Namru Researchers Not to be Allowed Diplomatic Immunity
Friday, 18 April, 2008 | 18:37 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: If the US Naval Medical Research laboratory Unit 2 (Namru 2) still wishes to work together with Indonesia, its researchers will not be granted diplomatic immunity.

“This is to make it easier to monitor their activities,” said Happy Bone Zulkarnaen, a member of the defense commission at the House of Representatives, yesterday (17/4).

Diplomatic immunity, said Happy, was only for diplomats, not for researchers, and the cooperation should be with the Indonesian Navy not with the Health Department.

If the two conditions cannot be fulfilled, the government should cancel the cooperation program as there is no clear advantage for Indonesia.

According to this Golkar party politician, Namru’s activities were also not made clear even during a meeting with the National Intelligence Agency (BIN) in 2006.

All that was mentioned was that this laboratory was researching contagious diseases.

US health minister, Michael O Leavitt, met Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, on Monday and said the laboratory was necessary for Indonesian and the United States.

“Namru is an important asset,” said Leavitt.

The Indonesian government has not yet decided about the cooperation because there are several different considerations.

Previously, two things that used to be a problem between two countries are about specimen and equality.

Presidential spokesperson Dino Patti Djalal said the cooperation with Namru 2 was arranged with the Health Department instead of the Indonesian navy because the navy does not have the program required.

“There is no other reason,” he said.

According to Dino, the President agrees to continue the program.

“This is a good effort to solve health problems in Indonesia, especially contagious diseases,” he said.

“There is no reason to see this humanitarian effort as a bad idea.”

AQIDA SWAMURTI | TITIES SETIANINGTYAS | KURNIASIH BUDI