News & issues

Munir asked for stomach medicine: Witness

Jakarta Post - October 22, 2005

Jakarta -- Murdered rights campaigner Munir had requested stomach medication from the Garuda crew prior to takeoff at Changi airport, and began to complain about an upset stomach about an hour after the plane took off, a witness said.

Garuda flight attendant Tia Dewi Ambari told the court on Friday that the rights activist told her about his stomach problem when she was serving meals to passengers.

"Shortly before takeoff, he (Munir) asked for some medicine. He only asked... but he had not actually complained about a problem," Tia said in her testimony, while adding, "I told him we did not have such medicine." Tia served passengers in the area where Munir was seated in economy class.

During the hearing, Tia said Munir refused the food on offer, citing a stomach ailment. He asked for a cup of tea instead, according to her.

Tia said she saw Munir walk to the lavatory as she was serving other passengers. The witness claimed she did not see Munir again until she was told by her co-workers about the rights campaigner's death.

Munir died two hours before the Garuda plane landed in Amsterdam. An autopsy revealed that he died of arsenic poisoning.

Garuda pilot Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto is standing trial on charges of premeditated murder. He is also facing secondary charges of falsifying his letter of assignment that enabled him to take the Garuda flight from Jakarta to Singapore.

A government-sanctioned fact-finding team concluded that the murder involved certain intelligence officials, but the prosecutors ignored the report.

Tia also told the court she had known the defendant Pollycarpus for 11 years. She said she did not see Pollycarpus during the flight between Jakarta and Singapore, as she spent most of that leg of the flight resting.

Another flight attendant who testified on Friday, cabin chief Najib Rajab Nasution, also told the court that he did not see Pollycarpus during the flight between Singapore and Amsterdam.

"I saw his name scratched from the list of crew members. But when I asked the official who submitted the list about it, he just said his (Pollycarpus') flight had been canceled. I don't know who made the decision or why," Najib testified.

Najib added that Munir began to complain about his illness around two hours after leaving Singapore. The flight attendant saw Munir go to the lavatory six times, at which point he located a doctor on board, Tarmizi Hakim, and asked him to examine the rights activist.

"The doctor asked us to give Munir salt water and sweet tea, but he could not drink them. The doctor then gave him some diatab (a strong oral drug used for the treatment of diabetes) and Munir appeared calm after taking the drug," Najib said.

Another witness, flight attendant Muhamad Bondan, confirmed Najib's testimony. The trial was adjourned until next Tuesday to hear testimony of Tarmizi and three Garuda employees.

US envoy attacked over foreign policies

Jakarta Post - October 22, 2005

Ati Nurbaiti, Jakarta -- Karen P. Hughes, a leading US image builder and deputy to US secretary of state Condoleeza Rice, told students here on Friday that she hoped to get to know their hopes for their country, and about how Indonesian-US ties could be improved. But hardly anyone was interested.

Instead they took up her other offer; that she would try to answer any questions that they might have. The undersecretary for public diplomacy and public affairs was then bombarded with critical questions that she has probably become accustomed to answering since she assumed the office a few months ago -- such as why America was so unfair, why it continues to police the world, why it associates anything Islamic with terrorists, and so on.

"What kind of democracy is America if after Hurricane Katrina the government discriminates against African Americans?" the first student asked. Hughes gave an assurance that the shortcomings in the handling of the New Orleans disaster were "not because of race." "Why do you expect Iraq to become a democracy in only (a few) years? It's unfair. Let them decide for themselves," another said. "Stop the war in Iraq," yet another said.

Hughes, president George W. Bush's former communications director for both his gubernatorial and presidential campaigns, responded to each and every query and comment throughout the one-hour discussion with a dozen students at the State Islamic University (UIN) in South Jakarta.

About 10 other students protested outside, demanding that UIN refuse such visits from US officials, with the US being portrayed as "the world's most terrifying superpower." One student, Said Rizki, said that even if the time was short, "at least (Hughes) got feedback" on the issues that concerned students here, such as Iraq, which he said was a very emotional issue.

Hughes also thanked the students for the "honest and frank" exchange, which she said had led to an understanding of their respective views, though not necessarily agreement.

In response to a question as to why Bush could possibly have been elected twice, she had said it was largely due to public support for the war on terror caused by the "shock and horror" of the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

On the war in Iraq, she said "we would like nothing better than to bring our boys and girls home", but she said that even Iraqis still wanted American troops to stay on in order to help make the country stable.

She appealed to the students to make a distinction between Muslims in general, and those with "very dangerous" views who set out to kill not only Americans, but also Muslims who disagreed with them.

A postgraduate student, Zaki Nuraeni, said she had wanted more time to express her concerns about US stigmatization of Islam and its institutions, like boarding schools or pesantren, "as if they all bred terrorists just because of people like Amrozi", the convicted Bali bomber who attended a pesantren in Ngruki, Central Java, along with a number of other convicted terrorists.

"I graduated from Ngruki", Zaki told The Jakarta Post, "and I never experienced any teachings of jihad like that (terrorism). Since the Bali bomb attacks it has become like I have to be careful about disclosing my identity as a Ngruki graduate."

Disappointed, demonstrations erupt in several cities

Kompas - October 21, 2005

Jakarta - The first anniversary of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Vice President Jusuf Kalla (SBY-JK) on Thursday October 20 was accompanied by demonstrations in a number of place in Indonesia including in front of the State Palace (Jakarta), Solo (Central Java) and Palembang (South Sumatra).

Among other things, demonstrators were demanding that the fuel price increases be revoked. They condemned the government's performance saying that the government is causing the people to suffer. Demonstrators also stated that the government has reneged on its promises that were made during the presidential election campaign last year.

The demonstration in front of the State Palace began at around 3.30pm and involved at least 500 people from the Islamic Student Association (HMI), the Indonesia Nationalist Student Movement (GMNI), the Nahdlatul Ulama Student Movement (GMNU), a number of Student Executive Councils, the Indonesian Islamic Students Association (PMII), the People's Charge Alliance (ARM), the Urban Movement Network (UMN) the Urban Alliance Student Network (UASN) and workers.

A number of demonstrators not wearing shirts slept in a line on the road in front of the Palace. Strewn among them were banners filled the shortfalls of the jargon used during the campaign period, One of year SBY-JK, together we suffer. They only disbanded after breaking fast and evening prayers on the road. The action was guarded by around 2,400 police officers.

While the demonstration was taking place, Yudhoyono was in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan. However presidential spokesperson Andi Malarangeng and other staff watched the demonstration. I saw People's Sovereignty Party general secretary Jumhur Hidayat and former People's Democratic Party chairperson Budiman Sudjatmiko at the demonstration said Malarangeng who did not accompany the president.

Demonstration in Solo

In Solo, student demonstrations took place in the morning and at noon in two separate places. The first demonstration was organised by the Anti-Neoliberal Front (FAN). The demonstrations took place at 10am beginning from the Mesen campus of the Eleven March University and was followed by a long-march toward the Gladak roundabout passing though the Gede Market and the Solo City Public Hall.

The second demonstration was organised by the Social Alliance for the People's Welfare (Amuk-Rakyat) at the Solo Public Hall. The demonstrators also criticised the Yudhoyono-Kalla government. The demonstration which was held to coincide with breaking fast and began with a long-march from Gede Market towards the public hall.

According to demonstrations, the fuel price hikes had caused an increase in the number of poor as a result of the increasingly high cost of living. In a speech, action coordinator Gusma said that in the future the poor groups would become more ignorant, malnourished and unhealthy. They will collapse one by one because of disease or suicide because of frustration with an increasingly difficult live.

They said that Yudhoyono-Kalla had reneged on their promises as they had said that they would not increase fuel prices more than once in 2005. As well as opposing the fuel price hikes, demonstrators also called on the government not to realise plans to import rice which they are concerned will cause farmers even more suffering.

In Palembang, demonstrators from the Student Communication Forum (FKM) under action coordinator Reza Pahlevi declared that direct cash assistance as compensation for fuel price increase will not be enough to cover increases in the living cost for the poor.

Demonstrators called on the president to revoke the price increase and declared that that fuel price increases represented the government's failure to manage the economy. (DWA/INU/EKI/LKT/ECA)

[Translated by James Balowski.]

Democracy indicators 'remain poor': Demos

Jakarta Post - October 20, 2005

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta -- Under President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who was democratically elected, indicators of democracy in the country have remained poor, a human rights group says.

In a statement to mark Susilo's first year in office, the Institute for Studies on Democracy and Civilian rights (Demos) said on Wednesday that the democratic election of Susilo and his running mate Jusuf Kalla did not ensure clean, accountable and transparent governance.

The current government, Demos said, had been no different from previous post-New Order administrations, with most respondents it surveyed giving a thumbs down to the development of democracy in the country, especially the recognition of civilians rights, political freedom, socio-economic rights and people's representation, not to mention law enforcement and security conditions.

Demos executive director A.E. Priyono claimed that for many people, political developments might be moving in the right direction as people enjoy more freedoms.

"But such a perception is myopic and political development will become an illusion for the majority of people at the grassroots level unless the rule of law is upheld, civilian supremacy over the military is implemented, an independent judiciary system is guaranteed and the people's social and economic rights are respected," Priyono said.

He said all of the post-New Order governments had neglected the fulfillment of people's social and economic rights and the condition had been worsening over the past year.

"Discontent with the unfulfilled people's rights to employment, health and social security had risen to 97 percent in a mini survey we conducted in August, up from 82 percent we found in the two previous surveys in 2003 and 2004," he said.

The latest survey also shows that 90 percent of respondents are dissatisfied with the government's poor performance in upholding the rule of law and combating power abuse and corruption.

"Two general elections since 1999 were held to form a democratic government, but our surveys discovered that more than 80 percent of respondents said they were disappointed with political parties for failing to act appropriately on their constituents' aspirations, while vote-buying was rampant in the local administrative elections," he alleged.

There have been many institutions established to support democracy, but most still lack accountability, lack transparency and are involved in corruption.

"Even worse, bribery has now marred the court system," he said, referring to a bribery case involving the Supreme Court, which the Corruption Eradication Commission is currently investigating.

He added that the country's democratic government had also failed to protect people from violence, particularly repression by the national security forces or extremist groups, as well as terrorists.

Priyono criticized the government's "neo-liberalism-oriented economic policies", which were supported by the oligarchic elitists, but burdened the majority of low-income people. The skyrocketing fuel prices were exacerbated by the neo-liberal economic policy, he surmised.

He warned that such oligarchic rule might end up creating a period of chaos. "If this happens, democracy will be returned to square one," he speculated.

Pollycarpus 'rarely sat during flight'

Jakarta Post - October 19, 2005

Jakarta -- Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto, a key suspect in the murder case of top human rights campaigner Munir, rarely sat in his seat during the Sept. 6, 2004 flight from Jakarta to Singapore when the arsenic that killed Munir was believed to have been given, according to witnesses.

Tri Wiryaswadi, a Garuda flight attendant in the business class section during the first leg of the flight, which would eventually terminate in Amsterdam, testified that Pollycarpus only sat in his seat, number 11B, during takeoff and landing.

"I saw Pollycarpus standing around the bar area twice and one time he was standing in front of the restroom," Tri testified on Tuesday during the trial of Pollycarpus at the Central Jakarta District Court on Tuesday.

He added that Pollycarpus, a senior Garuda pilot -- but not active during the flight -- was not in his seat when the food was being served to business class passengers, including Munir. Tri added that Pollycarpus was nowhere to be seen for nearly half of the one-hour flight.

However, when chief judge Cicut Sutiarso asked Tri whether he knew about Pollycarpus' activities when he was standing in the bar area, Tri said that he had no idea.

Munir died on the Garuda flight on his way to the Netherlands. A forensic investigation by the Dutch authorities found nearly four times the lethal amount of arsenic in his stomach.

Pollycarpus has been accused by prosecutors of pouring arsenic into a cup of juice served as a welcome drink to Munir during the flight.

Another witness summoned on Tuesday to testify was Garuda crew member Yeti Susmiyarti, who served Munir the welcome drink. She confirmed Tri's testimony saying that she saw Pollycarpus standing in the bar area. "Pollycarpus was writing something when he was standing at the bar, but I didn't know what he was writing," Yeti said.

Yeti admitted that she was the one who served beverages to Munir who was seated in business class seat number 3K. However, she said that she had a lot of beverages on her tray including orange juice, apple juice and champagne, and she did not encourage Munir to take any particular glass from her tray. The tray contained eight to ten glasses, she said, and Munir himself picked one glass and drank it.

As for Pollycarpus, Yeti said that she did not pay any attention to him, therefore, she did not know whether he remained seated during the flight or not.

Yeti and fellow Garuda crew member Oedi Irianto have also been named suspects in the case. The trial was adjourned until Tuesday to hear more witness testimony.

Police told to act on missing journalist

Jakarta Post - October 17, 2005

Jakarta -- The Press Council and the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) have urged the police to quickly investigate and solve a case of alleged violence against a Medan-based journalist who disappeared almost two months ago after running stories on irregularities in a local election.

The council said in a statement that according to witnesses, 50- year-old Elyuddin Telaumbanua, who works for the Berita Sore evening daily, went missing on Aug. 24 while covering an election dispute in South Nias regency, where he was based. One witness said that Elyuddin was attacked and kidnapped by a group of thugs that included a village head named Sama Gaho, possibly at the request of local officials who were offended by his published articles.

"Even though the incident was reported to the police, there has been no action taken against the perpetrators. On the contrary, those who reported it have been threatened. It is very worrisome," the council said over the weekend.

"Therefore, we urged the National Police chief to immediately look into the case. The Nias and North Sumatra police offices must be pressured into working harder to solve the case. The police must not try to cover up the case even if it involves local high-ranking officials," it added.

Meanwhile, AJI said in a statement that there was a possibility that the journalist had been killed.

The journalists association said that before leaving home to pursue a story in South Nias' Teluk Dalam district on that fateful day, Elyuddin showed a picture of a local politician to his wife and told her that "If anything happens to me, find this man".

"This information should be treated as a fact that must be used by the police to investigate the case," AJI said.

It said that the case was another example of the threats journalists faced, and would undermine the country's nascent press freedom and democracy.

It also said that the 1996 killing of Yogyakarta-based Harian Bernas daily journalist Mohammad Syafrudin had not been solved as the police had not apprehended the murderers.

AJI urged the public not to take the law into their own hands when dealing with press disputes, but to avail of the legal system.

Fuel price hikes

Textile firms struggle to survive in West Java

Jakarta Post - October 22, 2005

Yuli Tri Suwarni, Bandung -- After the government raised fuel prices early this month, Bandung textile businessman Satya Natapura could only pray for a miracle for his business to survive.

Previously, his business suffered a 35 percent increase in production costs following the government's decision to raise fuel prices in March as well as power rates and road tolls.

This time around, with fuel prices increased by 126.6 percent on average, production costs have jumped by 15 percent while production is lower due to consumers' low buying power.

"I used to produce 1,000 kodi (a score of wholesale purchase of 20 pieces) of sarongs per month but ahead of the Idul Fitri celebration, demand decreased to only 600 kodi a month," Satya told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

He added that, despite the increased production costs, he could not raise prices as he was afraid of losing customers. The price of sarongs has remained at Rp 300,000 (US$30) a kodi.

Only 140 textile companies, employing around 27,000 workers in total, have survived in the Majalaya textile industry zone. The zone houses small- to medium-scale textile factories with less than 1,000 workers each. Business started to drop off in 2000, when cheap textile imports from China increased.

Now, within a two-month period, the number of textile businesses in Majalaya has dropped to 53 -- from the previous 193 companies, which employed 35,000 workers, recorded in August this year.

"After the Idul Fitri celebration, many more businesses could be shut down. Many of them are struggling now just to make up for what they lost ahead of Idul Fitri. Besides, there's the fear that if they fired workers ahead of the holiday there would be protests -- so that's why they haven't," he said.

The increase in production costs was mostly triggered by the 25 percent increase in the price of raw materials -- from the previous Rp 2.8 million per bale (of 181 kg) to Rp 3.5 million per bale -- and the increase in transportation costs by 30 percent. "Even the price of dyes has increased to Rp 7,000, from the previous Rp 6,000," Satya said.

He said it would be hard for the Bandung textile business to survive, especially with the plan to raise the minimum wage for workers next year, which is predicted to increase from Rp 601,000 per month to Rp 721,000 per month.

Around 47 percent of the 2,600 large-scale textile industries catering mostly to the local market are located in West Java, contributing about 20 percent to the country's total export.

Textiles are West Java's major non oil and gas export, contributing more that US$1.5 billion, or almost 50 percent of the total income generated from non oil and gas exports.

Deputy chairman of the Indonesian Textile Association in West Java Ade Sudrajat said the remaining 1,200 textile businesses in the province would be fighting to stay afloat in the coming months. "According to a report I received, consumers' purchasing power is already down by almost 50 percent," Ade said.

He said that, in the last six months, 40 textile factories in the association -- the members of which are mostly large-scale textile factories -- had closed down or relocated to other cities and countries to improve their products' competitiveness.

The association also observed that many factories had downsized their workforces to reduce production costs. He predicted that by December this year, 10,000 workers in the textile industry would lose their jobs.

Residents cutting down forest for firewood

Jakarta Post - October 22, 2005

Theresia Sufa, Bogor -- As demand for firewood increases following the 200 percent price hike on kerosene, hundreds of low-income people living in the vicinity of the Gunung Walat research forest in Cicantayan -- an hour south of Bogor -- have begun cutting down trees for firewood to cook with or sell.

The research forest director Supriyanto said that although the forest is protected, indigenous people can take some of the forest products for their own needs.

"Usually just a few people enter the forest to take the dry branches as firewood a few times a week. Now, dozens of people come everyday and they even take seedlings," he told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

"They usually leave the newly felled trees to dry and come back one week later. If the forest patrol finds the trees before they come back, we'll chop the wood into small pieces and spread it around back in the forest," Supriyanto added.

According to the residents, they need firewood for cooking, but some abused the forest for profit. "We can sell a bundle of the firewood Rp 10,000 (some US$1) to the markets in Cicantayan or the neighboring Cibadak district," one of them said.

Supriyanto said that possibility of a forest fire was also likely because the poachers often cook food, while in the forest. "We are worried... all we can do now is to keep telling the residents not to cut the trees and leave the seedlings," he added.

Villagers run amok over cash aid

Jakarta Post - October 22, 2005

Tangerang -- Dozens of disadvantaged people in Kronjo subdistrict, Tangerang regency, ran amok on Friday morning, demanding that they too be given the quarterly Rp 300,000 cash handout from the central government.

They destroyed the subdistrict administration's offices and then demanded that the subdistrict head appear before them.

Fuad, a member of Village Representative Council (BPD) who witnessed the incident, said that the crowd arrived at about 9:30 a.m. "After 15 minutes shouting for the money, the angry residents began hurling stones at the subdistrict offices, breaking all the windows. They then broke into the offices and smashed everything they found," he said. None of the subdistrict officials dared to intervene.

Subdistrict head Sutrisno said some of the attackers had been detained by police and were still being questioned.

He said he had tried to explain to the public that his office was not in any way involved in the registration of those entitled to receive the cash assistance. Four hundred of the village's population of 1,000 residents had been registered as recipients.

Four injured in fuel protest

Jakarta Post - October 21, 2005

Surabaya -- Four students suffered light injuries after a clash with the police during the latest protests in Surabaya on Thursday as they were expressing staunch opposition to the government's recent move to raise fuel prices.

The clash started when the protesting students became upset as East Java provincial councillors declined to speak with them or protest the policy with them. They then began smashing the front glass doors at the council and several students were apprehended by the police.

The protest continued outside the Grahadi building and further clashes erupted when the students defied the police's demand not to disrupt traffic. The four injured students were taken to Dr. Soetomo hospital for treatment and were later discharged.

Spokesman of Surabaya Students Executive Body, Suliswanto, said three protesting students were taken away by the police as they were deemed to be the provocateurs of the protest. But the police denied that they were holding the three, saying they had all been released.

Violence mars fuel cash aid distribution

Jakarta Post - October 19, 2005

Luh Putu Trisna Wahyuni, Mataram -- Hundreds of people attacked and vandalized local government offices on Tuesday in West Lombok and Tangerang, signaling that public frustration is growing over the messy distribution of fuel compensation money across the archipelago.

Tuesday's incidents were the latest in a series of violent incidents across the nation since the government started disbursing cash aid to the poor to offset the impact of the fuel price hikes on Oct. 1.

The fresh violence in West Lombok broke out after officials in Bengkel subdistrict extorted money from residents collecting their payments, with each being forced to pay Rp 100,000 out of the Rp 300,000 due to them.

The residents said that local government officials were waiting for them at the local post office where they were due to receive their payments, threatening that they would be denied the cash aid during the next payout if they refused to pay Rp 100,000 each.

The residents said they were stunned by the move. However they felt there was nothing they could do except hand over the money. According to Zaini, a resident, the people dispersed peacefully after receiving their payments, but frustration grew as they made their way home, and eventually culminated in an attack on the subdistrict offices.

The angry residents vented their anger at the building, hurling stones, and breaking chairs, desks and other items of furniture. None of subdistrict officials were hurt as they hurriedly left the scene.

Separately, similar violence, but with a different motive, took place in Tangerang municipality where hundreds of residents destroyed five subdistrict offices on the same day. The residents were venting their rage after being excluded from the list of poor people eligible to receive the compensation money.

These latest violent incidents are just some examples of how messy the distribution of the fuel compensation funds has become across the country. Part of the problem is due to erroneous statistical data, with local statistics offices mistakenly including better-off people on the lists of those eligible to receive the assistance, while at the same time excluding poor people from the lists, sparking anger among those thus excluded. Problems also arose from the greed of local government officials, who attempted to reap personal gain from the process.

The government itself has admitted that the distribution process has been chaotic in a number of areas. Some regents have acted to halt the distribution process, pending the collection of improved statistical data, while also pledging to sternly punish unscrupulous local officials taking advantage of the process.

The central government has so far acknowledged that the poor quality of the statistical data has meant that some 500,000 families, out of a total of 15.4 million families eligible to receive the money, had not done so thus far. The government has said it will improve the quality of the statistics and ensure that all those entitled to the money will receive it. Those categorized as eligible to receive the money are those with monthly incomes of below Rp 175,000 (US$17.5).

Villagers run amok over cash assistance

Jakarta Post - October 19, 2005

Multa Fidrus, Tangerang -- When it was reported that the head of their subdistrict was unavailable to meet with them, some 500 residents of several villages in Tangerang, Banten ran amok, pelting his office with rocks.

Eyewitnesses told The Jakarta Post that some 300 residents of Waru, Kelapa and Pangkat villages, all in Tangerang, congregated at around 9 a.m. on Tuesday at the Jayanti subdistrict office. Around one hour later, some 200 people from Karya and Serada villages arrived at the office.

They claimed that as poor people they were entitled to receive the Rp 100,000 (US$10) monthly assistance from the government.

To offset the effects of the Oct. 1 fuel price increases, the government has devised a scheme under which people in the low- income bracket are eligible for cash assistance.

"The villagers wanted to see the subdistrict head to ask why they were not included in the data on poor residents in their respective villages," Sukwan, who lives near the subdistrict office, told the Post.

The villagers, however, became agitated after they were told that subdistrict head Suhabuddin was not in his office. They shouted and hurled rocks and sticks at the office, shattering its glass windows. The villagers decided to call it quits only after dozens of police officers arrived at the office.

Sain, a local neighborhood unit head, said that they were not involved in a survey to collect data on poor residents from Aug. 15 to Sept. 15. "Only one in 100 poor residents in my neighborhood unit received a fuel compensation card," he said.

Meanwhile, Mariah, a resident of Pangkat village, said that most low-income residents in her village did not receive cards. "Relatives of village heads, community unit chiefs and neighborhood unit chiefs received cards although they are not poor," she said.

The incident took place just hours after residents of Kemuning and Tamiang villages in Kresek district and Gintung village in Sukadiri district ran amok on Monday evening over not receiving the financial assistance. The angry residents threw hard objects at their respective village offices, pulled down signboards and damaged gates and fences.

Iskandar Ismail, secretary of Sukadiri district admitted that he had received complaints from many residents over the disbursement of the cash assistance in the area. "The Sukadiri district chief along with two representatives of Gintung village has submitted additional data on poor residents to the regental statistics office in Tigaraksa," he said.

Hundreds of residents of Klutuk and Kedaung villages in Kronjo district also damaged subdistrict offices on Monday morning in protest over the "unjust" disbursement process.

Separately, Kronjo district head Kusnadi said on Tuesday that 240 low-income residents in Klutuk village had received the assistance. He said, however, the figure was only half of the total poor residents in the village.

Aceh

Aceh military chief: Blackmailing by GAM increases

Tempo Interactive - October 22, 2005

Lhokseumawe -- Iskandar Muda Military chief Lt. Gen. Supiadin AS has said that despite the peace process in Aceh, blackmailing practices and criminal acts against the general public has increased.

According to Supiadin that almost every day, he received reports regarding blackmail carried out by several groups of people in the community. Therefore, he said he hoped that people would report any incidents of this to the police or to the Aceh Monitoring Mission (AMM).

"There have been many criminal acts and blackmailing practices. However, the public does not dare report these to the AMM," Supiadin told reporters at Kreung Geukuh port in Lhokseumawe following the sending home of 1,499 TNI personnel to their original task units on Thursday (20/10).

Those sent home were 488 members of Indonesian Military (TNI) Battalion 712 Wira Tama, 433 from Pratnya Sama Prayuda, 433 from Battalion 623 Bhakti Wira Utama, 125 from Special Troops Company and 20 from Skuadron.

Supiadin also said that GAM members had provoked the public while conducting peace socialization in small Muslim chapels in villages. He referred to incidents in Pidie and North Aceh regency.

In response, the chairman of AMM Pieter Fieth said that both parties would discuss every incoming report. The AMM has also urged GAM to warn its members in the field to end these acts.

Irwandi Yusuf, the GAM representative at the AMM, said that he would hand over criminal problems to the police. He said that members of the public and former GAM members who had returned to their villages in Bireuen regency had begun to worry as, according to TNI propaganda, the MoU between Indonesia and GAM would not last long.

In TNI propaganda, members of the general public have been warned not to have close contact with the GAM. "Otherwise, they will be arrested," stated Irwandi quoting what the propaganda contained. (Imran M.A.-Tempo News Room)

Villagers' suit will be in a state court (plus backgrounder)

Houston Chronicle - October 21, 2005

A federal judge said Indonesian villagers can sue Exxon Mobil Corp. over allegations the Irving-based company contributed to human rights abuses by government security forces.

Judge Louis Oberdorfer in Washington ruled the suit by 11 villagers can proceed on state law claims against Exxon Mobil. He dismissed the villagers' claims under the federal Alien Tort Claims Act and the Torture Victim Protection Act.

The villagers sued in 2001, claiming Indonesia security forces funded by Exxon Mobil committed murder, torture and rape in the Aceh province where the company operates a government-owned oil and gas field and a pipeline. The State Department urged the judge to dismiss the suit in 2002, saying it would violate Indonesia's sovereignty and harm the war on terror.

Narrowing the suit to focus on state law "should alleviate the State Department's concerns," Oberdorfer said in his Oct. 14 order. The plaintiffs now must decide which state has the most applicable tort laws for the purposes of the suit, he said.

Exxon Mobil argued that the case should be dismissed under the constitutional principle that foreign affairs shouldn't be addressed by the courts. It said its conduct in Indonesia was ethical and in compliance with the nation's laws.

"We welcome the decision," Exxon Mobil spokeswoman Susan Reeves said. "The court has ruled that federal law provides no basis for the case against Exxon Mobil to proceed."

Background

International Labor Rights Fund, Washington DC ExxonMobil: the Company is Linked with Indonesian Military Killings, Torture and other Severe Abuse in Aceh, Indonesia

In the past decade alone, ExxonMobil has extracted some $40 billion from its operations in Aceh, Indonesia, leaving in its wake a legacy of death, destruction and environmental damage.

There have been credible reports dating back several years that Exxon Mobil Corporation, along with its predecessor companies, Mobil Oil Corporation and Mobil Oil Indonesia (collectively "Exxon Mobil"), hired military units of the Indonesian national army to provide "security" for their gas extraction and liquification project in Aceh, Indonesia. Members of these military units regularly have perpetrated ongoing and severe human rights abuses against local villagers, including murder, rape, torture, destruction of property and other acts of terror.

ExxonMobil apparently has taken no action to stop this violence, and instead, reportedly has continued to finance the military and to provide company equipment and facilities that have been used by the Indonesian military to perpetrate and literally cover up (in the form of mass graves) these criminal acts.

The International Labor Rights Fund has taken on the challenge of seeking justice for local victims of these abuses. On June 20, 2001, ILRF filed an ATCA claim in the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia, No. 01-1357 CIV, on behalf of 11

villagers from Aceh who were victims of human rights abuses by Exxon Mobil's security forces. The general theory of the case is that Exxon Mobil knowingly employed brutal military troops to protect its operations, and the company aided and abetted the human rights violations through financial and other material support to the security forces. In addition, the case alleges that the security forces are either employees or agents of Exxon Mobil, and thus Exxon Mobil is liable for their actions. Exxon Mobil filed a routine motion to dismiss ILRF's claim, and ILRF filed a response against this motion on December 14, 2001.

The court heard arguments in the case on April 9, 2002, and a decision was expected within 60 days.

Instead, the court has not yet ruled on the motion to dismiss, leaving the Acehnese victims of abuse in a state of legal limbo. Earlier in 2004, the presiding judge in the case asked for additional briefing on the impact on ILRF's case against ExxonMobil of the Supreme Court's decision in Sosa v. Alvarez- Machain, in which the Supreme Court upheld the use of the Alien Tort Claims Act in cases like ILRF's ExxonMobil suit.

ILRF filed its brief in the case in August 2004. The parties continue to await the court's decision on the motion to dismiss. Like Unocal, Exxon Mobil's primary defense appears to be that the human rights violations may very well be occurring, but the company did not specifically intend this result, and therefore cannot be held liable.

ExxonMobil Annual Meeting of Shareholders - Wednesday, May 25, 2005

Statement by Munawar Zainal, Secretary General, Acheh Center-USA

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen,

My name is Munawar Zainal, and I am Secretary General of the Acheh Center USA. I have lived here in the United States for the past three years, ever since I was forced to flee my homeland of Acheh because of my activities as an advocate for human rights.

I think most of you now know something about Acheh -- not only because ExxonMobil exploits massive natural gas operations there, but also because of the massive tsunami that devastated my homeland last December. I am here today to speak in favor of New York City's resolution because I feel that it is so important for you all to understand that there are two disasters right now in Acheh. One of these is the natural disaster of the tsunami. This has received much publicity. But there is another, less- publicized man-made disaster that also has cost thousands of innocent lives. This is the brutal occupation of Acheh by the Indonesian military and the rampant violations of human dignity and human rights committed with impunity by those armed forces. The Indonesian military has, for years, committed serious, systematic and widespread abuses of human rights in the area of ExxonMobil's operations and other parts of Acheh which are well documented by the US State Department and other sources.

Indeed, a crucial turning point in Acheh's situation occurred in early 2001, when ExxonMobil suspended its operations citing security concerns. Though the company's facilities were completely unharmed, the Indonesian military used ExxonMobil's public statement of fear as an opening to pressure Indonesia's civilian government to instate martial law throughout Acheh.

This led to a massive military build-up and occupation that destroyed the fragile peace process between Achehnese and the Indonesian government and that has resulted in thousands of Achehense civilians being killed, tortured, involuntarily disappeared, arbitrarily arrested and detained by Indonesian forces.

I want to believe that a potential silver lining in the tsunami tragedy is that the eyes of the world are now focused on Acheh, offering an opportunity for successful peace negotiations there and for an end to the horrific human rights crimes that plague my Achehnese sisters and brothers.

I strongly believe that ExxonMobil can influence the prospects for peace and stability in my homeland. This will require a change in policy and action by the company's management, which you, as shareholders, can encourage. Right now, Exxon Mobil's ongoing financial and logistical collusion with the Indonesian armed forces provides those troops with opportunity and cover for their brutality.

The most recent reports I've received from Acheh suggest that as long as ExxonMobil continues to remain silent and make payments to the wholly unaccountable armed forces of Indonesia, human rights abuses will continue. You, as concerned shareholders, can take immediate steps today to safeguard your investments and to end the massive man-made devastation in Acheh by calling on ExxonMobil management to research and report to you about the current nature and extent of the company's support for military operations in Acheh.

Please help to end the terrible violence in Acheh. I urge all of you who are shareholders to vote b Pension Funds' resolution.

Thank you.

AMM urges punishment for rogue TNI personnel

Jakarta Post - October 20, 2005

Nani Afrida, Banda Aceh -- The Aceh Monitoring Mission (AMM) demanded on Wednesday that the Indonesian Military (TNI) punish a TNI soldier accused of shooting four members of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) in Peudawa, East Aceh.

The incident was the first violation of the Helsinki peace agreement on the part of the TNI. "We regret that the TNI personnel resorted to disproportionate force in the incident," said Pieter Feith, the chief of AMM, during a press conference on Wednesday in Banda Aceh.

The incident occurred on Friday when TNI personnel arrested three GAM members in Peudawa, East Aceh, some 370 kilometers east of Banda Aceh, the capital of Aceh province.

Aware that their colleagues had been arrested, other GAM members went to a TNI outpost to demand their release. As the request was turned down, the GAM members brought more people later on in the evening to step up pressure against the TNI personnel. When the negotiation was in process, suddenly a TNI soldier sprayed bullets at the GAM members wounding four people, one seriously.

The AMM accused the TNI soldier of committing a breach of discipline by opening fire contrary to military regulations and said he had to be punished. The TNI personnel should have been more restrained, said Pieter.

Separately, chief of Iskandar Muda military command overseeing Aceh Maj. Gen. Supiadin said he would take stern measures against any personnel found guilty in the incident. The incident is being investigated and those who are guilty will receive punishment, he said.

Friday's incident was the second violation of the Helsinki peace agreement reported by the AMM. Earlier last month, the AMM accused GAM of breaching the peace deal after it found a GAM member shot a TNI personnel in North Aceh regency. No fatalities or injuries were reported in the incident.

The Helsinki peace deal was inked on August 15, after a series of faltering peace negotiations between the Indonesian government and GAM. The negotiation, which came in the wake of the tsunami disaster in December last year, has helped bring an end to almost 30 years of bloody conflict in the resource-rich region.

The two incidents have had little political repercussions with GAM and TNI personnel continuing the decommissioning of weapons, the latest being held in Sabang area on Tuesday.

TNI pulls out more troops from Aceh

Jakarta Post - October 19, 2005

Jakarta -- The TNI pulled out another 2,163 soldiers from Aceh on Tuesday as the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) completed their second round of weapons decommissioning as part of the terms of the peace agreement that will end more than three decades of war.

Witnessed by dozens of locals, the troops embarked from the Krueng Geukeuh port in Lhokseumawe following a ceremony led by Aceh military commander Maj. Gen. Supiadin.

Peter Feith, who heads the Aceh Monitoring Mission, was also present during the ceremony. "Hopefully, this can really lead to an eternal peace here," said one marine, Lt. Col. I Ketut Suwarya.

The soldiers were among the first batch of some 6,000 troops slated to leave Aceh under the second phase of the pullout this month. The next rounds of the second phase pullout would be held on Oct. 20 and 24.

The military has already withdrawn some 6,500 soldiers under the agreement, which was signed by both sides in Finland's capital Helsinki in August.

The pullout was made following the completion of the second round of arms decommissioning by GAM, which had to be extended as the number of weapons given up by the group was less that the 210 required.

Earlier on Tuesday, the monitoring mission accepted another 48 weapons from GAM. "A total of 233 weapons were received, so we are well over the target," Juri Laas, AMM spokesman, told AFP. The group has so far surrendered 476 weapons -- or more than half the 840 required under the peace deal -- to the monitoring mission. All have been destroyed.

Under the peace agreement, the Indonesian Military must pull out more than half its 60,000 troops from the province by December, while GAM is required to surrender a total of 840 weapons.

GAM has dropped its demand for independence in return for a form of local self-government. The government promised to withdraw its non-local security forces, offer amnesties to rebels and allow the creation of political parties in the province.

The peace process was restarted after last year's tsunami, which killed over 130,000 people in Aceh alone.

The Indonesian Military has deployed at least 38,000 troops in an attempt to crush the GAM separatists since the government imposed martial law in the province in May 2003.

Foreign monitors were first deployed to Aceh under a cease-fire agreement in 2002. However, the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement was short-lived due to violations perpetrated by both parties. A few dozen unarmed monitors from Thailand and the Philippines were forced to pull out amid escalating violence. Martial law was declared five months later after the separatists refused to surrender their arms and recognize Jakarta's sovereignty over the province.

About 15,000 people have been killed in Aceh since GAM began its struggle for Acehnese independence in 1976.

Depression and hunger stalk tsunami survivors

Reuters - October 18, 2005

Bill Tarrant, Lamteungoh -- Putri's baby is big. At 4 kg, baby Angi is, in fact, huge by the natal standards of Indonesia -- all the more remarkable since her mother has been living in a grim tsunami survivors' camp throughout her pregnancy.

Born on Sept. 23, Angi is the first known baby conceived and born after the Dec. 26th tsunami that killed more than 170,000 people and left half a million homeless in Indonesia's Aceh province on the tip of northern Sumatra. Angi, who is being bottle-fed because her mother's tsunami rations do not give her the strength to breast-feed, owes her robust health, at least in part, to a health clinic the children's aid group Plan International set up in her village.

Putri received vitamins, nutrient supplements and pre-natal care from the clinic during her pregnancy. A Plan-trained midwife delivered Angi in the military-style barracks camp Putri's family shares with scores of others.

Plan says it has set up at least 50 primary care units in tsunami-struck villages and distributed supplementary nutrient packages to 160,000 children and pregnant women in Aceh.

One of the great successes of the tsunami relief effort was that a feared second wave of deaths from diseases never happened.

Depressed and anaemic

Groups such as Unicef, Save the Children, Oxfam and Plan among others moved quickly to set up clear water and sanitation systems in camps housing more than a million tsunami survivors around the Indian Ocean rim.

Putri's baby is a welcome addition to the fishing village of Lamteungoh, where only 250 out of a population of around 3,000 survived the 10-metre high tsunami. As in so many other villages, three to four times as many women and girls than men were killed in Lamteungoh.

While baby Angi is fine, her parents are struggling. "Most pregnant women here are anaemic so they need vitamin supplements," said 27-year-old midwife, Dassy Handayani. "They also need a lot of moral support. They get depressed about raising their babies in tsunami camps."

The tsunami took Putri's eldest daughter, Arlisa Putri, 11. But two other daughters, Surya Pertiwi, 6 and Sri Rejeki, 3, survived.

Putri clings to a notion that Arlisa somehow is still alive. "I had a dream in the seventh month of my pregnancy that a white man found her and took her back with him, a Canadian named Michael. I want to believe this dream, but I'm not sure."

Life in the camps is undoubtedly contributing to depression spawned by tsunami trauma and loss of family members, homes and village life, aid officials said. "Most of the cases we're treating are either gastric, upper respiratory or headaches," said doctor Mira of the British-based Islamic Relief Agency.

"We have to do more research, but a lot of these cases seem to be psychosomatic," said Mira, who like many Indonesians uses one name. "Most of the people are healthy but feel like they're sick."

The new United Nations Recovery Coordinator for Aceh, Eric Morris, said moving the 67,500 people still living in tents into intermediate shelters is the biggest priority, going into the rainy season. "And probably conditions in some of those barracks are deteriorating, as well," Morris said in an interview.

Food running out?

The World Food Programme (WFP) is feeding around a half-million people in Indonesia alone, including nearly 100,000 still living in tattered tents. But the minimum rations of rice, cooking oil and canned fish distributed once a month to tsunami camps were never meant to meet the full daily nutritional needs of recipients.

People in camps frequently complain that for one reason or another they sometimes miss out on even that minimal dole. "The WFP and NGOs have done an amazingly good job, but it is a staple diet and people do need to diversify their diet," Morris said.

Indonesia's tsunami reconstruction chief said he has appealed to the WFP to keep the food distribution programme through to the end of next year to prevent malnutrition and related diseases.

"But should the WFP board not approve the request, or the international community not fund it, Aceh will go back to facing a humanitarian disaster of immense proportions," Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, head of Aceh's Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Agency (BRR), said in an interview. "There is a perception that the emergency conditions have passed because we're now in the reconstruction phase. This is wrong. The problems are so great, the humanitarian needs are so immense, that the emergency continues."

More than 232,000 people were killed or left missing across a dozen Indian Ocean nations after a 9.15 magnitude earthquake, the strongest in four decades, unleashed the most devastating tsunami on record.

Aceh rebuilding too clumsy, uncoordinated

Jakarta Post - October 18, 2005

Aguswandi, Banda Aceh -- Ten months after the tsunami, and six months after the Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Agency (BRR) was established, the reconstruction of Aceh is still in trouble. I am not talking here about the pace of reconstruction. Frequent complaints around this issue only beg the question "Compared to what?" My concern here is rather about information and coordination. Both are very weak areas, and something needs to be done urgently to address these and save the reconstruction.

On the information front, for agencies working to coordinate their reconstruction work, including many UN agencies, there is simply no accurate, reliable information about many things in Aceh -- despite it being already 10 months since the tsunami. Some limited data is available, but it is limited in reliability, often differs between agencies, or is simply inadequate.

This inevitably impacts on coordination between groups working in Aceh at the moment. Do we know how a house, a school or other services are built in selected locations at the moment? No one here seems to. If there are proper assessments and planning and coordination it must be internal, because from the outside it looks very much like organizations' simply think "we should build this here", and then do it.

Regarding information needed by the affected population, the picture is even worse. Recent Public Information Working Group- UNDP research showed that of 82 communities surveyed across 12 districts, just 7 percent of the community felt very informed, and a further 15 percent "sufficiently" informed. The majority are simply confused about, for example, why certain projects stop, who they should talk to about housing, and what BRR is and what it does.

Quick action to reconstruct the infrastructure and services of Aceh is absolutely necessary; people need it. But many Acehnese need a sense of certainty first; an understanding of what the future holds. If they can have this certainty people are far more willing to wait for the results. And this certainty can only come from information.

With regards to BRR, it did -- in the days of its initial establishment -- try to gather information, and it tried to get groups to coordinate. It asked organizations to register what they were doing in Aceh, and where. It asked about budgets and timeliness. But, as a director of one funding agency explained to me, he and his staff spent three full days filling in the forms, submitted them to the BRR, and then heard nothing whatsoever back from the BRR. There was no feedback, no permission or refusal, and no information about whether their projected projects were overlapping with other organizations.

Coordination and information are key in any reconstruction process, and critical in the Aceh context. With such a massive geographical area, such logistical and communication challenges, and with so many hundreds of actors here, how on earth are you going to reconstruct Aceh without coordination and information? Without being provocative, I would like to suggest that everyone stop working and building for, say, a single month to solve these two critical issues before they continue their work. This might be extreme, but in the long term it would be worth it. The worst of the emergency is over, and with food and basic shelter in place, the focus has to be on sustainable rebuilding.

Looking at the numbers of the reconstruction process and the situation seems quite positive. We have 10,119 housing units built, 13,804 houses under (re)construction, 119 schools built and 132 health facilities completed. But this figure only shows the quantity of the reconstruction, and does not necessarily reflect quality. Quality will be seen in coverage that is in line with population needs, other organizations' work areas, and in a harmonious working relationship between reconstruction actors and their beneficiaries, and this will not happen until coordination and information flows are visible and functional.

The BRR is in a position to improve this situation by actively pursuing information. Not only for its own purposes, but so that it can be drawn on by the public at large, agencies working in reconstruction and rehabilitation, and the relevant government bodies. So far the BRR has instead become increasingly weak, functioning as a consultative agency more than as a coordinating agency. Given that the BRR holds ministerial level authority, and has the capacity to eliminate bureaucratic or organizational laziness and undertake autonomous planning and delivery, this is a potentially tragic waste.

But is it really the only one to blame? I think all of us are responsible here. Regardless, the most important question here is rather how can we improve the current situation? Kuntoro, the chairman of the BRR, has said that the reconstruction of Aceh is in all our hands, and I agree. It is time now for the Indonesian government, the UN and many other agencies working in Aceh to improve their work.

[The writer is a human rights advocate. He is currently based in Aceh.]

Aceh local parties may be kept out of polls

Jakarta Post - October 17, 2005

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta -- The government is drafting a bill on the Aceh administration, which may dash the hopes of former Aceh rebels to contest posts in the regional administration under their own regional party.

The bill, proposed by the Ministry of Home Affairs, makes no mention about whether local parties will be restricted to local elections, only permitting the establishment of parties in the province allowed to contest the general elections.

Referring to the law on political parties, Article 58, paragraph 3, of the bill requires all political parties in Aceh to have representative offices in least in a half of the country's 33 provinces.

"The establishment of local parties has been agreed to by both parties in a bid to accommodate political participation of locals. If the bill (only) refers to the national legislation on political parties, then I think the government has missed the mission of the peace accord," Choirul Anam of human rights watchdog Imparsial said.

The peace agreement inked by government and Free Aceh Movement representatives (GAM) in Helsinki last August stipulates the formation of Aceh-based political parties that meet national criteria within a year after the signing. It also requires the government to create, at the latest 18 months from the signing of the peace accord, the legal framework for local political parties to contest posts in the Aceh administration in consultation with the House of Representatives.

The bill, meanwhile, says an Aceh-based party could be formed by at least 50 people aged at least 21 years old.

Choirul said it would be easy for the former rebels to establish their own parties, but these parties would find it difficult to meet the requirements to contest executive and legislative posts.

Another restriction is also seen in the bill as Article 39 of the draft, banning all Acehnese who have applied for foreign citizenship from holding key posts in future Aceh administrations. "This article is unfair. We know that Indonesia doesn't recognize double citizenship, but once Acehnese seek naturalization, they must be treated equally like others," Choirul said.

The bill also spells out the enforcement of sharia, saying it is a specific religious value in the predominantly Muslim province.

But Choirul said the implementation of sharia was "a centralized-heavy policy", instead of representing the voice of locals. Most Acehnese believe that religious affairs "were part of people's social and cultural interaction" and not matters for the state, he said.

Expecting that the bill could be endorsed in March next year, three Aceh-based universities and the Aceh administration are now preparing their own separate draft laws on Aceh administration.

A member of GAM negotiating team said, however, that no GAM members had been consulted on the draft legislation for Aceh.

"We have not been part in the deliberation process of the bill. But we hope the spirit of the legislation will not violate the spirit of the peace agreement in order to prevent the truce from breaking down," Mohammed Nur Djuli told The Jakarta Post.

"I suggest that all parties, either the central government or local thinkers here, take into account the basic freedoms of all people. The Acehnese must free to voice their aspirations upon all things in democratic circumstances," he said.

Rebels' disarmament extended

Jakarta Post - October 17, 2005

Jakarta -- The second phase of disarmament in Aceh has been extended as the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) has not yet handed over the target number of weapons needed to be surrendered under the peace deal.

GAM has handed in 182 acceptable weapons during the past three days and, with 32 more them still under scrutiny, the former rebel group was still short of the 232 arms the must be handed over in each of four disarmament phases.

Another 50 weapons were ruled out as they were not considered functional. "We had scheduled the second phase of the disarmament to end within three days, but we will now extend it into the coming week," Juri Laas, a spokesman for the Aceh Monitoring Mission (AMM), told AFP on Sunday.

Under the peace accord signed in Helsinki in August by the Indonesian government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), the former rebel group is required to surrender all of its declared 840 weapons in four stages to be completed by Dec. 31.

The Aceh Monitoring Mission (AMM) that groups peace monitors from the European Union and member countries of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), will then destroy the weapons after a verification process.

GAM has also agreed to dissolve its military organization and drop its long-held demand for independence. In return, GAM members will be awarded an amnesty and have their full political rights restored.

Former GAM members will also be provided with small plots of land and money in order to help them reintegrate into society.

In exchange for GAM's disarmament, the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the National Police must also reduce their presence in the tsunami-wrecked province. At the end of the disarmament process, from the current 57,000 soldiers and police stationed in the province, only 14,700 soldiers and 9,100 police officers will be allowed to stay.

GAM brought in 279 weapons in the first phase in September, but 36 weapons were disqualified. The government, meanwhile, withdrew almost 6,000 soldiers and 2,000 police personnel, and is due to do the same after the completion of the second phase.

Aceh military commander Maj. Gen. Supiadin A.S. said that although failing to meet the target, GAM had fulfilled its promise to hand in the weapons in the second phase.

He added that the withdrawal of noncombatant soldiers would still take place as scheduled on Nov. 18 as GAM assured it would make up for the shortage in weapons to be submitted. "The rest of the weapons most probably will be surrendered in Sabang on Nov. 18, Supiadin said.

Also witnessing the disarmament process in Bendahara district, some 30 kilometers from Kuala Simpang, the capital of Aceh Tamiang regency, were several government officials, including Minister of Information and Communication Sofyan Djalil, AMM and GAM representatives.

Thousands of local residents also watched closely the destruction of the weapons in a palm oil plantation.

Top UN official slams slow reconstruction work

Jakarta Post - October 17, 2005

Nani Afrida, Banda Aceh -- Reconstruction projects in tsunami- devastated Aceh have been too slow over the past 10 months, leading to popular frustration, a top UN official said on Sunday.

The sluggish pace of the projects was due to poor coordination among aid groups, lack of infrastructure, such as roads and ports, and the remoteness of Aceh, said Jan Egeland, the UN's chief emergency relief coordinator.

During his visit, Egeland called on all aid groups and non- governmental organizations (NGOs) to work more quickly and in a more coordinated manner to get people out of tents and military- style barrack blocks. "All agencies and NGOs need to work more closely together," he said while regretting the fact that many aid groups in Aceh were working on parallel programs rather than work together shoulder to shoulder to help Acehnese.

Thousands of semi-permanent homes were built in Aceh after the tsunami disaster in December last year, with some 10,000 houses built for survivors last month. The survivors had previously been living in tents and barrack blocks.

However, many Acehnese are still living in squalid camps, prompting UN officials to call for the speeding up of the reconstruction projects.

In order to help expedite the projects, Jan said the UN would station a recovery coordinator in Aceh. The coordinator would be responsible for drawing up a six-month plan for the speedy reconstruction of the province, including the construction of more homes for tsunami survivors.

It is hoped that in the next six months, some hundreds of thousands of tsunami survivors currently living in tents and barrack blocks would be provided with decent houses.

The recovery coordinator would work together with the government agency overseeing reconstruction and rehabilitation in Aceh (the BRR) and aid groups, said Jan.

The BRR has said it is building 20,000 more houses for tsunami survivors. Established by the Indonesian government and funded by various overseas donors overseas, as well as the government, the BRR is planning to build tens of thousands of houses.

Money is apparently not been a major problem as the international community has pledged more than $4 billion for tsunami relief and rehabilitation work in Aceh.

The tsunami in Aceh left some 170,000 people dead or missing, and some 500,000 people homeless.

Aceh disarmament marred by shooting of rebel

Agence France Presse - October 15, 2005

Banda Aceh -- A rebel in Indonesia's Aceh province has been shot and wounded by a soldier during a disarmament ceremony aimed at ending decades of violence in the tsunami-hit conflict zone.

Rebels from the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) began handing over their rifles and pistols to foreign monitors on Friday, in a second phase of disarmament that was part of a peace deal agreed with the government in August.

Police said the independent Aceh Monitoring Mission (AMM), established under the terms of the August deal in Helsinki, was probing the shooting of the GAM rebel, which coincided with Friday's disarmament launch.

"The AMM team is trying to clarify what happened in the area and will later decide which party was guilty," said Aceh police chief Bahrumsyah Kasman, referring to the shooting in the Peudada region of eastern Aceh.

According to GAM, the trouble started when three GAM members on a motorbike were pulled over by the military after refusing to stop at a checkpoint. One rebel ran away while the other two were allegedly assaulted.

"Later on, some of their friends came to the military post seeking their release," said GAM spokesman Irwandi Yusuf.

"While negotiations were taking place a shot was suddenly fired by one of the soldiers and wounded one rebel. I suspect the shooting was due to old animosity towards the rebel because he was on the wanted list when Aceh was under martial law."

Information Minister Sofyan Jalil, who negotiated the historic Helsinki agreement on behalf of the government, said the shooting would not derail efforts to bring peace to the troubled province.

"I think it will not have an impact on the peace process because the disarmament process is taking place very well," he told Indonesia's private Metro TV.

Major General Bambang Darmono, the top military officer in Aceh when it was under martial law, agreed, saying, "It absolutely has no impact on the ongoing process." AMM is already investigating the alleged shooting of a GAM member by paramilitary police in western Aceh on Wednesday, before the second phase of disarmament started.

Police said the man was killed after refusing to stop at a checkpoint while driving a stolen car, but GAM said he was killed in an act of intimidation by the paramilitary police.

"We are still investigating the case with the full cooperation of both parties and we are still establishing the facts," AMM spokeswoman Faye Belnis told AFP on Friday.

Despite the shootings, disarmament has gone ahead with rebels surrendering 128 weapons in northern Aceh on Friday. Of the total, AMM recognized 91 weapons and disqualified 37 weapons deemed not to have been in working order.

The process continued Saturday at four other sites, including one in the Madat area of eastern Aceh attended by AMM chief Pieter Feith, government representatives and GAM members.

"A total of 93 weapons were handed over today (Saturday). Twelve of them were disqualified which means 81 were accepted and 21 weapons were disputed by the government," AMM spokesman Juri Laas told AFP.

Rebels have pledged to hand over their declared arsenal of 840 firearms in four stages before the end of the year. A total of 279 weapons were collected in the first phase in September but the AMM disqualified 36 of them.

In return for the disarmament the government agreed to withdraw from Aceh almost 6,000 troops and 2,000 police, or a quarter of its reinforcement troops there.

Observers see the Helsinki agreement as the best chance yet of ending the conflict which has claimed about 15,000 lives, most of them civilians, since GAM began its struggle for an independent state in 1976.

Under the accord, GAM dropped its long-held demand for independence in exchange for a form of local government in Aceh, a province of about four million people. The peace pact was spurred by the December 2004 tsunami disaster, which left 131,000 people dead in Aceh.

Women's health programs in Aceh

Jakarta Post - October 15, 2005

Sudirman Nasir, Melbourne -- It is crucial that Acehnese, men and women, be directly involved in all stages of rehabilitation programs in the province. Women's participation is also critical since it has become apparent that the civil war and the tsunami disaster have affected women more severely than men.

The catastrophic consequences of war on women's health and wellbeing were obvious due to the fact that war is characterized by large scale violence, militarization and masculinization of society. Thus, it is not a surprise that women's vulnerability is a common phenomena during and after war. Non-combatant groups, women and children in particular, are those most vulnerable during and after wars.

The disastrous impact of war on humans has been well recorded. Death, disease, physical and psychological trauma, socio-economic and cultural calamities have been reported in many publications. War also causes many physical and psychosocial problems as a result of injuries, malnutrition, infectious diseases, reproductive problems, chronic pain, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, disability or even premature death.

In addition, sexual violence against women such as rape, harassment, forced prostitution, forced abortion, sexual slavery, etc., that frequently occur during wars have traumatic impacts on women's health. Women also bear a heavy burden during war to feed and support their families while their men are at war, that exacerbates their health and wellbeing. Women's suffering is also evident when they are compelled to live in refugee camps. Many women even choose to be combatants and experience the traumatic effects of the battlefield.

The armed conflict in Aceh offers a good example of the dramatic consequences of war on women's health and wellbeing. Human suffering in general and women's agony in particular are evident in Aceh and have been aggravated by the recent earthquake and tsunami.

The tsunami disaster in Aceh has stimulated worldwide responses to help the victims and inevitably attracted international pressure for a resolution of the conflict between the Indonesian military and Free Aceh Movement (GAM). Nonetheless, peace negotiations between Indonesia and GAM tend to be exclusive and neglect the participation of Acehnese civil groups including women's organizations.

ELSAM (the Jakarta-based Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy) claims that during the DOM (military operations) era, at least 1,958 people disappeared, 1,321 died, 3,430 suffered various forms of torture, and 209 women were victims of sexual violence. It is also reported that there were 3,000 widows and 16,375 orphans.

The above should be considered as just the tip of the iceberg. There were many other violations in remote areas of Aceh that were never reported. Fear and stigma frequently prevents many Acehnese from talking about their traumatic experiences due to the brutal attitudes of the Indonesian Military and police. However, the data significantly indicated women's vulnerability, especially due to sexual violence and the large number of widows and orphans.

It is also clear that sexual violence towards women in conflict areas, including Aceh, often has symbolic and political meanings, attempting to emphasize the failure of men to protect their women, to infiltrate and destroy communities, and to alienate women from their community.

Acehnese women's suffering continues when they were forced to live in refugee camps with low availability of food, lack of clean water, electricity and sanitation that triggers many kinds of infectious diseases and premature deaths.

Women's vulnerability in Aceh due to the long armed conflict and natural disasters strongly indicates the urgency to prioritize women's health programs in the province. National, provincial and local government should conduct intensive public consultation to design, implement and monitor women's health programs as part of the process of rehabilitation.

[The writer is a postgraduate student at the Key Centre for Women's Health in Society, University of Melbourne.]

Shootings mar Aceh disarmament

Jakarta Post - October 15, 2005

Nani Afrida, Banda Aceh -- Several Aceh separatists were shot as GAM began a second round of weapons decommissioning on Friday as part of a peace deal to end three decades of fighting in the province.

At least two separatists were wounded by government soldiers in Puedada district, some 12 kilometers from Idie in East Aceh regency, said the local spokesman for the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), Kafrawi.

He said the shooting took place at about 4 p.m. near a military post in Peudada. He said the wounded men were taken to a hospital for treatment. A GAM member in Banda Aceh who declined to be identified confirmed the incident.

The Aceh Monitoring Mission (AMM) said it was investigating the report. A military source confirmed the incident but declined to elaborate.

In a similar incident on Wednesday, police shot dead one alleged GAM member and wounded another in Aceh in Jeuram district, Nagan Raya regency.

Acting Nagan Raya Police chief Comr. Arsyad K.H. said the two men were fired on when they attempted to run through a police checkpoint in a stolen vehicle. The deceased was identified as Safrudin, 30.

The EU-led monitors overseeing the peace deal said they were investigating the shootings in cooperation with GAM and the police.

This violence comes as separatists began the second phase of disarmament on Friday, surrendering at least 128 weapons across North Aceh regency.

Firearms were turned over at four locations -- Paloh Gadeng village in Dewantara district, Matang Baroh village in Baktiya district, Meunasah Masjid village in Meurah Mulia district and Leubok Reusep village in Nibong district. The disarmament was also scheduled to take place in Sabang regency but was canceled for unknown reasons.

In Paloh Gadeng, a total of 52 firearms -- consisting of 15 pistols and 37 rifles -- were surrendered to the AMM. However, only five of the 15 pistols and 20 of the 37 rifles were judged by the peace monitors as counting toward the target set for this latest round of disarmament, the other weapons apparently no longer being operable.

The rebels also handed over 38 weapons in Matang Baroh, with fewer than 100 more firearms to be surrendered over the next few days in East Aceh and Aceh Tamiang. For the second phase of disarmament, GAM must hand over at least 210 firearms to the AMM.

A total of 279 firearms were collected from Aceh Besar, Bireuen and Pidie in the first phase of disarmament in September, but the AMM disqualified 36 of the weapons.

AMM head Pieter Feith, government officials, military and police officers and GAM representatives were in Paloh Gadeng on Friday for the disarmament. Hundreds of residents watched as the guns were fed into a circular saw and destroyed.

Both GAM and the military said on Friday they were pleased with the way the peace deal had gone so far.

Aceh Military chief Maj. Gen. Supiadin Aries Saputra, who was among those in attendance in Paloh Gadeng, along with Aceh Police chief Insp. Gen. Bachrumsyah Kasman, said GAM seemed committed to implementing the peace accord signed on Aug. 15 in Helsinki.

Under the deal, GAM will hand over its declared arsenal of 840 firearms in four stages before the end of the year, while the government will pull out of Aceh almost 6,000 troops and 2,000 police officers, or a quarter of its reinforcement troops.

After the second phase of disarmament, more troops will be withdrawn from Oct. 18 to Oct. 24.

Feith has said the Indonesian government plans to pull out of the province 1,300 police officers and 6,500 soldiers, including units from the Army's Kopassus special forces.

West Papua

Papua's integration into RI final: Dutch lawmaker

Jakarta Post - October 21, 2005

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta -- A Dutch parliamentarian called on the international community to stop questioning the status of Papua as the territory's incorporation into Indonesia under the United Nations-sanctioned 1969 Act of Free Choice was final.

"Like Maluku, Aceh and other territories of the Indonesian archipelago, Irian Jaya (Papua) is an integral part of Indonesia. The Netherlands therefore will not support any separatist movements," Hans van Baalen said in a seminar held to observe the 77th anniversary of the Indonesian Youth Pledge here on Thursday.

Van Baalen, a legislator from the Netherlands Party for Freedom and Democracy, was responding to the findings of the Drooglever study on Papua in the Netherlands and US House of Representatives Resolution No. 2601, both of which questioned the validity of Papua's integration into Indonesia.

The study by Prof. Drooglever was commissioned by the Dutch government at the request of the Dutch parliament to establish the historical facts of what happened in Papua, and has inspired several non-governmental organizations to question the formal transfer of what was then Dutch New Guinea through the United Nations to Indonesia in 1969.

Meanwhile, Resolution 2601, which was endorsed by the US House of Representatives in July, and is still awaiting approval from the US Senate, would, if passed, require the US government to seek clarification on a wide range of foreign affairs issues, including the Papua question.

Hundreds of Papuan people staged a demonstration on Thursday in Jayapura, the capital of Papua, to protest UN's decision to give Indonesia control of the province in 1963, and approve the result of the 1969 Act of Free Choice, which they said was undemocratic.

Van Baalen said the Drooglever study should not affect the good bilateral relations between Indonesia and the Netherlands. Instead, the two countries should enhance their ties for mutual benefit.

"The Netherlands as a founding member of the EU can be a gateway for Indonesian products to Europe and can lobby for the abolishing of EU import duties and quotas for Indonesian products. Indonesia as a co-founder of ASEAN can do the same for the Hague's interests in the region," he said.

Theo L. Sambuaga, an Indonesian legislator from the Golkar Party, said the government should work hard to improve the welfare of the Papuan people to help eliminate secessionist sentiment in the resource-rich province.

"The Papua issue will continually emerge as long as the government does not fulfill its obligation to ensure development, empower the people and uphold the rule of law in the country's easternmost province," he said.

According to Theo, the government should speed up development programs to allow the province under its special autonomy status to catch up with the more developed provinces.

Jimmy Demianus Ijie, speaker of the West Irian Jaya provincial legislature, blamed Jakarta's confusing policy for the increasing demands for Papua's secession from Indonesia.

"The differing powers in Jakarta should sit at a roundtable with all Papuan figures to seek a comprehensive solution to the Papuan issue, and consistently implement it," he said.

He was of also of the opinion that Papua's integration into Indonesia was final "but the remaining problem is that most Papuans have been treated as second-class citizens in their own homeland."

Military ties

Lifting arms embargo must consider reform of the TNI

Kompas - October 17, 2005

Jakarta -- It is hoped that moves to lift the arms embargo on Indonesia by the United States will be done gradually. In addition to this, the degree of reform within the Indonesian military (TNI) must also be balanced against this.

This statement was conveyed at a joint press conference by a number of non-government organisations on Friday October 14 which was held at the offices of the International NGO Forum on Indonesian Development (Infid).

According to Infid's executive director, Ivan Hadar, there are a number of parameters of reform which can be a measure of this including building a Indonesian National Defence Force (TNI) which is professional, not involved in business or politics and one which submits to civilian authority and respects the principles of human rights.

In addition to this, there are a number of other issues which must be given consideration such as building a defense posture that is in accordance with strategic goals in the field as well as being linked with the principles of accountability and transparency said Hadar.

A similar view was also expressed by the executive director of the Human Rights Working Group (HRWG), Rafendi Djamin, who at the same time attempted to link this reform with efforts to deal with the problems of terrorism. Djamin said that efforts to improve cooperation and the handling of terrorism must also be based on reform within the TNI.

In the joint statements, they said that real issues of importance such as the war against terrorism must not become a means to legitimise giving access to the TNI to work outside the corridors of democracy and its duty to maintain defense. (DWA)

[Translated by James Balowski.]

Labour issues

Up to 1 million may face layoff, says minister

Jakarta Post - October 21, 2005

Jakarta -- The economic hardship faced by businesses, in particular due to the recent fuel prices hike, may result in up to 1 million workers losing their jobs by the end of the year, a minister says.

"Others estimated that there could be up to two million workers forced out of work, but our study showed that the number would be only as much as one million," said Minister of Manpower and Transmigration Fahmi Idris on Thursday.

The government, under pressure to avoid fiscal disaster amid an inflated fuel subsidy, increased on Oct. 1 domestic fuel prices by an average of 126 percent.

Operating costs of several industrial sectors have gone up by 10 percent to 50 percent since, prompting companies to consider reducing their workforce to stay in business. Fahmi added that the sectors most affected were the furniture and timber industry, as well as textiles and garments.

Aside from the fuel prices hike, the furniture and timber industry are currently also having difficulties in obtaining raw materials due to the lower logging quota and illegal logging. "Meanwhile, textiles are facing tight competition due to China's massive expansion," he said.

However, Indonesian Business Association (APINDO) chairman Sofyan Wanandi promised that companies under the association would not terminate any of their workers in the next six months.

"We will try not to lay off workers in the next six months. But, we cannot guarantee this for SMEs (small and medium enterprises)," Sofyan said after signing a memorandum of understanding between APINDO and state workers insurance company Jamsostek on Thursday.

Bigger companies, he explained, had more capital and therefore were more resilient during times like this. Sofyan estimated that there could be hundreds of thousands of workers in SMEs facing possible layoffs.

As of February 2005, there were 105.8 million workers nationwide, of which around 79 million were working with the country's 42.3 million SMEs.

Meanwhile, Jamsostek director Iwan Pontjowinoto added that his company had set aside Rp 1 trillion for possible disbursement of worker's pension funds. Workers registered under Jamsostek pension fund program usually cash in their benefits after being retrenched. There are currently 115,000 companies that have registered 7.5 million active workers in Jamsostek's workers insurance scheme.

Meanwhile, responding to demands of adjustments in the minimum regional wage (UMR), Fahmi explained that it would depend on the cost of living in each area as well as the level of economic development of the provinces and the productivity of companies.

"We have set the UMR based on the cost of a decent standard of living and not the minimum cost. It will be effective in January," he said. This standard includes education and housing costs aside from the minimum cost of living. The amount varies between provinces.

Jakarta's minimum wage currently stands at Rp 711,283. Labor unions have demanded that it be raised to Rp 1.2 million following the rising costs of basic commodities.

US senators worried over domestic child labor

Jakarta Post - October 21, 2005

Jakarta -- Fifteen US senators from the Republican and Democrat Parties have written to Minister of Manpower and Transmigration Fahmi Idris this week, conveying their concerns over child domestic labor in Indonesia.

In the letter made available to The Jakarta Post on Thursday, the senators urged the government to immediately enforce the Child Protection Law and the 2003 Ministerial Decree, which sets the minimum working age at 15 and prohibits children under the age of 18 from performing hazardous work.

"Additionally, we are pleased to learn that you are considering drafting new national legislation to address the plight of child domestic workers," the senators wrote.

They cited this year's report of Human Rights Watch, an international organization, which among others revealed how girls as young as 12 were made to work seven days a week, 14 to 18 hours a day. The HRW report said the child domestics work "in virtual slavery."

A report in 2002 by the International Labor Organization said there were 680,000 children working as domestic workers. "Many girls were subjected to sexual, physical or psychological abuse. Some children described being denied food, being beaten, and instances of sexual assault, including rape by male employers," the letter said, quoting the reports.

They also cited the US State Department's annual "Trafficking in Persons Reports" which notes the "extensive internal trafficking within Indonesia, primarily from rural to urban areas for involuntary domestic servitude. Children are often lured into labor through deceptive promises of decent wages, good working conditions, and the opportunity to attend school, the senators added.

The senators commended the government for establishing a National Action Plan to implement ILO Convention 182, "On the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labor," which Indonesia ratified in March 2000.

They wrote they were "confident" that Minister Fahmi would "be able to use your position of leadership to bring about concrete improvements to the lives of exploited child domestic workers." The senators were Tom Harkin, Mike DeWine and Charles Schumer; Tom Coburn, Mark Dayton and Rick Santorum; Elizabeth Dole and Richard Durbin. Others were Christopher Dodd, Jon Corzine, Maria Cantwell, Mary Landrieu, Daniel Akaka and Tim Johnson and Jeff Bingaman.

Activists have pointed out that child domestics are particularly vulnerable since even adult domestics, mostly women from poor rural families, are considered part of the informal sector and are as yet not regulated.

The senators said they welcomed the Minister's consideration of drafting new legislation to address the plight of child domestic workers.

Thousands of timber workers laid off

Jakarta Post - October 17, 2005

Jambi -- Almost 2,000 timber workers have been laid off in Jambi during the past few weeks because of slow business there, with workers complaining their severance pay was illegally low.

Among those laid off were 1,300 former workers of PT NPP, which operated in Muarojambi regency, Jambi province.

A NPP worker, Purwanto, who received a single month's wages of severance pay this week, said the company was not holding to an earlier agreement it would give workers severance of two month's wages.

Chief of the local manpower office Haris Rachim said the company had paid an adequate amount to the workers. "The government can not force the company to pay severance pay in full as the company is really bankrupt," Haris said.

Many timber companies lack raw materials since the government launched a nationwide campaign to eradicate illegal logging in March this year.

War on terror

Planned antiterror amendments slammed

Jakarta Post - October 22, 2005

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta -- The government's intention of introducing draconian legislation to fight terrorism appears likely to face a long hard slog after politicians and human rights campaigners roundly criticized the proposal.

Golkar legislator Yuddy Chrisnandy warned the government against introducing legislation that could threaten human rights, particularly given the high number of dubious arrests and alleged mistreatment of suspects by the police in their investigations of terrorist attacks over the past few years.

Law enforcement agencies have also been criticized for making no efforts to restore the good names of those later released due to the lack evidence. "We, the members of Commission I on political, defense and foreign affairs, recently approved the United Nations Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. We want all legislation in this country to comply with the principles contained in the Covenant," Yuddy said.

He was commenting on the government's proposal to beef up the Antiterrorism Law in the wake of the recent bomb blasts in Bali. "Once the government submits the draft amendments to the Antiterrorism Law, we will carefully examine them to ensure that their provisions do not contravene the Covenant," Yuddy said.

News of the planned amendments was disclosed by Ansja'ad Mbai, who heads the antiterror desk at the Office of the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs. He acknowledged that the draft amendments could "compromise individual human rights so as to ensure the safety of the public at large." Ansja'ad said that many countries had adopted similar tough legislation following the terrorist attacks on the United States on Sept. 11. 2001.

In Australia, the local antiterrorism legislation gives power to the attorney general to ban certain groups from pursuing their activities, and to abrogate certain rights of such groups' members while being questioned by security officers.

In the wake of the legislation, the Australian authorities asked the Indonesian government to ban Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) -- the Asian terrorist network believed to have been responsible for the series of terror attacks in Indonesian beginning in 2000.

Tough legislation has also been introduced in many other Western countries allowing the state to curtail individual freedoms in the light of the terrorist threat.

Noted rights activist Asmara Nababan had earlier urged lawmakers not to endorse the government's move to amend the Antiterrorism Law, arguing that the lack of a legal umbrella for investigators was not the main reason behind the country's inability to curb terrorism.

"The problem lies in a lack coordination between all of the intelligence services in this country as well as the poor showing of the police in dealing with extraordinary crimes.

"Therefore, we do not need a draconian law for this country," said Asmara, who is also a former secretary-general of the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM).

Antiterror raids raise hackles

Jakarta Post - October 21, 2005

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta -- Large-scale raids to find those responsible for the latest Bali bombings have caused unease among some sections of the public, and those who feel they have been unfairly treated have been urged to file complaints against the police.

A number of legislators and human rights activists said here on Thursday that those affected by abuses during the police-led antiterror raids should sue the authorities.

"Following the recent Bali bombings, the government has been cracking down on terrorists, and since then we have recorded a series of incidents of unacceptable treatment, including arbitrary arrests," Golkar legislator Yuddy Chrisnady told a joint press conference held with several non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

He argued that such arrests contravened the newly ratified United Nations Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

The arrests were mostly made without warrants and the suspects were interrogated without having legal counsel present, Yuddy said. "Nor were any efforts made to restore the good name of those later released by the police due to lack of evidence," he added.

He said another abuse involved the use of information from the state intelligence services for investigation purposes without the seeking of court approval by the police. The Antiterrorism Law requires the police to secure court approval for the use of such intelligence information in investigating acts of terrorism.

Usman Hamid from the National Commission on Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) expressed similar views, citing as an example the arrest of Ahmad Djaelani on Rote island, East Nusa Tenggara, days after the Oct. 1 Bali attacks. Djaelani was thought to resemble Malaysian fugitive Azahari bin Husin, an alleged key leader of Jamaah Islamiyah (JI).

"Police officers dragged Djaelani from his home and did nothing to stop angry locals from beating and kicking him. Later on, he was released but he almost got killed because of the unfounded accusation," Usman said.

Yuddy blamed poor coordination among intelligence agencies for the government's failure to stop the terror attacks, which began to hit the country in 2000.

Meanwhile, Benny K. Harman, a legislator from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), said the Indonesian Military's expressed intention of reactivating its territorial commands to help combat terrorism would only result in the common people being treated as the "enemies of the state".

"As long as the government fails to change its mind-set, I don't think that democracy will really take root here." Yuddy and Benny said they would encourage their fellow politicians to summon senior military, police and state intelligence officers to evaluate what he said was the government's poor showing in protecting the people.

"The government should not blame innocent people for its own failure to provide security," said Benny. Yuddy also said he would call for a meeting to discuss what the military should do to assist the police in the fight against terrorism.

US backs tougher antiterror law

Jakarta Post - October 21, 2005

Jakarta -- The United States administration has supported the Indonesian government's plan to establish a tougher antiterror body and counterterrorism legislations, but said it has no intention to intervene in the process.

"We support it but we wouldn't tell Indonesia what to do. It is a decision that must be made by the Indonesian government and the Indonesian people," United States Ambassador to Indonesia B. Lynn Pascoe said after a meeting with Vice President Jusuf Kalla on Wednesday.

Pascoe said the United States enacted tougher antiterror legislation following the Sept. 11, 2001 attack.

Australia recently called on Indonesia to draw up tougher antiterror laws after the Bali bombings on Oct. 1. The neighboring nation sent a team of experts to assist Indonesia in this matter.

Government won't restrict Islamic schools: Kalla

Jakarta Post - October 21, 2005

Rendi A. Witular, Jakarta -- Vice President Jusuf Kalla denied reports that the government would restrict the activities of Islamic boarding schools (pesantren) as part of the fight against terrorism, the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) said on Thursday.

"The Vice President has said that there are no plans at all by the government to limit the activities of pesantren as reported by the media," said MUI secretary-general Ichwan Syam during a news conference after a meeting with Kalla at the latter's offices in Jakarta.

However, Ichwan added, Kalla insisted on the need to closely monitor Islamic boarding schools that promoted religious extremism and radicalism.

Earlier on Wednesday, Kalla said that among 17,000 boarding schools across Indonesia, there was only one or two that were extreme or violated Islamic teachings.

They have been alleged to "brainwash" their students by claiming that suicide is allowed in Islam for jihad (holy war), Ichwan quoted Kalla as saying.

"Such teachings have sown the seeds of terrorism. The MUI will support the government in educating the public that such an evil act (suicide) is against Islam," said Ichwan. However, he said that Kalla had refused to identify the schools believed to be harboring terrorists and promoting extremist teachings.

The Al-Mukmin boarding school in the central Java city of Surakarta was investigated after several of its former students were found to be involved in the first Bali bombings in October 2002, which killed 202 people.

The school was run by cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir before he was convicted for his role in those bombings and sentenced to 30 months in jail.

Ba'asyir himself has been accused by foreign governments of being the spiritual leader of Jamaah Islamiyah, a regional extremist group blamed for a series of deadly attacks in Indonesia in recent years, including the Bali blasts.

Thursday's meeting was called by the MUI to seek clarification from Kalla over his statement carried in media reports that the government would restrict the activities of pesantren following the Oct. 1, 2005, terror attacks in Bali, which killed 23 people, including three suspected suicide bombers.

Ichwan said that although the Vice President had denied making this statement, the reports had tarnished the image of Islam. Ichwan urged all government officials to refrain from making statements to the media that could provoke anger among Muslims and be counterproductive to the struggle against terror.

During the meeting, which was also attended by MUI deputy chairman Umar Shihab and board members Ma'ruf Amin, Nazri Adlani and Amidhan, Kalla also conveyed his concerns over the circulation of books written by convicted Bali bomber Imam Samudra in mosques and bookstores, which encouraged the waging of jihad by terrorist means.

Imam was sentenced to death last year along with Amrozi and Ali Ghufron alias Mukhlas over their key roles in the 2002 Bali bombings.

The MUI said it also plans to seek clarification from Insp. Gen. Ansja'ad Mbai, who heads the antiterror desk at the Office of the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs, over his media statement that 50 percent of Muslim preachers delivering sermons at Friday prayers spread hatred and hostility against other religious groups.

"The statement has worried us, and undermines the honor of the preachers in front of their followers. This will eventually create hatred among Muslims," said Amidhan.

Bombings caused by territorial command weaknesses

Tempo Interactive - October 21, 2005

Jakarta -- Maj. Gen. Herry Tjahyana, the Udayana IX Military chief, has said that the bombings in Kuta and Jimbaran on October 1, were due to the weaknesses of territorial commands in carrying out intelligence functions. "We are willing to acknowledge this," stated Tjahyana on Thursday (20/10).

According to him, the function of territorial commands is yet to be maximized as their role has recently been followed by allegations that they will affect the democratization process and the possibility of human rights' violations. "This is quite disturbing as security challenges keep increasing," stated Tjahyana.

The predominantly social-political function of territorial commands in the past, Tjahyana said, has been annulled and become part of past history that shall not be repeated. "The current management of territorial commands is really for the interest of the general public," stated Tjahyana.

He also insisted that the current function of territorial commands still existed from the level of village officers up to military commands. Therefore, it was not appropriate if there were accusations about how the TNI would like to revive the territorial commands.

Tjahyana said he assumed that Bali would continue to be a target for acts of terrorism because of its national and international strategic position. Therefore, what could be done was to carry out efforts to narrow terrorists' room to maneuver.

Regarding the idea to establish a Bali Security Board, Tjahyana requested that this be reviewed more seriously."Do not establish a new institution while the existing ones are not yet working optimally," he said.

(Rofiqi Hasan-Tempo News Room)

Jusuf Kalla: TNI must be involved in facing terrorism

Tempo Interactive - October 21, 2005

Jakarta -- Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla has said that terrorism must be handled with stern measures. According to Kalla, all people must work hard, including the police and the Indonesian Military (TNI).

"There is no other way. Terrorism must be handled with stern measures," he said at the Vice Presidential Palace in Jakarta. Kalla said he considered that the terrorism state decree was already good but acts of terrorism would continue.

He agreed if the TNI was involved in facing terrorism. "The most important thing is that the TNI is not involved in political activities as happened in the past," stated Kalla.

Kalla said that there were 17,000 Muslim boarding schools in Indonesia. However, there were only or two schools that are needed to be monitored. "Those that need to be monitored, not all of them," Kalla said. (Budi Setyarso-Tempo News Room)

Jakarta to monitor boarding schools

Australian Associated Press - October 20, 2005

Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, will monitor Islamic boarding schools as part of its effort to fight militant violence and suicide bombings, Vice President Jusuf Kalla said.

Indonesia has been racked by a spate of bomb attacks in recent years, including one on the tourist island of Bali this month in which 23 people died, including four Australians and three suicide bombers.

Several people convicted over or linked to earlier blasts were militants who had studied at al-Mukmin, a Muslim boarding school, or pesantren, in Ngruki in central Java.

"It's possible that there are one or two very extreme pesantren among 17,000 pesantrens, and their teachings are not in line with those recognised by our Ulemas (Muslim preachers), therefore they must be put under surveillance," Kalla, known to be a devout Muslim himself, told reporters late on Wednesday. He did not mention any schools by name.

When asked about the boarding school in Ngruki near the city of Solo, co-founded in the 1970s by jailed militant cleric Abu Bakar Bashir, the alleged spiritual leader of al Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiah, Kalla said: "We have assigned the minister of religious affairs to examine all, locating boarding schools which could bring the young to kill themselves and others, including other Muslims, for nothing." Bashir is serving a 30-month jail term for his role in the 2002 bombings on the holiday island of Bali which killed 202 mostly foreign tourists.

The International Crisis Group has described al-Mukmin as at the top of Jemaah Islamiah's "Ivy League" of schools where members send their children.

Authorities blame Jemaah Islamiah for bombings in Indonesia and planned and actual attacks elsewhere in Southeast Asia.

Aside from the Bali attacks, in recent years Indonesia has seen a deadly car bomb blast at a luxury hotel in Jakarta and another outside the Australian embassy.

Bashir, who has denied responsibility for any bombings as well as any knowledge of Jemaah Islamiah, condemned the latest attacks in Bali but also described them as a warning from God.

War on terror no excuse for rights abuse: Observer

Jakarta Post - October 19, 2005

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta -- A noted human rights activist lashed out on Tuesday at the government's move to compromise on individual basic rights in its fight against terrorism.

Former secretary-general of the National Commission on Human Rights Asmara Nababan said the problems facing the government in its war on terror lay in the poor coordination among security authorities and non-performing law enforcement personnel, rather than the relatively moderate legislation.

"I don't believe a soft legal umbrella is responsible for our failure to stamp out terrorism. It is long overdue for lawmakers to give an honest appraisal of all the government's efforts to deal with terrorist threats," said Asmara, the executive director of human rights watch Demos.

He was commenting on the proposed amendments to the antiterrorism law, which according to antiterror desk chief Ansja'ad Mbai might sacrifice the rights of individuals, but ensure the safety of the public, at large.

"Even the United Nations will not allow certain countries to enforce such a repressive law despite the campaign against terrorism," Asmara said.

He added that the international community had recognized the non-derogatable rights of individuals, including the right to life; and the prohibition of torture and cruel, inhuman, degrading treatment or punishment.

Asmara urged the House of Representatives legislators to evaluate the government's efforts to hunt down terrorists and to find the root causes of its failure to protect the people from terror attacks.

He said the House appraisal would open the public's eyes as to whether related state institutions had made for a good team and whether the police had given their all to prevent terrorism.

The current antiterrorism law was passed after the Bali bombings in October 2002, which left 202 people dead. Ineffective intelligence work has been blamed for recurring acts of terror in the ensuing years, the latest being the second Bali blasts on Oct. 1.

Ansja'ad said the amendments to the law would allow the police to detain a person without charge for more than seven days -- the maximum period under the prevailing legislation. Intelligence units, including that of the Indonesian Military (TNI), would also be given greater roles in preventing acts of terrorism.

Earlier, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono ordered the military to actively participate in the fight against terrorism. In response, TNI plans to revive its much-criticized territorial operations.

Asmara said that to combat terrorism, the police could move based on the existing Criminal Code instead.

"Why don't they explore the articles in the Criminal Code?" he asked. "I see the government has come under pressure from certain foreign countries to introduce draconian legislation. It must be emphasized that even foreign interests cannot sacrifice our own national interests."

Asmara admitted that several Scandinavian countries had adopted a repressive law to address certain crimes. "But as far as I know, they have never enforced the law," he claimed.

DPR speaker rejects New Order methods to combat terror

Detik.com - October 17, 2005

Anton Aliabbas, Jakarta -- Many people have been shocked by the government's plans to imitate the New Order regime in combating terrorism. They believe it will kill off the democracy which only just been built.

"Because of this we oppose steps by the government's to apply New Order methods in combating terrorism", explained house of representatives speaker Agung Laksono at a press conference at the parliament on Jalan Gatot Soebroto in Jakarta on Monday October 17.

A colleague of Vice President Jusuf Kalla in the Golkar Party, Laksono said it would be better if the government improve the intelligence functions which are assisted by networking and professional work methods rather than looking to the methods used by the New Order. "But don't allow it be accompanied by [human rights] being trampled on like the past", he asserted.

All coordination to combat terrorism continued Laksono, should be headed directly by the intelligence agency. He also warned the government against reviving the TNI's social and political function in handling terrorism.

"No longer [can] they go along with determining which pesantrens [traditional Islamic boarding schools] or schools which must be closed down. Don't imitate the measures that were used by the New Order", asserted Laksono.

As has been reported, the discourse on reviving New Order's methods to combat terrorism came from the mouth of the vice president during an event by the Islamic Student Association's Corps of Alumni on October 15. This was precipitated after looking at the development of terrorist activities in Indonesia. "Like it or not the government must take measures which are tough and resolute, no different from what was done during the New Order era", explained Kalla at the time.

Kalla, the chairperson of Golkar, is of the view that the growth in the radical movements was triggered by the overthrow of former President Suharto. It was also due to the policies of former President B.J. Habibie who allowed the development of thinking and activities that caused radical groups to return to Indonesia. (umi)

[Translated by James Balowski.]

TNI launches 'street banner' war against terrorism

Kompas - October 17, 2005

Jakarta -- In implementing President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's verbal request to the TNI (Indonesian military) to take effective measures to prevent, combat and act against terrorism, the TNI has begun a counter-terrorist campaign using street banners.

A glaring spectacle of this could be seen along roads in the Cilincing area of North Jakarta on Friday October 14. At the time, the president and a number of ministers were in the process of traveling through Cilincing to hold joint prayers with local people at the Nurul Jihad Mosque in Kali Baru.

All along the roads, large green diagonal banners were tied between trees and power poles. Among the banners encountered, two of them had the messages "Beware of terrorist activities for the sake of the country's security" and "Suicide bombs are not a holy war, terrorism is our mutual enemy".

This counter-terrorism campaign by the TNI appears new. This could be seen from the fact that the cloth banners had not yet faded. Apparently dozens of counter-terrorism banners had intentionally been put up to coincide with the president's planed visit to the area.

Related to the call for the TNI to be more effective in preventing, combating and acting against terrorism that was conveyed by the president at the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the TNI, the presidential offices are in the process of ordering around 20,000 written messages which will be enlarged and mounted in 2x1 meter frames. At the end of last week, the six messages were taken to the president's office to be approved for duplication. (INU)

[Translated by James Balowski.]

Indonesia to review anti-terror law

Agence France Presse - October 15, 2005

Jakarta -- Indonesia may strengthen its anti-terrorism law following suicide bombings at three crowded Bali restaurants that police say indicate an al-Qaida-linked militant group is adopting new tactics that are harder to predict, officials said Friday.

Police say the Oct. 1 attacks suggest Jemaah Islamiyah, the group suspected in the bombings, is picking softer targets and using smaller explosives that are easier to conceal.

The militants also appears to have recruited people from outside their network to carry out the attacks, police say. Jailed members of Jemaah Islamiyah told police they did not recognize pictures of the three suicide bombers, saying they were likely from outside the terror group.

Police also say the attacks indicate the bombers' motives may not be solely anti-Western. Most of the 20 other people killed in the blasts, along with the more than 100 injured, were Indonesian.

"Their target is no longer specific, but random," Security Minister Widodo Adisucipto said, adding that the government is reviewing its anti-terror law to see if changes are needed. Adisucipto did not elaborate on what reforms may be considered.

National police chief Gen. Sutanto said the law must allow police to arrest terror suspects more quickly. "For us, in order to arrest a suspect... we have to submit (evidence) to the court first," he said. "This needs time.... It is not fast enough."

Earlier this week, Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer offered to send a team of experts to brief Indonesian officials on his country's own new counterterrorism law.

Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, enacted its anti-terrorism law after the Oct. 12, 2002, bombings of two Bali nightclubs that killed 202 people.

Government to step up antiterror efforts

Jakarta Post - October 15, 2005

Adianto P. Simamora and Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta -- The government said on Friday it would work on improving the country's counterterror capabilities, including upgrading the existing antiterror desk and enacting tougher antiterror laws akin to Malaysia's Internal Security Act (ISA) following several deadly bomb attacks here over the past few years.

Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Widodo Adi Sucipto said that the existing antiterror desk at his ministry was not working effectively due to its limited powers.

"We think it has a number of limitations. Therefore, there will be improvements made to the desk's capabilities," he told reporters after a Cabinet meeting on Friday that discussed measures to curb terrorism in the country.

The antiterror desk might remain under his supervision or be placed directly under the President, Widodo added.

It would be manned by capable personnel, and be given clear status and powers so as to establish comprehensive national antiterror policies and to implement them. Widodo also said that the government was reviewing the country's antiterror legislation.

National Police chief Gen. Sutanto stressed the urgent need for tougher antiterror legislation. He pointed as an example to the Internal Security Acts in Malaysia and Singapore as well as tough antiterror laws in the United States and other countries that "give room to the police to move quickly and effectively" against the terrorists.

Minister of Defense Juwono Sudarsono said that the government was considering enacting "emergency legislation" to deal with terrorism.

The move to review the country's antiterror laws comes after a second round of bomb attacks on Bali that killed 20 people and the three suicide bombers. Visiting Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexander Downer has expressed concern over Indonesia's antiterrorism laws, and offered to send experts to help the country tighten up the legislation.

Widodo said that the review of antiterror policies was urgent as "terror is a real and present threat." "The modus operandi of the terrorists has improved, which can be seen with the suicide bombings, the targets are not specific and involve public places. This must be faced by all components of the nation," he said.

Besides conducting a domestic policy review, the government is to also conduct a review of the Southeast Asian antiterrorism agreement.

Marty Natalegawa, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that such a review was needed to identify both the strengths and weaknesses of the agreement.

"After the Oct. 1 Bali bombings, we plan to review the implementation of counterterrorism efforts in the region. This internal review will identify the advantages and disadvantages of the agreement," he said.

The members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have agreed to share intelligence information as part of the effort to prevent terrorist attacks.

Government/civil service

Democrats, Golkar at odds over reshuffle

Jakarta Post - October 22, 2005

Ridwan Max Sijabat and Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta -- The Democrat Party and the Golkar Party, both main supporters of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Vice President Jusuf Kalla, seem to be at loggerheads over a Cabinet reshuffle that many pundits have been demanding to improve what they say is the government's poor performance.

The minority Democrat Party is calling on the President to replace all poorly performing ministers, and is seeking two more ministerial posts.

Golkar, which finished first in the legislative election last year, has recommended some swapping of portfolios, but insists that a reshuffle should be the last resort.

However, the Democrat Party's deputy leader Achmad Mubarok said Susilo, who is the party's chief patron, needed to reshuffle the Cabinet to save his government.

"We are the main supporter of SBY and, therefore, we deserve two more seats in the Cabinet," Mubarok said during a discussion to evaluate Susilo's performance during his first year in office on Friday.

Minister of Culture and Tourism Jero Wacik and State Minister of Administrative Reform Taufik Effendi are the only representatives of the party in the Cabinet.

Mabarok recalled the chaos surrounding the selection of ministers last year, which he said had contributed to the government's perceived poor performance.

Some survey institutes have suggested a Cabinet reshuffle, especially of economics ministers, saying that these ministers had failed to address the country's economic difficulties.

Deputy Golkar chairman Burhanuddin Napitupulu insisted, however, that a Cabinet reshuffle would not solve the problem. "A Cabinet reshuffle must be carried out as the last resort. As the principal supporter of the government, Golkar deserves more seats in the Cabinet if there is to be a reshuffle," he said.

He defended the work of Susilo's economics team and the government's decision to raise fuel prices by an average of 126 percent on Oct. 1.

The President has said there will be no Cabinet reshuffle until he finishes reading the progress reports submitted by his aides. But a source within the presidential office said Susilo would drop three ministers, including Minister of Finance Jusuf Anwar.

Jusuf quickly denied the report. "It's not true. I don't know where these rumors came from. I am still performing my state duties and always do my best," Jusuf told reporters before leaving a breaking-of-the-fast gathering hosted by Regional Representatives Council Speaker Ginandjar Kartasasmita, which Susilo also attended.

"It's up to the President. I've always to be prepared mentally for dismissal." Jusuf said he enjoyed the full support of all the officials in his ministry. "But I don't think it's possible to clean all the dirty plates in a year. It's impossible," he said.

Deputy secretary-general of the National Awakening Party (PKB), Zannuba Arifah Chafsoh Rachman, criticized Golkar and the Democrat Party for showing that they would do anything to gain power.

"The President should replace incompetent ministers with professionals who are accepted by the public and the markets. The parties supporting the government should be concerned with the people's suffering," she said.

Political analyst J. Kristiadi from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said inadequate political support from the House of Representatives had contributed to the government's problems.

"Susilo cannot effectively implement his policies because he is supported by only 33 percent of House members, and this is an unavoidable consequence of his nomination by a minority party," he said.

Kristiadi suggested that all sides, and the opposition bloc in particular, exercise patience and allow the government to work to the fullest during its remaining four years for the sake of the nation.

Fuel 'subsidy' for House criticized

Jakarta Post - October 22, 2005

Jakarta -- The move by the House of Representatives to provide a new monthly allowance of Rp 10 million (about US$1,000) for fellow lawmakers drew strong criticism on Friday.

All 550 House members will receive the new allowances for six months starting in November, reportedly as compensation for the recent fuel price hike.

The size of the allowance was much greater than the Rp 100,000 monthly cash given by the government to some 15.4 million poor families across the country to cushion the impact of the fuel hike.

"This is an unfair policy, particularly as the allowance is 100 times larger than the cash subsidy for the poor," said Fahmi Badoh of the Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW).

He said that the lawmakers should not be given a new monthly allowance as they already received a more-than-adequate monthly income of over Rp 29 million. In comparison, more than half of the country's 220 million people live on less than $2 a day.

Fahmi said that the lawmakers had received such a huge increase because they were supposed to use part of it to finance visits to their constituents across the country. "But in reality, they seldom meet with the people who elected them." University of Indonesia political analyst Arbi Sanit also described the policy as unfair.

"This is what we call an unfair policy; made by both the executive and the legislative branches," he was quoted by Antara as saying.

He feared that the policy would further lower the confidence of the people in the House, which has been criticized for its poor legislation performance, as evidenced by the extremely low number of bills passed during the first year of their five-year term.

The move to provide the new monthly allowance for the House members comes at a time when some lawmakers, particularly from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and the National Awakening Party (PKB), planned to launch a campaign for the House to hold an extraordinary plenary meeting in a bid to force the government to review the fuel hike policy. Some lawmakers have criticized the fuel price hike for being too excessive.

The government on Oct. 1 raised fuel prices an average of more than 126 percent in a bid to help ease the burden on the state budget in covering the cost of the fuel subsidy, which had consumed about one-fifth of the annual state budget amid soaring international oil prices. Many have criticized the policy, with some lawmakers claiming that they had only given approval for the government to raise fuel prices by around 30 percent.

Meanwhile, House deputy speaker Zaenal Ma'arif said that the additional monthly allowances for lawmakers was not made to compensate for the new fuel prices because the policy had been discussed with the government long before the fuel price hike was announced.

He was quoted by news portal detik.com as saying that the higher allowance was needed by the lawmakers to help finance their various activities, including visits to constituents.

Ade Daud Nasution, a legislator from the Reform Star Party, dismissed the suggestion that the lawmakers were taking home a huge sum of money each month.

He said that in "reality" he had to allocate a lot of his monthly salary for his party, for costs incurred while visiting constituents and donations for non-governmental organizations. "I end up bringing home only about Rp 5 million (each month)," he added.

Susilo in control, but tougher challenges ahead

Jakarta Post - October 20, 2005

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta -- Despite a number of decisions that many consider burdensome to the public during his first year in office, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has managed to keep his support intact.

The latest survey conducted by the Indonesian Survey Circle (LSI) confirmed on Wednesday that Susilo remains popular, albeit to a lesser degree than when catapulted to the presidency last year. But stiffer challenges lie ahead, especially given that some of his policies will provide ammunition to opposition groups.

Of 1,000 respondents surveyed after the new fuel prices took effect, 52.4 percent expressed support for Susilo, the first directly elected president in the country's history. Over 61 percent of voters opted for Susilo and his running mate Jusuf Kalla in the presidential election runoff in September last year.

The LSI, which almost precisely predicted Susilo's winning margin in the presidential election, attributed the decline in support to the government's decision to raise fuel prices by an average of 126 percent earlier this month, the second hike Susilo has imposed in the first year of his term.

A series of natural disasters also contributed to his declining popularity, the survey said. "Without any significant changes, SBY will continue to lose popularity in line with worsening perceptions of the national economy," LSI executive director Denny J.A. said.

Denny said that the next three months would be the most difficult period for Susilo as the full effects of the fuel hikes started to bite. "The majority of respondents are of the opinion that the economy is in a poor state following the fuel price hikes, and this discontent is quite susceptible to political shifts," he said.

The survey revealed that 51.7 percent of respondents were against the fuel price hikes. "It is not impossible for opposition groupings to gain strong political support from the grassroots if they exploit the issue in their political campaigns," Denny added.

The LSI recommended that in order to survive the remainder of their terms, Susilo and Kalla should change the way they operate and reshuffle the Cabinet to boost the government's capabilities.

"The President should make more public appearances, while the Vice President stays in the background, as US President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney did in 2000," Denny said.

"Both Susilo and Kalla have their own styles in running the government. Susilo behaves like an intellectual but is quite slow in making decisions, while Kalla is a deal-maker and innovator, and is courageous and quick in making decisions. The different leadership styles, the duo's less than harmonious relationship, the issue of incompetent ministers and certain ministers' conflicting interests have contributed to the government's bad image." Denny, however, declined to suggest which ministers should be replaced and who would be suitable to replace them.

As if to respond to the critics, Susilo said he would focus on the rolling out of nine years' free education, improvement in health services, and the creation of more jobs in the second year of his term. "We must pay attention to 2006 after getting through a difficult year in 2005," Susilo said at the State Palace.

Susilo promised to fulfill the constitutional imperative requiring the government to allocate 20 percent of the state budget to education.

SBY's first-year report: It's 7 out of 10

Jakarta Post - October 19, 2005

Endy M. Bayuni, Jakarta -- How did President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono do in his first year in office? Since we are now in the habit of giving marks for our leaders, at the risk of being jeered, I am giving him a score of 7 out of 10. If six is a passing grade, SBY did more than just passing this year.

Too kind, one might say, considering that most other people are giving him lower or even failing grades. I have my reasons for being kind, or even generous, to him.

Here is a president who went through a lot in his first year, probably much more than he had bargained for, and certainly a lot more than earlier Indonesian presidents have had to deal with. Here is a president, who, in spite of his landslide 62 percent victory at the polls, knows the limits of his office in the new political landscape where power is shared out. Here is a president who shows that he is maturing on the job.

When SBY read the oath of his office 12 months ago, Indonesian politics entered into uncharted territory.

Indonesia's first directly elected president found his powers clipped by the newly amended 1945 Constitution. Now, he has to share power with the House of Representatives, and with a new player in town, the Regional Representatives Council modeled on the US Senate.

Elected members of these two institutions owe their allegiances to the electorate or their political parties, and not so much to the President.

SBY's position became even more tenuous considering that his party machinery, the Democrat Party, only won 7 percent of the parliamentary votes in April 2004.

Enter Jusuf Kalla who got elected as vice president on the same ticket. Kalla is no ordinary vice president as he came in with a lot of his own political capital, including initially a breakaway faction of Golkar, but later on, in December, the full force of the party with the most seats in the House. SBY thus has had to share power, for better or for worse, with a politically powerful vice president.

The political power plays of 12 months ago is reflected in the composition of the United Indonesia Cabinet.

The President then faced the prospect of having to fight his legislative agenda with the powerful coalition of the two largest factions in the House: Golkar which was then still controlled by Akbar Tandjung, and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) of Megawati Soekarnoputri, the losing incumbent in last year's presidential election. He therefore forged a coalition of his own, involving his PD and smaller Islamist parties, not so much as to match the strength of the Nationhood Coalition as to minimize the deficit of the number of votes in the House.

This was the political reality as SBY moved to the presidential palace a year ago. Unlike Soeharto, whose word would immediately become law, SBY knew that he faced a tough fight from many powerful detractors, particularly the opposition factions in the House, which are determined in giving him a run for his money.

Every major decision he made had to go through the scrutiny of the House and stand up to other political forces in the country.

SBY is the captain of the ship all right but, as one foreign observer aptly noted, he faces a continuously mutinous crew.

Critics have called the President indecisive, and were frustrated at his failure to capitalize on the 62 percent support he won at the polls in September 2004. While there may be some of that, it is the limitations of the powers of his office that dictated him to be more cautious in making decisions. Anyone else in his place would have done the same, doing the political maths before making the important decisions.

To complicate matters even further, beginning this year Susilo is losing his clout over the regions. With direct elections for governors and regional chiefs, the elected leaders owe their allegiances to the people first, the political parties that sponsored their election second, and the President a distant third, if at all. We have already seen an example of this lack of loyalty from the regions when the new West Sumatra Governor Gamawan Fauzi decided to throw his support behind the protests against the government's hikes in fuel prices this month.

As if the political challenges facing SBY were not enough, his first year was marked with many unforeseen events that were beyond his control. These took a lot out of the President and his team, at times at the expense of his own agenda, including the fight against corruption, the promotion of governance, and the push for higher economic growth to create more jobs, raise people's income and eradicate poverty.

There was the big earthquake and the devastating tsunami in Aceh in December as well as other smaller natural disasters. There were the outbreaks of polio, thousands of malnourished children, and lately bird flu. In meantime, world oil prices went through the roof during the year and forced him to hike domestic fuel prices twice. And at the start of this month, terrorists struck again.

Overall, SBY did relatively well in dealing with these largely unforeseen problems. He made little inroads into his agenda of fighting corruption and promoting investment, but they did not suffer terribly either.

About the only bright spot in his presidency was the peace agreement that the government signed with the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) in August which officially ended a 30-year bloody war.

For sure, there are still many areas of concern that have not been fully addressed. The President's human rights record, for example, is tarnished by his failure to solve the mystery surrounding the murder of human rights campaigner Munir. His approval for the Indonesian Military (TNI) to reactivate its territorial role as part of his war on terror also goes against the spirit eliminating the military's presence in politics.

A score of 7 nevertheless seems reasonable if we take the presidency as a whole, rather than look at specific issues where he failed. It is a reasonable when measured against the big and unforeseen tragedies, and most of all, it is reasonable given the political battles he constantly faced.

A score of 7 also looks reasonable considering the alternative. One shudders to think how Megawati, or the other three president wannabes for that matter, would have dealt with these seemingly endless crises if they were in charge.

Looking ahead, if SBY survives this tumultuous first year in his presidency, and if he had really matured with the job these past 12 months, the coming years will likely be a little more plain sailing.

Bombs, bird flu and a tsunami - tough start for Yudhoyono

Agence France Presse - October 17, 2005

Jakarta -- Indonesia's president has not achieved all he set out to in his first year as leader, but unforeseen events, in particular December's catastrophic tsunami, have not helped, analysts said.

Since taking the helm of the world's most populous Muslim nation, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has had to deal with the tsunami disaster, bombings in Bali, and outbreaks of bird flu and polio, not to mention soaring world oil prices.

"The overall picture if we look at the performance of this guy, he did quite a good job," said Endy Bayuni, the chief editor of the Jakarta Post. "If I was to grade him, he probably would get more than a passing grade, I would give him seven out of 10."

Yudhoyono took office on October 20, 2004 after unseating Megawati Sukarnoputri in the first-ever direct presidential elections, vowing to restore life to the economy, tackle separatist conflicts, and fight rampant corruption.

Mindful of his difficult initiation, observers said the president could have done more on corruption and the economy in the former Dutch colony where more than half of the 220 million population live on less than two dollars a day. "If we simply measure his performance by these two agenda, I think the presidency has been a flop," said Bayuni.

Yudhoyono still enjoys popular support as a man of integrity, but the team he chose around him are largely seen as continuing the kind of corrupt bureaucracy that has bedevilled Indonesian governance for generations.

"The captain and the passengers of the ship are modern democrats but the officers and crew are still living in the Suharto era," said Dennis Heffernan, a partner with Van Zorge, Heffernan and Associates, Indonesia's leading political risk consultancy firm.

Three decades of rule under dictator General Suharto were characterised by authoritarian rule, rampant corruption, and ethnic conflict until he fell from power in 1998 after widespread rioting.

"We do not really see yet radical reform," said Dewi Fortuna Anwar, a political analyst and former adviser to Megawati. "This cannot be done overnight but it could be done faster."

In his defence, however, Yudhoyono has been confronted by one disaster after another. First it was the tsunami, then it was bird flu and polio, and just when they appeared under control, suicide bombers struck in Bali killing 20 people. "I think these unforeseen turns of events took a lot on the presidency at the expense of his other agenda," said Bayuni.

The Bali bombings and a massive hike in fuel prices as oil hovered at record highs failed to dampen the stock market or weaken the rupiah as investors have gradually developed more confidence in Indonesia, analysts said.

The government on October 1 raised fuel prices by an average of 126 percent despite public protests, to cut subsidies that were devouring one-fifth of the annual budget.

The International Monetary Fund welcomed the decision as "wise and courageous". It was protests against a similar hike in fuel prices that led to the downfall of Suharto. "The decision showed he has learned, he has progressed, he has matured during this 12 months," said Bayuni.

In August, the government signed an historic peace deal with rebels in Aceh, eight months after the province was ripped apart by the tsunami at the cost of 131,000 lives. More than 217,000 people died altogether in the Indian Ocean disaster.

"I think he has scored points on Aceh because he had the courage to negotiate," said Anwar. "He showed a willingness to put aside some of the most sensitive nationalist feelings and put the more important needs of the country first."

Half the extra police and troops once deployed to quell the separatist conflict in Aceh have been ordered to leave since rebels lived up to disarmament commitments in return for a degree of regional autonomy.

But, as Yudhoyono's presidency enters its second year, uncertainties abound.

Indonesia's health infrastructure would be ill-equipped to deal with any dramatic escalation of the bird flu outbreak and the hunt continues for those behind this month's bombings as well as earlier attacks.

That said, his second year would be hard-pressed to bring as many surprises as his first.

Strong political mandate, weak economic performance

Jakarta Post - October 17, 2005

Vincent Lingga, Jakarta -- Judged against the strong political mandate Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono obtained in last September's presidential election, Indonesia's economic performance during the first year of his administration has been quite disappointing.

His government failed to make best use of its significant political capital to quickly regain investor confidence in Indonesia's economy through bold reforms in priority areas of greatest concern to businesspeople.

Early on during his first week in office last October, Susilo made the right remarks. He signaled quick action in the top priority areas of his programs by making working visits to the Attorney General's Office, and the directorate generals of taxation and customs. He demonstrated his understanding of the formidable economic challenges the nation is facing by immediately holding meetings with Bank Indonesia's board of governors and with business leaders.

The market initially gave the benefit of the doubt to the uncomfortable mix of technocrats and politically-connected businessmen in Susilo's Cabinet, He promised to resolve high- profile disputes with foreign investors -- the Cemex company of Mexico, Karaha Bodas, Exxon Mobil and Newmont of the United States. None of them has been settled, further validating the notion that Indonesia is an unpredictable place to do business.

Susilo made a strategic decision to proceed with the plan to hold an infrastructure summit in January, less than three weeks after the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Aceh province and Nias island, North Sumatra.

Infrastructure deficit has indeed become one of the biggest hurdles to investment in Indonesia as poor infrastructure impairs the competitiveness of the economy as production and distribution costs are made much higher than those in other countries. The prospect of imminent power shortages hangs over many provinces.

Economic performance during the first six months (October, 2004 to March, 2005) was fairly impressive with gross domestic product growing by 6.65 percent on a yearly basis in the fourth quarter of last year and 6.35 percent in the first quarter of this year. The quality of growth also increased significantly with a much stronger foundation as the prime movers shifted more to investment and export. Investments (mostly domestic) grew by 15 percent, as evidenced by a 40 percent robust increase in capital goods imports, and exports expanded by 13 percent.

However, promises and symbolic moves, though needed, are not enough to maintain the momentum of market confidence. Investors require concrete, consistent measures because only consistent and effective implementation can give credibility to government policies. Unfortunately, it is these two factors that are acutely lacking in the Susilo government.

Most foreign investors remained on the sidelines, waiting for consistent policies and strong evidence of credible decision- making. Some foreign investment did flow back into the country but mostly in portfolio capital, which is skittish and can fly out any time at the slightest sign of problems.

Only about five of the around 90 infrastructure projects offered during the summit were eventually taken up by private investors because the government failed to enact more than a dozen rulings badly needed to strengthen legal certainty, straighten out taxation issues, improve the commercial viability of investment in infrastructure and set up a viable tariff system.

Economic growth slowed down to 5.54 percent in the second quarter, the balance of payments prospects worsened amid the steady decrease in foreign reserves caused by the huge need for oil imports and the lack of political courage to reduce the fuel subsidy. Most analysts now foresee a growth of 5.5 percent to 5.7 percent this year, still respectably higher than last year's 5.1 percent. But this year's economic expansion could have been much faster.

When the government finally decided to bite the bullet in March, it seemed too little, too late. The 29 percent price hikes were rather meaningless in controlling fiscal deficit and fuel export smuggling and the market became increasingly jittery about fiscal sustainability.

The worsening economic conditions forced the government to amend the 2005 budget twice, while most of the reform agenda Susilo promised in such important areas to investors as customs, taxation, logistical arrangements and other basic infrastructure remained mere declarations of intent.

The entirely unrealistic budget for 2006 that Susilo proposed to the House of Representatives in mid-August was the last straw. Even though the draft budget was immediately revised, the damage had been done as the market lost trust in the government's ability to meet economic challenges.

The market immediately and severely punished the government, attacking the rupiah and pushing it down at one time to a five- year low of Rp 12,000 to the dollar in early September, thereby unleashing enormous inflationary pressures from imports. This forced Bank Indonesia to raise interest rates to as high as 11 percent now.

Worse still, only about 18 percent of the 2005 development (investment) budget had been spent as of last month due to bureaucratic inertia, thereby further tightening the contractive impact of the already austere budget.

The market hailed the bold Oct. 1 decision to double fuel prices in order to bring them closer to their economic costs. However, this long-delayed measure could be too bitter for the economy to swallow if the government is not able to cushion the shock impact of the inflationary pressures within the next few weeks.

One may argue that it is not fair to judge the Susilo government by ordinary yardsticks, given the devastating natural disasters in northern part of Sumatra late last year that preoccupied the government for almost two months early this year. The steady rise in international prices to historical highs is also completely beyond his control.

Investors, however, don't expect instant results in all areas. What they really want to see is a steady progress in the right path of a consistent reform process. Everything does not have to be fixed at once.

It is also well advised for the government to realize that an economic policy cannot be sold in a vacuum. The environment should support the credibility of the policy and the government, notably its economic team.

No one doubts Susilo's integrity. But the market now has low trust in his economic team and several economics ministers have perceived conflicts of interest. The first anniversary of his administration seems to be opportune for a reshuffle of his Cabinet.

[The writer is a senior editor at The Jakarta Post.]

Corruption/collusion/nepotism

Sutanto's move to clean up police questionable: Watchdog

Jakarta Post - October 17, 2005

Jakarta -- The National Police has yet to demonstrate its full support for the drive against corruption as none of the graft and bribery cases involving its officers have been handed over to the Attorney General's Office, a police watchdog says.

Indonesian Police Watch (IPW) executive director Neta S. Pane said in a press statement released on Sunday that the National Police had been moving too slowly in handling internal corruption.

"The police should be in the vanguard of the corruption eradication campaign. Ironically, the institution has been tainted by bribery, budget mark-ups and theft of state money," Neta was quoted by Antara as saying.

The statement was released in connection with National Police chief Gen. Sutanto's first 100 days in office.

Corruption cases involving police officers include the Rp 1.7 trillion (US$170 million) scandal at state-run Bank Negara Indonesia, which is said to involve Brig. Gen. Samuel Ismoko; a mark-up in a communications equipment project in the National Police; suspicious bank accounts belonging to 15 active and retired police officers, and a number of illegal logging cases involving police officers.

The chief of the Tebing Tinggi Police in North Sumatra has lost his job for his alleged role in the smuggling of sugar, and the chief of the Bogor Police has been replaced in connection with illegal charges imposed on people applying for driving licenses.

"Strangely, no criminal investigations have followed these replacements. The police chiefs were suspended but have evaded justice," Neta said.

The police had also been slow to investigate a number of corruption cases in other government institutions, which are believed to have caused up to Rp 140 trillion in state losses, as well as the failure of former Attorney General M.A. Rachman to declare all his assets.

"There hasn't been any progress in these cases for months, and the police do not seem to be prioritizing them," Neta said.

The IPW attributes the police's poor performance to Sutanto's reluctance to get rid of the 'deadwood' in the institution.

"Within 100 days, Sutanto only replaced five regional police chiefs and two senior officers at National Police Headquarters. Whereas a major reshuffle would be an initial step to improving the National Police's performance," Neta said.

Sutanto, he added, must dare to overcome the bureaucratic obstacles to weed out the 'bad cops' for the sake of increased public trust in the force.

Yudhoyono must do more to fight corruption: analysts

Agence France Presse - October 20, 2005

Jakarta -- A year after President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono came to power vowing to fight Indonesia's rampant corruption more needs to be done to bring the main perpetrators to justice, observers and analysts say.

"After a year of SBY's (Yudhoyono's) government, the big corruptors are still on the loose," Indonesia's weekly Tempo magazine said in a recent issue. "Corruption in this nation has reached nauseating and critical proportions."

According to a report Tuesday by Berlin-based corruption watchdog Transparency International, things are improving in Indonesia, but only marginally.

In 2004, Indonesia scored 2.0 out of 10, with 10 denoting the least corrupt nation. A year later it managed a slightly better 2.2, but was still ranked 137th out of the 159 countries surveyed, near Ethiopia and Iraq.

Bribery is seen as commonplace in Indonesia. Judges are often bought off and the country's massive bureaucracy is riddled with layers of corruption involving endless backhanders. "Yudhoyono has made some progress but mostly (it has been) symbolic," said Endy Bayuni, chief editor of the Jakarta Post.

Corruption plagues reform of government and financial institutions and scares off much-needed foreign investment.

"Corruption is still a big problem here," Finnish Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Mari Johanna Kiviniemi said last week in Jakarta.

"I think it is one of the biggest obstacles for Finnish companies to invest here," she told the Jakarta Post. "In that sense, the Indonesian government still has a lot of work to do. It is not enough to just have policies. The government should also have the determination to implement them in practice."

Yudhoyono, who portrayed himself as a man of integrity in the 2004 election campaign, came to power a year ago Thursday and promised "the fight against corruption is a top priority for my government in the next five years".

He boosted the powers of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) which achieved a notable success when it jailed the former governor of Aceh province Abudullah Puteh in April for buying a helicopter with state funds.

But Taufiequrachman Ruki, who heads the KPK, is the first to admit that the anti-corruption drive is in a mess and he lays the blame squarely at the door of corrupt government institutions.

"Legislation and law enforcement continue to be in a shambles," Ruki told a press conference Tuesday. "KPK has not seen any clear move to get rid of corruption in government institutions." "Corruption is not seen as the common enemy. KPK is seen as the common enemy," said Ruki.

More and more high-profile corruption cases have surfaced in recent months, splitting opinion between those who see them as evidence the authorities are clamping down, and others who fear they only show what little is being achieved.

"Eradicating corruption will never work without first reforming the bureaucracy," Danang Widoyoko, the deputy coordinator of Indonesia Corruption Watch was quoted as saying in Thursday's Jakarta Post. "A general and integrated strategy to combat corruption must be implemented simultaneously, and it is very important that the president himself monitor this implementation."

Currently, two big corruption cases are making their way through the courts. Three former executives of Indonesia's largest state bank are on trial for corruption involving 160 billion rupiah (now 15.9 million dollars) and could face life jail terms if convicted. The second case involves a former religious affairs minister who is accused of misusing millions of dollars in funds collected from Muslim hajj pilgrims.

But these represent only the tip of a very large iceberg and Yudhoyono's so far enduring popularity will soon plummet if more action is not taken to stamp out corruption, especially in government institutions, analysts said.

"It is now time for the president to be tougher and more courageous in prodding his officials to do more in combating corruption," said Tempo.

"The guilty, whether they are colleagues, friends or fellow party members of the president or vice-president, must be punished. And the president, for instance, could set a good example by firing members of his cabinet suspected of corruption."

Indonesia still on list of most corrupt

Jakarta Post - October 19, 2005

Hera Diani, Jakarta -- Despite the country's efforts to combat corruption, Indonesia remains one of the world's corrupt nations according to the latest annual report from the Berlin-based Transparency International (TI).

TI Indonesia announced on Tuesday that the country was among the six most corrupt nations, along with Azerbaijan, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Iraq, Liberia and Uzbekistan, out of 159 countries surveyed.

Based on the perceptions of business leaders, academics, antigraft activists and risk analysts across Indonesia, the country's score was only 2.2 out of 10, with 10 being the least corrupt nation. This represents a slight improvement on last year's score of 2.0.

"However, the improvement was due to the fact that other countries managed to improve their performances. There has also been an increase in the number of countries surveyed, from 146 last year to 159 this year," said TI Indonesia executive and human rights activist Todung Mulya Lubis.

Among Southeast Asian nations, Indonesia is only better than Myanmar (1.8). Even the scores of countries like Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos are higher, with 2.3, 2.6 and 3.3 respectively. Singapore is flying high at 9.4, making it the fifth least corrupt country, while Malaysia ranks 39th with a score of 5.1.

Based on 13 surveys carried out across the country, Indonesia's score since 1999 has ranged between 1.7 and 2.2, which means that the so-called reform era has failed to do much to eradicate corruption in the country.

Despite the work of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), corruption is still rampant, even within the judicial system, with the most recent case involving the alleged bribery of Supreme Court Chief Justice Bagir Manan and other justices of the country's highest court.

Todung urged Bagir to temporarily step aside until the case was investigated to avoid any obstruction of justice. "If we manage to eliminate the 'judicial mafia', there would at least be some hope of us improving on our corruption perception index score. At least between 2.5 and 3.0 next year," he said.

Economist Faisal Basri said that if the country wanted to improve its TI corruption index score, then it should start by focusing on straightening out the sort of corrupt business practices that had been hampering foreign investment.

"This index is part of an effort to ease business between countries. Therefore, we should create a more investor-friendly atmosphere. The business climate must be overhauled," Faisal told the discussion following TI Indonesia's announcement.

According to The World Economic Forum (WEF), Indonesia is not a good country to do business in as even to obtain a business permit takes 151 days, while illegal fees, bribery and corruption are all rampant. Therefore, Faisal said, it would take hard work to clean up areas related to business, permits and the legal system.

However, the country needed to move beyond creating a good atmosphere for foreign investors. "Although that would be beneficial for many people. But we have to design a corruption eradication strategy that favors the Indonesian population as a whole, to make the people more prosperous."

Toying with Indonesian corruption

Asia Times - October 19, 2005

Bill Guerin, Jakarta -- Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono came to power a year ago after a landslide victory with promises to fight rampant corruption. His unprecedented campaign has rooted out small-time corruption as well as major graft involving top government officials, legislators and officials in state-owned companies and banks. His 51-member Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has already snared several high- profile offenders.

Yet, as if emphasizing the never-ending variations of corruption and the extent of the problem in the country, Indonesia's chief justice last week faced calls for his resignation after a half- brother of former president Suharto claimed he was "blackmailed" by the "judicial mafia" in the country's highest legal institution.

Probosutedjo, whose appeal is being heard by a panel of three Supreme Court judges led by Chief Justice Bagir Manan, made the allegation after the KPK questioned him over the scandal. He claimed he had set aside a huge bribe that his lawyer, a former high court judge had urged, in order to win his appeal against a jail sentence handed down by the lower courts.

He was convicted of abusing reforestation funds and sentenced to four years in jail by the Central Jakarta District Court in 2003. The Jakarta High Court later reduced the term to two years. Probosutedjo was implicated in the bribery case after the KPK arrested his lawyer, Harini Wiyoso, and five Supreme Court officials for alleged involvement in the scam.

Probosutedjo said so far he has paid Rp16 billion (US$1.5 million) to three courts dealing with his corruption case: Rp10 billion to the Central Jakarta District Court and Jakarta High Court as well as Rp6 billion to the Supreme Court, of which Rp5 billion was to go to Manan and the remaining Rp1 billion was to be divided among other Supreme Court officials, he said. Manan denies the allegations, describing them as a desperate move by someone who could face a severe sentence if convicted. Probosutedjo has neither been detained, nor declared a suspect.

Munarman, a director of the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (LBHI), said corruption in the country's judiciary system is rampant, affecting about 60% to 70% of court officials. He said corruption kicks in "when someone reports a case to the police who then submit it to the prosecutors until the case reaches the court and there is the wait for a verdict", he explained.

Meanwhile, the Judicial Commission, set up to supervise judges and put a stop to rampant corruption in the courts, has demanded that Manan step down. Its chairman, Busyro Muqqodas, said Manan must do the honorable thing and resign because he had been linked to the Supreme Court's "judicial mafia".

The KPK works in tandem with a special anti-corruption court established to fast-track sensitive cases. The two have been busy.

The court in April sentenced the governor of Aceh, Abdullah Puteh, to 10 years in prison in a graft case involving the purchase of a Russian-made helicopter. KPK investigators caught his lawyer red-handed allegedly trying to bribe two court clerks of the Jakarta High Court to get the sentence reduced.

Also, the chairman of the Elections Commission (KPU) and its treasurer are on trial for receiving kickbacks from companies that won tenders to supply election materials. And the former minister for religious affairs is on trial for a scandal involving state funds for the hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca, and could be sentenced to life in prison if convicted.

The commission is also investigating serious graft cases in state-owned enterprises including the oil and gas giant, Pertamina; the electricity utility, PLN; the insurance company, PT Jamsostek; the cement firm, PT Pupuk Kaltim; the State Secretariat; the Ministry of Defense; and the Ministry of Health. A crude oil smuggling ring involving Pertamina officials allegedly siphoned off massive quantities of oil costing the state Rp8.8 trillion ($850 million) in losses a year.

Illegal logging, allegedly involving some elements of the police and military, caused estimated losses of Rp15 trillion a month -- Rp180 trillion a year alone in the province of Sumatra.

An internal audit at the Agriculture Ministry has found suspected corruption in the provision of vaccines to fight the bird flu outbreak, which has killed at least 14 people in the country. Losses from graft relating to vaccines were put at almost Rp57 billion after four companies assigned to produce bird flu vaccines allegedly, with the complicity of senior government officials, produced doses of inferior quality to inflate profits.

Since assuming power Yudhyono has approved investigations into alleged corruption cases involving almost 40 regents. On Monday he suspended the Banten governor indefinitely to facilitate his prosecution in a corruption case.

Also on Monday, the former CEO and two other ex-directors of the giant state-controlled, Bank Mandiri -- Indonesia's biggest bank -- went on trial on corruption charges in a case that forms a central plank of Yudhoyono's campaign against graft. They have been detained since May amid ongoing investigations into dodgy loans from the bank to several local companies.

Despite this, KPK Chairman Taufiqurrahman Ruki said: "The commission is very disappointed with the government's efforts to prevent corruption. Its efforts and its determination have yet to show progress."

One problem is the apparent lack of coordination among the various law enforcement and legal institutions tasked with combating corruption. Anwar Nasution, chairman of the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK), said the apparent slow progress in the fight against corruption and the fact many corruption suspects managed to flee the country were mainly due to weak coordination among law officers and a shortage of professional investigators.

Institutions, including the National Police, the Attorney General's Office (AGO), the KPK and the BPK should cease what he described as "civil war among themselves" if the efforts to curb corruption were to bear fruit, he said.

Nasution made his comments last week at the opening of a week- long government workshop to devise strategies to curb corruption. Attorney General Abdurrahman Saleh helped prove his point by failing to show up at the workshop.

Watchdog groups such as German-based Transparency International have consistently rated Indonesia as among the most corrupt nations in the world.

Yudhyono's closest confidante, Cabinet Secretary Sudi Silalahi, said the president acknowledged the anti-corruption drive was still far from achieving its goal and promised to speed up efforts.

Yudhoyono remains a popular president, with 63% of Indonesians satisfied with his performance in running the country, a new survey by the Indonesian Research Institute (LSI) reports. However, the survey was completed in late September, before the latest fuel-price hikes and the most recent Bali bombs.

Most of the 1,137 people from 33 provinces interviewed in the survey said the administration had done a good job in eradicating corruption (65.1%), combating crime (76.8%), settling problems with the Free Aceh Movement or GAM (75.9%), health programs (70%) and education (74.7%).

Nonetheless there is clearly a long way to go for this determined president to shake off the Suharto legacy and bring Indonesia's justice system back into line.

[Bill Guerin, a Jakarta correspondent for Asia Times Online since 2000, has worked in Indonesia for 20 years as a journalist. He has been published by the BBC on East Timor and specializes in business/economic and political analysis in Indonesia.]

Probo's case highlights corrupt system: Experts

Jakarta Post - October 17, 2005

Eva C. Komandjaja, Jakarta -- Businessman Probosutedjo's admission that he gave money to his lawyer to bribe judges handling his graft case, and a similar move by a lawyer of suspended Aceh governor Abdullah Puteh a few months ago, highlight the country's corrupt and weak judicial system, experts say.

Chairman of the Indonesian Judicial Watch Society (MAPPI) Asep Rahmat Fajar said that bribery within the judicial system was not a new thing since it had been a common practice of lawyers, prosecutors and judges. "All are playing this game and there are many ways of doing that," he told The Jakarta Post over the weekend.

Probosutedjo admitted last week to having given his lawyer Rp 6 billion (US$600,000) to bribe Supreme Court judges and other court officials dealing with his appeal against his graft conviction. Supreme Court Chief Justice Bagir Manan, who was one of the judges, has denied accepting the bribe.

Probosutedjo -- who is the half-brother of Soeharto -- was given a four-year jail term by the Central Jakarta District Court for abusing reforestation funds, which was later reduced to two years by the Jakarta High Court.

He also said last week he had previously disbursed another Rp 10 billion for the judges and officials of the two courts.

In June, a lawyer of Puteh, who has been convicted on graft charges, was caught red-handed by officials of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) bribing clerks of the Anticorruption Court to influence the verdict.

Asep said bribery would start as early in a case as the selection of judges.

Some lawyers, who had close "connections" with certain judges would pick judges who were certain to hand down a favorable verdict.

"You can even negotiate as to when the trial will start and when the verdict will be delivered. If you have a lot of money, everything will go at full speed, otherwise they will postpone your case," Asep said.

An experienced criminal lawyer, who requested anonymity, spoke to the Post, painting a grim picture of corruption in the country's judicial system, which has long been seen as one of the factors deterring foreign investment.

He said that even top-notch lawyers were involved in the practice of bribing judges. "It's just that they're playing it very discreetly so they look clean in public but they're actually worse," he said.

He explained that most cases of bribery began with a request from the client for a speedy trial culminating in a favorable verdict. But in some cases, he added, it was the judges, clerks or even prosecutors who first requested the bribe money.

"The suspects do it because they have lost their trust in the country's judicial system, aware that they won't get a fair trial without the involvement of money," he added.

He said that sometimes his clients had to pay tens of millions of rupiah just to set up the trial schedule, let alone "buying" the verdict. "You can even pay them if you -- as a suspect -- want to arrive in court not in a prison van but in your own car, or don't want your hands to be handcuffed," he said.

Some judges, he said, who could be bought easily would not set a price that was too high. He would just ask for a sum of money called "college money" for his children. "Buying the verdict can cost you hundreds of millions of rupiah -- and it can be more expensive if your case is an important one and you are a high- profile figure," he said.

According to him, a lawyer can even approach the parking attendant asking him to deliver the money to the clerk or judge if he is too afraid to deliver it himself. "Most parking attendants at courts are well acquainted with the practice, so it's not at all difficult," he said.

He said that most of the lawyers, including himself and his team, provided a regular allowance for certain judges in the form of "entertainment money" to maintain a close relationship as that would lead to favorable verdicts for their clients. "These things happen because there are flaws in the long and complicated bureaucracy. Holes in the system and public distrust can make anything possible in court," he said.

Environment

Walhi told to focus on human resources

Jakarta Post - October 17, 2005

Tb. Arie Rukmantara, Jakarta -- The Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) needs to be internally strengthened if it wants to cope with increasingly sophisticated environmental problems, observers say.

Former environment minister Sonny Keraf said on the sidelines of Walhi's 25th anniversary celebration in Jakarta on Saturday that during the past three or four years, the quality and the quantity of Walhi's work had been in decline.

"There were several issues that Walhi was unable to deal with. One of the examples was when the House of Representatives discussed imported toxic waste; Walhi kept silent about it," said Sonny, who is also a member of the House's Commission VII on environmental issues.

"When I talked to Walhi's executives about their silence, they said they didn't have enough human resources and data regarding these problems."

A professor in environmental law at Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta, Koesnadi Hardjasoemantri, said despite Walhi's achievements in advocating for environmental issues, the organization had failed to develop its human resources.

"Walhi should improve its members' capacity to deal with specific issues. They need to employ specialists in certain fields," Koesnadi said. He urged Walhi to cooperate with universities to research and advocate for environmental issues.

To ensure Walhi had a better relationship with the government and businesses, Koesnadi suggested the group not always take an adversarial stance. "Public demand for good corporate governance has been widespread. Several companies have even established their own environmental divisions under their corporate social responsibility departments. This allows Walhi to cooperate with big businesses," he said.

Responding to the criticism, executive director Chalid Muhammad said the organization needed to do a lot of homework to improve its capacity. He said Walhi was preparing three programs to overcome the problems.

"First, we aim to focus on specific fields, instead of dealing with almost every social issue people wish us to," he told The Jakarta Post.

Walhi would also strive for people's participation in environmental conservation and raise more funds domestically, he said.

"We want to build an inclusive organization and make the country's environmental movement an open, deep-rooted and sustainable activity," he said, adding that one of the strategies was to encourage urban people to become its volunteers, a group called "Sahabat (friends of) Walhi." Chalid said foreign donors were funding 80 percent of Walhi's operational costs.

Walhi celebrates 25th anniversary

Jakarta Post - October 16, 2005

Arie Rukmana -- Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) executive director Chalid Muhammad (left) talks with former minister of the environment Sonny Keraf during a ceremony held to celebrate the organization's 25th anniversary.

Chalid urged on Saturday environmental organizations to get a greater portion of the public involved in advocating environmental issues.

"Entering its 25th year, Walhi intends to transform the country's environmental movement into deep-rooted and sustainable activism. Environmental issues will always be a part of a social movement," he said in his speech.

"Environmental issues should no longer be the sole concern of NGOs, but should be the concern of all Indonesians," he said.

Noted politicians, activists and celebrities attended the celebration, held at the historical Gedung Joeang '45 building in Central Jakarta.

Aside from Sonny, Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) member Usman Hamid and actress-cum-activist Wanda Hamidah were also in attendance.

Walhi, which was established on Oct. 15, 1980 in Jakarta by 10 non-governmental organizations with support from the then ministry of the environment and population, has developed into a large, popular and influential non-governmental organization.

At present, the organization has 26 provincial branches with 436 organization members.

WWF warns government over new plantation areas

Jakarta Post - October 15, 2005

Jakarta -- Global conservation organization World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has warned the government that establishing the world's largest oil palm plantation in Kalimantan could have disastrous consequences for the area's ecosystem.

"Opening a large-scale plantation there could have a devastating impact on the forests, wildlife and indigenous people of Borneo," a WWF media statement said on Friday.

Officials from the Indonesian arm of WWF said that the mountainous area earmarked for the US$8 billion plantation was infertile and high terrain, making it impossible to produce high-quality palm fruit.

The organization's document shows that of the 1.8 million hectares planned for the plantation, which will be funded by China, one million hectares are in West Kalimantan and the remaining 800,000 hectares in East Kalimantan.

WWF's Heart of Borneo international coordinator Stuart Chapman said that according to experts, is not recommended that oil palms be planted above 200 meters above sea level because of low productivity at these levels. "Most of the border area is between 1,000 and 2,000 meters high. Research carried out last year by the Center for International Forestry Research showed that out of 200 sample sites, none were suitable for oil palm cultivation," he said at a media gathering.

WWf program coordinator for forest restoration and threats mitigation Fitrian Ardiansyah said it would be better if the government revived abandoned plantations rather than open a new one.

"Of the 2.3 million hectares of plantation areas in West Kalimantan, 1.5 million hectares are not being cultivated but have been abandoned," he said. "The government could revitalize this area." WWF's national coordinator of the Heart of Borneo, Bambang Suprianto, said the government should reconsider the plan since 1.24 million hectares of Kalimantan was deforested each year.

Officials caught in animal trading: NGOs

Jakarta Post - October 15, 2005

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta -- A network of wildlife protection groups will report three high-ranking officials from the Jakarta's Natural Resources Conservation Agency to the police for their alleged involvement in the trade of protected animals.

The activists announced on Friday that they had sufficient evidence to file the report.

The network comprises the People's Information Center (Lira), Profauna Indonesia, the Animal Advocacy Group (LASA), the Indonesian Society for Animal Welfare (ISAW) and the Alliance for Indonesian Wildlife (AuSI).

"We have gathered the evidence for over a year. Usually, they raid animal markets or pet shops, and confiscate protected animals. Instead of handing over the animals to the state, they sell them abroad at high prices," Lira chairman Yusuf Rizal told The Jakarta Post.

The activists revealed that they have documentation taken with a hidden video camera that shows the three officials extorting a pet shop owner in North Jakarta, demanding Rp 15 million from the owner and threatening to close the shop for selling protected animals if he does not pay up.

The officials later took away 24 turtles from the shop and then sold them to buyers for Rp 15 million on the same day. The transaction took place behind their office in Salemba, Central Jakarta.

"We will report them to the police on Monday. We will submit all of our evidence, including the video," Yusuf said.

Yusuf suspected that the three officials had sold many protected animals to local and international markets as they had been involved in trading protected animals for years.

"It is a very profitable business. An orangutan, for instance, can be sold for up to US$15,000 if it is sold in Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, or Japan. But, collectors from the US will pay $45,000," he said.

According to the investigation conducted by Lira, between 10 to 20 orangutans were smuggled each month from Kalimantan through Jakarta and other big cities to several countries in Asia and Europe as well as in the US

Several NGOs have expressed concerns over the increasing level of smuggling of various protected animals.

According to ProFauna, illegal wildlife trade in Indonesia is estimated to involve Rp 9 trillion a year.

They complained that many protected animals in the country will face extinction in the near future unless the government gave sufficient attention to the problems.

ProFauna pointed out, for instance, that at least 1,000 turtles were slaughtered each year along the southern coast of Java island while hundreds of cockatoos in Seram island were sent illegally to Jakarta for trading.

Article 21 of Law No. 5/1990 on endangered animals stipulates that any individual who buys and sells protected animals faces a maximum punishment of five years in prison or a Rp 100 million fine.

Despite many complaints and sufficient laws, Jakarta Police seem to be very passive in this regard as they just wait for reports without any efforts to launch a special investigation, as seen from the zero cases they have handled so far this year.

Health & education

Bigger education budget 'not feasible'

Jakarta Post - October 22, 2005

Jakarta -- Lawmakers have turned a cold shoulder to the Constitutional Court's ruling that obliges the government to increase the education budget, citing financial constraints as their rationale.

Emir Moeis, who heads the House of Representative's state budgetary committee, said the issue had to be viewed pragmatically as the funds simply were not there.

"We still have high subsidies for fuel, electricity, agriculture and so on. If we are pushed to increase the budget allocation to 20 percent, we're going to either have a large budget deficit or budget cutting for other sectors," he told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

The Constitutional Court ruled on Wednesday in its judicial review of the national education law that the government must allocate at least 20 percent of the state budget and regional budgets for education.

The percentage is in accordance with the amended 1945 Constitution, and should take effect in 2006 instead of a gradual increase as initially planned by the government.

The court noted that this country's education system was lagging behind others in the region in terms of quality, and thus its improvement should be a priority.

"We haven't decided on the budget allocation yet, but technically, it's impossible to reach 20 percent. Unless, we want to go deeper into debt," said Emir, who hails from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP).

The government had for this year allocated Rp 24.6 trillion (around US$2.4 billion) -- 9.29 percent of the total expenditures -- for the education sector through the national education and religious affairs ministries, which is a 33 percent increase from its allocation last year.

While the amount seems larger, it is actually lower by percentage as the government's revised expenditures had also increased to Rp 411.6 trillion. For the 2006 state budget, the government has proposed a total of Rp 31.3 trillion for the education sector, from the government's Rp 375 trillion planned expenditures.

Legislator Andi Matalatta, who heads the Golkar faction in the House said that while the 20 percent allocation seemed an impossibility, other ministries would also budget for education- related activities.

"We're doing all we can to fight for the amount (20 percent). But we have to look at the state's financial ability. Besides, there are many efforts to improve the quality of human resources, not just through the national education ministry. Other ministries also have education and training programs," he said.

Households feel the pinch of rising health costs

Jakarta Post - October 15, 2005

Hera Diani, Jakarta -- With the fuel price increases, the tsunami disaster in December and reports of bird flu and polio, affordable, quality health care is out of reach for more and more people, resulting in the reemergence of diseases that have disappeared completely in other countries.

In response, activists urged the House of Representatives on Friday to revise Law No. 23/1992 on health care to put more of an emphasis on the government's obligation to provide affordable and quality health care.

Community health expert Mahlil Ruby from the University of Indonesia said the government spent US$9.30 per capita, per year on public health, far below the $35 to $40 standard set by the World Health Organization. In comparison, Malaysia spends $95 per capita, per year on public health.

Households in Indonesia pay the majority of the medical costs, with the rest covered by insurance companies or employers. "With or without the fuel price hike, money for public health must be provided," Mahlil said during a discussion hosted by the Women's Health Forum.

There are no clear regulations governing the allocation of government funds for health care, and much of the money is late in arriving or does not arrive at all. "Regional budgets are mostly allocated for civil servants instead of for nutrition and public health. No wonder we still find cases of malnutrition in the country," Mahlil said.

Oncologist Zubairi Djoerban from Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital said that in the wake of outbreaks of bird flu, polio and dengue fever, the government should do more to provide a healthy environment. "The environment includes offices, houses and schools. There should be, for example, clear regulations on smoke-free areas in public areas, immunization and waste disposal," he said.

Activists have long pushed for a revision of the health law, which they say is vague, outdated, discriminatory and incompatible with other regulations.

The law, for example, does not elaborate on reproductive health services or reproductive health rights, alternative medicine or technological advances such as genetic engineering, cloning and stem cell research. The law is also incompatible with the 1945 Constitution, which stipulates that the state is responsible for providing health care for the poor, the elderly and orphans.

Legislator Mariani Akib Baramuli, who heads the House's working committee on health care, said the House had approved amendments to the law last year. "But everybody was busy campaigning for the election so they were abandoned. Now it is stuck in Commission IX for education, health and labor, whose legislators have a different perception of the issue," she said.

Islam/religion

Militant slapped with vandalism charges

Jakarta Post - October 21, 2005

Blontank Poer, Sukoharjo -- Police officers declared the leader of a Muslim militant group a suspect on Thursday, three days after he led a mob attack on restaurants selling alcoholic drinks.

The rare arrest of a religious vigilante leader could be a sign that the police are starting to lose patience with the militant groups and their violent raids on nightclubs and restaurants, particularly during Ramadhan.

Adj. Comr. Muhammad Ngajib, a police detective investigating the attack, confirmed that Cholid Syaifullah had been questioned and named a suspect.

Cholid, one of the leaders of the Coalition of the Surakarta Muslim Community, was charged with violating Criminal Code and instigating and leading the attack. If he is found guilty, he could get a maximum sentence of seven years in prison.

Cholid and his crew attacked restaurants on Jl. Langenharjo in Surakarta city on Monday night. At least four people were injured and two restaurants were damaged in the attack.

Contacted separately, Cholid admitted to being confused by the charges against him. He insisted that he could not possibly be guilty because by raiding restaurants, he was helping the police department by reducing the distribution of alcohol during Ramadhan.

Although the attack was carried out by a group of at least 50 young men, Cholid was the only person named a suspect. Awod, another of the leaders in the raid, has confirmed that he, a man named Umar and Cholid had been questioned by the police after the attack, but only Cholid was detained and declared a suspect.

Despite the arrest, the extremists were adamant about continuing the raids on alcohol sellers during Ramadhan. "We are not deterred by the police force's uncompromising posture," declared Awod.

The arrest of the hard-line Muslim leader comes after the arrest of eight rank-and-file members of the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) on Tuesday. They were arrested for weapons possession as they protested in front of the police headquarters in West Jakarta.

The series of arrests by the police could be evidence that they had decided to get tough on the vigilante groups, who regularly take the law into their own hands -- often violently. Over the last several years, similar hard-line raids were carried out but they never led to any arrests, prompting the public to accuse the police of ignoring their crimes.

Policeman gets the axe after militant Muslim raid

Jakarta Post - October 20, 2005

Blontank Poerwoko, Surakarta -- A middle-ranking police officer here was removed from his post on Wednesday, a day after Muslim hard-liners raided at least two local restaurants and destroyed hundreds of bottles of alcoholic beverages.

The dismissal of Adj. Comr. Zaenal Arifin was for his failure to prevent the Muslim extremists from taking the law into their own hands, said a top Surakarta police officer. Zaenal is believed to be the first police officer in the country to receive such stiff punishment for failing to prevent an attack of this type during Ramadhan.

The police officer was also found guilty of "allowing" the restaurants to sell alcohol during Ramadhan, said Zaenal's superior Sr. Comr. Abdul Madjid, the chief of the Surakarta police.

The report of the incident apparently angered the Central Java police chief Insp. Gen. Chaerul Rasjid. Stunned by the vandalism during the holy month, General Chaerul reportedly briefed all local police chiefs in the province on Wednesday and told them that the incident in Surakarta had to be the last.

"If a police officer fails to follow orders, I'm telling you that he or she has to be replaced," declared the two-star police general.

Separately, Zaenal, the Grogol police chief, confirmed he was not near the restaurants on Jl. Langenharjo in Surakarta when about 50 hard-liners calling themselves the Coalition of the Surakarta Muslim Community raided and attacked the restaurants. However, he argued that he was on his way there when the incident erupted. "I had almost reached the street when one of my superiors prevented me from going for fear of fatalities. He told me the number of protesters was quite large," said Zaenal.

At least four people were injured and two restaurants were damaged after the attack on Monday night by a number of groups, including the Islam Defenders Front (FPI).

In a separate development, General Chaerul deplored the attack and ordered his men to hunt down and bring to justice all perpetrators in the attacks. "The police have often called on people not to take the law into their own hands. We regret that this has not been heeded," said Chaerul, as quoted by Antara news agency.

Chaerul's stance may indicate that police plan to get tougher on extremist Muslim groups, which have in recent years taken to raiding restaurants and cafes during Ramadhan with seeming impunity. Such attacks, which usually involve lots of bottle smashing, have so far been neglected by police at the expense of cafe owners and workers. However, this year, the police force, under the national leadership of Gen. Sutanto has shown an uncompromising posture against the religious vigilantes.

Another example of the police force's uncompromising stance was demonstrated on Tuesday, when eight members of the FPI were arrested by West Jakarta police for weapons possession during a rally held in front of the police headquarters. The FPI members were protesting what they deemed to be an overly slow investigation into a clash on Sunday between themselves and residents of Kalijodo in West Jakarta, a red-light district, in which a handful of FPI men were injured.

Religious turbulence hits Indonesia

Aljazeera.net - October 15, 2005

Marianne Kearney, Jakarta -- A spate of recent church closures and attacks on the compound of a sect has highlighted a debate raging within the Indonesian Muslim community over religious freedom and tolerance.

On 21 September, hundreds of young men attacked the compound of a small sect, the Ahmadiyah, vandalising four buildings used for worship, torching more than 30 houses and damaging several cars in the hillside town of Cianjur, West Java, 100km southwest of the capital, Jakarta.

The attack was the latest outbreak of violence in a year that has seen more than 30 churches forcibly closed down or blockaded by Muslim mobs armed with bamboo spears, often while police stand by. The attacks have brought the issue of religious tolerance to the fore.

Within the Indonesian Muslim community, which accounts for about 88% of the 242-million population, are several movements and organisations often at loggerheads with one another.

Moderate groups say religious freedom should be protected in one of the world's most tolerant Muslim countries. Some would like Indonesia to become an Islamic state.

Fatwa In late July, the Indonesian Council of Islamic Clerics (MUI) issued a series of fatawa (religious decrees) giving groups lobbying for Islamic law a boost. The most publicised fatwa declared that the Ahmadiyah sect was heretical, and MUI members called on the government to ban it. Other fatwa condemned religious pluralism, joint prayer sessions, and mixed religious marriages.

But the most far-reaching fatwa with political impact was the one opposing "liberalism" and intentionally pointing fingers at groups such as the Liberal Islamic Network (JIL), which promotes modern interpretations of the Quran.

Within weeks, the Islamic Defenders' Front (Front Pembela Islam, FPI), a group thought to be behind attacks on bars and nightclubs, began trying to lobby local Muslims to expel the JIL from its home in east Jakarta.

"MUI issues the fatwas and we just carry them out," said Hilmy Bakar, a senior FPI leader, explaining that attacks on liberal groups are valid if they have been branded heretical. Fatwa opposed But JIL's head, Ulil Absha Abdalla, decried the decrees as "stupid". Other religious leaders, as well as politicians, pointed out that banning joint prayer sessions and mixed marriages in such a religiously mixed nation was "ridiculous".

Komaruddin Hidayat, a Muslim scholar at Jakarta's Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University, dismissed the MUI fatwa as just a publicity ploy which was unlikely to be heeded by most Indonesians. "It's just a business among hardliners -- promoting the escalation of tension among religions," he said.

However, Muslim analysts argue that by trying to ban religious pluralism and insisting that Islam is Indonesia's official religion, the MUI is in effect attempting to move the country a step closer to introducing the Sharia (Islamic law).

Constitutional clash

Clerics from Indonesia's largest Muslim organisation, Nahdlatul Ulema (NU), stress that Muslims cannot follow such a fatwa without violating the Indonesian constitution, which protects religious pluralism.

Given that such a fatwa is only an opinion and not legally binding on Muslims, the constitution is more powerful, argue NU scholars. And such decrees cannot be implemented unless parliament agrees to amend the constitution, they say.

Indonesia's two largest Muslim groups, NU and Muhammidiyah, together claiming 65 million followers, have always opposed the implementation of Islamic law, and most analysts doubt the push for the Sharia will get much support.

They also point out that the major political parties have in the past opposed the introduction of Islamic law when it was proposed by smaller parties.

Increasing conservatism

But moderate Muslim groups see the recent intimidation of Christian churches and Ahmadiyah as part of the same trend to promote a much more conservative interpretation of Islam.

Local reports suggest that students from a Muslim boarding school were inspired by the MUI decrees to attack the Ahmadiyah compound in Cianjur last month.

The 19 September attack was the second major attack on the sect in as many months. In July, several Ahmadiyah centres and compounds in towns around west Java were vandalised and a handful of local councils have banned the sect.

Numbering just over 300,000, Ahmadiyah believes that its Indian founder, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, not Muhammad, was the last prophet. It is this belief that prompted the Islamic Clerics Council to label Ahmadiyah as heretical.

Religious freedom

Nahdlatul Ulema also thinks that Ahmadiyah is a deviant sect, but it is publicly defending the group's right to practise its religion freely.

"We have asked police to take steps so there is no more destruction. NU doesn't support the destruction of places of worship," says senior NU leader Achmad Bagda. "If people don't agree with Ahmadiyah, they don't have to follow it," he added.

The Liberal Islamic Network has offered legal assistance to Ahmadiyah and will also organise an investigation into the attacks.

The pressure from Muslim moderates appears to have worked. Unlike the last attacks on Ahmadiyah property, the police appear serious about prosecuting the attackers this time, arresting 12 suspects.

Intimidating Christians

NU has also been lobbying the police and local governments to stop Muslims from intimidating Christian groups. Over the past year, more than 30 churches have been closed down under pressure from Muslim groups.

"We said to police don't allow this [church closures] to be used to instigate chaos among the community," said Sofyan Yahya, the head of NU's West Java chapter.

Conservative groups deny they are trying to spark an inter- religious conflict, claiming they are just upholding Indonesian law. "Those closed were not churches, but private houses, used by Christians as prayer places without a government permit," said Habib Rizieq Shihab, the head of the Islamic Defenders' Front, which, along with the Anti-Apostasy Movement, has been accused of organising the closures.

Using shops

Christian ministers admit they have been forced to use shops and homes as churches, because under Indonesian law religious groups have to get permission from both the Religious Affairs Ministry and the neighbouring community before they can build a place of worship.

Some Protestant communities say they have been lobbying their local community for more than a decade and still have not received permission to build a church. The bylaw, which in effect allows a single Muslim to oppose the construction of a church, is biased against minorities, church leaders say.

"That is the weakness of our government now. They are not able yet to give freedom to people as it was instructed by the constitution," says Richard Daulay, the secretary-general of the Indonesian Communion of Churches.

Pressing the government

The Indonesian government says it will revise the bylaw so that a joint religious council, and not local residents, will have the authority to approve the construction of churches and other religious buildings.

But the Liberal Islamic Network, along with NU and Muhammidiyah, says it is not enough to change the law. They argue violent groups should be prosecuted for trying to take the law into their own hands, otherwise they will continue to intimidate minorities in the name of Islam. "They say they do this in the name of religion, but all religions reject it," said Mahmadah.

Others see the attacks on churches as an attack against Indonesia's religious tolerance. "This threatens our principle of unity in diversity," said Achmad Bagda, a senior NU leader, quoting a line from the Indonesian constitution.

Armed forces/defense

Military may retain many businesses

Jakarta Post - October 20, 2005

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta -- The Indonesian Military (TNI) will likely retain many of its businesses, despite a law mandating that the government take over all the military's enterprises to improve its professionalism.

A meeting of senior officials from four relevant ministries concluded on Wednesday that the government would only take over TNI companies "that enjoyed state facilities".

"Most of these business units are run by cooperatives or foundations owned by all the military units, and we will allow them to maintain them because the government has never shared assets or facilities with them," said Muhammad Said Didu, secretary at the Office of the State Minister of State Enterprises.

Many or most of the businesses were established in cooperation with private companies, while others are managed by the TNI's 219 cooperatives and foundations.

The meeting was attended by Minister of Justice and Human Rights Hamid Awaluddin and senior officials from the Ministry of Finance, the Office of the State Minister of State Enterprises and the Ministry of Defense.

Held at the defense ministry, it discussed the verification process for TNI's business units.

Didu said the government could understand that many of the TNI's companies were under the management of the military's cooperatives and foundations, and were aimed at improving its soldier's welfare, instead of looking for profit. Partly for that reason, the government would allow the military to continue running these companies, he added.

However, Didu said the meeting on Wednesday suggested that the government revitalize the management of the companies it would take over from the TNI by making them state enterprises, rather than limited companies (PT) or holding companies.

He argued that, as state enterprises, the companies would be eligible for the Office of the State Minister of State Enterprises' assistance programs without the companies' confidential information being "leaked to private parties". "As you know, these companies' core business is in the defense and security fields," he said.

In the move to create a professional TNI, Law No. 34/2004 on military reform was passed last year, requiring the government to take over all business units run by the TNI within five years.

Minister of Defense Juwono Sudarsono ordered last month all military units from all forces to lodge reports on their companies. He said the President would issue a regulation to rule on the handover of the TNI's companies by November.

Didu said that his office would need no less than three months to verify which TNI companies were profitable and which were not.

The latest data shows the military has no less than 219 cooperatives and foundations, with each running about two to three business units.

Despite the number of business units, the TNI's top brass have repeatedly cited the "low" defense budget as an excuse for the military's "lack of professionalism".

TNI chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto has asked the government to consider the soldiers' welfare, including the procurement of housing facilities, as a top priority once the servicemen are banned from involvement in business activities.

For the 2005 fiscal year, the government has allocated Rp 21 trillion (US$2.3 billion) for defense expenditure, accounting for only 6 percent of the state budget.

Opinion & analysis

Politicizing Indonesia's military

Asia Times - October 21, 2005

Fabio Scarpello, Jakarta -- Indonesia's renewed "war on terror" in the wake of the latest round of bombings on Bali could pave the way for renewed politicization of the country's military, analysts believe.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has already called on the Indonesian Military (TNI) to be more active, and there are fears this could lead to possible abuse and halt the process of reform begun after the end of the Suharto era in 1998.

"In this country, we are still struggling to depoliticize the TNI and this decision will bring it back into the political arena," said Salim Said, a political scientist from the Indonesia Institute of Science (LIPI).

Yudhoyono's announcement came during the TNI's 60th anniversary celebrations on October 4, and only three days after the latest bombing on the island resort of Bali, which left 23 dead, 140 injured and 22 still missing.

The attack was the latest in a series in Indonesia, bloodied regularly since 2000 by the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), which is fighting to bring most of Southeast Asia under a single Islamic state and has links with Osama bin Laden's international al-Qaeda network.

The burden of fighting terrorism in Indonesia has fallen on the shoulders of the National Intelligence Agency (BIN) and the National Police, which lack funds, expertise and coordination.

Although dozens of JI's operatives have been arrested, the police and BIN have been unable to prevent the attacks or capture all of those believed to be behind the bombings. This failure prompted Yudhoyono to call on the feared and only partly accountable, TNI, which still stands accused of widespread human-rights abuse throughout the archipelago.

The call for help was enthusiastically received by the TNI's chief, General Endriartono Sutarto, who said he would take the necessary measures to crack down on terrorists by reactivating the military's "territorial function". The territorial function means deployment of forces akin to that of an occupying army. Soldiers are placed in every corner of the country, from the main cities down to the smallest villages. This system was used by the former dictator, Suharto, as an effective tool to monitor people's movements and crush dissent.

"The government has given us a clear order to participate in the war against terrorism," he told the media after Yudhoyono's announcement. "First, we will raise public awareness about the condition of local neighborhoods. Second, we will activate the territorial command down to the village level, and third, of course, we will share intelligence information with other institutions, especially the police."

Throughout the new order regime, as Suharto's 33 years in power was dubbed, the territorial function gave rise to widespread excess of power and human-rights abuse. It also brought generals into close contact with local politicians and businessmen, paving the way for collusion and interference in every facet of the country's life.

It was largely dismantled following the fall of Suharto, when the student-led "Reformasi" movement forced the introduction of reforms aimed at limiting the power and influence of the TNI in Indonesian political life. Though Sutarto now insists the territorial function will not be abused, its revival has sent shivers down the spines of most analysts.

"People have not forgotten the abuse suffered at the hands of the TNI during the new order regime," Hilman Latief, a lecturer at Yogyakarta Muhammadiyah University department of Islamic Studies, told IPS. "They are still traumatized and the government has to be very careful about involving generals in the fight against terror."

Agus Widjojo, a commentator on military issues who is renowned for his pro-reform stance, said any involvement of the TNI should be based on the constitution and the principle of democracy.

"The constitution gives the TNI a role in the national defense, but it can also be called upon by the president to help with domestic problems," he said. "However, it must respect the principle of democracy."

According to Yudhoyono, the law allowing for the drafting of the TNI is Defense Law number 34/2004, passed in September 2004. This has been hotly contested by some analysts who have a different reading of the same law.

J Kristiadi, an expert on security matters at the Jakarta Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the president's move is a violation of the law, which stipulates that TNI's territorial function must be eliminated by 2009.

"Reviving the territorial command is against the law," he told the Jakarta Post newspaper, adding that the military should only be involved in security matters if the police ask for its help.

Andi Widjayanto, a military analyst from the University of Indonesia, acknowledges that Article 11 of the law did not, in so many words, prohibit the reinstatement of the territorial function, but he said Yudhoyono's move was against the "spirit" of the law, which was written to push TNI internal reforms.

In any case, according to Widjojo, if brought back, the territorial function has to be limited with safeguards and clear limits in time and duties.

"It has to be clear that it is a temporary measure and what the TNI can and cannot do," he said. "Both have to be stipulated by the political authority."

(Inter Press Service)

A better second year

Jakarta Post Editorial - October 20, 2005

Even before he stepped into Merdeka Palace, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's legacy had been assured. As the first-ever democratically elected Indonesian president, Susilo was the progeny of trial and error, part of this nation's desire to construct a more representational, fairer, system of governance.

Not simply a government by the people, of the people, and for the people, but one that abounds with humility and earnestness.

Despite the initial jubilation of electoral success, the past 12 months, however, have been a time that most would sooner forget. From mad men's ire to nature's wrath, Susilo's young administration had to care for a nation beset by domestic misfortune -- natural disasters and bombings -- in the least- friendliest global environment.

Not all problems can be blamed on fate though. The Susilo government's clumsiness was as culpable as providence.

Policy dithers by the new administration prevented quickfire remedies, as executive inexperience turned complications into problems. The president's occasional reticence exasperated critics and a predilection for platitudes before action helped stoke resentment as the poor became wretched and the wretched went hungry.

The rupiah's slump in recent months is in some ways a sign of the public and business sector's lack of confidence in the government. The most lucid indication that this government has not delivered what was expected.

Yet, despite his shortcomings, Susilo has shown that he is willing to take the necessary tough measures -- no matter how unpopular -- when deemed necessary. The massive fuel price hikes this year should help relieve long-term stresses on the budget.

The administration has also succeeded in doing what no other government has been able to do: Present a sound framework for peace in Aceh. The details of the agreement signed in Helsinki remain contentious, but at least the administration has displayed strong political will to bring a lasting peaceful solution to a region fraught with suffering and death. That in itself is a feat that cannot be understated.

Pragmatically, the expectations placed on this administration were unrealistic. Twelve months, or even 60 months, insufficient to completely amend the many wrongs. But Indonesians long for small miracles. Some hope to raise them out of the doldrums hampering the past nine years of their lives. We still believe that Susilo, with his overwhelming mandate, is a man who can prove that the democratic system this nation embraced can bring about better life for its peoples. Given the stock that was available at the time, we cannot imagine any other person as president able to survive and meet the challenges that have presented itself in the past year.

Hence, given the multiple challenges faced, we are of the opinion that President Susilo receives a passing grade during his freshman year, albeit with some degree of reservation. If he can survive a very difficult first year such as this, he can go forth to better things.

It is imperative that in the coming months ahead he rekindles four major themes that were so prominent during his election campaign: Anti-corruption; economic recovery with emphasis on improving people's welfare; and continued pursuance of political reform.

Due to catastrophic events, many of these ambitions could not be pursued. But there should be no reason -- barring even more calamitous tragedies -- why in his second year the president cannot begin to show results in these fields.

Better coordination and more empathetic policies are a necessity if reform programs are to succeed and the government is to retain people's confidence. The politicization of Cabinet seats should be avoided, so too should public bouts for political control in the decision-making process.

First impressions are always important. But it will be the second imprint which either confirms or corrects the initial negative.

Year two of Susilo's presidency will set the scene for his last three years. This is not a second chance for Susilo, but a second wind for a country whose democratic exercise has only brought new depths of despair. We look forward, with hope.