T

he Army'€™s Special Forces, Kopassus, has taken a brave and unprecedented move to celebrate its 63rd anniversary '€” the force'€™s anniversary actually falls on April 16 '€” by meeting its past enemies on Wednesday in a clear bid to wipe out the stain of scores of human rights violations.

About 300 of Kopassus'€™ former enemies are scheduled to attend the event at the Kopassus headquarters in Cijantung, East Jakarta.

They include former fighters from East Timor, a former Indonesian province that is now a sovereign state called Timor Leste, as well as former Free Aceh Movement (GAM) and the Free Papua Movement (OPM) fighters and their family members.

Kopassus commander Maj. Gen. Doni Monardo has said that the meeting was mainly aimed at forging reconciliation, as well as setting a momentum for Kopassus to transform into a force that better respects human rights.

Human rights activists, who were always at the forefront in criticizing alleged human rights violations committed by Kopassus personnel with apparent impunity, have responded to the move positively.

But they have also urged the force to follow through on the commitments, beyond conducting ceremonial events.

'€œIt is indeed a good intention and positive move by Kopassus'€™ current leadership to hold such a meeting, but the true test is beyond the meeting. We must wait until we see how the unit implements the commitment in the future,'€ Al Araf, the program director of human rights NGO Imparsial, said on Tuesday.

He also said he appreciated Kopassus for letting its personnel have a handbook on human rights, so that their chances of violating human rights during the force'€™s operations could be minimized.

'€œWe hope Kopassus can be consistent because we really want past violations, such as kidnapping, torture and other extra-judicial offenses against civilians, never to happen again,'€ he added.

Among those who were said to have confirmed their attendance at the meeting were former high-ranking officers of East Timor'€™s armed pro-independence wing, Falintil, guerilla fighters, student and youth activists, as well as religious leaders.

One of the figures from East Timor will likely be Timor Leste Defense Minister Cirilo Cristovao, who used to be a member of the Indonesia-Timor Leste Commission for Truth and Reconciliation.

A son of the late Theys Eluay, one of Papua'€™s most prominent separatist leaders who was killed by Kopassus in 2001, as well as former students and activists who were kidnapped in 1998, were also reportedly confirmed to participate in the meeting.

Military analyst and former lawmaker Susaningtyas Nefo Kertapati, who is scheduled to be a speaker in the forum, highlighted the importance for Kopassus to utilize its anniversary to build momentum to better prepare for the new global challenges.

'€œKopassus, as well as other elite forces in the world, must adapt to the new types of '€˜enemy'€™ in the world, which must be different compared with five or 10 years ago,'€ she said, adding that the government should earmark more funds for Kopassus to let the force be equipped with up-to-date technology.

Susaningtyas also said that she supported Doni'€™s policy to order all personnel to smile, greet and shake hands (3S) and avoid raging, glaring and punching (3M) to help the unit avoid conflict with the public and with other state institutions.

Starting with the little things, Kopassus is now taking a small step that may lead to a big leap as it strives to insert a humane touch into its interactions with civilians and overcome the unit'€™s gruesome history.

'€œKopassus should always be wary of attempts by anyone to misuse the force for certain interests other than that of the state,'€ she said.

Doni, a former commander of the Presidential Security Detail (Paspampres) during the last term of president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, has said that he will lead the reform since positive public perception of Kopassus'€™ accomplishments seemed to evaporate into thin air because of the burdens of its past.

Shortly after taking command in September 2014, Doni instigated a new rule of thumb in relation to forging discipline among personnel.

'€œI told them that I never want to hear the long-held creed suggesting Kopassus personnel can get away with violations as long as they don'€™t get caught. If you commit a violation you will be punished,'€ said Doni in his recent remarks to staff and journalists.