Jakarta gets $50m to fight terrorism

The US is to give Jakarta about $50m (£32m) in the next few years to fight terrorism, despite concern that Indonesia's security forces have done little to reform themselves since Washington ended three years ago because of human rights abuses.

While bans on direct financial assistance to the Indonesian military and sales of lethal weapons remain in place, the US secretary of state, Colin Powell, said in Jakarta yesterday that he backed improved military-to-military relations.

The police will get $16m for counter-terrorism activities and $31m for unspecified purposes. The military will get $4m for counter-terrorism training. Help will be given in countering money laundering.

Mr Powell admitted that full military-to-military relations were a long way off because Congress wants the perpetrators of past human rights abuses to be brought to justice.