus AS ke Indonesia mulai dipresentasikan di Gedung Putih dan Camp David.
Gagasan dasarnya adalah menciptakan serangan dramatis sebagai pesan untuk dunia Muslim. Rencana itu melibatkan serangan bertubi-tubi pada Indonesia dan negara-negara lain.
Bob Woodward dari Washington Post mendokumentasikan hal ini. Ia mewawancarai peserta pertemuan dan memiliki akses pada arsip rahasia Gedung Putih.
Woodward menulis: “Kepala Staf Gedung Putih, Andrew Card, berkata kita harus mempertimbangkan tindakan terus-menerus di bagian-bagian dunia lain, seperti Indonesia, Filipina, Malaysia, Yemen, atau Somalia. ‘Kalau Anda punya 15 tim SEAL yang menyerang 10 target yang berbeda pada hari yang sama, secara serentak di seluruh dunia, hal itu menjadi pesan bahwa kita sedang menjangkau dunia.’”
Belakangan, pada 9 Oktober 2001, dalam pertemuan pukul 1.00 pagi di Dewan Keamanan Nasional, wakil presiden Cheney “kembali pada pertanyaan berat yang sedang mereka susuri ... Indonesia, Filipina, serta Yemen berada di puncak daftar serangan anti-teror yang makin meluas.” Di Filipina, demikian Woodward, mereka punya Abu Sayyaf di dunia Muslim selatan sebagai salah satu kemungkinan target, dan “Di Indonesia, ekstrimis muslim ada di mana-mana.” (Bob Woodward, “Bush at War”, 2002, Simon & Schuster.
Rencana yang—menurut saya—jahat dan gila ini pada akhirnya ditinggalkan. Namun kalau itu tidak terjadi, rencana invasi Indonesia yang turut dirumuskan oleh Prabowo akan jadi sangat berguna bagi pendukung-pendukungnya di Washington.
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Link ke "Breaking News: Indonesian Special Forces, Intelligence, in Covert Operation to Influence Election"
Link ke "Breaking News: Operasi Rahasia Kopassus dan BIN Untuk Mempengaruhi Hasil Pemilu"
NOTE TO READERS: News and Comment is looking for assistance with translating blog postings into other languages, and also with fund raising and distributing the blog content more widely. Those interested please get in touch via the e-mail link below. NOTE TO READERS RE. TRANSLATION: Portions of News and Comment are now available in Arabic, Brazilian Portuguese, Danish, French, German, Russian and Spanish translation (click preceding links or Profile link above) but translation help is still needed -- particularly with older postings, in these and all other languages. NOTE TO READERS RE. POTENTIAL EVIDENCE: News and Comment is looking for public and private documents and first-hand information that could develop into evidence regarding war crimes or crimes against humanity by officials. Please forward material via the email link below. Email Me
