US prepares to welcome Prabowo
President Donald Trump’s administration will welcome Indonesian Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto to the Pentagon today after dropping a de facto ban on his entry into the country imposed over accusations of human rights abuses.
Mr Prabowo, a 68-year-old former special forces commander, has long been a controversial figure in Indonesia, accused of involvement with military crimes in places like East Timor that have earned him scorn among human rights advocates.
But since being named as defence minister last year, Mr Prabowo, who denies any wrongdoing, has also become a key figure as the Trump administration attempts to deepen defence ties with Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority country.
Of particular concern to Washington, Indonesia’s military is also being courted by Russia and China.
A senior US defence official strongly defended the decision to welcome Mr Prabowo to the Pentagon, where he will meet Defence Secretary Mark Esper.
“Minister Prabowo is the appointed minister of defense of the now twice duly-elected president of Indonesia, which is the third-largest democracy in the world,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“He is our counterpart, of a very important partnership, and it is important that we engage with him and treat him as a partner.”
Mr Prabowo will receive official briefings elsewhere in the Washington DCarea on Thursday as Jakarta weighs a fighter jet purchase.
Amnesty International and other rights advocates condemned the decision by the US State Department to grant him a visa.