Recently a number of senior PNTL officers went to Jl. Jend. Gatot Subroto in Bandung, Java. This jalan is famous for being able to provide people in the security business with equipment, toys, gear, and the like. They were on a shopping trip.
Are they expecting trouble?
Maybe.
They were visiting Indonesia's largest defence and security manufacturer, PT. PINDAD, with a view to purchasing a number of armoured vehicles bearing water cannon. Just the thing for large protests. Well at least it is not more rifles. Then again who knows. PT. PINDAD is one SE Asia's largest manufacturers of semi-automatic rifles, many of which similar in make to those in use in Timor-Leste today.
PT. PINDAD makes the above pictured M1W-40 Water Cannon vehicle. It has a capacity of 4000 litres and 16 bar pressure (that means it hits very hard). Also comes with handy video camera and tape recording system so you can get the protestors on tape. The fire direction is done by a fun video game style joy stick, and it can also be rigged for tear gas. It has A/C so the crew can remain cool and comfortable as they pummel and gas protestors. Other options on request.
For a full PT. PINDAD product list see:
http://www.pindad.com/listcari800.php?bahasa=2
http://www.pindad.com/listprojenis800.php?bahasa=2&kdin=1
An interesting, and sad, PT PINDAD anecdote from 1999:
"in September 1999 - for many it was too little, too late. One of those was pro-independence activist Bernardino Guterres. The 25-year-old was seized on the streets of Dili on 26 August 1999 by the Indonesian police, kicked and beaten. He knew his life was in danger and tried to flee. But as he ran, a police officer shot him in the head.
The pictures of his killing, published in Time magazine two weeks later, showed the police officer with a weapon resembling an SSI-V1 assault rifle. These weapons had been manufactured in Indonesia by PT Pindad under licence from the Belgian company FN Herstal.
(http://asiapacific.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGNWS210042000?open&of=ENG-GIN)
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