TNI chief suggests govt renegotiate NAMRU-2

National Defense Forces (TNI) Chief Gen Djoko Santoso has suggested that the Indonesian government renegotiate its cooperation with the US Naval Medical Research Unit-2 (NAMRU-2).

Speaking to the press after attending a function marking the swearing-in of constitutional judges at the State Palace here on Thursday, Santoso said the Indonesian Navy (TNI AL) was ready to get involved in the cooperation if requested.

"As NAMRU also employs naval officers there must be two types of expertise, namely research and military expertise. My suggestion is that if the cooperation is to be revised there must be TNI AL officers employed there," he said.

It was the government which had the authority to renegotiate or stop the cooperation, he said.

The TNI was only in the position to give inputs as it did at a hearing with the information, defense and foreign affairs commission at the House of Representatives (DPR) on Wednesday, he said.

If the government eventually decided to renegotiate the cooperation, it must pay attention to a number of things, including diplomatic immunity of US personnel working for the NAMRU-2 laboratory, he said.

He feared if ...