This year Australia will hand out a borrowed $365.7 million in foreign aid to Indonesia, an Islamic regime, which is seen by some as a mafia-styled protection payment.
In effect, Australia in 2015 supported the world’s 12th largest army with an annual budget of IDR95 trillion($6,900,000,000 AU).
According to the manpower statistics below, the Indonesian Armed Forces (Tentera Nasional Indonesia, or TNI) could easily overrun Northern Australia in a few days.
Total Population: 253,609,643
Available Manpower: 129,075,188
Fit for Service: 107,538,660
Reaching Military Age Annually: 4,455,159
Active Frontline Personnel: 476,000
Active Reserve Personnel: 400,000 (source WowShack)
Australian military strength is too pathetic to publish.
Even more worrying is the military training being offered by the Australian duopoly government to our potential, greatest enemy.
In November an Indonesian instructor complained that “offensive” material about West Papua displayed at an Australian Special Forces base. It prompted Indonesia’s defence chief to cut military cooperation, throwing future joint exercises into doubt.
Indonesian Special Forces group Kopassus trains with the Special Air Service at the unit’s Campbell Barracks in Perth.
Capitulating in normal Australian style, Chief of Army Lieutenant General Angus Campbell also wrote to his Indonesian counterpart on November 24 to reassure him that Australia did not endorse the material.
Never mind that over the last 20 years hundreds have been killed and thousands of West Papuans have been dispossessed of their land and homes by Indonesian armed forces.
The Indonesian President eventually poured cold water over the training officer’s complaint and assured the Federal Government military ties would remain.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade says Indonesia is one of our most important bilateral relationships.
According to DFAT Australia and Indonesia have an extensive framework of cooperation spanning political, economic, security, development, education and people-to-people ties.
Sustainable and inclusive economic growth in Indonesia benefits Australia and contributes to regional growth and stability.
Indonesia has experienced steady economic growth in recent years. It has reached middle income status and achieved substantial development progress. However, economic growth is now slowing and inequality is rising.
At least 100 million people in Indonesia continue to live on $2 or less per day. Slow growth will make it more difficult for Indonesia to meet its development goals. Furthermore, low growth means the poor will find it harder to escape poverty, DFAT said.
In 2014-15, Australia exported 1.38 million cattle to Indonesia, valued at A$1.35 billion FOB.
This reflected a 22% increase on 2013-14. Indonesia was Australia’s largest live cattle export market, taking 746,193 head, up 20% year-on- year and was valued at A$601 million FOB.
Indonesia accounted for 54% of total Australian live cattle exports in 2014-15. In 2014-15, the second largest market for Australian cattle was Vietnam, taking 309,505 head (up 136% on 2013-14), valued at A$328 million FOB.
Inquest in 2014 finds against Indonesian military
Seven years ago the AFP launched an investigation into the deaths of Brian Peters, 29, Malcolm Rennie, 28, Gary Cunningham, 27, Gregory Shackleton, 29, and Anthony Stewart, 21, who were killed in October 1975 reporting on Indonesian military action.
In 2007, New South Wales deputy state coroner Dorelle Pinch found the five men died at Balibo in Timor Leste, also known as East Timor, on October 16, 1975.
In her inquest into the death of Peters, Ms Pinch concluded the men “died from wounds sustained when (they) were shot and or stabbed deliberately, and not in the heat of battle, by members of the Indonesian special forces, including (Commander) Christoforus Da Silva and Captain Yunus Yosfiah on the orders of Captain Yosfiah to prevent (them) from revealing that Indonesian special forces had participated in the attack on Balibo”.
The AFP confirmed in a statement to the ABC they had abandoned their investigation into the killing of the men, who came to be known as the Balibo Five.
“The AFP has conducted an extensive review of the investigation,” the statement read.
“During the investigation the AFP identified challenges associated with establishing jurisdiction. The investigation continued in an effort to overcome those issues.
“However, the AFP has concluded that there is currently insufficient evidence to prove an offence.
“As a result, the AFP has exhausted all inquiries in relation to this matter and will be taking no further action.
“The AFP has had ongoing consultation with the families throughout this complex and difficult investigation. Family members based in Australia and the United Kingdom were briefed by senior AFP investigators this evening.”
The AFP said the men’s families had been informed of the decision.
The AFP has a reputation for botched investigations particularly the questionable circumstances leading to the conviction of Shapelle Corby and the Bali Nine in 2005.
In 2009, former Indonesian soldier Gatot Purwanto said the men were shot deliberately but not executed. (from ABC)
It is no secret that most Muslim Indonesians dislike Australia yet Australians flock to the tourist destination of Bali spending millions of dollars a year.
Tourism bodies say that the numbers of Australian travellers has levelled out due mainly to executions of Australian drug dealers, volcanic eruptions and terrorist attacks.
While 16,000 Indonesians visited Australia in 2016, 1 million aussies on average visit Indonesia each year worth a projected $1 billion to its economy by 2020.
Large oil producer
Oil Production: 983,000 bbl/day
Oil Consumption: 1,355,000 bbl/day]
Proven Oil Reserves: 4,030,000,000 bbl/day
Air force capability
Total Aircraft: 405
Fighters/Interceptors: 30
Fixed-Wing Attack Aircraft: 52
Transport Aircraft: 187
Trainer Aircraft: 104
Helicopters: 148
Attack Helicopters: 5
Our nearest neighbour could one day become our nearest aggressor and paying the Indonesian military government protection money will be unnecessary should the military decide to move on Australia.
Four years ago when Rudd was Prime Minister a northern development paper was released describing millions of acres that were “available for development by other nations.”
The Australian Government will borrow to provide an estimated $365.7 million in total ODA to Indonesia in 2016-17, including an estimated $296 million in bilateral funding also borrowed and managed by DFAT.
Indonesia is one of Australia’s most important bilateral relationships. Australia and Indonesia have an extensive framework of cooperation spanning political, economic, security, development, education and people-to-people ties. Sustainable and inclusive economic growth in Indonesia benefits Australia and contributes to regional growth and stability.
Indonesia has experienced steady economic growth in recent years. It has reached middle income status and achieved substantial development progress. However, economic growth is now slowing and inequality is rising. At least 100 million people in Indonesia continue to live on $2 or less per day. Slow growth will make it more difficult for Indonesia to meet its development goals. Furthermore, low growth means the poor will find it harder to escape poverty.
Australia works in an economic partnership with Indonesia, supporting its efforts to leverage its own resources to generate growth and distribute those benefits to a larger number of its people. Australia provides policy and technical advice that will improve the quality of Indonesia’s investments in infrastructure, economic governance, human development and social policy.
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