Aceh

Government calls for scrapping of Ladia Galaska project

Jakarta Post - May 8, 2004

P.C. Naommy, Jakarta -- A team assigned to assess the feasibility of the controversial Ladia Galaska highway urged the government on Friday to halt the project entirely or make major changes in the planning.

"The alternative solutions would be to stop the project altogether, or still continue it but abandon several roads planned in the project to ensure against natural disasters," said Nelly, a member of the joint steering committee comprised of the Ministry of Forestry, State Ministry for the Environment and the Ministry of Resettlement and Regional Infrastructure.

According to the team, the 500-kilometer road project had more negative than positive impacts and would not significantly improve the economic situation in Aceh.

Nelly said the project would cause environmental damage because it was being constructed in forested areas with inclines of more than 40x. These areas are prone to landslides and earthquakes.

The project has drawn strong opposition from environmental activists, who allege the road would only encourage illegal logging in the Leuser National Park and further aggravate floods and landslides.

This criticism prompted the government to set up the team comprising government officials and environmental activists to study the project.

According to Article 8 of Presidential Decree No. 32/1990, a forest which lies in areas with slopes of more than 40x inclines must be categorized as a protected forest.

"Forests with such criteria should be maintained as protected forests to prevent floods, landslides and to maintain the ecological water catchment," said Nelly, adding that almost 70 percent of the planned roads would pass through areas with slopes of more than 40x.

A project impact survey done by the Leuser Management Unit (UML) in late 2003 of more than 900 rivers in Aceh revealed 13 percent had dried up and the water surface of 274 of the rivers had receded.

State Minister Nabiel Makarim said earlier the road would also help drain the economy in Banda Aceh because it would take workers and resources out of the province. The continuing rural to urban shift in the area meant the road would cause a great concentration of business activity in Medan, North Sumatra, he said.

A geological field study showed six of the nine planned roads would run parallel to the Sumatra earthquake fault line, and three others would cross it.

Eko Soebowo from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), said the parallel roads, especially those that passed over the Bukit Barisan range, would be prone to earthquakes, landslides, and collapses.

Three roads that would pass over active faults, would be in even more danger, he said. These roads are Takengon-Isaq, Lumut- Iseisei, and Iseisei-Blang Kejeren. The fault line would cause high maintenance costs in the future, Eko said.

Head of the Ladia-Galaska Surveillance team Hery Harjono, a geologist from LIPI, said the team still had to summarize their results before submitting them to the three ministries.

"We will try to determine the best solution for the project," Hery said. The team started their 10-day survey on March 16.

TNI admits to wrongdoings in Aceh

Jakarta Post - May 6, 2004

Tiarma Siboro and Nani Farida, Jakarta/Banda Aceh -- The Indonesian Military (TNI) acknowledged on Wednesday that troops in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam were guilty of hundreds of violations, including rape and selling ammunition to rebels in the province.

TNI chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto said 511 violations had been recorded since a military operation was launched in Aceh in mid- May 2003.

"When we launched the campaign, critics were already saying the operation was going to be a dirty war. I do not hesitate to admit them [violations]," Endriartono said at a press conference on Wednesday.

The conference was called to brief the press on the ongoing military campaign in Aceh, launched after Jakarta declared war against the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) last May.

"We have brought 429 violations involving soldiers to the military court, while 82 others are being processed," Endriartono said. He also said that 57 soldiers had been sentenced to up to three years in prison, while three others had been discharged from the military.

Endriartono's admission comes just days after the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) submitted a report on alleged gross human rights violations committed by both the TNI and GAM since May 19, when President Megawati Soekarnoputri declared a state of emergency in Aceh, where rebels have been fighting for independence since 1976.

Endriartono said some 2,000 suspected GAM members had been killed since May 19, another 2,100 arrested, 1,270 others had surrendered and 1,045 weapons of various types had been seized from rebels. Early in the operation, the military estimated the number of GAM rebels at 5,251 -- about 100 fewer than the number said to have been killed, captured or surrendered -- equipped with about 2,000 weapons.

Endriartono also said that 130 soldiers had been killed and 289 wounded since the offensive began. The operation has so far cost the state Rp 1.9 trillion (US$220 million).

The general said he did not object to plans by Komnas HAM to launch a thorough investigation into alleged rights abuses in Aceh since 2003.

"We welcome Komnas HAM to investigate rights abuses allegedly committed by my troops while carrying out their duties [in Aceh], but the investigation should not have a political motive. It should also record violations committed by rebels," he said.

Komnas HAM has divided the alleged abuses into five categories -- the displacement of persons, arbitrary arrests, forced disappearances, rape and extrajudicial killings.

In Banda Aceh, the Aceh martial law administration said on Wednesday that 139 members of the armed forces -- 133 from the Army, three from the Navy and three from the Air Force -- had been found guilty of violations since the military operation began.

"Their violations varied from disciplinary offenses, rape, the unauthorized firing of weapons, theft and bribery to selling ammunition to GAM rebels," Aceh martial law administration spokesman Col. Ditya Soedarsono said.

He said some soldiers had sold ammunition for Rp 35,000 per bullet. Ditya also said 43 soldiers had deserted their units "but none of them had joined the rebels".

Endriartono also welcomed reported plans by GAM to release hostages, saying the military would guarantee the safety of those involved in the release of the captives. GAM said on Tuesday it would free a television cameraman who has been held for almost a year and 100 other "prisoners" next week.

House supports Aceh prosecutor over graft cases

Jakarta Post - May 5, 2004

Kurniawan Hari and Nani Farida, Jakarta/Banda Aceh -- House of Representatives members have thrown their weight behind the Aceh Prosecutor's Office tackling several corruption cases allegedly involving administration officials, including Governor Abdullah Puteh.

"In principle, prosecution should be conducted by the prosecutor's office.

Besides, the martial law administration is occupied with its duties in controlling the integrated operation in the province," chairman of House Commission I for security affairs Ibrahim Ambong told the press after a meeting with Aceh Police chief Insp. Gen. Bachrumsyah Kasman and deputy head of the Aceh Prosecutor's Office Teuku Zakaria in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Zakaria said his office had not received the dossiers of the graft cases from the martial law administration.

Commission deputy chairman Franklin W. Kayhatu said that under Law No. 23/1959 on states of emergency, the Aceh martial law administrator had the authority to prosecute the cases. "The Aceh Prosecutor's Office, however, should take over its role because the martial law administration is busy with the integrated operation," Franklin said, referring to the military operation against Acehnese rebels.

According to the legislators, the Aceh Prosecutor's Office has will have 44 criminal cases to try. Among them are the purchase of a Russian helicopter, a used printing machine and the procurement of cars for members of the local legislature.

The purchase price of a Russian Mi-2 PLC Rostove Mill helicopter was reportedly marked up to Rp 12.6 billion from the original price of Rp 6.1 billion in 2002. The police in Aceh are still investigating the alleged misappropriation of Rp 30 billion (US$3.4 million) earmarked for electricity generators.

Later in the day, ad interim coordinating minister for political and security affairs Hari Sabarno and Aceh monitoring team Mar'ie Muhammad held a closed-door meeting with House deputy speaker Soetardjo Soerjogoeritno and some legislators.

It was concluded at the meeting that the government would decide on the status of martial law in Aceh after a visit by the House team to the province scheduled for May 6.

Separately in Aceh, Free Aceh Movement (GAM) commander in Peurelak, East Aceh, Ishak Daud said the rebel group would release 100 hostages, including RCTI cameraman Fery Santoro on May 13. Fery has been held hostage for almost 10 months. GAM agreed to release the hostages after consultation with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). "Initially, the ICRC hopes the release will take place on May 8, which coincides with ICRC's anniversary. But I think that would be too rushed," Ishak added.

He demanded that the Indonesian Military (TNI) cease its military operations for two days, with the first day being used by GAM to assemble the hostages and the second being used to release them. "We ask it (TNI) not to breach the agreement so that the release will proceed smoothly," Ishak said.

The release will reportedly take place in the vicinity of agricultural company PT Bumi Flora in Idi Rayeuk, East Aceh. Military operation spokesman Lt. Col. CAJ Asep Sapari said he had no idea about the release. "That's rubbish. How can we trust Ishak Daud?" he said.

Fery, along with RCTI reporter Sori Ersa Siregar, driver Rachmatsyah and two women named Farida and Soraya were captured by GAM on June 29 last year. Rachmatsyah, Farida and Soraya escaped, but Ersa Siregar was killed during a gunfight in December last year.

Fifty teachers killed in Aceh since 1999

Jakarta Post - May 4, 2004

Jakarta -- At least 50 teachers assigned to the province of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam (NAD) have been killed in the armed conflict there between 1999 and 2003. Among them, 22 alone were killed by members of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), an official said.

The Antara news agency reported that some 170 other teachers were seriously injured or tortured, and even kidnapped by the rebels, according to Anas M.

Adam, acting head of the Aceh provincial education office. Some had become invalids, he added, citing the information he received from the regencies.

He was speaking on the sidelines of the National Education Day commemoration in Banda Aceh on Sunday.

"Teachers should not become the object of violence," Anas said, "They enlighten the community with knowledge."

The government has yet to decide whether martial law in the province will be lifted on May 19, or whether it will be extended only in certain areas as deemed necessary.

Anas added that the local administration had paid between Rp 1 million (US$120) and Rp 10 million ($1,200) in compensation to each of the teachers' families and teachers who received medical treatment.

Meanwhile, Aceh Governor Abdullah Puteh disclosed that the province had received Rp 11.5 billion ($1.3 million) of a total donation of Rp 15 billion from governors all across the country.

The donation would help finance the renovation of dozens of school buildings destroyed in the armed conflict, Abdullah said. To acknowledge the donors, school buildings would be named after the contributing province, Abdullah said.

He added that the funds involved had been distributed to regencies and municipalities in the province. Each regency receives Rp 500 million for renovations. Anas said that by the end of the year, there should no longer be students attending classes in tents and makeshift shelters.

Education officials in Aceh also said they would do their best to ensure that exams for 121,000 students this year would run smoothly. For the conflict area a graduation rate of 75 percent would be quite good, Anas said.

Separately, the head of the Bireuen education office, Ibrahim Ali, said that the Ministry of Education had allocated Rp 2 billion for the rebuilding of 20 school buildings in the regency.

In Jakarta, Minister of National Education Abdul Malik Fajar said that demands to improve the quality of education were mainly based on both the need to keep up with the rapid pace of globalization and the need to adjust to a more "democratic" education system.

Addressing a commemoration of National Education Day on Sunday, he said the problems which urgently required solution were the uneven distribution of education, and the poor quality and flawed management of the education system.

In Surabaya, East Java the education office sought to calm fears that scores of high school students might fail to pass the upcoming exams given the national standards that may be too high in certain areas.

Rasiyo, head of the provincial education agency said that there would be "different versions" of the material. The exams later this month will comprise maths, Indonesian and English.

"For instance the material for East Java and Irian Jaya would be different, and there would be differences within East Java alone," Rasiyo said on Sunday, as quoted by Antara.

The passing grade for the subjects is respectively 4.01 out of 10. Under public pressure the ministry has said that students who failed to pass the minimum grade could have a second chance.

No proof Thai arms smuggled to Aceh - Expert

Associated Press - May 3, 2004

Jakarta -- While some officials claim that militants who raided armories in southern Thailand are selling weapons to rebels in Indonesia's neighboring Aceh province, an expert said Monday there is no clear evidence of such a trade.

The killing of more than 100 militant suspects who attacked security posts in southern Thailand last week in what the government said was a bid to steal weapons has renewed speculation that Islamic separatist movements in both regions are linked.

Thai officials differ about who was behind Wednesday's raids, in which 107 militants and five security forces died.

Some blamed drug traffickers and organized criminals allegedly using Islamic ideology as a cover for their activities. Others fear a Muslim separatist insurgency thought to be dormant for years is gathering pace since militants raided an army camp in January, killing four soldiers and stealing hundreds of weapons.

The vast majority of attackers in the latest raids in southern Thailand, the country's only Muslim-dominated region, were armed with machetes and knives -- a possible indication that they had no access to the weapons stolen earlier.

After the January raid, Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said arms smuggling gangs in the country's south became active when fighting erupted last year in Aceh.

"If you ask whether some weapons [in the hands of] Aceh rebels came from the Thai army or not, the answer is yes," Thaksin said at the time. "These are weapons smuggled out of an arsenal of the Thai army."

The Aceh guerrillas deny buying firearms from overseas, saying their weapons come from attacks on Indonesian forces or simply by buying them from poorly paid and corrupt army and police commanders in the province.

Indonesian troops have captured weapons from the Aceh rebels, but military experts have been unable to positively identify any as coming from Thailand, said Ken Conboy, a specialist in guerrilla warfare who heads a risk consultancy in Jakarta.

Most of the small-arms used by the Aceh rebels are AK-47 and M-16 automatic assault rifles, which are freely available on international arms markets, experts have said.

In past raids in southern Thailand, militants are reported to have seized mainly M-16s, the standard-issue rifle of Thailand's armed forces.

"Alone among the weapons captured from [Aceh rebels], only the M-16s have had their serial numbers erased," said Conboy. "Filing the numbers off makes it impossible to identify where they came from."

Filing off the serial numbers suggests the possibility that the weapons were provided by some internal source who wanted to hide their origin, like the Indonesian army, or from the Philippines, where Muslim militants have reportedly also bought weapons from the security forces, he said.

Aceh is about 320 kilometers west of Thailand across the Andaman Sea, and the two regions share some ethnic and religious ties.

In May 2003, the Indonesian military ended an internationally sponsored peace process by launching an offensive against the Aceh guerrillas.

During a visit to Bangkok at the same time, President Megawati Sukarnoputri asked the Thai government to clamp down on attempts to smuggle weapons and ammunition to the Aceh separatists.

Nearly 2,000 people have died since Jakarta abandoned the cease- fire, and analysts say the 55,000 Indonesian troops and policemen in Aceh are increasingly bogged down in an unwinable guerrilla war.

TNI pressuring village heads to support martial law

Fpdra.com - May 9, 2004

Khairul, Banda Aceh -- The head of the Pidie regional military command (Kodim), Infantry Lieutenant Rochim Siregar, has been forcing all village heads to come to the Kodim headquarters with the aim of making them sign a document supporting an extension of martial law in Aceh. It they fail to attend without a clear reason, action is taken against them. Free Aceh Movement (GAM) spokesperson for the Pidie sub-district, Anwar Husen, told Fpdra.com that this is an indication that the TNI (armed forces) has failed to eliminate GAM in Aceh.

During the one year of martial law the TNI has not been made any significant progress so they are now forced make it appear as if it is the public who is asking for an extension to martial law though demonstrations and getting village heads to sign documents of support. Furthermore said Husen, this represents efforts by the TNI to legitimise launching its operations in Aceh.

This a political game by the TNI which finding itself at odds with the civilian administration in Jakarta, so that the TNI needs fake legitimisation from the people to continue its genocide in Aceh said Husen. As well as coercing the people to support an extension the TNI is also forcing the civilian government in Aceh to go along with or to submit to all kinds of policies by the emergency military command (PDMD), and this represents the interests of specific civilian politicians who are thirsting for power for the sake of power and are prepared to sacrifice the Acehnese people continued Husen.

According to Habiburrahman, from the People's Lawyers Union (Serikat Pengacara Rakyat, SPR), the conflict between the political elite as the end of one year of martial law in Aceh approaches is increasingly tangible, particularly over cases of corruption by civilians while corruption by the PDMD are ignored completely.

[Translated by James Balowski.]

Reducing martial law to a civil emergency just a bribe

Fpdra.com - May 5, 2004

Alisa P, Banda Aceh -- According Acehnese People's Democratic Resistance Front (FPDRA) chairperson, Thamrin Ananda, the plan by the interim coordinating minister for politics and security, Hari Subarno, to reduce the status of martial law in Aceh to a state of civil emergency following a meeting with the armed forces chief in Cilangkap, is a mealy a form of political bribery in the lead-up to the July 5 presidential elections.

It is absolutely clear that this is a political bribe if it is not followed by the withdrawal of non-organic troops who are currently stationed in Aceh. The half-hearted position being demonstrated by the government represents a political compromise with specific parties in Acehnese society.

Implementing a state of civil emergency is in essence no different from martial law because it will be using the same legal umbrella, that is Law Number 23/1959 on A State of Emergency. The only difference will be that previously power was held by the TNI and it will now be held by the governor. However it must be understood that the governor also has the right to increase troop numbers on the grounds of security needs said Ananda.

According to Ananda this is only a change of status in formal sense while in substance the situation will remain the same, where democratic space is restricted, freedom of the press is limited and the activities of civilian political activists who are opposed to the agenda of the Aceh emergency military command are curtailed and they are accused of being members of the Free Aceh Movement.

[Translated by James Balowski.]

West Papua

General to face Indonesia's rights court

Sydney Morning Herald - May 8, 2004

Matthew Moore/Karuni Rompies, Makassar -- The first member of Indonesia's notorious paramilitary police force (Brimob) ever to face trial for human rights abuses has appeared in court accused of allowing the killing of a Papuan student and the torture of dozens of others.

Along with 15 members of his 21-strong legal team, Brimob's second most senior officer, Brigadier-General Johny Wainal Usman, sat quietly in court and listened as the damning accusations were read out.

As the senior Brimob officer in Papua in December 2000, he is accused of deliberately allowing his police to torture and kill students in a 24-hour rampage after an unidentified group had attacked a police post in Abepura, killing two officers, including one Brimob member.

A Human Rights Watch report into the Abepura case quoted a Swiss journalist who witnessed the sustained Brimob beatings from a cell where he was being held: "...blood sprayed the walls all the way up to the ceiling... sometimes I saw policemen hopping up on benches continuing to strike blows from there or jumping back down on the bodies below."

This Human Rights Watch report said three students from the highland town of Wamena died in the rampage, although the case against General Usman includes only one death.

Even so, a conviction would be sufficient to see him sentenced to death or, according to the law, serve a minimum of 10 years in jail.

General Usman showed little expression as he faced the five judges. But he may well feel it is unfair that he is facing such serious charges when so many other Brimob offenders have never been brought to justice for their crimes over decades in areas including East Timor, Aceh and Papua.

General Usman's problem is one of timing. His police beat the students with clubs, rifles and shovels on December 7, 2000, less than a month after the Indonesian Government had passed a law setting up a permanent human rights court, in an attempt to curtail just such abuses.

It has taken more than three years, but yesterday that human rights court convened for the first time to try the first offences allegedly committed under the new law. As well as the charges against General Usman, it heard similar allegations against Commissioner Daud Sihombing who is now the spokesman for the Papuan police force. At the time of the alleged crimes, he was the Jayapura police chief.

Sitting quietly at the back of the old Dutch courthouse, two Papuan men watched Indonesia's legal system take its tentative steps in bringing justice to those who for decades have suffered at the hands of the security forces.

In recent years Indonesia has established several ad hoc tribunals, including one set up under international pressure to hear charges of human rights abuses in East Timor and other offences that took place before the new law.

But now that the permanent court is operational human rights experts hope it will act as a brake on the behaviour of security forces, although many believe that many serious cases will never make it to court.

The head of the legal team for the defendants, Denny Kailimang, highlighted a major problem with the law establishing the court. His clients should never have been brought before the new court, he said, because their offences were not "systematic and widespread" as the law requires.

"They just carried out their duties while attempting to recover stolen weapons and while doing so some things happened. It's just an accident, it's normal," he said before the trial began.

When he gets to address the court in a fortnight, he will ask the judges to throw out the case because any offences were not "systematic and widespread".

Abdul Hakim Nusantara, the head of the National Commission on Human Rights, which investigates such matters before they go to the new court, is deeply concerned the systematic and widespread test will see many serious offences go unpunished. "I think such an extraordinary standard should be reviewed as it is too demanding a requirement to meet," he said.

"Torture and rape and extrajudicial killings are serious offences and should be heard in a human rights court even though they may not be systematic and widespread."

He said he had asked parliament to make the changes but was not confident the law would be amended any time soon. "I don't know if they will give priority to this," the commission leader said.

Police chief faces court over Papua jail beatings

Sydney Morning Herald - May 8, 2004

Matthew Moore, Makassar -- The first member of Indonesia's notorious paramilitary police force Brimob to face trial for human rights abuses has appeared in court accused of allowing the killing of a Papuan student and the torture of dozens of others.

Along with 15 members of his 21-strong legal team, Brimob's second most senior officer, Brigadier-General Johny Wainal Usman, sat quietly in court and listened as the charges were read out. As the senior Brimob officer in Papua in December 2000, he is accused of allowing his police to kill and torture students in a 24-hour rampage after an unidentified group had attacked a police post in Abepura, killing two officers.

A Human Rights Watch report into the Abepura case quoted a Swiss journalist who witnessed the sustained Brimob beatings from a cell where he was being held: "... blood sprayed the walls all the way up to the ceiling ... sometimes I saw policemen hopping up on benches continuing to strike blows from there or jumping back down on the bodies below."

The report said three students from the highland town of Wamena died in the rampage, although the case against Usman includes only one death. Even so, a conviction would be enough for him to be sentenced to death or, according to the law, serve a minimum of 10 years' jail. Usman may feel it is unfair faces such serious charges when so many other Brimob offenders have never been brought to justice for their crimes in areas including East Timor, Aceh and Papua.

His problem is one of timing. His police beat the students with clubs, rifles and shovels on December 7, 2000, less than a month after the Government had passed a law setting up a permanent human rights court in an attempt to curtail such abuses. It has taken more than three years, but yesterday Indonesia's human rights court convened for the first time. It also heard similar allegations against Commissioner Daud Sihombing, who is now the spokesman for the Papuan police force but at the time was the Jayapura police chief.

The head of the legal team for the defendants, Denny Kailimang, said his clients should never have been brought before the court because their offences were not "systematic and widespread" as the law requires.

"They just carried out their duties while attempting to recover stolen weapons and while doing so some things happened. It's just an accident, it's normal," he said before the trial began.

Abdul Hakim Nusantara, head of the National Commission on Human Rights, is concerned the "systematic and widespread" test will result in many serious offences going unpunished. "I think such an extraordinary standard should be reviewed, as it is too demanding a requirement to meet," he said. with Karuni Rompies

Anti-Indonesia rally hits Papua

Jakarta Post - May 6, 2004

Jayapura -- About 500 Papuans in the Coalition of Civilians for Human Rights protested at the province's legislative council here on Wednesday to oppose the May 1, 1963 integration of their territory into Indonesia.

The integration violated Papuans' human rights, a spokesman for the group, Markus Haluk, said during the separatist rally involving religious and community figures.

"For the Indonesian government, May 1, 1963 was a victory as Papua joined the Unitary State of the Indonesian Republic. But for Papuans, it was a bad day because a human right abuses took place during the integration," he said.

Labour issues

Factory workers demand justice

Jakarta Post - May 5, 2004

Bogor -- More than 230 mostly female staff laid off from the PT Sahabat Unggul Internasional textile factory staged a protest at the Bogor City Council on Tuesday about their dismissal.

The workers said management had dismissed them after a dispute about about employee insurance payments and allowances on April 23.

"Only 17 of us have received severance pay, which was a pittance -- most staff have worked here for five to 10 years. The money was also not given in any formal way," said Iman Kiswoyo, head of the company's workers union.

The Council's Commission E head overseeing the people's welfare, Soni Sondiamon, said he would write to the manpower agency to revoke the company's permit to dismiss workers. The agency would also ensure severance pay was disbursed in a transparent way, he said.

Workers celebrate May Day with huge street rallies

Jakarta Post - May 3, 2004

Jakarta/Medan/Surabaya -- Thousands of workers across the country took to the streets on Saturday to demand the government revoke rules and regulations that fail to protect workers and their welfare.

More than 5,000 workers assembled at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Central Jakarta at 9 a.m. Saturday, where union leaders and labor activists took turns voicing their demands.

Hundreds of former employees of PT Dirgantara Indonesia (DI) aircraft manufacturer and Hotel Indonesia were among thousands of people taking part in the protest, organized to celebrate May Day.

The workers were mobilized by trade union leaders and activists from various labor groups and organizations, including the National Front for the Struggle of Indonesian Workers (FNPBI), the Indonesian Labor Union Confederation (Gaspermindo), the Democratic People's Party (PRD) and the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI).

"We demand that the government review Law No. 13/2003 on manpower as well as other regulations that fail to protect us in disputes with the companies we work for," one speaker said. "We reject a system that allows companies to recruit employees based on temporary contracts," another said.

At 11 a.m., the workers marched toward the presidential palace. Along the way, they took over the Radio Republik Indonesia (RRI) station to air their demands.

Almost at the same time, thousands of other workers organized by the Cisadane Labor Committee marched from the Danamon Building in Central Jakarta to the House of Representatives compound.

The workers dispersed almost immediately after they reached the presidential palace and the House compound respectively. As Saturday was not a workday, neither the President nor House members were available to meet the workers.

President Megawati Soekarnoputri made an unscheduled visit on Saturday to two garment factories in the Pulo Gadung industrial complex, East Jakarta, on Saturday, where she spoke to factory workers.

"I am making this impromptu visit to observe the condition of workers whose rights and work safety are sometimes ignored," Megawati said.

In Medan, North Sumatra, hundreds of workers grouped under the North Sumatra Labor Advocacy Network held a rally amid alleged threats of dismissal by their employees.

Like their counterparts in Jakarta, the workers demanded that the government revoke Law No. 13/2003 on manpower and No. 2/2004 on industrial disputes.

The workers also urged the government to stop sending workers overseas due to rampant abuse, at times resulting in death, by their foreign employers.

In Surabaya, East Java, hundreds of workers rallied on Jl. Yos Sudarso, lambasting the government for not siding with underpaid workers.

"The law [13/2003] favors entrepreneurs more than workers, and this proves that the Megawati-Hamzah administration does not support workers," East Java Poor People's Front (FPRM) chairman Rudy Asiko said.

In Palu, Central Sulawesi, thousands of people from various organizations also rallied in front of the RRI compound to celebrate May Day.

The protesters called on workers and the public to reject contract workers, the privatization of state enterprises, oppose layoffs and demand salary increases.

They also burned pictures of President Megawati and Vice President Hamzah Haz and party attributes of Golkar, the Democratic Party and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).

Labor protests also took place in Batam, Riau and Bandung in West Java.

Students/youth

Top cops lose their jobs after clashes

Straits Times - May 6, 2004

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta -- A purge has taken place in the top ranks of the Indonesian police force after a bloody clash last week between students and security forces in Makassar, South Sulawesi.

Two provincial police chiefs were removed from their posts in two days in a rare move that many speculate was part of the Megawati Sukarnoputri administration's attempt to salvage its image.

More than 30 officers were detained for questioning in the wake of a public outcry over the assault on student protesters at the campus of Indonesian Muslim University in Makassar last Saturday.

More that 60 students were severely wounded in the clash. Thousands of students across Indonesia took to the streets to protest against police brutality.

On Monday, South Sulawesi police chief Jusuf Manggabrani was replaced following the dismissal of another high-ranking officer in Makassar and given a desk job in Jakarta.

The next day, in a case separate from the Makassar incident, national police chief Dai Bachtiar dismissed Maluku police chief Brigadier-General Binto a clash as the students quickly fled to the nearby School of Economics and Management (STIEM) Bungaya.

"If students want to demonstrate, that's fine. But they should not block the road because it will disrupt our activities. The students should also leave Jusuf's family members alone, for they have nothing to do with the UMI case," said one of residents.

Nine officers to face the law after campus attack

Jakarta Post - May 6, 2004

Abdul Khalik and Andi Hajramurni, Jakarta/Makassar -- One high- ranking and eight low-ranking police officers will stand trial while over 30 others will face the police disciplinary committee for their involvement in Saturday's attack on university students in Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi.

National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar told House of representatives commissions I and II on Wednesday that all officers involved in the attack on the Indonesia Muslim University (UMI) would be charged accordingly.

"We have three charges. Several officers will only face a disciplinary committee and administrative punishment such as demotion. Others will be fired, and several officers will stand trial," he said. The attack left 65 students injured.

Insp. Gen. Jusuf Manggabarani, who was South Sulawesi Police chief until he was removed on Monday, said in the hearing that the investigating team had named 21 officers as suspects after questioning 34 police personnel.

He said that one of unit heads of the detective division, First Insp. Irwanto, would face criminal charges because it was he who led other police officers onto the UMI campus. "We will charge him under articles 351 and 170 of the Criminal Code," said Jusuf.

He added that eight low-ranking police personnel would be charged under the same articles, which stipulate that a person committing mass assault can face a maximum 10 years in prison.

Jusuf added that 12 other middle-ranking officers would face a disciplinary committee with a possible punishment of removal or dismissal.

He said that eight other personnel from the city police headquarters were currently being investigated. "The number of officers to be brought to court will increase, depending on the ongoing investigation," said Jusuf.

The police stormed the campus on May 1 in a bid to release a policeman who had reportedly been taken hostage by students protesting the rearrest of Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, 66, a controversial Muslim cleric, in Jakarta on terrorism charges.

Da'i agreed with one House member who proposed that students who were involved in assaulting police personnel or cadets should be punished according to the law. "In order to be fair, all people, including students who tortured police personnel, must also be punished based on the Criminal Code," he said.

The campus attack was provoked by the hostage-taking of a policeman by demonstrating students followed by the beating of another officer.

Students continued their rallies on Wednesday against police brutality on several campuses in Makassar. But their actions provoked public reaction in two places. When student protesters tried to enter the residential complex where former police chief Jusuf lives, residents in the complex blocked them. A group of '45 University students heading toward city headquarters were also chased by residents living nearby. The residents were apparently angry at the students for disrupting their daily activities. The chase did not turn into a clash as the students quickly fled to the nearby School of Economics and Management (STIEM) Bungaya.

"If students want to demonstrate, that's fine. But they should not block the road because it will disrupt our activities. The students should also leave Jusuf's family members alone, for they have nothing to do with the UMI case," said one of residents.

Students demand cheap education for all

Jakarta Post - May 5, 2004

Slamet Susanto and Rusman, Yogyakarta/Samarinda -- Hundreds of students staged protests in Yogyakarta and Samarinda, East Kalimantan, on Tuesday to demand the government pay more attention to education in the country.

In the protest, held in conjunction with National Education Day on May 2, the students criticized the government for failing to put a minimum of 20 percent of its annual budget into education as required by the amended 1945 Constitution.

In Yogyakarta the protests were held at two universities, the State University of Yogyakarta (UNY) and Gadjah Mada University (UGM).

UNY rector Suyanto led the protest held in front of his office, which was attended by dozens of university staff and hundreds of students. In his speech, the rector called on the government to bring down the cost of tuition to make education more accessible to the poor.

"The cost of studying has become more expensive in the past few years and the government needs to create a subsidy system to ensure people can afford it. This problem must be addressed soon if lawmakers want improve the quality of Indonesian human resources," Suyanto said.

To achieve that goal, the government should put at least 20 percent of its budget into education, he said.

Only few kilometers from the UNY campus, dozens of UGM students held a protest in front of University Avenue, demanding the university to put a stop to its widespread practice of imposing illegal fees on students.

Meanwhile, in Samarinda, the capital of East Kalimantan, students staged a protest in front of the compound of the East Kalimantan Governor's office. Besides calling for cheaper tuition and an increased education budget they also demanded the government improve the welfare of teachers, who were paid less than other professionals.

The East Kalimantan provincial government has allocated more than Rp 3 trillion in its budget for development in the province this year but only Rp 85 billion, or less than 3 percent, is earmarked for education.

The protest began at 11 a.m and the students dispersed peacefully at 12.30 p.m, after waiting in vain for government officials to meet them and discuss their concerns.

Students rally to protest police brutality

Jakarta Post - May 5, 2004

Jakarta -- Thousands of students across the country hit the streets on Tuesday to condemn a brutal police attack against university students over the weekend in the South Sulawesi capital of Makassar.

Sixty-five students of the Muslim University of Indonesia (UMI) were injured in Saturday's attack. Police entered the university campus after the students took a traffic policeman hostage in the campus and beat another officer in the street during two separate rallies.

National Police Chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar fired three top police officers following the incident on Saturday. They were Makassar Police chief Sr. Comr. Jose Rizal Effendi, East Makassar Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Eko Suprianto and Panakukang Police chief Adj. Comr. Namora Simanjuntak. On Monday Da'i also fired Insp. Gen. Jusuf Manggabarani, chief of South Sulawesi Provincial Police.

In Makassar, thousands of students from several universities in the city staged street rallies. The students visited several places during the rallies, including UMI, Karebosi park, the East Makassar Police precinct and the official residence of the South Sulawesi Police chief.

A member of the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) Achmad Ali, said that he would bring up the case to the commission plenary meeting to decide if an investigating team was required.

"I come here to collect information and I would suggest that the plenary meeting set up a fact-finding team for the case," he said after visiting the UMI campus where blood stains were still visible.

UMI Rector Nasis Hamzah said that the university had identified the student who allegedly took the policeman hostage.

If found guilty, the student would possibly be expelled from the university, he said.

South Sulawesi Governor Amin Syam was quoted by Antara as saying that the police who attacked the students "were out of control".

Despite the protests, security in Makassar remained under control, South Sulawesi Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Andi Nurman Thahir said.

He admitted that the students outnumbered police personnel deployed to prevent any possible incident during Saturday's rally.

"We don't want more clashes between students and the police," he said.

In the Central Sulawesi town of Palu, some 3,000 students staged a rally outside the Central Sulawesi Police station to protest the attack.

Later, they threw rocks at the station and nearby legislative council after the police refused to meet them. But, the police on duty were not provoked.

Central Sulawesi Police chief Brig. Gen. Taufik Ridha said he had instructed his subordinates to remain calm despite a possible backlash from the students.

Students in the Southeast Sulawesi capital of Kendari showed their solidarity for their fellow students in Makassar by demonstrating in the city.

A clash almost broke out between the hundreds of students who joined the rally and several people the students took for policemen. The students threw rocks at policemen who were on duty.

In the West Java city of Bandung, hundreds of students from 22 youth organizations grouped under the Antimilitarism Solidarity, blockaded several roads on Tuesday morning, creating a heavy traffic jam in the northern part of the city.

They gave speeches, burned tires and military uniforms. The protests ended peacefully.

In Jakarta, a number of groups of students visited to the National Police Headquarters in South Jakarta to condemn the attack and demanded that the National Police chief step down. Some of them later held a protest at Hotel Indonesia traffic circle.

In Semarang and Yogyakarta hundreds of students held similar rallies, condemning the attack and demanding that Da'i step down.

In the North Sumatra capital of Medan, hundreds of students held street rallies while urging Komnas HAM to investigate the case.

Nine police officers named suspects after UMI attack

Jakarta Post - May 4, 2004

Andi Hajramurni, Makassar -- Police investigators named nine police personnel as suspects on Monday, following a brutal police attack on Saturday at the Indonesia Muslim University (UMI) that seriously injured 65 students.

The outgoing chief of the South Sulawesi Provincial Police, Insp. Gen. Jusuf Manggabarani, said that the police personnel were charged for assaulting the students in violation of Articles 351 and 170 of the Criminal Code that carried a maximum punishment of 10 years imprisonment.

He said that one of the nine police personnel was a middle- ranking police officer, First Insp. F. Erwanto, a chief of a police unit at the East Makassar Police precinct. The remaining eight police personnel were low-ranking police personnel.

Jusuf said that as of Monday, police investigators had questioned 27 police personnel, nine of whom had been named suspects. "The joint police investigators from the National Police headquarters and the South Sulawesi Provincial Police will question more police personnel and civilians," said Jusuf, who was immediately removed from his position after his men stormed the UMI campus on Saturday.

The police personnel stormed the campus in a bid to release a policeman who had reportedly been taken hostage by students, following a student protest condemning the rearrest of Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, 66, a controversial Muslim cleric, on terrorism charges.

Meanwhile, National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar held a quick briefing during a stopover at Makassar International Airport, and told high-ranking police personnel that they should learn from the incident. He was on his way to the troubled city of Ambon.

Da'i said that the police should use their weaponry to protect society and not abuse them to oppress society. He was quoted by Antara as saying the recording of the incident would be used as a teaching material for police cadets.

In the briefing, which was also attended by National Police and South Sulawesi Police top brass, Da'i also called on students to stop demonstrations because the protests had began to disturb public order.

Da'i said that the police had removed four police officers responsible for the attack, hence the students no longer had strong grounds to continue demonstrating. The four police officers in question were Jusuf Manggabarani, Makassar Police precinct chief Sr. Comr. Jose Rizal Effendy, East Makassar Police precinct chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Eko Suprianto and chief of Panakkukang Police subprecinct, Adj. Comr. Parambungan.

Despite the call, demonstrations still occurred in several campuses in Makassar on Monday afternoon. The students from various campuses in Makassar blocked several main roads in Makassar city and burned used tires. They condemned the brutal attack and demanded the perpetrators be severely punished.

Police personnel, led by Jusuf, dispersed the student protesters on Monday afternoon. But, shortly after the police left the streets and campuses, another incident occurred in the city.

Four police cadets at Batua Police Academy in the city were assaulted by students after they passed UMI and the 45 University of Makassar, on their way to the academy at 5 p.m.

One cadet Arman, 19, was taken out of a public transportation minibus and beaten and kicked by students in front of the 45 University, while three others were pelted by stones after they refused to abandon the public transportation minibus in front of the UMI campus. They were Syamrin, 18, Jafri Salman, 21 and Syahrul, 19. They were treated at a Makassar hospital on Monday night.

Separately in Jakarta, human rights group Imparsial condemned the brutal attack, saying that it manifested the return of a militaristic attitude among police personnel.

Makassar paralyzed as thousands of students demonstrate

Kompas - May 5, 2004

Makassar, Kompas -- On Tuesday May 5, massive demonstrations and rallies by thousands of students from almost all schools of higher education in the South Sulawesi provincial capital of Makassar brought activities in the city to a stand still for the entire day.

Almost all major roads to and from the city were blockaded by students. It was not until late afternoon that activities returned to normal when students began to clear the blockades.

The demonstrations by thousands of students were related to the bloody incident at the Indonesian Muslim University (UMI) last Saturday [when police stormed the UMI campus and scores of students were wounded]. Similar actions were held by students in Palembang and Jakarta.

Meanwhile, Commission VI of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) plans to call in the heads of police training institutes following the attack by police on the UMI campus. Commission VI said that if felt it was necessary to get some clarification on police training curriculums and paradigms in the era of civil supremacy.

"The police attack on the campus was able to happen because police training at this time still does not teach that campuses are a part of civilized society which should not be touched by violence", said the deputy chairperson of Commission VI, Anwar Arifin on Tuesday in Jakarta.

Separately, National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) member M. Billah said they will soon leave for Makassar to find out what actually happened on the UMI campus. He regretted the harsh actions by police which resulted in scores of UMI students being wounded.

Blockades

Yesterday in Makassar, every single road in front of schools of higher education was certain to be closed by student blockades erected in the middle of roads. Generally students blockaded roads with wood, girders or large boards and set fire to tyres. The fires resulted in plumbs of black in a number of places.

In their demands, the students called on all members of police who committed acts of violence on the UMI campus to be immediately taken to court. In addition to this, they also demanded that the Indonesian police chief, Da'i Bachtiar, be removed from his post. If this demands are not fulfilled immediately, the students threatened to again paralyze Makassar with even bigger actions.

The action did not fail to reap criticism from the public and road users. "Actually we are not disturbed by their actions, if they want to light fires, overturn [things], or whatever. But please don't close roads arbitrarily. These roads are not the property of students or campuses. We also have rights and need to use these roads", said Mariwn (35) who [Kompas] came across while trapped in traffic at the AP Pettarani and Landak Baru intersection near the Makassar Statue University campus (UNM).

In relation to the student demonstrations, Inspector General Jusuf Manggabarani, who was recently removed from his post as the South Sulawesi chief of police, said that police will tolerate the student demonstrations as long as they ensure that they do not create disorder. According to Manggabarani, as long a they are in accordance with laws and regulations which are in force, police will not set a time limit on the demonstrations.

"So far we can still tolerate the student demonstrations because they are in accordance with the law, [which states] demonstrations [are allowed to be held] until 5pm. So we have not set a time limit, but will watch developments on the ground. If [they] exceed this, we will take action in accordance with the stipulations which are in force", said Manggabarani after holding a closed meeting with members of government and the South Sulawesi MPR at the parliament on Tuesday afternoon.

During the Tuesday actions, a number of roads were grid-locked including Jalan Perintis Kemerdekaan in front of the Hasanuddin University campus, the Dipanegara Computer and Information Technology Institute (STMIK) and UMI. Jalan Perintis Kemerdekaan is the main road in and out of Makassar city.

Around six kilometers from Jalan Perintis Kemerdekaan on Jalan Urip Sumoharjo in front of the UMI and 45 University campuses, roads were totally closed for at least two kilometres. Work at offices along these roads was paralyzed.

In the southern part of the city, vehicles from the Gowa, Takalar and other regencies were unable to enter Makassar. This was because for the length of Jalan Sultan Alauddin, starting in front of the campuses of the Muhammadiyah University and the Alauddin State Institute of Islamic Studies, roads were totally closed. Moreover, the road connecting to Jalan Sultan Alauddin, Jalan Andi Tonro, was also closed off by students from STIEM YPUP. Not far from Jalan Andi Tonro, STIEM Bungaya students closed off Jalan Mappaoudang.

Students also closed off the intersection of the Reformasi toll road on Jalan AP Pettarani in front of the University of Makassar campus and Jalan Rappocini in front of the East Indonesia University campus.

In Jakarta, the interim coordinating minister of politics and security, Hari Sabarno, said the attack by police on the UMI campus was excessive, disproportionate and wrong. Sabarno asked that in the future police control themselves better because it is the nation itself, which should be protected, safeguarded and served, that will be hurt. (ren/dot/inu/tri/ win/nar/lok)

[Translated by James Balowski.]

Hundreds of students demand police chief resign

Detik.com - May 4, 2004

Dian Intannia, Jakarta -- Actions by police on the campus of the Indonesian Muslim University (UMI) in Makassar, South Sulawesi continue to attract protests.

In Jakarta on Tuesday May 4, hundreds of student from the Greater Family of Students from the Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University (KBM UIN) arrived at the national police headquarters on Jalan Trunojoyo in 10 metro mini busses.

The solidarity action with the UMI students was also joined by a number of non-government organisations from the United Opposition Front (Barisan Oposisi Bersatu, BOB) who closed off Jalan Trunojoyo, particularly in the direction of Jalan Wolter Monginsidi.

The demonstrators called for the violence at UMI to be fully investigated. As the party which is most responsible for various acts of violence which have occurred, KBM UIN also demanded that Indonesian police chief General Da'i Bachtiar resign.

A white banner around 50 meters long was unfurled by demonstrators which was filled with thousands of signatures rejecting violence on university campuses. "End militarism in universities" called the demonstrators.

The action was tightly guarded by five police units. Although two groups of demonstrators competed to get in front, the demonstration proceeded in an orderly manner. A number of demonstrators gave speeches from the back of a vehicle which was being uses as a makeshift stage. (djo)

[Translated by James Balowski.]

Palembang students demand police chief be sacked

Detik.com - May 4, 2004

Taufik Wijaya, Palembang -- On Tuesday May 4, thousands of students from Palembang in South Sumatra held an action over the attack on the Indonesian Muslim University campus in the South Sumatra provincial capital of Makassar [in which scores of students were wounded by police on May 1]. They demanded that the Indonesian chief of police be sacked.

The solidarity action was joined by students from the Palembang Muhammadiyah University (UMP), the Bina Dharma University, Usri, the IBA University and the Raden Fata State Institute of Islamic Studies. The action began at the Palembang water fountain on Jalan Merdeka at around 11am and was followed by a "long-march" to the offices of the South Sumatra governor via Jalan Sudirman and Jalan Kapten A. Rivai. Prior to this, UMP students had set fire to tyres in front of their campus.

At the governor's offices, they held short speeches and read out a statement. The demonstrators also carried banners reading "The police are responsible for the violence against UMI students", "Sack police chief Da'i Bachtiar", "Students are not sheep" and "Condemn acts of violence and militarism".

As well as protesting the violence by police on the UMI campus, in their statement they also demanded that the police officers who perpetrated the violence be dealt with by the law.

According to the plans the students should have continued on to the South Sumatra police headquarters on Jalan General Sudirman, but in the end it was canceled. "The demonstrators who joined the action are not yet consolidated. So we delayed taking the action there, perhaps tomorrow [we will] hold an action at the Police headquarters", said Chandra, the chairperson of BEM UMP. (asy)

[Translated by James Balowski.]

Bandung students blockade roads over UMI violence

Detik.com - May 4, 2004

Ahmad Fikrij, Bandung -- On Tuesday May 4, hundreds of students blockaded the intersection of Jalan Wastu Kencana and Jalan Taman Sari in Bandung, West Java. The demonstration was organised as a solidarity action over the violence against Indonesian Muslim University (UMI) students in Makassar, South Sulawesi, [when police stormed their campus on May 1.]

The students, who totaled as many as 200 people, had formed a cordon around the intersection since 11.30am. After some 30 minutes, the action became heated when students began setting fire to tyres.

As a result of the demonstration, Jalan Wastu Kencana, which is one of Bandung's major thoroughfares was totally grid locked. Not a single vehicle, even motorcycles, were able to get by with the traffic jam spreading as far as Jalan Pasteur some 7 kilometers from Jalan Wastu Kencana.

During the action, the students who came from the group Solidarity Against Militarism (Solidaritas Anti Militerisme), condemned the police violence against UMI students. The students also demanded that police release UMI students who are still being detained.

Prior to this at around 9am, students had already blockaded Jalan Taman Sari in front of the Bandung Islamic University campus where they also set fire to tyres. This did not however create a traffic jam because it is only a minor thoroughfares. (iy)

[Translated by James Balowski.]

Demands increase for police chief's resignation

Detik.com - May 4, 2004

Budi Hartadi, Surabaya -- Although the South Sulawesi chief of police has been dismissed, actions condemning police violence at the Indonesian Muslim University (UMI) in Makassar continue. In an action on Tuesday May 4, calls for Indonesian police chief Da'i Bachtiar to resign form his post continued to grow.

The demands for Bachtiar's resignation was made by around 100 activists from the Student Executive Council of the State Institute for Islamic Studies (IAIN) and the People's Democratic Party (PRD) in Surabaya in front of the East Java police headquarters on Jalan Ahmad Yani. Similar demands were voiced in student actions in other parts of the country.

At the Surabaya action, students demanded to meet with the East Java chief of police, Inspector General Firman Gani. Gani was only prepared to meet with 50 IAIN students while the PRD was refused permission to enter on the grounds that the organisation does not represent students.

Students called for the police to fully investigate the UMI case [where scores of students were wounded when police stormed their campus on May 1]. The also called on the chief of police to issue a written statement apologizing for the incident. Students also called for Bachtiar to resign from his post.

Gani promised to relate the student's demands Bachtiar and stated that he would be prepared to resign from his post if a case of this kind occurred in East Java. (iy)

[Translated by James Balowski.]

Demonstrators in Medan demand Bachtiar be sacked

Detik.com - May 5, 2004

Khairul Ikhwan, Medan -- Calls for President Megawati Sukarnoputri to sack Indonesian chief of police General Da'i Bachtiar have been raised again. [This time] the demands were made by two groups of demonstrators in an action held at the North Sumatra parliament on Jalan Imam Bonjol in the provincial capital of Medan on Wednesday May 5.

The first action was organised by 250 Student Executive Council activists from various universities in North Sumatra. The demonstrators, who started the action at 1pm, came from the North Sumatra State Islamic Institute of Religion, the North Sumatra Muhammadiyah University and the North Sumatra Islamic University.

During the action they called for Bachtiar to be sacked because of his incompetence in handling the attack by police [on student demonstrators on May 1 in which as many as 60 students were wounded] at the Indonesia Muslim University (UMI) in the South Sulawesi provincial capital of Makassar. They said that Bachtiar had also failed [in his duties] because he had allowed his subordinates to resort to violence in carrying out their duties.

As the BEM activists were still demonstrating, 150 demonstrators from the North Sumatra Indonesian Mujahidin Council arrived. In their action they also condemned the UMI incident.

However the main aim of their action was to condemn the actions of police in re-arresting [Muslim cleric and terrorist suspect] Abu Bakar Bashir. They said that the police had been contaminated by the interest of the United States and Jews. They therefore demanded that the president sack Bachtiar. (gtp)

[Translated by James Balowski.]

Demonstrators burn bier and effigy of Bachtiar

Detik.com - May 5, 2004

Fredolin Adhysa Pelupessy, Jakarta -- On Wednesday May 5, demonstrators from a number of Islamic mass organisations went to the national parliament to demand the dismissal of Indonesian police chief Da'i Bachtiar.

The hundreds of demonstrators who gathered in front of the parliamentary gates on Jalan Lapangan Tembak in Senayan, shouted for Bachtiar to be dismissed immediately and set fire to a bier with an effigy of Bachtiar inside it.

The demonstrators, who came from a number of groups including the Islamic Youth Front, the Jakarta Mujahiddin Council and the Islamic Defenders Front, said that Bachtiar was responsible for a number of acts of violence from the incident in which [Muslim cleric and terrorist suspect] Abu Bakar Bashir was moved from Salemba Prison to the violence on the campus of the Indonesian Islamic University in Makassar, [South Sulawesi, in which police stormed the campus on May 1 injuring at least 60 students].

"All of this violence is a form of intimidation against the Islamic community and [Islamic] activities. It must be stopped immediately", said the deputy chairperson of the Mujahiddin Council, Jamal Aldin.

As well as condemning violence by police, demonstrators also called for Bashir, who is also the head of the Mujahiddin Council, to be released immediately. According to the demonstrators, Bashir has never committed acts of terrorism.

During the action, demonstrators burnt a bier with an effigy inside resembling a corpse with the name Da'i Bachtiar written on it. "Step down... step down... step down now. Sack Da'i right now", shouted the demonstrators as the fire took hold.

After the bier and effigy had been burnt, the demonstrators dispersed little by little, most of all because heavy rain had started to fall. (djo)

[Translated by James Balowski.]

BOB solidarity action for UMI students and Bashir

Fpdra.com - May 3, 2004

Ilham M., Jakarta -- On May 3, 50 activists from the United Opposition Front (Barisan Oposisi Bersatu, BOB) held a free speech forum on the University of Indonesia (UI) campus in Salemba, Central Jakarta. During the action which began at 11.30am, the activists rejected the reemergence of militarism and condemned the beating of Indonesian Islamic University (UMI) students in the South Sulawesi provincial capital of Makassar.

The general chairperson of the People's Democratic Party (PRD), Yusuf Lakaseng, condemned the brutal actions by police against UMI students and the beating of [recently rearrested Muslim cleric Abu Bakar] Bashir supporters which is increasingly convincing people of the dangers of the next president coming from the military. He said that even though they were not yet in power and were still only presidential candidates they were already bold enough to show their militaristic nature.

The dangers of the reemergence of militarism does not just come from presidential candidates from the military but also from civilian presidential candidates such incumbent President Megawati Sukarnoputri, said Lakaseng in his speech. Lakaseng also called on all of the reformist forces to unite both in a parliamentary and extra-parliamentary movements in order that we can block the dangers of the reemergence of militarism, the New Order [regime of former President Suharto] and the fake reformists.

At the end of the action, BOB activists also call on [former President] Gus Dur, [National Awakening Party chairperson] Amien Rais, the Freedom Bull National Party and the Pioneer Party to unite with the people in a united opposition front in order that we can block the forces of militarism. The BOB activists also set fire to tyres and military uniforms in front of the UI Salemba campus sending a plume of black smoke into the sky.

[Translated by James Balowski.]

Police chief's sacking will not resolve UMI case: Sari

Fpdra.com - May 3, 2004

Ilham M, Jakarta -- The coordinator of the United Opposition Front (Barisan Oposisi Bersatu, BOB), Dita Indah Sari, says that the dismissal of the Makassar provincial police chief does not mean that the bloody Indonesian Muslim University (UMI) incident in South Sulawesi has been resolved. Sari made this statement during a break in an action by the BOB at the University of Indonesia campus in Salemba, Central Jakarta, on May 3.

According to Sari, the demands of the UMI student comrades were clear, in their action they rejected a presidential candidate from the military yet the Makassar police responded with repression. The UMI case further convinces us of the dangers to democracy if the military return to power in the future, so BOB is therefore calling on all elements of the democratic movement to unit to block the reemergence of the military in Indonesia.

The emergence of [former armed forces chief] Wiranto and [recently resigned coordinating minister of politics and security] Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) as presidential candidates has resulted in a huge reaction from a number of different parties.

Also present at the action were a number of non-government organisations, political parties and students. Iwan D. Laksono, the general chairperson of the National Student League for Democracy (LMND), said that Wiranto, SBY and President Megawati Sukarnoputri are already guilty of committing human rights violations. Laksono said that SBY's greatest sin was over the Aceh question because when he was the coordinating minister for politics and security and Megawati was president, Aceh became a military operation zone after it was declared to be under a state of martial law.

[Translated by James Balowski.]

Hundreds demonstrate at national police headquarters

Tempo Interactive - May 4, 2004

Martha Warta Silaban, Jakarta -- Hundreds of students and elements from the social movements held a demonstration in front of the national police headquarters at 1pm on Tuesday May 4.

The demonstrators came from the Jakarta State Islamic University (UIN), the Association of Independent Indonesian Trade Unions, the Indonesian National Front for Labour Struggle (FNPBI), the Muhammadiyah Students Association, the National Mandate Party Youth Front, the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), the Indonesian Environmental Forum (Walhi), the People's Democratic Party (PRD), the Poor People's Youth Fighters and the United Opposition Front (BOB).

They were demanding that Indonesian police chief General Da'i Bachtiar resign, they rejected all forms of militarism and called for the perpetrators of the incident [in which police attacked students] at the Indonesian Muslim University (UMI) [on May 1] in Makassar, South Sulawesi, to be tried by a human rights court.

The first group of demonstrators to arrive were from BOB followed by around 300 students from UIN. They sang songs with themes rejecting militarism and violence. As a result of the demonstration, traffic flow on Jalan Trunojoyo was restricted to one lane.

According to information gathered [by Tempo Interactive], demonstrations by other student groups are to follow. Although police had fortified the police headquarters' main gates, at the time of going to press, no clash had occurred between police and demonstrators.

[Translated by James Balowski.]

Simultaneous actions across the country over UMI incident

Tempo Interactive - May 3, 2004

Muhammad Fasabeni, Heru C.N., Jakarta -- Hundreds of people from a number of organisations such as the Greater Jakarta Student Executive Council (BEM-Sejabotabek), the United Opposition Front (BOB), the National Student League for Democracy (LMND) and the People's Dem Party (PRD) held a demonstration in front of the faculty of medicine at the University of Indonesia in Salemba, Central Jakarta. A solidarity action was also held by BEM at the University of Gajah Mada and the Sunan Kalijaga State Institute of Islamic Studies in Yogyakarta, Central Java.

BOB coordinator Dita Indah Sari said that the incident which occurred in Makassar [when police stormed the Indonesian Muslim University (UMI) wounding scores of student demonstrators on May 1] was a form of militarism. According to Dita acts of militarism are not just carried out by people wearing military uniforms but also by civilians who submit to the directions of the military.

Dita demanded that the Indonesian chief of police be deactivated. "It is not enough just to deactivate the [Makassar] provincial and regional police chiefs but the Indonesian chief of police must take responsibility", she said. Moreover added Dita, the incident at UMI represents a violation of human rights which must be taken before the courts because it resulted in around 70 people being wounded.

During the demonstration, which continued for around one hour, speeches were given opposing the military. Seen among the demonstrators was the former chairperson of the Indonesian Democratic Unity Party (PUDI), Sri Bintang Pamuingkas. Demonstrators also set fire to symbols of the military such as military uniforms and flags of the [former state ruling party] Golkar and [President Megawati Sukarnoputri's] Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle.

[Translated by James Balowski.]

Reformasi

The process of building a new Indonesia

Green Left Weekly - May 5, 2004

The impact of Indonesia's election has been widely debated, but little attention has been paid to the movements for change in the country. Green Left Weekly's Vanessa Hearman spoke to Gigih Guntoro, the general secretary of the Indonesian National Students' League for Democracy (LMND), during his recent tour of Australia, about what is happening.

Indonesia's April 5 general election made obvious a phenomenon that pro-democracy activists have been pointing to: that there is an alliance between Golkar, the party through which Suharto ruled Indonesia for decades, and current president Megawati Sukarnoputri's party, the Indonesian Party of Struggle (PDI-P). The two parties were the top vote-winners in the election.

According to Guntoro, the vote reflected the fragmentation of the pro-democracy movement. "After the fall of Suharto in 1998, not one political force continued to systematically attack the remnants of the New Order forces. The democracy movement was issues-based -- as soon as the problem was resolved, the joint work ended. This lack of unity meant that the old forces of Golkar and PDI-P were able to be the top vote-winners."

Guntoro said that their victory would not spell an end to the political and economic crisis experienced by the people of Indonesia. "Exploitation and oppression will be strengthened. After all, Golkar and PDI-P are carrying out the agenda of the International Monetary Fund and international capital in exploiting Indonesia's natural resources and people."

He pointed out that, while the massive funding available to Golkar and the PDI-P meant they sustained higher votes than any other single party, the masses' disaffection with their brand of politics was shown in the support given to new parties such as the Democratic Party (PD) and the Justice and Welfare Party (PKS), which scored more than 7% each.

Guntoro said that the PKS in particular had gained support through its fundraising and charity work in poor urban communities.

Return to 1998

Asked how the election result would affect the student movement, Guntoro said the LMND would advocate a "return to 1998", referring to the heightened level of activity among students campaigning for the resignation of then-President Suharto.

"We need to reorganise properly on the campuses renowned for political activity, such as the University of Indonesia in Jakarta, and Gajah Mada University in Yogyakarta." In turn, this would pressure other campuses to join in. "The role of students in providing leadership to the peasants and workers' movements is key in refocusing our efforts to fight the Golkar-PDIP-military alliance", said Guntoro.

Whilst many political activities are no longer illegal in Indonesia, Guntoro argued that repression is not implemented through "premanisme" -- thugs (preman) hired to destroy headquarters of student organisations, as well as to terrorise movement activists. "It's no longer about explicit prohibition, but we are victims of intimidation, sabotage, terror, short periods of detention."

For example, on March 26, the headquarters of Indonesian Muslim Students' Action (KAMMI) was attacked in Malang, East Java. In response, the local PDI-P head told the Jakarta Post: "Had KAMMI members not burned PDI-P flags in a recent KAMMI protests, the attack would not have happened." Luckily, KAMMI activists were not injured in the attack on their offices, as they were being interrogated at the police station about the earlier protest. "These sorts of tactics clearly have an impact when we are trying to consolidate the pro-democracy forces", said Guntoro.

Privatisation of education

The privatisation of state universities is galvanising students into action. Guntoro said that universities set aside a quota of places for rich students. "For 75 million rupiah [A$12,500], you can become a student at the University of Indonesia." Other universities embarking on privatisation programs include Gajah Mada University, the Bandung Institute of Technology and the Bogor Agriculture Institute -- all previously among Indonesia's most prestigious educational institutions.

"In this way, universities meant to be a public resource become bastions for the rich. The people don't get a say in rejecting the elitist policies of these universities. It is highly selective who gets in and who doesn't." Guntoro warned however, that these attacks are not confined to the tertiary sector. "Just to send a child to kindergarten would cost 2-3 million rupiah [A$330-500] up-front. When the majority of Indonesians are poor, education becomes a commodity that is out of reach."

Fighting corruption

Guntoro said that, "Corruption has proven to be the tinder that lights up the student movement again". The policy of regional autonomy enacted after 1998, in response to criticism of over- centralisation under the Suharto government, has meant that local budgets are plundered by local government officials. When the working class and peasants of Indonesia feel the brunt of neoliberal policies, it is little wonder that corruption among public officials becomes the target of mass anger.

"For years they have witnessed this blatant misuse of public funds condoned and practised at the highest levels of government, but now they are unwilling to put up with it." In March, Golkar chairperson Akbar Tanjung's conviction for corruption was overturned by the Supreme Court. Guntoro explained, "This mobilised students to get out onto the streets again. These activities provide us with leeway to discuss what is the political basis for corruption. We link corruption with the desire of the old forces to obstruct political change. Therefore, we highlight the need for an alliance to get rid of the 'fake reformists' such as PDI-P which is providing cover for the return of Golkar."

The LMND was also involved in a campaign in Riau Province in Sumatra which succeeded in forcing the resignation of the district administrator of Kampar District over corruption charges in the hiring and payment of teachers. According to Guntoro, "We mustn't think that an issue is too small for us to get involved. The key is to point out the source of this discontent and this lack of a political alternative."

Guntoro said that grassroots issues are not just limited to campaigning against corruption. "Inevitably, the people confront the powers that be in their everyday struggles. When you are implementing anti-people policies, the people are bound to resist." Some of this resistance includes the urban poor resisting attempts to clean up "slum areas" and to expropriate land for development. "In Jakarta, Surabaya and Yogyakarta, even in West Papua, communities are fighting back when the authorities come to remove them from their homes." The continuous battle to get rid of street vendors is also another problem provoking resistance, said Guntoro.

The countryside is not immune from such organising. The People's Sugar Cane Farmers Association has resisted cheap sugar being dumped in the Indonesian market as a result of food liberalisation policy -- by burning cane fields across the north coast of Java. "Tobacco farmers are also disgruntled", said Guntoro.

United opposition movement

The LMND is a part of the Indonesian United Opposition (BOB) movement. In the short term, the LMND is focusing on the July presidential election. "It looks likely that the future government will not be very different from the previous one. We can see this already from various elite political figures initiating meetings to discuss power-sharing arrangements, in other words: how to divide the 'power cake', without paying any attention to the people who got the sack, who copped the sharp end of the 'food liberalisation' policy, those students who could not afford to pay school fees ... our short term goal for now is how to challenge these powers by uniting all those opposed to the neoliberal agenda of this government."

But Guntoro said that in the long-term, "what we want to do with such an alliance is to build an Indonesia that is fair, just and where the resources are for the benefit of the people, free from capitalist exploitation." Guntoro also indicated that the LMND is keen to organise an anti-militarist conference for the Asia- Pacific region. He said, "The Iraq war cannot be separated from the wars in Aceh and West Papua and the 'war on terror' -- it is simply a sign of deepening conflict over resources in these areas. In Australia, it would be great if you could do more to oppose what's happening in Aceh and West Papua."

'War on terrorism'

US glad Bashir still behind bars-envoy

Reuters - May 5, 2004

Dean Yates, Jakarta -- The United States is pleased Indonesian police have re-arrested militant cleric Abu Bakar Bashir but Washington should not have to apologise for the controversy over its view of him, the US envoy to Jakarta said.

In an interview on Wednesday, Ambassador Ralph Boyce said the United States had a key role to play in the global war on terror, and that meant speaking out.

He expressed optimism that Islam in the world's most populous Muslim nation would remain moderate, adding that last month's peaceful parliamentary elections were a boost for political stability.

Police arrested Bashir on Friday over suspected terror links, including to the 2002 Bali bombings, as he walked out of jail after serving 18 months for lesser charges. Bashir has been accused of leading the al Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiah (JI) network.

"We welcome the decision by the police to re-question him and to take the action they did last week," Boyce said.

"We do believe there are some concerns that still need to be addressed in terms of what his role has been vis-a-vis JI and some of the tragic events that have happened here." In the weeks leading up to his arrest, public support grew for the 65-year-old preacher over accusations the United States, and Boyce in particular, were trying to interfere in Indonesia's internal affairs by having Bashir kept behind bars.

Washington has accused him of deep involvement in terror.

Boyce said the debate over Bashir had been coloured by the accusations of US interference, which he denied.

"In an interdependent world, in a global war on terror, where the US clearly has a lead role in what is going on in that campaign, I think it's important we do express our views on how that war on terror is going," Boyce said.

Some analysts say going after Bashir again poses a challenge to Indonesia, especially with sentiment for Washington so low due to the war in Iraq and other US policies in the Middle East.

Police have said Bashir would be questioned about attacks including the Bali blasts, which killed 202 people. Previous charges against Bashir of treason and of heading JI, a Southeast Asian militant network, were dismissed or overturned. Bashir denies links to terrorism.

Moderate Islam to remain

His rapid rise to fame coupled with atrocities such as the Bali bombings have given the impression outside Indonesia that radical Islam was gaining ground.

Boyce said he believed militant voices, which have long existed in Indonesia, had merely been louder than others in the country's transition to democracy.

"It's so clear to anyone who takes the time to reach out that this country's brand of Islam is uniquely Indonesian, that it really is the moderate, open and tolerant brand," he said.

Boyce said Indonesia had made plenty of progress on the political front, successfully holding its second consecutive free parliamentary election on April 5. Indonesia's first direct presidential election is scheduled for July 5.

"Unless things go radically off track it seems to me there is a national consensus to follow the process through in whatever direction it may lead," he said.

But Indonesia needed to do more to boost investment to create work for new job seekers each year, he said.

"What is ticking I think is that there are millions of people coming into the workforce on a net basis every year that have to find jobs and, absent major increases in domestic and foreign investment, that's ... a concern for anybody that values stability," he said.

Bashir's lawyers win support from some legislators

Agence France Presse - May 4, 2004

Lawyers protesting at the arrest of terror suspect Abu Bakar Bashir have won support from several members of Indonesia's parliament.

The lawyers, accompanied by representatives from the Indonesian Muhjahedeen Council which Bashir heads and the Surakarta Muslim Youth Front, met members of a parliamentary commission.

"We told the MPs that we consider the arrest and detention of ustadz [teacher] Abu Bakar Bashir as being unwarranted and conducted in violation of police procedures," said lawyer Mahendradatta.

Police say Bashir, 65, led the Al Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) and will be charged with involvement in its terror attacks between 1999-2002, including the Bali nightclub bombings which killed 202 people.

His arrest early Friday outside Jakarta's Salemba prison sparked off violent clashes with supporters in which about 100 police and protesters were hurt.

After the hearing, commission deputy chairman Hamdan Zoelva told reporters that he and several other commission members had agreed to sign a letter guaranteeing that Bashir would not flee and demanding his release.

"It is impossible for the ustadz who is already so old, to flee and destroy evidence so that he can escape the law," said Zoelva, an MP of the Islamic Crescent and Star Party.

During the hearing the delegation showed a video recording of the arrest and of the preceding clashes. They later went to the National Commission on Human Rights to press their case.

Bashir's lawyers, along with hardline and some mainstream Muslim groups, see Bashir's arrest as a result of US pressure. "We are protesting because this is purely a US intervention," Mahendradatta said.

Bashir, who is being held at national police headquarters, was rearrested just moments after completing a prison sentence for immigration violations.

A court last September jailed him for four years for involvement in a JI plot to overthrow the government but said there was no proof he led the network.

An appeal court overturned the treason conviction but ruled that Bashir must serve three years for immigration-related offences. The Supreme Court halved that sentence.

Police say they have new evidence that Bashir was JI's leader while his lawyers have described it as "nonsense".

2004 elections

Megawati's running mate of little help: Analysts

Agence France Presse - May 9, 2004

Two big pictures of Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri and her new running mate Hasyim Muzadi fell to the ground as she approached the podium last week to announce their partnership.

Omen or not, analysts say Muzadi is unlikely to be of much help to the embattled Megawati in Indonesia's first direct presidential election on July 5.

She is struggling to regain support from millions of disaffected voters who turned away from her party in the April 5 legislative elections. But opinion polls show Megawati far behind her former security minister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono as preferred president.

Megawati has abandoned her current vice-president, Hamzah Haz, to team up with Muzadi who leads the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU). It is Indonesia's largest Muslim social organization and claims 40 million followers.

The move is the latest bad decision Megawati has made since parliament elected her president in July 2001, said Mohammad Qodari, research director of the Indonesian Survey Institute.

Asked what Megawati could do to retain the presidency, he laughed and said: "If she could turn back the clock ... and change her policies." Her fate is partly in the hands of her presidential predecessor, the eccentric and nearly-blind Abdurrahman Wahid, whose grandfather founded NU.

Megawati, a daughter of Indonesia's charismatic first president Sukarno, hopes Muzadi will bring millions of Islamic votes with him to supplement her own party's secular-nationalist appeal.

Political observers say that is unlikely to happen. "I think if she chooses Hasyim Muzadi she has a very slim chance," said Azyumardi Azra, rector of the State Islamic University in Jakarta.

"Hamzah Haz probably would have helped her more than Hasyim Muzadi," Azra said. Teamed with Haz, at least she could get "solid support" from his Muslim-based United Development Party which finished fourth in the general election, Azra said.

He said the major factor working against Muzadi is that Wahid -- known as Gus Dur -- does not support his candidacy.

NU followers "will listen more to Gus Dur than to Hasyim Muzadi," he said. "I think the NU members will split into a number of camps." Arbi Sanit, a University of Indonesia political scientist, said Wahid was in a strategic position. "Whoever wants to win can't free themselves of Gus Dur," he said. Wahid's National Awakening Party finished third with 10.57 percent of the vote.

His younger brother, Solahuddin Wahid, an NU vice-chairman, has been talking with the Golkar Party's presidential candidate Wiranto about becoming his vice-presidential hopeful.

Golkar, the party founded by former president Suharto, topped the polls with 21.58 percent of the vote and 128 seats in the new 550-member parliament.

It pushed Megawati's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle into second place with 18.53 percent and 109 seats.

Voters tired of continuing widespread corruption and a still- struggling economy punished Megawati for failing to accomplish the hoped-for reforms when PDI-P swept to power with 34 percent of the vote in 1999.

Sanit and Qodari said voting in the first round of the presidential election could mirror the outcome in the legislative ballot, meaning no candidate would get the required 50 percent plus one of the national vote. A second round requires only a simple majority for victory.

Megawati could still retain her seat if she reached out to smaller parties with promises of cabinet positions and if she could make peace with Gus Dur, Sanit said. The two leaders have had strained relations in the past.

It may, however, all be too late. "More than 70 percent don't want her to come back for a second term," said Qodari, who has researched the public mood.

Jakarta prepared for trouble ahead of polls

Straits Times - May 8, 2004

Robert Go, Jakarta -- Indonesia could experience more security problems and political instability ahead of its first direct presidential election on July 5, a top Cabinet minister said yesterday.

Businessmen, however, maintained an upbeat perspective and said the trouble brewing in spots faraway from Jakarta would not dampen investors' interest here just yet.

Home Affairs Minister Hari Sabarno, who is doubling up as the country's top security minister, told reporters: "We are seeing symptoms that could disrupt political stability and security before the presidential election." At least two major incidents have caused some concerns.

First, there is the recurrence of violence in the religiously divided Ambon in Maluku province. And on Tuesday, two people were killed in the aftermath of a blast in Pekanbaru, Riau province.

Police are flagging that incident as possibly linked to other bombing attacks in the country in recent years.

They have also been seizing more weapons and bomb material in conflict-prone regions such as Poso in Central Sulawesi province.

Mr Hari addressed the possibility that provocateurs were to blame for the recent troubles. "We had peace and quiet before the legislative elections in April," he said. "But once those elections were over, we are seeing potential trouble. This is strange." There is more than politics at stake here.

Investors have been paying close attention to stability and security issues in the business environment in recent years.

The Jakarta stock market has dipped from the historic high point of 818.15 that it reached on April 27 and closed at 743.64, a drop that some market players attributed to growing security concerns.

But other businessmen said the outlook for Indonesia remains positive, with people banking on the idea that a strong leader will emerge out of the presidential election rounds.

Mr Daniel Budiman of Mahanusa Capital acknowledged that security was a concern. But the market's drop has been fuelled by external factors such as China's plans to scale down investment spending and the United States Federal Reserve's increase in interest rates, he said.

Mr Patrick Alexander of Batavia Investments agreed, saying there is far more interest in Indonesia now among foreign investors compared to a few years ago, a trend that will continue.

"In general, we don't see that these incidents are upsetting businessmen who are currently operating here. People watch security issues closely, but right now there isn't yet a fear of big trouble," Mr Alexander said.

Promises of free education irk Mega

Agence France Presse - May 6, 2004

Jakarta -- Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri, facing an uphill battle for a second term in July's election, yesterday criticised politicians who had promised free education.

"Those statements are not only against reality but also misleading," she said, speaking at a ceremony to mark National Education Day.

Ms Megawati, quoted by Antara state news agency, said education was costly but her government was trying to make it affordable to all.

The Prosperous Justice Party is working for free elementary school education in the nation's capital.

The party's Jakarta branch chairman Achmad Heryawan has said that if the city's budget is adequate, junior high school students must also get free education by 2006.

Megawati teams up with Islamic leader

Agence France Presse - May 6, 2004

President Megawati Sukarnoputri teamed up with the head of Indonesia's largest Islamic organisation in an attempt to re- energise her flagging campaign for a second term.

Megawati announced that Hasyim Muzadi, head of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) which claims 40 million followers, would be her vice- presidential running-mate for the July 5 election.

The president faces a tough fight, especially after her Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) lost the April 5 parliamentary poll to the Golkar party of former dictator Suharto.

PDI-P's support slumped from 34 percent in 1999 to just 18.5 percent. Megawati hopes Muzadi will bring millions of Islamic votes with him to supplement her own party's secular-nationalist appeal.

To stress the nationalist connection she made her announcement at the site where her father president Sukarno proclaimed independence from the Dutch in 1945.

"We are gathered here at the site where the Sukarno-Hatta duo proclaimed our independence. Today I, Megawati Sukarnoputri, am here to announce my candidacy and determine my running mate," she told some 500 people.

But in what some spectators saw as a bad omen, two big pictures of Megawati and Muzadi collapsed as she approached the podium to deliver her speech.

Muzadi said he hoped his pairing with Megawati would end division between nationalists and Islamists but stressed his moderate credentials.

"I have worked to present Islam that is moderate to the world and praise be to Allah that the idea of moderation is beginning to be understood and accepted," he said.

A book given to guests describes Megawati as unambitious, humble and peace-loving. "Why does Megawati remain the most popular of presidential candidates? The answer is because her deeds, views and ideas are in keeping with popular aspirations," it says.

Millions of voters who would disagree with that assessment turned on April 5 to the new Democrat party founded by her personable former security minister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

He is way ahead of her as preferred president in opinion polls. Another ex-general, former military chief Wiranto, is Golkar's candidate.

Former president Abdurrahman Wahid could also torpedo the Megawati-Muzadi team. Wahid's relations with his former deputy Megawati have been prickly since parliament sacked him in 2001 with the support of her PDI-P party.

Wahid, nicknamed Gus Dur, founded the NU-linked National Awakening Party and remains influential in NU. He has refused to endorse Muzadi's candidacy. Azyumardi Azra, rector of the State Islamic University, said Muzadi would hurt rather than help the president.

He told AFP that NU followers "will listen more to Gus Dur than to Hasyim Muzadi." Wahid's grandfather founded the movement. "I think the NU members will split into a number of camps," Azra said. "And don't forget that Jusuf Kalla is also of an NU background," he added, referring to Yudhoyono's running mate.

Megawati could also suffer if Wahid's brother Solahuddin Wahid teams up with Wiranto and gets the ex-president's support, Azra said. Golkar is due to announce its vice-presidential candidate on Monday.

Asked whether he has Wahid's blessing, Muzadi told reporters: "I'm not a party member so I don't have to ask permission from party officials." On whether he is confident of winning the election, he said only: "We need to work hard."

2004 polls augurs 'no significant change'

Jakarta Post - May 5, 2004

M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta -- Despite praise from the international community, the April 5 legislative election is unlikely to bring about significant political and social changes, a seminar concluded.

Komarudin Hidayat of Paramadina Mulya University in Jakarta said both the General Elections Commission (KPU) and the political parties that contested the polls failed to break with the political traditions inherited from the New Order regime.

"The KPU, which devoted much of its energy to procedural issues, overlooked widespread violations of substantial election regulations, such as the use of fake diplomas and money politics by legislative candidates. On the other hand, political parties were unable to stop such practices, if not actually instigating them," Komaruddin said at a seminar organized to commemorate the 21st anniversary of The Jakarta Post here.

He lamented the fact that corruption, which he said was deeply rooted in the country's institutions, including the KPU and political parties, had compromised the election outcome.

"It is a sad to see the decay of the social system has shifted to the political system," he said.

Indonesia won plaudits from the international community for its legislative election, which was called fair and transparent despite some logistical shortcomings.

The results of the election, however, have been greeted by some pessimism, with political parties not known for their commitment to reform maintaining a grip on power.

Golkar Party, which was the political machine of Soeharto, is assured of victory in the polls with 21.18 percent of the vote, followed by President Megawati Soekarnoputri's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) with 19.40 percent.

A political expert from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences, Mochtar Pabottingi, said the political structure left by the New Order regime remained intact and had gained new strength in these elections.

"The regime that plundered the country is still in control of the country regardless of any political processes that has been underway," Mochtar said.

He said the legislative election would produce lawmakers resistant to change, much like the current legislators who were elected in 1999.

However, he expressed optimism the public would challenge this drifting away from democracy.

"The public is aware now more than ever that they want changes. Recently, we witnessed a growing movement to oppose money politics during the elections, a campaign against crooked politicians and other people demanding a greater say in the political process," he said.

Despite the challenges, Mochtar said democracy was the most suitable political arrangement for the country, as it provided checks and balances among state institutions.

A political observer at Airlangga University in Surabaya, Daniel Sparinga, said the recent legislative election would not provide a boost to reform.

"The true winners of the election hailed from the conservative and nationalist camps, who are moderate in the transition toward democracy," Daniel said.

Mega picks Muslim leader as running mate

Straits Times - May 5, 2004

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta -- President Megawati Sukarnoputri has decided to team up with the leader of the country's largest Muslim organisation in a bid to boost her support base for the July presidential election.

The move to pick Mr Hasyim Muzadi over her current vice-president Hamzah Haz has forced one of her strongest rivals, former military chief Wiranto, onto the backfoot. Mr Hasyim, who was courted by both contenders, chose the Megawati camp over the retired general's, leaving the latter with a secondary option that could chip away at his campaign.

The Straits Times understands the decision was nearly final; although the pairing would not be formally announced until tomorrow, when the President's Indonesian Democratic Party- Struggle (PDI-P) is due to hold a press briefing.

Mr Hasyim's close aide, Mr Ahmad Bagja, told The Straits Times: 'The final decision would be announced by the PDI-P, but I can tell you they are both strongly inclined to join forces.' The day before, Vice-President Hamzah Haz had put an end to speculation about his future with Mrs Megawati, saying Mr Hasyim would likely be named a vice-presidential candidate.

Mr Hamzah also said he was considering entering a coalition with Golkar or the Nation's Awakening Party (PKB), as he was no longer a choice for president.

A source in the PDI-P said most party executives last week agreed at a leadership meeting that Mr Hasyim would be a better running mate for the party's chairman than Mr Hamzah, who leads the Muslim-based United Development Party.

'We all agreed that Megawati needs a partner who comes from the Islamic background to accompany her nationalist credential,' said a member of the PDI-P leadership board.

"And out of the two choices, we think Hasyim is more saleable than Hamzah because he has more charisma and he represents change." The Muslim cleric is expected to attract the 40-million strong NU followers to bolster PDI-P's support base.

NU sources said Mr Hasyim picked the President over the general as he had been in close communication with her camp for the past six months.

The cleric is also uncomfortable with Mr Wiranto's military background and his reputed closeness to the family of former Indonesian president Suharto.

"Wiranto's links to the New Order regime and the military could backfire on Hasyim and NU," a high-ranking NU official said. "A lot of people were unhappy during the New Order time, and we were afraid too that in the end we would just be left out again despite having helped Wiranto win."

Left with fewer choices for running mate, Mr Wiranto is currently courting another NU cadre, Mr Solahudin Wahid, a brother of former president Abdurrahman Wahid.

Analysts said with such a choice, Mr Wiranto has a tougher chance of surviving the first of two rounds of the presidential elections against his top rivals Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and the incumbent president.

But his chances could greatly increase if he could secure the blessing of Mr Abdurrahman, a former NU chairman who still wields influence over party members.

Mr Abdurrahman has rejected Mr Hasyim's political bid, a move that has split the organisation. Many NU members could go against the will of the leadership by backing the candidate endorsed by the former president.

This is why the PDI-P is holding back on announcing its decision, pending Mr Abdurrahman's approval. Sources in the PDI-P said Mr Abdurrahman, also known as Gus Dur, had rebuffed several attempts by the party to approach him for his blessing of Mr Hasyim's nomination.

Yesterday, another of several scheduled meetings between Mr Abdurrahman and Mrs Megawati in Yogyakarta was cancelled. But both the PDI-P and Hasyim camps insisted yesterday that the partnership would continue regardless of Mr Abdurrahman.

"Yes, we are still trying to get Gus Dur on our side, but if he keeps changing his mind, we would have to go on without his green light," said the PDI-P source.

Golkar wins poll, faces tough fight for presidency

Agence France Presse - May 5, 2004

The Golkar party of former dictator Suharto officially won Indonesia's parliamentary election but now faces a tougher battle for the presidency in July.

Golkar took 21.58 percent of the vote in the April 5 election compared to 18.53 for President Megawati Sukarnoputri's ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the national election commission announced.

The widely-predicted official result is a disaster for Megawati's PDI-P, the successor to the party which opposed Suharto's 32-year autocratic rule.

PDI-P had swept to victory with 34 percent of the vote in 1999, a year after the dictator was forced to step down amid an economic crisis and street riots.

Media reports said the head of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the largest Islamic organisation, has agreed to be Megawati's running mate -- a move which could strengthen her uphill fight for re-election in the July 5 presidential poll.

Golkar legislator Slamet Effendi Yusuf hailed the result as a sign that "people long for a resolution of the crisis that has continued since 1997-98." Millions of voters deserted Megawati in protest at her aloof style, a relatively sluggish economy, unemployment of around 10 million and pervasive corruption.

But all the big parties including Golkar saw their support fall compared to 1999, with voters seeking change and turning to two small parties.

The new Democrat party founded by presidential front-runner Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono came fifth with 7.45 percent. The Prosperous Justice Party took 7.34 percent after campaigning on an anti-corruption platform and playing down its conservative Islamic agenda.

In third place was the National Awakening Party founded by former president Abdurrahman Wahid with 10.57 percent. Fourth was the main Islamic party, the United Development Party of Vice- President Hamzah Haz, with 8.15 percent.

The National Mandate Party of national assembly speaker Amien Rais won 6.44 percent.

Some analysts see the presidential poll as a battle between two ex-generals -- Megawati's personable former security minister Yudhoyono and ex-military chief Wiranto, who has been indicted in East Timor for crimes against humanity in 1999. Wiranto won Golkar's nomination last month.

A recent opinion poll showed Yudhoyono with 30.6 percent support compared to just 14.6 percent for Megawati and 2.2 percent for Wiranto. The survey was conducted before Wiranto's nomination, which is likely to boost his support significantly.

Parties must nominate their presidential and vice-presidential teams this month. But nominees do not have to be party members and candidates are competing for the most electable running-mate.

Yudhoyono has picked former welfare minister and Golkar member Jusuf Kalla. Wiranto and Megawati had been competing for Hasyim Muzadi, head of the NU which claims 40 million followers.

The Jakarta Post and other papers said Muzadi has agreed to team up with Megawati. "We have decided to pair with Megawati and are discussing terms," Muzadi was quoted by the Post as saying.

But ex-president Wahid could still spoil the chances of his former deputy Megawati, who replaced him in 2001. Wahid, who has strong support in NU, refuses so far to endorse Muzadi.

Wiranto has approached Wahid's younger brother Solahuddin, the NU's deputy head. Wahid senior was quoted as saying he had given his blessing to Solahuddin's candidacy but would not campaign for him and Wiranto.

Amien running out of steam

Straits Times - May 3, 2004

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta -- Presidential aspirant Amien Rais is fading into the background as his competitors step up their campaigns ahead of the July 5 election.

With the top picks for running mates already embraced by his rivals, his choices are limited. His attempts at forging a coalition with Islamic parties like the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) and smaller nationalist parties have been met with a cool response.

Analysts say the National Assembly Speaker's chances in the presidential election are slim and that his days in politics may be numbered.

"He has little prospects even to win the first round because potential running mates, who can boost his support, are already with someone else," said political analyst Sukardi Rinakit. "The smartest thing to do now is to pick someone with considerable financial resources to fill his party's puny coffers."

Dr Amien has indicated that he will run with a nationalist figure -- possibly a civilian -- after efforts to woo retired and active generals like military chief Endriartono Sutarto failed.

A possible running mate would be former Cabinet minister and businessman Siswono Yudhohusodo, who has hinted at his willingness. The decision on Dr Amien's running mate will be announced this week.

His ambition to run for the top post this year has not been supported by his party's poor showing in the legislative election last month. Far from clinching the expected 15 per cent of votes, Dr Amien's National Mandate Party (PAN) won merely 6.4 per cent this year.

Devastated by the electoral showing, Dr Amien began to woo other parties for backing. He met several parties, including PKS and the third-largest party, the Nation's Awakening Party (PKB), to establish a loose coalition called the Forum to Save the Nation.

But there was little follow-up to these meetings, and parties like PKB had shown scant interest in joining Dr Amien in forming a king-making coalition like 1999's Axis Force. Said Mr Sukardi: "These parties calculated that they will probably not get anything if they sided with him, so they would rather join the large parties like Golkar or the PDI-P." Parties like PKB or the Muslim-based United Development Party are after concessions like ministerial positions from the future president, he said.

Dr Amien has the backing of the leadership of Muhammadiyah, an Islamic group he once chaired. But it remains to be seen whether the group's 30 million followers will support him in July.

Some Muhammadiyah figures predict that Dr Amien will only generate a low 30 per cent of votes from the group. Alone in the race for the presidency, the Muslim scholar may finish last in the fray in July, many reckon.

How high can Bambang go?

Straits Times - May 3, 2004

Derwin Pereira, Jakarta -- The political fortunes of Indonesia's Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono are on a high as his soaring popularity has made him the favourite to win the presidency in July.

But will the Bambang bubble burst? Two months is a long time in politics. After all, it was only a few months ago that Mr Bambang himself trailed incumbent Megawati Sukarnoputri in the popularity stakes.

Now the latest survey by the United States-based International Foundation for Electoral Systems shows that support for the 54- year-old retired general has soared to 30 per cent.

Ms Megawati, by contrast, is far behind with 14 per cent. Last on the list is another retired general, Mr Wiranto, with just 2.2 per cent.

Indonesian polls have come up with similar findings. The Lembaga Studi Institut (LSI), for example, found that 40 per cent of those surveyed now prefer Mr Bambang, following the success of his small Democrat Party in last month's parliamentary elections. The LSI poll also revealed that he was the top choice of the 40 million supporters of the much-courted Nadhlatul Ulama (NU) -- far ahead even of its chairman and spiritual leader.

Another survey by Soegeng Sarjadi Syndicated, which assessed him with running mate Jusuf Kalla, found that the joint ticket stood the best chance of being elected to office.

So why has Mr Bambang become the favourite? Much of it boils down to image. With his imposing frame and clean-cut good looks, he is the poster boy of the month. His face even appears on T-shirts with the words "I love SBY".

But SBY, as he is known here, is also a man of substance. He has a good track record as a military officer and as a member of Ms Megawati's Cabinet. As one of the most high-profile ministers, he became a voice of reason and authority. He appeared on television almost every other day with headline news on terrorism, Aceh, Papua and Poso.

That profile increased dramatically when he quit the government after falling out with the President and her garrulous husband Taufik Kiemas, who chided him publicly for "acting like a child".

Many also see Mr Bambang and Mr Jusuf, a successful businessman from South Sulawesi, as a force for change in Indonesia. They have the reformasi tag.

The rising popularity of Mr Bambang has become such a thorn in the side of his enemies that they have taken to trying to smear his name in recent weeks.

One rumour making its rounds in Jakarta is that Mr Bambang's election campaign is being funded by Mr Tommy Winata, an Indonesian-Chinese businessman who allegedly runs gambling operations across the country. Another suggests that he had the backing of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and had received US$50 million from Washington.

The mudslinging has also touched on religion. His detractors accuse his party of being led by Christians and his wife of being a Muslim convert.

Mr Bambang has put up a brave front to reject such allegations. But the concern in his camp is whether they will erode people's confidence in him over time. Another potential problem is political machinery. The Bambang-Jusuf partnership does not have a major party network behind it. Mr Jusuf dumped Golkar to join forces with the former security czar.

In fact, Mr Bambang's Democrat Party mustered just over 7 per cent of the national vote in the general election. On paper, this does not look encouraging. But their backers suggest that the dynamics in the July presidential election are all about the man, not the machinery.

A senior adviser to Mr Bambang explains: "He is a fresh face appearing on the stage at a time when there is a mood for change. Indonesians will gravitate towards this man whom they see challenging the status quo and the past. He is the third force."

In reality, though, his supporters know that clinching the presidency will involve working the ground. To do that, the two leaders need to synchronise their approaches. There have been teething problems in merging both teams. The Bambang camp is perceived to be "academic and theoretical" while Mr Jusuf's group is led by businessmen who prefer "action to talking".

But differences are being resolved as they get down to the hard task of working to build a network from the provincial level right down to districts and villages -- many areas in which the Bambang name is still new.

Individually, Mr Bambang and Mr Jusuf have been touring the country to touch base with key personalities. Mr Jusuf has in recent weeks met prominent Islamic figures like Nurcholish Madjid and A.A. Gymnastiar to cultivate the Muslim ground that will be critical in tipping the balance in the election.

Mr Bambang's focus, on the other hand, is on the nationalist camp. Sources reveal that he is meeting key members of Golkar and Ms Megawati's Indonesian Democratic Party -- Struggle (PDI-P) to get several of them on board.

These meetings could count for something but until now they have yet to seal a deal with any party. That means they will have a lot of coalition building to do during the run-up to the second round of the presidential election in September.

But will there be anyone else left in the running by then? Mr Bambang's major rivals are now trying to galvanise as much support as they can at the elite level and grassroots.

One of them is Mr Wiranto, the retired four-star general who served in the last days of the Suharto regime as military commander. His surprise nomination by Golkar sparked protests by rights groups at home who describe him as a war criminal for being involved in the 1999 East Timor imbroglio.

It is also an open secret that Washington would prefer a Bambang presidency. But do the poor in Indonesia care about an endorsement from the US? Despite his historical baggage, however, Mr Wiranto is a more recognisable name than his rival. He has also promised the stability of the good old Suharto days. Like Mr Bambang, he offers the prospect of firm leadership.

Mr Wiranto also has a huge war chest and network. They helped him beat Golkar chairman Akbar Tandjung against all odds at the party convention. He will draw on the same machinery for his run at the presidency. This time he is likely to get backing from Golkar and other parties as well. But the Wiranto camp fears that subversive elements might undermine him. One of them could be Mr Akbar.

His greatest fear in lending the general full support is that it could bring down his own standing in Golkar.

A victorious Mr Wiranto might try to place his men in the all- powerful central executive board of the party instead. An adviser to Mr Wiranto explains: "Akbar is concerned about his own position. It will be suicidal for him to support Wiranto. He might formally acknowledge him as the presidential candidate but could get party branches to vote for Bambang."

There is one other imponderable for Mr Wiranto: Can he get others on board? His ideal scenario is to team up with NU chairman Hasyim Muzadi with the blessings of former president Abdurrahman Wahid who still wields enormous influence in the country's largest Muslim organisation. This alliance will almost certainly bring him the support of the NU-linked PKB. But chances of getting Mr Hasyim appear slim, leaving Mr Wiranto with little choice but to turn to others in NU, like Mr Solahuddin Wahid, or even within Golkar for a running mate.

Mr Hasyim is veering towards Ms Megawati, and that would strengthen the President's hand in her own battle to stay in power if she can get other parties to join her coalition.

But the thinking here is that she stands little chance against either general in the second round. Ms Megawati's popularity is waning even with the Sukarno name once thought to have a symbolic hold on the wong cilik.

The results of the general election point to one indisputable fact: The older established parties like Golkar and PDI-P have lost ground. People want a new face. There will be twists and turns along the way in a seemingly unpredictable race. It is not going to be a cakewalk but Mr Bambang is the one to watch.

Thousands plan simultaneous demos against militarism

Detik.com - May 9, 2004

Woro Swasti, Jakarta -- Next Wednesday, May 12, thousands of students from 23 campuses across Greater Jakarta plan to hold simultaneous actions rejecting presidential candidates from the military. The actions will start at their respective campuses at 11am after which they will move off to the national parliament (DPR) on Jalan Gatot Subroto in South Jakarta.

At a press conference held at the Indonesian Christian University (UKI) in Salemba, Central Jakarta, on Sunday May 9, Rendra, as student form the Jayabaya University said that the actions represented a war between civil supremacy and militarism. They strongly objected to presidential candidates originating from the military.

Outside of Jakarta, on the same day students will also hold simultaneous actions in 30 different cities including Bandung (West Java), Surabaya (East Java), Yogyakarta (Central Java), Medan (North Sumatra), Ceribon, Garut, Bogor and Indramayu (West Java), Palembang (South Sumatra), Makassar (South Sulawesi), Jambi (West Sumatra), Bali, Manado (North Sulawesi), Kupang (West Timor) and Malang (East Java).

In Jakarta itself the campuses which will participate include the University of Indonesia, UKI, the Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University, the Jayabaya University, the Tarumanegara University, the Trisakti University and the Mpu Tantular University. If possible, from the DPR demonstrators will gather at the Trisakti campus to lay flowers.

The flowers are an expression condolences by all Indonesian students to their comrades, the students of Trisakti, who became the victims of the barbarism of the military and New Order regime of former President Suharto on May 12, 1998(1).

It is estimated that it will not just be students who will join the actions since students have also invited non-government organisations, solidarity groups representing the victims of violence and all elements of society with similar views, that is rejecting militarism and struggling for civil supremacy. (ani)

Notes:

1. On May 12, 1998, security personnel shot into a crowd of student protesters from the Trisakti University near their campus in West Jakarta, killing four students and injuring several. This proved to be the spark which set-off three days of mass demonstrations and rioting in Jakarta which eventually lead to the overthrow of former President Suharto. Similar incidents occurred on in November 1998 and September 1999 when troops opened fire on demonstrators from the Atmajaya University in Jakarta using rubber bullets and live ammunition in the area of Semanggi, South Jakarta, resulting in the death of dozens of student demonstrators.

[Translated by James Balowski.]

Surabaya students reject candidate from military

Detik.com - May 5, 2004

Budi Hartadi, Surabaya -- Scores of activists from the Indonesian National Student Movement (Gerakan Mahasiswa Nasional Indonesia, GMNI) in Surabaya, East Java, held a demonstration [on May 5] rejecting presidential candidates with a military background. They also called on the people to be on their guard against ex- military officers becoming involved in politics.

The action, which was held in front of the State Grahadi State Building on Jalan Gubernur Suryo, started at 12.15pm and continued for about an hour. The action remained orderly and did not disrupt traffic as it was held on the sidewalk.

In a speech, action coordinator Fajrur said that the military have become a body which is bringing fear to students and the Indonesian people. This is because to date the many cases of human rights violations by the military have yet to be fully investigated.

The demonstrators also brought a number of posters some of which were placed on the sidewalk reading "Be on guard for presidential candidates from the military" and "Wipe militarism from the face of the earth". They also brought a wooden effigy with a cartoon hanging from its neck reading "Military [presidential candidates] SBY-Wiranto are haunting the people". (gtp)

[Translated by James Balowski.]

Surabaya hit by demos rejecting military candidates

Detik.com - May 6, 2004

Budi Hartadi, Surabaya -- A wave of demonstrations hit the East Java city of Surabaya on Thursday May 6. Hundreds of activist from the Indonesian Muslim Students Union (PMII), the Surabaya Indonesian Nationalist Student Movement (GNNI), Echoes of Freedom (Gema Pembebasan) and the People's Democratic Party (PRD) held joint actions in front of the State Grahadi Building on Jalan Gubernur Surya. Meanwhile, the Indonesian Islamic University (UMI) Concern Alliance held a demonstration at police headquarters on Jalan Ahmad Yani.

The demonstrators demands were the same as previous demonstrations, rejecting a presidential candidates from the military, calling on the Indonesian chief of police to take moral responsibility for the repressive actions by police against UMI students [in the South Sulawesi provincial capital of] Makassar [on May 1] and rejecting foreign intervention in Indonesian domestic issues.

Tensions were high throughout the demonstration. Although the action was blockaded by some 50 police who had been on alert since morning, at around 1.30pm hundreds of PRD activists were able to force their way into the Grahadi building.

Confronted by the blockade, activist tried to break though by pushing and shoving the gates which were guarded by police. Chaos almost broke out because a police officer became emotional over the behavior of a demonstrator. However in the end, the officer was pulled back and replaced with a security guard to guard the gate so that demonstrators could not enter the grounds of the East Java governors' office.

The action did not continue for long. After 30 minutes of speeches the PRD demonstrators left the location on foot. The flow of traffic became congested because demonstrators almost took up an entire lane of traffic.

Demonstrators also brought a number of posters with pictures of [presidential candidates former armed forces chief] Wiranto and [former coordinating minister for politics and security] Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono which had been adorned with fangs and horns and the writing "Look out, the military is awakening" and "Reject military intervention in politics".(nrl)

[Translated by James Balowski.]

Media/press freedom

'Indonesian press freedom under threat'

Jakarta Post - May 4, 2004

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta -- In marking World Press Freedom Day on Monday, a press organization noted that the press here is still regarded as "the enemy". Also, it noted that under martial law in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam, the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) was just as bad as the Indonesian Military (TNI) and police as regards intimidating the media.

Citing at least 41 cases of intimidation against the press across the country over the past year, the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) said that press freedom had been threatened by the state, separatist groups, acts of "hoodlumism" as well as lawsuits from powerful people.

Under martial law, which was declared on May 19 last year, the security forces and GAM were involved in 13 cases of pressure, including killings of journalists, the AJI record showed.

All 41 cases "show how the state, the public, and other groups in society consider the press as an enemy, instead of as a partner," AJI chairman Eddy Suprapto said in a statement.

The AJI particularly noted the deaths of Mohammad Jamaluddin (a TVRI television cameraman in Banda Aceh) and Sori Ersa Siregar (a reporter from RCTI television), and the failure to release Ersa's colleague, cameraman Fery Santoro, from the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) which is currently holding him. These cases "have torn apart Indonesia's press freedom" Eddy said, while urging Fery's immediate release.

Fery has spent almost 10 months with GAM since the journalists were abducted with their driver and two air force officers' wives on June 29 last year. The government and GAM failed to agree on terms for the release of Fery and dozens of other civilian captives despite the help of the Red Cross at both the local and international levels. The driver escaped when the military wives were being released earlier.

The AJI called on all groups to understand and to respect the work of journalists and to afford them protection while working in conflict areas. The media still faces restrictions in covering Aceh and have been more cautious in sending out journalists since the abduction of Ersa and Fery.

In addition, the AJI urged media companies, journalists, and press organizations to improve their professionalism, otherwise press freedom would not materialize.

Meanwhile, Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI) chairman Victor Menayang reminded the public that press freedom was in the interests of all.

"The struggle for press freedom is not only the struggle of media people, but the struggle of the entire people," he told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

He added that various laws and regulations, including the Constitution and the Press Law, needed to be revised to give more protection to the press.

While saying that legal action was preferable in the event of protests against coverage rather than harassment and violence, AJI noted that the public appeared to have little interest in out-of-court settlements as provided for by the 1999 press law.

Intimidation of the press, May 3, 2003-May 3, 2004

Perpetrators Physical violence Non-physical Number

Military 1 1 2

Police 7 2 9

Demonstrators 9 7 16

Govt officials 4 1 5

Unknown 1 2 3

Legislators -- -- -

Political parties 4 2 6

Source: AJI

Regional/communal conflicts

Indonesian leadership silent on religious violence

Asia Times - May 6, 2004

Gary LaMoshi, Denpasar -- Religious-inspired violence is old news in Indonesia. Muslim extremists were behind the Bali bombings of October 2002 and, allegedly, the Marriott Hotel blast last August. The secessionist movement in resource-rich Aceh cloaks itself in strict Islamic clothing. In the Maluku Islands and in Central Sulawesi, communal violence between Christians and Muslims erupted shortly after the fall of Suharto in 1998 and has simmered, occasionally boiling over, ever since.

Few human rights are more basic than the right to live in safety and security, and religious-inspired violence -- whether fostered by the Koran, the Bible, foreigners, rogue military elements, Zionists or the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), as various groups allege -- is the greatest threat to safety and security in Indonesia. That's why the silence of Indonesia's political leadership following renewed clashes in Ambon and the rearrest of radical Islamic cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, sparking bloody conflicts around the archipelago, is not only deafening, but shameful.

Politicians are busy this week in the world's largest predominantly Muslim nation, though, wrangling to arrange their tickets for the July 5 presidential election, with incumbent Megawati Sukarnoputri, challenger Wiranto and others seeking running mates, and minor parties holding out for the best deal. In the campaign to date, radical Islam is the 800-pound gorilla in the room that no one dares mention. Their fiddling, while Ambon burns and violence in the name of Islam smolders, illustrates the Indonesian political elite's disconnect from the real problems of this vast nation.

Back to future in Ambon

In Ambon, the capital of Maluku, fighting erupted on April 25 after two years of relative calm. Members of the predominantly Christian separatist organization marched to commemorate the 54th anniversary of their declaration of an independent Republic of South Maluku. That's the kind of communal display that police are supposed to prevent; instead, some officers joined the parade to provide protection. The marchers clashed with predominantly Muslim opponents, and the battle resumed. So far, at least 38 are dead, many at the hands of snipers, and hundreds have been injured.

Local leaders of both the Christian and Muslim communities blame outsiders for this outbreak. Indeed, hundreds of Muslim fighters recruited from other areas of the archipelago and internationally fueled the previous three-year fight that left at least 9,000 dead, until a military ship mysteriously appeared and removed them after the October 2002 Bali bombings. Armed-forces supporters of Suharto are believed to be behind these dark forces, such as the thugs who conducted massacres in East Timor. Retired General Wiranto, Suharto's last military chief and presidential nominee of Suharto's ruling party Golkar despite his international indictment for the East Timor killings, might benefit from an unstable domestic situation that demands a strong, experienced former military commander (see Looking for Mister Golkar , April 22).

Wiranto has made no public statement about the outbreak in Ambon, but he's not alone. The closest that President Megawati has come to speaking out was sending one of her daughters there last week to promise medical supplies to victims. Gee, thanks.

Big, bad Ba'asyir

The silence over Ambon pales in comparison with the case of Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, the reputed spiritual leader of the terrorist group Jemaah Islamiya, because of the larger issue of violent, radical Islam.

Jailed for his radicalism under Suharto and an exile in Malaysia until the Suharto regime fell, Ba'asyir was taken into custody after the Bali bombings and tried on terrorism charges last year. He claims the CIA was behind the Bali bombs and, like many Indonesians -- without contradiction from their leadership -- that Jemaah Islamiya is a figment of Western imagination. Much of the evidence against Ba'asyir allegedly came from terrorism suspects in US custody, fueling Ba'asyir's claims that he was a victim of the West's plot to destroy Islam.

Observers say prosecutors presented an extraordinarily weak case, and Ba'asyir was acquitted of the terror charges last year, but sentenced to four years for immigration violations connected to his exile. Western officials howled about the split-the- difference verdict, privately and publicly, bolstering Ba'asyir's claims as a conspiracy victim. A higher court later cut the sentence to 18 months.

Ba'asyir was due for release last Friday from his relatively comfortable confinement that included an unlocked room with private bath, use of a mobile phone in contravention of prison rules, and frequent visits from Islamic politicians and religious leaders. But police claimed they had new evidence and wanted to question him further. Ba'asyir refused to cooperate, and his lawyers claimed the new allegations were further evidence of US influence. He was released and immediately rearrested on terrorism charges.

The incident sparked a riot outside the Jakarta prison between an estimated 700 Ba'asyir supporters and police that left more than 100 people injured. Indonesia's leadership sheltered comfortably under their cone of silence, and the populace paid for it.

The next day, students at the Indonesian Muslim University in Makassar on the island of Sulawesi protesting Ba'asyir's release turned violent, reportedly yanking an off-duty police officer from a vehicle and taking him hostage. Police stormed the campus and, by all accounts, beat everyone in sight. The 61 injured included four students who were shot.

Would a presidential statement, even one delivered by a cabinet officer -- since Ibu Mega rarely speaks for herself -- saying that Ba'asyir was being detained because police say he is a threat to our nation and that their evidence will be aired openly in a court of law that will determine justice for him and for Indonesia, have prevented the violence in Makassar? We'll never know. In fact, at this point, we don't even know if Megawati has heard about Ba'asyir's confinement or the accompanying violence.

The silence fits a long-standing pattern. Since the Bali bombing, Indonesia's political leaders have offered blanket condemnations of terror violence, but categorically refused to condemn its perpetrators or link it to radical Islam. Paradoxically, though, they often offer excuses for Islamic anger, such as the invasion of Iraq and US support of Israel, and those US policies undoubtedly make it more difficult for them to join hands with the US on the terror issue (see Unhappy anniversary for US- Indonesia ties , September 11, 2003). They claim that the majority of Indonesia's estimated 200 million Muslims are moderates, yet will not condemn radical fringe elements.

Police officials get no political cover to fight terror. It's a trick from the authoritarian days -- gee, what can we do about those nasty security forces? -- that continues to serve politicians well. National Police Chief General D'ai Bachtiar deserves praise for carrying out his job despite the absence of public support from the political leadership; he promptly fired the police officials in charge in both Makassar and Ambon this week.

Not all politicians are silent, though. Hamdan Zulva, head of the House of Representatives' Commission for Legal and Human Rights, plans to call Bachtiar on the carpet this week to demand Ba'asyir's release. Zulva is a member of the Muslim Crescent Star Party, a strict grouping that demands imposing Islamic law in Indonesia. In last month's legislative elections, the Crescent Star Party received 2.57 percent of the vote. Who among Indonesia's political elite dares speak out for the other 97.43 percent?

Ambon talks end in disaray

Jakarta Post - May 4, 2004

M. Azis Tunny, Ambon -- A meeting of Christian and Muslim leaders and National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar ended in disarray here on Monday, after conflicting parties failed to reach an agreement to cease the renewed clashes in Ambon, Maluku.

The breakdown in the talks is expected to worsen the sectarian conflict in the restive city, where at least 38 people have died in renewed clashes that erupted on April 25, triggered by a separatist rally.

Separately, police said they would charge the wife and daughter of exiled Maluku separatist leader Alex Manuputty with subversion-related offenses.

Monday's meeting became heated after Maluku police and military chiefs prohibited local Muslim leaders from reading out a statement on their stance over the violence on April 25, the 54th anniversary of the declaration of the South Maluku Republic (RMS).

When Da'i was leaving the venue, he was suddenly stopped by Muslim leader Abdurachman Nivinubun who was dissatisfied with the meeting, which was conducted without a dialog between participants.

The forum was closed after Da'i, noted Muslim preacher Abdullah "Aa Gym" Gymnastiar and Indonesian Communion of Churches (PGI) chairman Nathan Setiabudi gave speeches.

Abdurachman's spontaneous move surprised other meeting participants.

Pattimura military commander Maj. Gen. Syarifuddin Sumah and other local senior officers tried to calm Abdurachman, but the latter insisted on speaking.

"Allow me to speak here. National Police chief, I want to talk to you for a while. The current unrest, which is a continuation of the April 25 incident, is part of a big scenario aimed at destroying Maluku," Abdurachman told Da'i.

He argued that the security forces were powerless in preventing activists from the Maluku Sovereignty Front (FKM) from staging a separatist rally on April 25.

Similarly, Christian youth leader Josias Polnaya lamented that the Da'i-led meeting had failed to bring about a peaceful solution, as it did not give the chance for participants to air their views or grievances.

Josias said the fresh violence was part of attempts by outsiders to disrupt the ethnic harmony between people in religiously segregated Maluku, who lived in relative peace after a peace accord signed in early 2002 to end three years of fighting that began in January 1999.

In a response, Da'i said the police would take action "proportionally and professionally" to stop the sectarian conflict.

He also pledged to deal with RMS separatists before leaving the venue.

The chaos lasted for only a few minutes as both Muslim and Christian participants refrained from blaming each other for the new clashes.

However, the Muslim group, in its statement that was not read out at the meeting, firmly demanded that the police resolve all FKM/RMS cases thoroughly within three days.

The Muslim participants also urged the police to replace all personnel from Maluku with those from outside the province in order to stop alleged partiality.

According to another participant Hasan Ohorella, the Maluku authorities asked that the statement not to be read out at the meeting because it could disrupt the forum.

Meanwhile, the police said at least 35 RMS members, including Oly and Christine Manuputty -- the wife and daughter of exiled Maluku pro-independence leader Alex Manuputty, were detained and would face subversion charges.

FKM secretary-general Moses Tuanakotta was also among those detained at the Maluku Police headquarters.

Maluku Police chief Brig. Gen. Bambang Sutrisno promised to complete their case files soon so as to submit them to prosecutors.

He said the police were hunting down other separatist members still at large.

Earlier, Da'i said the trials for the charged RMS leaders would be held outside Maluku to prevent possible violence.

Meanwhile, the security situation was much calmer in Ambon on Monday amid heavy rain. No shooting or blasts were heard, despite rumors that Laskar Jihad hard-liners would head to Ambon as they did in the previous conflict.

Maluku Governor Karel Albert Ralahalu told Antara that he had ordered security forces to remove the various makeshift barricades erected by residents during the melee.

Maluku police chief replaced after bloody battles

Agence France Presse - May 4, 2004

The police chief of Indonesia's Maluku province has been replaced following week-long Muslim-Christian battles in which 38 people died and hundreds of buildings were torched.

Brigadier General Bambang Sutrisno has been shifted to a new assignment at police headquarters in the capital Jakarta, national police spokesman Paiman announced on local radio.

He did not link the transfer directly to the violence. But police in the provincial capital Ambon were widely blamed for bungled handling of an April 25 parade by Christian separatists.

Clashes with Muslims broke out after the separatists marched to and from the police station following the arrest of Moses Tuwanakotta, secretary general of the pro-independence Maluku Sovereignty Front.

Muslims saw the parade as provocative, even though separatist supporters make up only a small percentage of the province's Christian population, and believed police on the ground were protecting Front members.

Paiman said Sutrisno was transferred "to safeguard the situation" in the lead-up to the July presidential election -- in which President Megawati Sukarnoputri faces a tough challenge from two ex-generals standing on law-and-order platforms.

Police said separately that Front leaders would face trial in Jakarta for subversion-related offences. Police have arrested 35 suspected members.

"We are still trying to determine who are the top leaders and who are mere followers. The top leaders will be tried in Jakarta while the rest will face justice here," said Maluku police spokesman Hendro Prasetyo.

The wife and daughter of exiled separatist leader Alexander Manuputty are among the suspects. Manuputty fled to the United States last year pending an appeal against a four-year jail term passed in January for subversion.

Maluku governor Karel Albert Ralahalu said Monday that 38 people were killed and 230 injured in the bloodshed. Hundreds of buildings were torched and more than 9,000 Muslims and Christians fled their homes, according to officials.

The violence was the worst since a pact in February 2002 ended three years of sectarian fighting in which around 5,000 people died.

The city was quiet Tuesday. "For a second time in a row, we have had a relatively quiet night, with only one or two blasts heard," said provincial spokeswoman Lis Ulahayanan.

On Monday Indonesia's police chief Da'i Bachtiar, accompanied by a Christian and a Muslim national leader, met civic and religious leaders in Ambon to try to calm tensions.

But a Muslim youth leader and a Christian legislator each vocally protested against being unable to talk to Bachtiar.

Abdulrahman Divinubun, the Muslim youth leader, also shouted that "RMS (separatists) should not be the (government's) adopted child in Ambon." Governor Ralahalu on Tuesday warned that any government employees found to be supporting separatism would be sacked and taken to court. Indonesia's population is 87 percent Muslim but Christians and Muslims live in roughly equal numbers in the Malukus.

Focus on Jakarta

Jakarta enforces seat belt law, 12 years after it was passed

Agence France Presse - May 5, 2004

Jakarta -- Twelve years after a law was passed forcing drivers to wear seat belts, police in the Indonesian capital Jakarta on Wednesday began enforcing it.

"We are, starting today, enforcing the law that requires drivers and front-seat passengers to wear seat belts," said a national police spokesman, Zainuri Lubis.

bis said Jakarta drivers who refuse to belt up could face a fine of up to one million rupiah (115 dollars) or up to a month in jail.

Several other Indonesian cities will soon follow suit. Others, such as the second largest city of Surabaya in East Java, have already enforced the law.

The government in 1998 announced plans to enforce the 1992 law but drivers complained they could not afford to fit belts amid an economic crisis.

Despite Wednesday's belated crackdown, owners of cars without seat belts have been given until November 2005 to instal them.

News & issues

Court jails nine suspects over Flores incident

Jakarta Post - May 8, 2004

Yemris Fointuna, Kupang -- The Kupang District Court sentenced nine civilian defendants on Friday to one year in prison each for their involvement in last year's attack on a court building and prosecutor's office on Flores Island, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT).

The defendants were found guilty beyond all reasonable doubt of violating Article 170 of the Criminal Code over the attack on Nov. 15, 2003 in Larantuka, the capital city of East Flores regency.

Prosecutor Samuel Say demanded only one-year jail terms for three defendants -- Marthinus Mangu, 52, John Ricardo, 29, and Rafael Sinung Jaya Lamanepa, 36.

In a separate trial, prosecutors Hanoch Amalo and I Ketut Sukada sought 18 months in prison for six other suspects -- Sebastianus F. Langkamau, 32, Wilhelmus Langkamau, 34, Filipus Tobi, 38, Benediktus Langkamau, 29, Wempi Langkamau, 25, and Thobis Muda Odjan, 28.

The nine defendants were being tried separately before the same court, which was presided over by Hendri Silaen, accompanied by judges Karlen Prialusi and Bernadeta Samosir.

Samuel Say said the prosecution accepted the verdicts on the first group of three defendants, while the three's lawyers said they planned to appeal.

In the trial of the group of six defendants, the prosecutors said they would appeal the verdicts.

The courtroom was packed with spectators, mostly family members of the defendants, with the area around the courthouse being tightly guarded by one platoon of police.

Three other civilian suspects are still on trial for their alleged involvement in the same attack on a courthouse shortly after a judge convicted local Catholic leader, Father Frans Amanuen, in a defamation case filed by East Flores Regent Felix Fernandes.

All 12 suspects were also accused of setting fire to the Larantuka Prosecutor's Office. No fatalities were reported in the incident.

Father Amanuen was taken to court after he accused the East Flores regent of being involved in marking up the price of a multipurpose boat that was purchased by the local government. The boat is said to have been worth Rp 3 billion (US$352,941).

In a local publication, Amanuen criticized the regent, saying he had enriched himself through the purchase of the boat.

Regent Felix Fernandez then reported the outspoken priest to the police for defamation. A court later sentenced the priest to two months' imprisonment and five months' probation. His supporters, however, were enraged by the verdict, and went on a rampage, setting fire to the state buildings.

Larantuka was last rocked by sectarian violence in 1995, when an angry mob killed Taman, 47, a resident of Banyuwangi, East Java, at Reinha Rosario Cathedral. Taman, who was a Protestant, was accused of insulting the Catholic church during a sermon.

According to the 2000 census, 154,903 out of the 199,586 inhabitants of East Flores are Catholic.

Foreign arrivals hit six-year high

Jakarta Post - May 5, 2004

Fitri Wulandari, Jakarta -- Foreign arrivals in the country hit a six-year high of 1.03 million in the first quarter of this year despite the introduction of a stricter immigration policy and security concerns due to the general election.

Slamet Mukeno, deputy chief of the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), said foreign tourist arrivals from January to March of this year increased 20.61 percent from 857,533 people in the first quarter of last year.

"The introduction of the visa on arrival in May has not dampened their interest in coming to Indonesia. Maybe they don't consider the procedure too complicated," Slamet said on Tuesday.

The government came under fire for introducing the visa on arrival for citizens of a number of countries, for which they are charged US$25 and given only 30 days in the country. Previously tourists were given a 60-day entry permit at no cost.

Critics said it would hurt the tourist industry, which is still trying to overcome the devastating impact of the Bali bombing in 2002, the SARS epidemic and the JW Marriott Hotel bombing in Jakarta last year.

According to Presidential Decree No. 103/2003 dated Dec. 17, 2003, citizens from 11 countries are eligible for the visa-free facility. Previously it was extended to citizens from 48 countries.

Foreign arrivals in the first quarter of this year is the highest in six years. Since 1998 to 2003, foreign arrivals in the first quarter never reached one million. It only reached 992,020 in 2002 before plunging to 857,533 in 2003.

The government is optimistic that it will meet its five million target for foreign arrivals this year.

The relatively peaceful election campaign in March also contributed to the sharp increase in first quarter tourist arrivals, Slamet said.

Thirteen main gateways recorded 354,291 foreign arrivals in March, a 10.17 percent increase from February's 321,576. Foreign arrivals in March this year was up 22.84 percent from the same period last year, BPS reported.

Bali, the country's most popular tourist destination, also saw a significant increase in foreign arrivals. In March, 104,400 foreigners visited the island, a 16.92 percent increase from February's 89,300.

Average length of stay in star-rated hotels only increased slightly to 2.09 days in February, a 0.05 percent increase from January's 2.04 days.

'East Java child trafficking alarming'

Jakarta Post - May 6, 2004

ID Nugroho, Surabaya -- Child trafficking and violence against children remain a cause for concern in East Java, particularly in Surabaya and Malang, the two biggest cities in the province.

According to data released by the East Java chapter of the Indonesian Women's Coalition, seven children were the victims of domestic violence in 2001 and 2002 in Surabaya. Five children were abandoned by their parents and a further five were forced into early marriage in the same period.

The number of cases of domestic violence against children was higher in Malang. In 2001 and 2002, 32 children were victims of domestic violence and 18 others were forced into early marriage.

It is common among rural communities for parents to coerce their children into early marriage. These parents hope, through the match, the whole family will be financially supported.

The number of child victims of trafficking or domestic violence could be much higher, as many such cases are not reported.

Bagong Suyanto, a sociologist from Airlangga University in Surabaya, said Indonesia was among 22 countries in the world where women and child traffickers continued to operate.

"In East Java, child and women trafficking is a problem in Surabaya, Banyuwangi, Malang, Trenggalek, Tulungagung and Blitar," said Bagong recently.

Two years ago in Surabaya, it was reported that five girls under the age of 18 were sold to pimps at the Dolly brothel. Customers allegedly paid Rp 1 million each to deflower a girl.

Tatiek Faricha, a member of the East Java chapter of the Indonesia Women's Coalition said such a practice was difficult to stop.

"There are still many parents who would use their daughters to solve the family's financial problems," she said.

Didiet Hape, the founder of Alang-Alang Foundation, which is concerned with the welfare of street children, confirmed the prevalence of the practice.

"Many families abuse their daughters as they have no other way of generating money," he said.

Ummu Hilmy from the University of Brawijaya's Center for Law Development and Gender in Malang, said orchestrated efforts were needed to combat child trafficking.

"The law on child protection has come into effect, but in practice, the government has to take concrete steps that deter child traffickers," he said.

Bagong concluded poverty was the root cause of most crimes against children. He said law enforcement would not be effective if social problems were not first addressed.

Online credit card fraud rocks Indonesia

Straits Times - May 5, 2004

Robert Go, JaKarta -- Mr Fektur claims he earns 20 million rupiah (about S$3,900) a month -- a sum that firmly puts him in Indonesia's middle class.

All that the 24-year-old needs is a computer hooked up to the Internet for three to four hours a day so that he can collect information from chatrooms.

Then there are visits to e-commerce sites and contacts with foreign cohorts. Orders for anything from laptops and cellular phones to scuba equipment and diamonds are placed with vendors.

Once the goods arrive, Mr Fektur -- a Web alias -- again uses the Internet to find buyers. His stocks usually are snapped up quickly as he offers steep discounts.

"I was surprised I could make money this way," he told The Straits Times.

If what Mr Fektur and an increasing number of Indonesians are doing isn't illegal, this would be a story about the revolutionising effects that the information age and the Internet have had on the lives of ordinary people.

But Mr Fektur is a "carder", someone who steals credit card information and uses the Internet for fraudulent transactions.

A briefing released by VeriSign, a United States-based company that monitors Internet activity, in January said that as more and more people around the globe go shopping online, the number of fraudulent transactions or transaction attempts has skyrocketed.

An increasing number of fraud attempts is being traced back to Indonesia. The country was the third-largest source, behind the US and Canada, of such criminal acts during the holiday season last year.

The VeriSign report also said that when researchers looked at the ratio of fraud attempts to total transactions from any single country, Indonesia topped the list.

Mr Heru Nugroho, secretary-general of Internet service provider association APJII, said: "For Indonesia, we're just getting a glimpse of the tip of the iceberg. Credit card fraud using the Web is a huge problem for this country."

It is now so bad, he said, that popular e-commerce sites like Amazon.com are beginning to apply special restrictions or even slap outright bans on purchase attempts from Indonesia. Mr Heru said: "This not only disadvantages Web shopping places and banks that issue credit cards but also honest people living in Indonesia who want to start making use of electronic shopping services. This also slows down the growth of Internet usage by Indonesians, something that could have long-term ramifications for the country."

One reason why this type of crime is growing, experts said, is the proliferation in recent years of loosely regulated warnets, the local version of cybercafes. Most Indonesians cannot afford home computers and many who need to use the Web frequent the thousands of warnets in urban centres.

Mr Donny Budi Utoyo, of the Information Communication Technology Watch group, said: "The warnets do not keep a register of users and what they're doing while online. These kiosks present the perfect shields for offenders."

A few years ago, a voluntary movement was started by independent warnet operators to keep tabs on users. But the attempt fizzled out because Net users voted with their feet to keep their privacy. Kiosks that did not require users to register became popular, those that did went out of business.

The criminals' growing sophistication adds to the problem. Many carders have formed syndicates with people living in other countries to better their chances of making money and avoid being traced.

Ms Judith MS of the warnet operators' association Awari said Indonesians are now in cahoots with people from the US, Japan and Korea to commit cyber crimes. She estimated there are 1,000 active carders in the country, but perhaps thousands more commit cyber fraud on a less regular basis.

"The numbers are getting bigger and there may be people who only do this on occasion and for personal interests rather than as a primary means of making money."

Yet another reason for the rise in credit-card fraud is the authorities' inability to efficiently tackle it. Mr Brata Mandala, a police computer expert, said police do not get "enough training and resources to take on cyber criminals".

Other experts suggested that officials at some government agencies, like the Customs authority, may be in cahoots with carders.

Mr Donny said: "It is impossible for this to go on without some sort of cooperation from people who work in the Customs office, for instance. Is it not their job to make sure shipments coming here are legal?"

Mr Fektur is not complaining. "It's just easy money. I love the Internet," he said.

Environment

Hundreds occupy mangrove forests

Jakarta Post - May 6, 2004

Oyos Saroso H.N., Bandarlampung -- Hundreds of local residents have cut down mangrove forests in 2,800 hectares of coastal land in Sungai Burung, Seputih subdistrict, Central Lampung regency, which belonged to aquaculture firm PT Central Pertiwi Bahari (CPB).

At least 833 residents occupied the land and constructed their own shrimp ponds there.

Johannes Kitono, the head of public relations at the company, said on Wednesday that another group of residents had occupied 5,000 hectares of the company's land in Sungai Nibung, Gedong Meneng subdistrict, Tulangbawang regency, some 100 kilometers east of Sungai Burung. "They have established 12 settlements in the area over the last two years. A total of more than 6,000 settlers are involved," Johannes said.

The squatters had built houses, and developed oil palm and cassava plantations on the land.

The government has awarded concessions in Lampung province to PT CPB extending to 22,721 hectares, some 3,500 hectares of which has been used for the development of industrial shrimp ponds.

Kitono said that if the authorities failed to address the illegal occupation problem, the company was worried that it could ultimately threaten the existence of the industrial shrimp ponds.

"The squatters' shrimp ponds, which are not properly managed, can spread disease to the shrimp ponds that are currently under our management," he said. The occupation and clearance of mangrove forests has also been occurring on land managed by another aquaculture firm, PT Dipasena Citra Dharmaja (DCD), in Sungai Sidang hamlet, Rawadjitu district, Tulangbawang regency.

As in the case of the PT CPB concessions, local residents have cleared forests in PT DCD's 3,000-hectare mangrove forest concession. They have been squatting on the land for the last few months and constructed their own shrimp ponds there. PT DCD has concessions extending to some 14,600 hectares in Lampung province.

A spokesperson for PT DCD, Agus Tito, said that the cutting down of the mangrove forest could lead to erosion and threaten the industrial shrimp ponds that had been developed by the company.

"We demand that the security forces keep these people away from our concessions," said Tito.

Separately, the head of Sungai Sidang hamlet, Renpil Rifa'i, said that the mangrove forests in the area had been the property of local residents for hundreds of years.

He said that nobody had the right to prohibit local people from clearing the mangrove forests and building shrimp ponds. "These are ancestral lands belonging to the hamlet. The residents cannot be blamed for clearing of mangroves just because they want to improve their living standards," he said.

He criticized PT DCD, which he accused of occupying 600 hectares belonging to local residents.

Ahmad Misdi, 40, a resident of Rawadjitu, said that he had cleared an area of mangrove forest two years ago. He claimed that he had done nothing wrong as the land was unoccupied at the time.

"The mangrove forest is not a protected forest so there is nothing wrong with us cutting it down," he said.

Data provided by the Indonesian Forum for the Environment's (Walhi) Lampung branch shows that 85 percent of a total of 160 hectares of mangrove forest in Lampung province has been destroyed since 1998, when local residents began cutting down the mangroves and occupying the land.

Some 12,000 hectares consist of protected areas along the estuary of the Mesuji River in Tulangbawang regency.

"The destruction of the mangrove forests here is alarming, as the area is supposed to be protected. The role played by this area is important in preventing erosion on the east coast of Tulangbawang regency," said Mukri Priatna, the executive director of Walhi's Lampung branch.

In 1999, the area was still green as viewed from the air, but now large parts of it are either barren or been converted into shrimp ponds.

Walhi have called on both the aquaculture companies and local residents to stop clearing the mangroves so as to avoid further environmental degradation in the area.

According to Walhi data, Indonesia's mangrove forests cover 3.54 million hectares across the country, accounting for between 18 and 24 percent of the total 17.5 million hectares of mangrove forest worldwide.

Business & investment

IBRA did job, but success unclear, says audit agency

Jakarta Post - May 8, 2004

Tony Hotland, Jakarta -- The Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) has concluded that the dissolved Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency (IBRA) performed its duty of restructuring the majority of troubled banks, but refused to judge its performance.

The BPK's head Satrio "Billy" Joedono said the agency was not in a position to decide if IBRA had successfully done its job, and would leave it to the House of Representatives to make a judgment.

He said the final audit results of the agency's performance -- which was being finalized by the BPK to make sure all terminologies were "readable" -- would be submitted to the House within the next two weeks.

"Based on our audit, IBRA managed to restructure most of the banks. However, that's not an automatic indication that IBRA succeeded in carrying out its task," he said.

Billy refused to disclose the names or the exact number of the banks the agency had managed to restructure.

He explained, however, the banks taken over by IBRA were of different sizes and had suffered various degrees of damage. The high number of banks which the agency managed to restructure did not mean it had done its job successfully.

"Maybe, it managed to restructure small banks, but failed as far as big banks were concerned," he said.

Under the Office of State Ministry for State Enterprises, IBRA was set up in 1998 amid the height of financial crisis that left the country's banking system in complete disarray. It was tasked to restructure fractured banks, sell their assets at a maximum recovery rate and litigate bank owners who had failed to repay their debt to the government.

Analysts have criticized its performance, saying that those banks are yet to prove their ability to survive. They also point out weak internal control mechanisms and the current low lending rates to the corporate sector as indications that the country's banks have not really recovered.

Until its closure in February, IBRA -- which took over Rp 650 trillion (US$75 billion) worth of assets from troubled banks and their former owners -- had only raised around Rp 168.2 trillion, or a mere 28 percent recovery rate.

A BPK auditor, Bambang Wahyudi, previously said that the BPK was using 12 indicators in auditing IBRA's performance in restructuring banks, the main three of which were the banks' capital adequacy ratios (CAR), non-performing loans (NPL), and their intermediary roles.

The newly completed BPK audit reviewed only the performance of IBRA in carrying out its chief task to restructure the banks. The BPK plans to conduct audits on IBRA's other tasks.

To audit IBRA's other tasks, Billy also said that the BPK needed to study IBRA's accountability report to the Ministry of Finance. The ministry had promised to provide a copy of the report by April 30, but the BPK is yet to receive it.

Exports up 3.43 percent

Jakarta Post - May 5, 2004

The country's exports increased by 3.43 percent in March to US$5.07 billion from $4.90 billion in February, the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) reported on Tuesday.

The agency said that the increase was driven by higher exports of oil and gas commodities and non-oil and gas products.

But BPS said that exports in the first quarter of this year (January to March) slightly declined by 0.89 percent from the same period last year mainly on lower oil and gas export value.

Oil and gas exports in March bounced back to $1.19 billion compared to February's $1.13 billion due to a 9.94 percent and 3.49 percent increase in exports of crude oil and natural gas, respectively.

Non-oil and gas exports during the month recorded a 2.86 percent increase from $3.76 billion to $3.87 billion.

The government has set a total export target of $59.4 billion for this year.

Elsewhere, BPS said that imports in March rose 8.3 percent to $3.13 billion from $2.89 billion in February. The import figure jumped by 11 percent from $2.82 billion in March of last year.

The higher import caused the country's trade surplus for the month to fall to $1.94 billion from $2.01 billion in February.

Some analysts have said that the higher import figure could signal more active business activities.

Stock exchange threaten to delist 35 companies

Jakarta Post - May 6, 2004

Rendi A. Witular, Jakarta -- The Jakarta Stock Exchange (JSX) has threatened to delist 35 firms, including bluechip state-owned telecommunications company PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia (Telkom), from the stock market if they fail to submit their 2003 audited financial reports by mid-June.

JSX listing director Harry Wiguna told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday the bourse would issue a second warning letter to each the 35 firms this week for failing to submit their financial reports. The letter fines the companies Rp 10 million (US$1,160).

"The 35 companies are at risk of being delisted from the bourse if they fail to comply with the JSX regulations. There will be no dispensation given," Harry said after attending the JSX annual general shareholders meeting.

The second warning letter comes after the companies failed to submit their financial reports by the revised April 30 deadline. The bourse sent its first warning letter to the companies in early April after they failed to submit their reports by March 31.

Aside from Telkom, other companies at risk of being delisted include state cement producer PT Semen Gresik and tiremaker PT Gajah Tunggal. Telkom is currently the largest counter on the JSX, with around 17 percent market capitalization.

Telkom, which also has its shares listed on the New York Stock Exchange, failed to submit its financial report on time after trying to settle its 2002 financial report, which was rejected by the US Securities and Exchange Commission as deficient.

Telkom settled the problem in February and is currently racing to finish its 2003 audited financial report by June 30.

Harry said the latest letter gave the companies an extension period of 30 days. The bourse would then suspend trading of the companies' shares for two weeks if they failed to submit their reports after this date.

If they again failed to comply within the two-week suspension, the JSX had no other choice but to delist them, he said.

"We have to maintain the rules so the bourse can develop in a healthy environment. The companies cannot make excuses," Harry said.

During the meeting, JSX shareholders appointed Telkom president Kristiono a commissioner of the JSX along with Kim Eng Securities president Mustofa, Merryl Lynch president Lily Widjaja, secretary to the minister of state enterprises Bacelius Ruru and public notary Fathiah Helmi.

Bank Indonesia warns of an increase in NPLs

Jakarta Post - May 6, 2004

Dadan Wijaksana, Jakarta -- The central bank announced on Wednesday a decline in the banking sector's non-performing loans (NPLs) in March, but warned of a rise in months to come.

Bank Indonesia deputy governor Maman Sumantri said in March, the NPL level (gross) stood at 7.8 percent compared to February's 8.2 percent.

However, Maman said the NPL figure was likely to rise in the months ahead as some loans acquired by banks from the now-defunct Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency (IBRA) had shown indications of turning sour.

"The indication is that the [number of] NPLs will rise. One of the reasons is the loans from the IBRA, some of which had yet to be fully restructured, which downgrade their quality," he said, adding the higher NPL would force the banks to set aside more previsionary funds.

During almost six years of operation, the recently closed IBRA sold trillions of rupiah worth of credits it took over from the banking sector during the banking crisis in the late 1990s, to offset the government's huge bank bail-out program.

The IBRA restructured the loan assets and sold them back to the banking industry.

However, some of the loans were not properly restructured, leaving the current creditors bearing the brunt of the non- performing debts.

Under banking regulations, a loan is considered non-performing if its interest payments are 90 days overdue.

Maman did not predict how high the NPLs would rise, as the bank was still gathering data on the loans. "But, we'll keep a close eye on those banks holding such credits," he said.

A high ratio of NPLs will weigh in on a bank's financial showing, notably affecting its capital adequacy ratio (CAR), as it forces the bank to set aside previsionary funds, which in turn affect its capital condition.

CAR measures a bank's capital against risk-weighted assets, including loans. Bank Indonesia requires banks to have a minimum CAR level of 8 percent.

Exports up 3.43 percent

Jakarta Post - May 5, 2004

The country's exports increased by 3.43 percent in March to US$5.07 billion from $4.90 billion in February, the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) reported on Tuesday.

The agency said that the increase was driven by higher exports of oil and gas commodities and non-oil and gas products.

But BPS said that exports in the first quarter of this year (January to March) slightly declined by 0.89 percent from the same period last year mainly on lower oil and gas export value.

Oil and gas exports in March bounced back to $1.19 billion compared to February's $1.13 billion due to a 9.94 percent and 3.49 percent increase in exports of crude oil and natural gas, respectively.

Non-oil and gas exports during the month recorded a 2.86 percent increase from $3.76 billion to $3.87 billion.

The government has set a total export target of $59.4 billion for this year.

Elsewhere, BPS said that imports in March rose 8.3 percent to $3.13 billion from $2.89 billion in February. The import figure jumped by 11 percent from $2.82 billion in March of last year.

The higher import caused the country's trade surplus for the month to fall to $1.94 billion from $2.01 billion in February.

Some analysts have said that the higher import figure could signal more active business activities.

Inflation picks up sharply in April

Agence France Presse - May 4, 2004

Jakarta -- Indonesia's annualised inflation rate rose to 5.92 percent in April due to higher food prices compared to 5.11 percent in March, the Central Bureau of Statistics said Tuesday.

The consumer price index (CPI) was up 0.97 percent month-on- month, said bureau deputy chairman Slamet Mukeno. He said all items in the index recorded price increases in April.

The official inflation forecast for this year is 6.5 percent.

The government has won praise from the International Monetary Fund in the past two years for bringing down high inflation and interest rates whilst also stabilising the rupiah.

APRIL sees brigth future in pulp, paper industry

Jakarta Post - May 4, 2004

Dadan Wijaksana, Singapore -- Indonesia's pulp and paper industry still has plenty of room for improvement if it wants to be internationally competitive, according to a major player.

The Asia Pacific Resources International Holdings Ltd. (APRIL), which owns a 98.5 percent stake in PT Riau Pulp & Paper, or Riaupulp, said that Indonesia had advantages over many of its global rivals.

While it has been deemed a sunset industry by most of the world's traditional players, such as Scandinavian and North American nations, the industry is relatively new in Indonesia and has much to offer, APRIL's vice president Ibrahim Hasan said.

"With only 1.5 million hectares of forest allocated so far for the industry, the potential for its development is enormous," Ibrahim, also the vice president of Riaupulp, said last week in Singapore during the launch of the company's sustainability report.

The allocated land is relatively small compared to that of Brazil, for instance, which has been grouped with Indonesia as among the fastest growing newcomers to the industry. Brazil has over 5 million hectares of forest, which are allocated for pulp plantations, he added.

Indonesia boasts a yearly pulp production of around 6 million tons. Riaupulp, which operates a pulp mill on a 1,750-hectare site in Kerinci, Riau province, has an installed capacity of 2 million tons per year.

These figures are expected to increase to meet the rising global demand. In Asia alone, demand for pulp -- the main raw material for paper and other paper-related products -- is rising by 3 to 4 million tons each year.

Another advantage Indonesia has over other established competitors is its location and climate. "The manufacturing cost here is much lower, as our tropical forests can be harvested within six to seven years, compared to around 40 years for sub- tropical forests," said Ibrahim.

"So, the government should provide more support for the industry, because countries like Indonesia currently have the competitive edge," he added.

Asked whether such a support should be transformed into additional forest concession in Riau, A.J. Devanesan, president of both APRIL and Riaupulp, replied: "We have yet to negotiate that particular issue with the government, but we'd welcome any efforts, which could lead us in that direction." APRIL has a forest concession of around 350,000 hectares, which supplies some 95 percent of Riaupulp's fiber -- mostly Acacia -- supply. The other 5 percent comes from two projects developed by the company involving the local community in the form of joint ventures and partnership.

A press statement said that APRIL also owns a 100 percent stake in Riau Andalan Kertas, or Riaupaper, through its subsidiary APRIL Fine Paper. It operates a 350,000-tons-per-year uncoated wood-free paper machine.