Jakarta, Kompas - the Suara Independen (Independent Voice) trial began at the South Jakarta State Court on Thursday, February 5. Andi Syahputra (31) is accused of insulting the president in October 1996.

Syahputra's defense lawyers Luhut MP Pangaribuan and Irianto Subiakto from LBH (Indonesian Legal Aid Institute) have stated that they will not present a demurrer (eksepsi) as the case will resume on February 13 with the questioning of witnesses. They also asked the court to allow the accused to be given leave to celebrate Lebaran (end of the fasting month) with his family.

The Judge said he would consider the request. Jasrul Zen, who is also to be tried in the same case is still being investigated.

[Abridged translation from Kompas - JB.]

Four opposition supporters jailed for July rioting in Indonesia

Associated Press - January 30, 1997

Jakarta – Four supporters of Indonesia's pro-democracy leader were sentenced Thursday to jail terms of six months and 15 days each for throwing rocks and breaking windows at a police station.

They were arrested during July rioting prompted by a crackdown on supporters of Megawati Sukarnoputri. The four were among thousands of Megawati supporters stoning a police station near her party's headquarters in the worst political violence in Indonesia in two decades.

Lawyers for M. Nur, Dagelan Rajagukguk, Domingus dos Santos and Sanggek Suhendro said an appeal was probably useless.

Megawati, the daughter of the late President Sukarno, has become popular for her calls for more democracy. President Suharto, who ousted Sukarno in 1966, apparently views her as a threat.

In November, 116 Megawati supporters were sentenced to up to four months and three days in jail for refusing a police order to leave the headquarters. All were released because they already had detained them that long before their trial.

Indonesian political trials to finish before election campaign: Official

Agence France Presse – February 1, 1997

Jakarta – Indonesian Attorney General Singgih has indicated that several political trials now underway could conclude before the start of the election campaign in April, a report said here Saturday.

"We hope that all the trials will go according to the court rules and conclude within the next three months, that is, before the start of the campaign," Singgih was quoted as saying by the Kompas daily. Around 120 million Indonesians are to go to the polls on May 29.

Between April 25 to May 23 Indonesia's three political parties – the United Development Party (PPP), the ruling Golkar party and Indonesian Democracy Party (PDI) – will hold election campaigns. Indonesian courts are hearing a dozen controversial political cases, including the subversion trials of pro-democracy and labor activists and a presidential insult case by a parlimentarian.

Activists of the small pro-democracy People's Democratic Party (PRD) and independent union leader Muchtar Pakpahan were arrested and charged with subversion shortly after a mass riot here on July 27.

The riots, which left five people dead and 149 others injured, followed the attack on the PDI headquarters by a troop-backed rival party faction, until then controlled by Megawati Sukarnoputri.

Indonesia's crackdown on dissent since the riots has received harsh international criticism, including from the United States and the European Union. Indonesia's three parties will compete at the May elections for 425 seats in the 500 seat parliament.

President Suharto personally appoints to the parliament 75 members of the armed forces, who are not allowed to vote in the elections. Golkar has won each of the five general elections held since 1971. lis/be/lk

PRD: East Timor student leaflets

Surabaya Post – February 4, 1997

On February 4, A group of East Timorese students from a number of Indonesian cities held an action at the Surabaya State Court. Their arrival cased a "hubbub".

Previously, they had also arrived at during the trials of Dita and Pontoh last January 30 when Moh. Soleh was a witness. After the hearing they gave East Timorese leaflets to Dita and Pontoh then yelled. Although their arrival made the atmosphere at the court lively, the scores of security personnel at the court did not interfere.

In the recent incident, they also handed out leaflets who's "essence" was support for the struggle of the PRD and the formation of a shadow cabinet [see ASIET NetNews #05 - JB] by Ramos Horta. At the bottom it was signed by the Coordinator of East Timor Student Solidarity for the Struggle for Indonesian Democracy.

[Abridged translation from the Surabaya Post dated February 4 - JB.]

Prosecution witnesses sympathetic to the PRD

Bergerak - January 27, 1997

Asmawati, a worker at PT Indoshoes in Citeurep, Bogor, who appeared as a witness in the case against Petrus Haryanto, Secretary of the PRD, in the beginning of January. He was silent for a moment after being asked by Petrus' defense lawyer if worker strikes/actions had had a positive impact on workers.

He then answered that the action [no date specified - JB] resulted in forcing the company to improve the situation. "All of our demands were fulfilled" she said. "So the strike was positive?" asked Leonard. Asmawati answered yes.

Apparently Asmawati's answer angered the public prosecutors since she was appearing as a prosecution witness, and the judge bullied her.

In questions directed to the involvement of the accused in two strikes at PT Indoshoes, Asmawati who admitted she didn't know the accused, said that she did not see him at the strike.

In her testimony in the case of PRD Chair Budiman Sudjatmiko, Asmawati praised the PRD which she referred to as greatly helping workers in their struggle for prosperity.

Other prosecution witnesses were hesitant in their answers. Agus for example, the PT Indoshoes SPSI [Government controlled All Indonesian Workers Trade Union - JB] Secretary said he didn't see the accused at the strike although he did see a man who admitted to being from PPBI [Indonesian Center for Labour Struggle] giving a speech at the workers living quarters but it was not Petrus. He also found a number of "black" leaflets which invited the workers to strike but he could not say who produced them.

A witness from the Dutch Embassy called Ahmad Yani also appeared as a prosecution witness. However he was also unable to confirm that Petrus was at the demonstration during the occupation of the Embassy [The PRD lead occupations on December 7, 1995 - JB]. He said only that around 50 people jumped the fence and occupied the Embassy grounds.

Another prosecution witness, the Director of PT Indoshoes, Jakob, who pretended to know [about the case] when questioned by defense lawyers actually knew nothing. Although he seemed certain at the beginning, in the end he was also "cornered" when it turned out that what he knew about the strike was from a report he got from a subordinate.

The defence team was addressed by the presiding judge, Mugihardjo SH because he considered they ware asking questions which were not relevant. Defense lawyer Leonard Simorangkir responded by reminding [him/the court - JB] that from the start the defence team had rejected the witnesses presented by the court because it was considered that [their testimony - JB] was not relevant.

But the protest was rejected. "Because his testimony is not relevant then all of it is not relevant" responded Leonard. However the judge did not respond to Leonard's statement and the witness' testimony stopped.

The PRD was charged with subversion on the basis of the worker demonstrations which they organised, including the demonstration at the Dutch Embassy which opposed the occupation of East Timor. But what made the judge resentful, the witnesses which were mostly workers whose fortunes had be struggled for by the PRD did not try to [lit] drop the accused in a hole.

"We are trying to lead the testimonies of the prosecution witnesses to admit that the worker demonstrations were a positive action because all of their demands were fulfilled. So are positive worker actions a subversive act?" asked Johnson Panjaitan SH, one of the PRD's defence lawyers.

So far there have been no prosecution witnesses which have damaged the PRD activists. Sri Bintang Pamungkas, the head of PUDI (Partai Uni Demokrasi Indonesia, Indonesian United Democratic Party) who was a witness in Petrus' trial said that he did not her the accused express words which had the intent of overthrowing the government.

The prosecution witnesses for Ken Budha Kusumandaru, Victor da Costa and Ign Putut Arintoko at the South Jakarta State Court could not "corner" the accused. The same witnesses also said that the worker actions [organised by the PRD - JB] were extremely advantageous for workers because worker's rights as decreed by law were soon fulfilled by the management.

The prosecutors were clearly disappointed although it is certain that the accused will be found guilty by the judge who does not have the courage to act independently. So it is not important if the PRD activists are proven to subversive or not. What is important, in accordance with the desires of the regime's leaders, they must be found guilty.

[Bergarak (lit: to be active) is a journal published weekly by the Surabaya KPP-PRD Advocacy Committee. The KPP-PRD Advocacy Committee overseeing the trials in Jakarta produce a similar weekly news letter called BUI (Jail/Prison) - JB.]

East Timor

Letter sent by President Clinton to Senator Russell Feingold

reg.easttimor – January 27, 1997

This letter was sent by President Clinton to Senator Russell Feingold in response to the letter by Feingold and 14 and other Senators to the President before the APEC conference last November. It is significant that the President "notes with interest" the letter's proposal for a referendum on East Timorese self-determination. – Charlie Scheiner, ETAN

The White House Washington December 27, 1996

Dear Russ:

Thank you for your letter expressing concern about the East Timor issue. I share your desire to see this situation resolved in a peaceful and constructive manner.

My Administration has consistently encouraged the government of Indonesia to improve its human rights record, and has strongly supported dialogue among the relevant players that will lead to political reconciliation in East Timor. Although I did not have the opportunity to speak privately with President Soeharto at the Manila APEC meetings, I will continue to use every opportunity, as I have in the past, to encourage the resolution of the Timor question in a manner that is consistent with universal values with regard to human rights.

I note with interest your support of a UN-sponsored self-determination referendum in East Timor. I will take your idea into consideration. In the meantime, we will continue to support the UN-sponsored discussions between the Portuguese and the Indonesians, as well as the "intra-Timorese" dialogue.

As we work to achieve progress on Timor, we also should recognize the importance of a strong relationship with Indonesia, a country of strategic significance that has helped to promote several common goals in the region. Indonesia has been an active supporter of maintaining the U.S. presence in Asia, and has advocated a deeper regional security dialogue and a stronger APEC. The combination of engagement and pressure represents our best hope of seeing the situation resolved to our satisfaction.

I appreciate learning your views on this important issue.

Sincerely, /s/ Bill Clinton

The Honorable Russell Feingold United States Senate Washington, D.C 20510-4904

Group may face legal action

Unknown - February 1, 1997

Kuala Lumpur – Umno members who were part of the group which disrupted the second Asia Pacific Conference on East Timor (Apcet II) on Nov 9 may be facing suits for "assault and battery."

Spokesman for the Apcet II participants Tian Chua said the Attorney-General's Chambers' decision to drop charges against 60 of the organisers and participants proved that the Apcet meeting was legal and within their legitimate rights to organise.

"Apart from the four Youth members already charged by the Attorney-General, we have identified another 10 to 20 members whom we will file suits against in the next six weeks," Chua told a press conference outside the Jalan Tun H. S. Lee police station.

Former executive director of Centre for Peace Initiatives (Cenpeace) Fan Yew Teng said they would sue the Umno members to "teach them a lesson not to take the law into their own hands."

"We fully intend to see justice take its proper course. We will be considering all our options," said another participant, Parti Rakyat Malaysia president Dr Syed Husin Ali.

Lawasia Standing Committee on Human Rights' acting chairman Datuk Param Cumaraswamy said a public apology should be extended to the organisers of Apcet II by MCA and MIC leaders.

"Both Datuk Seri Dr Ling Liong Sik and Datuk Seri Samy Vellu announced their support for the Umno Youth members on television, the same night the Apcet meeting was disrupted," he said.

Bar Council chairman Hendon Mohamed urged the Government to consider compensating those who were detained, for the loss of their liberties, and called for the prosecution of the other demonstrators.

Parliamentary Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang hailed Mohtar's decision to clear the 60 participants as restoring faith in the independence and integrity of the Attorney-General's office.

Lim said the Attorney-General's chambers should consider prosecuting Umno Youth chief Datuk Ahmad Zahid Hamidi for having admitted to "masterminding" the Apcet II disruption.

"In Malaysia, no one is above the law, not even the King. No one has the right to take the law into his own hands with impunity and expect to get away with it," said Jelutong Member of Parliament Karpal Singh.

Puzzle over Horta 'hypocrisy' claim

South China Morning Post - February 4, 1997

David Barber in Wellington – Nobel Peace Prize winner Jose Ramos Horta and East Timor independence campaigners stormed out of New Zealand yesterday, leaving Foreign Minister Don McKinnon wondering: "What did I say?"

Mr Horta left, vowing he would not to return until the Government changed its policy towards the former Portuguese colony, now absorbed into Indonesia.

"New Zealand should drop dead. I will not set foot here again," he said, dubbing a press statement by Mr McKinnon on their talks "as utterly hypocritical, dishonest and misleading".

His attack stunned Mr McKinnon who had moved to assure local East Timor independence campaigners that New Zealand no longer saw Indonesia's occupation as irreversible. Recently, Mr McKinnon wrote to the local East Timor Independence Committee saying the Government supported the objectives of United Nations-backed talks aimed at finding a "just, comprehensive and internationally accepted settlement".

Mr Horta initially commended the minister for maintaining discreet but firm diplomatic pressure on Indonesia.

But later he appeared incensed at Mr McKinnon's reference to encouraging "reconciliation among the East Timorese factions". "I take offence at that," he said. "It's a myth that East Timorese seeking freedom from Indonesia are divided.

"The problem is the political and security situation. There are 20,000 to 30,000 Indonesian troops there and the arrests and torture are getting worse."

New Zealand should drop dead. I will not set foot here again

BHP considers go-ahead for $2bn LNG project

Sydney Morning Herald - 24 January, 1997

Bruce Hextall – BHP Petroleum and large US oil and gas group Phillips Petroleum should decide by the end of March whether to press ahead with the development of a $2 billion-plus liquefied natural gas (LNG) project which would exploit the Timor Sea's Bayu/Undan gas field.

The two oil majors are locked in negotiations about the best way to exploit the field, which extends over permits operated by both BHP and Phillips in the Timor Sea Zone of Co-operation.

BHP, and its other Australian partners, Santos and Petroz, have previously favoured a lower capital cost liquids-stripping development with the gas being reinjected for future use, but growing demand for LNG means there could be a profitable market for the field's gas in the near term.

BHP Petroleum president and group general manager (Australia Asian region) Mr Mike Baugh said yesterday a number of development opportunities were being assessed, including the possibility of establishing Australia's second LNG project. As well, the North-West Shelf partners - including BHP - are pressing to double the size of this project because of Japanese and Korean customers' readiness to sign additional long-term contracts.

Speaking at an oil and gas conference in Sydney yesterday, Mr Baugh said the Bayu/Undan partners were holding discussions on the siting of an LNG plant in Darwin or Timor.

But BHP has also raised the possibility of an offshore LNG development utilising floating production facilities.

Mr Baugh said there were a number of issues to be resolved before development of the LNG project went ahead, including the size of the reserves and whether there was sufficient market demand. At present, BHP estimates Bayu/Undan contains about 2.2 trillion cubic feet of gas, making it a significant gas field. Work to date indicates at least 160 million barrels of condensate could also be extracted.

The BHP estimates are expected to be conservative when the results of further exploration work are known. Bayu/Undan is already rated as one of the best gasfield discoveries in this part of the world since the Bass Straight find.

Bayu and Undan sit in separate production-sharing contract areas but are on the same structure of some 160 square kilometres.

BHP is the largest interest holder in the Undan permit (ZOCA 91-12) with 42.41 percent. Santos has 21.42 percent and Petroz 14.94 percent. A Phillips-led consortium operates the adjoining Bayu permit area.

Indonesia: US speaks out, Canberra silent

Sydney Morning Herald - February 1, 1997

Jennifer Hewett, Washington – The United States has accused the Indonesian Government of committing "serious human rights abuses", in contrast to Australia's muted stance on the issue.

In its annual report on human rights in 193 countries, the US State Department criticised Indonesia's record, citing many abuses and what it called "pervasive corruption".

"Despite a surface adherence to democratic reforms," the report says, "the Indonesian political system remains strongly authoritarian. There continued to be numerous credible reports of human rights abuses by the military and the police."

In even harsher language than in previous reports, the State Department says rising pressure for change in Indonesia has triggered tough Government action that further infringe fundamental rights. "In practice, legal protections against torture are inadequate and security forces continued to torture and mistreat detainees, particularly in regions such as Irian Jaya and East Timor."

The report's uncompromising judgments and detailed examination of human rights complaints will irritate the Indonesian Government and make it much harder for the White House to get Congressional approval for the proposed sale of F-16 warplanes to Indonesia this year.

This week, Indonesia's Foreign Minister, Mr Ali Alatas, attacked what he called the West's "double standards" on human rights, referring in particular to US criticism over East Timor.

Mr Alatas presented as an example the criticisms raised by a US Congressman, Mr Patrick Kennedy, who recently wrote to the Indonesian Government seeking information about the fate of East Timorese arrested after anti-Government riots on Christmas Eve.

"In my reply to him, I said it was very strange for him to be so persistent in his questions about those detained but not express any concerns about the one who died and the many who were injured," Mr Alatas said.

The letter highlighted the West's "continuing hypocrisy" and "double standards", he said, adding that it was common in many countries for demonstrators to be arrested after a protest turned violent.

The White House - under pressure about campaign donations from Indonesia's wealthy Riady family - is unlikely to soften the rhetoric towards Indonesia even it does not alter its policies significantly.

The awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to a Timorese activist and the region's Catholic bishop last year has sharpened the US focus on the plight of the East Timorese.

The US approach is increasingly at odds with Australia's. Both Liberal and Labor governments have refused to offer anything but mild and general public comments about what is happening in Indonesia.

The US report cited human rights abuses of other Asian countries, in particular the military regime in Burma, abuses in the Indian judicial system and the repressive political regime in North Korea.

Saudi Arabia, which last year beheaded 66 people, was among several Middle Eastern countries criticised for systematically denying their citizens' human rights. Both Israeli and Palestinian authorities were blamed for abuse and torture of political prisoners.

The State Department, while generally approving Australia's human rights record, says Aborigines continue to suffer "significantly higher rates of imprisonment, inferior access to medical and educational infrastructure, greatly reduced life expectancy rates, elevated levels of unemployment, and general discrimination which contribute to an overwhelming feeling of disenfranchisement".

[The US State Department report cited above was sent to ASIET branches on February 3. If branches have not seen/recived the report, please let me know and I'll send it again - JB]

No charges to be laid against APCET meeting participants

Unknown - 30 January 1997

Malaysian Atourny General's office press statement - The police have referred the Investigation Papers concerning the meeting of the Asia Pacific Conference on East Timur [sic] II (APCET) and the one concerning the unlawful assembly which disrupted the said meeting on 9 November 1996 to the Attorney General Chambers.

The Hon. Attorney General after perusing the Investigation Papers concerning the participants of APCET, of which sixty(60) persons had been arrested, has decided not to prefer any charge whatsoever against them.

As for the one which involved the participants of the unlawful assembly, seven(7) persons had been arrested by the police on the said day. Four(4) were arrested in the meeting room on the fourth floor Asia Hotel Kuala Lumpur whilst another three(3) were arrested outside the said hotel. There were several others identified but were not arrested.

The Hon. Attorney General after having carefully reviewed and assessed the evidence disclosed in the investigation conducted by the police, has decided to institute criminal prosecution against the four of them, namely:

1. Saifuddin Nasution Bin Ismail
2. Nadzri Binismail [sic]
3. Mohamad Supardi bin MD. Noor
4. Abdul Hadi bin MD. Zam for their conduct of illegally disrupting the meeting of APCET.

They will be charged in the Magistrate's Court Kuala Lumpur tomorrow, 31 January 1997.

[signature] Tun ABD. Majid bin Tun Hamzah Special Officer of the Attorney General, Malaysia

30 January 1997

Four East Timorese at French Embassy in Jakarta

Agence France Presse – February 4, 1997

Jakarta – Four East Timorese broke into the French embassy here early Tuesday, an embassy source said. Embassy spokesman Dominique Roubert said they entered the embassy early Tuesday morning, but declined to elaborate further.

He did not state whether the four have sought political asylum.

"I confirm that there are four East Timorese at the embassy," Roubert said.

Since September 1993, 115 East Timorese have left for Portugal after seeking sanctuary in foreign embassies here, 72 of them in 1996.

Lisbon automatically grants Portuguese citizenship to any East Timorese applying for it.

The last group, consisting of three East Timorese youths, sought asylum at the French mission here in December.

Indonesia annexed the former Portuguese colony in 1976 in a move that has not been recognized by the United Nations, which still views Lisbon as the administrator of the territory. bs/lis/cmc

France says East Timorese to leave by Wednesday

Agence France Presse – February 4, 1997

Paris – Four East Timorese youths who broke into the French embassy in Jakarta on Tuesday will leave for Portugal by Wednesday, the French foreign ministry in Paris said.

"We are in contact with the ICRC (International Committee for the Red Cross), who are in contact with the Portuguese authorities," said spokesman Yves Doutriaux, saying they would leave "today or tomorrow." He confirmed that the four had "scaled the railings of the embassy" to get into the grounds of the French mission in the Indonesian capital early Tuesday morning.

Since September 1993, 115 East Timorese have left for Portugal after seeking sanctuary in foreign embassies in Jakarta, 72 in 1996.

Lisbon automatically grants citizenship to any East Timorese applying for it. hm/mt/job

Nobel laureate urges Australia to press for end to East Timor conflict

Agence France Presse – February 5, 1997

Canberra – Nobel laureate Jose Ramos Horta urged Australia Wednesday to press for an end to the continuing conflict in East Timor by proposing measures such as a permanent UN presence in the province.

Horta told the National Press Club here that he was still hopeful that Indonesian President Suharto might overturn his opposition to some form of autonomy for the Indonesian-occupied territory.

But he said East Timor's future must be determined by a UN supervised referendum of the people, suggesting Jakarta may allow talks mediated by a third party away from the international spotlight of the United Nations.

Indonesia invaded the former Portuguese colony in 1975 and annexed in 1976.

Horta said Suharto was the last stumbling block to resolving the issue after he rejected a proposal from his foreign ministry two years ago for limited autonomy.

"But Suharto is also a survivor and an astute man.

He might realise that it is in his own interests in the next few months to make some changes," he said.

If there were any sign of that, the independence movement would bend over backwards to find a way of allowing Indonesia to disengage without the president having to lose face.

Horta said he had not given up hope that Suharto would change, citing the examples of Mikhail Gorbachev, a loyal communist who had initiated reforms which led to the collapse of the soviet states.

"Sometimes from unexpected sources you have people who have had the courage, the wisdom to do changes," Horta said.

"Sometimes the more conservative elements in a society or in a power structure are the ones capable of taking dramatic steps that would surprise everyone."

Horta, awarded the 1996 Nobel Peace Prize with Timor's Catholic Bishop Carlos Belo, said the independence movement was grateful that Australia consistently had raised the issue of Timor with the Indonesian government.

"But please, they must bear in mind that the problem of East Timor is not one of band-aid diplomacy, that is you address only human rights problems." They had to look into the root of the problem which included military occupation and migrants from Indonesia taking the best land.

He appealed to Foreign Minister Alexander Downer to talk to the United States and the European Union in consultation with Portugal about concerted action to persuade Indonesia it was in its best interests to disengage. jt/jkb

Malaysian police clear East Timor activists but charge government

Agence France Presse – January 31, 1997

Kuala Lumpur – Fifty Malaysian activists involved in a banned meeting on East Timor were Friday cleared of all charges but four members of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's ruling party were charged.

"The police told us this morning that all charges have been dropped and the case terminated," Tian Chua, a spokesman for the November 9 Civil Rights Group told reporters.

The group represented the 50 who were among 106 people detained on November 9 after the youth wing of Mahathir's ruling United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) led a protest to disrupt the East Timor meeting.

The government had opposed the East Timor conference, fearing it would harm Malaysia's ties with Indonesia.

Tian said the police had followed a recommendation of the attorney-general's office.

The attorney general's office had Thursday announced that four UMNO members, including its youth wing's assistant secretary Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, would be charged in court on Friday with taking part in the illegal disruption of the conference.

It said the 50 conference participants, including leaders of several non government organisations, would be cleared of all charges.

Another activist, Fan Yew Teng, said the decision ha restored public faith in the rule of law in Malaysia.

However, the NGOs would still take legal action against those who broke up the conference to ensure "justice is done and the appalling actions of the National Front youths will not be repeated," Fan said.

UMNO is the largest political party and leader of the country's ruling 14-member National Front coalition.

The government has announced a crackdown on local NGOs to prevent what it calls exploitaion of the groups for individual interests.

Mahathir last month labelled NGOs as "leftists" and "traitors" and accused them of being an extension of foreign NGOs who want to tarnish Malaysia's reputation. jsm/en/tw

Horta urging more New Zealand action over East Timor

Agence France Presse – January 31, 1997

Wellington – Nobel Peace Prize co-winner Jose Ramos Horta on Friday asked New Zealand to help push for a referendum on independence in his native East Timor which was annexed by Indonesia.

"New Zealand has had, in the last couple of years, a good, discreet record in putting pressure on Indonesia," Horta told a press conference.

He called on New Zealand to support the East Timorese people in their call for a referendum on their own future by quietly pressing Indonesia on the issue, but said he was not asking for trade sanctions to be imposed on Jakarta.

"We have no objections to New Zealand's trade relations and investment with Indonesia," he said.

"We are not asking for trade sanctions, we are asking for New Zealand to take a lead, even though discreet, in concert with Australia, the United States and European Union for a joint effort to put pressure on Indonesia." Earlier he met with New Zealand's Foreign Minister Don McKinnon who in a statement later said Wellington supported the concept of tripartite talks between Indonesia, Portugal and the United Nations.

McKinnon said he had listened carefully to Horta and give backing his goal of a public consulation while impressing on him the need for all parties to work constructively.

"Their objective is a just, comprehensive and internationally acceptable outcome on East Timor," McKinnon said.

"The Asia-Pacific region has had this issue on its plate for many years and we all want to see it resolved.

"Whenever I meet Indonesia's Foreign Minister Ali Alatas we discuss East Timor and I register New Zealand's concerns about human rights issues and our wish to see progress towards a long term solution." Indonesia, the world's biggest Moslem country, invaded East Timor, a predominantly Christian former colony of Portugal, in 1975 and annexed it the following year.

The move has never been recognised by the United Nations, which considers Portugal to be the area's official administrator.

Ramos Horta won the 1996 Nobel Peace prize jointly with Bishop Carlos Felipe Ximenes Belo of Dili, the capital of East Timor. mjf/mdl

NZ minister surprised at Timorese leader's call to 'drop dead'

Agence France Presse – February 3, 1997

Wellington – Foreign Minister Don McKinnon was Monday clearly surprised but made no formal comment after Nobel Peace Prize winner Jose Ramos Horta from East Timor said New Zealand "should drop dead." On Friday after meeting McKinnon, Horta hailed New Zealand's "good, discreet record in putting pressure on Indonesia" but by Sunday he was saying he would never set foot here while the current government remained in power.

After the Friday meeting McKinnon issued a statement which in part said New Zealand endorsed United Nation's moves to "encourage reconciliation among the East Timorese factions themselves." Horta appears not to have seen McKinnon's statement until Sunday and was enraged by the reference to factions.

"The root of the problem is the military occupation, annexation and gross and systematic abuse of the Timorese people," he said.

He then claimed the New Zealand government was "utterly hypocritical" and its conciliatory line to Indonesia "abominable".

"If I keep reading this kind of communique, New Zealand should drop dead, I will not set foot here again," he added.

McKinnon's office said Monday the minister was trying to get hold of a complete transcript of what Horta had said, but from what had been reported, the minister was very surprised.

Both McKinnon and Horta had emerged from their meeting indicating it had gone well, a spokesman said.

The press statement had not been contrary to any previous government position.

East Timor was annexed by Indonesia in 1975 and East Timorese people have been fighting for independence since then. mjf/jkb

Indonesian 'security approach' fails to solve East Timor woes: Cardinal

Agence France Presse – February 1, 1997

Jakarta – Indonesia's "security approach" in East Timor has failed to reduce tension in the disputed territory, the Catholic Church warned here Saturday.

Cardinal Justinus Darmaatmaja said Jakarta's actions in East Timor had done little to address the territory's problems and called for dialogue to end a stand-off which is now in its 22nd year.

"The situation there is still the same after 20 years," Darmaatmaja told a press conference. "It is clear that many still do not want to join (Indonesia). These people have been handled with the security approach, with all its consequences.

"If this does not change I am afraid that the younger generation ... won't easily respect and join Indonesia.

They will inherit hate." Indonesian troops invaded the former Portuguese colony of East Timor in 1975 and formally annexed it the following year, a move never recognized by the United Nations or most states, including the Vatican.

Indonesian troops have since kept a tight grip on the territory, a source of constant criticism by observers who accuse security officials of frequently arbitrarily detaining and torturing East Timorese.

Observers have identified one of the main problems in East Timor as the high level of discontent among local youths. Since September 1993, 115 East Timorese, mostly youths, have left for Portugal after seeking sanctuary in embassies in Jakarta.

Darmaatmaja called for the inclusion of all East Timorese in finding a solution for the territory. "Let's hear openly what their (the East Timorese's) grievances are, what their laments are.

An open dialogue is essential and do not sharpen differences of opinions with a firm hand," he said.

While Jakarta claims it has seven battalions in East Timor, of between 600 and 650 men per battalion, western military sources say there are up to nine battalions there, totalling 15,000 to 20,000 soldiers, plus irregular troops such as intelligence officers.

While almost 90 percent of Indonesia's 200 million people are Moslems, the majority of East Timor's 800,000 inhabitants are Roman Catholic.

In December, the Nobel Peace Prize was jointly awarded to East Timorese Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo and exiled freedom activist Jose Ramos Horta, once again putting East Timor's troubles in the international spotlight.

Jakarta has discouraged the vocal bishop from making political comments or engaging in political activities. lis/kf

Elections

Soerjadi begs PDI members not to read newspapers

Waspada - February 4, 1997

Kupang – Soerjadi [the government installed head of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) - JB.] has begged PDI members not to read newspapers if they have reports on the PDI. On February 3 he said that reports in the mass media tend to "corner" the party and do not give a true picture, "as far as articles concerning the PDI, it is better not to read them" he added.

The lead story in the Kupang newspapers on Monday (February 2) reported that when Soerjadi and Fatimah Achmad were trying to consolidate the party in Sumba Island, demonstrations were held by Megawati supporters. He claimed there were no more than 5 demonstrators while the reports mentioned large demonstrations.

He also said the consolidation in Sumba was going smoothly and that his group would continue to provide "understanding" and motivation to PDI cadres so that they will not be provoked by reports.

[Abridged translation from Waspada - JB.]

Campaigning manuscripts must be checked, campaigners must have a permit

Kompas – February 1, 1997

Jakarta – Every manuscript which will be used in the campaigns of the coming general elections (Pemilu) must first be checked by the Examination Committee for General Elections Campaign Manuscripts formed by the Minmister of Home Affairs/Chairman of the General Elections Institution (LPU). Likewise, the campaigners must have a permit from the police to may campaign in certain areas. While in a dialogic campaign, to avoid "all kinds of" questions, there will be placed a Mediator of the Agenda.

Said stipulation forms a Decision of the Minister of Home Affairs/LPU Chairman No. 7/1997 about the Directives To Implement the General Elections of 1997 which was conveyed by the Vice General Secretary II Waluyo, sided by the Vice Bureau Head of the LPU Public Relations Djumaedi, Tuesday (4/10). The implementation directives of the campaign referred to Presidential Decree No 99/1996 about the Arrangement of Pemilu 1997 which is for the first time compiled during the pemilu implementation.

Besides the checking of the manuscript, the permit of the campaigner, the signs of the campaign in the implementation directives are quite strict, among others that the campaign location will be determined by the IInd level regional head/resident/mayor together with the local police, and information will be given to the police which will issue a Certificate on the Information of the managing board of the pemilu participating organization (OPP) concerned. The campaign will take place from 27 April - 23 May for 27 days between 09,00-18,00, with a period of silence between 24 May-28 May before D-Day of the Pemilu implementation, namely 29 May 1997.

The Examination Committee for General Elections Campaign Manuscripts will examine the campaign manuscripts through radio and TV before the broadcast. Reporters asked whether this means that the government is censoring campaign manuscripts? "No censor but an examination whether the campaign manuscript is true or false," said the Vice General Secretary of the LPU II Waluyo.

He added that conform the stipulation the campaign manuscripts had to give priority to OPP programs for imput of the GBHN (Broad Outlines of the Nation's Direction)'s compilation. "Not to step out of that. The campaign should not besmirch other OPP," said Waluyo. "If it is positive critics there is no problem. Now most are criticizing but not giving the way out," he added.

According to Waluyo said team to examine the manuscripts has various elements as members including from the Department of Information, Home Affairs and others. "The team with smart members are expected to examine the (campaign) manuscripts not perfunctorily," he said.

In this relation was questioned if the teams consisted of government elements which are nota bene Golkar, whether they could be expected to examine the manuscripts of other OPP's objectively. "Yeah, don't know (about that problem). But they are citizens who can be accounted for," said Waluyo.

Big role

The magnitude of the role of bureaucracy in the regulation of the campaign implementation was also questioned by the press. "Is it guaranteed that it will not create biasses when evaluating campaign manuscripts of other OPP's?" reporters asked. Acording to Waluyo the government indeed arranged the campaign as organizer of the pemilu. "Are not the public places from the government," he said.

Regarding the campaigners, Waluyo said that there were indeed terms which they had to meet, including general terms like being an Indonesian citizen, member of the OPP in concern, not involved in the communist coup. "And passed the special investigation (litsus). Those who are included in the caleg (candidate legislative member) have certainly passed the litsus," he said. Waluyo also said that the Indonesian Elections Committee (PPI) had no list of campaigners who were on the black list. Whether a person could or could not perform as a campaigner depended on the police which gave the permit.

Besides the monologic campaign, said implementation directives arranged dialogic campaigns (communication) in form of questions and answers, informal discussions, discussions, meetings, workshops, seminars or symposiums.

Conform with Presidentioal Decree No 99/1997, the campaign is divided into six regions, namely Sumatra; Java; Bali, NTB (Western lesser Sundas), NTT (E. Lesser Sundas) and East Timor; Kalimantan; Sulawesi; and the Moluccas and Irian Jaya which could only cover the region of the regency, districts, villages and administrative units.

Five Indonesian students to go on trial for advocating election boycott

Agence France Presse – February 1, 1997

Jakarta – Five Indonesian students will be tried for allegedly distributing stickers advocating a boycott of upcoming parliamentary elections, a report said Saturday.

The four students in Purwokerto, Central Java, were accused of inciting people to engage in crime and the police are preparing dossiers for trial, said Captain Abdul Jalal, the head of the district's police detectives, in a report in the Republika daily.

The four, arrested on January 18, could face up to four years in jail.

They were arrested following the questioning of another student who will testify against them in court, Jalal said.

The stickers advocated an election boycott if "labour wages remain low, (land) evictions continue and the package of five laws is not revoked." The package includes laws which limit the number of political parties to three, sets government supervision on them through the home affairs minister, and requires the parties to swear allegiance to the state ideology.

The stickers were first discovered in the town early in January.

One of the detained students said that 50 stickers had been sold at between 500 and 1,500 rupiah (21 and 63 cents) each last year to fund a student book discussion, Republika said.

The five students have designated lawyers from the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute to defend them, the daily said. The date of their trials has yet to be set. Around 120 million Indonesians are to go to the polls on May 29. bs/lk

Medan police have withdraw 5 certificates of non-involvement in the

Waspada – February 1, 1997

Medan - The Medan police have "withdrawn" 5 legislative election candidate's Certificates of Non-involvement in the G30S/PKI affiar (SKTT, Surat Keterangan Tidak Terlibat G30S/PKI) which were presented by the head of the Golkar Sumut branch.

According to a Waspada source in the police department, the five are:

Army Brig-Gen H.M. Effendi Ritonga (ex-head of Sumut Golkar), H. Marzuki, Drs. Layari Sinukaban, Ir. Elmadon Ketaren and Wagirin Arman. The withdrawl was based on a Bakorstanasda telegram number STR/155/Stada/XII/1996 dated 19 December 1996. Wagrin has complained that there was no clear explanation/basis for the withdraw saying that "the widthdrawl of [my] SKTT is indirect murder, not just for me, but also [my] family. Because by its wthdrawl, I am considered to have been involved in the G30S/PKI affair".

[Abridged translation - JB]

Shades of discontent protest ballots may give elections a contentious hue

South China Morning Post – February 6, 1997

John McBeth, Jakarta – When Golkar painted the town yellow, Indonesia's opposition finally saw red. It happened in early January in the historic Central Java city of Surakata, where overzealous loyalists from Indonesia's dominant political party splashed large tracts of the city in Golkar's trademark canary yellow. Incensed, rival politicians of the Muslim-oriented United Development Party (PPP) armed themselves with brushes and painted everything they could find back to a basic white.

"All we want is fair treatment from the local government," fumes Amin Sulthoni, deputy chairman of the PPP's Solo branch. He wasn't placated by Central Java Governor Soewardi's explanation that he was merely promoting the province's mascot, a yellow-plumed bird called a kepodang. "If they paint a public area it should be in a neutral colour," Amin insists. "If there's a political motive behind it, then there should be all three colours-green, yellow and red."

That's green for PPP, yellow for Golkar and red for the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI). The three shades will be seen widely across Indonesia ahead of the May 29 parliamentary elections. But the polls could also sport an important fourth colour-white. Why? White is the colour of golput, an acronym which also means "invalidated ballot." There's a strong sense that disenfranchised Indonesians may use this method in May to voice their protest in the election.

Ever since the government engineered the downfall of Megawati Sukarnoputri from the PDI's leadership, analysts have been predicting either a smaller turnout among the 124 million registered voters or a larger percentage of spoiled ballots. These are the only two practical ways for constituents to express their dissatisfaction in an election where Golkar has already pronounced it will win 70.02% of the vote to choose 425 members for the 500-seat House of Representatives.

But staying away from the polls presents significant hazards. "Voting is seen to be an obligation," says political researcher Syamsuddin Haris. "In the villages, people are afraid not to vote because they can get into a lot of trouble"-even tarred with the communist brush. Syamsuddin doesn't expect turnout to drop from the 90.4% recorded in 1992, but he believes there could be an increase in invalidated ballots from the 8%-9% thought to have been cast in the previous election.

Most of the disillusioned are likely to be young urbanites with strong political awareness. But there are indications the golput concept is also being embraced by people from lower income brackets who have grievances against the government or who feel their MPs-securely ensconced in Jakarta-don't really represent them.

To be sure, spoiling ballots won't do much to dent Golkar's dominance. And because the Home Affairs Ministry keeps the golput vote as close to its chest as the management of the election itself, it will be almost impossible to determine the real extent of the dissenting vote.

The Independent Electoral Monitoring Committee has considered establishing informal sampling centres away from the official polling stations as a way of analyzing voting trends. But Chairman Goenawan Mohamad says it may be asking too much of voters to use such centres under the watchful eyes of local officials. Goenawan's committee is not recognized by the government and has already been warned it can't directly monitor the polls.

Golkar's predicted 70.02% majority is two percentage points more than it took in 1992. "It's not a prediction based on nothing," says Abdullah Alatas Fahmi, a member of Golkar's central executive committee. "It's a scientific calculation." Party officials say it's based on 11 different variables, ranging from Golkar's 36 million members to local political and economic issues.

At Golkar headquarters, the head of the quaintly named Department of Winning the Election, Rully Chairul Azwar, produces a province-by-province breakdown of how the party is likely to do in the May elections. Rural provinces top the list: Golkar expects 97% of the vote in Central Sulawesi and 91% in East Nusa Tenggara and the Sumatran provinces of Lampung and Jumbi. At the other end of the popularity scale, the party doesn't expect to do so well in Jakarta (61%), East Java (62%) or once-rebellious Aceh (63%).

"Golkar's campaign is a dialogue campaign," says Rully. "It's not a show of power, it's a sale of ideas." But there might be disagreement from Central Java, where the local administration's unabashed Kuningisasi-or yellowization-campaign has covered everything from fences and tree trunks to private homes, public buildings and street curbs. The media might also disagree: Many reporters have been bluntly told to cover only Golkar activities in the lead-up to the official 27-day campaign period.

In an electorate where 60%-70% of the voters are under 40, the younger generation is what concerns Golkar the most.

"The younger people are saying things have to change, that they want to be heard and they want to be asked," says South Sulawesi MP Marwah Daud Ibrahim. "We're told we have to approach them differently. We have to win their hearts and minds, we can't just promise more bridges." Or paint their town yellow.

Govt bans public gatherings over Indonesian election period

Agence France Presse - February 5, 1997

Jakarta – The Indonesian government has ordered a ban on public gatherings which could incite social unrest prior to the May general election, officials said yesterday.

The Indonesian Interior Ministry, in a statement, urged governors, regents and mayors to postpone any meetings, congresses and seminars organised by the country's sociopolitical and mass organisations that would involve large groups of people.

"Any activity that could incite social unrest and disturb public order should be postponed," said the statement signed by Interior Minister Yogie Memet, who is also the National Election Institute chief.

It said the restriction would be imposed one week prior to the scheduled April 27-May 23 election campaign and would end a week after the May 29 election.

The ban also applies to research activities that would involve a large number of people. However, research or field surveys that do not involve the masses and are unlikely to cause unrest and public disorder are exempted.

The nearly one-month campaign would be followed by a five-day cooling-off period before voters go to the polls.

Last year, the government for the first time since 1972 barred outdoor election campaigning and ordered so-called indoor discussion sessions instead.

Last Thursday, thousands of Muslims burned or damaged four churches, two Buddhist temples and over 100 homes and shops mostly belonging to ethnic Chinese in Rengasdengklok, 40 km east of Jakarta.

The violence flared after a Chinese woman allegedly scolded Muslim youths for making noise at a nearby mosque before dawn.

Three other major outbreaks of ethnic and religious unrest on the islands of Java and Kalimantan since October have left at least a dozen people dead and scores injured. The upcoming general election would be the sixth under President Suharto's administration and the seventh since Indonesia gained independence in 1945.

More than 119 million people are expected to cast votes to choose 425 members of the 500-seat Parliament from among candidates of the three political parties – the ruling Golkar, the Muslim-oriented United Development Party and the Indonesian Democratic Party.

The 500 members of Parliament will be joined by 500 regional representatives and public figures to form the People's Consultative Assembly, which will meet next year to elect the President and Vice-President.

Mr Suharto's party, Golkar, has won each of the five-yearly general elections held since 1971. – DPA, AFP.

Now Jakarta bans all political meetings

Sydney Morning Herald - February 5, 1997

Louise Williams, Jakarta – The Indonesian Government has banned all social and political meetings involving large crowds until after the May national elections, and Malaysia has moved to close its land border with Indonesia in the face of continuing social unrest.

The Minister for Home Affairs, Mohammad Yogie, ordered all local officials to postpone until after the elections any public activities that could incite social unrest as a new rampage was reported in West Kalimantan, the Indonesian-controlled territory on the island of Borneo.

Troops have been flown to the province, sources said.

The Soeharto Government has already banned outdoor campaigning. The campaign period runs from April 27 to May 23 and voters go to the polls on May 29 after a five-day cooling off period.

The tension surrounding the run-up to the polls does not reflect political rivalry among the candidates but, rather, the level of frustration of the Indonesian people for whom the election holds no prospect of real political change.

The election process is tightly restricted and following the ban on candidates from the opposition party of Ms Megawati Sukarnoputri the elections offer no real alternative to the ruling Golkar Party, which has fielded a team sprinkled with the wives and children of the ruling political elite.

In the latest Borneo unrest, police said some 5,000 Dayak people, the mainly Christian indigenous tribes of the island, rioted against Muslim immigrants from East Java, continuing a violent conflict which began on Christmas Eve last year.

Malaysia announced it was closing the border between Kalimantan and Sarawak, the Malaysian-controlled territory to the north, in response to the unrest.

Bus operators said thousands of Indonesians who had travelled across the border to shopahead of the major Muslim holiday this weekend were stranded on the Malaysian side.

The Dayak people, formerly the fierce "headhunters" of Borneo, have been marginalised by Government-sponsored "transmigration" of Muslims from densely populated Java to Kalimantan as labour for new rubber, palm oil, and timber plantations.

The Dayaks, who once practised shifting cultivation in the towering rainforests and believed the land was sacred, have lost most of their former territory to clear-cut logging, mining and plantations and are unable to continue their subsistence farming methods.

Since December 24 a series of clashes have been reported between Dayaks and Muslim migrants. At least three people have died and 21 are still reported missing. At the same time in the capital of West Kalimantan, Pontianak, an overnight curfew has been imposed following further arson attacks on Christian and Chinese targets.

Pontianak has the largest Chinese population of any major Indonesian city and aggression against this ethnic minority on the largely Muslim island of Java over the past few months has spilled over into Kalimantan, resulting in a string of attacks on Chinese targets.

As in much of Indonesia the urban Chinese minority control the local economy.

The official Malaysian newsagency, Bernama, reported the land border would remain closed until further notice. Malaysia is also a multi-racial society with a Chinese minority that has dominated the economy and is highly sensitive to any racial unrest which could spill across its borders.

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Opposition parties cry foul over rules for upcoming elections

Unknown – February 1997

Sarah Smith – Opposition parties held rallies in early January to protest against the conditions under which this year's parliamentary elections will be held. Most parties will be excluded altogether from the vote, scheduled for 29 May.

The government of President Soeharto introduced a series of electioneering rules in December, designed to limit candidature and to restrict the manner of campaigning. One of the most stringent measures concerns political broadcasts during the official campaign period, which runs from 29 April until 23 May.

In apparent contravention of an all-party consensus not to censor campaign material, live campaign speeches and discussions are to be subject to script approval before being broadcast on either the state-owned TVR1 channel or any of the country's five private television stations. The government has dismissed opposition criticism of the new ruling, which it says is a 'technicality' designed to preserve election ethics and avoid name-calling on the air.

Other measures include a tightly controlled election schedule which will oblige the three competing parties to campaign in pre-designated areas and at set times. The opposition United Development Party (PPP) has threatened to withdraw over this rule, which it believes favours Soeharto's Golkar party. The PPP also fear their limited budget may prohibit them from following the schedule, which may requires parties to campaign in two towns in one day.

Only three parties are permitted to contest the elections – the Golkar, the PPP and the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) – and even these are subject to government sanctions. Known supporters of Megawati Sukarnoputri, who was ousted as leader of the PDI by the government last year, have been excluded from the General Election Institute's approved list of PDI candidates, while Megawati herself has been warned that she will not be permitted to stage rallies during the election period. She will also be abnned from staging her own campaign.

A clampdown on political dissent is expected to coincide with pre-election manoeuvring. Thirteen opposition activists are currently standing trial under Indonesia's harsh anti-subversion law for their alleged involvement in the Jakarta riots of June 1996. Early this year one of the government's most virulent critics, ex-legislator Sri Bintang Pamungkas, had his 34-month sentence for defamation upheld. He is expecting to be in jail by the time the elections come round.

Riots, social unrest

Street vendors run amok at Pondok Gede market

The Indonesia Times - 27 January, 1997

Bekasi – Tens of street vendors at the new Podok Gede market here run amok damaging an office in the complex.

The incident occurred Saturday at about 10:30 a.m. when officers tried to relocate them from Jalan Inkopau, besides the market complex, to the front of it. Some vendors felt dissatisfied, though a discussion about the relocation that has been held earlier by traders [formal] and vendors [informal].

The vendors came to the market office to seek for Edi Supriadi, the market unit leader. He was not in the office.

Supriadi is not here. But, I am a chief of the sub market retribution unit, said Abdur-razak as quoted by Pos Kota.

He said the vendors suddenly stormed and shattered the glass of office door after the reply. Afraid to become a victim, he ran to the second floor with two others, including a woman.

The skirmish was quieted after the police, military and market security guards appeared at the site. It was uncertain if anyone was detained in the incident.

Abdurrazak did not know whether the assault was motivated by dissatisfaction or other reasons.

I do not think it was because the vendors disagreed with the relocation, he added.

Unsatisfied

The vendors said they destroyed the market office was due to their dissatisfaction with relocation. We fear that we will lose customers, one of the vendors said.

Two days ago, the Bekasi regional government failed to relocate the vendors. To avoid any incident, local authorities let the vendors discussing among themselves to make a decision, said Anton Zakaria, an official of the regional government.

He said he still did not understand the reason of the destruction.

Officers were still investigating if there was a third party involved in the case, Zakaria said.

Agustiana, officially arrested in Tasikmalaya case

Kompas Online - 31 January, 1997

Bandung – The Attorney General's Office of West Java on Thursday (30/1) arrested Agustiana bin Suryana (24) as official detainee of the Attorney General's Office with status as suspect of subversive crime in the Tasikmalaya affair.

At the moment he is detained at the House of detention in Tasikmalaya.

The certainty of this arrest was said by the Public Relations Head (Kahumas) of the Attorney General's Office of West Java, TP Tampulolan SH, Thursday (30/1), in his operation room in Bandung.

In the press meeting at the same day, the Institute of Legal Aid (YLBH) Nusantara questioned the evidences for the capture and arrest of the suspect.

The Kahumas stated to Kompas that the suspect is the chairman of the Forum of Youth Pupils and Students of Garut (FPPMG) and is only arrested in the frame of investigating.

While his colleagues Iman Taufik, Agus Rulli and Yudi Kurnia have for the moment the status of witnesses.

YLBH Nusantara with as chairman Effendi Saman SH as legal proxy from Agustiana was not satisfied with the result of the decision to detain the suspect.

In the near future, this dissatisfaction will be conveyed to the Attorney General's Office.

"We question the legal measurement taken by the Attorney General's Office of West Java, because the arrest of the suspect must be accompanied by clear evidences,' he said.

YLBH Nusantara is also not satisfied with the acts of investigating and arresting performed by the District Attorney of Tasikmalaya and the other apparatures on 8 January 1997.

The measurement was only based on the Request for Information Letter No... Pg1 179/P.2.16/Dp 3/1/97 dated 6 January 1997 which formed a form of violation and insult towards the KUHP (civil code) and Human Basic Rights (HAM).

He clarified that the violation caused a loss which has to be accounted for by the District Attorney's Office of Tasikmalaya, because KUHP does not know the term Intelligence Operation like said by the District Attorney's Office of Tasikmalaya (Kompas 11/1), namely as one form of deviation which does not uphold freedom and integrity.

"Against this measurement also, we urge the Attorney General to take actions against the District Attorney's Office of Tasikmalaya and the Attorney General of West Java is considered to have performed a legal deviation towards the KUHP," Effendi clarified.

One day before the official arrest towards the suspect, around 14.00-14.30, YLBH Nusantara intended to meet with the suspect.

But this intention was rejected by the police chief of Tasikmalaya with the reason that they already had their own lawyers. When YLBH Nusantara tried to contact Agustiana at Hotel Yudha Negara where the suspect lodged, a Mitsubishi car even followed the YLBK Nusantara team.

Upon arrival at the hotel, the person on duty informed that the name of Agustiana was not recorded in the hotel guest records. Meanwhile according to Agustiana's parents, the suspect was in room 210 of said hotel.

It is time that Indonesia has laws on national security

Kompas Online – February 1997

Jakarta – The Chief of Staff of Socio Politics (Kassospol) of the Armed Forces (ABRI) Lieut. Gen. Syarwan Hamid said that Indonesia presently very needed a set of Laws on National Security. This is particularly needed when ABRI personnel are on duty in efforts to neutralize a riot.

Syarwan said this in his meeting with 52 leaders of Social Organizations and three Participating Organizations of the General Elections (OPP). Various military brass attended the meeting.

According to Syarwan, at the emerging of various riots accompanied with various damages on social facilities, either in Situbondo, Tasikmalaya, Sangau Ledo Pontianak, or Rengasdengklok Karawang, the ABRI personnel who were dropped just only relied on showing their bodies. "We don't have yet Laws on National Security. Not yet. Yesterday I shouted, if this continues ABRI will not be able to safeguard this country. This is not realistic, people are given the responsibility to pacify but the sets are minimum," he clarified.

ABRI, according to Syarwan, actually does not demand much. "ABRI only needs a set of Laws that its actions in pacifying this country will not deviate from general stipulations or the law in force and they are not hunted by the accusation of violating basic human rights (HAM)," he said.

To pacify this country, he added, we have not to wait until a crime is performed. "ABRI cannot wait till this whole country is aflame and destroyed. There must be preventive efforts. The problem is still in embryo form when we localize it. If needed it will end that far," he said.

He also said that conflicts with religious backgrounds were indeed more dangerous compared with other elements as background. Because religion does not know sociological, demographical or geographical boundaries. "Besides that religion has a big influence on the totality of the personality, because religious comprehension is more subjective and emotional," he said.

Syarwan also said that Laws on National Security differ in substance from Laws on Subversion. "Those Laws are more directed to threats which are already on the surface or have already manifested, like the presence of support, destructive activities which has spread, etc. While Laws on subversion are more directed to activities under the surface," he said.

The possibility of efforts aimed at threating the integrity of the RI unitarian state, he said, is not something impossible because the fact is that those attempts continue. "The PKI will continuously emerge in various manifestations, utilize various shortages and weaknesses due to the quick development which is now going on," Syarwan said.

To spread alertness

Syarwan also appealed to all leaders of social organizations and OPP to continue to spread alertness in all sectors and strata. "Elements which want chaos in this country will always try to enter in various sectors where it can develop. Therefore, to answer this wheresoever, we must spread this alertness," he said.

Answering the question of the General Chairman of the Ansor Youth Movement M Iqbal Assegaf that ABRI immediately take clear actions towards perpetrators who are classified as the intellectual actors who master minded all the riot actions which recently happened, Syarwan said, that the ABRI efforts were actually very colliding with the existing institution of laws. "We actually want to take actions. But the institution of laws much hampers ABRI's room for movement," he said.

"For arresting a person in these times there are regulations and legal signs, which must also be acompanied by sufficient reasons and evidences. Therefore ABRI asks that the society also understands the situation of the nation at this moment," Syarwan said. He clarified that the communist phenomenon was something real and not just useless rumor.

NGO files slander complaint against Indonesian Moslem leader

Agence France Presse – February 1, 1997

Jakarta – The leader of a non-governmental organization filed a complaint with the police against an influential Moslem leader for having accused the group of inciting a mass riot in West Java, reports said here Saturday.

Andrianto, leader of the Humanika Foundation, filed the complaint with the Jakarta police Friday against Abdurrahman Wahid, the Jakarta Post daily said.

Andrianto claimed that Wahid, head of the mass Moslem organization Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) which numbers 30 million followers, has tarnished the foundation's good name by publicly accusing its activists of masterminding a December riot in Tasikmalaya, West Java.

Four people died during the riot which also saw score of churches, police, government and commercial buildings destroyed, many by fire as thousands of Moslems went of a rampage, angered by alleged police mistreatment of three teachers of Islamic schools.

Jakarta police chief detective Colonel Paimin Aboeamr said Friday that the police would study the Humanika claim and possibly summon the conflicting parties for further information.

Wahid has said here this week that he has evidence to support his accusations against Humanika activists and was ready to be challenged in court.

Tasikmalaya is one of NU's strongholds and one NU member was among the main suspects in the riot, officials have said. Wahid has said that the Tasikamalaya riot was part of efforts to tarnish his image and that of the NU, a strong grassroots Islamic movement. The Islamic leader is also known to be a frequent government critic. lis/lk

PT Kahatex workers run amuck in Sumedang, Pontianak also paralysed

Kompas - 1 February, 1997

Jakarta – PT Kahatex, one of the largest textile factories in West Java situated on Jl Rancaekek Km 25 (about 25 kilometers from Bandung), on Friday (31/1) was destroyed by some 7,000 of its workers. As a result of that riot, 5 office buildings, 8 factories, 4 storehouses, 1 employees mess, 68 trucks and employee operation cars were damaged and 60 cycles burned by the mob.

PT Kahatex is among the largest textile industries in West Java with a workforce of 9,600 persons. However, no loss of life has been reported in that incident, except for wounds suffered by dozens of workers and management members.

According to Kompas sources at the factory which stands on a plot of 34 hectares, the riot started around 05.30 West Indonesia time, when some 5,000 workers who had gathered around the factory, conducted a demonstration of concern with a number of posters, requesting that the company fulfill their rights as workers, such as pregnancy leave, monthly period leave, holiday allowances, wages, medical allowance and some other allowances.

Feeling that their concern attracted no attention from the factory management, hundreds of workers started to throw stones, followed by thousands of others of the night shift who numbered about 3,500 persons. Meanwhile the mess for foreign workers from Taiwan did not escape the raging of the mob. They did not only smash the windows of the mess, but also ransacked the house equipment of some 30 foreign workers. The accommodations for female workers with a capacity of 3,905 persons and the men's accommodations also suffered heavy damage.

The Priangan District Police Chief, Col. Drs Sudirman Ail, when on location mentioned that in that case, his side had detained seven suspects thought to be the instigators of the mob and two others were held because they were caught redhanded stealing factory property when the riot occurred.

This riot by the workers, besides causing loss to the company thought to amount to hundreds of millions of rupiahs, also paralysed traffic on the Bandung-Garut-Tasikmalaya southern main road for five hours. Hundreds of vehicles from the direction of Bandung and Garut as well as from the opposite direction had to be diverted to the alternative route of Wado and Cijapati. The riot was finally smothered by agents around 09.30.

Bandung deserted

Various issues which were circulating about the possibilities of rioting, caused a number of shops in Bandung to remain closed and parents to fetch their children from school. A number of main roads in Bandung also became deserted.

The owners of row upon row of shops along Jalan Oto Iskandardinata, Jalan Asia-Afrika and the areas around the grass park, chose to close their business premises. On the grass park, security agents, including two armored cars and a few Rapid Reaction Unit cars were seen in readiness.

Some of the areas rumored to be the target for rioting were Cimindi, Cicadas, Cimahi, Palasari and Dayeuhkolot. Further spreading to Jalan Oto Iskandardinata, Asia-Afrika, Jalan Lengkong, and Pasar Baru.

Some private schools were also forced to cease their teaching activities. "Actually there was no decision to have the school take the day off," said a school principal to Kompas. But many pupils were taken home by parents afraid for their children.

Pontianak paralysed

In Pontianak economic and trade activities along the main roads and central markets became paralysed starting Friday (31/1). Shop owners and shopping centers closed down simultaneously after a rumor started that a group was bent on revenge as an after-effect of the Sanggau Ledo rioting. As a result, market centers in the town of Pontianak became deserted. The head of the Socio-political Section, Lt.Col. Yacob Adrianto, representing Danrem 121/ABW West Kalimantan, yesterday in Pontianak admitted to the press that as a result of the rumor that attacks would be made by a group of people, shop owners became afraid and immediately closed their businesses. Authorities are looking for the person who spread the rumor.

Some shop owners who were questioned by Kompas said that they believed the rumor because on Friday morning there had been an altercation around the Kapuas Indah market.

Actually, according to information gathered by Kompas, the noisy group had been hire car drivers holding a demonstration, protesting the licensing of new hire cars by the Pontianak municipality. This protest action was a continuation of the strike by 140 hire cars, stationed at the Sungai Jawi terminal, on Thursday (30/1).

Pontianak blockaded

The town of Pomtianak since Thursday night had been practically blockaded by the guard posts set before the headquarters of the 643/Wanara Sakti Infantry Battalion in Anjungan Village, about 60 kilometers north of Pontianak.

Anjungan is crossed by the road connecting Pontianak with three regencies of the interior, namely the Regencies of Sanggau, Sintang and Kapuas Hulu. Night and day, this is the main road very densely packed with both passenger and freight transportation. Moreover, these three regencies are across from Kuching.

Armed Forces personnel – some armed with stenguns – stopped passenger buses and freighter trucks, especially those coming from Pontianak and going to the three mentioned regencies, because the further journey was risky. The buses finally returned to Pontianak, while the freighter trucks were temporarily parked on the grounds of the military headquarters.

On Thursday night, the military and police authorities of the area issued a statement that the development of the situation of late could disturb the stability of the security and development of the region.

The statement also appealed to the community to remain calm and not to be incited by rumors. The Armed Forces would take firm steps according to the law against all parties disturbing the stability of security in the region, and which could sever the unity and union of the nation, specifically in West Kalimantan.

Tension eases in West Java town hit by riots

Straits Times - February 1, 1997

Jakarta – The situation in Indonesia's West Java province was less tense yesterday with shops re-opening and a cleaning up under way a day after Thursday's violent incidents caused widespread damage.

A policeman in the town of Rengasdengklok said 108 people had been questioned in connection with the unrest, sparked after an ethnic Chinese-Indonesian woman complained of the noise Mulsim youths were making as they beat drums before dawn to summon people to eat before the start of the Ramadan fast.

Residents said yesterday that troops remained deployed in the town, part of a rice-growing area about 50 km east of Jakarta.

"People are clearing the rubble from their damaged houses and shops and soldiers are patrolling in the town.

"There were no incidents overnight, but it was tense last night because we heard rumours the people would attack us again," said a church attendant. Rioters burned a church and a Buddhist temple, damaged four other churches, and wrecked and looted shops and homes during the rampage.

Sixteen cars were also destroyed, but there were no reports of serious injuries.

Co-ordinating Minister of Political and Security Affairs Soesilo Soedarman called on Indonesians to act to prevent violence that threatened national unity, the Pikiran Rakyat daily said yesterday.

He made the remarks after a meeting of the military, the Attorney-General's office and government departments dealing with political and security matters.

However, he said the government was "not worried" about the country's socio-political condition and security in the run up to the general election scheduled for May 29, adding that political stability and security were "under control" but that "we need to enhance our alertness".

"But if there are individuals in the society who do not want the general elections to proceed smoothly, the possibility that other incidents could take place cannot be ruled out," he warned. – DPA, AFP, Reuter.

More rioting in West Kalimantan and Bandung

Unknown – February 1997

Pontianak (West Kalimantan) – On Friday and Saturday, Pontianak security forces are carrying out armed raids against suspected rioters. They have also ordered people not to leave their homes between 9pm and 5am. The order came after around 30 to 40 people rioted and burnt a number of houses and other buildings last Friday and Saturday and allegedly threatened/injured a number of people. A number of locations have been affected by the rioting including Sungai Jawi, Kota Baru, Sepakat, Parit Pangeran, Batu Layang, and Tugu Katulistiwa. The treat of more rioting in Pontianck has resulting in many people deciding to seek refuge with families or in most cases requesting protection from security forces.

Only days after massive rioting broke out in Bandung, West Java, street venders in the centre of the city attacked shop with a number damaged by stones. Thousands of security personal with armored personal vehicles and anti-riot gear were mobilised and took control of the situation but most shops in the city centre remained closed.

The trouble started after the Bandung major, Wahyu Hamidyaya issued a new policy prohibiting street vendors from five parts of the city. A delegation of street vendors went to the majors office, but although they were received by the assistant major, Endjang Sudarsono, no agreement was reached and in frustration, they left and began rioting.

[Abridged translation. Source and date of original article unavailable -JB.]

Fresh arrests as workers riot

Sydney Morning Herald - February 3, 1997

Louise Williams – Security forces made further arrests at the weekend following last Thursday's Muslim riots west of Jakarta, and new tensions flared in the city of Bandung, where leaflets were dropped calling on Muslims to attack Christian and Catholic targets.

The armed forces reported that unrest was quickly contained in Bandung, an important industrial and university centre about 200 kilometres south-east of Jakarta, after about 10,000 factory workers went on a rampage which left at least 60 cars destroyed.

The factory riot was in protest over the failure of a major textile manufacturer to pay the traditional bonus to mark the end of the Muslim fasting month and was not directly related to a recent wave of attacks by Muslims on Indonesia's minority Chinese and Christian communities.

However, security forces were deployed across the city over the weekend after the discovery of pamphlets calling on Indonesia's majority Muslim population to continue the attacks against Chinese Christians.

Security forces announced new arrests west of Java, where thousands of Muslims rioted last Thursday, bringing the total number of people in detention to 20. An influential social organisation, Kosgoro, which is aligned with the ruling Golkar Party, warned that Indonesia was witnessing an ongoing moral crisis.

Indonesian military chief warns against rioting

Reuters – February 1997

Jakarta – Indonesia's armed forces chief General Feisal Tanjung said on Friday the military would take sterner measures against riots following disturbances in a town east of Jakarta in which buildings were burned or wrecked.

"If riots continue, the armed forces will take sterner action ... because this country is based on the rule of law," the official Antara news agency quoted him as saying.

Troops patrolled the town of Rengasdengklok, about 50 kilometres east of Jakarta, and residents cleared rubble from wrecked buildings after a Muslim mob went on the rampage on Thursday over a reported insult against Islam, witnesses said.

Rioters burned a church and a Chinese Buddhist temple, wrecked four other churches, and destroyed and looted shops and homes during a rampage on Thursday, officials and residents said. Sixteen cars were also destroyed.

There were no reports of serious injuries.

The rupiah fell against the dollar on Friday morning but later recovered on a nervous money market on rumours of trouble in the major west Java city of Bandung.

Bandung residents said thousands of workers from a nearby textile factory were demonstrating in demand of a bonus. Police said two cars were set on fire but the situation was quickly brought under control.

Government officials said Thursday's riot in Rengasdengklok apparently started after an ethnic Chinese woman complained of the noise Muslim youths were making as they beat drums before dawn to summon people to eat before the start of the daylight Ramadan fast.

Residents said troops were stationed in many parts of the town, which is part of the Karawang regency, a rice-growing area east of Jakarta.

Last month, four people died when a mob went on a rampage in the town of Tasikmalaya in West Java, setting fire to shops, buildings and churches. That riot was sparked by reports of police brutality towards a Muslim religious teacher.

Political and social analysts have blamed the eruptions of violence on socio-economic tensions. Some government members have said they believed there was a Maoist conspiracy involved but have provided no proof of this.

While more than 80 per cent of Indonesia's nearly 200 million people are Muslims, the state recognises the world's major religions.

Rumours of racial riots halt bus service to Pontianak

Unknown - February 3, 1997

Kuching (Sarawak, West Malaysia) – Local bus companies which ply between here and Pontianak in Kalimantan, Indonesia, have suspended operations out of concern for the safety of their employees and passengers following rumours of more riots there.

They stopped their services three days ago following reports by foreign new agencies that racial unrest erupted in West Kalimantan. Several thousand indigenous Dayak tribemen had apparently burned and looted scores of homes and stores belonging to settlers from the Indonesian island of Madura.

Another report had quoted residents in Pontianak as saying that soldiers were guarding churches after rumours of a tribal riot.

When contacted yesterday, an employee of Biaramas Express said the company suspended services to Pontianak two days ago, adding that other companies had done likewise.

Pontianak is a popular tourist destination for many Sarawakians.