Democratic struggle

Budiman Sudjatmiko: Government ban will not affect party activity

SiaR - October 1, 1997 (posted by Tapol)

Jakarta – The government's decision to ban the Peoples' Democratic Party and all its affiliates will not affect the activities of the organisations. They will continue with their actions until their aims have been achieved, the PRD chairman, Budiman Sudjatmiko told Siar in Salemba Prison, Jakarta.

"Whereas formerly we might have used the name of our organisation, now we won't conduct actions under our name but together with other groups. We will continue to be involved in actions among workers, peasants and the urban poor", he said.

In a press release, the party said it was not much influenced by the government's ban. It would continue to intensify its programme of activities as stated by the party at its congress which was held on 30-31 August 1997. The main points on the programme are: the succession, the five political laws and the fight for a democratic coalition government.

'We are not going to dissolve our organisation. On the contrary, we will go on consolidating it with a recruitment campaign. The structure of the organisation will not be changed,' the press release said.

Budiman said that since its birth, the party had not relied on legitimacy from the government and the government had not give it recognition. He said the Interior Minister's decision to ban the party was a joke.

"It's very funny indeed. From the start, they refused to recognise the existence of the PRD but now they have banned it", he said.

The fact that it no longer accused the party of being communist was proof that the government had failed to find any evidence that the PRD was communist.

'What was the basis for accusing us of being communist? The structure we have created is the same as the structure of other organisations, including GOLKAR. So what is it that is communist?'

The communist accusation directed against the PRD and other organisations, along with the arrest and imprisonment of its activists had failed to halt actions demonstrating feelings of dissatisfaction in society. A number of actions have taken place in various parts of the country recently. These accusations appeared to be part of the government's overall strategy of maintaining the status quo, said the PRD press release.

PRD, PPHI banned, SBSI may soon follow

Tapol - October 2, 1997

On 29 September, the Indonesian Ministry of the Interior announced that the PRD, the People's Democratic Party, and all its associated organisations, have been banned. This includes the PPBI, the Indonesian Workers Struggle Centre, and the STN, the Indonesian Peasants Association.

The chairperson of the PPBI, Dita Indah Sari, is now in prison, serving a five-year sentence, after having been found guilty of subversion, for her activities in support of workers' rights. The general secretary of the PPBI, Ignatius Damianus Pranowo who was also charged with subversion is serving a nine-year sentence. The chairperson of the STN, Coen Husein Pontoh, is serving a three and a half year sentence, also on charges of subversion.

The banning of these organisations is in flagrant violation of the freedom of association as upheld in Article 22 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and in ILO Convention No 87 Concerning Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise.

As two of the organisations associated with the PRD most of whose leaders are now serving sentences for subversion, the PPBI and the STN have been forced underground and many of their activists are now in hiding. The ban will make their circumstances even more precarious.

When announcing the ban, an official of the Interior Ministry told the press that other organisations, including the unrecognised trade union, the Indonesian Welfare Trade Union, the SBSI, are likely to be banned in the near future. SBSI leader Muchtar Pakpahan, who has been hospitalised for more than six months, is now on trial for subversion. His demand to be allowed to go abroad for treatment has been rejected by the authorities.

On 19 September, the Second Congress of the SBSI was forced to disperse after police raided the premises.

We call on you to register your protest in the strongest terms against the banning of the PPBIand the STN, along with the PRD and its other associated organisations. We call on you also to strongly condemn any move by the Indonesian Government to ban the SBSI.

Government dissolves and bans the PRD

Tapol - October 1, 1997

[Based on reports in Kompas and Republika, 30 September 1997]

The government has at last (!) banned the People's Democratic Party (PRD) and all the organisations associated with it.

The ban was announced by Director-General for Social and Political Affairs of the Interior Ministry, accompanied by officials from the Attorney-General's Office, the social- political chief of staff of the Armed Forces, Police Force headquarters and the State Intelligence Coordination Agency, Bakin.

The ban is based on the refusal of the organisations to acknowledge the Pancasila as their guiding principle. The organisations covered by the ban are the students organisation, SMID, the trade union PPBI, the artists association Jakker, the peasants organisation STN and the Solo Peoples Union.

The Interior Ministry official said that the organisations had posed a threat to security and public order. Another reason for the ban was that the party's book, 'Towards a People's Multi- Party Democracy' had already been banned.

The ban is based on Articles 26 and 27 of Law No 8, 1985 [This is one of the five political laws which the PRD has vigorously condemned.]

The official denied that the government had ever linked the PRD to the outlawed PKI, the Indonesian Communist Party.

Asked whether other organisation are likely to be banned, the Interior Ministry official hinted that the government was considering banning other organisations including PUDI (chaired by Sri-Bintang Pamungkas), the Marhaen People's Movement and the independent trade union, the SBSI.

The PRD officially banned

Republika - September 30, 1997

Jakarta – The government has officially banned the Peoples' Democratic Party (PRD) along with its affiliated organisations according to Department of Home Affairs decision No 210-221, dated September 29, 1997.

Yesterdays government statement, was read by retired Director General of Social and Political Affairs of the Department of Home Affairs, Sutojo NK. He was accompanied by the Director General of Social and Political Affairs, Achdari, Supreme Court Youth Intelligence section, Hadibaroto, Police Intelligence Director, Brigadier General Guntur, Military Social and Political Affairs Deputy, Brigadier General Yahya Sacawirya and advisor Anton Dotulung.

Both Achdari and Sutojo admitted that there was an impression that the decision was "late". "We wanted to give it deeper consideration so as not to take a rash decision", said Sutojo. Both denied hat the decision was related to the coming Peoples' Consultative Session (1).

Sutojo said that the government had also banned all activities in the name of the PRD and its affiliated organisations in all their forms and manifestations. PRD's affiliated organisations are Student Democracy for Indonesian Democracy (SMID), the Centre for Labour Struggle (PPBI), the National Peasants Union (STN), the Indonesian Peoples' Union (SRI), the Jakarta Peoples' Union (SRD) and the Solo Peoples' Union (SRS).(2)

Among the considerations for the banning by the government, it was mentioned that the PRD was not listed by the Department of Home Affairs, not acknowledged by the government and legally was incompatible with existing regulations. Although a number of its leaders were in jail, the organisation and its cadres are still active. "They are still secretly active", said Sutojo.

He said other considerations for the bannings was that the PRD book "Towards a Peoples' Multi-party Democracy" (Menuju Demokrasi Multipartai Kerakyatan) – which includes the organisation's doctrine – has already been banned from distribution by Supreme Court decision Number 079/JA/08/1996.

Legally, said Sutojo, the bannings are in accordance with Articles 26 and 27 of Law Number 8, 1985. The articles stipulate that the government has the authority to disband and organisation without prior notice. Both Sutojo and Achdari explained that the category of a banned organisation is not identical with the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI). They are of the opinion that the PRD is not identical with the PKI. Because of this they were banned and the government did not use the same policy it applies to the PKI.

Will this be applied to other organisations or NGOs? Both Achdari and Sutojo said that the government may apply it to the Indonesian United Democratic Party (PUDI), the Marhaen Peoples' Movement and the Indonesian Workers Prosperity Union (SBSI). "It is possible that I will extend [the decision to include] similar organisations which are not in line with the law", said Sutojo.

Translators notes:

MPR: Mejalis Permusyawaratan Rakyat, People's Consultative Assembly. The highest legislative body in the country with 1,000 members, 425 of whom are elected with the remainder being appointed by the president. It meets once every five years (usually around a year after the general elections) to hear an outgoing report from the president, enact the Broad Outlines of State Policy (Garis Besar Haluan Negara, GBHN) and to vote on nominations for the president and vice-president. The next session of the MPR will be held in March 1998. Although not mentioned, two other organisations, Peoples' Art Network (JAKER) and Indoesian Peoples' Solidarity Struggle with the Maubre People (SPRIM) are also affiliated with the PRD.

[Translated by James Balowski, ASIET (Action in Solidarity with Indonesia and East Timor) Publications and Information Officer. The PRD's response to news of the impending banning is included in ASIET NetNews #37.]

East Timor

Horta calls for the cessation of armed activity in Timor

Jose Ramos Horta - September 24, 1997

The twenty two year old conflict in East Timor can come to an end if the two main parties engaged in armed violence in the territory are inspired by the higher interest of peace and the well being of the people.

The escalation of violence in East Timor in the last few months, initiated by the Indonesian forces, has been thoroughly documented. This escalation provoked a coordinated guerrilla attack throughout the country, in late May, which resulted in further retaliation by the Indonesian military forces. The people of East Timor are now experiencing a spiral of violence in which the victims are always the weaker ones, the defenseless East Timorese population.

This situation must come to an immediate end. Indonesian troop presence in East Timor must be reduced to a minimal level equivalent to the Portuguese troop level in East Timor in 1974, which never exceeded 1000. In 1975, in the course of the decolonization process there were fewer than 500 troops in East Timor. Indonesia's remaining troops should be confined to their barracks. East Timorese resistance fighters should observe a cessation of all armed activities. A protection zone should be created in a designated region, in East Timor, where the armed resistance forces and their families can assemble under international humanitarian protection. All prisoners should be released. Torture must end.

A representative office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights should be established in East Timor. The mandate of this office can be modeled after similar experiences in other conflict situations and the confidentiality rules followed by the ICRC could be adopted here. Such an office could serve as an useful bridge of communication between the local people and the authorities; it can facilitate dialogue and mediate local conflicts. It should also provide training in international human rights and humanitarian law for the law enforcement agents, the armed forces and police, as well as members of the civil society.

East Timorese should be given the right to govern their own country. Examples of genuine political and administrative autonomy abound that attest to the openness and tolerance of all involved, such as in Azores, Madeira, Macau, the Basque country, and the Cook Islands to mention a few. The most contentious issue, which is the legal status of the territory, should be decided upon at a later stage.

It is expected that during the first week of October high officials from Portugal and Indonesia will meet again in New York under the auspices of the Secretary-Generals Personal Representative, Ambassador Jamsheed Marker.

I register with great appreciation the increased international interest and concern with regard to the conflict in East Timor. The U.S. administration has shown genuine concern and played an increasingly positive role in support of the UN Secretary- General. British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook made the issue of East Timor a priority on his agenda during his recent visit to Indonesia. President Nelson Mandela is lending his moral authority to the efforts towards the peaceful resolution of this conflict.

In this context, I wish to make a most emphatic appeal to the Resistance leaders in East Timor, the freedom fighters in the mountains, the clandestine network, the youths and students, as well as to all those who are directly or indirectly involved in this noble struggle to resist any temptation to engage in armed violence. The Resistance, if it is to serve its own cause and purpose, must observe a complete cessation of all armed activity that can give rise to Indonesia's use of force.

As the world community - the UN, the U.S., the European Union and President Mandela of South Africa in particular -, are working towards bringing an end to the twenty two year occupation of East Timor, we, the East Timorese, must show our appreciation and good faith by refraining from any act that would be inconsistent with this spirit of dialogue.

Let us be inspired by the lessons of wisdom and humanity of Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King or His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

[Josi Ramos-Horta, 1996 Nobel Peace Prize co-Laureate]

Conflict intensifies in East Timor

Human Rights Watch/Asia - September 29, 1997

In a new report, "Deteriorating Human Rights in East Timor," Human Rights Watch/Asia says the conflict in the disputed territory has intensified since a series of guerrilla attacks around the Indonesian parliamentary elections last May. While both sides have violated a cardinal principle of international humanitarian law_protecting civilians and non-combatants from hostilities_the Indonesian army has been responsible for widespread arbitrary arrest and detention, often accompanied by torture, in its response to the attacks. The report links the recent violence to a build-up of Indonesian paramilitary and counterinsurgency forces in East Timor. Human Rights Watch calls on the international community to request full transparency from the Indonesian armed forces on the number of personnel stationed in East Timor, including rotating battalions, special forces, locally-formed counterinsurgency units, paramilitary groups, police, and intelligence units, and to engage the Indonesian government in discussions on how to reduce that number.

The report places particular emphasis on the problem of torture and calls on the Indonesian government to make an announcement, to be published in the newspaper Suara Timor Timur (Voice of East Timor) and other public places, that members of the security forces, including police, army, and various paramilitary groups, are explicitly banned from using any form of torture, including electric shocks, beatings, and submersion in water, at all times. The government should cooperate with local human rights organizations like the Commission on Justice and Peace to set up a mechanism by which torture victims could report to the commission with confidence that their accounts would be fully investigated, that they themselves would suffer no reprisals, and that the torturers would be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Virtually all branches of the Indonesian army have been responsible for torture, but allegations center most frequently on Kopassus, the army special forces, and on the joint military intelligence unit known in East Timor as SGI.

The report notes that the Indonesian government has learned that torture can be politically costly in case of internationally- known activists or those likely to be the subject of diplomatic inquiries, but there is almost no cost associated with torturing villagers who are only briefly in detention.

Human Rights Watch also calls on members of the armed opposition to cease the practice of executing unarmed civilians suspected of being collaborators and informers. Such executions are in violation of international humanitarian law.

The report notes that the violence followed a period of growing social and political tension in East Timor. Some of this was caused by the proliferation of Indonesian paramilitary groups and counterinsurgency forces beginning in mid-1995, many of them composed largely of East Timorese who were given rudimentary training before being equipped with firearms. A pro-integration youth militia, known by the Indonesian acronym of Gardapaksi, had also become a major problem. Created in 1995, ostensibly to provide vocational training for East Timorese youth, Gardapaksi members quickly became partners of the Indonesian army special forces in military operations.

Tension has also increased with the influx of Indonesians to East Timor, both through official transmigration programs as well as "spontaneous" migration. (The Indonesian transmigration minister made a point of campaigning for the ruling party, GOLKAR, in transmigration sites in East Timor.)

Yet another source of tension is related to the economic development plans for East Timor. These plans include a huge project for cultivating sugarcane, taking up 25,000 hectares of the most fertile land along the southern coast of the territory, which is about to get underway. The main investor is President Soeharto's son, Tommy Soeharto.

The political implications of tensions caused by a heavy military presence combined with extensive in-migration were highlighted as early as 1990, the report notes, but the problems remain unaddressed by the Indonesian government.

[The full text of the report is available from ASIET's WWW page:../ under the section "miscellaneous reports and articles" - James Balowski]

New Inquiry into deaths of newsmen: Scottish widow to give evidence

Press Release by UNA - September 29, 1997

Mrs Wilhelmina Rennie, now of Ramsay, Isle of Man, flies to Australia on Friday October 10 to give evidence on the cover-up of her son's murder by Indonesian forces in Balibo, East Timor. Her only son, Malcolm, was a reporter for Australian Channel 9 TV. Killed with him on October 16 1975, were his cameraman, Brian Peters from Bristol and the 3-man crew from the rival Channel 7.

Minna Rennie will give evidence before the Australia Section of the Indonesian Commision of Jurist (ASICJ), a top human rights body on October 18. Despite conducting a 'preliminary evaluation' last year, the Australian Government has avoided further action such as seeking the prosecution of the killers. The 'evaluation' found them to be from 'an attacking force under Indonesian officers'. Vital witnesses, fearing another cover-up, did not co-operate with the 'evaluation' but will now give their evidence to the ASICJ.

Not until she read a book by Australian ex-diplomat Jim Dunn(*) did Minna discover that the brutal deaths of the 5 TV newsmen were followed by some of the worst mass slaughter since the Second World War. Minna says: 'This cruel cover-up triggered genocide. Australians will help me, once they hear the lies we were told.'

The ASICJ invited Hugh Dowson of the UNA-UK Western Region to give two presentations of evidence before them on October 18.

(*) The Balibo Incident in Perspective, published in October 1995

Environment/land disputes

Air pollution warning for Jakarta

Sydney Morning Herald - October 4, 1997

Louise Williams, Jakarta – Air-particle pollution levels in Jakarta were nine times above the safe limit yesterday and meteorologists issued a warning to ships and aircraft as changing wind patterns pushed the smoke haze into the Indonesian capital. It was the first time air pollution levels for Jakarta were published. A city official said: "If the air quality is dropping and becoming a serious danger, then people must be alerted." The National Meteorology and Geophysic Agency said the changing wind patterns, which are bringing relief for much of Malaysia from the vast smog cloud produced by Indonesia's raging forest fires, would direct the haze towards Jakarta and the busy Sunda Strait which divides Java and Sumatra.

"Grey skies in Jakarta over the past three days are an early sign of the coming haze caused by forest fires in central and east Java," an agency spokesman said. International relief teams began assessing yesterday how to help Indonesia battle its fire and smoke disaster.

Three Australians arrived here late on Thursday to take part in a United Nations disaster relief team and aim to assess over the next few days how Australia might best help, using a $2 million relief package announced by the Foreign Minister, Mr Downer.

Rain is helping firefighting efforts, with more fires reported to be under control yesterday.

But the haze continues to take its toll. Five people were reported dead and four are missing after a motor boat carrying 48 students collided with a freighter on a river in south Sumatra on Wednesday. Thick smog caused the accident, a police officer said.

Government indifference fuels forest fire disaster

Friends of the Earth International Press Release - October 1, 1997

Friends of the Earth International today called for immediate and effective action by the Indonesian government to combat the continuing forest fire crisis.(1)

Kevin Dunion, Chair of Friends of the Earth International, said:

The Indonesian government's failure to control the timber and plantation industries and their illegal burning has led to this massive social, ecological and economic disaster. The impacts of these fires on climate change will be felt globally, and the international community must hold the Indonesian government accountable. The government must act immediately to control the fires, provide compensation to those affected and enforce its own laws to bring these unsustainable industries under control.

Widespread forest mismanagement and unsustainable logging over the past decades has left the forests in an extremely poor state (2) and prone to fire. No prosecutions have ever been brought against plantation and timber companies for their widespread use of fire to clear land, even though it is illegal. Arimbi Heroepoetri of WALHI/Friends of the Earth Indonesia, said: "The timber industry can be blamed for these devastating fires – and not natural disaster or agricultural practices of indigenous communities as the Indonesian government alleges."

The fires have caused a dangerous smog over much of Asia, with the Air Pollution Index reported to be six times the normal level in parts of Indonesia, and particulate matter more than double the level deemed safe by Indonesian authorities. More than 40,000 people have been hospitalized, and there have been 19 recorded deaths. Tens of millions of people have been affected across the region and the toll is rising.

The Indonesian government has been slow to act in the face of this global disaster. Although the fires started burning in July, the government only announced a relief package on 27 September. FoEI Chair Kevin Dunion called the government's proposed sum for emergency relief of Rp. 3.1 billion (less than US$800,000) "shamefully inadequate given the magnitude of the tragedy. The government spends more than a hundred times this sum to keep powerful pulp, paper and peat barons in business."(3)

In the absence of an effective government response, WALHI/ FoE Indonesia has established Emergency Posts in six affected communities. FoE International has issued an urgent appeal for smoke masks and donations to enable WALHI/ FoE Indonesia to continue meeting this immediate and practical need.

Other FoE member groups have also reacted to this crisis. FoE England, Wales and Northern Ireland has called for a halt to the UK timber trade with Indonesian companies implicated in the forest fires; FoE Scotland has called for the Bank of Scotland to suspend loans to the PT TEL pulp and paper consortium; and FoE Italy will be holding sit-ins outside Indonesian consulates.

WALHI/ FoE Indonesia and Friends of the Earth International call on the international community and citizens' organizations to hold the Indonesian government accountable for the widespread tragedy caused by the forest fires. The government has for too long flouted the calls of its people for an end to the corruption, incompetence, indifference and pure profit-seeking that has characterized the country's forest management policy.

Up to a million hectares of forest are burning in Indonesia (mainly Kalimantan and Sumatra), releasing 220-290 million tonnes of CO2 (for reference, this amount is equivalent to 50 percent of the UK's annual CO2 emissions.) The fire is also threatening over 1 million hectares of peat forest, and an additional 20 million tonnes of CO2 could be released if just the top ten centimeters of peat were to burn. In late 1996, the Indonesian Minister of Forests was reported as saying that 20 million hectares of forest were in a critical state and warned that the proportion could increase rapidly. For example: the Indonesian government subsidizes the aircraft industry to the tune of Rp. 400 billion (US$102 million) and PT Pulp & Paper, a plantation consortium, with up to Rp. 250 billion (US$64 million).

[Although not specifically mentioned, the aircraft industry refered to is the "state owned" Nusantara Aircraft Industry headed by long-term Suharto crony, Research and Technology Minister B.J. Habibie. The pulp and paper consortium is owned by Bob Hassan, a long term friend of Suharto and one of his most trusted business confidants - James Balowski].

Malaysian firefighters unhappy over slow progress

Straits Times - September 29, 1997

David Miller, Sumatra – Malaysian firefighters eager to get on with the job of fighting the forest and peat fires here have been forced to play a waiting game.

The Straits Times, which followed one team of firefighters over the weekend, found that it has only handled a handful of peat fires.

Much of the team's day involves driving along bumpy roads in military tracks following forestry officials tasked with locating underground fires.

The firemen, who are used to being in the thick of the action, seem to be growing increasingly frustrated.

While many are reluctant to criticise their host openly, several have grumbled in hushed tones about the apparent lack of co- ordination.

One firefighter, who did not want to be named, said: "We came here to help. But instead we have been sitting around most of the time waiting.

"The advanced scouting should have been done earlier. Instead they waited until we arrived. This has wasted so much precious time. I thought this was a disaster zone. Things have been moving so slowly."

While satellite photographs can locate the hot-spots indicating surface fires, they cannot pin-point the peat fires smouldering underground. Forest rangers have to check out known peat layers and rely on tip-offs from local villagers.

At one plateau in Krya Bakti, in the Kampar district about 200 km from Pekanbaru, a peat fire was found burning.

The Malaysian firefighters, using shovels, dug around the site to locate the smouldering peat layers and then used sand to put out the fire.

They had to turn over every blackened log and stone to make sure that embers are not hidden underneath.

Pointing to a scorched area of jungle about 600 m away, where new grass was sprouting, forest ranger Erwan Suhanti, said: "That is where the fire started. It was put out a month ago. But it travelled underground and started here again." The leader of the Malaysian team, Deputy Superintendent Abdul Aziz Haron, said that his Malaysian team of some 100 firemen would spend about two weeks combing the district for new peat fires.

Asked to assess the contribution his team has made to the on- going fight against these forest fires which has blanketed South-east Asia in thick haze, he said: "It is still early to say. We have not had a chance to handle many fires yet. But I expect that we will see a lot more before our job here is done."

Indonesia blames forest fires on El Nino

Straits Times - September 29, 1997

Derwin Pereira, Indonesia – has rejected blame for the haze blanketing large areas of South-east Asia, saying that one of the culprits is the El Nino climatic phenomenon that no one could have prevented.

The official Antara news agency and the Suara Pembaruan evening daily yesterday quoted Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare, Mr Azwar Anas, as saying that the forest fires that set off the haze were linked to the El Nino phenomenon.

He said: "The freak weather phenomenon is partly to blame. We are not late in anticipating the problem. It's a natural disaster which no one could have prevented."

He added that El Nino had also caused other disasters such as typhoons, drought, floods, landslides and hurricane in other parts of the world.

El Nino is a climatic phenomenon which sucks moisture from the western side of the Pacific Ocean, disrupting normal weather patterns and inducing prolonged dry spells.

The Suara Pembaruan also quoted him as saying in Bandung, West Java, that nobody could seek compensation from Indonesia for the haze.

"We cannot be sued," he said. "All experts in the world have said that this catastrophe is not only a natural disaster concerning Indonesia or one resulting from the actions of Indonesians, but it is a global disaster."

He added that Indonesia was willing to accept more foreign offers to help put out the fires.

He said: "Because the cause of the fires is related to El Nino, all countries in Asia and the Pacific region feel obliged to help. It is an international commitment to put out the fires."

Jakarta would accept foreign assistance in accordance with the principle of international solidarity, he said, adding that Japan, Australia, South Korea, Singapore and Malaysia had made known their intention to help.

His comments came against a background of increasing criticism within and outside the country that the government was not doing enough to tackle the fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan which have so far destroyed more than 300,000 ha of forest and caused choking pollution in parts of Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines.

Ecologists blame the fires on land-clearing practices by plantation and forestry companies, which they believe are responsible for 80 per cent of the fires.

Many of these firms, however, have refused to accept responsibility for the fires, blaming the blazes on small farmers and their traditional slash-and-burn methods.

Lt-General Hendropriyono, President Suharto's Secretary for Control of Development Operations, insisted that plantation clearing had only served as a trigger for the increased temperatures caused by El Nino.

Environment Ministry officials told The Straits Times yesterday that the visibility range in the haze-affected areas was now "way below 100 m" and the Pollution Standard Index (PSI) was "between 300 to 400". Worst hit was Jambi, where visibility now was below 15 m.

Indonesian tycoons own firms blamed for forest fires

American Reporter - September 27-28, 1997

Azhar Basri, Jakarta – An Indonesian ministerial report has blamed 176 logging and plantation firms over the huge forest fires which had already choked most areas in southeast Asia, saying that those companies had conducted the dangerous slash-and- burn practice to clear their land.

The Jakarta Post on Friday quoted a report from the Ministry of Agriculture that revealed 14 of the firms are still continuing the dangerous activities despite an official ban declared earlier this month by the Minister of Agriculture, Sjarifuddin Baharsjah, and Minister of Forestry Djamaluddin Suryohadikusumo.

The report listed the names and the location of the 176 companies in eight Indonesian provinces on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra, but did not name the principal shareholders or owners of the firms. It also does not specify the names of the 14 firms.

Some of the 176 companies are owned by Indonesia's wealthiest figures, including Indonesia's No. 1 and No. 2 tycoons Liem Sioe Liong and Eka Tjipta Wijaya, timber tycoon Bob Hasan as well as Prayogo Pangestu of the widely-diversified Barito Pacific Group.

All of them are politically well-connected. Indonesian environmentalists doubt that blame for the annual "slash and burn" fires routinely used to clear land will be placed where it belongs, as the tycoons are widely considered to be more influential here than the ministers.

Baharsjah said earlier this week that the government has given the companies until Oct. 1 to defend themselves by filing reports on their activities, adding that he will first conduct checks in the field before taking punitive actions against erring companies.

Nearly 10,000 Indonesian and Malaysian firemen are fighting the blazes on Sumatra, Borneo, Sulawesi and Java, which have sparked a major health scare across the region, halted many business and government activities and discouraged thousands of tourists from visiting Southeast Asia.

Jakarta has declared a national disaster and Kuala Lumpur a state of emergency in Sarawak, a Malaysian state on Borneo, whose southern part is owned by Indonesia and known as Kalimantan.

Media reports here even speculated that an Indonesian Airbus passenger jet which crashed on Friday in northern Sumatra, killing all 234 people on board, was caused by the thick smoke which has enveloped the area over the last two months.

Among the firms on the agricultural ministry's black list are Hasan's PT Kiani Lestari, operating in southern Borneo; Pangestu's PT Musi Hutan Persada, in southern Sumatra, Wijaya's PT Indah Kiat in Riau, close to Singapore across the Malacca Strait, and several companies under the Salim Group, which is controlled by Liem Sioe Liong.

Liem is a longtime associate to Indonesian President Suharto, who have been friends since the 1950's, when the young lieutenant colonel Suharto was a military commander in Central Java and Liem had just started his business in the province.

Hasan is a golfing partner of Suharto's who plays golf twice or thrice a week with the president, encouraging jibes here that Hasan meets with Suharto more often than government ministers usually do.

Hasan is also widely known to be a trusted business advisor to the president, running the day-to-day affairs of several business groups including the widely- diversified Nusamba Group, which are owned by private foundations controlled by Suharto.

Prayogo is a younger tycoon who has close ties to the eldest daughter of Suharto, Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana. Both Prayogo and Rukmana have common interests in several businesses.

The logging firms here regularly start to clear land for rice fields and plantations ahead of the wet season, which was expected to begin last month but may be another two months away due to El Nino, the Pacific weather formation that has brought a prolonged drought to the region.

Ironically, theso-called "black list" also includes the names of state-owned plantation companies operating in southern Borneo, including PTP XVIII, PTP Pelaihari, PTP Pamukan, and PTP Muara Badak. Companies owned by an army foundation also found their names on the list.

Fire-induced haze is turning into a region-wide disaster

Asiaweek - October 2, 1997

Catherine Shepherd – Blue skies? Sunshine? Millions of people in Malaysia and Indonesia have a hard time remembering what that looks like. After months of persistent smog, the hospitals are full of patients with breathing problems, productivity is down and tourists are turning away in droves. Every year, smoke from man-made forest fires in Indonesia envelops parts of Malaysia and Singapore in a cloud of gas and ash. It was unpleasant, but life went on. This time, it's different. The air is the worst it has ever been.

The haze has turned into a foul smog so thick that airports in the East Malaysian state of Sarawak have had to be closed. Stranded travelers in Kuching jammed the switchboards at airline offices. Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad declared an emergency in the state, closing schools and businesses. In Kalimantan and Sumatra, where the fires are raging, conditions are even more atrocious. More than 32,000 people are ill from the polluted air and two have died, say Indonesian officials.

Now the noxious air has spread to where no haze has gone before, including the resort islands of Phuket in Thailand and Palawan in the Philippines. And Manila officials are warning the smog could reach the capital soon. Even faraway Vietnam found the cloud has spread to its airspace.

Indonesian officials lay most of the blame on 176 companies, mostly plantation and timber interests, for lighting fires to clear land or burn off waste on logged sites. The list includes major players such as the Salim group, Barito Pacific, Sinar Mas, ventures linked to wheeler-dealer Mohamad "Bob" Hasan and some Malaysian-owned companies. But the companies reject the accusations: they say it makes no sense to burn their own assets. "The forestry ministry is just looking for scapegoats," claims one executive. Whatever the case, the fires are extensive. Aggravated by a prolonged drought linked to El Ni-o, the "hot spots" are estimated to cover areas the size of Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah combined. Industrial pollution and car exhaust add to the miasma that has persisted in some urban areas since June.

In Singapore, though some students report respiratory complaints, sea breezes whip away much of the haze. Not so in Kuala Lumpur, where air is trapped by a ring of hills. "It is very dispiriting to wake up and see the gray smog outside the window and never see the sun for weeks," says academic Shaharil Talib. The potent mix of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and ash has rendered the air nearly opaque in the Malaysian capital. Asthmatics and the elderly have been housebound for days because the pollution has made it unsafe for them to venture outdoors. Still, with an air pollution index (API) usually staying under 200, KL is not suffering nearly as much as Kuching, where levels have shot into the 800s. Any API reading above 500 is considered "hazardous and significantly harmful," according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which set up the system. More than 5,000 people have been treated for smog-induced ailments in Sarawak. Nationwide, at least 10,000 have been admitted to hospital with complaints such as shortness of breath and severe chest pains.

But it's not just people's health that is hurting. In Malaysia's Johor state, the agriculture department is warning that reduced sunlight will affect crops. Singapore spice trader Ong Siong Kai predicts difficulties with his pepper supply from Indonesia: "The ground is parched and burnt out." The haze has also been blamed for a collision between two cargo ships in the Strait of Malacca last month. Fishermen in Sarawak have been advised not to put out to sea, and now Thais are complaining that poor visibility is hampering fishing in the Andaman Sea.

The pall is choking business too. Some Malaysian-based multinationals are preparing to relocate expatriate families for health reasons. No one wants to stay in the acrid air if they can help it. Inge Bursell, a Kuala Lumpur-based manager for Ericsson, says of an upcoming business trip to Kuching: "I'm not very keen. I don't know if I can fly in, and if I do get in, I may not be able to get out." Tourists booked into East Malaysian resorts have canceled as news of the environmental disaster spreads, and hotels are feeling the pinch.

Travelers like Vera Fuchs, who did not find out about the haze in time, feel "cheated" of a hard-earned holiday. "I'm angry that our travel agent in Munich did not tell us," she says in her Kuching hotel. Another potential victim: the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur. Local cyclists already complain of stinging eyes, and golfers have trouble tracking golf balls in the gloom. Top athletes are not likely to set foot in the country under such conditions, much less compete.

With so much at stake, what have governments been doing to solve the crisis? Not enough, it seems. Indonesians are making their feelings known through the Internet. Says one on a newsgroup: "Cough, wheeze. Time to kick some butts, President... Ah Choo... Suharto." A poll by Malaysia's Star newspaper found 93.2% of locals dissatisfied with the official response. On Sept. 21 about 60 people took to Kuala Lumpur streets to protest government inaction.

Mohamed Rahmat, who heads Malaysia's disaster committee, says the government may evacuate Sarawak residents if the air quality continues to deteriorate. It will also declare an emergency in West Malaysia if the API hits 500. For Khoo Kay Kim, a professor at the University of Malaya, such measures are too little and too late. "Forming committees and telling people to stop smoking is not going to help," he says. "You have to attack the source."

Officials have inched forward in that direction: more than 1,000 Malaysian firefighters have arrived in Sumatra to help tackle some of the fiercest blazes. But why have they taken so long to act? Why hasn't there been more urgency? Some whisper of land- clearing by well-connected Malaysian plantation firms and the desire to avoid pressuring businesses reeling from the economic downturn. For a few, the smog has had a silver lining. Makers and distributors of household air purifiers and surgical masks (though ineffective in filtering out tiny suspended particles) have done well. In Kuching, shops are busy as residents stock up on provisions like rice and flour in case the haze disrupts shipping. Drought and the threat of water rationing have also prompted panic buying of bottled water – but preferably not the mineral kind. Local nutritionist Margaret Kuek has found they contain higher than normal levels of impurities. Drink distilled instead, she advises.

Meanwhile, government offices in afflicted parts of Malaysia and Indonesia are operating with only skeleton staff. Is there an end in sight to the regional crisis? Khoo Hong Woo, president of the Singapore Nature Society, is pinning his hopes on the wind: "The northeast monsoon is coming soon and it might turn the haze around."

That may be wishful thinking. Across the causeway in Malaysia, experts believe it may be next May before there will be clear skies over the country.

Spread of oil-palm plantations fuels the haze

Far Eastern Economic Review - October 2, 1997

Margot Cohen in Jakarta and Murray Hiebert in Kuala Lumpur – President Suharto's unprecedented apology for the forest fires that are spewing smoke over neighbouring Malaysia and Singapore has drawn praise as a sign of Indonesia's readiness to tackle the annual "haze." In his September 16 speech to an Asean meeting, however, Suharto cited "obstacles that are not easy to overcome," particularly the long dry season and the vast terrain.

But if the president had mentioned a few other factors, the apology might not have sounded so sweet: The strong winds of market demand and the smoldering coals of collusion are likely to keep the fires raging for many dry seasons to come.

Satellite pictures have led the Suharto government to believe that most of the companies which start the fires are oil-palm plantations--now in the midst of frenzied expansion as international demand for palm oil surges. A number of rubber estates and tree plantations were also among 176 companies named by Forestry Minister Djamaludin Suryohadikusumo in midSeptember. These plantation owners are suspected of flouting a 1995 ban on burning forest to clear land.

Suharto reiterated the ban on September 9, calling on the military to help enforce it. Companies were given until October 3 to prove they're not the culprits. Those failing to meet the deadline face revocation of their land-use licences and possible criminal prosecution.

Yet the zeal to keep clearing land for plantations will be difficult to extinguish, industry analysts say--especially in the case of the oil palm. Last year, Indonesian exports of palm oil and palm-oil products were worth more than $1 billion, boosted by growing global consumption of palm-oil products, a 32% increase in the last five years. In fact, official encouragement of the palm-oil industry is partly responsible for the plantation boom. Government plans call for the production of 7.2 million tons of crude palm oil by 2000, with plantation area more than doubling to 5.5 million hectares. Setting fire to the forest and brush is the cheapest, quickest way to clear land for plantations.

"If you do land-clearing in pioneer areas, where no roads are established, the only practical way to get rid of the debris is to burn it," says A.F.S. Budiman, executive director of the Rubber Association of Indonesia. Alternatives, like manual clearing, are much more labour-intensive, he maintains.

And if a local official tries to enforce the ban? "You just bribe him," Budiman says flatly. "At the most, you promise to give him some shares. Then he'll just wash his hands of the matter. Who will know? It's such a big area." The land is allocated from areas deemed "conversion forest" that have usually been logged over by concessionaires. The remaining trees are cut and sold by the plantation before the brush and other debris are burned.

Plantation development also serves the government's long- standing goal of relocating people from densely populated Java to the outer islands. Official incentives include low-cost financing for estates where 80% of the land belongs to smallholder transmigrants and 20% to the company. Some 35 companies are developing plantations in conjunction with transmigration.

Private oil-palm plantations are dominated by Indonesian groups such as Sinar Mas, Salim, Raja Garuda Mas and Astra. But it's the smaller companies that are hardest to control, officials say. The "hot spots" that show up as red dots on the latest satellite photos indicate that more burning is now being done at night, as companies race to finish clearing land before inspection teams show up.

According to official estimates, fire has so far swept through more than 80,000 hectares in Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Irian Jaya, with the potential to spread to 300,000 hectares. That's nothing compared to a 1982-83 blaze that wiped out more than 3.6 million hectares. But this year's debilitating smoke was sufficient to spark the declaration of a national disaster in early September.

The Indonesian government is also investigating reports from industry sources that 18 Malaysian joint ventures and five Singaporean joint ventures set fires on their Sumatran plantations. Malaysian companies should get no special treatment if they are proven guilty, says Law Hieng Ding, Malaysia's minister of science, technology and the environment. "Whenever they go overseas, they are advised to stick to the local laws of the country," he said during the Asean talks in Jakarta. "Whoever doesn't comply has to face the law."

But Malaysia's own laws seem inadequate in controlling the worsening pollution caused by its decade of hectic economic growth. The government has admitted that emissions from vehicles and factories play a part in the haze hanging over Kuala Lumpur and other Malaysian cities. Three years ago, the Department of Environment drew up a Clean Air Action Plan that included steps to control vehicle emissions and a blueprint for a comprehensive public-transport system. The cabinet rejected the plan after it was opposed by several ministers who argued that the costs were too much for industries to bear.

Malaysians are now paying the price. In Kuala Lumpur, where the Air Pollutant Index has repeatedly topped "unhealthy" levels in recent weeks, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad donned a surgical mask and urged the public to follow his example. An emergency was declared in the state of Sarawak on September 19 when the index breached the "extremely hazardous" level of 650. All government offices, schools and private businesses were ordered to close.

Asean's management of the smog crisis reflects the grouping's gospel of regional self-reliance. Malaysia has pledged to dispatch 400 firefighters to Sumatra and Kalimantan. Singapore is contributing satellite data. Even Thailand, which is not directly affected by the smoke, is sending two fire-fighting planes. Indonesia and Malaysia will coordinate cloud-seeding operations.

In taking the lead, Indonesia is moving with unusual transparency. The environment and forestry ministries are publicizing the names of suspected companies and putting out 30- second TV spots slamming corporate irresponsibility. Provincial governors and regents were warned that their efforts to enforce the ban on burning will be reported directly to the president.

What most pleases non-governmental organizations is the government's new willingness to pin most of the blame on corporate culprits rather than on slash-and-burn farmers, as in previous years. "The fire is only a symptom of the takeover of people's land by big business," says Niel Hakinuddin of Plasma, a Kalimantan-based NGO that monitors green issues.

In mid-September, for example, a group of villagers from the remote island of Siberut, off West Sumatra, arrived in Jakarta to protest. Back in 1994, Suharto had bowed to environmentalist pressure and ordered all commercial logging on Siberut to cease. Now, 70,000 hectares on the island are slated for two new oil- palm plantations. In July, villagers watched aghast as a Jakartabased firm burned the first 10 hectares.

"We don't allow any burning in the forest," says Paulus Aman Beili Kunen Saumanuk, who argued with his 80-year-old father after he found out that the illiterate clan chief had sold rights to 500 hectares for 300,000 rupiah ($102). "It might destroy all the wood, the rattan and the plants we use for medicine."

The best cure for the smog would be to scale back ambitious plantation targets and revise land-use policies, some analysts argue. Others hold out hope that the plantation companies will stop burning and turn to other methods of land-clearing. "We are not going to continue this expansion at the expense of the environment," insists Derom Bangun, vice-chairman of the Indonesian Palm Oil Producers' Association. That's a welcome assurance, but until it happens, Indonesia's neighbours should not hold their breath for a smog-free future.

Poison fog blanket threatens world climate

The Guardian - September 27, 1997

John Vidal – The scale of one of the world's greatest manmade environmental catastrophes was becoming clear last night as poisonous fog blanketed up to 70 million people in six south- east Asian countries and scientists warned of long-term climate disruption.

Many hundreds of deaths had been reported throughout the 100 square mile area, even before an Indonesian airliner crashed in the smog yesterday claiming 234 lives. In the past few days, the death toll from hunger in the Indonesian province of Irian Jaya alone has risen to more than 275.

Satellite pictures showing that the uncontrollable fires have spread to one million hectares of deep peatlands, which may burn underground for decades, have rebounded round the world. With visibility down to fewer than 20 yards in many cities and cars having to use their headlights in the middle of the day, Indonesia has declared a national disaster and Malaysia a state of emergency.

Although some rain fell yesterday in the region, dense smog has reached Thailand and the southern Philippines. Hoteliers as far north as the Thai resort island of Phuket, 900 miles from the nearest fires in south Sumatra or Kalimantan, say they are now enveloped by grimy smog.

Antara, the official Indonesian news agency, reported that fires in Irian Jaya have swept into Papua New Guinea and burnt down a camp inhabited by 600 Indonesian political refugees. President Suharto of Indonesia yesterday ordered four million civil servants to join nearly 10,000 people already fighting the fires, although it is accepted that only heavy monsoon rains will eventually extinguish them. These are two months late and the World Meteorological Organisation has warned that the drought affecting the whole region may continue until next year.

An international relief effort is getting under way. The World Bank yesterday offered emergency help as Japan, France, Finland, Germany and Canada sent teams of pollution experts and firefighters. The Indonesian air force and navy are preparing to help with cloud-seeding efforts to induce rain. The United Nations is sending an emergency evaluation team and 150,000 face masks for children. The price of surgical masks has soared everywhere in the region. There are plans to import four million from the United States to distribute to people in central Sumatra.

The health emergency is growing. Although the winds changed last night temporarily relieving some areas, 15,000 Malaysians and 45,000 Indonesians, most of them children and elderly, have been treated for smog-related illnesses.

Air pollution was yesterday double the legal safety limit in nine Thai provinces. The smog has triggered health alarms in Singapore and Brunei. The smog is adding to the heavy air pollution that already exists in most of the region's cities.

Missionaries yesterday claimed that many deaths could have been avoided if fires in the area had not been allowed to burn out of control, preventing aircraft from bringing in relief.

The long-term ecological implications are not well understood. In Geneva, the director-general of the Swissbased World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Claude Martin, described the situation as a "planetary disaster".

Scientists warned that the effect on long-term global warming and immediate weather patterns throughout the world could be immense. The effect of the fire, especially if it takes hold in the peatlands, is to release a massive amount of carbon dioxide which causes global warming," said Richard Lindsay of the University of East London. "The long-term threat to climate worldwide and health is significant."

The lowland tropical rain forests of Sumatra and Kalimantan are among the most biologically rich ecosystems on earth. The potential loss to science of whole species would be felt worldwide, while the haze would hit the health and economies of the whole region, he said.

Much of the Indonesian forests lie on up to 10-20 metres of now burning peat. Clay Rubec, of the International Mire [Peatlands] Organisation, which advises governments on peatland fires said yesterday that more than one million hectares of peat swamp forest could be destroyed within six months.

Peat fires burn deep underground for years and are almost impossible to control on a large scale. "This fire is a greater threat to human health than the Kuwaiti oil fires and harder to put out."

Elephants, tigers and deer were potentially at risk but the effects would be felt throughout the food chain of the region because trees and plants would not pollinate.

The air pollution could further complicate economic problems in the region, analysts warned yesterday. A whole range of industries from tourism to electronics and palm oil production, could be affected, said Liew Yin Sze, head of research at the Singapore investment house J M Sassoon. Mr Liew said the electronics industry, a crucial driver of the economies of Singapore and Malaysia, could also be hit. "You might see increased costs in clean-room industries like semiconductors," he said.

An agricultural analyst with another investment house in Singapore said world palm oil prices could rise in 1998-99. Meanwhile, the Indonesian government has blamed 176 plantation companies for causing the fires, but has taken action against only one.

British environment groups yesterday accused western consumers of contributing to the fires because of the consumption of tropical hardwoods. Tony Juniper, of Friends of the Earth, said: "The disaster unfolding is inextricably linked to the behaviour of countries in the developed world who consume vast quantities of wood." Last year the UK imported 201,650 cubic metres of tropical timbers from Indonesia. More than 1 million hectares of Indonesian forest are lost to logging every year.

Meanwhile, everyday life is severely affected. 'It isn't simply the zest and joy of life that's denied by the sustained smog," said one mother in Kuala Lumpur. "It weakens you from all frontiers - lack of sunlight, eyes smarting all the time, skin itch, and the choking like it is a banshee from purgatory."

Labour issues

Aprisindo opposes Nike's labor charge

Jakarta Post - September 24, 1997

Jakarta – Indonesian Footwear Manufacturers' Association (Aprisindo) contested yesterday U.S. shoe giant Nike Inc's reason behind the termination of contracts with its four Indonesian partners.

Association chairman, Anton. J. Supit, said the decision to terminate Nike's contracts with the four Indonesian companies was made as part of the American shoe giant's budget revision. "The termination was originally based on Nike's budget revision and not because the Indonesian firms had failed to meet the company's requirement to increase wages. It's not right. I oppose the statement," Anton told the Jakarta Post.

He said the termination of job contracts was usual practice in the garment and footwear industry but said he wanted to seek a further explanation from Nike about the issue.

Nike Inc. severed ties with four Indonesian-based factories because they failed to adhere to the company's requirements for wages and working conditions, Reuters reported Monday. The announcement came as a workers' rights group accused Nike of contracting with companies in China that use child labor.

In a lengthy statement, Nike challenged the allegations made about four Chinese subcontracted factories by a group called Global Exchange. "The report incorrectly states the wages earned by workers makes irresponsible accusations about workers' health and safety and is just plain wrong in its assertion that Nike's Code of Conduct is not made available to workers," said Nike's director of labor practices, Dusty Kidd.

"These are not new issues," Nike chairman Phil Knight told shareholders. "We try to be good citizens and operate as good a factory as we can." Nike President Tom Clarke confirmed the company's growth rate would slow down in the current fiscal year, reflecting weaker U.S. footwear sales.

Sources in Jakarta said the four Indonesian companies became Nike subcontractors early this year. The firms are PT Prima Inreksa, PT Kuye Adetex, PT Prima Cipta Kreasi and PT Indomulti Inti. Total capacity of the companies is estimated to reach 800,000 pairs per month.

Some 1,300 shoemakers demonstrate at House

Jakarta Post - September 24, 1997

Jakarta – More than 1,300 workers at two shoe factories in North Jakarta went on strike yesterday and demonstrated at the House of Representatives, demanding welfare improvements. The strikers, mostly female employees of PT Sindoll Pratama and its subsidiary PI Mega Beta Pertiwi, both located on J1. Kapuk Muara arrived at the House at about 9 a.m.

As none of the House members were willing to meet the workers, the protesters decided to go to the Ministry of Manpower. However they refused to go in trucks provided by the police and military.

Security officers, angered by the refusal, lashed out with rattan sticks. Ten protesters were arrested and taken to the City Police Headquarters and the Jakarta Military Command for questioning. The remaining strikers were then forced to get into the police trucks, which took them to the Ministry of Manpower.

At the ministry, the protesters, caried banners and posters, sat down in front of the building. They rejected an offer by officials to meet with their representatives, saying that all employees wanted to hear the discussion. They also asked the officials to summon the companies' owner, whom they identified as A Fen.

One of the protesters, Catur said the companies had cut their salaries "for tax reasons". "But our salaries are the minimum wage of Rp 5,700 a day," said Catur, which is well below the minimum tax-paying salary.

Ministry of Finance Decree No. 29/1994 states that workers earning less than Rp 14,400 (US$4.75) per day are exempt from paying income tax. He said the companies also cut salaries to pay for workers' social insurance, or Jamsostek, but none of the employees had ever received Jamsostek membership cards.

He said the strikers also demanded overtime pay, meal and transportation allowances, and detailed descriptions of their salary.

Ministry official Iskandar asked the protesters to leave the ministry compound and promised to discuss their demands with the companies' management. But the employees insisted on staying in the ministry compound until the evening hoping in vain for action to be taken.

Human rights

Dita Sari's father complains to National HR Commission

Kompas - October 2, 1997 (Summary by Tapol)

Adjidar Ascha, the father of imprisoned trade union activist, Diti Indah Sari, has lodged a complaint with the National Human Rights Commission regarding the treatment of his daughter who is jailed in Malang Prison, East Java.

He told told members of the Commission that he was deeply disturbed by the way his daughter was being treated. Dita who is serving a five-year sentence for her activities as chairperson of the Indonesian Workers Struggle Centre (PPBI) is the only person in Malang Prison who has been convicted of subversion.

He told members of the Commission that his daughter was being subjected to treatment that was quite different from other prisoners in the jail. She is not permitted to read newspapers, tabloids and news magazines.

When several of her close colleagues tried to visit her, they were refused access by the director of the prison.

Discriminatory Dita is also experiencing much worse treatment than other prisoners who are being held in Salemba and Cipinang Prisons in Jakarta (which is where her PRD colleagues are being held).

'When she watches TV, the set is turned off whenever a news bulletin is due. She is also not allowed to listen to music programmes,' her father said. 'My daughter is extremely fond of music so she feels that she is being very unfairly treated. Prohibitions like these dont apply in the prisons in Jakarta,' said her father.

When asked about this discriminatory treatment, the director of the prison in Malang said that permission was needed from the High Court, but when inquiries were made at the High Court, her father was told that it all depended on the Supreme Court because an appeal on her behalf was now under consideration by the Court.

Trial of Romo Sandy and Benny Sumardi begins

SiaR - September 30, 1997

Bekasi – The trial of Romo Sandyawan Sumardi SJ and his older brother, Benny Sumardi, started yesterday (29/9) at the Bekasi State Court. Romo Sandy, as he is usually known, and Benny, are being tried for hiding the fugitives Budiman Sujatmiko, chair of the Peoples' Democratic Party (PRD) and Petrus Haryanto, the Secretary General of the PRD. At the time, the PRD was accused by the government of being behind the July 27 riots, which is yet to be proven.

Last Monday's session was delayed because their lawyers, the Indonesian Legal and Justice Defence Team (TPHKI) did not appear. TPHKI was established by a number of famous lawyers such as Hakim Garuda Nusantara SH and Luhut Pangaribuan SH.

Romo Sandy and Benny are being charged under Article 211 of the Penal Code which carries a maximum sentence of 11 months. As a clergyman, Romo Sandy in fact has special legal immunity under this article and should be tried under Catholic laws.

The Metro Jaya police and Bekasi Attorney General did not themselves take the case to court. "Military Headquarters are handling Romo's case", said a SiaR source from the Metro Jaya police.

Intimidation and treats of violence have shadowed the Jesuit pastor a number of times in the past. His phone has been disrupted by irresponsible parties. "When I make a phone call, which ever number I dial, it is connected to the St Carolus Hospital morgue or the Metro Jaya police station", he said.

Some time ago, his vehicle was damaged when it was crashed into by a car driven by a number of soldiers from Bogor [near Jakarta]. Fortunately, Romo Sandy was not hurt.

Others close to Romo Sandy were also terrorised. A day after the independence day celebrations, The St Carolus Hospital Independence Day Committee in Central Jakarta was interrogated by security personnel because they invited Romo Sandy to lead the independence day mass.

An irresponsible person also spread a report that Romo Sandy was the victim of a hit-and-run accident. He was in fact healthy except for his eye which could have been blinded because Armed Forces Chief, Feisal Tanjung forbid him to be treated in Australia last April. "We often here of these kind of things. Many people also telephoned here asking if the story was true", said Tigor Nainggolan, one of the staff of the Jakarta Social Institute of which Romo Sandy is the director.

[Translated by James Balowski]

Economy and investment

Indonesia's rupiah crashes to a new low against the US dollar

Associated Press - October 3, 1997

Jakarta – Indonesia's currency crashed to a new low today when it hit 3,725 rupiahs against the U.S. dollar before recovering slightly.

The plunge carried over into the Jakarta Stock Exchange, where the main index dropped 4 percent, or 21.447 points, to 515.477 points.

Brokers in Jakarta said both foreign and local investors panicked and dumped shares to cut their losses when the rupiah fell through the 3,700 barrier against the dollar.

Currency dealers said local companies bought the dollar either to cover their upcoming matured dollar-denominated debt or for import purposes.

The rupiah climbed back to 3,410 rupiah in late trading in the spot market.

The currency has lost more than a third of its value against the dollar since the beginning of the year and, like other Southeast Asian currencies, has suffered volleys of speculative attacks since July.

Central bank Governor Soedradjad Djiwandono told reporters that importers and companies repaying offshore loans have driven the rupiah down and the dollar higher since last week.

Dealers added that some Indonesian conglomerates were heard selling the rupiah.

They also said the nation's largest private bank, PT Bank Central Asia (BCA), unloaded the dollar when the unit was trading between 3,600 rupiah and 3,650 rupiah. BCA's owners include Indonesia's richest man, Liem Siou Liong, President Suharto's eldest daughter Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana, and her brother Sigit Harjojudanto.

Dealers believe the BCA sold around $100 million.

Miscellaneous

Indonesia's new parliament includes 10 Suharto kin

Reuters - October 1, 1997

Jakarta – Indonesia's new national parliament, its members including 10 relatives of President Suharto and a number of his business associates, was sworn in for a new five- year term on Wednesday.

The 1,000-member People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) is charged with drawing up the broad guidelines of state policy for the next five years and selecting a president next March – most likely Suharto, who has ruled Indonesia for 30 years.

Suharto watched as the head of the supreme court administered the oath of office to the new members in the cavernous parliament building, erected in the 1960s. Those taking the oath included four of his six children, two of their spouses, two brothers-in- law, his half-brother and a cousin.

Also in the assembly are his close business associate and golfing friend Mohamad "Bob" Hasan, and Anthony Salim, the son of another long-time Suharto confidante Liem Sioe Liong. Liem is the head of the vast Salim Group conglomerate and is reputedly the wealthiest man in Indonesia.

"We are not just in business, we have socio-political roles as well," Suharto's youngest son Hutomo Mandala Putra, also known as Tommy Suharto, told Reuters as he made a quick exit following his swearing in at the ceremony.

Businessman Isfan Fajar Satryo, son of vice-president Try Sutrisno and appointed to the MPR as a representative of the ruling Golkar party for Bali, also defended the appointment of the family of senior officials.

"There is no law against it," he told reporters.

The new MPR appointees are dominated by cabinet members, governors of the country's 27 provinces, top military officers, leading business people and political leaders, all of whom hold office at Suharto's bequest.

A notable omission from the new assembly is Abdurrahman Wahid, the influential leader of the Nahdlatul Ulama, a Moslem grouping which claims 30 million members. Another is Amien Rais, a Moslem scholar and a severe Suharto critic who heads the rival Muhammadiyah group with more than 20 million followers.

Local critics also pointed to more than a dozen relatives of senior officials in the nation's supreme representative body, including the wife of armed forces chief General Feisal Tanjung and the wives of several ministers and other senior military officers.

Most of the relatives were among the 500 nominated members of the assembly. The other half consists of the 425 legislators elected to the House of Representatives (DPR) at the general election in May and the 75 seats given to the military in the DPR.

"To address future challenges and opportunities, we need a strong government and also solid people's representative institutions," Suharto said in a speech during the ceremony. Scholar, Golkar research head and MPR member of West Nusa Tenggara, Din Syamsuddin, said charges of nepotism were a classic issue always raised at the start of the five-yearly MPR sessions.

"In our political system and political culture it is not unusual," Syamsuddin told Reuters.

"Every citizen, regardless of their social or family origin and background has a right to be a member of parliament as well as to be a member of the MPR as long as they are qualified and meet the criteria," he said.

"Sociologically, the children of senior officials...have lived in the atmosphere (of government), they have the best education because of their family status and so they are qualified," he added.

The MPR's first task on Thursday is to elect a new leader, expected to be Golkar chief and former Information Minister Harmoko.

Next March it is expected to endorse Suharto for a seventh straight five-year term as president.

Japan experts suspect smog harmed Garuda engines

Reuters - September 29, 1997

Eugene Moosa, Tokyo – Aviation experts discount the theory that zero visibility in dense smog could have caused the crash of an Indonesian Garuda airliner, but they have not ruled out another theory: engine failure caused by smog intake.

The Garuda aircraft, an Airbus A300-B4, crashed into a hillside plantation 45 km from the west Indonesian city of Medan last Friday, killing all 234 people aboard.

The flight from Jakarta flew most of its way through a dense smog that has blanketed much of Indonesia and Malaysia in recent weeks due to forest and brush fires.

Many experts and pilots said it was unlikely that a loss of visibility could have caused the accident, because pilots are trained to fly "blind" on instruments and modern airliners are well-equipped for instrument flying.

But Japanese aviation experts say smog could have affected the airplane in a different manner.

"It is a well-known fact that jet and turboprop engines can fail when they fly through volcanic smoke," said Yasutomo Aoki, an aviation commentator and former editor of the magazine Aviation Journal.

"We must study the effect of engines flying through smog, especially on long flights. We are focusing on the residue of particles of smog on the engine blades," Aoki told Reuters.

Another expert, former Tokai University aeronautics professor Haruro Terao, said he, too, could not rule out the effects of smog on the airplane itself, rather than on the pilot.

"The massive smoke could have affected the atmosphere and it is not impossible that this had some effect on the airplane," Terao wrote in the daily Asahi Shimbun.

Aoki said sand-like grains of volcanic debris in the air have been known to cause engine failure.

The particles block small coolant holes on the surface of engine blades, which causes overheating. Blades can break off after heat expansion and these bits can damage the engine's interior.

But one Singapore-based airline pilot with 20 years of experience, who declined to be identified, said smoke particles from forest fires are too small to pose any problem to the engines and wings of modern airplanes.

Volcanic ash is the worst kind and if planes can survive that, the smoke is no big deal, he said.

In 1991, an expert told an international conference on the dangers of flying through volcanic clouds that many planes have risked disaster by doing so against the expressed advice of airplane manufacturers.

Captain Ernest Campbell, then the manager of airline support and flight training at Boeing Co, said his company replaced 10 engines on different planes that flew through ash from the plume of Mount Pinatubo in the previous year.

"This kind of trouble has also been seen among warplanes during the 1991 Gulf War (from the sand in the air)," Aoki said.

While the smog that has descended on Indonesia and Malaysia is different from volcanic smoke, no one has carefully analysed the minute particles in the fumes and their possible effects on airplane engines, Aoki said.