JAKARTA, Indonesia — The Obama administration said Thursday that it would resume assistance to Indonesia’s special forces, which had been barred from receiving U.S. military aid for more than a decade because of human- rights abuses.
The decision was criticized by a human-rights group that contends rights violations by the special forces, including their role in violence against separatists in East Timor during the late 1990s, have never been thoroughly investigated.
The announcement came after months of negotiations with the Indonesian government, which agreed to remove several special- forces soldiers convicted of human-rights violations and committed to suspend members of the unit who are accused of abuses in the future.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates informed Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of the move Thursday.
Tribune Co.
