Indonesia
Indonesia is reportedly affected by communal violence and local warlordism, as well as religious and ethnic cleavages.[1] At the same time, the country is involved in a regional conflict against the United Liberation Movement for West Papua[2]. Official statistics record one of the lowest rates of civilian gun ownership in the world, with occasional increases related to outbreaks of violence in parts of the country.[3]
In terms of Weapons and Ammunition Management (WAM), Indonesia’s firearms regulation is considered restrictive, but the country is not party to most international treaties and protocols on weapons control.[4]
[1] DCAF, “Indonesia SSR Snapshot”, 02.01.15, https://issat.dcaf.ch/Learn/Resource-Library/Country-Profiles/Indonesia-SSR-Snapshot.
[2] Richard Chauvel “West Papua: Indonesia’s last regional conflict, Small Wars & Insurgencies”, 32:6, 2021, 913-944, DOI: 10.1080/09592318.2021.1990491
[3] International Crisis Group, “Illicit Arms in Indonesia”, Policy Briefing, Asia Briefing N° 109, 2010, https://www.files.ethz.ch/isn/120922/B109%20Illicit%20Arms%20in%20Indonesia.pdf.
[4] Philip Alpers and Michael Picard. “Indonesia — Gun Facts, Figures and the Law.” Sydney School of Public Health, The University of Sydney, GunPolicy.org, 18 August 2022, https://www.gunpolicy.org/firearms/region/indonesia.
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Further information
Accidental explosions
Since the beginning of data collection in 1979 by the Small Arms Survey, four accidental explosions were reported in Indonesia (Table 1).
Table. 1 Accidental explosions in Indonesia (1979-2021)
Year | Location | Owner/manager | Deaths | Injuries |
2019 | Srondol | State (police) | 0 | 1 |
2014 | Pondok Dayung Island | State (military) | 1 | 87 |
2009 | South Sumatra | State (military) | 0 | 0 |
1984 | Jakarta | State (military) | 15 | 200 |
Source: UEMS Database (December 2021); Small Arms Survey. ‘Unplanned Explosions at Munitions Sites (UEMS)’. https://smallarmssurvey.org/database/unplanned-explosions-munitions-sites-uems.
Cases of diversion
Several cases of diversion have been reported in Indonesia, of which at least 3 included ammunition (Table 2).
Table 2: Cases of diversion of arms, ammunition, and explosives in Indonesia
Year | Location | Description |
2010 | Aceh | Two police officers in charge of the logistics department of police headquarters were arrested for selling 28 weapons and 20’000 rounds of ammunition originating from a police warehouse to a jihadi group.[1] |
2010 | Solo (Central Java) | A former soldier and armoury guard, discharged from the military after being suspected of running a jihadi training camp, reportedly stole ammunitions during military exercises. When the soldier’s barrack was searched, a cache with ammunition originating from military stockpile was found.[2] |
2000 | Tantui | Islamic militant raided a paramilitary police armoury and stole 660 handguns, 217 shoulder arms and 115 automatic rifles which were later used in attacks against the police.[3] |
2000 | Cikole | Two men stole weapons (unspecified numbers) and a few dozen rounds of ammunition from the Brimob arms depot which they were supposed to guard.[4] |
[1] International Crisis Group, “Illicit Arms in Indonesia”, Policy Briefing, Asia Briefing N° 109, 2010, p. 9, https://www.files.ethz.ch/isn/120922/B109%20Illicit%20Arms%20in%20Indonesia.pdf.
[2] International Crisis Group, “Illicit Arms in Indonesia”, Policy Briefing, Asia Briefing N° 109, 2010, p. 9, https://www.files.ethz.ch/isn/120922/B109%20Illicit%20Arms%20in%20Indonesia.pdf.
[3] International Crisis Group, “Illicit Arms in Indonesia”, Policy Briefing, Asia Briefing N° 109, 2010, p. 10, https://www.files.ethz.ch/isn/120922/B109%20Illicit%20Arms%20in%20Indonesia.pdf.
[4] International Crisis Group, “Illicit Arms in Indonesia”, Policy Briefing, Asia Briefing N° 109, 2010, p. 9, https://www.files.ethz.ch/isn/120922/B109%20Illicit%20Arms%20in%20Indonesia.pdf.
Disposal
Destruction, use, or export of ammunition as an indicator of a state’s ability to identify and decrease aging, unsafe, or surplus ammunition.
Insufficient information on the disposal of ammunition in Indonesia.
Needs
Further requirements for an effective through-life management of ammunition in the country.
To further enhance safe and secure ammunition management, the following needs have been identified for Indonesia:
- Development or refinement of standards and procedures on stockpile management.
- Capacity development for the destruction of surplus stockpiles.
Source: PoA Report 2020, Indonesia. Please note that PoA reports focus on SALW and not specifically on ammunition.
