Markus Junianto Sihaloho, Camelia Pasandaran & Candra Malik, Jakarta – It's official: former President Suharto is not a national hero. This year at least.

Suharto, who ruled the country with an iron fist for 32 years, allegedly stole billions of dollars and left a legacy of endemic corruption, was passed over for the honor when the Council on Titles, Decorations and Honors named the recipients on Thursday.

Two people were honored this year: independence fighter Johanes Abraham Dimara and Johannes Leimena, a former prime minister under founding father Sukarno. Both are deceased.

The Golkar Party, Suharto's political vehicle throughout his rule, said it understood the government's decision not name Suharto a national hero.

House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Priyo Budi Santoso, from Golkar, said Djoko Suyanto, the coordinating minister for political, legal and security affairs, had told him that the government had not rejected outright the idea of bestowing the honor on Suharto.

"The minister told me it wasn't the right time," Priyo said. "If that's the reason, then we can understand. We should prevent any debate over it."

Priyo said Golkar would continue to insist that Suharto be named a hero, despite any criticism, and said the government must have the courage to grant the award.

"I don't know when the right time is, maybe next year, or in the next two years, or when we have a new president," he said. "Vengefulness over the past should never be an excuse. We admit he made some mistakes, but we must also remember his good deeds."

Suharto's suitability for the honor sparked nationwide debate last month when it emerged that his name had made it onto a Social Affairs Ministry shortlist of candidates to be added to Indonesia's official pantheon of 138 heroes.

The move, initially proposed by Rina Iriani, the head of Karanganyar district, which houses Suharto's mausoleum, angered political reformers and Indonesians who saw his rule as a time of unchecked corruption and brutal repression.

For many others, however, including the thousands who attended special prayer services to mark the 1,000th day since the former president's death, the move evoked nostalgia for a time of order and stability that contrasts with today's messy democracy.

Rina said she was disappointed Suharto had been passed over. "I nominated him personally and on behalf of the people's aspirations," she said. "I wonder who the committee was listening to when they chose to reject it. We pray for Suharto and still believe his recognition as a national hero is just a matter of time."

'Muslim role model' Gus Dur's absence from list provokes mixed reaction

Jakarta Globe - November 11, 2010

Candra Malik & Nurfika Osman, Jakarta – East Java's deputy governor Syaifullah Yusuf expressed disappointment over the government's decision not to include the late President Abdurrahman Wahid in the National Heroes Day announcement on Thursday. Yusuf had nominated the late president for national hero on behalf of the people of Jombang and East Java.

Known popularly as Gus Dur, Wahid was a champion of democracy and pluralism, a Jombang local who died at the age of 69. He was Indonesia's fourth president and the first to be elected head of state after the fall of the Suharto regime in 1998.

"I do not know on what basis the board took the decision to grant a certain nomination and reject ours. I would like to know the criteria so I can explain it to my constituency," he said. Syaifullah called on the public to be patient with the government's decision.

"We submitted a nomination and met all of the requirements. We hope that Gus Dur will become a national hero next year," he said.

Allisa Qatrunnada Wahid, Gus Dur's eldest daughter, said the title of national hero from the government is not a crucial matter. "No need to overreact. For us, the appreciation of the people means so much more. Tens of thousands of people came to [Gus Dur's] funeral and every day thousands of pilgrims pray at his tomb," she said.

The family is more concerned about efforts to continue Gus Dur's ideas in struggling for pluralism and humanity than disputing the title of national hero.

Some Jakartans also expressed disappointment that Gus Dur was left out of the announcement on Thursday.

"He deserves the national hero title," Indri Sejati, a young woman working in a private company said. "Gus Dur was a progressive Muslim role model who was not narrow-minded like the majority of other Muslim figures."

Civil servant Dian Hardjairana was also hoping for the former Nahdlatul Ulama chairman to be named national hero. "He was a leader of pluralism in the country," she said.

Meanwhile, deputy chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama, Masdar Masudi, said the organization is not too concerned with the omission of Gus Dur in the national hero announcement. "Acknowledgment of his services by the ummat (Muslim congregation) is much more important than the national hero title," he said.

President bestows honorary titles on freedom fighters, artists

Jakarta Post - November 11, 2010

Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono bestowed the title of national hero and other honors on several deceased freedom fighters, artists and cultural activists who made significant contributions to the nation, at an award ceremony at the State Palace on Thursday.

National Hero Title recipients:

1. The late Moluccan freedom fighter Johannes Leimena.
2. The late Papuan freedom fighter Johannes Abraham Dimara.

Mahaputera Adipradana Star Award recipients:

1. The late writer Kanjeng Gusti Pangeran AA Mangkoenagoro
2. The late freedom fighter Sayyid Idrus bin Salim Al Jufrie from Southeast Sulawesi.
3. The late writer Raden Ngabehi Ronggowarsito.
4. The late humanitarian Prof. Sutan Takdir Alisjahbana.
5. The late painter Raden Saleh Syarif Bustaman.

Mahaputera Utama Star award recipients:

1. The late freedom fighter Andi Makkasau Parenrengi Lawawo from South Sulawesi.
2. The late freedom fighter Andi Depu from West Sulawesi.

Mahaputera Nararya Star award recipients:

1. The late independence fighter Alex Impurung Mendur.
2. The late independence fighter Sumarto Frans Mendur.

Jasa Pratama Star award recipients:

1. The late Marwoto Hadi Soesastro, former executive director at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

Jasa Nararya Star award recipients:

1. The late artist Abdul Kadir, also known as To'et.

Parama Dharma Star for Culture award recipients:

1. The late artist and educator Prof. Sjafei Soemardja.
2. The late musician Ki Nartosabdo. 3. The late painter Affandi Koesoema.
4. The late novelist Romo Yosef Bilyarta Mangunwijaya.
5. The late film director Sjumandjaja.
6. The late culturalist W.S. Rendra.
7. The late "topeng", or mask, dancer Mimi Rasinah.
8. The late angklung musician Udjo Ngaladena, also known as Mang Udjo.

Soeharto not a hero this year: Official

Jakarta Post - November 9, 2010

Tifa Asrianti, Jakarta – Soeharto has been dropped from the list of potential heroes this year. But the debate on whether or not to honor the former president is likely to be repeated in the years to come.

Suyoto Sudjadi, secretary of a government council assessing the eligibility of those nominated for hero status, said that Soeharto did not make it to this year's final list of hero candidates, which will be presented to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono for final consideration.

The team is slated to announce the result on Nov. 9, a day before the nation commemorates National Heroes Day, during which the President will officially declare the country's new heroes.

"We already have the list of [candidates], however, since we have not received a letter of approval from the President, we cannot reveal the names now. But Soeharto is not on this year's list," Suyoto said.

Soeharto was nominated a national hero by a group in Central Java in 2009. He was initially among 10 nominees short-listed by the selection team for honorary status. Among the 10 include former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid and former Jakarta governor Ali Sadikin.

The decision came as a surprise since the council was dominated by Soeharto's former subordinates, such as Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Djoko Suyanto, former coordinating minister for public welfare and poverty eradication Hayono Suyono, former bureaucratic reform minister T.B. Silalahi, former religious affairs minister Quraish Shihab and University of Indonesia archaeology professor Eddy Sediawati.

Soeharto, who died two years ago at the age of 86, remains a controversial figure due to his role during the war for independence, as well as his authoritarian rule that lasted 32 years, a period marked by numerous instances of corruption, human rights violations and institutionalized violence.

Human rights activists have repeatedly voiced concerns over Soeharto's human rights abuses. The prospect of giving Indonesia's second president national hero status has sparked controversy in the run up to National Heroes Day since his death in 2008.

The 2009 National Heroes Law stipulates that the title can be bestowed on anyone who has led any kind of armed or political struggle to achieve, defend or contribute to independence and national unity. The law also says a candidate should have completed great work that has benefited many people and upholds the country's dignity.

Harry Azhar Azis, a House of Representatives member from the Golkar party who proposed Soeharto's name, said that his party respected the decision and would still suggest Soeharto's name again next year.

"Although he made mistakes, Soeharto was an important figure in Indonesia. Therefore, we will strive to make Soeharto a national hero. Governments may change and so do their decisions," he said. Julian Aldrin Pasha, the presidential spokesman, declined to comment.

Barrack Obama visit

Tifatul stands by his tweets in the face of global ridicule

Jakarta Globe - November 11, 2010

Anita Rachman & Mark Moloney, Jakarta – It has become the handshake seen and discussed around the world.

From comedians to porn stars it seems everyone wants to talk about Communication and Information Technology Minister Tifatul Sembiring and his now-famous handshake with Michelle Obama.

Everyone that is but the minister's political party, the Islamist Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), which would prefer the whole thing just went away.

Having tweeted at one time that he would never touch a woman he was not related or married to, video footage showed Tifatul eagerly leaning forward to accept the hand of the US first lady, even bowing deferentially.

But PKS secretary general Anis Matta wants to know why there is a ruckus over such an unimportant matter. "These debates are not substantial at all. Why not talk about something more important about Obama's visit instead of this handshaking thing?" he said.

Anis said Indonesians should be discussing how President Obama's visit had failed to deliver anything of benefit to the country. He cited the $10 billion trade deal Obama announced during his stop in India.

"While here, what did we get? Did he sign something [that will benefit us]? All he left us with was this handshake debate," he said.

Showing once again his love for tweeting, Tifatul, a member of the PKS advisory board, elaborated on the handshake in 14 separate tweets on his official Twitter account.

But the minister's tweets seem to have done little but further muddy the issue. At one point he indicated he would make an exception to his no- handshaking rule for people who would not understand his attitude.

He then went on to tweet: "I stand by my position. I will not change my point of view. I will not shake the hand of a woman I am not related to."

Stephen Colbert, a topical satirical comedian in the United States, devoted a segment of his show to pointing out the minister's about-turn on his previous comments, and subsequent defense of his actions.

On the popular television show, Colbert states sarcastically that he understands Tifatul's trepidation at touching the first lady's hand and that it is tantamount to touching another erogenous zone on a woman's body. He jokes, "What are knuckles but finger-boobs?"

Colbert highlights that Indonesians flocked to Facebook and Twitter to scold Tifatul for his "hypocritical behavior." He also lays into the minister over his defense of the handshake by reading Tifatul's Twitter explanation in mocking tones.

"I tried to prevent [being touched] but Mrs. Michelle held her hands too far toward me so we touched," Tifatul tweeted afterward in an attempt to quell the growing swell of disdain. Colbert then says to howls of laughter from the studio audience that "it was totally her fault. Totally her fault!'

The Huffington Post and Gawker.com also ran pieces questioning the minister's integrity and suitability as a public figure in articles that will cast shadows over Tifatul's already sullied political profile.

International porn star Vicky Vette joined the fray on Tuesday evening when she asked Tifatul on his official Twitter account: "Do you like it fast, slow, with a firm grip or maybe both hands? You can touch me in public anytime you want cutie."

A PKS member said the comments by the local and international media should be taken as valuable input. House lawmaker Nabiel al Musawa, who is also a lecturer at the Bogor Institute of Agriculture, said he hoped Tifatul would take time to conduct some introspection, and try to understand the snowballing effect of Twitter.

"Possibly all this tweeting is promoting Tifatul's profile to an international audience," he said. "Once you reply to a tweet, it will never stop. The PKS should know this. They are a big party now. We must be able to accept different cultures. The PKS should not risk its reputation over this incident."

Mahfudz Siddiq, the PKS deputy secretary general for communication and information, said the party would not bother itself over the issue. "Let it be his business as a minister. He has his own team there. The PKS doesn't want to be busied with something as trivial as this," he said.

Mahfudz said the PKS encouraged members to use social networking to communicate and promote the party's mission. He added the party would continue to guide members in how to use the technology wisely.

Indonesian minister all a-twitter over Michelle Obama

Jakarta Globe - November 11, 2010

Jakarta – The Indonesian media and blogosphere continued on Thursday a campaign of condemnation against a conservative Muslim minister Tifatul Sembiring who expressed embarrassment about shaking hands with United States First Lady Michelle Obama.

Critics accused the minister of lying about the "hand-shaking incident" and bringing shame to the mainly Muslim country, which President Barack Obama held up as a model of tolerance and diversity during his brief visit this week.

The first lady became the unwitting focus of an online debate over religious tolerance and women's rights when Communications Minister Tifatul Sembiring messaged his thousands of Twitter followers that he had reluctantly shaken hands with her at a formal reception on Tuesday.

Sembiring is a conservative Muslim who refuses to touch women he is not related to, and has previously outraged liberal society by suggesting AIDS funding is a waste of public money and linking natural disasters to immorality.

"I tried to prevent [touching First Lady Obama] with my two hands but Mrs Michelle moved her hands too close to me, then we touched," he Tweeted on Tuesday, sparking a firestorm on the hyperactive Indonesian blogosphere. Video footage of the meeting suggested otherwise, showing Sembiring reaching out to shake Michelle's hand, like the other dignitaries had done.

"Why is it so difficult to admit that the handshake was intentional?" wrote one follower after the minister's awkward excuse. "You LIED, as if Michelle Obama was wrong," wrote another. "You keep LYING." Rather than call a press conference to face the media in person, Sembiring defended his beliefs by posting comments on Twitter and Facebook on Thursday.

"I still stand by the position that I will not shake hands with women who are not related to me," he wrote in a series of 14 numbered Tweets to his 110,000 followers.

He added that "some situations happen suddenly, or I meet people who don't have any idea about my beliefs. Usually in state-related events, or sometimes after praying, there are ladies who scramble to shake hands."

He claimed that his encounter with Michelle Obama was such a moment, even though they met as she followed her husband down a long line of assembled officials, shaking hands with each in turn. "I offered my two hands in a Sundanese-style greeting (held together as if in prayer)... And then the hand-shaking incident occurred," he claimed.

Most Twitter users were scathing in their condemnation of the minister.

"Of course, the communications minister is stupid, naive and inconsistent," wrote one. "It wasn't about shaking hands. It's the lying!!!!" wrote another.

One user wrote: "He's just embarrassing". "You are an inept, cynical, hypocritical, lying idiot," one user, identified as mauriceg, wrote on the Jakarta Globe Web site. "Of course you fit right in with your other ministerial colleagues, who have at least learned to keep their mouths shut." (Agence France-Presse/JG)

Indonesian Minister Tifatul draws global audience with handshakegate

Jakarta Globe - November 11, 2010

Mark Moloney, Jakarta – Ridiculing Indonesian Communications Minister Tifatul Sembiring has gone global with international television and online news portals taking turns to poke fun at his latest faux pas – shaking hands, or not, with United States first lady Michele Obama.

Tifatul, an outspoken conservative Muslim, said on popular social networking Web site Twitter that he would not shake hands or touch a woman he did not know.

However, perhaps overcome with the emotion of the moment, video footage shows Tifatul eagerly leaning forward to accept Michele Obama's handshake and even bowing deferentially, in scenes that were shown on The Colbert Report in the US and covered by online news portal The Huffington Post.

Stephen Colbert, a topical satirical comedian, devoted a segment of his show to pointing out the ministers about-turn on his previous comments, and subsequent defense of his actions.

In the popular television show, Colbert states sarcastically that he understood Tifatul's trepidation at touching the first lady's hands and that it was tantamount to touching another erogenous zone on a woman's body.

Colbert jokes, "What are knuckles but finger-boobs?" Colbert highlighted that Indonesians flocked to Facebook and Twitter to scold Tifatul for his "hypocritical behavior."

He also lays into the minister over his defense of the handshake by reading Tifatul's Twitter explanation in mocking tones. "I tried to prevent [being touched] but Mrs. Michelle held her hands too far toward me so we touched," Tifatul tweeted afterward to mitigate the growing swell of disdain.

Colbert then points out to howls of laughter from the studio audience how "It was totally her fault. Totally her fault!'

He then gives a commentary of the slow-motion footage in which he describes Tifatul's hands as "reluctantly outstretched toward her" and his "mouth turning upwards at the corners in the traditional Indonesian sign of revulsion."

Tifatul Sembiring has previously outraged liberal society by suggesting AIDS funding is a waste of public money and linking natural disasters to immorality.

Tifatul can't shake Twitter criticism over Obama meet

Jakarta Globe - November 11, 2010

Tifatul Sembiring, the controversial and conservative minister of Communications and Information Technology, has found himself at the center of a media and Twitter maelstrom for shaking hands with US first lady Michelle Obama after he swore he would not touch a woman to whom he was not related.

Video broadcast from the event and available on YouTube shows him extending his hand and shaking with the first lady in a reception line at the State Palace, but afterward Tifatul tweeted: "I tried to prevent [being touched] with my hands but Mrs. Michelle held her hands too far toward me so we touched."

The response on Twitter, a favorite outlet for some of the minister's more colorful diatribes – including joking about AIDS and blaming Indonesia's natural disasters on a lack of morality – has been withering.

Usually, the minister from the Islamic Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) would clasp his hand in front of his chest during the introduction or greeting of women, a gesture similar to shaking hands but in keeping with the Islamic teaching discouraging men from touching women not related by blood or marriage.

However, footage broadcast nationwide showed an eager Tifatul reaching with both hands to hold the first lady's hands and slightly bowing to greet her.

The minister became an immediate target of public ridicule as the nation's news channels repeated the footage over and over in slow motion on Wednesday, as if to assuage any doubt as to what had exactly happened at the reception.

International media outlets such as The Washington Post, the online Huffington Post and the British Daily Telegraph were quick to pick up reports of the controversial handshake. US blog Gawker characterized Titaful as "apparently a crazy [expletive] who loves two things: Shunning women, and writing terrible things on Twitter."

The minister, a prolific user of Twitter, has some 108,545 followers and is known for his firebrand style of religious conservatism. He once wrote that AIDS was the result of "perverted sex acts."

In another incident, while dealing with an official ministry issue, he shared a passage from the Koran that told of Allah "smiting [homosexuals] with rocks from a burning land."

But his latest message before press time took a softer, conciliatory tone. He pointedly quoted American poet Ralph Waldo Emerson, in English: "You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late." Perhaps, for Tifatul, it already is.

First day of Obama's Indonesia visit marked by scattered protests

Jakarta Globe - November 10, 2010

Anita Rachman, Jakarta – For Deni Gustianto, 23, taking part in Tuesday's rally to protest the visit of US President Barack Obama was a no-brainer.

He has taken part in eight anti-Obama rallies since the first planned visit back in March, believing any visit by a US head of state will only worsen the Indonesian economic and political scene. "It's a Muslim responsibility to oppose his visit," he said. "Obama is the one who's been killing our brothers and sisters in Palestine and Iraq."

Deni was one of about 50 demonstrators rustled up by the hard-line Islamic group Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Central Jakarta. Threats of massive protests for the day fizzled out when only handfuls of people turned up across the city.

Abu Hasan, HTI's rally coordinator, said the group would "mobilize more crowds" today at University of Indonesia, where Obama is scheduled to give a speech.

The group managed to mobilize roughly 2,000 people for a march on Sunday, but Tuesday's no-show seemed a mystery. Hasan said HTI had also sent a letter to Istiqlal Mosque to stop Obama's visit there, also scheduled for today.

Hanif Anshorullah, a student demonstrating at the traffic circle, blamed the low turnout of protesters on a lack of conviction. "Most students nowadays are pragmatic, the idealistic ones are hard to find," he said. "But as agents of change, we need to ask the people to reject Obama."

Meanwhile, a group of Papuan students held a rally on Tuesday outside the Plaza 89 tower in Kuningan, South Jakarta, to call for the withdrawal of US mining giant Freeport McMoRan from the country's easternmost province. The students accused Freeport, whose offices are at Plaza 89, of human rights abuses and environmental destruction at the Grasberg gold and copper mine in Mimika district.

Oktovianus Pogau, one of the rally's organizers, said he hoped that voices of Papuan students would be heard by Obama and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. He added that his group would also take part in the rally at the UI. Only a handful of demonstrators showed up on Tuesday to protest Obama's visit to Indonesia.

Workers mark Obama visit with protest against labour law revisions

Metrotvnews.com - November 10, 2010

Jakarta – Several moments before the arrival of US President Barack Obama in Jakarta on the afternoon of Wednesday November 10, thousands of workers held a protest action demanding the cancellation of planned revisions to Law Number 13/2003 on Labour, which they say will harm workers.

During the action, the workers "occupied" Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat in Central Jakarta and as a consequence, traffic heading north from the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle to Harmoni was brought to a complete standstill.

Several demonstrators also forced Transjakarta busses coming from Harmoni in the direction of Sudirman to stop in order to attract the attention of officials, so police would open access to the road in front of the State Palace. This created tensions between the workers and police.

After maintaining their position for several hours along a stretch of Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat, police finally opened access to the road and allowed the demonstrators to protest in front of the Palace.

During the action, the demonstrators demanded that the revisions to the labour law be cancelled because it will inflict severe financial harm to the working class, which is still not prosperous. Before ending the action, the protesters set fire to a coffin to symbolise the death of workers' future. (RIE)

[Translated by James Balowski.]

Obama reinforces links with Indonesia

Sydney Morning Herald - November 10, 2010

Tom Allard, Jakarta – The US President, Barack Obama, has praised Indonesia's transition from dictatorship to democracy and identified it as a "critical leader" in the region and on the world stage as he made a historic return to his boyhood home.

Mr Obama conceded it was "disorientating" to be back after 40 years, with Jakarta barely recognisable from the city he lived in as a young boy.

After arriving late yesterday from New Delhi, Mr Obama and his wife, Michelle, travelled straight to the presidential palace for a series of meetings. He signed a "comprehensive partnership" that both nations said would expand their relationship beyond the traditional preoccupation of security.

Rain and heavy security kept wellwishers to a minimum as his motorcade sped to the palace.

For Mr Obama, who has identified himself as the "Pacific president", Indonesia is a key ally. He thanked it for sponsoring the US membership of the East Asia Summit, a group of Asian nations that includes Australia. Mr Obama said it will be the chief multilateral institution to manage security and political issues in the region. "Indonesia will be a critical partner, a critical leader in that," Mr Obama said.

Mr Obama and the Indonesian President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, spoke at length about the summit's potential, in particular its role in solving the territorial dispute in the South China Sea, arising from China's claim to much of the resource-rich area.

The comprehensive partnership covers economic, security, political and environmental realms. It aims to double educational exchanges between the two countries and will also include enhanced dialogue between non- government groups on the contentious topics of corruption and human rights.

Indonesia, said Mr Obama, was on the front line of climate change and, as an archipelagic nation, was likely to feel its effects soon.

Of his return to Jakarta, where he lived from ages six to 10, Mr Obama said it was "wonderful to be here" but confessed it was "barely recognisable". Dr Yudhoyono said Mr Obama's time in Indonesia gave him a unique perspective on the nation's complexities.

Minister admits reluctant Michelle Obama handshake

Associated Press - November 10, 2010

Jakarta, Indonesia – A conservative Muslim government minister admits he shook hands with first lady Michelle Obama in welcoming her to Indonesia but says it wasn't his choice.

Footage on YouTube shows otherwise, sparking a debate that has lit up Facebook, Twitter and the rest of the blogosphere.

"I tried to prevent (being touched) with my hands but Mrs. Michelle held her hands too far toward me (so) we touched," Information Minister Tifatul Sembiring told tens of thousands of followers on Twitter.

While Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world, the vast majority practice a moderate form of the faith. But Sembiring has flaunted his conservatism and says he avoids contact with women who are not related to him.

The minister was among the dignitaries in a receiving line that greeted President Barack Obama and his wife as they arrived in Jakarta on Tuesday – a homecoming of sorts for the president who spent part of his childhood here.

Indonesians gathered around television sets across the country to watch the American president touch down. Children at the school he attended practiced a song dedicated to him just in case he visited.

In footage of the official welcome, Sembiring appeared to share his countrymen's enthusiasm. He smiled broadly as he shook the president's hand and then reached with both hands to grasp Michelle Obama's. But later he said she forced their contact.

His denial was in a response to tweets from Indonesians who noted the handshake and questioned his long-standing claims that, as a good Muslim, he restricts his contact with women.

Many posts had a "gotchya" quality to them. One female journalist – who said the minister had refused to shake her hand – gleefully noted that now he would no longer be able to wriggle out of it.

Sembiring has often tweeted controversial comments, including blaming natural disasters on a lack of morality and joking about AIDS.

Papuan students demand closure of Freeport mine

Detik.com - November 9, 2010

Moksa Hutasoit, Jakarta – At least 30 people from the Papuan Student Alliance (AMP) demonstrated in Jakarta on Tuesday November 9 demanding that the PT Freeport Indonesia mine in Papua be closed.

The action was held immediately in front of the PT Freeport Indonesia office at Plaza 89 on Jl. HR Rasuna Said in Kuningan, South Jakarta.

The protesters brought posters with messages such as "Close Freeport" and "F!ck You Freeport". One demonstrator, who appeared bare chested and only wearing underpants, walked round and round in a circle shouting "Close Freeport".

The protesters then sat down cross-legged spilling over onto the slow lane from Mampang to Kuningan. As a consequence, traffic in the direction of Kuningan ground to a halt. Vehicles stuck in the slow lane were forced to stop and wait and when two determined motorbike riders tried to force their way through the protesters became angry.

After a request by police however, demonstrators cleared a small portion of the road for motorbikes and drivers were finally able to pass. Cars meanwhile were redirected to the fast lane in front of the Justice and Human Rights Department.

The action proceeded peacefully watched over by scores of police officers.

[Slightly abridged translated by James Balowski.]

Papuan students reject Obama visit, demand closure of Freeport

Tribunnews.com - November 9, 2010

Alie Usman, Jakarta – Scores of Papuan students from the Papuan Student Alliance (AMP) have again protested against the visit by US President Barrack Obama who is scheduled to arrive this afternoon. They are urging and calling on Obama to cancel his visit to Indonesia.

The protesters, who gathered in front of the Freeport office in the Kuningan area of South Jakarta, plan to continue holding actions by closing off one lane of Jl. Rasuna Said. In addition to rejecting Obama's visit, the protesters also demanded that the PT Freeport Mc Moran Gold & Cooper mine in Papua be closed immediately.

Action coordinator Rinto Kogoya said that the various problems occurring in Papua need to be understood in the context of the interference by and role of foreigners, particularly the US, which continues to exploit Papua's riches and as the cause of crimes against humanity in Papua.

"Our aim is clear, we are demanding that Freeport be closed. Then sever bilateral relations with America in the military field. On this occasion we are also declaring our opposition to Obama's visit, which will not provide anything for the reform of America".

In speeches, they also urged the Indonesian government, the US and the United Nations to take responsibility for the political conspiracy that took place in 1969. Not only that, as an expression of their disappointment with the country and also against the US, they called on the government to end bilateral cooperation with the US in the military field.

[Translated by James Balowski.]

Protesters arrested after Obama-related demo

Jakarta Post - November 9, 2010

Jayapura – Three activists were arrested for staging a demonstration demanding to meet visiting US President Barrack Obama to convey their aspirations.

Protester Usman Yogbi said they had sought to report human rights violations, environmental damage and protest the presence of Freeport, which they said had not benefitted the local people. "That should be Obama's responsibility. That's the message we want to convey," he said.

They had planned to hold a "Papuan solidarity for Obama" demonstration at the Papuan legislature but instead now face detention on the grounds that they did not have the mandatory permit. "We sent a letter of request for the permit to the police office last Thursday, but there was no reply," Usman said.

The three activists arrested were Selpius Bobi, Frans Kabak and Matias Waur. Yuberius Selegoni said the arrest was a form of violence against democracy. "Why were people wanting to express their aspirations arrested? The state guarantees people's aspirations," he said.

West Papua

Activist Papuan priests say they won't be intimidated

Jakarta Globe - November 14, 2010

Nivell Rayda & Markus Junianto Sihaloho – The Rev. Socratez Yoman was supposed to attend the Papua Baptist Church's annual congregation meeting in the provincial capital, Jayapura, in February, but on the eve of the event, two of his most faithful disciples discouraged him, saying there was a possible plot on his life.

"I cannot forget that evening," he told the Jakarta Globe over the phone from Jayapura. "The churchgoers must have overheard something. They must have run as fast as they could to my house because they seemed to be out of breath. Before I could offer them something to drink they begged me not to go to the meeting" the next day. Yoman persuaded the men to sit down and explain to him what they had heard.

"There are two factions within my church: those who support my cause and those who don't," he said, adding that his opponents were planning to stage a demonstration during the meeting.

"My disciples told me that [my opponents] had devised a plot so that there would be a scuffle in the demonstration, forcing law enforcers guarding the event to fire warning shots," he said. "But, one of the bullets would be meant to kill me."

Vocal critic The 41-year-old priest has been an active critic of the government, particularly advocating against the countless cases of unresolved killings of civilians in the restive provinces of Papua and West Papua, allegedly perpetrated by members of the military and police.

"I have had many people come to my home in the middle of the night seeking refuge, saying they are being hunted by the military. In return they offer me corn and sago, but I always refuse," Yoman said.

He compiled accounts of the human rights abuses he had encountered over the years in his 2001 book, "The Gateway Towards a Liberated Papua." In 2005 he wrote another book, "Papuans Are Not Separatists," which fiercely criticized the military and the government.

The two books propelled Yoman to fame and he was asked to speak at various national and international human rights forums. He was also granted access to prominent church leaders and human rights activists in the United States and Australia. But his fame appears to have come at the cost of his own safety.

Last week, Allan Nairn, a freelance journalist and co-founder of the East Timor Advocacy Network, posted a 25-page document on his blog that he claimed was prepared in 2007 by a clandestine eight-person unit of the Indonesian Army's Special Forces (Kopassus) in Kotaraja, a suburb of the Jayapura.

The document outlined plans for Kopassus to infiltrate churches, nongovernmental organizations and universities in Kotaraja and identify the most vocal members in each institution, especially those critical of the government. It identified 16 people as "enemies of the state" and Yoman's name was on top of the list.

The people on the list "are highly critical toward the military and the government, a behavior that can only be explained by their lack of belief in Pancasila," the document says, referring to the national ideology. "Measures must be taken to silence them by reducing their credibility and influence on the people" of Papua.

The document acknowledged there were no armed combatants operating in Kotaraja at the time and said the unit was targeting unarmed political activists. Kopassus spokesman Lt. Col. Zebu declined to comment on the revelations detailed in the document but pledged to examine the authenticity of the report.

Threats and intimidation

Although he declined to name the parties responsible, Yoman confirmed that he had experienced frequent intimidation.

"In 2006, I was ambushed and taken to a dark alleyway with a gun pointed at me. They didn't say anything but I knew it was an attempt to silence me," he said. "Later that year, someone burned my car, which was parked just outside my church. I have had numerous death threats and intimidation attempts."

But Yoman said that in 2007, the time the document was said to have been prepared by Kopassus, the intimidation tactics changed from physical threats to smear campaigns.

"Someone had been distributing fliers and sending text messages to people in Jayapura and Nabire in a bid to defame me. They said I had taken a prostitute from North Sulawesi as a wife; others said I was responsible for a man's murder," he said. "None of that is true, and thank God the people of Papua didn't believe it either."

The Rev. Benny Giay, from the evangelical Kingmi Church, the largest in Papua, was also among the 16 people named in the document leaked by Nairn. Giay seemed unperturbed, however, saying he had been on many watch lists before.

"I have had people following me. The military even set up a post just in front of my theological school. My every move is being monitored," he told the Globe.

"I am not a supporter of the government and I am also not a supporter of the armed separatist movement. But I cannot just sit there whenever children of the Lord are being abused or murdered. I have to stand up and fight for their rights and give voice to the voiceless."

Giay often communicates with international rights group such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, highlighting cases of injustice in Papua. His 2002 book on the murder of Papuan leader Theys Hiyo Eluay was banned by the government.

"I have been placed under house arrest and my passport has been revoked many times despite the fact that there is no criminal charge against me," he said.

Protecting national security

On Thursday, Adm. Agus Suhartono, the recently appointed chief of the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI), said the military was actively carrying out intelligence gathering in Papua, and defended the move as essential for national security.

But the military leader refused to take responsibility for the alleged intimidation campaigns and smear tactics against church leaders and activists. "What we're doing is maximizing the use of our intelligence unit for the sake of the military and the country," he said.

He added that the operations were always carried out by officers sent over from the military's central command, including from Kopassus and other elite units, but claimed they were only to guard against threats to the nation's sovereignty and to back up police operations in Papua.

Agus said that while he had not yet been able to verify the document posted by Nairn, he deplored that such a document could have been leaked. "I will stress to my subordinates the importance of maintaining security, to prevent any future leaks of information," he said.

Intelligence analyst Wawan Purwanto said the military was justified in carrying out whatever operations it deemed necessary in Papua, given the continued activities of the separatist Free Papua Movement (OPM).

"It's impossible for the country to close its eyes to such a threat, particularly because it is impossible to distinguish between armed combatants and political activists," he said.

Mahfudz Siddiq, chairman of the House of Representatives Commission I, which oversees defense and foreign affairs, said he supported the monitoring of civilians despite the fact that Papua was not technically a military operation zone. However, he said his commission would seek an explanation from the military on the matter.

Yoman said that the intimidation would not steer him away from advocating for civil rights in Papua. "The threats have done nothing but solidify my belief that I am doing God's work."

Human rights body chief: Papua torture case not over

Jakarta Post - November 13, 2010

Jakarta – The national human rights body says it would look into reports of human rights violations in Papua, adding that a recent military tribunal only paid lip service in the attempt to bring justice to the province.

On Thursday, the Jayapura military tribunal sentenced Chief Pvt. Sahminan Husain Lubis, Second Pvt. Joko Sulistiono and Second Pvt. Dwi Purwanto to five months in prison. Their superior, Second Lt. Cosmos was sentenced to seven months in prison for his role in beating and kicking 30 Puncak Jaya residents in March.

"I won't comment on the verdict," National Commission for Human Rights (Komnas HAM) deputy chairman Joseph "Stanley" Adi Prasetyo told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

He said the Indonesian Military failed to identify the perpetrators of a more grievous incident of torture against Papuans Anggen Pugu Kiwo and Telengga Gire in May this year.

The video of Gire and Kiwo being tortured was circulated on the Internet in October and prompted a global outcry. The soldiers in the video used sharp weapons on the two men and pressed a burning bamboo stick into one of the men's genitals.

The recent military tribunal, however, did not try the soldiers who tortured Gire and Kiwo, but rather four soldiers who assaulted villagers.

Lt. Col. Susilo, a spokesman for the military command in Papua, told Australia's The Age that the military could not find Kiwo and Gire's torturers as they could not be identified from the video.

Stanley said the commission would try to unearth more facts from the Kiwo and Gire video and other reports of human rights violations to decide whether to set up an ad hoc human rights tribunal.

Human rights activists have claimed that abuse of human rights were widespread, but not publicized. The circulated videos were only the tip of the iceberg, they said.

Human Rights research director of Imparsial, Bhatara Ibnu Reza, said Friday that the military tribunal lacked transparency and was often subject to outside influence.

Papua Customary Council member Markus Haluk criticized the trial, saying it lacked the testimony of the assault victims.

Bhatara said an opaque military tribunal system would never result in justice. Even if information on the trial was made publicly available, military prosecutors often pressed insignificant charges against the suspects, he added. "The sentences handed down by the military tribunal were laughably light," he said.

Bhatara said given the reports of human rights violations in Papua, a human rights tribunal was desperately needed.

A human rights tribunal is an ad-hoc court for human rights violations that are considered important at the national level. Reports of human rights violations keep trickling in but no human rights tribunal has ever been held for victims.

An official from the US-based West Papua Advocacy Team, Edmund McWilliams, said when Soeharto was toppled, democracy took reign in Indonesia, but not in Papua.

The military tribunal was played up by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono as proof of Indonesia's commitment to upholding human rights ahead of the visit of Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard in November, only two weeks after the Kiwo and Gire video was circulated. Several Australian media outlets picked up the story following the video, increasing pressure ahead of Gillard's visit. (ebf)

Weak command structure in Papua leaves Kopassus to its own agenda: Academic

Radio New Zealand International - November 12, 2010

A US-based Papuan journalist and academic, Octo Mote, says the Indonesian Army's Special Forces unit, Kopassus, operates only under its own agenda in Papua.

His comment comes as reports of leaked Kopassus documents reveal that the group targets churches in Papua and defines civilian dissidents as the enemy.

The documents regard as enemies people such as church leaders, activists, traditional leaders, legislators, students and intellectuals. They also describe a covert network of surveillance, infiltration and disruption of Papuan institutions.

Octo Mote says even a military commander in Papua cannot control Kopassus. "Because they have a straight line to Jakarta and he [a military commander] doesn't have a highest link except through the command line which is weak in Indonesia because in the military in Indonesia, it's more based on personal and gang relations rather than structure."

Rights activists disappointed by Papuan military tribunal verdict

Kompas - November 12, 2010

Jakarta – Rights activists have expressed disappointment over the Cenderawasih Regional Military Command (Kodam) military tribunal's verdict in the case of the Papuans that were tortured in Tingginambut, Puncak Jaya regency, a video of which was circulated via YouTube not long ago.

Speaking in Jakarta on Thursday November 11, the coordinator of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), Haris Azhar expressed his regret that the trial process was forced through. The National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) he said, should conduct and independent investigation and that the case should be tried by a human rights court.

Papuan Presidium Council Secretary General Thaha Al Hamid also expressed regret that it was not revealed whether or not the people that were tortured were actually members of the Free Papua Organisation (OPM).

On Thursday, a judge at the Cenderawasih XVII Kodam III-19 military tribunal handed down sentence of five months in jail against master private Syahmin Lubis, second private Joko Sulistyono and second private Dwi Purwanto. The sentences were heaver than the three months demanded by the prosecutor.

The soldiers were found guilty of violating Article 103 of the Military Criminal Code in connection with Article 56 of the Criminal Code, namely violating the orders of a superior and failing to obey an official order to treat members of the public correctly.

Infantry Second Lieutenant Cosmos, who gave the order, was sentenced to seven months in jail for violating the same articles. This sentence was heaver that the three months initially demanded by the prosecutor. "This is in fact a problem of view point. Jakarta still views Papuans as the enemy," said Hamid.

Kontras believes that the verdict ignored the testimonies of the victims, namely Goliat Tabuni, K. Wenda and Tives Tabuni. The sentences will also not secure responsibility from the military command. "This is evidence that the mechanism of military courts is unable to provide a sense of justice for the victims and the public and is far from human rights standards", said Azhar.

Separately, the Army's elite Special Forces (Kopassus) has been accused of spying on religious figures in Papua. This was revealed by US journalists Allan Nairn in his blog on November 9. On his blog, Nairn also attached copies of a Kopassus Kotaraja military post quarterly report and a daily report.

Army information office chief Brigadier General Widjanarko said that they will conduct an evaluation in connection with the leak of the documents. (EDN)

[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the report was "Papua torture video - a disappointing verdict".]

Papua abuse trial a military 'showcase,' activists say

Jakarta Globe - November 11, 2010

Banjir Ambarita & Nivell Rayda, Jayapura – A military tribunal on Thursday sentenced four soldiers filmed beating unarmed civilians to between five and seven months in prison, but human rights activists remain unappeased by the "showcase" trial.

The case revolves around the beating in March of 30 civilians from Gurage village in Papua's Puncak Jaya district by four soldiers from the Army's Yonif 753 Arga Vira Tama Unit, based out of Nabire district.

The incident was recorded on the cellphone of one of the defendants, Second Lt. Cosmos, the only officer to be charged in the case, and posted by unknown parties to YouTube on Oct. 17.

Judges at the court-martial sentenced Cosmos to seven months for allowing his subordinates to physically abuse and degrade the civilians at a military checkpoint near Gurage.

"Cosmos has been found guilty beyond reasonable doubt of allowing his men to commit acts of physical abuse against civilians," Lt. Col. Madjid Adnan, who presided over Cosmos's court-martial, said at Thursday's sentencing.

The other three defendants, who were court-martialed separately from Cosmos, were each given five months in prison. The sentences were more severe than what had been sought by prosecutors, who had recommended a four-month stint for Cosmos and three months for the others.

The trial has been widely criticized by rights groups since it began last Friday, partly because it was seen as a token move ahead of the visit by US President Barack Obama this week.

Mostly, though, rights activists were angry that the military had not tried another case, centering on the far more brutal torture of two Papuan men, that had been promised to be brought to a tribunal.

That incident was also taped and later posted to YouTube. As many as six soldiers could be seen in the video torturing two men, applying a burning stick to one of the men's genitals and threatening them with a knife and a gun.

Several military officers have argued that the identities of the soldiers in that video were less clear, while others have rejected the authenticity of the video altogether.

Andreas Harsono, from Human Rights Watch, said the prosecution of torture cases involving the military in Papua was extremely rare, and even then could not be taken to mean that justice had been served.

"We will have to wait until the legal process is truly over," he said of Thursday's verdict. "The appeals process is even less transparent, and often the public isn't informed when the defendants are acquitted."

He cited the court-martial of Lt. Col. Tri Hartomo, who was accused of killing Papuan leader Theys Hiyo Eluay in 2001. Hartomo was initially sentenced to three and a half years in prison in 2003, but was acquitted upon appeal. Shortly after, he was promoted to the rank of full colonel.

Haris Azhar, chairman of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), said the investigation into the latest case had not been transparent. "It creates the impression that the investigation was done as a showcase to coincide with Obama's visit," he said.

He also pointed out that only one witness, a soldier, was ever summoned to testify, while none of the victims were called to the stand. "We demand that the perpetrators of the torture be tried in a civilian court," he said.

Soldiers punished in 'red herring' case

Jakarta Post - November 11, 2010

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Three enlisted soldiers were sentenced to five months in prison on Thursday for their involvement in assaulting dozens of Puncak Jaya residents in March.

The officers were Chief Pvt. Sahminan Husain Lubis, Second Pvt. Joko Sulistiono and Second Pvt. Dwi Purwanto.

The verdict, read out by presiding judge Lt. Col. Adil Karokaro at the Cendrawasih Military Tribunal in Jayapura, was heavier than the three months sought by military prosecutors. The panel of judges said the defendants had breached the Indonesian Military Code of Conduct.

The trial, slammed by critics as a red herring but trumpeted by Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono as evidence of Indonesia's commitment to upholding human rights ahead of the visits of Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and US President Barack Obama, has been called "misleading" and "a farce" by rights activists.

The trial began amid assurances that the defendants were soldiers who had appeared in a widely distributed video depicting the graphic torture of two Papuan men, Anggen Pugu Kiwo and Telengga Gire, that was recorded on May 30. The torture video shows the soldiers using burning sticks to scald the victims' genitals.

Last week, the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) screened a half-hour testimony from Kiwo, who said he was imprisoned by soldiers for two days. Kiwo, a farmer, said he was walking with Gire when they were summoned by a group of soldiers. He was captured and separated from Gire.

He escaped after biting through the ropes tying his hands. During the ordeal, he was tortured and taunted by the soldiers.

However, when the trial of the four soldiers began, it became apparent that the four defendants had nothing to do with the events in the widely publicized video. Instead, the four soldiers were involved in a separate case that took place in March, which was also captured on video, but one that was much less disturbing.

Earlier on Thursday, the officer's superior, Second Lt. Cosmos, was sentenced to seven months in prison by the same court in the same case. Cosmos ordered his subordinate First Pvt. Ishak to record the beatings and kicking using Cosmos' cellphone.

Markus Haluk, a member of the Papua Customary Council, said he did not expect much from the trial, saying that an investigation by the Indonesian Military would be fruitless. Markus and other human rights activists have demanded that an independent fact-finding team probe reports of human rights violations in the resource-rich province.

He said the videos of beating and kicking in March and the Kiwo and Gire incident in May were only the tip of the iceberg as far as human rights violations by the military in Papua went.

Indonesian military chief defends spying operations in Papua

Jakarta Globe - November 11, 2010

Markus Junianto Sihaloho, Jakarta – The Indonesian Military chief has confirmed claims by a rights activist that the armed forces are actively carrying out intelligence gathering in Papua, and defended the move as crucial for national security.

On Tuesday, former journalist Allan Nairn, co-founder of the East Asian Timor Advocacy Network, posted a 25-page document on his Web site that he said had been prepared in 2007 by the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus) in Jayapura, the provincial capital.

The document details plans to gag prominent rights activists and government critics through smear campaigns and intimidation, after infiltrating their churches, NGOs, universities and rights groups.

On Thursday, Adm. Agus Suhartono, the recently appointed chief of the Indonesian Military, admitted that they were involved in intelligence gathering operations, but only to guard against threats to the nation's sovereignty and to back up police operations there.

He rejected the idea that gathering intelligence among civilians was wrong, saying all intelligence operations in Papua served to detect and prevent separatist threats. "What we're doing is maximizing the use of our intelligence unit for the sake of the military and the country," Agus said.

He added the operations were always carried out by officers sent over from the military's central command, including from Kopassus and other elite units.

Agus said that while he had not yet been able to confirm the validity of the document posted by Nairn, he deplored the fact that such a document could have been leaked. "I will stress to my subordinates the importance of maintaining security, to prevent any future leaks of information."

Meanwhile, intelligence analyst Wawan Purwanto said the military was justified in carrying out whatever operations it deemed necessary in Papua, given the continued activities of the separatist Free Papua Movement (OPM). "It's impossible for the country to close its eyes to such a threat," he said.

Wawan argued that intelligence gathering was a common practice in most countries, as it was necessary to assess information about a threat before drawing up policies to deal with it. "So it's perfectly legal to conduct such operations. The intelligence gathered helps inform the country's future policy direction," he said.

Mahfudz Siddiq, chairman of House of Representatives Commission I, which oversees defense and foreign affairs, agreed the military's intelligence gathering tactics in Papua were necessary. "The military is obliged to guard border areas, and besides, they have to deal with the OPM there," he said.

Mahfudz added that while Papua was not technically a military operation zone, like in Aceh during the height of the secessionist struggle there, covert operations should not be considered illegal. "That's just a routine non-war military operation allowed by the law," he said.

However, he said his commission would seek an explanation from the military about the issue later this month.

'Leaked' file shows civilians targeted in Papua

Jakarta Post - November 11, 2010

Jakarta – US freelance journalist Allan Nairn claimed he got hold of a leaked document containing an intelligence report on the Indonesian Army's Special Forces (Kopassus) that showed a targeted list of civilians in Papua allegedly involved in a separatist group.

The 2007 document was published on Tuesday by Nairn in his blog, allannairn.com. Allan says in his blog the document revealed that Kopassus engaged in "murder [and] abduction" and showed that the red-beret force targeted churches in Papua.

The front page of the document indicated this information came from a three-monthly report of a small Kopassus' taskforce in Kotaraja, an area in Jayapura, the capital city of the Papua province.

The document, written in Indonesian, shows a list of 19 unarmed civilians who were allegedly involved in the separatist movement. The list included Christian priests, NGO activists, members of Papua People Assembly (MRP), and students.

According to the document, these people "are allegedly obsessed with Papua Freedom, influencing people to promote the separation of Papua from Indonesia."

The target of the operation is mentioned in the concluding part of the document, saying that the taskforce would "weaken the influence and power" of these people and "carry out divisive actions" against these groups.

Indonesian Military (TNI) spokesman Maj. Gen. Aslizar Tanjung refused to comment on the document. "I'm in China. I have no idea [about the document]," he told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

Leaked documents offer glimpse of Kopassus motives in Papua

Radio New Zealand International - November 11, 2010

Documents leaked from the Indonesian Army's Special Forces unit, Kopassus, have revealed that the group targets churches in Papua and defines civilian dissidents as the enemy.

The documents describe a covert network of surveillance, infiltration and disruption of Papuan institutions.

Among the leaked information is a list of Kopassus enemies, headed by Papua's top Baptist minister, Socrates Sofyan Yoman. Also included are activists, traditional leaders, legislators, students and intellectuals.

Damien Kingsbury of Deakin University says Kopassus is at the forefront of the security forces' ill-treatment of Papuans.

"If they raise concerns, quite legitimate concerns, about the way their homeland is being exploited and ravaged by external interests and often illegally, I might add, and often illegally by the armed forces itself, if they raise these concerns, they are then subject to very considerable pressure, often intimidation or violence."

Short sentences sought for 4 soldiers in Papua torture court-martial

Jakarta Globe - November 9, 2010

Banjir Ambarita, Jakarta – Prosecutors at a military tribunal in Jayapura, Papua, on Tuesday sought three- to four-month prison terms for soldiers on trial for alleged abuses against 30 civilians in March.

The four defendants, all from the army's Yonif 753 Arga Vira Tama infantry battalion stationed in Nabire, stand accused of disobeying orders. The violence was recorded by one of the soldiers using a cellphone belonging to defendant platoon commander Sec. Lt. Cosmos.

"Cosmos as platoon commander had the authority to stop the violence committed by his subordinates. Instead he provided them with the opportunity to do so," Prosecutor Lt. Col. Edi Imran told Cosmos's court- martial, presided over by Col. Madjid Adnan.

The prosecutors sought four months' imprisonment and a Rp 20,000 ($2.25) fine for Cosmos for violating article 103 of the Military Penal Code. Another team of prosecutors led by Maj. Obet Manase sought three-month terms and a Rp 10,000 fine for the other three defendants. The defense is scheduled to present its final arguments when the court-martial resumes today.

International human rights groups have condemned the military for not prosecuting a more serious case depicted in another video that made it onto YouTube last month In the 10-minute video, as many as six soldiers could be seen torturing two men, applying a burning stick to one of the men's genitals and threatening them with a knife and a gun.

The military had said this week's court-martial would be that of the five soldiers implicated in this case of torture. Andreas Harsono, of Human Rights Watch, slammed the switch, which it blamed on "Indonesia's opaque military court system."

He said the military was never really willing to try the case fairly, despite orders to do so from President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. Andreas blamed factions within the military for "trying to fool everyone concerned with this case."

Markus Haluk, of the Papuan Customary Council (DAP), said that the hearing was a deliberate strategy to deflect international condemnation during the visit of US President Barrack Obama, who arrived in Jakarta for a two-day visit on Tuesday.

"The defendants were indicted on Friday, one witness was cross-examined and no victim was summoned to testify. This trial is all for show," he said.

The military has so far failed to say why it switched the cases. Few military officers have faced justice for rights abuses dating back decades, including alleged crimes against humanity in East Timor and the killing of thousands of political activists during the Suharto dictatorship.

We acted out of fury, Papua torture suspects say

Jakarta Post - November 9, 2010

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Three Indonesian Military (TNI) soldiers on trial for allegedly torturing Papuan civilians have testified they kicked and beat captives out of anger.

"We were furious because they refused to tell us where they stashed the weapons," defendant Joko Sulistyo told judge Lt. Col. CHK Adil K in a trial hearing based on a video that showed soldiers beating indigenous Papuans, at the Jayapura Military Tribunal on Monday.

The first hearing of the case drew criticism Friday when activists discovered that the subject matter of the case was not a shocking torture video released last month that showed soldiers burning the genitals of an indigenous Papuan, as had been hinted at, but rather a video showing far less severe forms of torture. The activists called the alleged bait and switch "misleading" and "farcical".

It had been reported the tribunal would address a video uploaded to YouTube on Oct. 17, which sparked a global outcry for the violence it depicted. Instead, the video discussed was a far milder one released on March 17.

Monday's trial heard that the soldiers assaulted the victims, thought to be members of the outlawed Free Papua Movement (OPM), when questioning them about the whereabouts of an OPM weapons stash.

In the video, the court heard, Joko assaulted the captives first. He is seen dealing out two kicks, and then Syaminan Lubis deals out two kicks and hits one of the captives with a helmet. Dwi Purwanto, also a soldier, kicked the captives more than twice.

The three defendants expressed remorse and promised not to repeat the offense. "As a result of your misdeeds, the image of the TNI, especially the Army, has been tarnished. You carried out the act without orders from your superiors, and out of anger," Adil said.

Another defendant, Cosmos K, said he had ordered witness Isak to record the incident as a personal document. After capturing the video on a cell phone, Cosmos later copied it to a laptop. The cell phone broke a month later and was brought to Mulia city for repair. Cosmos did not delete the data on his cell phone.

Human rights & law

Rights activists oppose Suharto's nomination as national hero

Kompas - November 10, 2010

Jakarta – On Tuesday November 9 activists from the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) and other organisations working against violence and crimes against humanity visited the Coordinating Ministry of Political, Legal and Security Affairs (Kemko Polhukam) on Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat, Central Jakarta.

The visit was to oppose former President Suharto's nomination as a national hero. The activists, who waited for around an hour, failed to meet with any ministry officials to present the petition.

"We were not received by Kemko Polhukam staff for an audience. Yet not long ago the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs was kind enough to receive us. We oppose plans to give the title of hero to former President Suharto because of the many human rights violations he left behind," said Kontras Coordinator Haris Azhar and the grouping of non- government organisations.

According to Azhar, it is more important to expose the stalled legal efforts to address human rights crimes that were allegedly committed by Suharto and his cronies. This is especially so because many of those who allegedly committed systemic crimes are still alive today. The exposure of these crimes will prove whether or not those concerned are fit to receive the title of national hero.

Sumarsih, a family member of a victim of human rights violations said that Suharto does not meet the criteria of moral integrity required to receive the title of hero. "Suharto does not meet the criteria of providing an example and shed much blood from the beginning to the end of his leadership. He also cannot be said to have rendered a service [to the country] because the physical development pursued [under his administration] created fertile ground for corruption", she said.

Bejo Untung from the Institute for the Study of the 1965-1966 Massacres (YPKP 65) explained that the nomination and selection of Suharto as a hero would be an insult to common sense.

The activists cited a series of crimes against humanity that Suharto has been accused of including the incarceration of political prisoners on Buru Island (1965-1966), the mysterious shootings involving the extrajudicial execution of alleged criminals (1981-1985), the Tanjung Priok massacre of Muslim protesters (1984-1987), the Talangsari Lampung massacre of Muslim villagers (1984-1987), the Military Operational Zone (DOM) in Aceh (1989-1998), the DOM in Papua (1963-2003), the July 27 attack on the Indonesian Democratic Party headquarters (1996), the abduction and forced disappearance of activists (1997-1998), the fatal shooting of Trisakti University students (1998) and the May 13-15, 1998 riots in Jakarta. (ONG)

[Translated by James Balowski.]

'Munir Memorial Lecture' in UK

Jakarta Post - November 11, 2010

London – More than 100 students from the College of Law, London Moorgate, attended the Munir Memorial public lecture in the UK, where the slain human rights activist's widow, Suciwati, spoke.

She said her fight for justice was not only about Munir, who was poisoned onboard a flight operated by Indonesian flag carrier Garuda to Amsterdam, but for all Indonesians who experienced injustice.

Under the sponsorship of UK-based Tapol, Suciwati came to the country with Rafendi Djamin, the executive director of the Human Rights Working Group (HRWG), a coalition of Indonesian NGOs. The pair was scheduled to meet with the British parliament, Antara news agency reported on Thursday.

Rafendi said the public lecture was part of a series of academic events on Munir. He said many believed Munir's case was unfinished.

Also speaking at the lecture was Geoffrey Robertson, the author of Crimes Against Humanity: The Struggle for Global Justice. He spoke about the international dimensions of Munir's case.

Human rights violations top list of issues

Jakarta Post - November 11, 2010

Jakarta – Several NGOs presented reports on issues surrounding palm oil plantations while palm oil stakeholders gathered in Jakarta from Monday to Thursday. The activists said human rights violations topped the list of problems.

The Center for Democracy and Human Rights Studies (Demos), the Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (Elsam), the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) and 22 other NGOs claimed the development of plantations resulted in conflict between companies and locals.

During a workshop coinciding with the 8th annual Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), the NGOs issued a declaration demanding that plantation companies stop abusing the rights of indigenous communities and plantation workers.

The NGOs said 12 of the RSPO members were involved in conflicts centering on the legal status of land and workers' rights.

The National Commission for Human Rights said 30 percent of the 5,000 complaints filed to the commission were related to land conflicts between companies and people living nearby. "The government is deaf to our cries," Elsam's Indriaswati D. Saptaningrum said.

The 12 plantation companies have taken land belonging to the people living near their operational sites, and resorted to practices bordering on slavery in the treatment of workers, including women and children, the NGOs said. They demanded the RSPO play a more significant role in settling conflicts between companies and locals and workers by upholding human rights.

The most recent conflict took place in Tanjung Jabung Barat, Jambi, on Monday. Local police allegedly shot into a crowd of 1,500 protesters who were blocking boats owned by a palm oil company PT Wikakarya Sakti (a subsidiary of the Sinar Mas Group) from transporting crude palm oil. Ahmad Adam, a 45-year-old local resident, was killed, while three others were injured in the incident.

Meanwhile, Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) is working with local NGO Borneo People Contact to investigate allegations of corruption by 13 palm oil companies. "There are indications these companies have been bribing local administrations," Safruddin of Borneo People Contact said Thursday.

Indonesian Palm Oil Producers Association secretary-general Joko Supriyono said the accusations made by the NGOs were groundless.

Activists demand probe into fatal shooting of farmer by police in Jambi

Jakarta Globe - November 9, 2010

Markus Junianto Sihaloho & Farouk Arnaz, Jakarta – Human rights groups have called on the National Police to investigate the fatal shooting of a farmer in Jambi by police officers during a riot on Monday.

The incident took place at Senyerang village in West Tanjung, Jabung district, during a protest by local farmers against plantation firm Wira Karya Sakti, a subsidiary of the Sinar Mas Group. Witnesses said there were only around 60 protesters, but police in Jakarta spoke of 2,000.

The protest turned violent when the farmers, who accused WKS of stealing more than 7,000 hectares of their land, began hurling rocks and Molotov cocktails at one of the company's boat.

Members of the police's Mobile Brigade (Brimob), who were on board, then fired warning shots to disperse the crowd, and ended up killing one farmer and injuring another. The man who died was shot in the head. He was identified as Ahmad, 45.

On Tuesday, the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) condemned what it called excessive use of force by the police, and demanded a probe. "We protest the repressive actions taken by the police in handling the rally," Iwan Nurdin from Kontras said. "This must be thoroughly investigated."

He added the protest had been fueled in part by the decision on the part of WKS to hire Brimob and other police officers to guard its interests in the area, which Iwan said had provoked the farmers.

Meanwhile, Wahyu Wagiman, coordinator of the Public Interest Lawyer Network (PIL-Net), said Brimob officers had not given any warning before opening fire on the protesters. "It should be considered a human rights violation – extrajudicial murder and torture by the police," he said.

He added that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono should order the National Police chief to withdraw all officers from the disputed area and carry out an investigation of the events leading up to the shooting. "It's ironic that this incident comes just as the president launched the national land reform program," Wahyu said.

The reform program was launched last month on National Land Day, and was marked by the handover of 400-square-meter lots to 5,100 families in Central Java as part of the government's commitment to empowering farmers.

The police have vowed to investigate the incident. "We're carrying out an internal investigation into whether this shooting complied with our procedures or not," National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Ketut Untung Yoga said.

"It occurred in response to the mass attack on our officers who were guarding a ship belonging to Wira Karya Sakti, which was trying to pass down a river."

He said "up to 2,000 protesters" had blockaded the river on land owned by WKS as part of their protest and had turned violent, forcing the officers to shoot. "Our officers first fired warning shots, but the crowd continued to attack," Ketut said.

Iwan said the farmers had been in the right. "The farmers were only protecting what was theirs," he said. "The area they'd blockaded was their land, and had been illegally occupied by WKS."

He added WKS was "a powerful company" that had consistently prevented journalists and lawyers from visiting the area. "The Forestry Ministry should return the land to the farmers and freeze WKS's plantation permit," Iwan said.

The dispute began three years ago when WKS obtained a concession in the area that locals had previously lived and farmed. In August, two farmers suffered gunshot wounds during a similar protest.

Politics & political parties

Voters wonder if all those parties aren't too much of a good thing

Jakarta Globe - November 12, 2010

Armando Siahaan, Jakarta – Sujito, a 43-year-old personal driver, remembers the bad old days of the Suharto years, when elections involved just three parties and the results were never really in doubt.

But having voted in the 2009 legislative elections, which featured a dizzying choice of parties and candidates, he can't help but wonder if it isn't too much of a good thing.

He is not alone. Most people are happy to have more choice when they step into the voting booth, but many are concerned that there are just too many parties, confusing the process and ultimately contributing to policy gridlock in the government.

Sujito describes voting in the 2009 elections as a confusing affair. From the sheer size of the ballot paper to the bewildering number of 38 political parties to choose from, he did not know where to start.

During the New Order regime, voters had a choice of three parties in President Suharto's tightly controlled elections. After the regime fell, 48 political parties sprang up in the new climate of democratic reform to contest House seats in the 1999 elections. Half of that number ran in the 2004 elections, but that number was up to 38 last year.

"Having more than three is good, but 38 really is just too many," Sujito said. "We do not even know what each party is actually offering. Most likely they are offering the same things. They should really reduce the number of political parties."

That may happen as the House of Representatives pushes plans to double the minimum threshold of votes required to take a seat in the legislature from the current 2.5 percent to 5 percent. If the plan goes through, it would eliminate many of the smaller parties from future elections.

Antonius Gatot Indrasto, 27, a credit analyst, believes winnowing out the smaller parties makes sense in terms of improving how the government is run.

"Having too many parties in the House makes it difficult for the government to run the country," he said. "There are just way too many opinions. I believe that just four or five parties is an ideal number. There would also be less lobbying," he added, "something that eventually just becomes all about the money anyway."

Maulana, a bank employee, said that although having a diversity of voices in the House was an essential element of democracy, it often "creates more problems than it solves."

Calling himself an avid follower of Indonesian politics, he said that having too many parties often led to conflict. "With so many parties, an opposition party can end up being in the ruling coalition, and vice versa," he said, pointing to Golkar's break from the ruling Democrats during the investigation into the Bank Century bailout.

He said the current system also allowed minority-interest parties with insignificant numbers "to bark and disrupt" the process in the House. "A country as democratic as the United States only has two major political parties. And they're doing so much better than us," Maulana said. "If necessary, we should increase the threshold to 10 percent."

Proponents of the threshold increase argue that having fewer parties in the legislature would serve to strengthen the presidential system because the government would not have to accommodate so many voices in pushing through its programs and policies.

Opponents see it differently. They say raising the threshold would be undemocratic by denying smaller parties the chance to be part of the government. But they seem to be outnumbered by voters like Sujito and Maulana who want to see the party system simplified. At least three national surveys have indicated the majority of people want fewer parties in the House.

With a good chance the threshold will rise, political parties have begun to form coalitions to ensure their continued presence in the House. Some have opted for full mergers, while others are considering the confederation system proposed by the National Mandate Party (PAN), which would see different parties join together while retaining their separate names and identities.

"That is a good solution, so people won't have the problem of having to choose from too many parties. They're selling the same things anyway," Antonius said.

But experts have warned that the threshold increase could result in coalitions of political parties with vastly different platforms and ideologies.

"That shouldn't be a problem. As long as they share the same general views," Antonius said. "Voters these days are smart enough to know what they're choosing." Sujito doesn't agree. "If two parties join together while sharing different beliefs, that's hypocritical," he said.

Maulana predicted that parties with different ideologies might find themselves cozying up prior to the elections, before disintegrating into conflict once they reached the House.

Furthermore, increasing the threshold would not deter small parties from running, he said. He believed that smaller parties would continue to participate in elections, even if they had little chance of actually getting a seat in the legislature. "It gives supporters of small parties false hope," he said.

Minor political parties facing extinction brace for 2014 poll

Jakarta Post - November 10, 2010

Jakarta – The 2014 election is still four years away, but Indonesia's smaller political parties have begun to feel the pressure from major parties that want to see fewer competitors in upcoming elections.

The Golkar Party, the second-biggest party in the House of Representatives after the ruling Democratic Party, is now pushing for an increase in the parliamentary threshold – the minimum percentage of votes a political party needs to gain seats in the House – from the current 2.5 percent to around 3 to 5 percent.

The increase, which is primarily aimed at simplifying the nation's multiparty system, will serve a blow to political parties that fared poorly in the 2009 election. Political analysts predict that should the threshold be raised to 5 percent, only three large parties would remain in the House: Golkar, the Democratic Party and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).

The parties have responded differently to the threat. While the United Development Party (PPP) – which got 5.43 percent of the vote in the 2009 election and is now mired by internal rifts – simply voiced its rejection of the plan, the National Mandate Party (PAN) and the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) decided to outmaneuver the major parties' alleged move to ditch them.

The PAN, inspired by Malaysia's Barisan Nasional, suggested the inclusion of a confederation system in the general election bill, which is currently being deliberated by the House. "We want to emulate Malaysia by allowing small parties to retain their identities even after joining a larger party," PAN politician Teguh Juwarno said.

The party, whose votes went down from 6.4 percent in 2004 to 6.1 percent in 2009, met with 17 parties, such as the Freedom Bull National Party (PNBK), the Regional Unity Party (PPD) and the Pioneer Party to talk about a possible alliance for 2014.

Small parties tend to agree with the concept of a confederation, but they questioned what was in it for them, Teguh said. "We have conducted meetings and agreed on some confederation platforms, which we will announce to the public soon enough."

Gerindra has also made an attempt to form an alliance with other parties, but it has no plan to form a PAN-style confederation. "Small parties that have declared their intention to join us will not use their original names at election time," party spokesman Ahmad Muzani said.

The 2009 election saw 38 parties take part, but only nine managed to pass the parliamentary threshold.

Harry Aziz Azhar, a legislator from Golkar, said he would block PAN's move, saying a confederation would hamper democratic progress. "We must think about the possibility of conflicts within a confederation of political parties."

A political analyst from the Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI), Burhanudin Muhtadi, said chances were slim that the parties would go through with their plan. "They will lose votes from their supporters, and will probably fail to pass the parliamentary threshold," he said, adding that no party had a clear idea how a confederation would work in the country's political system.

Arbi Sanit, a political analyst from the University of Indonesia, said the model of a confederation would not benefit the nation's democratic processes because the cooperation would only be temporary.

"Sooner or later parties will have their own agendas and the government will never be effective," he said. "The ideal number of parties in the House is two so our government under the presidential system can do its job for the sake of the public without any disruption," he said. Arbi encouraged parties to use the strategic coalition concept, which is suitable for Indonesia's presidential system. (rch)

Elections

Election cases keep coming despite low victory ratio

Jakarta Post - November 15, 2010

Jakarta – Mandated to settle local election disputes since 2008, the Constitutional Court has become the shrine for squealing candidates who have lost in local elections.

Rarely going beyond checking ballot counts and reviewing documents, the court's judges have found consoling heartbroken candidates their most difficult challenge.

"The task is a bore because it does not enrich my knowledge... yet it is a test of patience as people often allege us of accepting bribes and other kickbacks," court chief Mahfud MD told The Jakarta Post.

Settling election disputes was a later addition to the institution's primary mandate of reviewing laws in lights of the Constitution. The role as a referee in the post-election challenges, however, does not require less attention from the judges.

It has received this year 201 cases from a total of 244 local elections, including nine at the provincial level. Of that number, the court has settled 190 cases, but just 20 in favor of the the plaintiffs. The court overruled 124 complaints and rejected 42 others. Four cases were withdrawn by the plaintiffs.

The court said the most common allegations brought by plaintiffs included vote buying, troubles with electoral rolls, voter intimidation, and power abuse by incumbent candidates.

Mahfud said one reason plaintiffs rarely won at the court was because the court never annulled an election due to vote buying.

"You probably can prove there is vote buying during an election. But you can't prove the ballot was cast for the buyer," he said. "Most of the time, we just annul several ballot boxes," he said.

The low victory ratio for plaintiffs has kindled criticism of the court. Recently, constitutional expert Refly Harun alleged in an op-ed piece published in Kompas that some judges at the Court had accepted bribes from candidates in local electoral disputes.

Constitutional law expert Irman Putra Sidin said the high number of cases indicated that people often perceived that every election was fraudulent. "It is funny that the statistics show that the court only granted a small number of complaints. So, does that mean our country successfully embraces democracy?" he said.

The court is not the first to take on election dispute cases. Before 2008, disputes in municipal and regency elections were handled by high courts in the respective regions, while governor election disputes were handled by the Supreme Court.

The Constitution Court began handling election cases in November 2008, following the enactment of 2008 Law on Second Revision of 2004 Law on Regional Administration, which granting court the authority to mediate regional election disputes. The Home Ministry recently proposed to return the authority to local high courts.

Mahfud vowed to fulfill the court's mandate. "Of course we will continue to mediate such disputes despite boredom and an overload of cases," he said, adding that he intended to ask the government to increase the time limit for election dispute cases to 30 days from the current 14 days. On busy days, he said, the judges could hear up to a dozen witnesses in one case.

Bambang Widjojanto, who represented several local election dispute cases, had high praise for the court's ability to handle the cases. "Even though these cases don't enrich their knowledge, these judges do the job very well. Way better than the Supreme Court which once handled such cases," he said, adding that he agreed the time limit for election cases should be extended. (ipa)

Labour & migrant workers

Indonesian maid in Saudi Hospital in latest abuse case

Jakarta Globe - November 15, 2010

Jakarta – Sumiati binti Salan Mustapa arrived in Saudi Arabia four months ago in search of a better life. Instead, the domestic worker is now in critical condition in the hospital, her body covered with injuries allegedly inflicted by her employers, including serious cuts around her lips and mouth.

Sumiati, 23, has been treated at King Fahd Hospital in Medina since last Monday. She was transferred to King Fahd after another hospital in Medina was unable to treat her injuries.

Miea Mirlina, an official at King Fahd, told the Saudi Gazette that Sumiati had suffered serious cuts to her lips and mouth from what appeared to have been a pair of scissors, as well as burns across her body. The burns are thought to have been inflicted by an iron.

The Indonesian is also unable to move one of her legs. Mirlina added that there were signs of older injuries on Sumiati's body that had already healed. "She is in serious condition," she said. "Her body shows that she was treated badly."

Sumiati, who does not speak English or Arabic, arrived in Saudi Arabia in July 2010. She had a job as a domestic worker in Medina, earning 800 Saudi riyals ($210) a month. According to the Saudi Gazette, the abuse started shortly after she arrived. It reported that the wife and daughter of Sumiati's employer burned the Indonesian with an iron and beat her.

An Indonesian Consulate official involved in providing protection for Indonesian citizens in Saudi Arabia, Didi Wahyudi, urged Saudi authorities to act quickly in dealing with the case.

"We want justice for our worker," he said. "The victim was not treated in an Islamic way and it is inhumane. This shows that the employer and his family is not responsible, and we will file a complaint."

Anis Hidayah, director of the nongovernmental group Migrant Care, told the Jakarta Globe her group had been unable to get in contact with Sumiati.

"I've tried to seek confirmation from the Indonesian Embassy in Riyadh but to no avail," she said, adding that she has run into the same problem in previous cases. "No matter how many abuse cases happen to our workers in Saudi Arabia, the diplomats still stutter when asked for information," she said.

She said the government needed to push Saudi Arabia diplomatically to address the issue of Indonesian migrant workers being abused there.

"The government must send a diplomatic protest note. This incident shows that the meeting between our foreign minister and the Saudi foreign minister did not mean anything because human rights violations are still happening," she said.

Didi Wahyudi, the head of the citizen service and protection task force of the Indonesian Consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, told the Jakarta Globe that King Fahd Hospital in Madina, where Sumiati was being treated, and the Indonesian Consulate had lodged a police report against Sumiati's employer.

"But the police have not arrested him," Didi said, adding that Sumiati was abused and tortured by the employer's wife. "She was jealous of Sumiati who is young and beautiful so she tortured her," he said.

The consulate had not been able to contact Sumiati's family in Dompu, West Nusa Tenggara. "The victim is still in a shock. She is still recovering from the trauma so we haven't been able to question her about her family," he said, adding that the priority was to get the police to attend to the case. "We are focusing on the criminals, justice must be served," Didi said.

Labor unions oppose manpower law revision

Jakarta Post - November 11, 2010

BATAM, Riau Islands – Workers with a number of labor unions in Batam on Wednesday protested the implementation of a law revision that they said would degrade their rights.

The workers arrived at the Batam municipal council at the Batam Center in the Batamindo Industrial Zone, the biggest industrial area in Batam, on hundreds of motorcycles. The majority of female protesters arrived in four buses. Most of them were workers at various electronics companies in Batam.

Indonesian Metal Workers Union head Agus Sriyono told The Jakarta Post that it was not yet necessary for the government to implement the revised labor law, called Law No. 13/2003.

Many articles of the law, the workers said, eliminated workers' rights, including an article on contractual workers and employment termination.

"The law [revision] stipulates that companies can employ contractual workers to do their main work. This obviously contradicts the law. Cases involving employment termination also can not be processed by the Industrial Court. This would deprive workers' rights and for that we oppose the government," Agus said.

Batam municipal council vice speaker Ruslan Kasbulatov said his office would convey the workers' aspirations to the central government.

"The revision of Law No. 13/2003 on manpower is not only an issue for the workers, but also for businessmen. We will also pay attention to companies' responses to the law revision, and convey them to the central government for consideration," Ruslan said.

Workers demand social security law

Jakarta Post - November 11, 2010

Medan, North Sumatra – Workers in North Sumatra staged a rally at the governor's office in Medan on Wednesday, demanding the government immediately implement a law on social security.

They said the government had breached the Constitution by failing to enforce Law No. 40/2004 on National Social Security System, which should have been put into effect last year.

Rally coordinator Minggu Saragih said the government was indecisive for failing to implement the social security system. "This proves that our government has totally failed to provide health insurance for the people of Indonesia, as stipulated in Law No. 40," Saragih told the crowd.

The rally was tightly guarded by police. At least two water cannons and hundreds of personnel were deployed to the site of the rally, but neither was called into action.

Saragih said the government had also caused further misery to workers by implementing Law No. 13/2003 on manpower, which he said benefited only businessmen and victimized workers.

Saragih said that in the revised Law No. 13, businessmen could lay off workers arbitrarily and sue workers who went on strike. He added that workers' wages were no longer based on decent living standards, but rather on employers' wishes, and that wages were typically increased only once in two years.

"The revised manpower law basically disadvantages workers and only benefits businessmen and foreign investors," Saragih said.

Workers send billions home, lack protection

Jakarta Post - November 11, 2010

Tifa Asrianti, Jakarta – Indonesian migrant workers are estimated to contribute US$7.1 billion in remittance to the country this year. The figure is higher than the received net Official Development Assistance (ODA) of $1.2 billion, but their voices are less heard compared to foreign donors.

According to the 2010 Migration and Development Brief Report released by the World Bank on Monday, the inward remittance flow from Indonesian migrant workers is increasing every year. In 2004, the remittance from migrant workers was recorded at $1.86 billion. Five years later, the number almost quadrupled to $6.93 billion, while this year the remittance is estimated at $7.1 billion.

Despite the large amount of money they send home, their safety abroad is still uncertain due to lack of regulations and government protection. Migrant Care, an NGO that provided advocacy for troubled migrant workers, recorded in 2009 that 1,018 migrant workers died abroad. As of October this year, the number of workers dying abroad reached 908, with most cases taking place in Malaysia and Saudi Arabia.

With Malaysia being one of the top host countries for Indonesian migrant workers, Migrant Care executive director Anis Hidayah urged the government to speed up the protracted negotiation with the neighboring country with a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the protection of Indonesian workers there.

The discussion has been stalled for one and a half years. The government must ratify the international convention on migrant workers and revise the current law on migrant workers for better protection in the future, she said. "With the data from World Bank, the government should be ashamed that the economics are supported by the migrant workers. Of the $7.1 billion remittance, 73 percent comes from domestic workers," she said.

Wahyu Susilo, program manager at the International NGO Forum on Indonesian Development, said that if the government protected migrant workers, they could perform better in the workplace and generate more income to be sent home. He cited an example from neighboring country the Philippines, which takes serious measures to protect their migrant workers. As a result, he added, the Philippines raked in an 11 percent remittance of total GDP, while Indonesia only recorded 1.3 percent.

Environment & natural disasters

30,000 Indonesians trudge home despite lingering danger

Jakarta Globe - November 15, 2010

Nurfika Osman, Yogyakarta – Thousands of families returned to their villages on Monday even as scientists warned that Mount Merapi remained a threat and more bodies were found buried in the ash.

Carrying their belongings on motorcycles and in pickup trucks, more than 30,000 people left shelters after the government reduced the size of the exclusion zone around the volcano in some districts.

But officials said the country's most active volcano remained a severe threat as search teams pulled 17 more bodies from the ash that seared swaths of the Central Java countryside in a series of eruptions starting on Oct. 26. The death toll is now 259.

"The eruption process is still ongoing but the intensity has reduced significantly. But the status is still alert," volcanologist Subandrio said.

A spokesman for the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, said about 367,000 people were still living in shelters on Monday, about 30,000 fewer than on Sunday.

Most of the returnees were from Boyolali, Klaten and Magelang districts where the danger zone has been reduced. "We expect more to go home today," he added.

With Mount Merapi calming down in the past few days, authorities in Klaten and Boyolali on Sunday set the danger zone back to 10 kilometers from the crater. It was set at 20 kilometers after a major eruption on Nov. 5.

In Magelang, which first felt the brunt of the volcano's fury, the danger zone was brought back to 15 kilometers, while in the hard-hit Sleman district in Yogyakarta, it was kept at 20 kilometers.

"We are doing our best to persuade them to remain in the safety of the shelters as we are afraid some of them are heading into the danger zone," Sutopo said.

He said the BNPB was working with the military, police and a band of volunteers to clean ash-covered houses. "We do not want the people to return in a rush, especially vulnerable pregnant women, children and the elderly," he said.

Surono, the head of the Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Agency (PVMBG), said there was no plan to lower Merapi's alert from Level 4, the highest, even though volcanic activity had been declining.

In Klaten, 9,339 evacuees left their shelters to return home after the authorities pushed back the danger zone.

"The residents are beginning to return to their homes on the slopes of Merapi because the danger zone has been narrowed and they feel the mountain has calmed down and is not a danger to them anymore," said Joko Rukminto, the coordinator of a Klaten evacuation camp.

He said 84,000 people remained in shelters at 329 locations in the district. The exodus back to villages on Merapi's slopes, he added, is likely to continue despite warnings from officials.

Sunarna, the Klaten district chief, said that although the danger zone had been reduced, he was urging residents to remain at the shelters because the status of the volcano was unchanged.

In Boyolali, about 8,800 people from three subdistricts remained at the 12 shelters in the district, while 1,500 people were known to have left to return to their homes, said Syamsuddin, the district's coordinator for disaster management.

In Magelang, 3,450 evacuees had returned to 22 villages that were now outside the danger zone, said the head of the disaster management unit at the district administration, Heri Prawoto. About 80,000 people are still in shelters, he added.

[Additional reporting from Antara.]

Activists warn against nuclear use to meet phasing-out target

Jakarta Post - November 10, 2010

Jakarta – Environmental activists welcome the government's pledge to decrease the consumption of fossil fuel by 2025, but they warn against the use of nuclear energy.

Greenpeace's climate and energy campaigner Arif Fiyanto said Tuesday that the government's argument that the nuclear power plant was not only cheap but also safe for the environment, was baseless.

He said that no technology could provide a safe disposal site for radioactive waste so far. Greenpeace also said the cost of building a nuclear site was very expensive. "Nuclear energy produces no carbon emissions as fossil fuel does. But the danger from nuclear energy is far greater than that of fossil fuel," Arif said.

The government, through its newly established directorate on new and renewable energy, planned to increase the target of utilization of new and renewable energy to 25 percent by 2025.

The current use of new and renewable energy stands at less than 5 percent. The Energy and Natural Resources Ministry's new and renewable energy and energy conservation director general Luluk Sumiarso said that the 25 percent target was an increase from the previous target of 17 percent as stipulated in a 2006 presidential regulation on national energy policy. In the last 10 years, he said, Indonesia saw an average of 95 percent fossil fuel use, partly subsidized by the government.

The 25 percent target was in line with the ministry's campaign called Vision 2525, referring to the 25 percent use by 2025. The vision, along with the new directorate general established in August, was part of the government's effort to phase out fossil fuel, Luluk said.

By 2025, coal use would be at 32 percent, followed by natural gas at 23 percent and oil at 20 percent.

"It's realistic," he said, referring to the huge untapped new and renewable energy potential. Only 4.2 percent of the entire geothermal potential had been used, Luluk said, while only 5.5 percent of the total hydro power potential had been exploited so far.

Luluk said nuclear energy has yet to be erased from the picture completely as the government still pursued the development as mandated in the 2007 Energy Law. "Nuclear technology is proven," he told The Jakarta Post.

Nevertheless, he said, the government would still carry out energy efficiency measures by maximizing its support for renewable energy development.

According to the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, power plants are the biggest contributors of CO2 emissions, followed by industry, transportation, household, and commercial sectors.

At the G20 summit in Pittsburgh, US, the Indonesian government conveyed its commitment to reduce the country's greenhouse gases emissions by up to 26 percent by 2020 and even 41 percent with international support.

The energy law stipulates new energy constitutes; nuclear, coal bed methane (CBM), gasified coal, liquefied coal and hydrogen. Renewable energy covers six types of sources: geothermal, bioenergy, hydro, solar, wind, and ocean (tidal, wave, and ocean thermal energy).

The government has carried out a kerosene-to-biogas conversion program called Biogas Rumah (Biru), which aims to accelerate the use of biogas for domestic purposes, he said.

He said the government was targeting to install at least 8,000 biogas units by 2011 in regencies within several selected provinces: West Java, Central Java, Yogyakarta, East Java and one province outside Java.

In 2007, the government initiated an "energy self-sufficient village" program called Desa Mandiri Energi, aiming to improve energy security in villages by introducing the use of renewable energy, both biofuel and non- biofuel, for domestic purposes.

Health & education

Financial woes hamper quality education

Jakarta Post - November 15, 2010

It may be a cliche, but financial constraints continue to thwart Indonesia's efforts to improve the nation's quality of education, prompting universities to seek financial support from private sources.

Even though for the first time in history the government managed to allocate 20 percent, or about Rp 221 trillion (US$24.8 billion), of the 2010 state budget for education – as required by the Constitution – educational institutions are still mired in financial despair.

Despite the improved education budget allocation, the National Education Ministry receives only Rp 65 trillion to manage the operations of 83 state universities and several private universities. The remainder of funds are reportedly spent on training civil servants.

University of Indonesia rector Gumilar Rusliwa Somantri said last week that the lack of funds for education remained one of the greatest obstacles impeding efforts to produce skilled human resources. "The current budget allocation cannot cover all of our financial needs. Thus, we still need help from private sector," he told The Jakarta Post.

He added, however, that universities should remain prudent in seeking financial support. University of Indonesia decided not to accept financial support, including scholarships, from tobacco companies after receiving strong criticism for doing so in the past. This decision was part of the university's efforts to keep cigarettes out of higher education.

Still, questions remain concerning the acceptance of funds earmarked for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) support from companies in the mining, oil and energy sectors, some of which have poor environmental track records.

"It's not easy for us to decide whether we should accept the offers [from extractive companies]," Gumilar said, but quickly added that extractive industry firms could offer financial support as long as they demonstrate their concern for environmental stainability.

Chairman of the Republic of Indonesia Teachers Association (PGRI) Sulistiyo said Thursday that his institution firmly rejected financial support from companies with bad track records, including resource extraction firms.

Some companies had severely damaged both the environment and society, he said. "Should we accept financial support from companies responsible for damaging the forest in Wasior? I don't think so," he said, adding that the PGRI had previously rejected financial support from the tobacco industry.

Education is needed to prevent Indonesia from becoming a "resource-cursed country", in which dependence on non-renewable resources, such as minerals and fossil fuels, hinders economic development, Gumilar said.

"If we had highly skilled manpower we could develop entrepreneurship not based on natural resources," he added. Gumilar said that this was not yet possible because the state budget could not cover the costs of nurturing highly skilled manpower. (ebf)

25% of Bali prostitutes are HIV-positive, agency says

Jakarta Globe - November 12, 2010

Made Arya, Denpasar, Indonesia – About 25 percent of Bali's estimated 8,000 sex workers are infected with HIV, according to the National AIDS Commission.

The commission also reported on Friday that the Indonesian tourist island had seen an almost 20 percent increase in the number of reported cases of HIV infections over the past year.

Mangku Karmaya, head of the information division of the commission known as the KPA, said on Friday that last year Bali had a total of 3,181 HIV cases.

He said 596 new cases had been reported, a rise of 18.7 percent, taking the number to 3,778. "There is an increasing number of infections among heterosexuals who practice unsafe sex," Karmaya said.

He said if nothing was done to tackle the problem there would soon be more than 840 new cases in Bali every year. Karmaya said the rising number of infected prostitutes would lead to higher infection rates as clients passed the virus on to their spouses. "We need to increase the awareness of using condoms among this group," he said.

Bali is among the top provinces in the country in terms of officially reported HIV/AIDS cases, with Papua on top.

Data from the Ministry of Health shows that as of March, West Java had the highest number of full-blown AIDS cases at 3,599, East Java had 3,540, Papua 2,858, Jakarta 2,828 and Bali 1,725. Official data for HIV infections alone in other provinces were not immediately available.

These figures are only the tip of the iceberg. While the official number of AIDS cases is 28,654, according to the same data, KPA national secretary Nafsiah Mboi says the actual number is much higher, with only an estimated 15 percent of infections being accounted for in official statistics. UNAIDS has estimated at least 270,000 Indonesians have HIV.

Bali legislator I Gusti Ngurah Kesuma Kelakan said the government must act immediately to deal with the problem. He urged people to not discriminate against people with HIV as it would discourage them from getting proper treatment.

Students at Indonesian vocational school forced to take pregnancy tests

Jakarta Globe - November 10, 2010

Nurfika Osman, Jakarta – Academic prowess is apparently not enough at one vocational school in Magetan, East Java. Add to that irreproachable morals.

Female students at SMK Negeri I, a vocational high school, were recently required to take a pregnancy test, in what school officials said was an effort to keep them on the moral straight and narrow.

"We are doing this to prevent indecent behavior. It is also a part of an education based on character," Budiyono, the school's principal, told the Jakarta Globe on Wednesday.

He said school officials were concerned about the morality of the students, although he did not say if there were any specific incidents that had brought about this concern.

"We are now in the process of improving every aspect of our curriculum, especially in terms of teaching morality," he said. "It has become a major concern for us because we have seen teenage indecency increasing nowadays due to globalization."

Budiyono said that as many as 280 female students took the pregnancy test by providing urine samples.

"Thank God, all of the tests were negative," he said, adding that a positive result would have meant that the student in question would have been required to transfer to another school. "We have an unwritten policy that a pregnant student cannot study here," he said.

He said the school would send any pregnant students to a private school that could accommodate them. He also said the school was now planning on conducting the mandatory pregnancy test at least one a year.

Harun, head of the East Java provincial education office, expressed his support for the school's effort.

"As long as it brings benefits to the school or is meant to prevent something bad from happening, we will support it," he said. "I do not think this violates the rights of the students. Schools are responsible for the way their students associate with their friends."

But Masruchah, the deputy chairwoman of the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan), said the pregnancy tests were not only unreasonable, but were also a violation of the rights of the female students. "This action is beyond reasonable and it totally discriminates against the girls," she said.

She pointed out that male students were not required to undergo any tests to ascertain their decency. "Morality cannot be judged from the results of a pregnancy test. People should understand that young girls can become pregnant due to rape or arranged marriages. Clearly it is unfair."

Children, she added, have the right to an education, and instead of discriminating against girls, the school should instead provide assistance, including counseling, to any students who required it. "This just shows the strength of the patriarchal system," she said. "Women, girls and children are always the victims of these kinds of policies."

Graft & corruption

Gayus lawyer furious about 'dangerous distraction'

Jakarta Globe - November 15, 2010

Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – Veteran lawyer Adnan Buyung Nasution is livid, saying the latest scandal involving client Gayus Tambunan – bribing prison guards to leave his cell – is just a trivial distraction.

But Adnan believes that while it may be trivial, it is dangerous because it is diverting attention from the substance of the former tax official's corruption trial.

In a wig and glasses that hardly provided much camouflage, Gayus was photographed by the Jakarta Globe watching an international tennis match in Bali on Nov. 5. Gayus has admitted it was him in the stands.

"This is a trivial case. There is a much bigger case out there which has yet to be uncovered," Adnan said when asked to comment on Gayus's trip to Bali.

The middle-ranking tax official last year was named a suspect for money laundering and corruption based on Rp 28 billion ($3.1 million) found in his bank accounts. He was controversially acquitted in March after prosecutors reduced the charge to minor embezzlement charge.

Former chief of detectives Comr. Gen. Susno Duadji said police involved in the case had accepted bribes, leading to an internal inquiry that ended with the arrests of Gayus, the Tangerang court chief, two lawyers, two suspected case brokers, two police officers and a tax consultant as suspects.

Considered one of the country's most respected lawyers, Adnan has said he would represent Gayus if he agreed to tell the truth and use his case to uncover the bigger issue of the judicial mafia.

However, while the police inquiry team has been criticized for excluding prosecutors, two other judges and two police generals from the list of suspects, a slew of cases relating to Gayus has cropped up, more distractions to the crux of Adnan's case.

Susno has been named a suspect in a two graft cases, with many viewing the charges as police retribution for his uncovering the Gayus case bribery.

In another development, the Attorney General's Office has launched an inquiry over suspicions that senior prosecutor Cirus Sinaga leaked the sentencing demand document to Gayus's former lawyer, Haposan Hutagalung, who then falsified the document to extort money from Gayus during the March trial in Tangerang that ended in an acquittal.

"None of this has anything to do with the core of the case," Adnan said. "We must not divert our attention from the judiciary mafia and tax mafia issues. He refused to comment further on the Bali incident: "That's a problem between Gayus and police."

Adnan, who is also an adviser to the president on legal affairs, warned of a repeat of the Tangerang trial because prosecutors again limited the case. The South Jakarta District Court has also stifled the case, not bothering to track the source of Gayus's huge fortune.

"The indictment should have been rejected. But we have reached the point of no return" Adnan said. "The Bali incident is nothing compared with the huge problem facing us."

Gayus has testified receiving billions of rupiah from, among others, three companies under the Bakrie Group, owned by top politician and tycoon Aburizal Bakrie. He said he had paid prosecutors, judges and high-ranking police officers billions of rupiah in exchange for his acquittal.

"So many things have happened that we forget the true story," said Danang Widoyoko, chairman of Indonesia Corruption Watch. "For example, we no longer question Gayus's wealth. We no longer pay attention to Edmon Ilyas and Raja Erizman," he said referring to National Police generals accused by Susno of taking bribes from Gayus.

Edmon and Raja were reassigned but not charged. "We need to return to focusing on combating the judiciary mafia and tax mafia," Danang said.

'Bali mystery man was me' says Gayus

Jakarta Globe - November 15, 2010

Jakarta – High-profile graft suspect Gayus Tambunan finally ended speculation about his trip to Bali by confessing that he was indeed the man photographed by the Jakarta Globe in the crowd at a tennis tournament on Nov. 5.

At the time he was supposed to be detained at the National Police Mobile Brigade (Brimob) detention facility in Depok.

"To put this controversy to rest, I admit the man in Bali was me," he said outside the South Jakarta District Court after his trial. "I had no bad intentions upon leaving my cell. I saw that others were allowed to come and go and I simply wanted to meet my family," he said.

Inside the court, a tearful Gayus told the judge that he been suffering from stress since being detained. "I needed to clear my head," he told presiding judge Albertina Ho.

A man resembling Gayus was photographed earlier this month watching an international tennis tournament in Nusa Dua, Bali. The photograph was first published in the Jakarta Globe on Nov. 6. Police investigators said on Sunday that they had evidence Gayus traveled to Bali with members of his extended family.

Bali Police Chief Insp. Gen. Hadiatmoko, however, avoided directly naming Gayus, identifying him as "a man resembling Gayus" in a spread of photographs taken at the Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions. "The man resembling Gayus stayed at the Westin Hotel using an alias," Hadiatmoko said in Denpasar. He cited the alias by the initial "M."

On Monday, Bali Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Gede Sugianyar told Metro TV that Gayus went to Bali with his wife and children. He also said investigators from the National Police had taken security camera footage from the Westin Hotel.

"We are helping the team from the National Police investigate the movements in Bali of a man who resembled Gayus. The team took the CCTV footage from the Westin Hotel," he said.

Meanwhile, Gayus received a surprise when he entered the courtroom for his corruption trial on Monday. Six men from the Legal Aid Institute (LBH) wearing masks of the man photographed at the Bali tournament were seated in the back row of the courtroom. The former tax official smiled when he saw the men.

"We want to say that Gayus was able to leave his cell at will and travel because of the failure to uphold the law in Indonesia," the LBH chairman, Nurkholis Hidayat, was quoted as saying by news portal Detik.com.

He also said he suspected this was not a mere case of bribery, and could involve something much bigger. "The police must investigate who Gayus met in Bali and the reason for the meeting," he said.

Aburizal-Gayus Bali rendezvous rumors derided

Jakarta - November 14, 2010

Armando Siahaan, Jakarta – Golkar Party members are on the defensive against rumors that detained rogue tax official Gayus Tambunan met their party chairman, Aburizal Bakrie, in Bali.

The high-profile former taxman was allegedly spotted enjoying an international tennis tournament in Bali on Nov. 5, when he was supposed to be behind bars in Depok.

But his appearance took a political twist when businessman-turned- politician Aburizal was also seen at the tournament, although on a different day. This spurred speculation that it was no coincidence the two were in Bali at the same time.

Gayus amassed a fortune that he says came from bribes from companies including miners Kaltim Prima Coal, Arutmin and Bumi Resources, which are linked to Aburizal. The companies have denied paying bribes.

The rumor mill has been buzzing that Gayus and Aburizal had a rendezvous in Bali. "There was no meeting," Lalu Mara Satriawangsa, a senior Golkar politician and Aburizal spokesman, told the Jakarta Globe on Sunday.

He confirmed that the Golkar chairman did attend the tennis tournament, but said he arrived on a different day to when Gayus was allegedly spotted in Bali. "Aburizal was in Palembang for a Golkar meeting on Friday," Lalu Mara said. "He didn't arrive in Bali until Saturday."

He added that Aburizal was not perturbed by the rumor. "He said that such talk was common in politics," especially since Golkar's popularity was rising, as indicated by its triumph in regional elections and at least one national survey.

The secretary general of Golkar, Idrus Marham, said that while he regarded the alleged meeting as a non-issue, he was concerned by the growing rumors. "Golkar does not want to respond to issues that are irrational and not intellectual," he said. "Why should we respond? If we do, then it would be counterproductive for us."

But he said that Golkar would take further action if the rumor continued to grow and defamed the party chairman, and therefore the party.

Aburizal has been reported as denying he was in Bali to meet Gayus, claiming he did not know the former taxman personally.

Other Golkar politicians said the rumor was a systematic effort by unidentified groups to ruin the party's image by attacking its chairman.

"Golkar rebukes any effort that seeks to ruin the image of the party," lawmaker Bambang Soesatyo said on Sunday. The allegations "are being exploited by certain parties to corner Golkar and the party chairman," he added.

The vocal lawmaker went a step further: "It wouldn't be unreasonable for Golkar members to think that Gayus's appearance in Bali was fabricated especially to attack Golkar."

Bambang called on the National Police chief, Gen. Timur Pradopo, to investigate who gave permission for Gayus to be given leave passes from prison.

An investigation has led to the suspension of the chief warden and eight guards at the detention facility at the National Police Mobile Brigade (Brimob) headquarters in Depok. Two other police officers allegedly received similar treatment.

AGO at loggerheads with police on Gayus 'suspects'

Jakarta Globe - November 12, 2010

Farouk Arnaz, Jakarta – The National Police has denied naming prosecutor Cirus Sinaga and a lawyer for rogue tax official Gayus Tambunan, Haposan Hutagalung, suspects.

The denial comes despite the Attorney General's Office claiming it has received official notification from the police declaring both men suspects.

Cirus has been accused of document fraud. The case stems from prosecution documents allegedly leaked to Gayus at the start of his trial for embezzlement this year. He was acquitted.

Haposan allegedly conspired with prosecutors to extort Rp 500 million ($56,000) from Gayus by showing him a fake document threatening him with a year in jail. However, the original prosecution document sought only one year of probation.

On the AGO's Web site, spokesman Babul Khoir Harahap says that on Monday the office received a National Police letter dated Nov. 2 declaring both men suspects for document fraud. The AGO had then set up a team of prosecutors to investigate the case and coordinate with the police.

However, National Police director for general crimes Brig. Gen. Agung Sabar Santoso told the Jakarta Globe on Friday they had yet to name any suspects. "We have not even scheduled when we will summon Cirus and Haposan," he said, adding that investigations would not start until next week.

A previous AGO inquiry found the genuine document was allegedly leaked to Haposan on Cirus's orders. The lawyer then allegedly made a copy and doctored it to read "one year in jail" rather than "one year's probation."

Marwan Effendy, the deputy attorney general for internal supervision, has said those implicated in the leak should be punished. "It's a crime, and we can't let it go unanswered," he said.

Two other men named by the AGO's inquiry as complicit in the leak are prosecutor Fadil Regan and a clerk named Benu El Amrusya.

Sri Mulyani denounces Indonesian corruption from World Bank post

Jakarta Globe - November 11, 2010

Angela Dewan, Bangkok – From her prestigious new position as a World Bank managing director, Sri Mulyani Indrawati has taken another stab at old enemies, without naming names, an art she mastered after her ousting as Indonesia's finance minister in May.

"Corruption remains intertwined with politics, and there are brazen attacks on those fighting corruption," she said at the 14th International Anti- Corruption Conference in Bangkok on Wednesday.

Sri Mulyani's comments echo those she made in May, when she said particular forces were "hijacking" economic reform in Indonesia – comments believed to be directed at business tycoon and Golkar Party chairman Aburizal Bakrie, who opposed many of her reformist policies.

Having lost her post as finance minister after a House of Representatives special committee found her Rp 6.7 trillion ($757 million) bailout of Bank Century in 2008 was illegal, Sri Mulyani appears to be enjoying the extra leg room she has been granted at the World Bank, delivering a frank speech on corruption, pointing to Indonesia without hesitation.

"Sometimes corruption comes in the form of counterfeit drugs, so people don't get better, or they die," she said. "Sometimes corruption is a building that collapses in the face of a natural disaster, because the quality inspector took a payment from the construction contractor to falsify an inspection. Corruption can kill."

She listed the World Bank's achievements in improving transparency and fighting corruption, including the six-year disbarment of publisher Macmillan for paying a bribe to try and win a World Bank contract in Africa.

She proved confident in her position when an audience member accused her of touting her personal views rather than those of the institution.

"My own personal ethical values and the bank's ethical values should match," she said. "In this case, I'm not going to entertain that I have my own personal values that are distant from the bank's. If the bank had a policy that did not reflect the view of anticorruption or good governance, it is the job of the management, including myself, to correct it."

While Sri Mulyani has reason enough to distrust the Indonesian government's commitment to tackling corruption, she remains optimistic that progress has been made since 15 years ago, when "the C-word was barely whispered, if at all mentioned."

"Corruption is an issue we know politicians can't ignore now in Indonesia, and the KPK, our anticorruption commission, has made huge progress, despite the difficulties they are facing," she said.

Sri Mulyani's continued commentary on corruption and politics in Indonesia has observers speculating that she may be planning a return to politics and even a run for president in 2014.

But she said, "I am just concentrating on my role at the World Bank at the moment. Of course, the World Bank has many projects in Indonesia, just like in other countries, so it can help Indonesia achieve its national development goals."

Speculation about Sri Mulyani's possible return to politics was sparked when the Alliance for Democracy Education launched a Web site in her honor last month. It carried a picture of Sri Mulyani along with the slogan "I'll Be Back," but the NGO says the site was only created to improve public awareness of ethics.

The United Development Party (PPP) has already said it would support Sri Mulyani should she run for president, and if she ends up going head-to-head with Bakrie, she will likely find international support from investors. But Sri Mulyani has given no clue about whether she wants to return to Indonesia or keep working on a global scale.

Lawmaker vows to go to court if AGO chooses deponeering

Jakarta Post - November 11, 2010

Dicky Christanto, Jakarta – A lawmaker from the United Development Party, Achmad Yani, said he would bring the Attorney General's Office to court for ending a prosecution process of corruption cases involving Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) chairmen.

He claimed that many of his fellow lawmakers in the law commission had also shared the same view on this. "We will use any tools allowed to refuse the idea," he said.

He added that if the interim attorney general insisted on halting the prosecution process for the sake of the public interest, also known as deponeering, he would "challenge the decision to the Constitutional Court myself".

He went further to say that any decision coming from interim Attorney General Darmono would be a big violation as an interim attorney general was only a popular term for "administrative caretaker".

"The prosecutor law allows only an attorney general to issue deponeering. It doesn't say anything about an interim attorney general," he said.

Interim Attorney General Darmono had earlier said that the AGO intended to halt the prosecution process of Bibit Samad Rianto and Chandra Marta Hamzah, two KPK deputy leaders who were charged over authority abuse and receiving bribes.

However, Darmono said before executing the decision that the AGO planned to consult first with related state institutions.

Nine police officers arrested in Gayus prison scandal investigation

Jakarta Globe - November 11, 2010

Farouk Arnaz, Jakarta – National Police confirmed on Thursday that a mid- ranking police officer and eight of his subordinates had been arrested and charged with allegedly taking bribes to allow disgraced taxman Gayus Tambunan to repeatedly leave his cell during his ongoing corruption trial.

National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Iskandar Hasan told a news conference that the suspects, including mastermind Comr. Iwan Siswanto, who heads the detention facility at Mobile Brigade (Brimob) headquarters in Kelapa Dua, Depok, were arrested on Monday.

He said they were charged under the Anti-Corruption Law. "They were named suspects based on their testimonies because Gayus gave the money in cash. We are still investigating how they spent the bribe money."

Iskandar said the suspects could also be charged for breaching police ethical standards and discipline code. "They could be fired if found guilty."

"According to the suspects, Gayus has been in and out of prison since July. How much money he paid is not yet concrete, but it is about Rp 50 million [$5,650]or Rp 60 million [a month for Siswanto]. This did not include [payment to] the guards, which was around Rp 5 million to Rp 6 million."

Gayus and his wife, Miliana Aggraeni, would be summoned and could also be named as suspects, he said.

Iskandar was quick to stress that Siswanto was the ringleader. "There are no high-ranking officers involved in this scandal," he said.

Asked whether the investigation would be expanded to include the possibility that other high-profile inmates detained at the facility received similar favors, Iskandar said: "for the time being, we are focusing on Gayus."

Other inmates include former National Police chief of detectives Comr. Gen. Susno Duadji and former South Jakarta Police Chief Sr. Comsr. Wiliardi Wizar, who received 12 years jail for his role in the murder of a government official. Although he was supposed to be locked up while on trial for graft and bribery, a man bearing a striking resemblance to Gayus was photographed by the Jakarta Globe at an international tennis tournament in Bali.

Detention boss let Gayus 'walk out'

Jakarta Globe - November 9, 2010

Farouk Arnaz, Jakarta – The head of a police detention facility in Depok has been named a suspect for receiving bribes in return for allowing high- profile graft suspect Gayus Tambunan out of his cell at will, police sources said on Tuesday.

Comr. Iwan Siswanto, who heads the detention facility at Mobile Brigade (Brimob) headquarters in Kelapa Dua, Depok, was named along with eight of his men, police sources told the Jakarta Globe on condition of anonymity.

Although he was supposed to be locked up while on trial for graft and bribery, a man bearing a striking resemblance to Gayus was photographed by the Globe at an international tennis tournament in Bali on Friday.

The police have since looked into the report, which caused a sensation on the Internet and seemed to confirm widespread public suspicions that money and connections can easily buy favors for high-profile criminals.

Iwan and his eight subordinates were named suspects by the National Police's Anticorruption Directorate on Tuesday. "They are suspected of having breached articles 5, 12d, and 13 of the Anti-Corruption Law by receiving cash bribes from Gayus," the source said.

According to the source, Iwan admitted to police detectives that he had been receiving bribes from Gayus since July, citing "economic motives."

"At first, he asked Gayus for Rp 5 million [$560] a week, on top of Rp 50 million a month from July to August, to let him walk out of jail every day. And he only needed to be back in his cell twice a week, on Monday and Wednesday morning, just before his hearings," the source said.

From August onward, the payments were allegedly raised to Rp 3.5 million a week, plus Rp 100 million a month. "This does not include Gayus paying guards between Rp 1 million and Rp 1.5 million week in and week out," the source said, adding that police seized Iwan's cellphone and bank account records as evidence.

Brig. Gen. Untung Ketut Yoga, a deputy spokesman for the National Police, declined to confirm the information but said that an official with the initials "IS," together with eight of his subordinates, were suspended from active duty on Tuesday.

He identified the eight subordinates by their initials and said they were all low-level police inspectors. "For the time being, they are suspected of having breached professional ethics and discipline, and could be charged under the criminal code if this is proven later," he said.

Another source said that Iwan was also suspected of having granted privileges to other high-profile graft suspects, including Comr. Gen. Susno Duadji, a former police chief detective, and Wiliardi Wizar, a former middle-ranking police officer, who were held at the same Brimob detention facilities.

Susno is a suspect in two separate bribery cases, while Wilardi has been convicted of involvement in the killing of an executive of a state-owned enterprise. "Iwan admitted that so far he has gotten Rp 10 million from Susno and Rp 15 million from Wiliardi to let them go out, and that's why Gayus then also asked for the same privilege," the source said.

Susno, speaking to the Globe on the sidelines of his graft trial at the South Jakarta District Court, lashed out at the allegations, calling them "slanderous." "There is no way for me to escape police custody," he said. "The police are already detaining me for slander, so please don't make any more slanderous remarks."

Brig. Gen. Ike Edwin, from the National Police's Anticorruption Directorate, declined to comment on the issue, while his deputy, Chief Comr. Alex Mandalika, said he had no knowledge of the cases.

However, the police deputy chief of detectives, Insp. Gen. Dikdik Mulayana Arief, confirmed the case was being handled by the Anticorruption Directorate. "But it would be better for you to directly ask the investigators," he said.

Untung, the deputy spokesman for the National Police, meanwhile, said Gayus would be questioned by detectives on Tuesday but not over his alleged disappearance from police detention.

Instead, Gayus would be asked about Cirus Sinaga, a state prosecutor accused of leaking sensitive court documents, he said. (With additional reporting by Heru Andriyanto)

Cirebon, Pekanbaru worst in Indonesia corruption survey

Jakarta Globe - November 9, 2010

Nivell Rayda, Jakarta – Cirebon in West Java and Pekanbaru in Riau are perceived to be the most corrupt cities in Indonesia, according to a major new poll commissioned by Transparency International Indonesia.

The two cities tied in this year's Corruption Perception Index with a score of just 3.61, with 10 being the cleanest. "Reports from local and national media on both cities are filled with cases of corruption. This has affected the perception of businesses operating there," researcher Frenky Simanjuntak said on Tuesday.

The organization says this year's survey is the most comprehensive it has undertaken here, involving 9,237 respondents from the business sector in 50 cities.

Cirebon is known for its port and fisheries and was until recently the base of British American Tobacco Indonesia, while Riau has some of the nation's largest oil reserves operated by Caltex Indonesia. It also is a major timber-producing province.

Denpasar in Bali was named Indonesia's cleanest city with a score of 6.71, followed by Tegal, Central Java, with 6.26 and Solo rating a 6. The West Papuan capital, Manokwari, and Yogyakarta tied at fourth with 5.81.

"But despite being relatively cleaner than other cities, even the good- scoring areas failed to reach a score of 7. So we are seeing that some aspects of the cities' administrations are still perceived as corrupt," TII chairman Todung Mulya Lubis said. "We are still a long way from a 9. If a city got such a score, it would be a model for governance reform."

This year, the antigraft watchdog has also added one crucial point to the survey – separating the achievements of bureaucratic reforms in public offices and those in law-enforcement agencies. "Generally the cities surveyed have scored very low in terms of law enforcement and the fight against corruption," Frenky said.

The National Police quickly topped the list when respondents were asked which government institution required immediate reform. The Tax Office and the nation's judiciary were next on the list.

Tegal in Central Java and Kupang of East Nusa Tenggara made huge improvements over the past two years. In 2008, Tegal was named the second- most corrupt city with a score of 3.32. This year, it was the second- cleanest. Kupang scored 4.89 this year to rank 27th, while in 2008 it was at the bottom with a 2.97.

Iskandar Hasan, of the State Ministry for Administrative Reform, said Kupang Mayor Daniel Adoe had been shocked at the 2008 results and vowed to tackle corruption.

The biggest drop was seen in Jambi, which plummeted from 4th place to 46th. Frenky said Jambi had clearly slackened off on bureaucratic reform. Jakarta came off slightly worse, ranking 38th with a score of 4.43, down from 36th in last year's survey.

War on terror

TNI to play backup role in terror fight, agency says

Jakarta Post - November 11, 2010

Bagus BT Saragih, Jakarta – The Indonesian Military will not play a major role in the fight against terrorism, instead serving as a backup for the National Police's Detachment 88 Anti-Terror Squad, an official says.

National Antiterrorism Agency (BNPT) chief Insp. Gen. (ret) Ansyaad Mbai told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday that a regulation outlining the role of the military in the battle against terrorism was nearly complete, and that it had been decided the military would only serve as a backup force for the police.

The police and military are working together under the BNPT, Ansyaad said, but added "when it comes to pursuing, raiding and arresting [terrorists], military personnel will act as a backup".

The military will also be tasked with providing the police with intelligence, which Ansyaad said would be crucial in revealing planned terror attacks.

When the government announced the military would be involved in the country's counterterrorism strategy, several security analysts and human rights proponents voiced concern over what they called the possible return of the military to civilian matters.

Jaleswari Pramodhawardani, a security observer from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), said the TNI should not be given the right to interrogate and investigate suspected terrorists. She argued that the TNI had not been trained to deal with operations in civilian areas, and that it had a history of using "harsher" tactics than the police.

She suggested the government provide a clear technical regulation on the authorities of the police and the military in fighting terrorism. "The idea to involve the military is good but to do that we need a clear regulation. Otherwise, it would be counterproductive," she said.

More than a decade after withdrawing from the civilian sphere, last month the military joined the police in raiding and arresting a group of suspected militants believed to be responsible for a bank robbery in Medan and a deadly ambush of the Hamparan Perak Police station in Deli Serdang, North Sumatra, in September. TV coverage showed military officers raiding and arresting terrorist suspects on a plantation in Dolok Masihul, North Sumatra.

Ansyaad said the military's involvement in the North Sumatra operation was legal according to the 2002 Law on the Police and the 2004 law on the Indonesian Military. "The military personnel have been there for a long time, and have helped the police in doing their jobs. There's no problem," he said.

"When we are talking about the regulation, it is only about technical issues that are aimed to make it clearer. It does not necessarily mean that the military cannot work with the police before the regulation is signed."

Observers have linked the establishment of the BNPT to an alleged long-time row between the military and the police. The latter reportedly received a large amount of foreign aid to improve their antiterrorism capacity.

Jaleswari said the rift could hinder cooperation between the institutions, but added that, "under the BNPT, such an issue should no longer exist.

Court told Bashir wanted an attack during Obama's Indonesia visit

Jakarta Globe - November 9, 2010

Heru Andriyanto & Farouk Arnaz, Jakarta – Radical cleric Abu Bakar Bashir apparently urged his followers earlier this year to stage a terror attack while US President Barack Obama was on Indonesian soil, a Jakarta court was told on Tuesday, just hours before Obama's arrival here.

The apparent threat was revealed during the opening session of Dr. Syarif Usman's trial on charges related to financing an alleged terrorist training camp uncovered earlier this year in Aceh. Prosecutors say Syarif is close to Bashir, who is in jail on charges related to the Aceh camp.

Prosecutors told the South Jakarta District Court that Bashir told another suspect, Luthfi Haidaro, aka Ubaid, "to take advantage of the visit by US President Barack Obama to Indonesia". "But there was no further discussion on how to move forward," prosecutor Kiki Ahmad Yani said.

Bashir's alleged instruction to Ubaid was given in a meeting in January, two months before Obama's first scheduled visit in March. That trip was cancelled.

In February, police began dismantling the Aceh camp, believed to have been training militants to launch attacks similar to the one in Mumbai, India, in 2008.

In an exclusive interview with the Jakarta Globe before Obama's planned March visit, Bashir urged Indonesians to protest. "America is a great infidel because it is fighting Islam," he said at the time.

The United States and Indonesia have long cooperated to fight terrorism, and US defense officials have lauded Indonesia's ability to pursue extremists. The US has provided money for helicopters, radar systems and small boats to help build an interdiction force.

US officials have said that the presence of the Aceh camp was a dangerous sign that militant are trying to refine their tactics, perhaps with Al Qaeda backing.

Earlier proposed visits to the region by Obama triggered threats of a terrorist attack. US officials said they believe the threats were for an attack on Western interests, but were not necessarily aimed directly at the president.

Tuesday's trial focused on charges that Syarif gave Rp 200 million ($22,400) to Jamaah Ansharut Tauhid, a hard-line group founded by Bashir that security officials link to the Aceh camp.

"The money was intended to buy weapons for paramilitary training," a prosecutor told the court. "The goals of the paramilitary training in Aceh were to uphold Islamic Law and terrorize foreigners, international non- governmental organizations and other foreign interests in Aceh," according to the indictment. (Additional reporting from AP)

Wives take stand in Aceh militant arms case

Jakarta Globe - November 9, 2010

Ulma Haryanto, Jakarta – The wife of Tatang Mulyadi, a police officer accused of facilitating the sale of weapons to a paramilitary group in Aceh, testified on Tuesday that it was economics, not extremist ideology, that led to her husband's crime.

Tatang, a second brigadier in the National Police, along with First Brig. Abdi Tunggal, stand accused of supplying weapons to Ahmad Sutrisno, a businessman who allegedly sold the weapons to militants in Aceh.

Tatang and Abdi were both logistics officers tasked with guarding a National Police warehouse in Cipinang from which the weapons were stolen.

Lina Marlina, Tatang's wife, testified at a Jakarta court hearing on Tuesday that her husband's actions were the result of their dire financial situation, not because of terrorist sympathies.

Lina told the hearing that Tatang had objected to the fact that she had to take on extra jobs to support their family. She explained that Ahmad earned just Rp 2 million ($224) each month.

"We have two children. One is 7-1/2, and the other is 3. I have to sell bags and clothing door-to-door to earn extra money," Lina said, adding that even though they had been married for 10 years, the couple still lived in the police dormitory in Ciracas.

Ahmad, who is being tried separately as a civilian, is accused of violating the 2003 Anti-Terror Law by acting as middleman in the sale of the stolen police weapons he allegedly obtained with the help of Tatang and Abdi.

On Tuesday, Ahmad's second wife, Vera Damayanti, also told the court that she believed her husband's involvement was driven by financial need. Vera was summoned to court because she had directly met with Muhammad Sofyan Tsauri, an alleged terrorist and former police officer who is on trial separately in Depok for training militants at the Aceh camp.

Sofyan had previously told the East Jakarta District Court that he had met Ahmad in mid-2008, and when Sofyan was tapped to procure weapons for mujahideens, or Islamic warriors, he turned to Ahmad for help.

Vera told the court, "I met him twice last year. He asked my husband to take him to the hospital, and then the second time, he came to our house to pray. My husband and I had a short conversation with him then, after which he left."

Vera and Ahmad moved to Jakarta from Malang, East Java, in 2007. "Ahmad went there first, but he never told me anything about his work, nor did he tell me anything about what to expect in Jakarta," she said.

After a couple of months, Ahmad told her that he was now "in partnership with the [National Police] Mobile Brigade [Brimob]". "He told me that he was procuring supplies for the brigade. He never told me anything else. I never saw his workplace or colleagues. He always said that it was men's business," she said.

Vera also said her husband usually spent a couple of days each week with his first wife in Depok. "Ahmad has many cars," she added.

When asked whether she ever found guns or ammunitions in her house, Vera replied that Ahmad once brought an airsoft gun in 2009, and that shortly before Ahmad was arrested, he brought home a plastic bag full of ammunition. "He just left the bag on the floor. So I opened it and found out it was full of bullets. I asked him what they for, and he said that I didn't have to think or ask about it," she said.

Vera also said that she only heard Tatang's name mentioned over the phone by her husband, but she never met him in person, and she did not know Abdi.

Sofyan previously said that he Ahmad had met in mid-2008 and started an airsoft gun business together shortly thereafter. It was some time after that he asked the police officer to help him procure real guns. Sofyan said he had at least 17 separate transactions with Ahmad between October last year and January this year.

Sofyan told the court that Ahmad had provided him with almost 20,000 bullets and 28 firearms, including four AK-47 assault rifles, 11 M-16 rifles, two M-58 rifles and six revolvers. Sofyan said he earned Rp 28 million ($3,100) from the transactions.

The National Police raided the militant camp in February.

Freedom of religion & worship

Another rally held over issue on illegal religious activities

Jakarta Post - November 13, 2010

Yuli Tri Suwarni, Bandung – Up to 100 residents accompanied by masses from the West Java Islam Reform Movement (Garis) staged a rally at Jiwanaya kampong, Cimenyan district, Bandung regency, on Friday demanding religious activities routinely held in the area stop.

The people gathered after the Friday prayer to warn caretakers of St Melania Church and Alms Foundation, whom they alleged to have conducted religious activities at a building which has illegally been altered into a church.

Ahmad Basir, one of the residents, disclosed that local people were suspicious of a rising number of people flock to the building, which is not licensed as a church.

"We have never given approval for the establishment of a church here, but there are many people asking the address of its location," Ahmad said after joining the rally.

Activists of Garis, who have founded a 10-member team, went to the building, which was established on a 1-hectare plot of land belonging to the church foundation.

They held negotiations with caretakers of the foundation, while other protesters consisting mostly of housewives unfurled protesting banners outside the building's gate. One of the banners read: "Don't ever do apostasy in Jiwanaya", while the other: "Head of St. Melania Foundation Antonius Julistiana has publicly lied and betrayed Jiwanaya Muslims."

The rally was guarded by dozens of officers from the Cimenyan Police and one of them was seen bringing with him a rifle.

Agus Sulaiman, one of the 10-member team, said that in line with the permit issued by the Bandung regental administration on Feb. 24, 2009, the building was designed purely for residential purposes.

"We want to get assurance that the license of the building is not misused," said Agus, adding that there had allegedly local residents were given money when the building was constructed.

Father Rusbani Setiawan of St. Melania Church, who lives at the building, gave clarification that the residents' unrest was baseless. The man, who was popularly known as Romo (Father) Iwan said that he had received a letter consisting of three demands two weeks earlier.

"The three demands consist of one not to alter the building into a church, not to conduct apostasy and alter the function of the building for other purposes," he said.

Romo Iwan said that he fully agreed with the demands because after the construction of the building in 2009, there had been an agreement with the police to continue to be on the legal track.

"If in line with the law the permit is for a residential house that's it... I live here. If there is an indication of misuse, we are open to receive criticism. Feel free to come and check the activities here," he said.

Commenting on alleged apostasy activities through the distribution of cash, Romo Iwan said he knew nothing about it. "I'm a newcomer here. I don't know what is meant by the distribution of cash and during my stay here I never give money to anybody," Romo Iwan said.

Cimenyan Police chief Adj. Comr. Suhari explained that the officers' presence was intended to help ensure a peaceful rally. "We consider the agreement shows a peaceful solution for existing conflict," Suhari said.

Data from the Religious Freedom Advocation and Monitoring Network showed there were 182 human right violations in various regions throughout West Java in the period between 2000 and 2008. Up to 69 of the violation cases dealt with the prohibition of religious rituals and 29 others with the destruction of places of worship.

Ahmadiyah followers threatened again

Jakarta Post - November 13, 2010

Jakarta – Students of the Islamic College of Da'wah (PTDI) renewed Friday their threat to close down the Ahmadiyah sect's Nuruddin Mosque in Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta.

"For security reasons, we leave it to the police," Ahmadiyah national security commission chief Deden Sujana said Friday, as quoted by tempoinetraktif.com, adding that Ahmadiyah followers in Jakarta, Bogor, Tangerang and Bekasi were ready to help.

PTDI students reportedly protested in front of the Nuruddin Mosque following Friday prayers. Police were seen around the mosque after 1 p.m. Last week, tens of PTDI members came, unsuccessfully, to seal the mosque.

Islam & religion

Witnesses defend alleged blasphemer in Lombok

Jakarta Globe - November 15, 2010

Fitri R., Jakarta – Witnesses testifying in the blasphemy trial of an American national on Monday said he would never have insulted Islam, and that the case had been blown out of proportion by "provocateurs."

Gregory Lloyd Luke, 64, is standing trial at the Praya District Court in Central Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara.

Luke was involved in an incident on Aug. 22 in which he is alleged to have stormed into a prayer room, or musholla, near his house in Kuta village, turned down the volume on its speakers and insulted Islam.

The American was then attacked by a mob and his home ransacked. No one has been arrested for the attack on Luke or his house, which caused an estimated Rp 200 million ($22,500) in damages.

On Monday, Luke's adopted son, Lalu Sungkul, told the court that his father would never have insulted Islam.

"He's a Muslim and he'd never blaspheme or stomp all over the Koran like they allege," he said. "What happened was that there was a provocateur at the scene who claimed he did that, and that's what riled up the mob."

Lalu said that shortly after the incident at the prayer room and the ransacking of Luke's home, residents had met with officials from the Central Lombok administration, the local police and the military and promised to drop the case if Luke agreed to build them a new musholla.

"The signed agreement is currently being held by the Central Lombok Police chief," he said. "The point is, the residents have all agreed to drop the case on that condition, if Luke agrees."

The other witness who testified on Monday was Fitriani, the younger sister of Luke's former wife, Nafsanah. She said she had never known Luke to be a violent or angry person, and added that she had been surprised to hear that he had been caught up in a criminal case of blasphemy.

For as long as he has lived in Kuta village, she said, Luke has always been a model Muslim. "I often saw him praying throughout the day, and every Friday he'd attend prayers at the mosque with the other men," she said. "So it's highly unlikely he would ever have insulted Islam the way they say he did."

She also told the court that Luke had been actively involved in philanthropic activities in the village, including handing out alms to the poor every Idul Fitri. Fitriani said Luke had also paid for her education as well as child support to his ex-wife.

Monday's hearing was the fourth in the trial, which resumes next week. Luke faces three counts of blasphemy and disorderly conduct. If convicted on all three counts, he could face a maximum of five years in prison. He has strenuously denied the charges, saying he was assaulted without ever having set foot in the musholla.

An acquaintance had previously testified that Luke's grasp of Indonesian was too poor to have made the offensive remarks attributed to him by villagers.

Poverty & unemployment

Poverty forces millions live in risk

Jakarta Post - November 9, 2010

Adianto P. Simamora, Jakarta – The odor of mud from a recent flood suffocates the air in Endang's home on the riverbank, where she and her four children have lived for 10 years.

Over the years, the family living by Ciliwung riverbank in East Jakarta have grown accustomed to floods and their unpleasant aftermath because they have little choice; Endang said her domestic worker's income prevented her from living elsewhere. "My situation has forced me to live here," she said.

When the flood reaches 3 meters high, the family build a tent on a nearby, dry sidewalk for shelter.

Millions of families in Indonesia are reported to live on riverbanks and around coastal areas, which are susceptible to frequent floods. A recent study by the Singapore-based Economy and Environment Program for Southeast Asia (EEPSEA) showed that many households lack the financial resources to carry out adaptation measures.

The study looked at a case of adaptive measures of residents in coastal Muara Baru, North Jakarta, where residents were often besieged by tidal floods from the rising river. It found that the government's response to disaster relief was limited, failing to promote preventive programs to avert flood disasters.

The 2010 study covered five countries: Indonesia, China, Vietnam, the Philippines and Thailand.

Lead researcher Armi Susandi from Bandung Technology Institute said that poverty played a large role in the low adaptive capacity of communities in Muara Baru.

Poverty also contributed to the neglect of communities; the disadvantaged were provided with little support and resources to cope with the recurring floods, he went on. The study found that most people were also reluctant to move because they believed it would be difficult to secure another job elsewhere.

"Most populations prone to floods are not prepared for [them]. This happens in all provinces in Indonesia," he said.

Sixty percent of disasters in Indonesia are water related such as flooding. Seventy percent of cities in Indonesia and 80 percent of industrial areas are located along the coastal areas making them vulnerable to the floods due to the rising sea level.

The EEPSEA study proposed several adaptation measures such as building a community shelter, relocating communities at risk to safer places and providing emergency-response equipment such as lifebuoys, life vests, medical kits and medicine.

Jakarta & urban life

Council weighs odd idea to overcome Jakarta's traffic problems

Jakarta Globe - November 12, 2010

Dofa Fasila, Zaky Pawas & Ulma Haryanto, Jakarta – Jakarta's city councilors are considering revising a traffic bylaw to restrict the use of private vehicles on certain days depending on whether the vehicle's license plates end in odd or even numbers.

"A team of transportation experts and councilors are evaluating the worth of this odd-even scheme and whether it would actually help curb traffic in Jakarta," Triwisaksana, deputy speaker of the City Council, said on Tuesday.

"If so, the restriction will be included as a revision to the 2003 bylaw on traffic." "There is a good possibility that the revised bill will be passed in 2011. We hope to include the odd-and-even system as one of the articles," Triwisaksana said.

He also said that the revised bylaw is planned to be more in line with the recently-ratified 2009 Traffic and Road Vehicles Law. If the article is included in the revised bill, private vehicles in the city will be restricted based upon the last digits of the vehicle's license place. Similar regulations have already been applied in Bogota, Manila and Beijing

With about 1.5 million vehicles in Jakarta squeezed onto roads that can only handle about a million, according to 2009 estimates by traffic experts, the result is a traffic nightmare consisting mostly of private vehicles – public transportation makes up only about 8 percent of all vehicles in the city.

Tri Tjahjono of the Indonesian Transportation Society (MTI) in Jakarta doesn't think the plan is feasible.

"You know what Indonesians would do? They would make fake license plates with different numbers so that they can drive their cars everyday. People's mobility cannot be restricted," he said.

"If people are not allowed to use their cars, then the question is, can our public transport system accommodate the 50 percent of commuters who cannot use their cars on that day?"

Fransiscus Alip, 35, a consultant that works on Jalan Sudirman, said the regulation would effectively discriminate against lower-class families who only have one car, while those that own two or more cars would be mostly unaffected.

"The question is, have [policy makers] calculated the number of families that would be affected? Office workers would probably resort to taxis. And if so, how can they make sure that taxi companies will not just increase their fleets to accommodate the increasing demand? Will the roads become full of taxis?" he asked.

Firdila Sari, 25, a bank employee who also works on Sudirman, called the odd-even scheme "super silly". "You can't restrict people from using their cars without providing a proper substitute, such as comfortable public transport," she said.

Sr. Comr. Royke Lumua, director of the Jakarta Police Traffic Directorate, said he endorsed the odd-even scheme, saying it would be more effective and easier to implement than the proposed Electronic Road Pricing system, as well as the 3-in-1 system. "ERP might be effective, but it requires more intensive socialization. We also have to produce ERP censors for each car," he said.

The ERP system is expected to help ease congestion in the capital by levying a fee on drivers each time they enter certain streets during peak hours.

The 3-in-1 system, which requires cars to be occupied by at least three occupants while driving on certain streets during rush hour, has been deemed by many as ineffective due to the proliferation of passengers for hire, known as jockeys

"For the license plate restriction to work, we are going to need more officers on the road. It's a matter of intensive and continual monitoring, looking at cars' license plate numbers one by one. Meanwhile there are a lot of cars on Jakarta's roads. So it's a bit impossible to do with our current numbers," Royke said.

He added that chronic traffic congestion in the city was also caused by public buildings with access to main roads. In the future, new buildings will have to pay attention to the traffic impact analysis, he said. "Their entrance or exit should not disturb traffic passing the building."

Police & law enforcement

Law enforcement is 'a mess': Patrialis

Jakarta Post - November 11, 2010

Serang – Justice and Human Rights Minister Patrialis Akbar said coordination between law enforcement institutions such as the Supreme Court, prosecutors, the National Police and his ministry – is a mess.

He said each institution must tear down walls and work together to treat people fairly. Coordination was important to reduce the severe punishments sometimes levied on petty criminals. "There has to be a paradigm shift so law can be enforced without violating human rights," Patrialis said as quoted by tempointeraktif.com.

There have been several cases where elderly people in villages were sentenced to months of imprisonment for small thefts, such as four cacao beans.

Criminal justice & prison system

Hopes raised for prison system reform

Jakarta Post - November 15, 2010

Bagus BT Saragih, Jakarta – Graft suspect Gayus Tambunan's illicit jaunts away from his detention cell have drawn fierce criticism of the country's prison system, and new hopes of credible reform.

"Thanks Gayus – he is so prominent that the media has widely publicized the corruption in detention centers," Indonesia Police Watch member Johnson Pandjaitan said.

Gayus, standing trial for allegedly bribing police detectives and a judge, has been named suspect for bribing wardens to allow him to leave a police detention center in Kelapa Dua, Depok, West Java.

He allegedly paid Rp 368 million (US$41,220) to bribe warden Comr. Iwan Siswanto and his eight subordinates to be allowed out of detention at least once a week.

His "vacations" stole news headlines early this month after a photograph surfaced of a man resembling Gayus watching a tennis tournament in Bali. The police could not confirm whether the man in the photograph was Gayus, but they did reveal that Gayus was not in his cell on the day of the tennis match.

A police detainee who requested anonymity recently told The Jakarta Post that many wardens had prices for certain "services". Access to a cell phone, for example, would set back a detainee from Rp 100,000 to Rp 5 million, depending on how long the phone would be used, the detainee said. Leaving prison, however, would cost not only a lot more money but required a connection with a top official, the source said.

Following Gayus' case, several stories of alleged illegal treatments enjoyed by inmates have surfaced.

Graft convict Hamka Yandhu, a former legislator, was seen in Makassar, South Sulawesi, last week, when he was supposed to be serving his prison sentence at Salemba Penitentiary in Jakarta. Hamka admitted he had left prison, saying he had secured a permit to attend a ceremony to commemorate the 40th day of his mother's death in Bone, South Sulawesi.

Another source from the National Police said that convicted case broker Sjahril Djohan had also enjoyed special treatment from his guards. "Sjahril can leave his cell anytime he wants. And the so-called cell is actually an office room equipped with facilities," the source said.

Responding to the allegations, National Police chief Gen. Timur Pradopo said he would lead a reform of detention centers under his authority. Critics were quick to point out that Timur was not the first to pledge such action.

Johnson said there had been little change in the nation's prison institution since the presidential Judiciary Mafia Taskforce discovered that bribery convict and businesswoman Artalyta Suryani was doing time in luxurious quarters at Pondok Bambu Penitentiary in East Jakarta. Since the finding, officials from the Justice and Human Rights Ministry have made pledges to reform the system.

Presidential Judiciary Mafia Taskforce member Denny Indrayana said eradicating bribery would be difficult as long as wardens were underpaid.

The spokesman for Justice and Human Rights Ministry's directorate general for penitentiaries, Chandran Lestyono, said that low-ranking wardens' salaries ranged from Rp 2.5 million to Rp 4 million a month.

Chandran said low salaries did not excuse corruption. "Anybody found to be committing illegal practices must face serious punishment," he said.

Chandran said inmates were allowed to leave prison under certain circumstances, such as to visit a family member who had died or was critically ill.

Economy & investment

Krakatau's questionable IPO could mar new state debuts

Jakarta Globe - November 11, 2010

Faisal Maliki Baskoro & Nariswari Dita Yudianti, Jakarta – Speculation that Krakatau Steel's initial public offering price was kept artificially low to benefit connected investors may cast a shadow over future share sales by state-owned companies, the markets regulator said on Thursday.

"I am worried that the controversy surrounding Krakatau's IPO might turn off future investors who want to invest in state enterprises' shares," said Fuad Rachmany, chairman of the Capital Market and Financial Institutions Supervisory Board (Bapepam-LK).

He was especially concerned about the upcoming rights issues of state lenders Bank Negara Indonesia and Bank Mandiri after concerns over the IPO pricing prompted foreigners to dump their Krakatau stock on its trading debut on Wednesday.

Foreign investors sold Rp 400 billion ($45 million) of the steel maker's shares on Wednesday on concerns that the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) would probe the IPO.

Lawmakers called for an investigation after the listing price was set at Rp 850, on the low end of the Rp 800 to Rp 1,150 range, despite the fact that the stock sale was oversubscribed by nine times.

Local investors eagerly snapped up the discarded shares, driving Krakatau up 49.4 percent to close at Rp 1,270.

Analysts said the stellar first day of trade was proof positive that the IPO share price was too low. The sale still managed to reach the state target of Rp 2.7 trillion.

Mustafa Abubakar, the state enterprises minister, said that Krakatau may have actually paved the way for more state companies to sell shares.

"I am happy to see that Krakatau's IPO went smoothly and that its share price is going up. However, I think that the increase is still within normal levels," he said. "I am hoping that Krakatau's strong trading debut will set a good precedent for BNI's and Bank Mandiri's right issues."

He also argued that the IPO price was a true reflection of Krakatau's value. "It had been set based on the underwriters' research," he said. "Recent media reports and analysts saying the shares were too cheap only helped boost Krakatau's debut. Personally, I say that it's not too cheap, it's proper."

Before the IPO, Mustafa had said the government planned to price the shares at Rp 1,000. He also denied that foreigners dumped the shares because of the pricing concerns.

"I saw a share debut in which foreign investors were engaged in heavy selling simply because they had already gained so much in the first day." Ito Warsito, president director of the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX), said the controversy was reminiscent of state-owned Perusahaan Gas Negara's IPO in 2006.

"Many investors [at that time] were called by the attorney general... because there were suspicions that the share sale had caused a state loss," he said.

Lawmakers questioned the PGN offering, saying the share price was set too low to meet the state's Rp 3 trillion target.

The State Enterprises Ministry priced the shares at Rp 11,350 each, a figure analysts said did not reflect the company's value. The sale yielded a disappointing Rp 2.1 trillion.

The ministry and underwriters Danareksa and Bahana Securities were alleged to have collaborated on an insider trading scheme, allowing some investors to realize "back-door profit" in the PGN shares.

Mohammad Alfatih, an analyst from Samuel Sekuritas Indonesia, said BNI's and Mandiri's rights issues were unlikely to be affected by the pricing allegations as long as they followed proper procedures.

BNI is looking to sell 3.37 million new shares in December, about 16 percent of its total enlarged capital, and expects to raise Rp 7-10 trillion. Mandiri hopes to raise as much as Rp 14 trillion from its February issue, selling 10 percent of its enlarged equity.

Finance & banking

Indonesia raises Rp485 trillion in tax revenue

Jakarta Post - November 11, 2010

Jakarta – The Directorate General of Taxation announced that income revenue as of Oct 31 reached Rp 485.1 trillion (US$54.8 billion), a 13 percent increase from the same period last year.

"The taxation revenue has attained 73.3 percent of the target in the 2010 revised state budget," Directorate General of Taxation M Iqbal Alamsyah said in a statement published Thursday. He said the government targeted to reap a total of Rp 661.5 trillion from taxes this year.

He said the government raised Rp 442.9 trillion from non-oil-and-gas income tax. "Non- oil and-gas- income tax has grown 14 percent as of October. It just netted Rp 385.8 trillion in the same period of last year," Iqbal said.

Based on the recent data, non-oil-and-gas income tax comprised Rp 240.6 trillion from value added tax, Rp 171.5 trillion from luxury tax, Rp 27.9 trillion from land and building acquisition tax and urban and rural land and building tax and Rp 2.8 trillion from other taxes.

Analysis & opinion

Travesty of justice in Papua

Jakarta Post Editorial - November 15, 2010

The seven-month imprisonment given to a junior Army officer in Papua, who was shown on YouTube leading the torture of Papuan civilians, defies the sense of justice of any decent and sane person. It's a case of the punishment not fitting the crime. But did the Military Court in Jayapura ever consider the torture, in plain view of all who have seen the video, a criminal act?

Second Lt. Cosmos was found guilty of defying a superior order when he allowed his men to torture civilians suspected of supporting the Papuan separatist movement. His three men each received five month terms for breaching the military code of conduct. The court also found Cosmos guilty of tarnishing the reputation of the Indonesian Military (TNI). Where is the crime in all of this here? Apparently nowhere.

We learned that the evidence presented in court was not the same video that shocked the world, but instead a different video was shown where the torture was reportedly milder.

One might have been tempted to congratulate the court for handing down heavier punishments than those demanded by the prosecutors. But five to seven months imprisonment is a joke, except that it is not funny.

This charade in the military court gives us a sense of dej'vu. This was how the military dealt with cases of abuse and human rights violations during the Soeharto years. Back then, a case went to a military court and the verdict was either breach of conduct or a violation of procedure. Earlier plans to bring cases like this to a civilian court on criminal charges never materialized – because the issue remains in a deadlock within the House of Representatives.

But the TNI is wrong if it thinks it can get away with this just as it did during the Soeharto years. Times have changed and the military should follow suit, whether in Jakarta, Java, or in Papua. The military court is correct in suggesting cases like this tarnish the TNI's image. What it failed to see is that it also tarnishes the reputations of the government, of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, and of the entire nation.

Indonesia cannot claim to be a democracy if military impunity remains the order of the day, especially for clear cut cases of torture. Indonesia should go back to the drawing board on political and military reforms.