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Indonesia News Digest No 13 - March 31-April 6, 2003
Jakarta Post - April 3, 2003
Pekanbaru, Riau -- Thousands of field workers of American mining
company PT Caltex Pacific Indonesia (CPI) threatened on Tuesday
to go strike if the management went ahead with its decision to
cut the days off in the company.
The spokesman for the CPI workers union (SPNC), Kusno Teguh, said
the workers employed in oil wells would go strike as of Wednesday
until the management reviewed the decision.
The management has changed the working days by cutting the days
off from five days to two days for every five working days. The
current ruling in the company stipulates that workers employed in
oil wells are allowed to take five days off for every five
working days.
"We cannot imagine what will happen if all the workers employed
in oil wells, go on strike for a long period," said Kusno.
He said SPNC had filed a complaint with the local chapter of the
Labor Dispute Settlement (P4D) to reject CPI's request for the
new policy on the revised working days.
"It is better for the workers' health to work for five days and
take a rest for five days," he said.
Jakarta Post - March 31, 2003
Jakarta -- A group of migrant workers officially established an
organization on Saturday to help them in their struggle for
justice and fair treatment.
Called the Federation of Indonesian Migrant Workers (FOBMI), the
organization groups migrant workers and organizations from across
the country. Dina Nuriyati, a former migrant worker in Hong Kong,
was named the group's first chairwoman.
In its manifesto, FOBMI said the government treated migrant
workers as cash cows and turned a blind eye to their problems. It
also stated that fraud was an inherent part of the lives of
migrant workers because most were poorly informed about their
rights.
From their recruitment to their return to Indonesia, migrant
workers face fraud, violence, extortion and death but the
government does nothing to defend them, the federation said.
Dina said the federation would operate in the regions from which
many migrant workers come, to provide counseling and assistance
to prospective and former migrant workers.
In the long run, FOBMI will establish chapters in Hong Kong,
Singapore and Taiwan, she said.
Aceh
West Papua
War in Iraq
Government & politics
Corruption/collusion/nepotism
Regional/communal conflicts
Human rights/law
Focus on Jakarta
News & issues
Environment
Health & education
Bali/tourism
Islam/religion
Armed forces/police
Economy & investment
Labour issues
Caltex workers threaten to strike
Migrant workers set up federation
Aceh
GAM seeks election delay in Aceh
Jakarta Post - April 5, 2003
Banda Aceh/Jakarta -- The Free Aceh Movement (GAM) has called for a delay in the general elections in Aceh until after the holding of an all-inclusive dialog (AID) as stipulated in the peace agreement signed last year.
Under the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement signed on December 9, 2002, the government and GAM agreed to organize an all- inclusive dialog involving all elements of Acehnese society to review the special autonomy law known as Nangroe Aceh Darussalam (NAD) law, followed by a general election to establish a democratic government in Aceh.
Senior GAM member Sofyan Ibrahim Tiba underlined on Friday that the election mentioned in the agreement was not related to the 2004 general election. "The election mentioned in the agreement would only be conducted after the all-inclusive dialog," Sofyan said.
The Aceh administration, which is authorized to organize the all-inclusive dialog, is yet to convene the meeting supposed to start in early March. No explanation was given by the local government.
The nation-wide voter registration for the 2004 general election started on April 1, and the Aceh Central Statistics Agency (BPS) has recruited 5,000 people to carry out the voter registration in the conflict-torn province.
Sofyan warned that it would be impossible to urge the Acehnese people to join the national election in 2004 if they were not yet sure of the future of Aceh. "Let the people decide what they want in the all-inclusive dialog and then the election could be conducted in May 2004," he said.
The General Elections Commission (KPU) has set April 5, 2004 as the date for legislative elections, while the two-phase presidential elections are scheduled for between June and August 2004.
Meanwhile, Indonesian chief negotiator in the Aceh issue Wiryono Sastrohandoyo said in Jakarta on Friday that GAM was welcome to participate in the elections but it was unsure if the secessionist movement could act as a political force in the country's westernmost province.
"As Indonesians they have the right to register as voters for the coming election, but it is up to them whether they want to exercise their right or not," Wiryono told The Jakarta Post.
He further underlined that the end goal of the agreement was to ensure that all Acehnese participate in the establishment of a new government in Aceh within the framework of the Unitary State of Indonesia.
The NAD Law, which served as the basis for the peace agreement signed in Geneva, Switzerland last December, was introduced in January 2001 to appease the Acehnese people who had long harbored disappointment over the government's treatment of them.
On a separate occasion, Indonesian Military spokesman Maj. Gen. Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin said on Friday that it would reevaluate its operation strategy in Aceh to anticipate a possible break down of the peace accord signed last December.
"During the demilitarization process, we (TNI) agreed to relocate our personnel from an offensive position to a defensive position. So did the police. We hope GAM will abide by the agreement by laying down their arms.
"But reports from the field show that the security situation has worsened in Aceh as GAM refuses to lay down its arms and has even recruited more people from a previous 1599 to around 2080. So, we are contemplating embarking on offensive measures to crack down on the separatist group," Sjafrie said in a press conference at TNI headquarters in Cilangkap, East Jakarta, on Friday.
GAM has been fighting for independence for the resource-rich province since 1976 and over 10,000 people, mostly innocent civilians, have been killed since then.
[In a posting by M.N.Djuli on April 5, Djuli refered to this article as a "a blatant misinformation by the Jakarta Post". Djuli wrote: The clauses of the COHA clearly state the stages of implementation of the agreement. There has to be a real cessation of hostilities first before the all inclusive dialogue could be held, that would be followed by the election (in Aceh and for Achehnese only, nothing to do with the Indonesian general election). No election can be held before the all inclusive dialogue determines if they accepted or refused the NAD law. They have to declare their stance first on this so-called special autonomy status, in order to determine if the government that would be elected in the said election would be within the NAD law or without it. So it is ridiculous to say that GAM was asking for the posteponement of the "general election". Another big lie is in this sentence: "The Aceh administration, which is authorized to organize the all-inclusive dialog, is yet to convene the meeting supposed to start in early March. No explanation was given by the local government.". Nowhere in the agreement it is stated that the Acheh administration "is authorized to organize the all-inclusive dialogue" or its "supposed to start in March" -- James Balowski.]
Jakarta Post - April 5, 2003
Jakarta -- In an outbreak of violence likely to raise concerns about the peace process in troubled Aceh province, security forces said on Friday they killed five rebels in two separate incidents.
Police shot three fighters from the separatist Free Aceh Movement on Thursday after they allegedly ambushed a security patrol, Lt. Col. Maryanto said. Officers found two pistols on the dead men, said Maryanto was quoted by Associated Press as saying.
Rebel spokesman Dhea Murthila acknowledged the guerrillas were killed, but accused the military of opening fire on them.
Two other insurgents were killed late Tuesday in a fire fight in the provincial capital, Banda Aceh, police there said. Rebels accused security forces of arresting and executing the men.
In recent weeks, the government and rebels have repeatedly accused the other of not abiding by the terms of the peace deal, signed December 9 in Geneva.
Violence in the province has dropped dramatically since the accord, but several key issues, including rebel disarmament and the relocation of military troops to defensive positions, have yet to beresolved.
Insurgents have been fighting since 1976 for an independent state in oil and gas-rich Aceh, 1,770 kilometers northwest of Jakarta. The conflict has killed about 12,000 people in the past decade.
Agence France Presse - April 4, 2003
The ceasefire in Aceh's separatist war looked fragile after Indonesian police shot dead three rebels in the seventh armed clash in a week.
Security forces and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) have yet to agree on a demilitarisation plan for the province, almost two months after a crucial phase of the December 9 peace pact began.
Regular police and Brimob paramilitary police killed three GAM members Thursday after shots were fired while they were checking identity cards at a roadside kiosk at Lueng Sagoe in Pidie district, said local police chief Adjunct Chief Commissioner Maryanto.
Maryanto said no one was hurt in the initial shooting at police, who killed three GAM members when they fired back. Two pistols were found on the bodies.
A GAM spokesman, Anwar Husen, said two GAM members had pistols but denied any attack on police. He called the shooting a serious violation of the peace pact.
The military said an air force sergeant was kidnapped Thursday in Aceh Besar district by suspected rebels. GAM denied responsibility.
A Swiss-based mediation group, the Henry Dunant Centre (HDC), said there had been seven armed clashes over the past week along with extortion and reports of the "disappearance" of civilians.
David Gorman, the HDC representative in Aceh, urged the Joint Security Committee (JSC) which monitors the truce to investigate all incidents. The JSC is made up of representatives from the security forces, the rebels and the HDC. It has some 150 monitors in the field.
Gorman told AFP one team was harassed in West Aceh last week and has been temporarily withdrawn. "I think this is a big challenge for the JSC but both parties recognised that when they entered into the agreement there would be problems," he said.
The number of killings has declined dramatically since the agreement, the first to be monitored by foreigners, took effect.
But each side in the separatist war, which has claimed an estimated 10,000 lives since 1976, accuses the other of violations. Jakarta says the rebels are spreading lies that the peace deal will lead eventually to independence.
Indonesian military commander General Endriartono Sutarto said Thursday that GAM was practising extortion and attacking troops. It had also failed to lay down any weapons and was still demanding independence.
"In these circumstances, how can we continue the truce?" he said, while adding any decision to go back to war was up the government.
Radio Australia - April 3, 2003
Police in Indonesia say a Muslim hardliner believed to be close to the Jemaah Islamiah terrorist network has been reported as missing.
Lamkaruna Putra recently reported the alleged abduction of his father, Fauzi Hasbi, alias Abu Jihad, to national police headquarters. The alleged abduction occurred on February 23. The reason for the delay in reporting is not clear.
Fauzi Hasbi and two other men identified as Edi Putra and Ahmad Saridup were allegedly taken away from the Nisma hotel in Ambon by an unidentified group.
A report last December by the International Crisis Group said Hasbi meets regularly with the JI leadership in Malaysia.
The report says Hasbi was a member of the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) between 1976 and 1979, when he was arrested by government forces. The research group says Hasbi is regarded as a traitor by the current GAM leadership.
Jemaah Islamiah has been accused of involvement in a series of terrorist attacks, including the Bali bombing in October 2002 that killed 202 people.
Jakarta Post - April 4, 2003
Nani Farida and Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Banda Aceh/Jakarta -- Violence continues to pose a threat to the five-month-old peace accord in Aceh as a fresh firefight took place in Pidie regency on Thursday, claiming the lives of three alleged Free Aceh Movement (GAM) members.
The clash followed an ambush conducted by six unidentified gunmen on a police patrol at around 3:45 p.m. in the Lheung Sago area of Pidie. Pidie is known as one of GAM's strongholds, where some 2,000 rebels are based according to the defense ministry.
Pidie Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Maryanto defended the shooting dead of the alleged GAM members, saying it was part of law enforcement in the war-torn province.
"We are obliged to hunt down those who illegally carry guns," Maryanto told The Jakarta Post. The police confiscated an FN pistol, a revolver belonging to the armed group and three motorcycles belonging to the Pidie administration.
The GAM spokesman in Pidie, Teungku Elwe Dea Moertila, confirmed the gunfight, which he said had killed four people, who were identified as Ambiya Abdullah, Taufik, Jufri Usman and Ismail.
"The police were patrolling the GAM area and provoked the gunfight. The incident proves Jakarta's inconsistency in upholding the peace deal as they attacked us, calling us criminals," Elwe said.
It was the second clash in eight days in Pidie, which has been relatively free of violence since the signing of the peace deal between GAM and the Indonesian government on Dec. 9 last year, which was brokered by the Henry Dunant Centre (HDC).
An Indonesian soldier was injured and four stores were burned down in an incident in Pidie on Wednesday of last week.
Another TNI soldier was killed on Wednesday following a firefight with a GAM member in the East Aceh town of Pereulak. GAM official Teungku Isak Daud said on Thursday he had asked Joint Security Committee (JSC) monitors to remove the soldier's body.
The government and GAM have exchanged accusations regarding the increasing violence in the province. The JSC reported that eight clashes had occurred over the past week across Aceh.
Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has repeatedly accused GAM of violating the peace agreement by campaigning for independence. He said the government might pull out of the peace deal and resort to military measures again to end the separatist movement.
Jakarta has set a January 1, 2004, deadline for an end to the Aceh problem.
On Thursday, TNI chief Gen. Endriartono Soetarto said that the military was prepared to take whatever measures were necessary to crush the separatist movement in Aceh, including a major military operation.
"The military can no longer sit back. We have tried to finish it through a peaceful approach, but this has proven impossible. That's why we have to find another way to deal with it," Endriartono said. He said the TNI was just waiting for the government's order.
Susilo said the government might changed its mind regarding the peace deal, depending on a JSC meeting to evaluate the current security situation in the province next week.
On Thursday, HDC representative David Gorman insisted that the peace accord must continue and urged both parties to iron out their differences.
"We will ask both parties to sit and talk about the differences between them," Gorman told a press conference in Banda Aceh, adding that the HDC was waiting for a request from the two sides.
"I'm sure that the people in Aceh do not want to go back to the previous situation. They need peace." Indonesian representative on the JSC, Brig. Gen. Savzen Noerdien, said there were too many differences between GAM and the government, making it impossible for them to continue the peace process.
"We have been trying for the past four months, but so far it has not worked. There is no understanding between us," Savzen said.
The GAM representative on the JSC, Sofyan Ibrahim Tiba, underlined that his group still insisted on freeing Aceh and the current dialog would lead to that goal.
"We are fighting for our freedom. For 26 years we did it through war and now were doing it through dialog. Should the dialog fail, we will have to find another mechanism," he said.
Straits Times - April 4, 2003
Robert Go, Jakarta -- The truce that Indonesia and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) rebels signed last December is already showing wear and tear as Aceh looks to be nowhere near peace.
Although the pact has dramatically reduced the level of violence in the province, there is more distrust between the two sides than ever before.
Observers fear that after numerous allegations -- and counter allegations -- of violations, and a lack of any concrete discussion with the local population on Aceh's future, the two sides are primed to stop talking and start shooting.
Developments Line is overdrawn on the ground are not encouraging. GAM members have yet to surrender their weapons, and Indonesian generals say the rebels are using the truce to consolidate their political and military positions. The Indonesian military, on the other hand, has announced plans to send more troops to Aceh.
Of late, there have been more reports of clashes involving rebels and soldiers. Indeed, the picture many observers paint is one of two sides on diametrically opposite points of the map.
Indonesia would not tolerate more talk of secession from Aceh. The loss of East Timor in 1999 had disastrous consequences for then president B.J. Habibie and the Golkar party.
Jakarta has floated special autonomy with political and economic concessions to Aceh's leaders, and it is putting a leash on the military, as of now.
Many in GAM, however, seem unwilling to take the autonomy offer at face value, seeing it instead as a platform towards, or a precursor to, independence.
Economic factors are also at play. At stake is who controls Aceh's natural resources worth billions of dollars.
Complicating Line is overdrawn the issue is a corrupt provincial government that some observers say is playing both sides for its own gain. The truce is still in place, but the chances of it leading to lasting peace are slim. For that to happen, the government of Indonesia would need to move forward with autonomy, get rid of corrupt officials and actually give the Acehnese more political and economic say.
GAM, on the other hand, needs to tone down its independence aspirations, and take a more serious look at Jakarta's concessions.
Illegal businesses, such as protection rackets, drug networks and unlicensed logging operations, need to be stopped and prosecuted.
And yes, both sides need to start showing more goodwill towards each other, perhaps by putting down their arms. Otherwise, expect the clock to turn back and for guns to start blazing again in the northern-most province.
Associated Press - April 3, 2003
Jakarta -- Indonesia's security minister has warned that a recent peace deal between the government and rebels in Aceh province could break down because of repeated violations by the guerillas.
"Developments in the field show that the Free Aceh Movement is continuously violating the peace deal at a worrying level," Mr Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said late on Tuesday. The minister's comments come amid rising criticism of the deal by military commanders, who accuse the rebels of using the pause in hostilities to stockpile weapons.
Violence in the province has dropped dramatically since the accord was signed on December 9 in Geneva, but both sides regularly accuse each other of violating the peace deal.
Several key issues, including rebel disarmament and the relocation of military troops to defensive positions, have yet to be resolved.
"Without intervention and total correction, then the peace agreement will not be a success," Mr Susilo said without elaborating.
He said the government would soon meet the rebels and officials from the Henri Dunant Centre, the Geneva-based conflict resolution group that is monitoring the accord, to discuss the deal.
Free Aceh Movement spokesman Sofyan Ibrahim Tiba acknowledged that rebels had violated the accord but accused the military of doing the same. He said the rebels would not lay down their weapons until the military withdrew to defensive positions.
Insurgents began fighting in 1976 for an independent state in oil and gas-rich Aceh, 1,770km north-west of Jakarta. The conflict has killed about 12,000 people in the past decade.
Jakarta Post - April 3, 2003
Nani Farida and Tiarma Siboro, Banda Aceh/Jakarta -- Activists representing 41 Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in Aceh have launched a month-long campaign to save the five-month-old peace agreement that has nearly ended almost three decades of armed conflict there.
Risman A. Rahman, coordinator of the NGO-HAM human rights watchdog, said for the whole of April the organizations would call for awareness of the civilian community in the war-torn province about the peace agreement signed by the Indonesian government and Free Aceh Movement (GAM) in talks brokered by the Henry Dunant Centre in Geneva on December 9 last year.
The campaign, calls for a peaceful, violent-free month to save the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (COHA) and the people of Aceh. It was declared on Tuesday at the Joint Security Committee (JSC) office in the Aceh capital of Banda Aceh.
"We realize that if the peace agreement fails, the civilian community will suffer the most," Risman said.
During the campaign, the activists will create a service to receive complaints of violations of the peace accord, organize discussions and call on both Jakarta and GAM to comply with the peace agreement.
He said the move was prompted by demonstrations in several parts of the natural-resource rich province against JSC.
Risman said he suspected that these were attempts to break down the truce, as reflected by the rallies, widespread illegal fees imposed on people and the creation of militia groups apparently opposed to GAM.
"I would not accuse a certain group, but it's evident that a certain party is playing in the murky water," Risman said.
He admitted that the peace agreement was fragile due to its weak enforcement, but at least it had significantly curbed the amount of violence.
"It's wiser therefore to criticize and improve the implementation of the truce, rather than trying to tear it apart," he said.
Another rights activist, Rufriadi, said the promotion of the peace agreement had not given the civilian community enough of a role to play. Instead civilian involvement ends up in arrests for alleged provocation, he said.
He was referring to the disappearance of NGO activists Muklis and Zulfikar, whom rights activists claimed as victims of abduction by military personnel.
Rufriadi said six other activists had been targeted by security authorities for criticizing the weak implementation of the peace agreement.
The NGOs move contradicted the government's fresh warning that the peace deal could break down because of repeated violations by GAM.
Speaking after a weekly meeting in Jakarta on Tuesday, Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said the government would ask JSC to intervene in and correct the implementation of the peace accord due to the violations.
"I will invite HDC chairman Martin Griffith and GAM representative Malik Mahmud for a meeting here within a week to talk about steps to be taken to respond to the current situation which has apparently worsened," Susilo said. Both Martin and Malik live in Switzerland.
Wiryono Sastrohandoyo, Indonesia's chief negotiator who attended the meeting, refused to comment on it. He just said: "I wish the government could be wise."
Radio Australia - April 2, 2003
Soldiers in Indonesia have killed two suspected rebels in the province of Aceh.
A police official says the two Free Aceh Movement (GAM) rebels were shot dead after they attacked soldiers investigating reports of blackmail by GAM in the Pidie district. Soliders confiscated an automatic rifle from the scene.
GAM representative Amri bin Abdul Wahab has confirmed the incident but denies the two rebels were carrying automatic weapons. Mr Wahab says soldiers had earlier burned three shops in a market in Pidie district in a retaliation attack over a separate incident.
Violence in the troubled province has decreased sharply since Jakarta and GAM signed a peace pact last December, but each side has accused the other of violating the ceasefire.
More than 10,000 people have been killed in the violence in Aceh since the GAM began its fight for independence in 1976.
Jakarta Post - March 30, 2003
Banda Aceh -- A separatist rebel hacked a soldier to death with a machete before being shot dead in the troubled Aceh province, the military said Saturday.
The soldier was out shopping near his military headquarters in Pidie district on Friday when he was attacked with a machete by the member of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), said Aceh military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Firdaus Komarno. The store owner, who is also a soldier, fired on the alleged rebel as he fled after seizing a gun from the dead soldier, Komarno said.
There has been a sharp fall in violence since Jakarta and GAM signed a "cessation of hostilties agreement" in Geneva on December 9. Each side has accused the other of violating the ceasefire.
International observers as well as representatives from the military and GAM are monitoring the truce. More than 10,000 people have been killed in the violence in Aceh since the GAM began their armed fight in 1976, AFP reported.
| West Papua |
Jakarta Post - April 6, 2003
Nethy Dharma Somba and Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta/Jayapura -- Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu ordered the military in Papua to quell the Free Papua Movement (OPM), which was blamed for a deadly burglary at the Jayawijaya military district arsenal early on Friday.
He also instructed a thorough investigation into the alleged involvement of the military district's personnel in the arms theft.
"The military in Papua must hunt the rebels until they are captured and quell the separatist movement which has weakened the government. The military must enforce the law in the province," he said after Friday prayers.
Ryamizard expressed regret that the separatist movement in Papua had been "intensifying their activities" following the pullout in February of Army's Special Force (Kopassus) personnel.
At least three, including two Army soldiers, were killed in a gunfight when at least 15 suspected OPM members broke into an Army arsenal in Jayawijaya, Papua.
First Lt. A. Napitupulu and First Sgt. Ruben Lena were killed in Friday's clash and their bodies were taken to the Wamena General Hospital, while one rebel, identified as Islae Murib, was handed over to the local people for burial.
The spokesman for the Trikora Military Command overseeing Papua, Maj. E. Situmorang, told The Jakarta Post by telephone that the rebels succeeded in taking 13 M-16 rifles, 13 SP-1 rifles, three PM rifles, along with thousands of rounds of ammunition.
He explained that the incident began when the two military personnel became suspicious during an electrical blackout in the Jayawijaya Military District headquarters' arsenal at 1:30 a.m. local time.
"The two on-duty officers went to guard the arsenal and were greeted with several rounds fired by the thieves, leaving both dead. Several other officers ran to the site and were involved in a gun battle with the rebels who later fled to the adjacent forest area," he said, adding that Murib was killed and another rebel was wounded in the clash.
"Our personnel also found three jackets, two bags of medicine, two machetes and 10 spent M-16 shells," he said.
Situmorang said the local military would first investigate the military district's personnel who were suspected of aiding and abetting the burglary.
"It would be impossible for the rebels to cut off the electricity and break into the arsenal, unless they were in collusion with the local military personnel," he said.
Trikora Military Command Chief Brig. Gen. Nurdin Zainal, who flew in to Jayawijaya shortly after receiving the report, has ordered the military in the regency to hunt for the rebels.
He said he was considering a deployment of more combat personnel to sweep the forest areas where the rebels were believed to be holed up.
Maj. Gen. Sjafrie Sjamsuddin, spokesman for the Indonesian Military (TNI), said the Trikora Military Command would set up a team to carry out the investigation.
"Since the attackers were armed, we believe that OPM members were responsible for the break in. But we [the TNI] are not ruling out the possibility of whether some of our personnel were also involved in the incident," Sjafrie said.
Associated Press - April 5, 2003
Jakarta -- Suspected rebels trying to steal weapons during a night raid on a military post exchanged fire with government troops early yesterday, killing two soldiers in Indonesia's remote Papua province, the military said.
The gunbattle also killed one man, who villagers later identified as a rebel, said Papuan military chief Brigadier-General Nurdin Zainal.
Some 15 unidentified men were involved in the raid on the armoury at a military post in Wamena at 1 am, Brig-Gen Zainal said. He declined to speculate on which group was responsible, but he said Wamena was known as a stronghold of the separatist Free Papua Movement, which has several factions.
Rebel leader Kelly Kwalik operates in Wamena and Timika, near the central highlands of the vast mountainous region.
"We have strong indications that separatist groups are involved based on their motives and actions. But we don't know which faction," he said.
Wamena is a hill town about 3,700 km east of Indonesia's capital, Jakarta.
Most of the soldiers were asleep when the gunmen broke the locks of gates with a crow bar, switched off the lights and entered the military compound, he said. A night guard saw the gunmen and woke up his colleagues and the two groups clashed.
"They went straight to the armoury so we strongly suspect that they are part of the separatist movement. But we don't know which one," Brig-Gen Zainal said.
The military claimed the rebels had left identity cards: a rubber stamp with the mark of the separatist liberation army, three jackets, a crow bar and M-16 automatic rifle ammunition. A first lieutenant and a first sergeant were fatally shot, he said.
Villagers identified an attacker who was shot dead as an alleged rebel named Ismail Murid. Kwalik also goes by the name of Titus Murid -- the surname is a clan name in Papua.
The attackers stole 13 M-16s, 13 other unidentified guns, three Stens -- a British World War II sub-machine gun -- and thousands of bullets, the military said.
Indonesia occupied the former Dutch colony in 1963 on the western side of Papua New Guinea. Papua's sovereignty was formalised in 1969 through a UN-sponsored referendum. Rights groups claimed the ballot was a sham, and a loosely organised guerilla band has been fighting for independence since then.
The rebels fight mainly with bows and arrows and other homemade weapons. In the past, the military has accused them of stealing soldiers' firearms to boost their weapons cache.
Even though the mineral-rich province is home to one of the world's largest gold mines -- run by New Orleans-based Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold -- the indigenous people, who live a stone-age-like existence, see little of the wealth gained from their natural resources.
Jakarta Post - April 4, 2003
Surabaya -- The team of lawyers for the seven members of the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus) accused of killing pro- independence Papua figure Dortheys "Theys" Hiyo Eluway, have appealed to judges to be fair in imposing punishment on their clients. One of the lawyers, Mario Bernardo, said he suspected political pressure had led to the trial.
"The court should use a legal basis instead of political considerations in trying this case," he said at a court hearing here on Thursday.
The defendants, identified as Lt. Col. Hartomo, Capt. Rionard, First Sgt. Asria, Maj. Doni Hutabarat, First Lt. Agus Supriyanto, Chief Private Ahmad Zulfahmi and First Lt. Laurensius, have been tried for their alleged involvement in the killing of Theys in Papua on November 11, 2001.
"The honorable judges should make a fair, humane and professional decision. The verdict should not break their military spirit because they have been fighting for the nation's unity," said Mario.
The trial was adjourned until April 21 to hear the judges' verdict.
Jakarta Post - April 4, 2003
Jakarta -- Gunmen believed to be separatist rebels shot dead two soldiers during an attempt early Friday to steal weapons from a military post in Papua province, the military said.
At least ten people believed to be Free Papua Movement (OPM) rebels staged the attack in the highland town of Wamena and stole about 15 rifles, said district military chief Lieutenant Colonel Masrumsyah.
He said a skirmish broke out after the gunmen opened fire on soldiers who caught them breaking into the armoury. A first sergeant died on the spot whilea first lieutenant died in hospital.
"We are currently investigating this incident and we have every reason to believe that this was carried out by the OPM," Masrumsyah told AFP from Wamena.
He said the attack was believed carried out by an OPM splinter group led by Titus Murib, who operates around the Habema lake area in Wamena.
The military says Wamena is a stronghold of the separatist group, which has several factions.
The district military chief said his troops wounded one rebel and managed to stop them from taking all the weapons. He said they took about 15 rifles.
Radio Australia - April 2, 2003
Indonesia has expressed alarm at the opening of a Papuan People's office in Vanuatu.
The Indonesian embassy in Canberra has issued a statement saying it may review diplomatic ties with Vanuatu.
It says it learned from credible sources the office was set up in the capital Port Vila last week. Indonesia has asked the government of Vanuatu for an explanation.
The Papuan independence movement has close links with groups in Vanuatu.
Radio Australia - April 1, 2003
Police in the Indonesian province of Papua say the accidental discovery of a cache of illegal explosives has led to fears of covert militia activity in the region. Police say tribal leaders in the coastal town of Sorong, where police have arrested a local businessman and Islamic politician, have raised the concerns.
Sorong's district police chief Faisal Abdul Nasir said businessman Mohammed Koya faces up to 20 years in jail for allegedly storing 12 homemade bombs in the warehouse of his cargo handling company. Mr Koya is quoted as saying he stored the explosives for self-protection.
His lawyer denied he was involved with any extremist groups that have established a presence in Sorong and other coastal towns of Papua in recent years.
Suara Pembaruan Daily - April 1, 2003
The First Commission of the Papuan Legislative Assembly and human rights activists in Papua have expressed alarm about plans to send one thousand more soldiers to Papua.
They say there are no grounds for the local government to agree to such an increase. The commission feels that these troop reinforcements will only result in yet more problems for the Papuan people who have suffered for so long. These views were expressed by the chair of the First Commission, Yance Kayame, and human rights activist Anum Siregar of the Democratic Alliance.
The intention to send more troops to Papua was announced by army chief of staff, General Ryamizard Ryacudu He also said extra troops would be sent to Aceh.
Yance Kayame said that Papuan people had many psychological problems because of the past activities of the army. He said that the government should first discuss such a matter with Papuan representatives, according to Law No 21/2001 regarding special autonomy. "We see no armed threats in Papua. Why should more troops be brought here?" he asked.
He urged Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and other senior ministers in Jakarta, as well as chief of police Da'i Bachtiar to reconsider this plan. "It's true there are groups operating along the border, but they are insignificant and can be handled by the organic troops from the Trikora military command. Dont bring in more troops as our people have suffered enough these last forty years," he said.
According to Anum Siregar, the news about more troops coming to Papua has really scared the Papuan people. "We have declared it a Zone of Peace but it can once again become a DOM area -- military operational zone -- so please reconsider this decision," he said.
| War in Iraq |
Jakarta Post - April 6, 2003
Makassar -- McDonald's restaurant at the Ratu Indah Mall here was still closed on Saturday following threats from anti-US demonstrators.
Hundreds of demonstrators on board three trucks thronged the tightly-guarded restaurant on Friday, threatening to set it ablaze unless the American fast-food chain closes and the US ends its assault on Iraq, Antara reported.
The demonstrators on Friday also staged a rally outside the Japanese Consulate to protest Japan's support for the US assault on Iraq.
The US-led military assault on Iraq deserves condemnation because it did not secure approval from the United Nations Security Council, they said.
They pressed for an immediate halt to the war, which has claimed the lives of thousands of Iraqi people.
Radio Australia - April 4, 2003
Indonesia's vice president Hamzah Haz has lashed out at the US- led war against Iraq, calling President George W Bush the "king of terrorists".
Mr Haz says the United States has always boasted about upholding human rights and democracy, yet it invades Iraq without United Nations approval.
The vice president is the only senior Indonesian official to personally condemn President Bush, although the government has strongly criticised the war as an act of illegal aggression.
Mr Haz himself came in for criticism last May for meeting with Abu Bakar Bashir, the alleged spiritual leader of the Jemaah Islamiah regional terror group. Bashir was detained last October and is expected to face trial for attempting to overthrow the government.
Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-populated nation, has seen daily protests since the war began.
Jakarta Post - April 6, 2003
Jakarta -- The two largest political parties came under fire from a small party on Friday for not joining the antiwar rallies against the United States-led strike on Iraq, which has now entered its 16th day.
"If we all agree that the war in Iraq has nothing to do with religion but an attack on humanity, those major political parties especially who call themselves nationalists, should join antiwar rallies," said Hidayat Nurwahid, the president of the Justice Party (PK).
He was referring to the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) and Golkar, which between them hold 273 seats at the 500-member House of Representatives.
The two parties have never sent out their supporters or organized anti-war demonstrations since the attack on Iraq began on March 20. They were absent in the largest rally ever in the country on Sunday to protest the war as well.
Over 120 mass organizations, non-governmental organizations, religious groups and student associations took part in Sunday's demonstration, which drew hundreds of thousands of people. Hidayat coordinated the mass rally.
He said the anti-war rallies should become all parties' business as the US-led military forces and Iraq troops were set to engage in street-to-street battles in Baghdad. The prolonged war in Iraq may claim more war victims, mostly innocent civilians, Hidayat said. However, he admitted that his party had not planned to organize another large rally in the near future.
A wave of anti-war rallies continued on Friday in several cities across the country.
In the South Sulawesi capital of Makassar, the antiwar rally staged by dozens of students from Makassar University 1945 was tainted by the forcible closure of two fast food restaurants Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) and Texas Fried Chicken at the Ratu Indah Mall.
Students picketed the restaurants and demanded the managers to close down, but the managers refused initially, causing heated debates.
The managers of the restaurants asserted that all employees were locals and would be hurt, and local businesspeople would be adversely affected by a closure as the restaurants procured nearly all its food from local producers.
However, the students insisted on closing the restaurants. At last, the restaurant managers were forced to succumb to the students' anger and closed their restaurants at 2 p.m. The students then harassed several customers who were trying to eat at the restaurants.
Separately in Surabaya, some 100 physicians in their white outfits rallied outside the US Consulate General Office on Jl. Dr. Sutomo against the attack on Iraq, which they claimed had cost the lives of many civilians.
Abdul Ghofir, field coordinator of the rally who also works as a surgeon at the Dr. Sutomo General Hospital, called the US-led invasion of Iraq a tragedy against humanity.
Ghofir said two volunteer physicians were ready to follow in the footsteps of a medical team with the nongovernmental organization, Medical Emergency Rescue Committee (MER-C), which dispatched a group of doctors to Iraq last Tuesday.
The team consisted of two surgeons and two physicians, namely Fauzi Nasution, Sarbini Abdul Murad, Yogi Prabowo and Jose Risal Jurnalis, the team leader. Jose said earlier that his team had been allowed by Iraq government to help treat war victims in Iraqi hospitals.
In the city of Surakarta, around 3,000 people turned up for an anti-US rally, the biggest in the Central Java town so far.
Activists from Muslim hard-line groups, the Indonesian Mujahiddin Council and Surakarta Islamic Youth Front were among the rally participants, who gathered at Manahan field. Other organizations included the Association of Islamic Student Movement, the Prosperous Justice Party and the Muhammadiyah Youth.
Speaking at the rally, Muhammadiyah secretary Din Syamsuddin said he suspected that the US aggression in Iraq was part of its attempt to destroy Islam.
Interfaith leaders, including Muhammadiyah chairman Syafii Maarif, have insisted that the war in Iraq has nothing to do with religion.
Jakarta Post - April 5, 2003
Solo -- A crowd of 10,000 people burned a mock Statue of Liberty and chanted "Bush is a terrorist" during a boisterous anti-war rally on Friday in the world's largest Muslim nation.
Crowds marched through the streets of the Central Javanese town of Solo, holding hundreds of posters calling for a peaceful end to the Iraq war and labeling US President George W. Bush a terrorist and baby killer.
Others strode through the streets holding a plastic foam replica of the Statue of Liberty but with a machine gun in her hands. As the protest ended in front of a university campus, the crowd burned the two-meter-high statue and joined in a chorus of "Bush is a terrorist".
Protesters included students from the Islamic boarding school of Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, a radical Muslim cleric being held in jail on treason charges. He is the alleged leader of the terror group Jama'ah Islamiyah, which is blamed for the Oct. 12 Bali bombings that killed 202 people.
Meanwhile in Jakarta, more than a dozen students as young as five joined in a festive anti-war protest outside the US Embassy. Wearing puppet masks and straw hats, the youngsters quietly joined their teachers in chants of "We Want Peace."
The Indonesian government has been a vocal opponent of the war in Iraq and President Megawati Sukarnoputri has denounced it as "aggression that violates international law."
Noisy but peaceful protests have been widespread across the country since the war began. Radical Islamic groups have used the war to launch a boycott of American products, threaten foreigners and recruit Indonesians to fight in Iraq -- campaigns which have made little headway in this vast archipelago made up of mostly moderate Muslims.
Agence France Presse - April 3, 2003
Thousands of Indonesians staged protests in several cities as the US-led war against Iraq entered its third week, with some burning President George W. Bush in effigy.
At least 5,000 university students demonstrated in the city of Makassar in South Sulawesi, police said. They arrived by car, motorbike, truck and bus to hear two hours of speeches in the central square before dispersing peacefully.
At Cirebon in West Java some 2,500 people rallied outside city hall and torched a Bush effigy, the state Antara news agency said.
Another 1,000 Islamic boarding school students took to the streets of Semarang city in Central Java.
In Jakarta some 200 people picketed the US embassy and later the United Nations. They called for the UN to bring Bush and allied leaders before a war crimes tribunal.
Some 200 students at Surabaya in East Java pelted the US consulate with rotten eggs and tomatoes after burning a US flag, ElShinta radio said.
Anti-war protests were also reported at Bandung in West Java and Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan.
Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-populated nation, has seen daily protests since the attacks began but almost all have been peaceful. The government has strongly criticised the war as an act of illegal aggression.
Jakarta Post - April 4, 2003
Jakarta -- While the United States military and coalition troops moved closer to Baghdad, antiwar protests here continued on Thursday, with some targeting Arab countries which support the attack on Iraq.
At least 75 students from the splinter group of the Association of Islamic Students-MPO (HMI-MPO) rallied in front of the Kuwait Embassy on Jl. Teuku Umar in Central Jakarta and the Saudi Arabian Embassy on Jl. M.T. Haryono in East Jakarta.
The protesters expressed disappointment with the countries for allowing the US and its allies to use their territory as their bases. "Those countries must be blamed for their failure to stop the war. They are part of the war," the students said.
It was the second rally targeting the Saudi Arabian Embassy within a week. Activists from the Islamic Students Alumni Association (KAHMI) held a peaceful rally last week to protest the kingdom's collaboration with the allies in the strike on Iraq.
Antiwar protests also took place in the West Java town of Cirebon on Thursday, as some 2,500 people from several mass organizations and student groups blocked the city's main road linking Central Java, West Java and Jakarta. The rally caused heavy traffic congestion for nearly four hours. Police rerouted motorists to the bypass road connecting Kedawung and Pegambiran and the toll road linking Palimanan and Kanci.
The protesters also picketed restaurants with names that sound American, California Fried Chicken and Texas Fried Chicken, neither of which is a franchise from the US. In addition they also protested at two actual American-franchised outlets, Dunkin' Donuts and Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) despite a heavy police presence.
A fresh call for boycotts of US products was heard in the West Sumatra capital of Padang when almost 200 students of Muhammadiyah staged a rally in front of the gubernatorial office.
The largest rally of the day took place in the South Sulawesi capital of Makassar, where some 10,000 activists of the Student Executive Body (BEM) across the city rallied at Karebossi stadium to condemn the US incursion into Iraq.
In the East Java capital of Surabaya, hundreds of students of Surabaya National Development University (UPN) burned the US, British and Australian flags in front of the US Consulate Office on Jl. Dr. Sutomo, and also hurled rotten tomatoes and eggs at the office.
Separately, US Ambassador to Indonesia Ralph L. Boyce told reporters after a meeting with Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso that the wave of antiwar rallies across the country were understandable. "We see the peaceful rallies as part of democracy," he said.
Jakarta Post - April 3, 2003
Max Lane -- Todung Mulya Lubis makes some sensible points in his interview with The Jakarta Post on March 31. For example, he is correct to question the usefulness of a boycott of American goods -- at least, at this point of time.
The anti-war movement in the United States itself has not yet called for such a boycott. Furthermore, we have not yet reached the stage where a global movement develops with the general goal of defeating any idea that some in Washington have of a new US global empire. If the US continues to insist of acting unilaterally in policing the world, a general campaign against US foreign policy may develop and then the issue of boycott might arise.
The task at hand now is that of ending a specific problem: the war in Iraq.
Mulya Lubis makes another correct assessment later in the interview. After suggesting that "if we want to continue the anti-war drive, the best thing we could do is push the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and members of the nonaligned countries to press the UN to take steps to stop the war." He accurately assesses: "This move will likely be fruitless anyhow." This defeatist attitude then leads him to concentrate on emphasizing post-war humanitarian efforts.
Mulya Lubis is correct is assessing Indonesia's current diplomatic efforts as likely to be fruitless. The US knows this and therefore is not lobbying openly or making any sharp public criticisms of the Megawati government. The US knows, or rather hopes that if the war can be concluded quickly all those currently stating an opposition to the war, will quickly move into the post-war framework. "What is done is done, let's make some humanitarian contribution".
There are many governments, including both Arab and ASEAN governments that are playing this game. In this respect, both Indonesia and Malaysia are in a similar category as that of Egypt. Indonesia, Malaysia and Egypt are all opponents or critics of the US invasion of Iraq. But all three countries sit by silently while US war armadas sale through their territories. In Turkey at least, he issue of military bases are air space became a major issue of public debate.
The Indonesian government has stated publicly that the US invasion is illegal and an act of aggression. Yet, it remains silent as US war armadas sail happily through the Straits of Malacca, within sight of Indonesian fishermen and farmers. The outspoken Mahathir remains equally as silent. Of course, Indonesia and Malaysia have long agreed to the Straits of Malacca becoming an international waterway. But the Straits remain, ultimately, within Indonesian and Malaysian territory and the countries retain every right to state openly any objections that the Straits be used for actions which the two countries have openly branded as "illegal" and "aggression".
Significantly, there has been little press reporting on the fact the US Kitty Hawk super carrier battle fleet passed through the Straits of Malacca on February 16. The US Constellation, and other super carrier, passed through in December. The US Nimitz has either just passed through recently or is about to do so. The Nimitz left San Diego on the West Coast of the US in early March. This means that most of the Indonesian people, who overwhelmingly oppose the US-UK-Australian invasion, do not know that the invading fleets pass by their country while their government remains silent.
If Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur really wanted to put pressure on the US and its war allies, then the could jointly issue a statement on behalf of their nations calling for a halt to war armadas using the Straits on the way to Iraq, or for any rotations back to bases in Japan, Guam or the US West Coast. As a "good friend" of Indonesia, surely the US government would accept such a request, wouldn't it? It is also surprising that none of the large community and political organizations, including the parliamentary parties, have been silent about the use of the Straits. Perhaps, as with the Indonesian government, maintaining good relations with the US government in the long term is more important to them that acting to stop the war in a way that will not be "fruitless".
[Max Lane is a Visiting Fellow, Center for Asia Pacific Social Transformation Studies (CAPSTRANS), University of Wollongong, Australia.]
Agence France Presse - March 30, 2003
Around 200,000 people gathered in front of the United States embassy in the Indonesian capital in the biggest anti-war rally yet in the world's largest Muslim-populated nation.
The protestors gathered in the sprawling Monas square facing the US embassy, guarded by police wielding batons and shields.
Crowd estimates varied: the Central Jakarta police put the number at around 200,000, witnesses said 300,000 were present, while organisers claimed more than three million people showed up.
Thousands more were streaming into the venue from many directions as the organisers officially closed the rally at 11.00 am, about 60 minutes after it started.
The protestors marched past the well guarded US embassy on their way home. Many criss-crossed the city on their buses, cars and motorcycles, waving flags.
Among the public figures addressing the rally were the chairman of the National Assembly Amien Rais, one of his deputies, Andi Mappetahang Fatwa, and chairman of the Indonesian Council of Ulemas (MUI) Hamidan, who uses one name.
An older sister of President Megawati Sukarnoputri, Rachmawati, was also present as well as several religious leaders.
Two open trucks with huge loudspeakers, parked in front of the gate of the US embassy, were used as a makeshift stage for the speakers.
"Our message is very clear, the message of the Indonesian society is ... stop the war now," said MUI general secretary Dien Syamsuddin.
The rally organisers, the Indonesian Solidarity Committee for Iraqi People, said they expected about one million protesters to show up.
The organisers -- a coalition of several Muslim organisations including the second largest Islamic movement, the Muhammadiyah, and the MUI which groups the nation's top clerics -- dubbed the gathering a rally of "one million believers." Among the crowd were several Christian and Protestant youth groups, whose presence was acknowledged through public loudspeakers by the organisers.
Most of the participants were Muslims wearing white dress. Many carried the flag of the Justice Party, a small but vocal radical Muslim political group, as well as those of other political parties and organisations.
Police said around 600 personnel, including one company of about 100 women police, were present around the embassy and -- because of the size of the protest -- the road in front of the embassy was closed to traffic.
Members of the Muslim-oriented United Development Party for Reform carried a 100-meter (-yard) long light green piece of cloth, inscribed with the words "Stop the massacre in Iraq" to the site. People crowded around the banner to put their signatures on it.
The participants, many of them veiled mothers with their children, displayed anti-war posters and banners and yelled "Allah is Great". Others chanted religious verses.
"Stop the invasion of Iraq," "No war for Oil," and "Stop the slaughter of the people of Iraq," some of the posters read. Many urged the United Nations to be more assertive in its opposition to the war.
Organisers said they would also collect humanitarian aid for the Iraqi people.
Indonesia has seen daily protests against the US-led war on Iraq in most of its major cities.
Jakarta has strongly criticized the Iraq war and has been in the forefront of efforts to seek an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council or of the General Assembly in order to call a halt to the attack.
Reuters - March 30, 2003
Dean Yates and Telly Nathalia, Jakarta -- More than 100,000 angry Indonesians, many carrying young children, jammed the streets of Jakarta on Sunday, shouting anti-American slogans and waving protest banners over the war in Iraq.
In the biggest street protest in the world's most populous Muslim nation since the US-led invasion began, demonstrators shouted "America, America: terrorist, terrorist" as they brought traffic to a complete halt on Jakarta's main 10-lane avenue.
The crowd initially gathered near the British embassy before marching to the heavily fortified US mission. Witnesses said more than 100,000 people, including thousands of women in white veils, took part. Organisers put the number at 250,000.
While most demonstrators were Muslims, they were joined by Christians carrying banners quoting Pope John Paul, by Catholic nuns and ethnic Chinese. Some protesters had enlarged photographs of Iraqi civilian victims around their necks. One protester wore a monkey suit with a sign that said "Bush: war criminal", referring to US President George W. Bush. Others carried fake AK-47 weapons and wore shirts bearing Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's face.
"All the people of Indonesia, without exception, want Bush to withdraw his forces from Iraq," thundered Amien Rais, head of Indonesia's top legislature and a 2004 presidential candidate, to the crowd as they passed the United Nations building.
Added Nurcholish Madjid, Indonesia's most respected Muslim intellectual: "Peace is being destroyed by a man called Bush." Hundreds of police formed a cordon in front of the US mission. There was a heavy police presence along the route but the atmosphere was relaxed, with few officers carrying riot shields or automatic weapons. By midday, most of the crowd had dispersed.
The young wave their banners
Joko Amardi, 30, said he had brought his one-year-old daughter so she could share Muslim solidarity for Iraq's people. "This is a good lesson for her, even though she doesn't understand," Amardi said as his daughter, wearing a pink veil on her head, waved a small banner that read: "Iraq, Why, Why".
There have been daily protests across Indonesia since the war began although most have been fairly small and peaceful.
The Indonesian government and public have generally been at one in opposing the use of force to disarm Iraq, accused by the United States of possessing weapons of mass destruction.
Indonesia has been an ally of Washington in the US-led war on terror, especially after last year's bombings on the tourist island of Bali which killed 202 people, mainly foreigners. Political analysts say a long war may test that cooperation.
Indeed, many foreigners in Indonesia are on heightened alert following warnings from Western countries of possible attacks here in retaliation for the invasion of Iraq. Those fears bubbled over on Sunday morning when a car in the basement of a Jakarta apartment complex popular with expatriates exploded, prompting foreigners to evacuate the complex in panic. Police said the small blast was caused by the vehicle's air-conditioning unit and not a bomb.
Some moderate Muslim leaders also fear protests could get ugly if perceptions grow that the invasion is a war on Islam, something they have been at pains to stress is not the case.
On Sunday, many agreed the attack was not aimed at Islam. "This is not about religion, that's why I'm here," said Titi Sumbung, 66, with a Christian cross around her neck.
She was holding the hand of Sjamsiah Achmad, 70, wearing a white Muslim veil. Added Achmad: "We must uphold the values of humanity. Humanity is above religion."
[With reporting by Joanne Collins.]
Jakarta Post - March 31, 2003
Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta -- Jakarta's main thoroughfares turned into seas of humanity as hundreds of thousands of people from various religions and ethnic groups took to the streets in the country's largest ever rally to protest the US-led war in Iraq.
Supporters of Muslim-based parties and organizations, Catholic priests and nuns, students, noted intellectuals and labor union activists were among those who marched from the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle to the US Embassy on Jl. Medan Merdeka Selatan. The march, which took place under a sweltering sun, caused a massive traffic jam that lasted for hours.
Marchers carried banners condemning the US and its allies, who went for war without the consent of the United Nations. Other banners criticized the world body for failing to prevent the war and urged the world community to stop the aggression. Amid hundreds of banners written in Arabic, one group of protesters displayed a banner quoting antiwar remarks from Pope John Paul II.
Calling the US-led war an attack on humanity, some demonstrators demanded an international human rights tribunal for the leaders of the countries involved in the attack.
To mark the start of the protest, hundreds of doves were released into the sky to symbolize peace and church bells were rung.
This may have been the first time members of the National Mandate Party (PAN), the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), Muhammadiyah, the country's second largest Muslim organization, the Muslim Propagation Council and the Indonesian Ulemas Council joined hands with members of other religions for a common cause.
The Indonesian government has strongly deplored the attack on Iraq and has attempted prod the UN to take action to stop the aggression.
Police put the number of protesters at 250,000, while organizers claimed over one million people took part in the rally.
Nearly 1,500 police officers were deployed to maintain order during the protest, with a special focus on guarding the US Embassy. No violence was reported during the protest, which ended at noon.
Among the demonstrators were People's Consultative Assembly Speaker and PAN chairman Amien Rais, noted Muslim scholar Nurcholish Madjid, the former chairman of the Indonesian Committee for World Muslim Solidarity, Achmad Soemargono, and PKS chairman Hidayat Nurwahid, who was also the rally coordinator.
"All of the people of Indonesia, without exception, want Bush to withdraw his forces from Iraq," Amien shouted to the crowd as they passed in front of the UN building on Jl. Thamrin.
Nurcholish said "world peace is in danger and being destroyed by a man called Bush". Nurcholish was referring to US President George W. Bush.
Nurcholish was among the Indonesian interfaith leaders who met with the European Parliament in Brussels and the Pope in the Vatican prior to the war to convey the country's antiwar message.
Protesters again called for a nationwide boycott of US products and a shift to European goods. The government, scholars and religious leaders have warned that a boycott of US products would only hurt Indonesia.
In Surabaya, hundreds of civilian guards from the country's largest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), held a mass prayer in front of the US Consulate General on Jl. Dr. Soetomo to protest the war. The protesters also questioned the relevance of the UN given its reluctance to take action against the US and its allies. During the rally, an effigy of US President George W. Bush was burned.
On the resort island of Bali, Hindus sent a message of peace, calling for a cease-fire for the Hindu Day of Silence on Wednesday. The holiday marks the Hindu New Year. "The Hindu Day of Silence is sacred and can provide the momentum to bring peace back to the world," Agus Indra Udayana, chairman of the youth organization Aashram Gandhi Puri, told Antara on Sunday. During the Day of Silence, Hindus avoid all activities and light to signify the effort to purify themselves.
Indonesia has seen a wave of antiwar protests since the US and its allies attacked Iraq on March 20. One exception, however, is the Central Sulawesi capital of Palu, which has remained rally- free.
Muhammad Lationo, secretary-general of the largest Muslim organization in East Indonesia, Alkhairaat, said this did not mean that the people of Palu supported the war in Iraq. "Instead of staging a rally it would be more effective for Muslims here to say a prayer to God or to provide humanitarian aid for the Iraqi people," he said as quoted by Antara.
Kompas - March 31, 2003
Jakarta -- Around 1 million people -- originating form at least 25 political parties and social organisations -- held a demonstration in Jakarta on Sunday, in the framework of opposing the US invasion of Iraq. The demonstrators who called themselves as the Indonesian Solidarity Committee for the Iraqi People (Komite Indonesia untuk Solidaritas Rakyat Irak) -- and referring to their action as being supported by 3 million people -- condemned the attack the source of which is the destroyer of world order.
This time the wave of actions was visibly larger. The demonstrators filled both sides of the road -- each made up of three lanes respectively -- on Jalan M.H. Thamrin and Jalan Merdeka Selatan. When the head of the group, which moved off from the Hotel Indonesia roundabout at 9.30am lead by the president of the Justice Party, Hidayat Nurwahid, had already arrived in front of the US Embassy on Jalan Merdeka Selatan, the tail of the column of demonstrators was still at the Hotel Indonesia roundabout. The distance from the US Embassy to the Hotel Indonesia roundabout is around 2.5 kilometers.
The masses began to fill the Hotel Indonesia roundabout at 8am. Among the different groups they came from the Justice Party, the Prosperity Justice Party, the National Mandate Party, the United Development Party Reformasi, the Vanguard Party, the People's Democratic Party (PRD), the Crescent and Star Party, the Indonesian Council of Ulemas (MUI), the Indonesian Mujahidin Council, the Indonesia Islamiya Religious Council, Hizbuth Tahrir, the Association of Indonesian Churches, the Muhammadiyah Youth Association, the Indonesian Brotherhood of Muslim Workers, the National Student League for Democracy and students from a number of institutions of higher education.
Many figures from national, religious and mass organisation joined in the action opposing this US attack on Iraq. Among them was the speaker of the National Consultative Assembly (MPR), Amien Rais, the former Minister of National Education, Yahya Muhaimin, MUI chairperson KH Amidhan, MUI secretary general Din Syamsuddin, MPR member Nursyahbani Katjasungkana, human rights figure Munir and the chairperson of the Vanguard Party, Rachmawati Soekarnoputri.
As well as bring political party symbols and posters, the masses also held a happening art action. In addition to this, they also carried biers for the corpses of the victims of the US attack, US missiles which are destroying Iraq and an effigy of US President George Bush.
The masses rejected a request by US Ambassador to Indonesia, Ralph L. Boyce, to meet with representatives of the demonstrators. In his speech, Din Syamsuddin said that after discussions with a number of elements who were at the action, they agreed to refuse to meet with Boyce.
"Our statement is clear, reject the war and end the US attack against Iraq. So there is nothing more which needs to be discussed. Today the US ambassador asked to meet with our demonstrators who total 3 million people who have held this peaceful aciton", said Din Syamsuddin.
At around 11.15am, Hidayat Nurwahid ordered the demonstrators to return immediately to their homes and respective organisations in an orderly manner.
"Our action is a peaceful action, so don't soil the actions against the war and violence with acts of violence as exhibited by the terrorist state of America", said Hidayat.
Before the masses dispersed, they sang the national anthem Indonesia Raya. Although the demonstrators had already dispersed, the tail of the demonstrators was still moving along Jalan M.H. Thamrin towards the US Embassy. There was a number of student groups who continued their action in front of the US Embassy and continued their actions in front of the office of the United Nations on Jalan M.H. Thamrin. Moreover, there was a group of demonstrators who were still holding an action at the Hotel Indonesia roundabout.
Demanding a clear position
The day before, hundreds of demonstrators also held a similar action in front of the US Embassy building. The demanded that the Indonesian government take a clear position in an active effort to safeguard world peace as mandated by the constitution. They called on the Indonesian government and appealed to the Malaysia government to close the Malacca Straits to war ships or supporters of the US invasion of Iraq.
"So far the government position has been divided. On one hand it does not agree with the US military actions against Iraq, but on the other hand it allows war ships or supporters of the US invasion of Iraq to pass though our waters", said the chairperson of the PRD, Haris Rusli Moti, on Saturday during a break in the demonstration at 3.45 at the US Embassy building.
The demonstrators came from the National Coalition group, the Youth and Student Opposition Front, the Ampera [Message of the People's Suffering] Front, the Women's Claim Alliance and women demonstrators from the Muslimat Movement.
The last group to arrived in front of the building at 3.45. This group again called for US President George W. Bush to be brought before the International Court to be tried for crimes against humanity.
Human solidarity
Autonomous groups, foundation and committees around [the Islamic mass organisation] Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) called for solidarity actions on the issue of the humanitarian crisis being faced by the people of Iraq. This call will be manifested in the form of street actions and the formation of medical and food coordination posts.
This issue was raised by the chairperson of the NU's Human Resource Study and Development Institute (Lakpesdam) Sultonul Huda to reporters at the national offices of the NU, Saturday.
Meanwhile, the national chairperson of the NU's National Girl's Association (IPPNU), Ratu Dian Hatifah, added that the NU will also immediately open coordination posts for humanitarian aid at the IPBNU offices on Jalan Kramat Raya 164 Jakarta. (mam/win/lam)
[Translated by James Balowski.]
| Government & politics |
Laksamana.Net - April 4, 2003
Controversy is growing over the draft bill on presidential elections in relation to an article that stipulates that only parties or coalitions of parties garnering 20% of national legislature seats will be allowed to field candidates in the country's first direct presidential election in 2004.
The ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), with 150 seats in the 500-seat parliament, seems supportive to in the draft bill proposed by Home Minister Hari Sabarno to the House of Representatives.
In addition to the minimum requirement of 20% of parliamentary seats, the draft bill also stipulates that a coalition of parties which agrees to nominate presidential and vice presidential candidates in one packet must come into being before the election for legislators and that the parties to such a coalition be legally bound and restricted by the terms of that agreement.
Golkar, the second largest party with 120 seats, is in principle agreement on the 20% clause and the formation of coalitions before the election of legislators, but do not want to see agreement on coalition to be legally binding.
The traditionalist National Awakening Party (PKB) also accepts the 20% minimum requirement, but wants to be able to build coalitions after the election for legislators.
The draft limiting presidential candidates has upset the smaller parties, and the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) has also voiced rejection of the draft.
In a hearing with the House's special committee deliberating the presidential election bill Tuesday, LIPI researcher Sjamsuddin Haris urged the House to allow all parties to nominate presidential candidates.
"All political parties contesting the elections should be allowed to nominate presidential candidates," he said. "Should there be a limitation, it should be 2%," he said, referring to the stipulation in the 1999 Election Law later replaced by the 2003 law.
Another LIPI researcher, Dewi Fortuna Anwar, the protigi of former President B.J. Habibie and active in the Habibie Center, said she was concerned to safeguard the right of small parties or independent groups to nominate candidates.
"In the first round, the candidates from small parties and independent groups will be pushed aside, but they should not be blocked from their chance to run for presidency."
Although there is public concern that the limitation on candidates is aimed at making it impossible for small parties or independent groups to nominate potential leaders, the Bill does allow nominees to be chosen from outside the ranks of the parties in any coalition, as long as the candidates are in line with policy direction.
The chance for non-political "people's candidates" remains open as long as such candidates are able to win the support of one or more of the big parties.
Smaller parties likely to be excluded from the direct presidential ballot can still serve as useful vehicles for potential candidates for high office in developing policies and building grassroots support.
Analysts say economist Dr. Sjahrir and his New Indonesian Party (Partai Perhimpunan Indonesia-PIB) and former Megawati political advisor Eros Djarot through his Bung Karno Nationalist Party (Partai Nasionalis Bung Karno-PNBK) are examples of good performers at this level.
The coalition-building process and the requirement for legally binding agreements are critical issues for some parties.
Parties with a tendency towards opportunism such as Golkar, the United Development Party (PPP), and Muslim-based parties such as the National Mandate Party (PAN) and the Justice Party (PK) will find themselves frozen out of any deals under legislation in this form.
For President Megawati and her PDI-P, the requirement for a coalition of parties before the election of legislators is positive in that it aims at building strategic alliances for the long term, rather than just for the short-term interest of gaining influential positions.
Straits Times - April 1, 2003
Robert Go, Jakarta -- Indonesia launches its election process today, beginning a census of its 210 million citizens and the registration of about 130 million people eligible to vote in April next year.
The plan, according to elections commission KPU, is to send 230,000 bureaucrats door-to-door with questionnaires, in the cities, rural areas and jungles.
The data, which will be fully computerised for the first time, will be used by KPU to plan and conduct future elections and by other agencies for their own purposes.
Some $100 million -- about one-sixth of the total elections budget -- has been allocated to this process, which officials aim to finish by August.
This is no April Fool's joke, but it could turn out to be one, considering the project's ambitious scale, the short timeframe and doubts about bureaucrats' technical proficiency.
Every one of KPU's registrars would have to question 950 citizens and record complete information about them between now and August.
While the process might be easy enough in villages or smaller communities, it is not so in overcrowded metropolises such as Jakarta or Surabaya and the remote and hard-to-reach areas.
Would government workers be trekking through jungles to track down nomads? How would they forward their data to a processing centre? Experts also said that five months was not enough time for such a big job. Regular censuses are conducted over several years, and even those are notorious for being inaccurate.
Another big question surrounds bureaucrats' technical abilities. The government has already distributed computers to be used in this census.
But those familiar with statistics bureau BPS' pencil-and-paper methodologies now worry that the high-priced hardware is more likely to serve up more Solitaire games than Microsoft Excel spreadsheets.
A final problem: Most Indonesians know nothing about the registration process or the fact that next year's elections will be very different from before.
For it to work, registrars have to physically verify individuals and record entire family units in one shot. It would get too confusing otherwise, especially as most Indonesians use only one name.
To be successful, there has to be a broad public-awareness campaign designed to alert citizens and encourage them to help the process by being present when civil servants come knocking. Such a process has yet to happen.
The voter-registration plans do not constitute a joke yet. But in the eyes of many experts, this is another case of the country trying to bite off more than it can chew.
Jakarta Post - March 31, 2003
Jakarta -- The country's four largest political parties organized separate events over the weekend as they begin to gather pace for the general election in April 2004.
In the Central Java town of Surakarta, the first gentleman, Taufik Kiemas, attended a gathering with supporters of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan). During the event, he urged the supporters to respect the party and its chairwoman, Megawati Soekarnoputri, who is also President.
Taufik said that with the right attitude the party would be able to repeat its victory in the last general election. Taufik, a legislator in the House of Representatives, was in the sultanate town to celebrate the party's anniversary with local supporters.
Deep cracks have formed in the party since Megawati assumed the presidency in July 2001. This was evident when party members in local legislatures defied the central board over regental and gubernatorial elections. The split cost the party some posts in local governments despite its superiority in the legislature.
Also, a number of party leaders have defected and set up their own parties because of their disappointment with Megawati's leadership.
PDI Perjuangan won 34 percent of the vote in the 1999 elections, the most of any of the parties contesting the vote.
Separately, Akbar Tandjung, who chairs the second largest political party, Golkar, expressed optimism the party would obtain at least 20 percent of the vote in the next elections.
Golkar was the ruling party during the Soeharto regime, but lost its hold on power during the last elections.
Speaking in the South Sumatra capital of Palembang, Akbar, who has been convicted of corruption but remains free on appeal, said the party needed solidarity and solidity to achieve its goals. Akbar also said Golkar would deploy two million of its members as election monitors.
He refused to say who the party's presidential candidates would be, only indicating that the matter would be discussed during the party's leadership meeting scheduled for the end of April.
Meanwhile, the deputy chairman of the United Development Party (PPP), Bachtiar Chamsyah, said in Surabaya that party chairman Hamzah Haz should be reelected to lead the party.
Hamzah, who is also the Vice President, has expressed some reticence to serving another term as PPP chairman.
"But it all depends on the participants of the party congress scheduled for May," Bachtiar told Antara. Bachtiar said the congress would decide whether Hamzah would remain chairman.
On the sidelines of a mass prayer for peace hosted by the National Awakening Party in Semarang on Sunday, the party's deputy chairman Mahfud MD said several influential clerics had been consulted about possible presidential candidates.
However, Mahfud refused to identify any possible candidates, saying the party first had to hold its national meeting in mid- May. "The candidate will not differ from the one backed by our supporters at the grassroots," Mahfud said.
Former president and the party's chief patron, Abdurrahman Wahid, has expressed his intention to run for the presidency.
| sCorruption/collusion/nepotism |
Agence France Presse - April 4, 2003
Jakarta -- A director with Indonesia's central bank was jailed yesterday for three years after being found guilty of corruption in failing to properly monitor insolvent banks during the regional financial crisis.
Heru Supraptomo is the second central bank director jailed this week. Fellow Bank Indonesia (BI) supervision director Hendro Budianto was sentenced on Tuesday.
Heru was guilty of "carrying out acts of corruption" as the director of banking supervision with BI and had caused losses of 6.36 trillion rupiah (S$1.3 billion) to the state, said Judge Rukmini.
He told the Central Jakarta District Court that Heru had failed to freeze the accounts of 22 now-dissolved banks, allowing them to continue their daily operations.
The court ordered Heru to serve three years in jail and pay a 20-million-rupiah fine. He has one week to appeal the sentence, during which time he will be free.
At the height of the Asian economic crisis in 1997-1998, BI gave 144.5 trillion rupiah of emergency liquidity support to numerous private and state banks to prevent the collapse of the banking system following massive runs on deposits.
State audits have shown that more than 95 per cent of the liquidity credits were misused. Many went towards foreign exchange speculation, lending to affiliated businesses and repaying subordinate loans.
Other banks used them for branch expansion, acquiring fixed assets and even interbank lending.
| Regional/communal conflicts |
Jakarta Post - March 30, 2003
Ambon -- Maluku island in Indonesia's Maluku province has been declared a foreigner-free zone, head of the provincial immigration office Wiryono said here on Saturday.
Foreigners who want to visit Maluku island should obtain permission from the Civilian Emergency Authority in Ambon, he was quoted by Antara as saying.
The decision was made because Maluku island, notably the provincial capital of Ambon, had just recovered from a prolonged, bloody, sectarian conflict, which broke out in early 1999, he said.
The provincial immigration office had posted officers at all points of entry into Ambon in particular and Maluku island in general, to monitor the comings and goings of foreigners, he said.
The provincial immigration office had been assigned to the task since last January 22, he said.
Asked on the upcoming visit of UN representatives to attend the opening of a UN representative office here, Wiryono said they must obtain permission from the Civilian Emergency Authority.
Wiryono, however, said the plan to inaugurate the UN office here on March 29 has been canceled until further notice following the US invasion of Iraq.
| Human rights/law |
Radio Australia - April 1, 2003
The United States State Department says serious human rights abuses occured in Indonesia last year.
It says Indonesian soldiers and police murdered, tortured, raped, beat and arbitrarily detained civilians and members of separatist movements.
The US human rights report singles out the Indonesian army's special forces Kopassus and the Brimob police paramilitary unit for particular censure.
It says abuses by security forces were most apparent in Aceh province where some 898 fighters and civilians were killed during the year.
The department also criticises the separatist Free Aceh Movement rebels, saying they killed, tortured, raped, beat and illegally detained civilians and members of the security forces during 2002.
Security force members also committed severe abuses in other conflict zones such as Papua, the Maluku islands and Central Sulawesi "but at reduced levels compared with the previous year".
The State Department criticises a human rights court, set up following the army-backed militia violence against independence supporters in East Timor in 1999.
It says the tribunal's performance has reinforced the impression that impunity will continue for soldiers and police who commit human rights abuses.
The US report says widespread corruption continued throughout the Indonesian legal system in 2002 with bribes influencing prosecutions, convictions and sentencing.
Kompas - April 3, 2003
The National Human Rights Commission, Komnas HAM has called on the government to explain what has happened to information or intelligence reports about persons deemed to be political enemies of the Old Order. Such data should be declared invalid and totally destroyed.
Komnas HAM chairman, Abdul Hakim Garuda Nusantara, said it should be guaranteed that such information cannot be misused for the purposes of stigmatising individuals or groups for political purposes. The public has a right to know what has happened to this information, in accordance with Article 28F of the Indonesian Constitution.
He said that it was inappropriate for people to be stigmatised for political purposes because in a democratic society, people have the basic right to hold various opinions, without being branded by the government.
He also explained the Commission's opinion with regard to the draft law on State Secrets. The Commission holds the view that there is no need for such a law. It would be quite enough for anything regarded as a 'state secret" to be treated as an exception in the draft law on Freedom of Information.
Another members of the Commission, Lies Soegondo, said there were now three drafts of a law on Freedom of Information, coming from a coalition of NGOs, from the government and from Parliament. In her view, the Parliament's draft is the best because it is more transparent, while the government's draft is very half-hearted about giving information to the public.
Jakarta Post - April 3, 2003
Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta -- The National Commission on Human Rights declared on Tuesday that gross human rights violations had occurred during massive riots in Jakarta in May 1998, which preceded the fall of long-time ruler Soeharto.
After carrying out an investigation for about two months, the commission's ad hoc team, led by Solahuddin Wahid, concluded that "security authorities at that time failed to curb the widespread riots that took place simultaneously." The team also found that the riots erupted as a result of a specific policy, because of "a similar pattern at almost all places where the riots took place, which began with provocation, followed by an attack on civilians".
During three nightmare days in the nation's history, between May 12 and May 14, around 1,200 people were killed. Thousands of people attacked or looted shops, markets and housing estates during the violence. Mass rapes reportedly targeted ethnic Chinese.
The rioting followed mass demonstrations demanding the resignation of Soeharto, which were marked by the shooting dead of four Trisakti University students. He fulfilled the demands on May 21.
Solahuddin said that, during the last two months, his team had examined reports of a government-sanctioned, joint fact-finding team investigating the riots, which, until now, remains unheeded by law enforcers.
Solahuddin, also a younger brother of former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid, said the team planned to collect more evidence by questioning several witnesses mentioned in the previous report, including the then Jakarta Military commander and Jakarta Police chief.
The team plans to submit the report to the House of Representatives.
Accompanying Solahuddin during the media conference were team deputy chairman Hasto Atmodjo and member M.M. Bilah.
Under the administration of president B.J. Habibie, also Soeharto's hand-picked successor, the government established a joint team to investigate the May riots and, if possible, reveal the perpetrators and masterminds of the riots.
The 18-member team, which comprised representatives of the Indonesian Military (TNI), government institutions, the rights body and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), presented its report to the justice ministry, office of the state minister of women's affairs, security and defense ministry, foreign ministry and the Attorney General's Office.
The team confirmed that at least 66 women, mostly Chinese- Indonesians, were raped during the riots.
Former Jakarta Military commander Maj. Gen. Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin was the first official to testify to the investigative team. The team also questioned several military officers in charge at the time, including former Army's Strategic Reserves Command chief Lt. Gen. (ret) Prabowo Subianto, former city police chief Maj. Gen. Hamami Nata and former TNI Intelligence Agency chief Maj. Gen. Zacky Anwar Makarim.
The team told the House in 2000 of its belief that there was a link between the unrest, the abduction of political activists and the killing of Trisakti University students by police officers.
But the House rejected public demands and declared no gross human rights violations had taken place in the incidents in Trisakti, Semanggi I in November 1998, and Semanggi II in September 1999. Consequently the House did not recommend the establishment of an ad hoc court to prosecute the suspects in the incidents.
The House further recommended the trial of civilian suspects at the district court and military and police suspects at the military tribunal.
Jakarta Post - April 1, 2003
Jakarta -- The Central Jakarta District Court sentenced six members of the Betawi Brotherhood Forum (FBR) on Monday to six months in jail for an attack on the offices of the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) last year.
Presiding Judge Iskandar Tjakke found Endang Saidi and Daniel Al Haz guilty for instigating the attack, in which a Komnas HAM staff member and several people representing the Urban Poor Consortium (UPC), who were filing a complaint with Komnas HAM, were injured.
In a separate trial of the same case, presiding Judge M. Daning Sanusi handed down sentences to four other FBR members, Ahmad Gunarso, Wartono, Yayat Hardian and Dedy Bachtiar, for causing damage to the Komnas HAM office in Menteng, Central Jakarta.
All six men were charged with violating Article 170 of the Criminal Code, which carries a maximum penalty of seven years in prison.
Claiming to be native Jakartans, FBR has repeatedly shown hostility toward the UPC and its leader Wardah Hafidz, who have strongly criticized the city administration's discriminatory policy toward the poor.
| Focus on Jakarta |
Jakarta Post - April 1, 2003
Bambang Nurbianto, Jakarta -- Life for Jakartans will get tougher starting this month as they face a 40 percent increase in water charges and a 20 percent increase in bus fares.
After a seven-hour meeting that lasted until Monday night, City Council leaders claimed that in order to accommodate the interests of all concerned they had to approve City Governor Sutiyoso's proposal to increase water rates by 40 percent and bus fares by around 20 percent.
The new water rates will be effective on Tuesday with the exception of water charges for small consumers, while the date to start implementing the new bus fares will be decided by the governor.
Explaining the new water rates, City Council Deputy Speaker Chudlary Syafi'i told the press after the meeting that the Council set 10 requirements, which should be implemented by the water operators as a precondition for the increase.
"If the operators do not implement the conditions, the City Council will ask the city administration to revise this decision," said Chudlary.
The conditions require the operators to report to the City Council every three months; to reduce the number of expatriate employees and to reduce water leakage which still stands at 45 percent.
Previously, Sutiyoso proposed an increase of 45 percent in tap water charges from the current price of Rp 3,100 (about 35 US cents) per cubic meter in response to the requests of two water operators and their local partners, PT Thames Pam Jaya (TPJ) of Britain and PT Pan Lyonaise Jaya (Palyja) of France.
The bus fare increases that were approved by the Council are as follows: regular bus fares to increase by 22 percent from Rp 900 to Rp 1,100, the express bus to increase by 17 percent from Rp 1,200 to Rp 1,400, and the medium-sized bus to increase by 20 percent from Rp 1,000 to 1,200. But bus fares for students will stay at Rp 500.
Previously, figures proposed by the Jakarta Transportation Agency were Rp 1,150 or a 28 percent increase from the current fare for the regular bus, Rp 1,250 or a 25 percent increase for the medium-sized bus, and Rp 1,400 or a 17 percent increase for the express bus.
While the Organization of Land Transportation Owners (Organda)'s version of the fare hike was Rp 1,200 or a 33 percent increase from the current fare for the regular bus, Rp 1,300 or a 30 percent increase for the medium-sized bus, and Rp 1,500 or a 25 percent increase for the express bus.
For the bus operators, the City Council also set a number of conditions including improvement in services. Operators are asked to standardize services, crack down on undisciplined drivers and to stick to bus routes.
Chairman of the Jakarta Residents Forum (Fakta) Azas Tigor Nainggolan said the increase would further burden Jakarta residents as it would also increase the prices of other goods. "We're concerned about a domino effect which will spark an increase in other prices," he added.
Other objections came from the Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI), the Jakarta Water Consumers Aspiration Group, and the Community Association for Humanity and Justice (Humanika).
| News & issues |
Jakarta Post - April 5, 2003
Apriadi Gunawan, Medan -- State-owned television station TVRI is no longer broadcasting in North Sumatra, marking another suspension of a TVRI station under a restructuring program to slash state funding for TVRI stations nationwide.
"We have had to stop broadcasting entirely since April 2 as all of our operational funds have been exhausted," said Nazief, TVRI's director in the provincial capital Medan. "We don't know when we're back on air."
He said Medan's TVRI station obtained Rp 9 billion (about US$1 million) a year from the central government. The funding problem began in January when Jakarta slashed its funding transfers.
"We get only enough funds to pay for our employees," he said, explaining that salaries amounted to Rp 4 billion a year for the station's around 400 employees in Medan. Nazief said 70 temporary workers, however, had to be laid off.
A staffer in TVRI's finance division in Medan, Pandapotan Sitanggang, said he continued to come to the office although there was no work to do. "It feels like having lost a job," he said.
In April 2002, the government decided to convert TVRI from a social service corporation to a limited liability company. As a result, TVRI may no longer receive funding from the state budget.
TVRI may obtain funds through the Office of the State Minister of State Enterprises. However, these will only be forthcoming after it has completed the change to a limited liability company.
TVRI is still in the midst of appointing its first board of directors as part of completing the process. But funding from the Ministry of Finance had ceased.
Consequently, several TVRI stations in the provinces, such as in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam, Lampung, Bengkulu and Central Kalimantan have been off the air since last October. Stations in Central Java and West Sumatra are close behind.
Nazief said that TVRI been phasing out its operations in a number of regions in North Sumatra since early March.
Over the past three months, he said, TVRI had been relying on last year's advertising revenue of Rp 600 million to maintain its operations. The money ran out last month. Now, the television station has debts of Rp 500 million in unpaid telephone, electricity, fuel and other bills, he said.
Last month the provincial government offered to to provide TVRI with Rp 1.1 billion. That money, enough for three months, had yet to be disbursed, Nazief said.
Agence France Presse - April 2, 2003
Jakarta -- Indonesian police have stepped up security at vital installations in Medan after two bombings within 24 hours.
The first explosion rocked the parking lot of the Medan city administration's offices on Monday afternoon, shattering windows and damaging two cars. No one was hurt.
That bomb was attached to a bicycle parked between the cars, police said. The second bomb exploded under a gas pipeline belonging to state energy giant Pertamina.
North Sumatra police spokesman Amrin Karim said the bomb was placed under a gas pipeline across a bridge over the Deli river but the explosion only dented the steel pipe and twisted its protective cage.
A third bomb, which failed to explode, was found at the other end of the bridge. Mr Karim said the blast was a "terror" act.
National police are investigating whether the blasts are linked to earlier explosions, including the October 12 Bali bombings which killed 202 people.
Sources quoted by the state Antara news agency said the Medan municipal offices had received threats related to entertainment at the complex.
Police said Tuesday's bombs were similar to the one that exploded on Monday. North Sumatra governor Rizal Nurdin said on Monday the attack on the local government building was "an act of terror aimed at creating restlessness".
Provincial police chief Inspector General Dewa Astika said the bombings were related but the motive was still unclear. "We have increased security at vital installations and asked the public to be vigilant and report any suspicious things to police," Mr Astika was quoted as saying by the Detikcom online news service.
Indonesia has been hit by a series of bombings during the past few years. The Bali nightclub blasts were blamed on regional terror group Jemaah Islamiah. Asked if the Medan attacks were related to previous bombings, national police spokesman Edward Aritonang said: "We are still gathering information. We're analysing it and we haven't come to any conclusion yet."
Jakarta Post - April 1, 2003
Medan (Agencies) -- A strong explosion rocked the back parking lot of mayoralty building here on Monday, injuring one people, agencies reported.
Antara reported the blast in late afternoon damaged two cars and injured a staff of the city administration. The blast came from a bomb which was laid down at a bicycle in the parking lot.
The cause of the explosion had yet to be determined and the police anti-bomb squad were at the scene, El Shinta Radio reported.
National police spokesman Edward Aritonang said officers found pieces of metal believed to be shrapnel. "This is an act of terror and aimed at creating restlessness," North Sumatra governor Rizal Nurdin was quoted by AFP.
"Maybe [the perpetrators] are not satisfied with government policies. Many people can assemble explosives now," he said.
| Environment |
Antara - March 27, 2003
Jakarta -- Environment Minister Nabiel Makarim said here Wednesday the government and the House of Representatives (DPR) had to settle the question of environmental pollution in PT Freeport Indonesia's mining field in Papua this year.
"Do not postpone it again because the loss is increasing from day to day", he said after meeting with President Megawati Soekarnoputri at the palace. He said environmental destruction in the copper and gold mining field of the subsidiary of US Freeport McMoran had reached an alarming level and needed a solution.
He said five environment ministers had so far tried to settle it, but without success. "If we do not want the environmental effects, Freeport must be closed down. However what needs to be done is minimizing the effect of the mining operations," he said.
Laksamana.Net - March 30, 2003
Takaras village in Central Kalimantan is an ecological disaster waiting to happen, with illegal miners reportedly dumping an estimated 160 kilograms of mercury into a local river every month.
Mercury, which is used to facilitate the extraction of gold ore, can cause crippling nerve disorders, brain damage, birth defects and death.
Pregnant women who work with mercury or eat fish contaminated with high levels of mercury place their fetuses at risk of impaired brain development. The women are also at risk of giving birth to babies with potentially life-threatening physical deformities.
Moses Nicodemus, head of the Environmental Impact Management Agency (Bapedalda) in the Central Kalimantan capital Palangkaraya, last week told the Media Indonesia daily that Takaras village could become another Minamata.
Minamata is a small Japanese coastal town, where a plastics company in 1952 began discharging mercury waste into the bay, which was the center of the town's principal industry -- fishing.
Effects of the pollution were first seen when vast amounts of fish began to die. Later the mercury affected birds, pigs, cats and then humans. Minamata's cats were particularly susceptible to mercury poisoning, which transformed them from lazy pets into demented, screeching, agitated creatures. Hence locals began referring to the problem as "the disease of the dancing cats".
The sickness was later termed "Minamata Disease" once locals started showing symptoms of methyl mercury poisoning, such as blurred vision, hearing loss, limb tremors, memory deterioration, headaches, irritability and difficulty sleeping.
But it wasn't until 1968 that the Japanese government blamed the Chisso chemical corporation for dumping mercury waste into the bay. At least 900 people suffered agonizing deaths as a result of the poisoning, while thousands more were afflicted by the symptoms and many babies were born with terrible deformities.
Nicodemus said illegal miners in Takaras are using about 160 kilograms of mercury each month to recover gold. Although the miners may sometimes try to conserve and reuse the mercury to save money, it eventually ends up in the Takaras River, which is a tributary of Central Kalimantan's immense Kahayan River.
According to Nicodemus, the waste mercury has turned the Takaras River's water from brown to black and contaminated its fish. "In fact, the fish in the river, especially the catfish, are becoming so contaminated they are no longer fit for consumption," he was quoted as saying by Media Indonesia on Wednesday.
Nicodemus said the pollution problem is getting worse. He warned that Central Kalimantan could become a second Minamata within 10 years unless concerted efforts are taken to combat the mercury pollution. But he acknowledged that tackling the problem will not be easy, as illegal gold mining is the sole source of income for many families in Takaras.
"If we seize them in order to stop the mining operations there, I'm afraid the people may become violent, and the situation there will become unfavorable and crime will rise." He therefore said the problem would have to be jointly resolved by all related parties.
Central Kalimantan isn't the only place where an ecological time-bomb is waiting to explode. The use of mercury is just as bad, if not worse, in North Sumatra province, which is home to an estimated 22,000 illegal gold miners.
Much of the illegal mining takes place on Australian mining company Aurora Gold's Talawaan concession and an estimated 100- 200 tons of mercury enters the environment around the Talawaan River catchment area annually.
Hazardous concentrations of mercury have been recorded in the area's soil, groundwater, surface water and river sediments. Dangerous levels have also been recorded in plankton, mollusks, fish, ducks and plant-life.
The level of mercury found in illegal miners' urine is 270 times the World Health Organization's acceptable limit. Likewise, samples from the Talawaan River -- used for domestic purposes and commercial fish-ponds -- indicate mercury levels 70 times above the internationally acceptable limit for drinking water.
So how can the damage be stopped? The best way to prevent looming mercury poisoning tragedies in Indonesia would be to stop the sale of industrial mercury -- after all, it's not the kind of thing you can pick up at the local supermarket or cornershop.
In fact, one company is largely responsible for the whole mess: State-owned trading company PT Dharma Niaga, which is the sole official distributor of mercury in Indonesia.
Dharma Niaga is supposed to control the availability of mercury to prevent environmental and health risks. Environmentalists say the company is clearly not doing its job properly.
Despite the inherent dangers of illegal mining, local government officials and security authorities have generally been unwilling to crack down on the problem or prevent the misuse of mercury.
Much of Indonesia's illegal mining is reputedly organized and backed by military officers and politicians who seem to value profit far more than the lives of poor villagers.
It's not clear exactly how much mercury Dharma Niaga sells annually, or even where the mercury comes from. The company's website merely says that it imports "chemicals".
According to a 1995 Mines and Energy Ministry document on Indonesia's main mineral reserves and resources, the country then had 5,306,300 tons of mercury classified as a "resource". An Industry and Trade Ministry document from the same year included "mercury processing" on a list of business sectors that are off- limits to any form of investment.
Global consumption of mercury has fallen by 50% since 1980, but a handful of countries still process the toxic heavy metal to supply nations where demand remains strong.
According to the Global Mercury Assessment report by the United Nations Environment Program, the world's top producers of mercury include Spain, China, Kyrgyzstan and Algeria.
The world's main importers of mercury include Brazil, Venezuela, Bolivia, French Guyana, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, China, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Ghana and Zimbabwe.
| Health & education |
Jakarta Post - April 5, 2003
Moch. N. Kurniawan, Jakarta -- Indonesia suffers a whopping US$4.7 billion in economic losses per year or $12 per family per month due to its poor sewerage system, a United Nations task force says.
Co-Chairman of the UN Task Force on Water and Sanitation Albert Wright said on Friday that to make things worse, Indonesia suffered repeated local epidemics of gastrointestinal infections and had the highest incidence of typhoid in East Asia as municipal sewerage system coverage stood at below 5 percent.
"Poor environmental sanitation brings economic loss and reduces the quality of life, especially for women and children. The situation in Indonesia is bad and getting worse," Wright, who visited Indonesia under the invitation of the World Bank, said.
It is the latest evaluation from the UN task force after the Indonesian government said last month in its country report presented in the third World Water Forum (WWF) in Kyoto last month that only 20 percent of the country's 215 million people had access to clean water.
The government has also said a number of water-borne diseases such as diarrhea and typhoid remained rampant in the country.
Poor sanitation and pollution will cause over six million people to suffer from diarrhea this year, according to a senior government official.
Wright criticized the central government for having invested very little in sewerage and sanitation, while local governments had done nothing in the area.
"Private households invest significantly in individual sewerage systems," Wright said. There are only one million septic tanks in the dense Greater Jakarta, home to over 15 million of people.
However, he said, too much individual on-site human waste disposal can exceed the assimilative capacity of the local area.
"The question lingers whether Indonesia will be able to meet the Millennium Development Goals to halve by the year 2015 the proportion of people who do not have access to basic sanitation," he said.
Basah Hernowo, the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) Director for Housing and Human Settlement said that if the financing was only to come from the government, it was unlikely that Indonesia would be able to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) target.
He called on all parties, comprising the government, non- governmental organizations, donors, the private sector and the community to cooperate in order to reach the MDG target.
"A change in the development paradigm is needed. The previous policy of separating sanitation facilities and water supply should now be in tandem," he said.
Wright agreed with Bambang, saying that basic sanitation was everybody's business.
"Actually since sanitation is concerned with maintaining a clean and healthy living environment, it is everybody's business. All can contribute," he said.
Andrew Steer, World Bank Country Director for Indonesia, said: "It is time for us to work together to develop a new paradigm to comprehensively address the growing sanitation crisis that is facing Indonesia, particularly in densely populated areas".
According to him, the World Bank is currently working with the government to develop a new policy framework and strategies for tackling sanitation.
Sydney Morning Herald - April 5 2003
Matthew Moore, Jakarta -- One thing about abortion in Indonesia is clear: it is easier to get one than to understand the law that regulates them.
Contradictions are everywhere. Indonesian legislation allows "certain medical procedures" to be performed to "save pregnant mothers and their foetus". But this law apparently permitting abortion in restricted circumstances comes with an attached explanation that specifically prohibits them.
Then there is the fact that, despite the widespread view that abortion is illegal in Indonesia, the Government runs its own abortion clinics.
It also funds the Family Planning Association, which conducts abortions through its network of clinics. Again, there are so many inconsistencies when it comes to deciding who is a legitimate client.
In Bali, for example, the clinic provides abortions for all women whether married or single. But in Yogyakarta, Java, only married women are eligible.
The confusing law and differing interpretations have ensured a thriving illegal abortion industry, with many poorer village women seeking help from dukun, or traditional healers. Working from home, or in primitive premises, dukun often induce abortions using herb-based drinks followed by vigorous massage. There is worse.
Maria Ufar Ansor, head of the women's section of Indonesia's biggest Islamic Organisation, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), said more dangerous techniques were not uncommon. "They put sticks or capsules of boot polish into the vagina," she said.
Such practices have helped ensure Indonesia has the highest mortality rate from pregnancy-related causes in the region. UNICEF figures for 2000 estimated 450 Indonesian women died for every 100,000 people, compared with six deaths in wealthy Singapore and 160 in relatively poor Vietnam.
An abortion activist, Tini Hadad, said a soon-to-be-published study by her group, the Association for Women's Health, showed that 11 per cent of those deaths were due to complications from abortions, and that 80 per cent of women seeking abortions were married.
But after pushing for legalised abortion since the present law was passed in 1992, she is finally closer to winning her fight.
A parliamentary commission has completed a draft of a new bill to legalise abortion, and is due to go before parliament this month.
With abortion such a sensitive issue, and an election due in about a year, there is no certainty parliament will debate the bill despite widespread agreement among supporters and opponents of abortion reform about the hardship the present law causes.
"Women don't know where to ask for help," Ms Hadad said. "Sometimes they go to the local hospital and they say, 'You cannot have an abortion unless you have a physical problem'. And then they will do something to try to cause a physical problem."
The huge Muslim majority in Indonesia means the draft bill is only likely to become law if agreed to by mainstream Muslim groups like NU, which claims to have some 40 million members.
As head of NU's women's section, Ms Ansor has been slowly pushing her organisation towards supporting the new bill, designed to make abortions safer for up to 1.5 million women who have them each year.
A controversial NU national workshop several years ago endorsed a policy allowing abortion up to 120 days after conception for "psychological" reasons or because of "economic pressure".
Although Ms Ansor said this decision was a big step, she said NU was divided, and a unified position might be some way off.
Despite these divisions she believes Islam in Indonesia is "more open" to tolerating abortion than is Christianity. She is now writing a book on differing interpretations of what the Koran says about abortion.
Some ulamas, or religious leaders, believed abortion was acceptable provided it was undertaken less than 80 days after conception, she said.
"This is because the Koran mentions three stages of human creation. In the first 40 days the foetus is only blood. In the second 40 days it's already in the form of flesh, and in the third 40 days it has the form of life."
In an effort to convince MPs to change abortion laws, the Association of Women's Health, with funding from the Ford Foundation, has just taken five MPs to Turkey.
For 20 years Turkey has had legal abortion up to the end of the first 10 weeks of pregnancy, provided a woman's husband agrees. As the only Muslim country with such laws, Ms Hadad said it was important to show the parliamentarians, especially Muslims, how these laws worked in practice. "The most important thing here is for Muslim groups to decide where they are," she said.
But Ella Sutiyono, a pro-life campaigner, is determined to stop Ms Hadad and her supporters. She has helped organise leaders of five main religions that issued a statement earlier this year to try to head off the bill, signalling the start of their campaign.
While agreeing that the current law is contradictory, she wants it modified, not replaced. And she believes money, not principal, is behind the push for change. "It's only the big cities that want this; the obstetricians and the gynaecologists because they will make money from it." She was confident her side would prevail. "It's not so easy here," she said.
Straits Times - April 4, 2003
Jakarta -- At least 18,500 schoolchildren -- some as young as seven -- are believed to use drugs in Indonesia, National Narcotics Agency chief Togar Sianipar has said.
"From that number, primary school students account for about 1,000, junior high school students around 7,500 and senior high school around 10,000," Mr Sianipar was quoted as saying by the Antara news agency.
Mr Sianipar did not give the source of the statistics but said some users were as young as seven. He also reportedly admitted that law enforcement personnel were acting as drug dealers and distributors.
Mr Sianipar said his agency was planning to form provincial and district branches across the country and called for a concerted attack on narcotics and "high discipline" from law enforcement officials. During the early 1980s, Indonesia was merely a stepping stone for dealers engaged in the international narcotics trade. It has now become a market in its own right.
Straits Times - April 2, 2003
Jakarta -- A parliamentary panel drafting an education Bill is retaining a controversial article requiring missionary schools to provide religious instruction in the pupils' own religion despite opposition from educators and mission schools.
But both legislators and government officials working on the draft over the weekend have agreed on a compromise: Schools will not be penalised for breaching the provision.
The chairman of the working committee on the Bill in the House of Representatives, Mr Anwar Arifin, said: "We have received enormous pressure from two separate groups -- one demands the article be maintained, with punishment for schools that violate it, while the other demands the article be dropped.
"All factions finally agreed to maintain the article, as it is in line with the amended 1945 Constitution, but we leave the monitoring of the article to the public as part of social control and punishment."
With all the articles in the draft approved by the working committee and the government, the Bill will soon be sent to the House Commission VI on education for formal approval before being submitted to the House's plenary session, slated for May 20, for final approval. The controversial article has become a hot issue between Muslim and Christian groups.
Private schools run by Christian missionaries have expressed fears that the Bill will threaten their autonomy and encourage religious segregation in the country.
The controversial article in the Bill requires all students to receive religious instruction according to their beliefs from teachers of the same faith. It also requires schools to provide places of worship for all students.
At present, mission schools are not required to provide religious instructions to students other than those of the Christian faith.
Muslim groups, on the other hand, are pressing for such a legislation because they are concerned about the faith of the many Muslim students who attend private Christian schools.
With Article 13 included in the Bill, they can demand that the schools have Muslim teachers to provide religious instruction to Muslim students.
A number of religious leaders, particularly from Christian groups, and noted educators have said that religious education should be conducted only at the family level and that the government should not intervene in the matter.
They have demanded that the House drop the Bill and say that the current education law is still relevant. At present, missionary groups enjoy full autonomy in running their schools, without the intervention of the government.
Although the controversial article remains in the proposed Bill, the groups are happy that the government will not impose any legal punishment on them for failing to comply with the requirement.
Mr Anwar said that retaining the article in the Bill will also mean that Muslim religious groups cannot prohibit their followers from studying in mission schools that do not provide religious teachers in Islam.
The committee and the government also dropped an article on the appointment of investigators to probe any education violations such as falsifying and misusing certificates.
"Education institutions have to think positively about people, while investigators must be suspicious of people. Both roles are contradictory. So we decided to keep the investigation role with the police," said Mr Anwar.
| Bali/tourism |
Asia Times - April 2, 2003
Gary LaMoshi, Denpasar -- As Balinese prepare for the year 1925 on the Saka calendar, young men in every neighborhood banjar are busy building and displaying ogoh-ogoh, the colorful bamboo and papier mache demon effigies featured in celebrations leading to Nyepi, the day of silence marking the new year. Ogoh-ogoh usually portray grotesque figures with misshapen claws and fangs sprouting from monstrous faces.
On Sanur's Jalan Danau Beratan, one ogoh-ogoh depicts a dancing red demon standing three meters high. This somewhat standard ogre is perched on the shoulders of another figure: a human bearing the face of Amrozi, the first suspect taken into custody for the Bali bombings. He is shown holding bombs in each hand, with the timers reading five minutes to midnight, the moment explosions destroyed the Sari Club and Paddy's in Kuta last October 12.
Six months after the blasts, those bombs are still shaping the face of Bali.
Evil spirit The men of Banjar Buruwan, where the Amrozi ogoh-ogoh is on display, call Amrozi bhuta kala, an evil spirit. "Tourism is 80 percent of the economy," one man dressed in ceremonial garb says. The industry has been devastated by the bombings, and now, as another of the men in their matching batik sarongs, white shirts, and white udeng wrapped around their heads like bandannas, notes, by the war in Iraq. But so far, US President George W Bush hasn't joined the ranks of bhuta kala worthy of an ogoh-ogoh. "He's not popular," another Buruwan resident smiles, adding to that mouthful a further thought that could choke White House war planners: "Maybe next year." With each new year, the people of Bali hope to purge bhuta kala from the world. Ceremonies began three days before Nyepi with Melasti, a day for cleaning temples. Members of each of the island's more than 1,000 temples march in processions with their religious articles to a body of water -- lake, river or ocean -- to be purified by the god Baruna. The ritual objects are then returned to the temple.
The Melasti ceremonies also aim to cleanse and rejuvenate the human soul. Water sources are thought to hold the spirit of Amerta, the source of eternal life, with the power to purge sin. Melasti aims to give people, as well as religious articles, a clean start to the new year.
Demon dance
One day before Nyepi comes Tawur Kesanga. This day begins with lavish offerings at home temples specially adorned with bamboo canes to thank nature for endowing Bali so richly. Offerings include rice specially cooked in coconut leaves, chicken, and even beer and arak, the local firewater. Balinese usually believe that once an offering is made, what happens to it next is not important, making the island a virtual paradise for dogs and other critters. However, Tawur Kesanga is different; it's the one day you'll see the island's legions of dogs shooed away from offerings.
At nightfall, Ngerupuk ceremonies begin, featuring the colorful parade of ogoh-ogoh that top Western New Year's Eve spectacles. The ogoh-ogoh are placed on platforms and carried through villages and towns in a carnival atmosphere featuring gamelan music and plenty of other noise. Bamboo cannons boom as part of the clamor prescribed to drive out evil. At the end of the processions, the ogoh-ogoh are burned, symbolically destroying evil in the world
Then comes the payback: Nyepi, the day of silence. According to some interpretations, silence following the noise of Ngerupuk is meant to confuse bhuta kala. Finding the streets empty and homes quiet, perhaps they will take their evil elsewhere. Nyepi prohibits traffic, pleasure, fire, and work. Bali's Ngurah Rai International Airport shuts down for the day, and tourists are locked down in their hotels. No one is permitted on the streets, and each banjar enforces the restriction.
Points to ponder
Nyepi is supposed to be a day of meditation and reflection. This year, Balinese will have plenty to reflect on, thanks in part to Amrozi and company.
Bali has cast its lot with the god of tourism, and the bombings, like the Gulf War of 1991 and the Asian economic collapse of 1997, provided a reminder of how fickle this god can be. For example, far fewer ogoh-ogoh are evident than in previous years. Each effigy costs about Rp2.5 million (US$280) to construct, usually funded by contributions from banjar residents. People have less to give this time around. Advance bookings for the upcoming traditional high season, further hit by the war in Iraq's general impact on international travel, offer little optimism about a recovery in the near future.
Moreover, the costs of building a tourism economy include scars on the land and the way of life (though it has also fueled a revival of Balinese high culture, in part to preserve it for show). Ironically, the island famed for its rice-terrace landscapes and lush gardens now imports rice and even flowers for the offerings that decorate temples on the island and shrines in virtually every home and business. Balinese that lose their jobs in tourism often don't have a rice field to which they can return.
A Muslim from Java, Amrozi fits the Balinese stereotype that all bad things emanate from that neighboring island. Despite initial anger among Balinese and alarmist articles in some Java newspapers, there has been no backlash against Muslims in Bali; followers of Islam face more stringent monitoring and reporting requirements in the United States these days.
Bali residents asked many questions in the immediate aftermath of the explosions. After 50 years of generating enormous wealth, why doesn't Bali have a world-class hospital? Why aren't schools better than in the rest of Indonesia? Where has all of that wealth gone? How much more of the island must be destroyed to save it for tourism? Why has Jakarta had more to say about tourism development in Bali than the Balinese?
Last October, Bali's public relations and advertising agencies (whose businesses depend almost exclusively on tourism) joined arms to outline a tourism recovery plan involving media and publicity, around the "Bali Bangkit!" (Bali Revives!) slogan. Jakarta officials slapped down the effort and took control of revival efforts. Their plans emphasize domestic tourism and government meetings in Bali. One hotel manager, who asks not be identified, complains that government officials happily come to Bali, but their departments are far less happy about paying bills.
Despite the significant, visible changes due to the October 12 bombing, Jakarta is still driving the Bali tourism bus. That's something for the men of Banjar Buruwan and their compatriots to contemplate this Nyepi.
| Islam/religion |
Straits Times - March 31, 2003
Devi Asmarani, Jakarta -- With Muslims in Indonesia becoming increasingly devout in recent decades, an exclusively Islamic market has now evolved, offering strictly halal products. They range from exclusive Islamic housing estates to cosmetics and foodstuff.
Take Pusaka Tradisi Ibu, a company that produces the only beauty products in the country with a halal certificate.
Founder and owner Nurhayati Subakat had worked for the cosmetics company Wella. In 1985, she quit that company to start her own business, supplying beauty salons with her Putri products. Ten years later, she decided to go Muslim with her products all the way.
She told The Straits Times: "We wanted to make beauty products that are halal for Muslims." So it came up with the Wardah and Zahra brands, which are devoid of elements not permissible for Muslims such as alcohol and pig-related products.
She expects to penetrate international markets such as Malaysia, Brunei and the Middle East.
The Indonesian Ulama Council has so far issued halal certificates for only about 500 locally made products. Council officials predict that 90 per cent of the locally made products in the domestic market may not be halal.
Name is important to ensure buyers that their products are halal. Manufacturers of instant noodles, for example, have adopted Arabic-sounding names to attract Muslim buyers to their halal products.
These include Alhami, a name derived from the Arabic word Alhamdulillah (Praise be to God) and mie (noodle), and Santrimie (from the word Santri or Islamic student), Salam Mie and Mie Barokah.
They may be small in comparison to the more established instant noodle makers such as Indofood, but they have been able to penetrate the market by selling noodles at lower prices.
Some of the Islamic products may only be sold in certain stores or in circles such as the Islamic multi-level marketing network Ahadnet Internasional, where members can buy anything from halal toothpaste to car shampoos and get discounts and perks for recruiting new members.
Analysts say not to expect too much as yet from these products. But they do have potential, considering that nearly 200 million Indonesians are Muslims.
Straits Times - March 31, 2003
Devi Asmarani, Jakarta -- At a glance, Vila Ilhami is a typical housing estate, one of the dozens developed on the outskirts of Jakarta in the past decade to cater to the ever growing number of middle-class families.
But it prides itself on one thing most other housing complexes cannot match -- an atmosphere created exclusively for Muslims. In fact it calls itself an Islamic village.
Some 900 families in the complex located about 30 km west of the capital in West Java's Tangerang township choose to live there for the total Islamic experience.
"Here you can make sure you don't have a neighbour singing church songs in one of those services held at homes," said one resident, who declined to be named. Another said: "I hardly even see young men smoking here. I didn't even know my next-door neighbour in the old place where I lived, but now I know 75 per cent of the people in the neighbourhood."
For a country where nearly 90 per cent of its population is Muslim, a housing complex designed for Muslims may seem like a redundant concept. But in Jakarta, where many of the housing developments are inhabited by the well-heeled ethnic Chinese minority, some Muslims long for a neighbourhood comprising solely of fellow believers.
At Vila Ilhami, which is spread across 85 hectares, life revolves around the mosque. Every block or so, the developers, PT Mustika Hadi Asri, have built a small mosque which can accommodate as many as 100 worshippers. The grand mosque near the housing estate's entrance has a capacity for 5,000 people.
The developer makes sure that a religious teacher, offering weekly Quran reading classes, is available in every place of worship. The estate also has amenities such as an Islamic hospital, an orphanage, a hotel, schools and colleges and even a shopping mall. At its sports club, a partition divides the separate pools for girls and boys.
The developer's marketing manager Indro Purnomo told The Straits Times: "There are no written rules saying non-Muslims are not allowed to live here, and we've had many showing their interest in buying. But we would gently discourage them, because when you live here you're bound to join our religious events. In the end, the only way you can live here is by being a Muslim."
Built in 1996, Villa Ilhami is not the only all-Muslim housing estate. There are a few others, such as Griya Islami and Telaga Sakinah, all of which claim to be built according to Islamic law.
| Armed forces/police |
Radio Australia - April 2, 2003
Indonesia's defence ministry has defended a policy document which calls for the military's close scrutiny of civilian affairs to be maintained.
Defence ministry spokesman Abdul Azis denies the decision will undermine efforts at military reform. He says scrutiny of civilian affairs is necessary for the military to deal with internal threats such as terrorism, separatism, radicalism and transnational crimes.
The policy document focuses on strategies to maintain Indonesia's territorial integrity.
Mr Azis says a lack of financial and technological resources has shaped Jakarta's approach to defence by the whole population. He says soldiers must remain close to the people but he says the military is committed to reform.
Jakarta Post - April 1, 2003
Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta -- The government launched on Monday a white paper on defense strategy, which calls for maintaining the military's much-criticized territorial function.
The territorial function, which includes Army bases and posts at all administration levels down to the village level, has been blamed for TNI's dominating political role during the leadership of former president Soeharto.
The white paper, authored by the Defense Ministry, describes various threats facing the country in the 21st century, including separatist movements, terrorism, piracy, illegal logging and people trafficking.
According to the Defense Ministry's director general for defense strategy Maj. Gen. Sudrajat, the Indonesian military's territorial function was still relevant in order to develop the country's defense strength.
"Indonesia is not an established country like the United States or Britain. Armed separatist movements mar the country, while the police currently face difficulties in coping with armed separatist movements," Sudrajat said during a seminar marking the white paper's official launching.
He, nevertheless, added that the government should strictly monitor the its territorial function to prevent deviation from the socio-political context.
The seminar also included Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) member Dewi Fortuna Anwar, the British Ambassador to Indonesia Richard Gozney, several military attaches from friendly countries, as well as experts and military analysts from various institutions.
The white paper was presented in an attempt to help the public understand the key points of Indonesia's defense concepts and strategy following the separation of the National Police from the Indonesian military (TNI) in 2000.
According to the People's Consultative Assembly (DPR) decree No. 7/2000, the police force is now tasked with handling domestic security, while the TNI is supposed to be limited to defending the country from external security threats. However, the military has reserved the right to decide if it needs to intervene in handling domestic security issues.
The 1998 reform movement also sought to scrap the TNI's socio- political function known as dwifungsi, or dual function, on the grounds that the military, specifically the Army, has long abused the role for certain interests.
Dewi, one of the speakers at the seminar, said that the decision to keep the TNI's territorial function was due to "the military's wariness that scrapping its territorial function would betray the institution's dual function." "I think the wariness is no longer relevant because I don't see that people will condemn its defense force if they carried out their own duties properly.
"Meanwhile, a close relationship between the military and civilians creates negative influences for the soldiers because civilians have different values which often contradict military values, especially in dealing with political and business matters," Dewi said.
Meanwhile, Rizal Sukma of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said the territorial function was not only the answer to the separatist issues in the country, because "what we need is a development of the defense force that enables us to deal with various external threats." "There are also threats of illegal logging, or women and children trafficking, or piracy. I don't know how the Army with its omnipresence of military commands copes with these," Rizal said.
| Economy & investment |
Jakarta Post - March 30, 2003
Washington (Agencies) -- The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Friday approved a fresh loan worth US$469 million to Indonesia, bringing its total lending to about US$3.5 billion under the current US$5 billion loan program for the country.
The new loan will be provided as a result of the IMF board's endorsement Friday of the country's plan for new reforms. Indonesia submitted the plan to the IMF earlier this month,Dow Jones reported.
In approving the loan, First Deputy Managing Director Anne Krueger said in a statement: "Indonesia has continued to make good progress in implementing economic reforms under the program. Economic growth has been sustained, inflation has declined, the banking system has been strengthened, and asset recoveries have advanced." However, the deputy managing director called for the country's sustained efforts to proceed with reforms in order to regain the confidence of international investors.
In particular, Indonesia needs to buttress its financial system, she said. "Strengthening the financial sector is a central element of the program ... Further steps are required to strengthen monitoring, governance and accountability of state banks as they prepare for divestment," Krueger said.
The deputy managing director also noted that Indonesia must improve the legal and judicial system to attract more investment. "Further progress in implementing legal and judicial reforms is critical to strengthen governance and improve the investment climate," she said.
The IMF loan program, which conditions its disbursement on Indonesia's implementation of economic structural reforms, started in 2000 after the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis dealt a devastating blow to the country's economy.
Jakarta plans to refrain from renewing the program when it expires at the end of this year. But with international creditors unlikely to roll over their loans to Indonesia's public debt without some IMF involvement, people close to the talks say the IMF may remain in the country as an advisory body next year.