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Thursday, April 12, 2012

Britain sells weapons to Indonesia after 13 year hiatus

By Rowena Mason, Political Correspondent Last Updated: 10:50AM BST 11/04/2012

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Wed 11 Apr 2012 Updated 3 mins ago





British arms companies are to begin selling weapons and defence systems to Indonesia for the first time in 13 years, under plans to be discussed by David Cameron today.

The Prime Minister arrived in Jakarta today to “fly the flag” for British goods with an entourage of representatives from businesses including several defence companies such as BAE Systems.

Speaking on the runway as he was greeted by a military parade, Mr Cameron said he was visiting Indonesia because it "will be a top 10 economy and these are huge opportunities for British business".

"I think we need to recognise that so much of the power in the world is going to be to the south and to the east and we need to rebuild those relationships," he said.

Britain was once Indonesia’s biggest military supplier, during and after the Suharto dictatorship ended in 1998. However, Britain stopped selling it fighter jets 13 years ago, as the country was accused of bombing its own citizens using British-made planes in East Timor in 1999, and again in Aceh in 2003.

But the Prime Minister said that it was right to make British military equipment available to Indonesia now it was a “responsible” country.

“We have to be honest and straightforward about the problems in the past,” he said. “But both

Britain and Indonesia have made significant changes since then.

“In Britain we now have what is one of the most rigorous and careful arms licensing systems in the world, to ensure that arms do not fall into the hands of those who might misuse them. But at the same time we believe that democratic and responsible countries like Indonesia have a right to defend themselves, and to buy the equipment needed to do so.”

He added that the Indonesian military “no longer plays a role in politics”.

Mr Cameron is expected to urge Islamic countries to embrace democracy like Indonesia and Malaysia, where he is heading on the next leg of his trip. On Friday he is expected to go to Burma, becoming the first Western leader to visit the country since its military junta handed over to a quasi-civilian regime.

Mr Cameron is also likely to meet Aung San Suu Kyi, the campaigner for democracy, who was released from years of house arrest in November 2010 and has been elected to Burma’s parliament.

Mr Cameron’s whole tour is aimed at promoting British exports, starting in Japan, the world’s third largest economy.

He spent yesterday with Yoshihiko Noda, the Japanese prime minister.

Britain is making a big push to sell defence equipment in Japan, after it loosened its rules on building up military defences in December.

Mr Cameron also hailed a £336 million deal between Airbus, a European aircraft maker, and the Garuda Indonesia airline.

He said the sale of 11 A330 aircraft was "testament to the expertise of Airbus's British workforce" and would protect jobs in Bristol and Broughton.


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10 comments:

  1. kasus embargo inggris terhadap RI sangat menyesakan dan menjadi sejarah buruk bagi inggris, dan kami harap sebagai rakyat NKRI pemerintah berpikir ulang daripada membeli typhoon lebih baik membeli rafale atau tambah lagi sukhoi dgn seri terbaru yaitu SU-35 dgn jumlah yg sama dgn isu pembelian typhoon yaitu 24 unit...

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  2. Whatever it may takes, please don't buy the weaponary systems from countries who had wedged us. The government must remember the situation when they embargo our weaponary system, our strength and power are in poor condition. And by this situations some neighboard countries scornful our territory.
    It's better to get all the advanced technology from countries such as Rusia and China just because they will not ask the prerequisites and so on...

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  3. setuju lebih baik beli dari rusia kenapa harus beli lagi dari inggris yang nyatanya kalau salah dikit diembargo.pemerintah harusnya belajar dari pengalaman jangan mengulang kesalahan yang sama..rusia lebih baik dari inggris yang munafik.

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  4. pemerintah inggries ini selalu membela negara tetangga malay yg mencaplok pulau sepadan ligitan jg 14000 hektar di camarbulan kalimantan barat.. ber hati-hatilah

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  5. BERHATI-HATILAH MEMBELI PRODUK INGGRIES YG SELALU MEMBELA NEGARA TETANGGAA YANG MENCAPLOK PULAU SIPADAN, LIGITAN, CAMAR BULAN&SEKITAR NYA DI KALIMANTANBARAT INI

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  6. Giliran kena krisis ekonomi minta kerja sama ekonomi dng menjual alutsista ke Indonesia, klo Indonesia ada konflik dalam negeri masalah Papua dan yang lain suka ngomporin, licik benar dasar kapitalis.

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  7. Never buy the technology from this country! No, TNI must be develop own technology self. ITS, ITB, PAL, IPTN, Pindad etc. ready for it. Indonesia is the great nation. China and Russia very helpful than Great Britannia, to develop our capability.

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  8. Setelah India menolak Typhoon dan memilih Sukhoi 35 lalu PM Cameron mencari nasabah penggantinya setelah mendapat kecaman pedas di parlemen Inggris lalu berpaling ke Indonesia yang dianggap punya kantong tebal (waspada nih)kenapa kita tidak belajar dari Brasil yang mendisain sista untuk kebutuhan yang sesuai dengan kondisi alamnya seperti Ran Pur Cascavel yang lincah untuk medan berhutan dan bertanah gembur dan mampu membuat pesawat anti geriya Super Tukino ( kalau alih teknologi dengan Indonesia )yang banyak dipakai diseluruh Latin Amerika kita sudah punya banyak pengalaman diembargo oleh Barat ( Inggris - Amerika )tetapi hendaknya kita juga membenahi dunia pendidikan dan kesehatan nasional kita karena disinilah letak kunci ketahanan nasional, kalau pendidikan dan kesehatan dibikin mahal dan dijadikan usaha komersial rakyat jadi bodoh dan lemah sehingga tidak perduli lagi dengan pertahanan nasional wilayahnya sehingga akhirnya mudah di kolonisasi dalam bentuk baru sebagai bangsa pelanggan yang bangga minum Coca Cola, Diet Pepsi, makan Kentucky Fried Chicken, Mac Donald, Burger King yang dinegara asalnya sendiri dianggap sebagai makanan sampah yang didunia komputer disebut " sampah masuk, sampah keluar " jadi TNI harus kembali merakyat ibarat ikan didalam air ( doktrin gerilya Mao Zhe Dong )dan merintis usaha pembuatan sista didalam negeri untuk kebutuhan sendiri.

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  9. Saia justru berterima kasih di embargo jadi kita lebih semangat lagi untuk mencari yang lebih canggih ketimbang beli ma negara kampret mo nya menang sendiri.....berjayalah rakyatku berpikir dan gali terus kemampuan kita lebih baik produksi sendiri apapun resikonya.........MERDEKAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

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  10. IIINNNOOOOVVVVAAAAASSSIIII ...

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