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Indonesia News Digest No 12 - March 24-30, 2003
Sydney Morning Herald - March 29, 2003
Matthew Moore, Jakarta -- Which country has just passed a law to
provide two days a month paid menstruation leave for women
workers? Perhaps you're thinking northern Europe? Or maybe
Scandinavia? If so, you're wrong.
Here's a clue: the same country has also just legislated to
guarantee two days' paid leave for parents who have their
children baptised, another two days' leave if their children
marry, and another two days' paid circumcision leave (that's
circumcision leave for the parents, not for the son).
The same new law also guarantees women several other benefits way
above Australian base-level standards -- three months' paid
maternity leave and six weeks' paid leave in the event of a
miscarriage.
No idea? Well, it's not some socialist paradise that has just
passed these laws but Indonesia, a country still struggling to
get off the mat after the economic crisis hit five years ago, a
place where 40 million people have no real jobs and foreign
investors are continuing to flee.
Given this floundering economy, it seems remarkable that
Indonesia's employers reckon their new national labour law is, by
and large, pretty good, and the director in Indonesia of the
International Labour Organisation, Alan Boulton, agrees. On
extended leave from his position as deputy president of the
Australian Industrial Relations Commission, Justice Boulton has
been working with Indonesians since 1998 to produce a single law
that satisfies international and local demands.
While the law is packed with benefits he would laugh out of court
at home in Melbourne, Mr Boulton believes it is an achievement
offering the certainty investors need. However, he does agree
that some provisions, including the menstruation leave, "do seem
a little surprising".
The trade union leader who pushed to include such surprising
provisions is Dita Indah Sari, who has fought for workers since
she was released from jail where former president Soeharto kept
her for three years for subversion.
While the new law might look good on paper, she believes it fails
to adequately protect workers' rights and to protect children
from exploitation. Indonesia might indeed be the only country to
have menstruation leave provisions, but they are not as good as
they were and she is not pleased.
Under a previous law, women who did not take their two days'
menstruation leave each month were entitled to two extra days'
pay. "But what happens now is if you don't take that leave there
will be no compensation at the end of the month," she says.
By taking menstruation leave, women prove their productivity is
below that of men, according to one school of thought. The other
argument says women need the protection this leave provides,
especially women working as labourers on low-nutrition diets.
In the end, the feisty unionist fought to keep menstruation leave
not so much because of ideology but because she believes there's
no point in willingly surrendering a benefit already held. For
employers like Mr Anton Supit, head of the Indonesian Footwear
Producers' Association, it's the impact of severance pay laws on
potential investors more than issues like menstruation leave that
cause him concern.
An employee with nine years' service will get paid nine months'
severance pay when he is sacked, with a further reward for
service payments of four months under the law's generous
provisions.
And just because a worker is arrested by police for a crime and
cannot go to work, that does not mean his family will go hungry.
The law requires the employer to support the family by paying up
to 50 per cent of the normal wage for six months. If the worker
is still in jail, he can then be sacked, but only after he
receives his reward for service payment.
On paper, Indonesia's new law is surprisingly progressive.
However, it will apply only to the formal part of the workforce
-- some 40 million of the country's 90 million workers.
And as employers, unions and the ILO all agree, enforcement
mechanisms are so poor that the law and the reality are often two
very different things.
Working it out The new law also requires employers to provide:
Jakarta Post - March 26, 2003
Bogor -- Dozens of minivan drivers gathered at the council
building here to protest against the injustices they face in the
course of their work.
Arif, 50, said each minivan driver on the Baranangsiang-Bubulak
had to pay Rp 1,000 to the management of the Baranangsiang bus
terminal. "But there are still many thugs around the terminal who
force us to pay another Rp 1,000," he said.
The chairman of the organization of minivan owners and drivers,
Effendi Siregar, said there used to be 284 minivans on the
Baranangsiang-Bubulak route. But recently another 90 minivans
have begun to ply this route, allegedly without legal operating
permits. As a result, he said, drivers are making less money.
The protesters were received by councillor Rizal Barnadi and A.
Tedi from the Bogor land transportation agency, who promised to
look into the matter.
Aceh
War in Iraq
'War on terrorism'
Government & politics
Corruption/collusion/nepotism
Human rights/law
News & issues
Environment
Health & education
Labour issues
A labour law to rattle most socialists
Minivan drivers stage protest
Shortchanged workers face uncertain future
Jakarta Post - March 26, 2003
Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, Jakarta -- Thousands of workers from failing factories, formerly run in whole or in part by international companies, in Greater Jakarta are facing a bleak future as there is not yet an existing law that deals with foreign investors who close up shop without agreeing on settlements with the workers.
Agustinus Santoso, secretary of the national office of the People's Legal Aid Institution (LBH Rakyat), told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday that such situations had brought many labor activists and legal experts into a coalition.
"We will make our way to see a legal instrument established to prevent foreign investors from fleeing the country and closing their factories before paying their workers' salaries and severance pay," he said.
Greater Jakarta's branch of LBH Rakyat (LBH Rakyat Jabotabek) is currently handling the case of 300 workers from garment factory PT Elaine which is located in the industrial park Kawasan Berikat Nusantara (KBN) in Cakung, East Jakarta.
The factory abruptly stopped operations on February 10 after the investor group left the country for Taiwan, leaving the workers without jobs or salaries. The operator of state-owned KBN is reportedly taking over the factory's machines and assets to auction off without questioning the employer's responsibility.
"We suspect a deal between KBN and the foreign investors to allow the operator to obtain the assets for sale, ignoring the proper procedures including the required court ruling on bankruptcy," Agustinus further said.
LBH Rakyat demanded the Directorate of Customs and Excises at the ministry of finance to issue a decree on forcing the employer to pay the factory's unpaid expenses, including salaries, before an auction was taken.
Agustinus said he did not know when the workers might receive the money they are demanding since the directorate office had yet to respond, saying only that, "it will take time". He added that LBH Rakyat Jabotabek has also planned to file a complaint with the police.
Last year, thousands of workers from eight garment factories also faced similar problems but no solution has been reached.
Six of the factories in question are PT Global, PT Metro, PT Tongkyung Makmur Abadi, PT Indolim, PT Jaya Toys Rekatama and PT P and K Garment Indonesia which were all operated by Korean investors without Indonesian partners.
The other two are: Japanese and Indonesian joint venture PT Kanisatex, located in Cileungsi, Bogor, and PT Trenton Garment Indonesia, owned by a company from China.
Many labor activists and legal practitioners accuse the government of greatly favoring foreign investors in its effort to generate economic growth, while sacrificing the welfare of local workers.
Jakarta Post - March 26, 2003
Jakarta/Bandung/Semarang -- Thousands of workers from Jakarta, Bandung in West Java, and Semarang in Central Java staged separate, peaceful rallies to coincide with the new labor bill becoming law on Tuesday.
The protesters said the bill, endorsed by the House of Representatives on February 25, would weaken worker's rights because it allowed child labor, did not require employers to provide service payments for resigning workers or those dismissed for committing crimes, and did not allow women time off during menstruation or following a miscarriage without a doctor's recommendation.
During debate on the bill, only seven of 64 labor unions and federations registered with the Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration were involved.
"We were never involved in the deliberation process," Bambang Eka, chairman of the West Java branch of the Indonesian Independent Workers Union, said during a rally of hundreds of workers in Bandung on Tuesday.
Dita Indah Sari, a labor activist from the National Front for the Struggle of Indonesian Workers (FNPBI), in her speech before about 2,000 workers rallying in front of the presidential palace in Jakarta, said workers should not comply with the law.
"Those accepting the law are those who bow to the regime! Those accepting the law are those who bow to international capitalists!" she shouted to cheering workers.
In Jakarta workers started their long march from the Hotel Indonesia Traffic Circle in Central Jakarta and stopped at the nearby United Nations office on Jl. Thamrin, Central Jakarta. Six representatives were invited in by Alan Boulton, director of the International Labor Organization (ILO) for Indonesia.
Saiful Bahri, a labor representative who joined the meeting with the ILO, told The Jakarta Post the ILO officials said they could not intervene in the government's decision to sign the bill into law.
"They could understand the law, even though deep inside their hearts they did not fully agree with it," he claimed.
Furthermore, when the protesters continued their march to the State Palace, neither President Megawati, State Secretary Bambang Kesowo or any of their representatives welcomed the workers to hear their demands.
In Bandung, hundreds of workers who rallied in front of the provincial council compound had a similar experience. After protesting for about five hours, no legislator showed up to welcome them.
In Semarang, about 1,500 workers demonstrating at the provincial council compound were also ignored.
However, Dita said the workers' struggle would show results some day. "It depends on how much pressure we can apply. Workers have to build a national movement in order to win the struggle," she said.
Dita, who has fought for workers' rights for more than ten years, said the labor movement in Indonesia was improving. "Workers do not merely fight for their wages. Now they have political awareness too."
Bangun Winarno, a worker for a glassware company in Jakarta, said they would continue fighting if the government did not meet their demands.
Jakarta Post - March 25, 2003
Jakarta -- Some 100 employees of the state-owned mint, Perum Peruri, staged a demonstration on Monday at its office on Jl. Faletehan, Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta, demanding a salary hike of 100 percent.
The workers, grouped in the company's labor union, also urged the company to be transparent with its financial reports as they alleged there had been some manipulation conducted by the accounting department. They also demanded loans for housing as well as water and electricity allowances.
The coordinator of the rally, Imam, told detik.com that their salary was far below the budget allocated by Bank Indonesia. For instance, he said, the basic salary of a new employee who graduated from high school was Rp 800,000.
The company's management, however, said the demand to double the salary was unreasonable. Its spokesman, Zachrudin, said that the take-home pay of a new employee was Rp 1.4 million, not including overtime or other benefits. One of the directors, TM Karnadi, said that the company would suffer if their demands were met because the pension fund and cash flow would be severely affected.
| Aceh |
Jakarta Post - March 29, 2003
Apriadi Gunawan, Medan -- Thousands of people who claim to be Acehnese refugees ignored North Sumatra governor T. Rizal Nurdin's ultimatum to leave the provincial legislative council building, saying they would continue occupying the compound until they obtained resettlement funds.
Nano, a protest coordinator, called on the governor to account for the distribution of a total of Rp 106 billion disbursed by the central government for the resettlement of the refugees.
"We know that some of the funds has been distributed to the majority of the refugees, but the remainder is still being kept by the provincial administration, and is being embezzled by unauthorized officers. The provincial legislature should ask the governor to account for this embezzlement of funds," he said.
A group of the protesters visited public broadcaster TVRI demanding that it arrange a teleconference between them and Minister of Social Affairs Bachtiar Chamsyah. The TV station rejected the protesters' demands due to the financial difficulties it was facing.
On Thursday, the refugees held the governor and a number of councillors hostage for eight hours in the legislative building as they saw no sign that the governor was willing to distribute the funds.
The governor threatened to deploy security personnel to evict them by force from the compound but the protesters still refused to return to their refuge camps scattered across several areas of the city, Binjai and Langkat.
Bachtiar has accused a number of non-governmental organizations and students' associations of trying to exploit the refugee issue to make money. He believed that some of the people occupying the legislative building were not refugees as they were not registered with the local social affairs office. Governor Rizal also suspected that several NGOs were provoking poor people in the city to join in the protest.
"It would be better for the protesters to return to their refugee camps so that the provincial administration can re-register them and ascertain the exact number of refugees who have yet to obtain the resettlement funds," he said.
Last December, the government decided to provide financial assistance to refugees in an attempt to resolve the refugee problem nationwide. It was decided that refugees in the province would receive Rp 8,750,000 per family to build modest homes in their resettlement areas.
Of a total of 12,000 families forced to flee due to the Aceh conflict, 7,000 have already been resettled while the remaining 5,000 are still languishing in refugee camps.
Ikhwaluddin Simatupang, a member of a team of lawyers providing support to the refugees, denied that a number of NGOs and students associations were exploiting the refugee issue to make money. "We are here to help the refugees obtain their rights," he said.
So far, the police have detained 20 officers of the provincial administration for embezzling a total of Rp 2.5 billion from the resettlement funds.
Syamsul Bachri, chief of the social affairs office in Binjai, was sentenced to three years imprisonment after he was found guilty of embezzling a part of the resettlement funds earmarked for refugees in the regency.
Jakarta Post - March 28, 2003
Medan -- Hundreds of angry refugees from war-torn Aceh prevented North Sumatra Governor T. Rizal Nurdin and all provincial councillors from leaving the legislative building for six hours on Thursday, as their demand for immediate disbursement of resettlement funds remained unheeded.
The protesters began picketing the building where the 85 councillors were holding a plenary session to hear the accountability speech of the governor at 2 p.m.
They let Rizal leave the building at 8 p.m. after he had made a promise to disburse the funds soon, pending verification of the number of refugees who had not received the money.
The refugees have been camping at the compounds of the gubernatorial office and legislature for the past three weeks to make them comply with their demand. They are part of 4,600 refugee families who have not yet received the funds.
The Ministry of Social Affairs allocated Rp 105 billion for 12,000 refugee families, but the distribution of the funds was suspended following an alleged scam.
Rizal told the refugees to depart from the gubernatorial office compound by Friday at the latest.
Radio Australia - March 28, 2003
There are fears in Jakarta that the war in Iraq is diverting attention from a conflict much closer to home -- in the province of Aceh. Under a demilitarisation deal signed four months ago, Indonesian military and police who've been controlling the province for over a decade, were due to start to withdraw from villages to regional barracks. Free Aceh Movement rebels fighting for independence for the province were to begin laying down their weapons. But a stand-off has developed between the two sides, with neither trusting the other.
Presenter/Interviewer: Tricia Fitzgerald Speakers: Dr Nurdin Abdul Rahman of the aid group, PASKA; Steve Daly, Henry Dunant Centre.
Fitzgerald: What do you mean by getting it right? I mean surely there's only one way you can start handing over weapons and one way you can start withdrawing from villages, either it happens or it doesn't.
Daly: Well there are two key parts to it. One that it's accountable, and the second one is that it's reciprocal. So what we need to get into place is a system that satisfies all parties and the public that is demilitarisation that's taking place in an effective manner.
Fitzgerald: The fragility of the ceasefire is a constant though. The Indonesian side claims the announcement of peace zones is being used by the rebels to promote independence. The rebels claim the military is stirring up violence against Thai and Filipino peacekeepers.
Mr Abdul Rahman, says the fifty foreign peacekeepers are one of the few things holding the agreement together. Many Acehnese are fearful the peace deal will disintegrate in May though, when they're due to depart. They want to see the foreign peacekeepers mandate extended beyond May and more peacekeepers added.
Rahman: With their presence there, the Acehnese people can talk with them directly and they can express their painful experience. Also they can report any atrocities or any violations to the agreement in their village. The Military becomes discouraged, they become reluctant to inflict more tortures on innocent people.
Fitzgerald: The recent arrest of one of Aceh's most high profile civilian leaders has added to the fears that Indonesia won't honor this agreement. Mohammed Nasar of the Centre of Information on a Referendum for Aceh was arrested in mid February. Abdul Rahman says a string of other civilians have also been placed on the wanted list.
Rahman: Nasar is a prominent student leader and also a prominent political campaigner. His arrest has caused a great deal of hatred and disappointment among the Aceh people.
The TNI and police are required to return to barracks and move from strike mode to a defensive force. Four new Peace Zones were officially inaugurated in Tiro sub-district of Pidie district, Peusangan sub-district of Bireuen district, Simpang Keramat sub- district of North Aceh district, and Idi Tunong sub-district of East Aceh district. In Tiro thousands of locals attended the ceremony waving GAM flags and shouting for independence. The local TNI Commander protested against this act and called it a strict violation of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (CoHA).
"No firearms are to be found in Aceh in July. Otherwise, we will consider it a crime and the case will be handled accordingly by the police," Sutarto warned. On 3 March JSC's representative office in Takengon, Central Aceh was attacked by mobs, prompting JSC to evacuate its personnel to Banda Aceh. The situation in Central Aceh remains tense after the attack and a local GAM commander claimed that those who perpetrated the attack were militia groups supported and organized by TNI.
Radio Australia - March 28, 2003
Amnesty International says two human rights activists in Indonesia's Aceh province are believed to be being held by the military and could face torture or death.
The British-based rights group says Mukhlis Ishak, 27, and Zulfikar, 24, were detained on March 25 by plain-clothed men believed to be from the military intelligence unit, Satuan Gabungan Intelijen.
The two members of a non-government organisation, Link for Community Development, were held while accompanying villagers staging a protest against plans to establish a Brimob paramilitary police post in their village.
An Amnesty statement says it is feared the pair were targeted by authorities for their human rights activism.
The rights group says security forces battling separatist rebels in Aceh had carried out grave human rights violations, including unlawful killings.
Amnesty has urged members and others to write to military and police officials expressing their concern for the activists.
Jakarta Post - March 29, 2003
Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta -- The Henry Dunant Centre (HDC) has warned the Indonesian Military (TNI) and Free Aceh Movement (GAM) against reinforcing military strength during the demilitarization process, saying that the move would violate the peace deal signed last year.
Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu said earlier that the TNI would be sending more troops to the province, arguing that the move was necessary as the Iskandar Muda Military Command lacked personnel.
There have also been reports that GAM has significantly increased its arsenal despite the fact that it was to store its weapons as stipulated in the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement, signed on December 9, 2002.
The HDC representative in Banda Aceh, David Gorman, also urged both parties to stick to the peace agreement as "both parties had the ability to implement it".
The HDC, a Switzerland-based non-governmental organization, facilitated the peace talks between the government and GAM rebels which led to the signing of the peace agreement between the two parties in Geneva last year.
Gorman said he would seek clarification from the government on Ryamizard's statement to deploy more troops to Aceh. "I believe they already knew that increasing military strength in Aceh for any reason is against the peace accord," Gorman told The Jakarta Post by phone on Friday.
He also said that he had warned GAM to stop provoking people to demand independence for Aceh as "we, again, have to refer to the agreement".
Meanwhile, Wiryono Sastrohandoyo, the government's chief negotiator in the peace talks, also called on both parties on Friday to respect the agreement.
"It would be deeply regrettable if the peace accord failed to be implemented, and, as the negotiator representing the government, I can do nothing except hope that both parties will honor their commitment." Wiryono expressed concern over rampant violations by GAM rebels, who, he said, continue to extort money from the Acehnese and campaign for independence. GAM has also demonstrated its reluctance to put down its weapons as required by the agreement, he said.
Under the peace deal, the demilitarization process started on February 9, at which time TNI agreed to relocate troops to defensive positions, while GAM stored its weapons in certain places to be monitored by a tripartite monitoring team consisting of TNI personnel, GAM and foreign observers representing HDC. Both parties, however, have yet to carry out their commitments.
Meanwhile, Gen. Ryamizard said in Lhokseumawe on Friday that GAM had recruited more than 2,000 new members, bringing the total number of GAM's armed wing to more than 5,000. He also alleged that GAM had increased its arsenal from 1,800 weapons to 2,300.
"I have reported this violation to the TNI chief in Jakarta. I have also told soldiers to be on alert in view of this situation, but I also warned them [soldiers] to respect the government's decision in promoting a peaceful solution," Ryamizard told Antara.
Straits Times - March 27, 2003
Jakarta -- More than 36 billion rupiah meant for the Acehnese refugees has been embezzled allegedly by officials who also stole other forms of aid provided by humanitarian groups.
Social Affairs Minister Bachtiar Chamsyah, who disclosed this, said that the money was part of the 100 billion rupiah that Jakarta set aside to resettle 11,000 Acehnese refugees, displaced because of the fighting between security forces and the separatists over the past three years.
While many of the refugees had been resettled, there were still 4,000 who were stranded in Medan, the North Sumatra capital, and the nearby districts, he said.
He ordered the provincial government to do a thorough investigation of the scandal and take action to solve the refugee problem.
"The local government there must be held responsible for the funds that have not yet been distributed to the remaining 4,000 refugees," he said in Central Sulawesi on Tuesday.
He said North Sumatra Governor T. Rizal Nurdin had to account for the distribution of the funds to the remaining 4,000 people, who have been taking refuge in Medan and its surrounding districts.
At least two refugees have died and several others are in intensive care in a hospital in Medan after staging a hunger strike to demand the local government disburse the resettlement funds.
Hundreds of other refugees are now camped out at the North Sumatra legislative council building after the provincial administration failed to respond to their demands.
Mr Bachtiar said the social affairs office, which now comes under the provincial administration following regional autonomy, had prepared a database on the number of Acehnese refugees in the province.
"Of course, the provincial administration has recorded that there are some 4,000 refugees who have received resettlement funds. However, some of those camped out at the provincial legislature building are not refugees as their identities are not recorded in the database," he said.
He admitted that a number of employees in the provincial social affairs office were involved in the embezzlement of the funds.
According to the resettlement programme, refugees are entitled to a total of 8.75 million rupiah each to build modest homes and to survive for three months.
"The governor should order the police and the prosecutor's office in Medan to investigate this corruption," Mr Bachtiar said. He added that it was intolerable as besides committing crimes, the corrupt officials were also stealing humanitarian aid earmarked for refugees.
The minister also said that the refugees would be allowed to return to their home villages if the situation there improved.
The conflict in Aceh has killed about 12,000 people in the past decade.
Jakarta Post - March 25, 2003
Nani Farida, Banda Aceh -- Despite allegations infamous pro- Jakarta militia Laskar Jihad are waging a "holy war" against pro-independence forces in Central Aceh, public transportation services resumed on Monday to ease the regency's isolation.
With the help of heavily armed Indonesian security forces, a number of buses and trucks traveled in and out of the regency's capital of Takengon, carrying passengers and commodities to markets in Banda Aceh, the capital of the war-torn province, and strategically important Lhokseumawe in North Aceh.
The Joint Security Committee (JSC) monitoring a shaky truce between the TNI and Free Aceh Movement (GAM) separatists were forced to abandon their presence in Central Aceh after their office was attacked by a pro-Jakarta mob, including members of Laskar Jihad, on March 3.
Two JSC staff were injured in the attack, blamed on the JSC's inability to halt extortion and violence committed by GAM.
On March 15, four people were killed and 11 cars and buses set on fire in Burlintang district. The attacks were blamed on the militia, who some believe are linked to the TNI, and are said to be responsible for religious violence throughout Indonesia. Indonesian Military (TNI) spokesman Eddy Fernandy, speaking in Banda Aceh, said Central Aceh's isolation had already been eased following the deployment of TNI and police personnel to the regency to enhance security along the highway linking Takengon and Banda Aceh.
"With the deployment of security personnel, the road connecting the two towns is expected to be safe for the passage of people and goods." He said about 600 military personnel were in the regency helping hundreds of armed police restore security.
Raihan, a Banda Aceh resident who has just returned from Takengon, concurred but said many people in rural areas in the regency were living in fear of the militia, who claimed to be waging jihad against fellow Muslims GAM in the province.
"Many people are still reluctant to leave their villages because of the absence of security personnel. But the situation in Takengon itself has returned to normal and there are no more mass demonstrations like we have seen in the last two weeks." Raihan called on authorities to improve security, particularly in rural areas and roads to ensure safe passage in and out of the area.
About 30 people who had fled their villages were seeking refuge in a mosque in Takengon following intimidation by the militiamen who say GAM are behind the violence. Internally displaced people are now thought to number at least 500.
Burhan, not his real name, said he sought refuge after militiamen asked him to hand over his younger brother, a member of GAM, to the TNI.
"The militiamen, who call themselves members of Laskar Jihad, have terrorized villagers not to support GAM because besides fighting for Aceh's separation from Indonesia, they still extort the people," he said.
| War in Iraq |
Jakarta Post - March 28, 2003
Jakarta -- Indonesia has criticized the United Nations' Security Council (UNSC) for its failure to take a clear stand against the United States' military campaign in Iraq.
In his speech during the open debate at the Security Council on Wednesday, senior diplomat Slamet Hidayat called on the highest organ of the UN to address the issue that has preoccupied the world this past week.
"The Security Council must, and must be seen, to be seized of an issue which is in actual fact preoccupying all of us, governments and peoples alike," said Slamet, charge d'affaires of the Indonesian Mission to the United Nations in New York.
"Its silence in calling for the immediate cessation of the aggression is deafening, indeed," according to the text of his speech made available by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here.
The meeting, the first since the US along with other allied forces began the military intervention in Iraq last Thursday, was convened at the request of the Arab League and the Non-Aligned Movement.
On the opening day, 46 of over 80 countries proposing the emergency meeting delivered their views. The session on Thursday (Friday morning Jakarta time) will hear the rest.
Much like most of the world, the Indonesian government and people have been trying to step up pressure on the US and its allies to stop the war in the name of humanity.
Indonesia has strongly deplored the US military action in Iraq, calling it an act of aggression.
Slamet said the US invasion, without the specific approval from the Security Council, is undermining the multilateralism principle upon which the United Nations was built.
"We should not, and cannot, belittle what is presently at stake," he said. "The fate of the people of Iraq -- certainly. The future of the immediate regions and beyond -- politically, strategically and economically -- most definitely.
"Nor can we be oblivious to the potential environment impact of the war. Ultimately, however, it is the very foundation of the United Nations system, its inherent principle of multilateralism, that is being tested," he said, adding: "Unilateralism from whatever source must be held in check."
Slamet urged the Security Council to shoulder its responsibilities in maintaining international peace and security. "The Council must unite and join the clarion calls in many councils of nations and voiced by peoples the world over: End the war," he said.
Similar criticism was also launched by noted Indonesianist Daniel Lev, who blamed the Iraq war on the UN's incompetence.
"Most parts of the UN are very weak. As the most authoritative institution, it has no power to settle the case," he told reporters after a discussion on Iraq held by 68H news radio.
"If the attack is a must, then it is the UN that has to send its troops [to disarm Iraq] instead of the US [and its allies]," he said.
He suggested that the UN reform itself in order not to be influenced by a single superpower country and move its headquarters from New York to a more neutral country, such as Switzerland.
Middle East expert Hamid Bassyai shared Lev's view, saying that the UN would work more independently if it was headquartered in a neutral place.
Meanwhile, Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda warned of a possible failure of the UNSC to issue a resolution to end war as the US and Britain as two permanent members of the council would likely to veto such a resolution.
However, he insisted that Indonesia would continue the effort through the UN General Assembly under resolution 337 which has been entitled Uniting for Peace.
"On the General Assembly we will have a single vote and it only takes around 96 member countries out of the UN's 191 members to take action against the war," Hassan said.
Asia Times - March 29, 2003
Gary LaMoshi, Denpasar -- Along with the refusal of Iraqis to follow the United States and British "shock-awe-welcome liberators" script, a major surprise in the first week of the war has been the reaction of Indonesia. As with the Pentagon's "the outcome is not in doubt" pronouncements and the fighting in the field, there's been a decided split between the Indonesian elite and reaction on the ground.
President Megawati Sukarnoputri has led active opposition to war, including a rare public statement by Ibu President deploring the invasion as "an act of aggression, which is in contravention of international law". Her government has moved aggressively in diplomatic circles against the war, leading the charge for a United Nations Security Council meeting and lining up support from the Non-Aligned Movement, of which Megawati's father was a founding member. The government, in defiance of its image as inept bunglers on the public-relations front, has orchestrated a campaign across religious lines emphasizing that opposition to the war is a humanitarian and moral issue, not an Islamic one.
In contrast to their rulers' outrage and activism, the Indonesian rakyat has had a muted reaction the war. On the opening day of the hostilities, people waiting for visas outnumbered demonstrators at the US Consulate in Surabaya, they spent a longer time outside the heavily fortified facility, and there was no problem walking around the corner to the McDonald's for an ice cream to celebrate a successful application (as my wife and I did).
You ought to know not to stand by the window
Since then there have been demonstrations against US facilities, including tomatoes pelting American Express Bank branches and the Surabaya consulate, temporary shutdowns at McDonald's and KFC franchises, and calls for boycotts of US goods. These demonstrations pale in comparison with Indonesian reaction to the US-led attack on Afghanistan in 2001, and even to the protests against price hikes in January calling for Megawati step down. The mildness of the protests has even led officials to call for the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom to rescind their latest travel alerts for Indonesia.
Indonesians offer several explanations for the subdued public response to the attack on Iraq. First, they say, remember that the strike against Afghanistan came at an emotional time for Indonesia. President Megawati had just taken office four months earlier, amid hopes that real reform would finally go forward. The September 11, 2001, attacks on the US also served to ratchet up passions around the world, and Megawati's visit to the White House later that month put her and Indonesia in the hot spotlight on the issue.
But that explanation is not satisfactory. The fire, figuratively and literally in burning pictures and effigies of Megawati, shown in the demonstrations against price hikes or the recent assault on Tempo journalists show that Indonesians still have plenty of passion, whether genuine or for hire. So far little of that passion has been deployed to protest the war in Iraq.
The sound of gunfire off in the distance, I'm getting used to it now
Another theory from Indonesians is that they've seen this movie before. The US-led attack on Afghanistan established a precedent, the thinking goes, so this war is nothing new. Moreover, Indonesians saw that their mass opposition to the war was futile, and that the conflict's outcome was inconsequential to their own interests. That argument doesn't make much sense. Those condemning the attack on Afghanistan decried US imperialism and anti-Islamic prejudice. The Indonesian and US governments tried the same line about Afghanistan as a humanitarian issue, not an Islamic one, 18 months ago, and it didn't quell Muslim demonstrators. The attack on Iraq is evidence those demonstrators were right.
This time, the US has mounted an attack without immediate provocation against another Islamic country, without the fig leaf of UN endorsement that the Afghan incursion had, and has talked openly, if not yet sensibly, about occupying the country and installing a government to its liking. The results of the US intervention in Afghanistan, renewed warlordism and no discernible progress toward democracy or massive rebuilding promised when the action began, bolster the arguments that the US is more interested in warmongering than nation-building. So why aren't these activists who said so out there crowing?
I ain't got time for that now
Another reason cited for the lack of interest in protests is that people in Indonesia are significantly worse off than they were 18 months ago. That observation is coupled with an assumption of a growing understanding, brought about by the Bali bombings and Megawati's stealth PR machine, about the impact of bad publicity on the Indonesian economy, particularly in the area of desperately needed foreign investment.
In their struggle to scrape together a living, according this line, the masses haven't got time for protesting a war taking place 8,000 kilometers away, that, based on previous evidence, won't impact them significantly, and they're not about the bite the hand of US and Western investors that could potentially feed recovery.
The man or woman in the jalan may be measurably worse off now than in October 2001 in post-bomb Bali, where tourists remain as scarce as a real Rolex at the watch shops, but the overall economic numbers don't support that theory. The rupiah is holding strong, and growth came in around 3.5 percent last year, with inflation nearly on target at a tad over 10 percent.
Recovery remains a long way off, and the estimated 40 million unemployed have no more hope and less of any cushion than they had 18 months ago. That army of unemployed also provides a ready rent-a-mob brigade for Rp15,000 and a nasi bunkus (rice to go).
But, one Muslim political-science graduate asserted over coffee, maybe the renters don't have the money to pay them anymore. That brings up the question of who was doing the renting in October 2001. As is often the case with mysterious situations in Indonesia, such as the attacks on Freeport McMoran mine personnel in Papua six months ago, look to the dark side.
This ain't no party, this ain't disco, this ain't no foolin' aroun'
For the most part, radical Islamic groups were behind Indonesia's demonstrations against the war in Afghanistan. Groups such as Defenders of Islam (FPI by its Indonesian acronym) and Laksar Jihad were operating openly and violently in October 2001. In addition to street protests, FPI specialized in raiding nightspots in Jakarta and threatens to "sweep foreigners" out of Indonesia. Laksar Jihad recruited and paid Muslims to fight Christians in the Malukus and Central Sulawesi.
A year later came the Bali bombings, which weren't linked to either of those groups but other Muslim extremists. Police have theorized that Jemaah Islamiyah was behind them, and alleged JI spiritual leader Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, an outspoken anti-Western agitator, remains in police custody. The Bali bombings ended police tolerance of these groups, along with public backing. The Bali bombing investigation has energized the National Police, finalizing their post-Suharto divorce from the military and elevating its status. While the institution still has miles to go for credibility, figures such as police chief Da'i Bachtiar and chief investigator I Made Mangku Pastika have established some integrity. It may be that police have actually made progress rooting out terrorism in the country after four years of widespread communal and random violence.
But more important, the radical groups' active and retired military backers have withdrawn their patronage. Within days of the Bali bombing, Laksar Jihad announced it was disbanding, and navy ships suddenly appeared in Ambon to carry its warriors home. The Islamic fundamentalist's dark-side supporters may have feared implication in the Bali tragedy, or they may have read the public outrage.
More likely, they assessed the damage their support for radicals groups wrought. These dark-side forces represent business interests, including the military's own, that the Bali bombing severely damaged. They learned a lesson, one that former president Suharto understood instinctively until his political dotage: inflaming religious passions can result in an inferno that burns you.
Moreover, the US war on terrorism has directly benefited the Indonesian military. The Bush administration has taken the first steps toward reviving the cozy and lucrative relationship between the Indonesian brass and Uncle Sam. More than the Indonesian public, it's the military and its business cronies that now understand the value of not upsetting the US government or investors.
Over that same period, Megawati's government has proved itself a compliant partner for the military as opposed to her predecessor Abdurrahman Wahid, who sought real reform. So the dark forces no longer want to feed political ferment. Instead they want to preserve and protect the current illusion of political stability.
Add it all up, and you see the primary backers of the protests against the war in Afghanistan have no interest in stoking anti- US sentiment for this round of the war on terrorism. If you believe lightning can't strike twice, Bali may be the safest place on Earth to wait out this war.
Laksamana.Net - March 27, 2003
Tens of thousands of Indonesian protesters took to the streets on Thursday to oppose the US-British bombardment of Iraq. Many prayed for peace, others wept, some hurled tomatoes at the US Embassy and others "sealed" a McDonald's outlet.
In Malang, East Java, about 30,000 people prayed for an end to hostilities, in what was the biggest anti-war rally in Indonesia since the invasion began last week.
The Malang gathering was organized by Indonesia's biggest Muslim organization Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), with participants praying for the safety of Iraqi civilians.
"God, we ask for your miracle. Please show your greatness. Please protect the Iraqis. Hopefully, he who likes to destroy gets the right reprisal," Muslim cleric Masduki Mahfud was quoted as saying by Reuters.
Meanwhile, hundreds students from the Jakarta State Islamic University (UIN) and other universities gathered outside the US Embassy to burn American flags and throw tomatoes at the heavily guarded diplomatic compound.
The students later went to the main McDonald's restaurant in Jakarta and covered the windows with posters featuring slogans such as "Boycott American products because the profits are used to fund war". The students also attempted to "seal" the Hard Rock Cafe in the same shopping complex.
Not far away, 400 members of the NU's youth wing rallied outside the United Nations office and attempted to hand over a humanitarian donation of rice for the Iraqi people.
Agence France-Presse reported the protesters were angered when UN officials initially refused to accept the 2.5 tons of rice. Police helped representatives of the crowd negotiate with the officials and the rice was subsequently placed inside the compound.
Protest leader Syamsuddin Pay said more donations of rice and medicine would follow. "We need concrete action to help Iraqi civilians, not just condemnation [of US attacks] and insults," he was quoted as saying by AFP.
In the West Java capital of Bandung, about 2,000 members of the Hizbut Tahrir Muslim movement rallied outside the provincial parliament to demand a boycott of American products.
In Medan, North Sumatra, hundreds of students from elementary school to university level took the streets to denounce US President George W. Bush as a killer of innocent Iraqis. The students also went to Australia's representative office to condemn Australian participation in the US-led military force.
The Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI) added its weight to the nationwide protests, urging the government to recall its ambassador to the US.
"The government must have a firmer stand. We do not call for cutting off diplomatic ties but merely a temporarily freeze until the US stops its aggression on Iraq," MUI chairman Umar Shihab was quoted as saying by Deutsche Presse-Agentur.
There was one anti-protest in Surabaya, East Java, on Thursday, when the Child Protection Foundation (LPA) criticized elementary school teachers for involving their students in a rally outside the US Consulate.
"We deeply regret the rally, which can be considered child exploitation. Physically, the children are not strong enough to stage a rally, much less to chant during the rally," LPA chief Nanang Abdul Chanan was quoted as saying by Antara.
About 50 pupils and eight teachers from the Muhammadiyah Elementary School in Surabaya had earlier in the day thronged outside the consulate to condemn the invasion of Iraq.
Jakarta Post - March 28, 2003
Jakarta -- Rallies to protest against the attack on Iraq continued on Thursday across the country, with demonstrators in some cities expanding their targets to parties not affiliated with the United States or its allies.
Some 20 protesters of the Islamic Students Alumni Association (KAHMI) staged a rally in front of the Saudi Arabian Embassy on Jl. M.T. Haryono, East Jakarta to protest the kingdom's indifference to the US-led incursion of Iraq.
The protesters deplored Saudi Arabia's inaction. "Saudi Arabia must also be blamed for its failure to prevent the outbreak of the war which has brought suffering to the Iraqi people," said a protester.
To express their disappointment, the protesters also urged the Indonesian government to boycott all products from Saudi Arabia and to halt economic and political cooperation.
In the Central Java city of Surakarta, at least 3,000 protesters grouped under the Islamic Congregation of Surakarta (UIS) took to the streets to condemn the attack. They gathered at the Gladag traffic circle on Jl. Slamet Riyadi in downtown Surakarta.
The rally was led by cleric Wahyudin, deputy director of Al Mukmin boarding school whose leader, Abu Bakar Ba'asyir is under detention for treason. The protesters also pasted stickers to call for a boycott of all American products at American licensed fast-food outlet Kentucky Fried Chicken nearby.
Similar antiwar rallies were to follow later in the day in other venues like the Press Monument and the official residence of the mayor.
Around 1,000 Muslim activists grouped under Hizbut Tahrir went to the West Java Legislature in Bandung to express their demand for an end to the Iraq war and the sending of multinational peace- keepers to help the Iraq people recover from the impact of the war. The protesters, led by former rock singer Harry Mukti, marched from Al-Ukuwah mosque on Jl. Wastukancana to the legislative building.
In the South Sulawesi capital of Makassar, around 400 high school students of the Indonesian Association of Students of Makassar (PPIM) marched from Mandala Monument on Jl. Jend. Sudirman to the Losari beach, where they read out antiwar poems and recited prayers for the cessation of the war. In the Riau capital of Pekanbaru, dozens of protesters rallied in front of the Malaysian Consulate to demand that Indonesia sever diplomatic ties with the US. One of the people said they targeted the Malaysian Consulate as they could no longer expect the Indonesian government to comply with their demand.
Meanwhile, National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar reiterated on Thursday his promise to provide security for US business interests and its allies. "The police are doing their job of taking measures to improve security in the country, including protecting foreign interests and foreigners," Da'i said after signing a Memorandum of Understanding in Jakarta on a security operation in support of the national tourism program.
He dismissed reports that a group of expatriates working in American oil company PT Caltex Pacific Indonesia in Riau had left the province due to fear of violent rallies. "They left for Singapore, Thailand and Bali on vacation. It is not true that they have left the country because they felt insecure.
Minister for Energy and Mineral Resources Purnomo Yosgiantoro also gave his assurance for the safety of expatriates working in Indonesia.
But, Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Prasetyo acknowledged they would not able to provide protection for all American companies, especially the numerous fast-food restaurants due to limited personnel.
Prasetyo also said the protection would be limited to the restaurants' compounds. "We can guarantee the security of the restaurants and their customers while they are inside. But, of course, it's impossible for us to guarantee their safety outside the premises," said Prasetyo.
Meanwhile, chairman of the Prosperous Justice Party Almuzammil Yusuf said one million people from various religions and cultures are expected to turn up for the biggest antiwar rally in the country scheduled for Sunday in Jakarta.
Jakarta Post - March 29, 2003
Jakarta -- A rally calling for peace by hundreds of students in Jakarta on Friday was in marked contrast to a number of other rowdier rallies around the country against the United States-led attack on Iraq.
More than 1,000 high school and university students staged a solemn protest in front of the Al Azhar Mosque on Jl. Pattimura, South Jakarta. The demonstration was highlighted by the release of dozens of white balloons with banners reading "Peace", along with a pair of white doves as a symbol of peace.
The demonstrators, who came from the Indonesian Al Azhar Students for Peace (Gempar) group, also performed a street play depicting the US-led invasion of Iraq, which has resulted in much suffering and grief.
The students wore black armbands to express their deep sympathy for the Iraqi people during the rally, which ended with a fund raising effort for the victims of the war in Iraq.
In other towns, the rallies were marked by displays of resentment against the US and its allies, and calls for a boycott of these countries' products. As usual, franchised American fast-food restaurants McDonald's and Kentucky Fried Chicken were targeted by the protesters.
In the Central Java capital of Semarang, nearly 200 students took to the streets in front of a local McDonald's outlet in the Ciputra Mall in Simpang Lima to call for a boycott of US products.
Some employees of the restaurant distributed fliers explaining that the American franchise restaurant employed Indonesians and uses domestic products as the raw materials for its products. But the protesters were unswayed by the fast-food chain's assertion that its local outlets have benefited Indonesians, and immediately threw the fliers away.
"The products sold by places like McDonald's all benefit US interests," the protesters shouted. They argued that every cent of profit realized by the sale of these products would be used to finance the US-led attack on Iraq.
In Serang square in Banten, over 1,000 protesters from a number of Islamic political parties and mass organizations urged the public to stop consuming US beverages and foodstuffs. "Purchasing US products means providing support for the US in its attack on the Iraqi people," a protester shouted.
Similar calls to boycott US products were also heard in several other cities, including Bandar Lampung, Yogyakarta and Jakarta.
Muhammad Afifudin, who led a large rally by students from the Syarif Hidayatullah Islamic University in front of the McDonald's outlet at the Sarinah building in Central Jakarta, said the main objective of the rally was to stop the war.
"The call for a boycott is only one of the strategic efforts we will be undertaking." he told The Jakarta Post. Afifudin failed to comment, however, on the possibility that such a boycott could backfire on Indonesian businesses that were mostly owned by Indonesian people and employed mainly Indonesians.
Despite the rowdy rallies across the country, the US government announced on Friday it would reopen its Surabaya Consulate General for services to the public on Monday. All services will be by prior appointment, and the public should phone the consulate to request an appointment before arriving at the consulate building, the US Embassy in Jakarta said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the immigration office said there had been no exodus of expatriates from the country so far, despite the wave of protests against the US-led attack on Iraq.
Immigration spokesman Ade Endang Dahlan said on Friday that after a week of military action in Iraq, the number of overseas citizens arriving in and departing from the country was normal.
Ade was referring to the results of a survey on the inflow and outflow of non-nationals through Soekarno-Hatta Airport in Jakarta and Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar, Bali.
"According to the figures we have obtained from the two airports, there has been no significant rise in the number of foreigners leaving or coming into Indonesia," he said. Quoting the figures, he disclosed that between March 19 and March 26, some 8,095 foreign citizens entered and 8,157 exited through Ngurah Rai Airport.
A statement by the Oil and Gas Executive Board (BP Migas) also revealed that there had been no exodus of US expatriates from Riau. It said that a number of non-nationals had left Indonesia for their "spring break" and would return to Riau early in April.
Jakarta Post - March 29, 2003
Jakarta -- Hundreds of Indonesians protested in several cities on Friday against the US invasion of Iraq, with UN Secretary- General Kofi Annan as well as President George Bush coming in for criticism.
More than 1,000 members of the Muslim-based Justice Party shouted "God is Great" and "USA go to hell" during a noisy protest at Makassar, South Sulawesi, ElShinta radio reported. About 100 people from the Alliance of Muslim Students picketed a McDonald's restaurant in Yogyakarta, Central Java.
"Kofi Annan must resign because he has no power over Bush. We reject all forms of imperialism," one said. Protesters also urged Indonesia to sever ties with the US and called for a boycott of US goods.
In Jakarta, dozens of people massed outside the UN mission and similarly called for Annan to step down. They carried antiwar posters, including several reading, "The UN has no power".
At Mataram, Lombok island, demonstrators urged the UN to "try, by whatever means necessary" to stop the war in Iraq. They laterset fire to an effigy of Bush, AFP reported.
President Megawati Soekarnoputri's government has denounced the US-led invasion of Iraq as an illegal act of aggression, but has warned protesters not to engage in violent demonstration.
Radio Australia - March 27, 2003
Several Indonesian Non Government Organisations say they will refuse funds from America, Britain and Australia, in response to those countries involvement in the war on Iraq. The Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation, several women's rights groups and the country's leading environmental watchdog, known as Walhi, have joined in the action. The NGOs say the action in Iraq is a "humanitarian tragedy" and a gross violation of human rights. But will the move just hurt the organisations involved?
Transcript:
Longgenga Ginting: Yes, but not really. Those budgets are 30% of our budget annually.
"But in the long term it will benefit our organization especially with our activities now to try to diversify our donor source. This is momentum for us to decrease our dependency on the donor and start to have a more stable funding sources from the public."
Woods: So does that mean you won't be approaching other nations to make up the shortfall?
Longgenga Ginting: "We still have a cooperation with many many foundations from Europe and US itself, but also some foundations in Indonesia. We continue working with other foundations."
Woods: Do you hope that other NGO's within Indonesia will take the same steps as you have?
Longgenga Ginting: "We hope so. We hope that we inspire them and they are brave enough to follow this action. But I know that most Indonesian NGO's are highly dependent on those entities.
"It's a financial risk, it is also how your organization decides; whether to continue, uphold your values, your principles with every situation."
Woods: Is your action and that of other NGO's in Indonesia just an example of the depth of feeling in the country on the war on Iraq?
Longgenga Ginting: "Of course many people see this as the politics of oil. However, some groups, some people see this as a religious war, of course, it's not a relgion war.
"This is about the power, it's about energy, and its about the dominance. Of course, people are very angry, they are expressing their concern and also now, they are consolidating to have a bigger and bigger action on the streets.
Associated Press - March 27, 2003
Jakarta -- If a Muslim group has its way, moviegoers in the Indonesian city of Bandung will no longer get to watch films such as Daredevil or Chicago.
The Kabah Youth Movement yesterday urged 17 theatres in the industrial town 200 km south-east of Jakarta to stop screening US and British films because of the war in Iraq.
"We want the US and British governments to stop attacking Iraqis," said Mr Syahrial Agamas, chairman of the group, which is the youth wing of Vice-President Hamzah Haz's United Development Party. "This boycott will remind people about the behaviour of these governments," he said.
But Mr Rahmat Selamat, a manager at Indah Plaza mall in Bandung, said he did not expect anyone to take the appeals seriously and that theatres remained packed for showings of Chicago and Maid in Manhattan.
"We can't be bothered with the boycott," he said. A film boycott "would damage the job opportunities for thousands of theatre workers", said Mr Iwan Kusmawan of movie distributor PT Jabara Kharisma Film.
Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim nation, practises a moderate form of Islam and has long embraced Western culture. But the current war has angered many groups in society, prompting them to threaten boycotts of fast-food chains like McDonald's.
The Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation and Walhi, the country's leading environmental organisation, have announced they would no longer accept funding from US, Australian or British government agencies.
"Protesting against the war is not enough," said Mr Longgena Ginting, executive director of Walhi. "This war is against our values. We cannot work with countries that are against our values."
Laksamana.Net - March 25, 2003
The Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) has severed ties with one of its main donors, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), in protest against the US-led war on Iraq.
Longgena Ginting, director of Walhi's national executive board, on Monday said the non-government organization has sent a letter to USAID informing the agency of its decision, state news agency Antara reported. She said the ongoing US military aggression in Iraq is a violation of the basic principles of human rights.
Walhi was founded in 1980 with the aim of working toward equitable management of Indonesia's natural resources and environment, in conjunction with efforts to transform the nation into a democratic society.
The Jakarta-based organization won fame and respect as one of the most outspoken opponents of the corrupt and repressive regime of former dictator Suharto, criticizing national environmental policies and campaigning for indigenous peoples' rights.
Walhi initially grouped just a few dozen local and provincial non-government organizations (NGOs) and has since developed into a broad network with over 300 member NGOs, becoming Indonesia's top environmental watchdog.
In addition to dues and contributions from its members, Walhi has funded its activities through assistance from several sources, including: CARE, OXFAM, USAID, the Institute of Social Research and Development (LPPS), Netherlands Organization for International Development Cooperation (NOVIB), Belgium's National Center for Development Cooperation (NCOS), Canadian Development Agency (CIDA), Indonesian Biodiversity Foundation (Yayasan KEHATI), and Friends of the Environment Fund (DML).
Walhi's relationship with USAID was first tested in 1995 following complaints that US foreign aid was being used to discredit American businesses in Indonesia.
The controversy was related to New Orleans-based Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold, which in September 1995 applied pressure on USAID to withdraw its financial aid to Walhi, which had been accusing the mega-rich mining company of polluting rivers, destroying crops and complicity in military attacks on civilians in Papua province.
USAID opted to continue supporting Walhi, but reports said the agency subsequently attached strings to its aid, specifically that the funding should not be used for activities critical of mining.
The US government agency, which has an annual budget in Indonesia of about $130 million, denied imposing such conditions on its aid. But it's no secret that anti-mining group Jatam (Indonesian Mining Advocacy Network) had its USAID funding cut after it criticized the Indonesian operations of US mining giant Newmont.
In April 2000, Jatam was informed it would no longer be receiving USAID assistance. According to Asia Times Online, Jatam had previously been given $75,000 to protect the rights of communities to manage their natural resources and assist in monitoring the impact of mining operations.
In 1999 Jatam demanded and end to all large-scale commercial mining activities, citing human rights abuses and environmental destruction. USAID consequently expressed doubt over Jatam's ability to give impartial assistance to communities and claimed the group's actions were "harmful to US goals".
LBH Walhi is not the only Indonesian non-government organization to stop receiving US government funds.
Women's rights group, the Advisory Association for Women Entrepreneurs in Indonesia, on Monday announced it would no longer receive aid from the US and its war allies Britain and Australia.
The Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) on Tuesday it would also refuse funds from the US government and its allies.
"This is a form of our protest against the attitude of the three countries which have ignored the international community," YLBHI chairman Munarman was quoted as saying by Agence France Presse.
He said the US-led invasion of Iraq was a humanitarian tragedy and a gross violation of human rights. "We are also calling on other NGOs in Indonesia to halt all kind of cooperation with the governments of the US, Britain and Australia," he added.
Government officials and moderate Muslim leaders have rejected calls for boycotting US products and severing ties with Washington, saying the Indonesian public should be able to distinguish between economic and political matters.
Jakarta Post - March 26, 2003
Yuli Trisuwarni, Bandung -- The Ka'bah Youth Movement Muslim organization has threatened all movie theaters in the West Java capital of Bandung to stop showing American and British films until the countries stop attacking Iraq.
Head of the United Development Party (PPP)-affiliated group, Lia Nurhambali, said Tuesday that the move was part of a campaign to boycott all products from the United States and its allies.
"We give the owners of the movie theaters three days to comply with our demands, otherwise we will move against them," said Lia, who is also a councillor at the Bandung legislature representing Vice President Hamzah Haz's PPP.
During the check, Lia said the group activists will pull down billboards and posters of the films and burn them and ask movie goers to cancel their plan to watch American or British films.
"But we will not resort to violence during our move," he said. He said a letter was sent on Tuesday to all 17 theaters across the city.
The group also called on all television stations in the country not to run American and British films while the attack on Iraq continued.
Edisona Nainggolan, spokesman for PT Kharisma Jabara Film, a company with exclusive rights to American films in West Java, said the demands were excessive.
"During the Academy Award presentation it was obvious that many American artists opposed the US-led attack on Iraq? American films are different from Bush," Edisona said, referring to the US President George W. Bush.
He said the demand for American films had been on the decline recently with the entry of European films.
Agence France Presse - March 25, 2003
Indonesia promised to safeguard westerners amid continuing anti- war protests as police said 10 Muslim radicals arrested for allegedly harassing foreigners could face a year in jail.
"We will be firm. It is the duty of the state to protect all personnel and assets of friendly countries," said top security minister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. He said that so far no major incidents have been reported.
Police on Monday arrested 10 members of the hardline Islamic Youth Movement in a Central Jakarta tourist district. They were said to have tried to force foreigners to sign a document condemning the US invasion of Iraq. Police said they face up to a year in prison if convicted of threatening or using force.
Yudhoyono played down warnings by the British and Australian embassies of an imminent terrorist attack in the country's second city of Surabaya. "There have never been indications that there would be a terrorist act there," he said. He speculated that the warnings could have been related to rumoured plans by some groups to conduct "sweeps" for Americans in the city.
The US and allied embassies have warned that the Iraq war could prompt further terrorist attacks in Indonesia following the Bali blasts last October which killed 202 people, mainly foreigners.
But Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda described the latest warning as "excessive." "It doesn't mean we underestimate [the threat]. We are working very hard but we ask countries to correct their travel warnings after the anticipated attack did not happen," Wirayuda said.
Wirayuda also pointed out that daily anti-war protests had been peaceful and orderly. "I think their suspicions are groundless." The government has strongly criticised the US-led attacks as a violation of international law but has promised to clamp down on any violent protests.
Demonstrations in the world's largest Muslim-populated nation have so far been relatively small and peaceful despite widespread anger at the US invasion. Protesters have symbolically sealed McDonald's restaurants and other US-franchised premises but no damage has been reported.
On Tuesday an estimated 1,000-1,500 people marched in the North Sumatra capital of Medan, according to police.
In Jakarta about 200 protesters, some shouting "America -- King of Terrorists," rallied outside the US embassy. One group carried a mock coffin draped with the Stars and Stripes.
About 100 students from the state Islamic university in the restive eastern city of Ambon marched to the governor's office to protest at the US attack. They called for a boycott of US goods and services and urged the government to freeze diplomatic ties with Washington.
Antara - March 24, 2003
Jakarta -- Indonesia's Vice President Hamzah Haz has rejected US President George W.Bush's request to close down the Iraqi embassy in Jakarta.
"The [Indonesian] government cannot possibly close the Iraqi embassy," he said commenting on the US president's request to other countries in the world to close down Iraqi embassies.
Speaking to reporters after performing Friday prayers at Al Hidayah Mosque in the West Java town of Bekasi, he said the United States could not intervene in other countries' internal affairs.
Opening a foreign embassy in its capital is the right of every country, Hamzah said. Indonesia consistently sticks to and implements its free and independent stance in its foreign policy, the vice president said. Indonesia could therefore not be steered or pressured by other countries, he said. "We determine what we want to do," he said.
The Indonesian government's recent statement that it deeply deplored President Bush's war on Iraq showed Indonesia's firm stand, he noted. In more concrete terms, Indonesia had urged the United Nations to hold an extraordinary meeting for talks about the possibility of stopping the US-led military action against Iraq soon.
Asked about public calls for a temporary freeze of Indonesia's diplomatic ties with the United States, Hamzah diplomatically said "everything must be decided through certain procedures and based on certain considerations." "We are a member of the United Nations. So, let's see first how things develop," he said.
Jakarta Post - March 24, 2003
A'an Suryana, Jakarta -- As the antiwar protests become rowdier, scholars urged the government on Sunday to swiftly move to prevent them turning violent.
Haedar Nashir, the secretary-general of Muhammadiyah, the second largest Muslim organization in the country, called on the government to invite the representatives of the protesters for talks to calm them down.
"Having conducted more talks, it could create a sense that the government has accommodated the protesters' wishes and aspirations," Haedar told The Jakarta Post.
A political analyst from the Surabaya-based Airlangga University, Daniel Sparingga, shared Haedar's view and said dialogue could also be used by the government to convince them that the Iraq war had nothing to do with religion.
"The government must convince people that the US attack on Iraq has nothing to do with religion," Daniel told the Post. "And the government must tell them that any violent protests will not be tolerated."
Thousands of people held antiwar protests across the country over the weekend. However, a protest by militant groups such as the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) forced the closure of a McDonald's restaurant in Surabaya, East Java, on Friday.
On Sunday, FPI protesters burned flags of the US, Britain, Israel and Australia during an antiwar demonstration outside the US Embassy in Central Jakarta.
Many worry that the provocative protests by minority militant groups could turn violent. Once the protests turn violent, Daniel warned, it would further damage Indonesia's image, and foreigners would immediately start to flee Indonesia.
"If that happens, the impact will be severer on Indonesia. Indonesia's image will be ruined in the eyes of the international community. Indonesia's economy will then be hit hard because investors will shy away," he added.
Haedar acknowledged that, and therefore urged people to remain rational whey staging protests. "Antiwar protests are shows of humanitarian solidarity that we should support. But, they should not turn violent. Especially if this were to lead to attacks on foreigners. We must avoid violence as this goes against both humanitarian and religious value, the values that people must continue to adhere to while protesting the US attack on Iraq," Haedar said.
Associated Press - March 25, 2003
Jakarta -- Ten members of a radical Islamic group were arrested in Jakarta yesterday after they tried to force their way into a Sizzler restaurant in a thwarted bid to harass foreigners and protest against the US-led war in Iraq.
The Islamic Youth Movement had also been "trying to stop taxis loaded with suspected foreigners", said a police spokesman. "We intervened and took them for questioning," he said.
Meanwhile, another radical Islamic group, the Islamic Defenders Front, said it was recruiting Indonesians to fight US forces in Iraq. It said it had signed up 430 Indonesians since Sunday but did not say how it would get recruits to the front lines. The group has a history of attacking nightclubs and bars which it says offend Islam.
For its part, the Indonesian government has been trying to downplay local opposition to the war.
Pointing to the peaceful and small protests held across the archipelago since last week, the government complained yesterday that new terror alerts issued by the US, Australia and Britain were unwarranted. Citing risk of further attacks, many Western countries have warned their citizens not to travel to Indonesia -- the world's most populous Muslim nation -- since last year's bombings on the resort island of Bali that killed 202 people.
London and Washington's warnings cited credible information that extremists may be planning attacks on Westerners in Indonesia as a result of the US-led war in Iraq.
"The demonstrations here have all been in an orderly manner," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Marty Natelagawa. "We are not going to doubt their [foreign governments'] obligations to protect their nationals. But we are concerned that the ... warnings give a skewed impression of what is really going on here."
Early yesterday, police in the port city of Surabaya searched the Japanese consulate after receiving a warning that a bomb had been left there. They found nothing.
In their weekend warnings, London and Canberra said they had information that Surabaya was a likely target for a terrorist attack.
The Australian and British governments were criticised at home after the Bali attacks for not warning their citizens of the risks of travelling to Indonesia.
Jakarta Post - March 24, 2003
Muninggar Sri Saraswati and Tertiani ZB Simanjutak, Jakarta -- The wave of antiwar rallies continued on Sunday with thousands of protesters taking to the streets across the country to express their opposition to the ongoing US-led invasion of Iraq.
In Jakarta, close to 2,000 protesters took turns staging peaceful rallies in front of the tightly-guarded United States Embassy on Jl. Merdeka Selatan in Central Jakarta.
The US is leading coalition forces invading Iraq, ostensibly to get rid of the country's alleged weapons of mass destruction.
The first protest started at around 10 a.m. and involved some 200 students belonging to various organizations. Carrying posters that among other things read: "Bush is a war criminal", "Stop the invasion", and "No more war", the students demanded an immediate halt to the one-sided attack on Iraq.
"We urge the international tribunal to bring Bush, Blair, and Howard to court as terrorists and war criminals," said one of the protesters from a makeshift stage set up on a pick-up truck, while failing to specify what exact international tribunal he had in mind.
The protester was referring to US President George W. Bush, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and Australian Prime Minister Howard. The three countries make up the main military forces participating in the invasion, which has drawn worldwide condemnation.
During the protest, some protesters burned US flags and threw eggs at the embassy, which was guarded by some 400 policemen. The protesters dispersed peacefully.
Later in the day, some 1,000 protesters, organized by a coalition of some 40 organizations, including Christian and Buddhist groups, also rallied in front of the mission.
The protest ended after about three hours with the burning of an effigy of Bush and the reading of a joint statement demanding an immediate end to the invasion of Iraq.
"We call for the war to be immediately halted," a protester read out from a prepared statement.
The protesters also urged President Megawati Soekarnoputri to cut diplomatic ties with Washington.
On Sunday afternoon, some 200 members of the Islam Defenders Front (FPI), a small hard-line group, staged a protest against the war outside the embassy.
The FPI, which has resumed its operations after having claimed to have suspended them several months ago, said they would send volunteers to help Iraq during the war.
"It is better to send any other Imam Samudras that there might be to Iraq for a jihad than threaten our internal security," said FPI chairman Habib Rizieq, referring to the alleged mastermind of last year's Bali terrorist attacks that killed at least 202 people and injured over 350 others, mostly foreigners.
The FPI claims it has started recruiting volunteers to wage a jihad, or holy war, against the US and its allies in Iraq. Around 200 FPI supporters signed up on Sunday, the first day of a one-week recruitment drive.
FPI secretary-general Ahmad Shabri Lubis claimed that thousands of supporters across the country had signed up on Sunday. The FPI hoped to send them in three weeks' time.
"There will be some physical and psychological training, but if necessary those who already have passports can leave immediately," he told reporters.
"Apprehending foreigners and US citizens is no longer on our agenda. But jihad is. We are confronting an unjust war, not the people, because we don't want to end up in the hands of the police force," he added.
In the Central Java town of Pekalongan, more than 2,000 school students held a rally in the town's main square to pray for the people of Iraq, and for peace, Agence France Presse reported.
"They burned flags, American and British, I think, but there were no incidents," said a policeman.
An antiwar protest was also staged by about 150 people from the Justice and Prosperity Party (PKS) in front of the US consulate general in Denpasar, Bali.
In Surabaya, East Java, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the country's largest Muslim organization, set up a post to collect humanitarian aid for Iraqi refugees.
NU East Java deputy secretary Romadlon Sukardi said on Sunday that his group would coordinate with the Indonesian Red Cross to transport the humanitarian aid to Iraq.
The Muslim group also urged the US to stop the military attack on Iraq and bring the case to the United Nations.
There were no reports of the terrorist attacks that were predicted by Australia over the weekend. Malls and shopping centers opened as usual on Sunday.
| 'War on terrorism' |
Reuters - March 24, 2003
Jakarta -- An Indonesian court on Monday rejected a demand that prosecutors free Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashir after lawyers for the alleged head of the militant Jemaah Islamiah group argued his detention was illegal.
Bashir was arrested in October on suspicion of links to church bombings in 2000 and a plot to kill President Megawati Sukarnoputri.
But his lawyers say such references were missing when police last month handed him to prosecutors and said he had been charged with treason. They have not given details of the charges.
"The submission was declined by the court," Bashir lawyer Mahendradatta said, adding the case was thrown out because the cleric's legal team made a technical mistake in filing the case.
Prosecutors, who are detaining Bashir ahead of his trial, which could begin in weeks, had said they were permitted under Indonesian law to draw up an indictment that could differ from accusations originally made by police.
Bashir denies any wrongdoing as well as any knowledge of Jemaah Islamiah, which seeks to create a pan-Islamic nation in Southeast Asia, regional officials and intelligence sources say.
Indonesian police have blamed it for the October 12 bomb attack on the resort island of Bali that killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists. Police have linked Bashir to the attacks but have not charged him over the atrocity.
Australian Associated Press - March 23 2003
Police in Indonesia's second-biggest city Surabaya have reacted angrily to an Australian warning that anti-Western groups may be planning a "terrorist" attack there, saying there were no signs of threat.
"I don't know how they obtained the information -- I have no idea," East Java police spokesman Sad Harunantyo said. "Maybe they [Australia] got the information from a Ouija board. It seems they are only looking for trouble," he told AFP. "We're continuing to monitor the situation and there are no signs that terrorists are planning to launch attacks on Australians, Americans or other Westerners," he said.
The spokesman said police had been on full alert since Thursday because they anticipated protests against the US-led war on Iraq. "There were protests and establishments linked to the US were picketed but those protests were peaceful," he said. Police would remain vigilant, he said.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) yesterday advised Australians not to visit Surabaya, where protesters yesterday picketed the US consulate and a McDonald's outlet in protests against the war.
"The DFAT advises that it has credible information that terrorist groups with a history of targeting Westerners and Western interests may be planning terrorist activity on or about 23 March in Surabaya, Indonesia," the department said in a statement.
It urged Australians already in Surabaya, the capital of East Java province, to stay home and exercise extreme caution on or about Sunday. They were advised to avoid commercial and public places frequented by foreigners.
"Obviously we're very concerned about the nature of the threat," Australian embassy spokesman Kirk Coningham told AFP in Jakarta.
Australia has issued a general travel warning advising its citizens to defer non-essential travel to Indonesia following the October 12 bombings on the resort island of Bali.
Australia, which with Britain is one of the strongest supporters of the war, has deployed about 2,000 military personnel to join the US-led military action.
Eighty-nine Australians were killed in the Bali bombings, blamed on the Jemaah Islamiah regional terrorist network.
Anti-war protests have erupted in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country, since the US launched a strike on Iraq on Thursday. Indonesia has promised to protect foreigners.
Yesterday, about 2,000 people from various groups rallied outside the US consulate in Surabaya and symbolically sealed a McDonald's and a Citibank building. The consulate was closed yesterday and would remain shut until further notice, the US embassy said.
| Government & politics |
Jakarta Post - March 26, 2003
Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta -- Women activists demanded the executive board of political parties on Tuesday arrange legislative candidates alternately between men and women to give women a greater chance to meet the 30 percent quota for representation in legislative bodies.
They said an alternate lineup of men and women candidates was needed in anticipation of voters who only vote for parties, not individual candidates.
The existing Election Law stipulates that ballots are considered valid if voters mark the picture of the candidate and symbol of the political party or on the symbol of the political party only.
Activist Nursyahbani Katjasungkana of the Women's Association for Legal Aid (LBH APIK) said the stipulation could revive the past practice when the executive board of political parties had ultimate power to determine legislators through the list of candidates.
"We will approach political parties to request them to arrange the sequence of candidates alternately between men and women," Nursyahbani told The Jakarta Post on the sidelines of a discussion on women for government reform organized by the Partnership for Governance Reform here on Tuesday.
She emphasized that women legislative candidates must not be put on the bottom of the list.
Nursyahbani also said women activists would fight to ensure one of four seats at the Regional Representative Council (DPD) from each province was held by a woman.
Fellow activist Myra Diarsi of the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) concurred, but added that a national campaign to reform the predominate paternalistic culture was also imperative.
Both Nursyahbani and Myra were commenting on the steps to be taken by women activists to continue the inclusion of the 30 percent quota for women legislators in the Election Law. The inclusion of the 30 percent quota, however, is not mandatory for political parties.
Meanwhile, Lenny Rosalin, an official from the National Development Planning Board (Bappenas) and Dati Fatimah of the women's empowerment group Idea, noted that poor knowledge among civil servants of gender issues was to blame for the lack of attention from the government on the empowerment of women.
Lenny emphasized that the gender gap could be reduced through the allocation of more funds to finance gender-related programs, both at national and regional administrative levels.
Among the programs expected to improve gender equality are programs to improve women's quality of life, women's development and empowerment, and programs to improve the role of society in women's empowerment. Dati Fatimah, meanwhile, suggested that the budget for all programs should be assessed, mainly to ascertain the impact of specific programs on gender equality.
Furthermore, she added that there should be more room for women to participate in decision making.
| Corruption/collusion/nepotism |
Straits Times - March 29, 2003
Jakarta -- Indonesia is drafting a regulation under which people who owe more than 100 million rupiah in taxes would be jailed for up to one year without trial.
The move comes amid concern that many taxpayers have been evading tax payments for several years, a burden to the cash-strapped government in Jakarta.
The government says it is owed a total of 17 trillion rupiah in tax arrears accumulated over the past decade, of which around 5.5 trillion rupiah is said to be owed by foreign companies and individuals.
Tax fraud and evasion are common in a country where only about two million citizens -- less than one per cent of the population -- have a tax reference number.
The Finance Ministry is working with Justice Ministry officials on a regulation for tax evaders to be jailed at state prisons. At the Directorate General of Taxation at the Finance Ministry, tax collection division chief Djangkung Sudjawardi said that the new law was aimed at forcing recalcitrant taxpayers to pay up.
The new law against tax evasion offences will enable the government to send delinquent taxpayers directly to prison.
The country's penitentiaries are under the charge of the Justice Ministry. Hence with the new regulation, the tax office can now use the prison to detain tax evaders, he said.
Under the new regulation, recalcitrant tax payers would be issued with a letter, asking them to pay their taxes within 21 working days. If the letter is ignored, the tax office will issue a 'distress warrant' for the taxpayers to settle their tax obligation within 14 working days. If the taxpayers still refuse to comply, he will be arrested by tax officials, accompanied by the police.
Mr Sudjawardi said that the government had introduced a regulation in 2000 to detain tax evaders. But tax officials had not been able to enforce it because of lack of coordination with the Justice Ministry officials. Because of this, the tax office have been punishing tax evaders by confiscating their assets and banning them from travelling overseas instead.
Last year, the tax office was able to recoup some 250 billion rupiah worth of tax arrears through the sale of confiscated assets of tax evaders.
Mr Sudjawardi said that from next month, his office would issue distress warrants and travel bans for 60 non-compliant taxpayers who owed the state 1.5 trillion rupiah. Fifteen of these are expatriates, mostly from the United States, he said.
Straits Times - March 26, 2003
Batam -- Local religious and community leaders are angry with the authorities for turning a blind eye to the thriving gambling dens on the island which cater to a largely Malaysian and Singaporean clientele.
They say that the local administration as well as the central government have strict laws which ban gambling in all its forms, but there are at least five large gambling dens on Batam island, and almost all the hotels here have special areas for gambling.
They cited Goodway Hotel, a new hotel with the Mandarin Hotel group, belonging to Jakarta-based businessman Tomy Winata, as an example. The hotel has a special armed team to guard gambling activities in the hotel.
Others which have small casinos include Pura Jaya Resort, Formosa Hotel, Oasis Hotel and Tering Bay in the Nongsa district.
Batam police claimed that they did not have any information on gambling at the hotels and restaurants, and that they had never been asked by the local administration to crack down on gambling.
A police spokesman, Senior Commander Suhartono, added, however, that more foreign businessmen might be attracted to the island because of the gambling activities.
The chairman of the local chapter of the Indonesian Ulemas Council, Mr Assyari Abbas, said everybody living on the island knew about the hotels and other places that provided gambling facilities, but the police had closed their eyes to them.
"The problem is that the local police cannot close down the gambling areas because they are tightly guarded by armed men," he said.
A number of non-governmental organisations also called on the central government and the national police to stop the gambling activities. They claimed that gambling was being backed by strong, and even dangerous, organised clans from Jakarta.
Mr Yudi Kurnain, coordinator of the National Youth Front (BOM Warna), said that the local police in Batam would not be able to close down the gambling dens because each had powerful backing from Jakarta.
"The police have decided to become deaf and blind, so they are powerless. We have suspicions that the local police are also being paid to allow the gambling," he said.
Jakarta Post - March 24, 2003
M. Taufiqurrahman and Leo Wahyudi S, Jakarta -- The society has to count on itself in the war against the hoodlums and their organized mob bosses as the government, which should lead the campaign, reaps benefits from the presence of thugs instead, an activist allege.
Chairwoman of the Urban Poor Consortium (UPC), Wardah Hafildz, told The Jakarta Post last Saturday that because of the unwillingness of the city government to get rid of the gangs, the campaign must be promoted by the society in collaboration with the press. "How can you expect the government officials to wage a campaign against themselves?" Wardah said.
She accused the government officials of not only using thugs to meet their political ends, they even act like thug bosses at times. "The way that the city administration drives streets vendors away clearly indicates that it practices hoodlumism," Wardah said, referring to the use of violence and extortion in the eviction of street vendors.
She also cited the example of how Governor Sutiyoso was reportedly using bands of thugs to counter protesters against his candidacy in the last gubernatorial election.
Top city officials, she said, also received money from people who operate underworld businesses. She said it was already public knowledge that some city officials were already "in the pockets" of powerful mafia bosses.
Wardah acknowledged that the city administration had many times conducted raids against thugs, but she was dissatisfied with such a campaign as it was aimed only at small-time thugs. "Raids against street thugs are but a superficial measure, for which the city administration appeases the public's anger against rampant thuggery," she said.
Despite the huge number of thugs in the city, Sutiyoso admitted that the city had no program to deal with organized crime and their henchmen, saying that it was the duty of the police. He said that the administration would recruit more civilians to help the police, as they apparently cannot handle the situation with their current numbers.
Currently, the city has some 3,000 civilian police assistants (Banpol) which are managed by the City Public Order Agency.
The head of urban community division of the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH), Tubagus Haryo Karbyanto, said that the city administration had no political will in eradicating hoodlumism.
"As a matter of fact, the city administration, with the information from police and intelligence sources, already has a complete list of people who can be categorized as thugs. But, apparently it is reluctant to start an all-out campaign to wipe out thugs from the city," Tubagus told the Post.
He said that the city public order officers who were supposed to deal with thugs, were deployed instead to evict street vendors. "It shows that the government have no real plans about how to deal with thugs," he said.
Thuggery had developed due to the absence of security in society, and certain strongmen controlled different areas and demanded payments for all manner of goods and services, Tubagus said. Organized gangs have increasingly been creating unrest among the people.
Suradjiman, 30, a taxi driver who resides in Pejaten, South Jakarta with his wife and his only son, said that extortion by hoodlums had added more problems to his daily life.
"I sometimes have to give away Rp 1,000 to thugs who extort me, which is probably very little for rich people, but it is worth 10 percent of my total daily earnings," he said in dismay. He was so angry with the thugs that he said that there would be no other way to stop them except to shoot and kill them.
Jakarta Post - March 24, 2003
Haidir Anwar Tanjung, Pekanbaru, Riau -- Several major companies in the natural-resource rich province of Riau allegedly pay the local police and Indonesian Military (TN) to ensure the safety of their operations, local figures said, following the disclosure of a similar practice by an American firm in Papua.
Among them, the local figures said, were US oil and gas company PT Caltex Pacific Indonesia, and pulp and paper company PT Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper.
"... what is certain is that several large firms in Riau always rely on the security forces in dealing with their problems with the local communities," Tabrani Rab, former Free Riau Movement activist and now a member of the Regional Advisory Council, said over the weekend.
"Every time I accompany people whose land has been taken by Caltex, I don't meet the company's management. Instead, I have to face the Riau police's Mobile Brigade," he said. "Once in a while I must deal with soldiers from the Wirabima military command in Riau."
According to Tabrani, Caltex is paying the police and the military between Rp 8 billion (about US$898,000) and Rp 9 billion per year. In 1998 and 1999, when Indonesia was in the midst of political upheaval after President Soeharto's downfall, Caltex paid around Rp 20 billion, Tabrani said.
Caltex spokesman Hanafi Kadir confirmed that it was paying the police and the military. He refused to elaborate on the amounts and denied that Caltex hired the security forces to confront locals in land disputes. The payments, Hanafi said, were to protect the company's oil and gas operations.
Since 1998, Caltex has been complaining about deteriorating security conditions in Riau. It has seen frequent road blockages and disputes with subcontractors' workers, while coping with the rampant theft of production equipment around its facilities.
Earlier, Hanafi said Caltex had incurred production losses worth more than $1 million from the ongoing blockade of one of its gas fields by villagers since last February. The locals are demanding that Caltex repair the public roads it has damaged by letting trucks with heavy equipment pass over them.
Pulp and paper company Riau Andalan, a unit of the APRIL Group, faced a similar problem with public roads but was paying the police to turn a blind eye, charged Nasarudin Sagala, deputy chairman of the Riau office of the National Commission on Human Rights.
The company, he said, donated two Toyota Kijang vehicles to the police last year. According to Tabrani, Riau Andalan had donated Rp 1 billion worth of vehicles and computers to the local police in 1998.
Riau Andalan spokesman Fachrunnas Jabbar said the company did donate two Kijangs to the police last year, but declined to comment further. Riau police spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. S. Pandiangan confirmed the donation, which he described as a form of public participation in helping the police doing their work.
"Let me emphasize again that the police are not paid directly. So it's not about getting paid or collecting fees," Pandiangan said.
Riau is not the only province where companies allegedly pay local police and the military in exchange for extra security.
American gold and copper mining company, PT Freeport Indonesia is paying tens of billions of rupiah to TNI personnel guarding the company's operations in the restive province of Papua. Both TNI commander Gen. Endriartono Sutarto and Freeport have confirmed the reports. In 2002, the company increased payment to the TNI to US$5.6 million from $4.7 million in 2001.
The military and the police are struggling to operate amid tight budgets, which generally amount to less than half of their requirements. Even before the 1997 financial crisis crippled the state budget, President Soeharto had given the TNI and police a free hand to "make" extra money. But the policy has outgrown its purpose. Many TNI and police officers have become intimately involved in various businesses, many of them reportedly illegal.
| Human rights/law |
Jakarta Post - March 28, 2003
Jakarta -- The South Jakarta district court decided that there was enough grounds to proceed with the lawsuit filed by Golkar chairman Akbar Tandjung against Rakyat Merdeka daily's chief editor Karim Paputungan for defamation.
Akbar, who was recently found guilty and given three years for corruption by the Central Jakarta district court, sued Karim for publishing a caricature featuring a shirtless Akbar with a glaring heading: "Akbar is doomed, Golkar cries" early last year.
Presiding judge Asnawati said on Thursday that a preliminary trial had rejected Karim's defense that the caricature did not mean to insult Akbar, who is also the House Speaker.
Bachtiar Sitanggang, Karim's lawyer, denied the defamation charge, saying that there was no statement or sentence in the caricature that could be taken as defamation.
The trial was adjourned until next month to hear to the testimonies of Akbar and other witnesses. Defamation carries a maximum jail sentence of one year and four months.
Straits Times - March 26, 2003
Devi Asmarani, Jakarta -- A new Bill is set to unravel a dark side of Indonesian history, allowing cases of human-rights violations to be reopened for the sake of national reconciliation.
The Bill provides a legal basis for the establishment of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
It will be empowered to probe both recent cases of abuse as well as cases that go as far back as 1965, when hundreds of thousands of communist sympathisers were persecuted or killed in the backlash of an abortive coup blamed on the Indonesian Communist Party.
A member of the drafting team, Mr Ifdhal Kasim, told The Straits Times: "The purpose of the commission is to prevent a national disintegration caused by incidents and tragedies in the past, perpetrated by the state, by digging up the truth behind those incidents." The human-rights campaigner said there were at least 15 cases that "stick in Indonesians' memories".
They had caused years of political tension and had polarised the nation. Those cases included military operations in Aceh and Papua that had claimed the lives of thousands of civilians.
Similarly, the persecution of Muslim activists in the 1980s, targeted assassinations of ex-convicts and petty criminals by the government in the 1980s and sexual assaults on at least 100 ethnic Chinese women during riots in May 1998.
According to the draft legislation, the nine-member commission would investigate abuse and report to the president.
It will have the power to subpoena (legally require) perpetrators to testify and also to recommend presidential pardons for those who confess and publicly apologise for their misdeeds.
Victims and their families are entitled to compensation, which can be in the form of money, rehabilitation or facilities such as scholarships or loans. The government could also channel money into building monuments to the victims of abuse.
Among those likely to resist the Bill is President Megawati Sukarnoputri. She has delayed passing it to Parliament for debate since it was delivered to her office six months ago by a team of government officials and human-rights activists.
Palace aides said the issue of compensation for victims had been a problem. They said the amount of money envisaged could pose a burden on the state budget.
Analysts also believe the government is reluctant to establish a commission because it wants to protect the Indonesian military, which has been blamed for most of the human-rights abuses.
"Former president Habibie and president Abdurrahman Wahid agreed to a drafting of the Bill in 1999 and 2000 because of overwhelming public demand for a mechanism to account for past rights abuses," said an official who is also a member of the drafting team. "Under Megawati and with the shift in the political climate towards conservatism again, it might be hard to push through."
Conservative Muslim factions in Parliament are also not happy that the commission would include victims of a 1965 backlash on communists. "The Muslim fundamentalist groups cannot accept the idea that communist sympathisers and their families, who had been victimised for decades, would be rehabilitated," said Mr Ifdhal.
But the Megawati administration can hardly avoid establishing the commission -- it is guaranteed in a decree issued by the National Assembly in 2000. The decree stipulates that cases that cannot be resolved by ad hoc human-rights tribunals should be resolved by a commission hearing.
Ad-hoc tribunals can hear only human-rights cases committed after 2000, except for the 1999 East Timor turmoil and the 1984 massacre of Muslim activists by the military in Tanjung Priok in Jakarta.
| News & issues |
Reuters - March 26, 2003
Tokyo -- More than 4,000 Indonesians will join a lawsuit against the Japanese government, demanding compensation for a dam funded by aid from Tokyo and which they say has destroyed their livelihood, supporters said on Wednesday.
The original suit, the first ever against a project funded by Japan's official development assistance (ODA), was filed last year in the Tokyo District Court by 3,861 Indonesians who said they were forcibly resettled to make way for the Kotopanjang Dam in Sumatra. Around 4,600 more people will join the suit on Friday, said Atsushi Saito, with a group supporting the plaintiffs.
Like the plaintiffs before them, they will demand five million yen ($41,650) each in compensation from the Japanese government and its foreign assistance body, the Japan International Cooperation Agency, for damage to their lifestyle, including a lack of fresh water and jobs in the area where they were resettled.
"There's no water where they live, it takes four hours a day to get water," Saito said. "Children can't go to school.
"The compensation is a secondary demand. What they really want is to return to the lives they had before, perhaps by dismantling the dam." A lawyer for the plaintiffs declined to comment, saying that details were still being worked out.
Also named in the original suit were the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), a semi-governmental bank that provides loans to foreign countries and overseas projects, and Tokyo Electric Power Services Co, an affiliate of Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO), Japan's largest utility.
The hydroelectric dam, completed in 1997, was built in Sumatra at a cost of some 31 billion yen. Plaintiffs say it has damaged the natural environment and that wild animals in the area, including elephants, face starvation, Kyodo news agency said. "The environmental damage has been huge," Saito said.
A Japanese Foreign Ministry official declined to comment on the suit.
| Environment |
Jakarta Post - March 28, 2003
Moch. N. Kurniawan, Jakarta -- Smuggling of protected animals in Indonesia is valued at a whopping US$1.5 billion a year, with Jakarta topping the list with $1.5 million per day or $547.5 million per year, according to a survey.
The Gibbon Foundation survey found the practice was widespread thanks to the help of government officials and military officers, and poor law enforcement.
"This [smuggling] is certainly not a small case for this country, so people must fight against it," foundation director Willie Smits said on the sidelines of an international seminar on Indonesian Wildlife in Jakarta on Thursday.
Smits said it had carried out undercover interviews with smugglers in various cities during the survey.
Jakarta is the biggest haven for smugglers, followed by the East Java capital of Surabaya, the Central Java capital of Semarang and the North Sumatra capital of Medan, the survey found.
In Jakarta the trade of protected animals centered in Jl. Pramuka in Central Jakarta and Jl. Barito in South Jakarta.
Smits said birds and primates, particularly orangutan, were the most popular targets, as were reptiles.
A day earlier, Ministry of Forestry forest protection and natural conservation director general I Made Subadia said the trade of protected animals had reached $600 million per year.
Singapore, Malaysia, China, Hong Kong and European countries are popular destinations for protected animals. "All people in the country will suffer great losses, not only from an economic point of view, but from the extinction of biodiversity," Smits said.
He said at least 25 species of tree and fruit could disappear if one orangutan became extinct because they could only grow with the assistance of the great ape.
Smits insisted that traders in big cities instead of animal hunters from villages were the ones who benefited most from the illegal trade.
"It is difficult to combat the illicit practice as it is supported by many government officials and military officers," he said.
"If the government wants to eradicate the practice, they must certainly take legal action against the perpetrators and those who support it."
Jakarta Post - March 25, 2003
Apriadi Gunawan, Medan -- Twenty-five students began a hunger strike on Monday during a rally in the grounds of the North Sumatra provincial council to demand the permanent closure of pulp and paper mill PT Toba Pulp Lestari (TPL), which they accuse of causing serious pollution.
The strike by the 25 university students from the People's Voice Alliance (ASURA) came as thousands of elementary and high school students in the North Sumatra regency of Porsea entered the second week of student strike.
Hunger strike coordinator Golap Silaban said the 25 students were demanding that Jakarta permanently shut or relocate TPL, formerly known as Inti Indorayon Utama.
He said the students, three of whom were women, came from Porsea, the regency protesters say is most affected by TPL's pollution.
He added the hunger strike was part of a series of protests against Jakarta's decision to reopen the pulp mill after it was closed down in response to local protests in 1999.
Last week, elementary and high school students from 21 schools in Porsea refused to attend school, defying police calls to give up the strike.
They pledged to continue the strike until Jakarta responded to their demands for TPL's closure. Local police have condemned their parents and teachers for backing the strike.
But the animosity toward TPL is deep rooted among many in Porsea, where some have lost their lives in clashes with TPL's security personnel.
Golap said local farmers and fisherfolk had seen their earnings decline due to pollution they said was caused by TPL.
"The people's economy is deteriorating as a result of poor harvests in terms of quality and quantity. People have suffered from various skin diseases, respiratory infections, the level of Toba lake has fallen drastically, and the fish population is depleted," he said. Golap added that people living near the mill had also complained about the loud noise and foul odor emanating from the plant.
TPL however denied charges of causing massive environmental destruction. A 1994 environmental audit by Labat-Anderson had concluded that the company met all environmental standards and that its forestry operation posed a negligible pollution threat.
The company is a unit of the Radja Garuda Mas business group. TPL began operating in June 1980, and has since been constantly criticized by locals complaining about the environmental destruction it was causing.
Its US$600 million timber estate and mills have an annual capacity of 180,000 metric tons of dissolved pulp and 60,000 tons of rayon.
The company's rayon plant has been mothballed since TPL suspended operations in 1999. The pulp and paper mills resumed operating last month but at less-then-full capacity.
TPL was allowed to reopen after it promised to further tighten its environmental compliance, and improve its community development programs so as to better ties with local residents.
Agence France Presse - March 24, 2003
Stockholm -- Swedish companies pride themselves on their high standards of business ethics, but now corporate heavyweights have come in for stinging criticism for their alleged role in the destruction of Indonesian rainforests.
A report by the Swedish Society of Nature Conservation (SSNC), which was published last week, said that several Swedish blue- chip corporations have either equipped, bankrolled or traded with the Indonesian logging industry, which is accused of large-scale destruction of the country's tropical forests.
SSNC and the World Wildlife Fund accuse Indonesian companies Indah Kiat, owned by Asia Pulp and Paper, and Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper (RAPP), owned by Asia Pacific Resources International Holdings, of turning huge areas of the irreplaceable Indonesian rainforest into acacia and eucalyptus plantations, with disastrous consequences for inhabitants and wildlife.
And all this is done with the help of Swedish companies, SSNC claims in the report, which reads like a Who's Who of the country's business elite.
"Many Swedish companies show a happy face at home, but abroad they don't have control over the companies they work with and are involved in operations that destroy the environment and violate human rights," said SSNC chairman Mikal Karlsson.
Swedish financial services giant Nordea figures prominently in the report for allegedly helping to fund construction of an Indah Kiat paper plant, while ABB, the Swiss-Swedish engineering company, delivered machinery to both Indah Kiat's and RAPP's factories.
Others include the Swedish Export Credits Guarantee Board, a government-backed organisation, which issued Indonesian forestry companies with loan guarantees.
Swedish firms Korimpeks and CellMark promoted the Indonesian companies' interests in Sweden, and paper manufacturers Duni, Klippan Paper and Munkedals imported Indonesian pulp, it said.
ABB confirmed it had made the deliveries to Indonesia, and admitted it did not see any problems in doing business with the companies at the time -- partly because the Swedish Export Credits Guarantee Board gave its approval.
Nordea spokesman Lena Hoeglund-Rosen said an unspecified credit was granted to Indah Kiat in the mid-1990s, but added that the bank's policy today was to deny loans to companies which "violate international practice".
But last September and this January, when SSNC contacted companies about the organisation's report, it said Nordea did not reply to their questions at all while ABB maintained it had operated according to Indonesian law.
The other companies accused of unethical business practices either declined to comment or pledged that any past mistakes would not be repeated.
But some appear unlikely to give up so easily. Currently, a new paper mill in the Indonesian part of Kalimantan is planned, with funding from United Fiber Systems and China National Machinery, SSNC said.
CellMark has committed itself to marketing 90 per cent of the plant's acacia pulp production over a 10-year period, but according to company vice-president Tomas Hedberg, financing for the project is not yet clear.
Environmental organisations both in Europe and Indonesia have criticised the plans, saying the transformation of rainforests into plantations destroys local villages and threatens endangered species such as orang utans.
Another gigantic paper mill in Kalimantan 'would be devastating for the rainforest and all its inhabitants', said Mr Karlsson.
| Health & education |
Jakarta Post - March 25, 2003
Bogor -- More than 6,100 elementary school students from 30 subdistricts in Bogor regency need financial help because the poor economic condition of their families.
Nurhadiaty, head of the basic education office of the town, said that Bogor also was in need of more than 800 teachers.
She said that there were 1,670 teachers in 282 elementary schools with 2,478 classrooms and 94,500 students. This year it would only be able to recruit 300 teachers with its current budget, all of whom will be hired on a contract basis.
Nurhadiaty said the administration had provided aid for 4,625 poor students. Each of them receives Rp 70,000 cash as well as stationery worth Rp 50,000. The parents of another 1,499 students were given Rp 80,000 each.
The aid, according to Nurhadiaty, is far from adequate to meet all their needs. Her office calculated the total cost of the needs and decided that each of the poor students needed Rp 360,000 a year, but the administration had not allocated that much in the budget, apparently due to other financial priorities.