Jayapura, Jubi – Human right activist said the apology conveyed by Cenderawasih XVII Regional Military Commander in the 70th Anniversary of Indonesian Military on Monday (5/10/2015) should be followed up in real action not only the pseudo words.

"Papuans do not simply accept this apology. Go ahead to do that but the Papuans need more," Peneas Lokbere, the Coordinator of the Victim of Papua Human Right Violation Solidarity in Abepura on Tuesday (6/10/2015).

Lokbere said the Papuans today prefer the real action. At first, the security institutions in Papua, through both Military Regional Commander and Papua Police Chief must conduct official evaluation on security situation in Papua.

The evaluation is urgent due to the increasingly cases of shooting against civilians in Papua. All these cases must be revealed in order to protect the people.

Secondly, the Papuans want the Military and Police to change their approach method towards the people. People want the Military and Police to respect on human rights and not act repressive.

Thirdly, the Military Regional Commander and Papua Police Chief to announce the result of investigation over Paniai case. Papuans are mostly waiting for this than an apology that would not heal the Papuans' hurt feeling.

Meanwhile, the Secretary General of Papua Central Highland Student Association in Indonesia (AMPTPI), Yanuarius Lagowan, said the Military Regional Commander should not only apology but also provide justice to the victims.

Lagowan said the Military Regional Commander already knew the personnel who did the brutal action against Papuans. Therefore, the naughty personnel must be punished.

"The apology is not enough. If the Commander has already knew about misleading action among his personnel, it should be revealed and prosecuted, therefore those who experienced violence by military could get the justice," he said. (Mawel Benny/rom)

Source: http://tabloidjubi.com/en/2015/10/07/apology-is-just-not-enough-people-need-real-action-says-papua-activist/

Military chief skirts questions on task force plans

Tabloid JUBI - October 7, 2015

Jayapura, Jubi – Papua Military Chief Maj General Hinsa Siburian declined to disclose details on proposal to form of a task force on peace in Papua by the State Intelligence Agency (BIN).

"What I heard the word 'peace' it is so obvious that we TNI want to create peace in Papua by inviting all parties to respect indigenous peoples rights," said Siburian said on Tuesday 06/10/2015.

He emphasized that all parties and communities in Papua to appreciate the people of Papua and continue to create peace in Papua.

Students in Papua have strongly rejected BIN's task force plans consisting of elements of the Regional BIN, police and Special Task Force Command.

"Papuan Students strongly rejected the formation of the task force," said Pontius Omoldoman, Chairman of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPM) at Cendrawasih University in Abepura, Jayapura, Papua, on Tuesday (29/09/2015).

He further said the formation of the task force is just to hide some cases on human rights violations who have never completed accordingly.

He said the task force is also potentially create new case of human rights violations in Papua. "It is not in accordance with Papua situation today because the number of human right abuses cases increasingly grow up. While, the military apparatus Indonesia is only capable of throwing stones to hide the hand, "he said.

He said, it is good that the government will work to complete the previous cases "Prosecute the perpetrators is a wise action and formation of Papua Peace task force is not the right choice for the people of Papua at this time, "he said. (Eveerth/Tina)

Source: http://tabloidjubi.com/en/2015/10/07/military-chief-skirts-questions-on-task-force-plans/

Sogavare urges UN to address West Papua

Solomon Star News - October 4, 2015

Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare has called on the Geneva-based United Nations Human Rights Council to do more in investigating and monitoring allegations of human rights abuse and violations in the Papua and West Papua regions of Indonesia.

Sogavare made the call in New York Thursday in his address at the 70th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.

"All states have a legal duty and moral responsibility to uphold, respect and promote human rights and where necessary take preventive, protective and punitive measures against human rights abuses or violations in accordance with the UN Charter and applicable international laws," Sogavare said.

"Against the foregoing backdrop, the General Assembly is well aware of the continuing concerns of human rights violations in the Papua and West Papua regions of Indonesia and Solomon Islands further calls on the Geneva based Human Rights Council to do more in investigating and monitoring of allegations of human rights abuse and violence on the ethnic Melanesians there.

"We (Solomon Islands) would like this issue attended to in a timely manner," he added.

Prime Minister Sogavare said Solomon Islands together with the Pacific Islands Forum are seeking genuine dialogue and cooperation with Indonesia to resolve and dissolve the reported allegations of human rights violations.

He said the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders in their recent 'Leaders Summit' in Port Moresby approved the deployment of a fact finding Mission to West Papua to establish the alleged abuse of human rights there.

He said the summit resolved to appeal to the Government of Indonesia to allow free and unrestricted access to this mission 'in the true spirit of regional cooperation.'

Prime Minister Sogavare added that, "In the long term however, the United Nations cannot shy away from the root causes of these violations."

Source: http://www.solomonstarnews.com/news/national/8589-sogavare-urges-un-to-address-west-papua

Police officers shot by air force troops in Papua

Jakarta Globe - October 2, 2015

Banjir Ambarita, Jayapura, Papua – Indonesian Air Force personnel in the early hours of Friday accidentally shot two police officers at Jayapura's Sentani Airport while trying to disband a group of intruders.

Papua Police Chief Insp. Gen. Paulus Waterpauw said the incident happened at around 2.30 a.m. local time, when a group of people, reportedly under the influence of alcohol, was found damaging facilities at the airport.

The two police officers arrived to intervene, but then suddenly members of the Air Force's Special Forces unit (Paskhas) opened fire, injuring the police officers.

First Brig. Riqzan and First Brig. Wahidin, who were wearing their uniforms, had reportedly tried to let the Air Force troops know they were police officers, but to no avail.

Riqzan was shot in his left thigh while Wahidin was shot in the back of his head. Both men survived the shooting, and were taken to the police hospital in Jayapura, Paulus said.

"The Paskhas [troops] saw the incident and they tried to stop it. It was very dark because it was late at night. We only found out that police officers were shot when it was over," the commander of the Jayapura Air Base at Sentani Airport, Col. Purwoko Aji, said on Friday.

In a press conference on Friday, police chief Paulus confirmed that the shooting was an accident and that he would leave the investigation to the Air Force.

The Indonesian Military (TNI) and the police have in recent years had a series of violent – and sometimes deadly – confrontations in various parts of the country, often as part of turf wars.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/police-officers-shot-air-force-troops-papua/

There is no justification for senseless murders like in Timika

Tabloid JUBI - October 1, 2015

Jayapura, Jubi – The Australia West Papua Association (AWPA) condemns the shooting of two high school students in Timika on Monday the 28 September by the Indonesian security forces. The incident occurred around 19.30hrs on Monday (28/9/2015)

Caleb Bagau aged 18 died while his friend Efrando Sabarofek aged 17 was wounded in the chest and legs. He is receiving treatment at the General Hospital in Mimika, Papua. The family, local community and religious leaders have condemned the shootings.

At approximately 19.00hrs while the students were sitting in a market culvert with their school friends, dozens of police officers armed with weapons and cars surrounded the area.

Because they were afraid the two students ran however the police shot in their direction killing Caleb Bagau and wounding Elfrando who was shot in the chest and leg. One report said the reason the police arrived was that it was because the students were reported for making a noise. Another report indicated they were pursued by the police because their fathers are reported to be members of the OPM.

Joe Collins of AWPA said "The shooting of the two students by the security forces shows yet again that the Indonesian security forces can act with impunity in West Papua. AWPA believes that the Indonesian President should ensure that not only is this incident investigated but that all cases of human rights violations committed by the security forces in West Papua are investigated and those found guilty of human rights abuses prosecuted".

Minority Rights Group International (MRG) urged Indonesia's Government to conduct an investigation for this shooting. MRG, as quoted by rappler.com said perpetrators must be held accountable.

"There is no justification for these senseless murders and the Indonesian government must urgently establish an independent inquiry to hold perpetrators to account," said Claire Thomas, Deputy Director at MRG.

"Extrajudicial killings in West Papua have reached unacceptable proportions, with the indigenous population living in daily fear of security forces and for their lives."

MRG added, "This week's shooting resurrects concerns about extrajudicial killings and impunity in the conflict-torn region, despite a pledge by Indonesian President Joko Widodo to address human rights concerns in West Papua."

"It is not enough for President Joko Widodo to make bold promises about promoting human rights in Papua unless it is followed up with concrete action," said Thomas. "This must include addressing the underlying causes of violence and insecurity in West Papua, including endemic impunity for state-sponsored violence and the disregard for minority and indigenous rights."

The police chief, Inspector General (Pol) Paul Waterpauw apologised and admitted the incident but tried to claim the shooting was in self-defense. But the Families of the students rejected the apology from the Chief of Police Papua, Inspector General (Pol) Paul Waterpauw. (Victor Mambor)

Source: http://tabloidjubi.com/en/2015/10/01/there-is-no-justification-for-senseless-murders-like-in-timika/

Tonga's PM highlights Papua issue at UN

Radio New Zealand International - October 1, 2015

Taking centre stage at the United Nations General Assembly, the Tongan Prime Minister has urged the world to take action on the human rights situation in Indonesia's West Papua region.

Elements of the ethnic Melanesian population in West Papua are struggling for independence. But Indonesia's reaction to their push for autonomy has sparked international concern about human rights abuses by military forces.

Tonga's Prime Minister Akilisi Pohiva told the UN general assembly that the world community has a moral obligation to get involved. "United Nations has a duty to closely follow up this West Papua case and necessary action be taken to stop these brutal and inhumane activities."

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/285742/tonga's-pm-highlights-papua-issue-at-un

Aceh

Police urged to release women accused of being lesbians

Jakarta Post - October 4, 2015

Jakarta – An international rights group has called on authorities in Aceh to immediately release unconditionally two women arrested on suspicion of being lesbians.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Saturday that the arrests, made under an Islamic bylaw, was contrary to the rights to non-discrimination and fundamental freedoms under the Indonesian Constitution and international human rights law.

"The arrest of two women in Aceh for everyday behaviour is an outrageous abuse of police power that should be considered a threat to all Indonesians," HRW's director for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights program, Graeme Reid, said in a statement on Saturday.

"The Indonesian government needs to press Aceh to repeal its discriminatory new bylaws."

HRW was responding to a Sept. 28 incident in which the sharia police arrested two women, identified only as AS, 18, and N, 19, after they saw them hugging in public in Banda Aceh. A police officer told reporters that it was "suspected the women were lesbians", the group said.

Citing sources in Aceh, HRW said the two women remained in police custody, where officers were pressuring them to contact their families so that they could be released into their custody.

HRW said lesbianism and sodomy, two offenses prohibited by Aceh's criminal code, which went into effect in September 2014, did not exist in Indonesia's criminal code.

"The Acehnese bylaws extend sharia, or Islamic law, to non-Muslims, and the criminal code permits punishments of 100 lashes and 100 months in prison for consensual same-sex sex acts," it said.

HRW said Aceh's provincial legislature should repeal the discriminatory bylaws and in the meantime, Aceh governor Zaini Abdullah should stop the province's sharia police from arresting and detaining people suspected of "crimes" such as consensual same-sex relations.

The Aceh Legislative Council's (DPRD) legislative body head, Iskandar Usman Al-Farlaky, said the qanun jinayat (Islamic behavior-governing bylaw) in Aceh did not contradict the Criminal Law Procedures Code (KUHAP).

"It's totally wrong to say that the qanun jinayat contradicts KUHAP. This bylaw has been discussed and there was no contradiction found in the law so this qanun was considered legal and could be implemented," he said as quoted by Antara news agency.

Iskandar was speaking in response to initiatives by several NGOs in Jakarta to file a judicial review against Qanun Aceh No. 6/2014 on qanun jinayat.

He said a qanun was a regional regulation aimed at regulating the Aceh government and people's lives, as mandated by Article 1 (21) of Law No. 11/2006 on the Aceh administration (UUPA). The creation of the qanun also referred to requirements stipulated in Law No.12/2011 on the creation of laws.

Iskandar said although it was passed by the DPRD Aceh in October 2014, the qanun jinayat took effect in October 2015 to give more time for the Aceh administration to prepare its implementation.

Iskandar acknowledged that the qanun jinayat had drawn sharp criticism, particularly from civil society groups in Aceh. The criticism mostly mentioned fears that the bylaw had the potential to be used discriminately against minority groups.

"It's just an opinion purportedly spread by parties that don't want to see Islamic laws implemented in Aceh. If they want to confront Islamic laws with issues related to gay and lesbian groups, there will likely be a sharp difference in opinion," said Iskandar. (ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/04/police-urged-release-women-accused-being-lesbians.html

2 suspected lesbians in Indonesia to undergo rehabilitation

Jakarta Post - October 3, 2015

Banda Aceh – Islamic Shariah police in Indonesia's devout Aceh province say two suspected lesbians apprehended this past week in a tourist resort will undergo rehabilitation instead of being charged with a crime.

The law enforcement chief of the Shariah police, Evendi A. Latief, said Saturday that the two women confessed to being lesbians, and were transferred to the Aceh police's Women and Child Protection Unit.

The women, 18 and 19 years old, were detained Monday night in the province's capital, Banda Aceh.

Indonesia's central government granted Aceh, the most devout province in the Muslim-majority nation, the right to implement a version of Islamic Shariah law in 2006 as part of a peace deal to end a separatist war. (k)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/03/2-suspected-lesbians-indonesia-undergo-rehabilitation.html

Two alleged lesbians arrested in Aceh

Jakarta Post - October 1, 2015

Banda Aceh – The Wilayatul Hisbah (Sharia Police) have apprehended two young women for allegedly being a lesbian couple after the two were seen sitting and hugging in a public space in the capital city of Aceh province.

The Sharia Police's legislation and Islamic law execution division head Evendi A. Latief said the women, identified as AS, 18, from Makassar and N, 19, from Banda Aceh, were arrested when the police were patrolling in the Ulee Lheue area of Banda Aceh on Monday.

"They were sitting and hugging. We suspected that they were lesbians," Evendi said on Tuesday, adding that the two were still currently detained at a Sharia Police station. He said the police had been trying to contact the women's parents but were as yet unsuccessful.

Meanwhile, AS rejected the accusation that she was a lesbian, saying that she was on vacation in Aceh and planned to go to Sabang, but beforehand she had decided to first meet with her friend, N. "I want to go to Sabang. I met my friend first, N. N knows my father [too]," AS said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/01/island-focus-two-alleged-lesbians-arrested-aceh.html

1965 mass killings

Palu government to apologies to families of 1965 killings

Tempo.co - October 4, 2015

Riky Ferdianto, Jakarta – The Palu municipal government in Central Sulawesi will issue an official apology to families of the victims of the 1965 mass killings. The move is being taken to resolve the process of reconciliation for families of victims.

"This nation needs to learn to acknowledge past mistakes", said Palu mayor Rusdy Mastura when he attended a launch of the book "Sulawesi Bears Witness" at the Goethe Institute in Jakarta on the evening of Thursday October 3.

Mastura stated that the apology will be officially issued on October 28 through a municipal regulation. Creating such a legal basis is necessary in order to restore the rights of the families of the victims based on the authority of the regional government.

"We don't need to wait for the central government to take a position. As mayor I think there's nothing wrong in issuing such a regulation", he said.

Mastura conceded that the decision will not be rather unpopular in the eyes of some sections of the community and several social groups and political parties have even made an issue over the decision.

This reaction however can be gradually resolved through a dialog which has a vision of the future. "We'll only be marking time if there are still frictions with what occurred in the past", he said.

The chairperson of the group Solidarity for the Victims of Human Rights Violations, Nurlaela Lamasoitudju, believes that that the decision is a step forward.

From the results of their monitoring in Palu city and the regencies of Sigi, Donggala and Parigi Moutong, there are at least 1,210 victims who to this day are still haunted by traumatic experiences.

They are the families of victims who were accused of being involved with the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI). In 1965 their property was seized and their social and political rights revoked. "The families of the victims hope for only one thing, an acknowledgement and apology", she said.

[Translated by James Balowski for the Indoleft News Service. The original title of the report was "Palu Meminta Maaf kepada Keluarga Korban 1965".]

Source: http://nasional.tempo.co/read/news/2013/10/04/078519105/palu-meminta-maaf-kepada-keluarga-korban-1965

US senator wants key information on PKI purge declassified

Jakarta Post - October 3, 2015

Tama Salim and Fedina S. Sundaryani, Jakarta – On the 50th anniversary of the 1965 communist purge, US Senator Tom Udall has reintroduced a resolution that would bring attention the murder of up to 1 million people, which he deemed as one of the worst atrocities of the 20th century.

Udall's resolution, which he first introduced last year, urges President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's government to create a truth and reconciliation commission to address the tragedy. It also calls on the US government to establish an interagency working group and to release relevant classified documents.

"Beginning on Oct. 1, 1965, in Indonesia, between 50 thousand and 1 million individuals – many of them civilians – were killed by and with the support of the Indonesian government. Many more were imprisoned without due process of law, making this one of the worst mass atrocities in the history of Indonesia," said Udall, a member of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, in a statement on Friday.

Acknowledging that the US government had maintained military and financial support for the Indonesian government during that period, Udall said that both countries must work together to resolve that chapter of history by declassifying information and officially recognizing the atrocities that occurred.

"The United States should stand in favor of continued democratic progress for our vital ally Indonesia and allow these historical documents to be disclosed," Udall continued. "Only by recognizing the past can we continue to work to improve human rights across the globe."

Responding to Udall's statement, National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) member Muhammad Nurkhoiron said that such a bold statement could help speed up the process of reconciliation and contribute to the dissemination of knowledge about events surrounding the 1965 turmoil.

Nurkhoiron said the declassification of documents would give momentum and reinforce the commission's previous efforts for reconciliation. "If the old documents are opened up to the public, we will have alternative sources of information that will open our eyes to the importance of resolving the 1965 problem," he said on Friday.

"The international community has played an important role in this; now Indonesia will have to be responsive to the issue, whether we like it or not," he said.

Nurkhoiron claimed that the Komnas HAM commissioner had also said that the disclosure of new information about the atrocities would allow room for fresh debate not dominated by a sense of resentment.

He said that there was hope that the government would implement a scheme similar to the Freedom of Information Act in the US, or that state documents would be declassified after a certain period of time in order to uncover the truth behind past human rights violations.

Meanwhile, Attorney General M. Prasetyo has continued to insist that the government would never deliver an apology to victims and families of those who died in the communist purge.

"Nobody ever said that the President would apologize, but that we would express our regret that such an incident [...] had occurred," he said at the Attorney General's Office (AGO) in South Jakarta, on Friday.

Prasetyo said it was extremely difficult to discern who was truly at fault for the 1965 communist purge as it had been a chaotic period.

"It was chaos at the time [...] Everyone says they are right and that the other party is wrong, but [who's to say] which is right and which is wrong? We [will say] that we regret and lament that the incident occurred, so that similar things won't occur again. There won't be any apologies," he said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/03/us-senator-wants-key-information-pki-purge-declassified.html

Australian journalist Frank Palmos: First witness to 1965 massacre

Sydney Morning Herald - October 2, 2015

Jewel Topsfield, Jakarta – Australian journalist Frank Palmos was one of the first foreigners in the world to witness the scale of the communist purge that started in Indonesia this month 50 years ago.

In a chilling account in The Sun News-Pictorial, then Melbourne's largest newspaper, Dr Palmos put the number who died at "more than one million".

"Once the killing started the youths were uncontrollable... Beheading was the most common form of killing, but for large scale executions shooting was normal."

Dr Palmos was a rarity in the foreign press corp: he spoke fluent Indonesian and a reasonable amount of Javanese and Sundanese which gave him access to the countryside to which his desk-bound colleagues in Jakarta could only dream.

"(Canadian Broadcasting Corporation journalist) Don North and I were the first by far to go into Western and Central Java and see what was going on," Dr Palmos, now 75, recalls from his Perth home.

Dr Palmos initially estimated the dead at about 500,000 but calculated it was closer to a million (figures still used today) after being shocked at the extent of the bloodshed in Bali.

"They went on a rampage and tossed thousands off cliffs off Singaraja. Every time I went back I found there was more and more dead."

Dr Palmos' detailed report 'So Indonesia counts its dead' was one of the few times the mass killing of suspected communists was mentioned in the Australian mass media in the year after the 1965 coup, according to University of Melbourne honorary professor Richard Tanter.

"Despite the power and gravity of Palmos'... report there were no follow- ups, no commentaries and no editorials," Professor Tanter wrote in the book '1965: Indonesia and the World'.

The extent to which newspapers and foreign governments were complicit in downplaying the slaughter because they supported the overthrow of communism was explored in the 2001 documentary 'Shadow Play'.

"I reported many interviews of catastrophic occurrences but a lot of them didn't see the light of day in newspapers," Dr Palmos said in the documentary.

Richard Woolcott, then public affairs officer for the Australian Department of External Affairs wrote in a 1965 memo: "We are now in a position to influence the content of leaders in practically all major metropolitan newspapers".

Cables reveal the Australian ambassador at the time Keith "Mick" Shann had recommended Radio Australia adopt a set of requests passed on to him from the Indonesian army, including that their coverage not focus too much on the army.

Dr Palmos said the ambassador never tried to influence his own reports. "Mick would never have tried that on me. No one in the Australian Embassy knew as much as I did. Mick needed me as much as I needed Mick," he said.

Dr Palmos believes it is important to put the time in context. He said Jakarta in 1965 was "pregnant with danger". "It is hard to exaggerate the dangers for Europeans," he said. The PKI made gruesome signboards depicting foreigners being bayoneted. China and the PKI were urging President Sukarno to allow workers and peasants to carry arms and become a fifth force. "It was a very tense time... it was very violent. Civil war was certain."

Dr Palmos believes Australia was justified in supporting Suharto at the time. "We were all so relieved, not so much that it was Suharto, but that it was a change. Indonesia was going to hell in a handcart, it was just such an awful place."

But as Dr Palmos began to make forays into the country – first into east and central Java in October and November 1965 and then Surabaya in early 1966, he realised the extent of the carnage. "A lot of people turned on the PKI and PKI followers... these followers didn't deserve to die," he said.

Monash University research assistant Marlene Millott, who wrote her Masters thesis on Australia's role in the 1965-66 atrocities, says the biggest role Australia played in the massacres was through broadcasting and supporting Indonesian army propaganda.

"Australia's actions as an accomplice to the killings should not be exaggerated," she writes. "The massacres of the PKI took part in a backdrop of years of tension between the Army and the PKI, in a complex internal political environment that would have seen the killings take place regardless of any role Australia might have played."

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/world/australian-journalist-frank-palmos-first-witness-to-1965-indonesian-massacre-20151002-gjzjjn.html

Remembering Indonesia's bloody coup

The Diplomat - October 2, 2015

Nithin Coca – In the heart of Medan, Indonesia third largest city and the setting for much of Joshua Oppenheimer's Oscar-nominated documentary The Act of Killing, is a meticulously maintained, but quiet memorial. From a distance it looks similar to the war memorials scattered throughout Western countries.

What it commemorates, though, is one of the 20th century's darkest moments. The Monumen Perjuangan 66 has on its white-plastered sides visual depictions of the military-led crackdown that resulted in the deaths of an estimated 500,000 to 2 million Indonesians.

This week saw the 50th anniversary of the aborted coup that led to the mass killings, which have been depicted as an act of heroism on the Medan memorial. Killings for which, today, few have been held responsible and which remain a rarely discussed and barely understood topic in now democratic Indonesia.

"The world has to understand that this was genocide, and the world has to take responsibility," said Saskia E. Wieringa, professor at the University of Amsterdam and Chair of the International People's Tribunal 1965.

A misunderstood history

On September 30, 1965, in what remain murky circumstances, six top generals were killed by a group allegedly consisting of left-wing Indonesians. This allowed a previously little-known military leader, General Suharto, to assume power and launch a nationwide campaign against the perpetrators of the killing, which, according to him, were the Indonesia Communist Party (PKI) and its left-wing allies. Within two years, Suharto was in firm control of the country, the PKI had been completely destroyed, and hundreds of thousands of Indonesians were dead.

Indonesia's mass killings rank alongside some of the bloodiest events in post-World War II history. The estimated death toll puts this event alongside the Korean War, or the Rwandan genocide in terms of bloodshed. Yet, unlike those two events, it receives little attention globally. Within Indonesia itself, the situation is worse.

"The younger generation has grown up with very little knowledge of anything about this period of time, unlike their parents who had swallowed government propaganda for years," said Tom Pepinsky, associate director of the Cornell University Modern Indonesia Project.

Democratic Indonesia's blind spot

Throughout the Suharto era, which ran from 1965 to 1998, on October 1 each year, a controversial documentary, "Pengkhianatan G30S/PKI" (The Treason of the September 30 Movement and the Indonesian Communist Party), was aired on television and shown in school. It greatly exaggerated the threat of a takeover by the PKI and honored the militias and military leaders who organized the mass killings.

Today, the documentary is no longer shown and the holiday celebrating the killings no longer celebrated, but teachings of the event take on either a strong nationalistic tone, or are completely ignored. Only in a few elite universities, such as Univeritas Indonesia, are students able to learn openly about what really happened in the 1960s.

This is part of the progress made since Suharto fell from power in 1998, during the Asian Financial Crisis. Then, Indonesia quickly moved to build a democracy that, contrary to the expectations of many, has survived and thrived. One thing it did not do, however, was create a space for victims of Suharto's three-decade long rule to gain justice.

"When Suharto fell, a bunch of people, shall we say, 'switched sides,' which narrowed those who would be held responsible," said National Coordinator East Timor & Indonesia Action Network (ETAN). "There really was no thorough accounting of the Suharto years, or a cleaning of house"

In fact, democratic Indonesia is run by many of the same people or families who ran Suharto's New Order regime. Sometimes, the connections are so close as to be comedic. Former President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was a general who served numerous terms in East Timor, where more than 200,000 died during Indonesia's bloody, Suharto-led invasion and occupation.

Prabowo Subianto, who ran for president in a tight race against eventual winner and current President Joko Widodo last year, was Suharto's son-in- law. Marrying into his family allowed Prabowo to become head of the 27,000-strong Army Strategic Reserve Command (Kostrad) in 1998, where his subordinates were accused of torturing pro-democracy advocates. Amazingly, his close connection to Suharto and alleged involvement in human rights abuses in East Timor did not stop him from being just a few percentage points short of becoming Indonesia's seventh president.

"This is why there is enormous corruption in Indonesia," said Wieringa. "Power is still unchecked, corruption is still going on, and it is impossible for Indonesia to make progress on human rights or in checking corruptions if these people still remain in power."

In fact, SBY and Prabowo are just the tip of the iceberg, as Indonesia's political, business, and civil service ranks are dominated by Suharto supporters and those who took part in, or at least supported, the mass killings of the 1960s. They, Wieringa believes, are the ones holding back a true accounting of Indonesia's past.

"Although we now have democracy, and lots of things have improved, still the old power holders are there, and they prevent closure of this kind of history," said Wieringa.

The West's role

Responsibility for what happened is not Indonesia's alone. Many Western countries strongly supported Suharto's rule in the name of anti-communism during the cold war, most notably the United States.

"The US was Suharto's main international patron," said Miller. "America wanted to keep Suharto happy as it was their big ally in the region." This included turning a blind eye as the killings were taking place across the archipelago. Miller's organization, ETAN, is calling on the United States to release files showing the full extent of its cooperation with Indonesia

Today, world leaders often cite Indonesia as an example of civic democracy, both for Asia and the Islamic world. Last year, the world was enthralled with the election of Joko Widodo to the presidency. He was a true break from the past, Indonesia's first president not tied to Suharto, and without the blood of the old regime on his hands.

However, his record over the past year, tarnished by an inability to move his party or the government, shows just how much power the old regime still holds in Indonesia. "Jokowi is not tainted [by Suharto regime] directly, but is at the mercy of many connected to the events of 1965," said Miller.

Jokowi has made hints that it might release an apology for the killings, a landmark admission that would have repercussions throughout Indonesian society. If it happens, it would be just the first step towards a belated, but needed, healing process.

"Coming to grips with Indonesia's older wounds will be a long-term project that will require generational changes and efforts by elites and regular citizens at every level," said Gregory Poling, an Indonesia expert at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

On the 50th anniversary of one of the worst atrocities of the last century, Indonesia has an opportunity to take another step towards reconciliation and furthering the cause of its democratic progress. Someday soon, perhaps the monument in Medan will no longer memorialize the killers, but pay homage to the innocent victims of Indonesia's darkest era. Then, perhaps, the country can be a true model for the world.

[Nithin Coca is a freelance writer and journalist who focuses on cultural, economic, and environmental issues in developing countries. Follow him on Twitter @excinit.]

Source: http://thediplomat.com/2015/10/remembering-indonesias-bloody-coup/

Australia's role in the 1965-66 communist massacres in Indonesia

Red Flag - October 2, 2015

Marlene Millott – Fifty years ago, on 30 September, one of the worst atrocities of the 20th century took place on Australia's doorstep.

An estimated half a million people affiliated with the Partai Komunis Indonesia (Indonesian Communist Party or PKI) were massacred by the Indonesian Army, with help from local religious and youth groups. These killings contributed to a reorientation in Indonesian politics, installing general Suharto as president and eliminating the once-strong PKI through violent purges and systematic imprisonment.

Declassified documents have shown that the US and its allies played a significant role in these killings, as the US provided weapons, communications equipment and lists of known communists. As an ally of the US, the Australian Embassy and the Department of External Affairs acted in a way that made Australia an accomplice, by helping to create the conditions that allowed the massacres to take place. At the end of September 1965, Indonesia was on knife edge. Under president Sukarno, Indonesian politics were dominated by three forces: the army, nationalism, and the PKI. While both the army and the PKI pledged loyalty to Sukarno, they were fierce political rivals, and Sukarno played each other off to strengthen his position.

In the years leading up to 1965, Sukarno favoured the PKI and it grew in strength, while his foreign policy became increasingly hostile towards the West. The Indonesian Army and the US and its allies watched these developments with suspicion, and formed secret relationships. From 1958 to 1965, the US secretly trained, funded and advised the army to turn it into a "state within a state" that would be ready to take over government if the opportunity arose.

On the night of 30 September 1965, the commander of the army Lt general Achmad Yani and five generals were kidnapped by a group calling themselves the September 30th Movement. They were murdered and thrown down a well. The army and the US embassy had been patiently waiting for an event like this. It declared the PKI responsible for masterminding a coup, seized almost all media outlets and spread the story of PKI treachery. General Suharto extracted a mandate from Sukarno to return order to the country, before setting out to destroy the Communist Party.

Across the archipelago, a campaign to eliminate the PKI saw the murder of an estimated 500,000 people. Victims were rounded up and detained for days, or months, before being executed. The army was instrumental in the massacres, often accompanied by local militias. Those who weren't killed were transferred to prison camps, with one million people held in detention facilities without trial, with terms varying from a few months to 14 years.

Following the events of 30 September, Western nations solidified their support for the Indonesian Army, in an effort to remove the PKI from power and sideline Sukarno. The US and the UK, supported by other nations in the region including Australia, carried out clandestine operations which supported and encouraged the army-led massacres of alleged PKI. Documents from the National Archives of Australia show that the Australian Embassy and the Department of External Affairs were closely aligned with the Indonesian Army, offered support for their activities in overthrowing Sukarno and eliminating the PKI, and used Radio Australia to broadcast army propaganda in Indonesia that contributed to anti-Communist hysteria.

Cables show that the Australian Embassy was aware that communists were being rounded up and killed from early October 1965. The Australian ambassador to Indonesia, Keith Shann, "personally witnessed" around 250 prisoners being taken away by the army, and noted that it was impossible to know the number of people killed and detained, but "it cannot be small". In February 1966, J.M. Starey, the first secretary at the Australian Embassy, visited Bali, Flores and Timor, and spoke to Australian students who had been in Lombok. He heard first-hand accounts of the killings by people who had participated in them, and in Flores even saw victims' heads on spikes in some villages. Starey noted that the army was in control of the proceedings. The Australian Embassy and Department of External Affairs made it clear they were satisfied with these events. In early October 1965, ambassador Shann cabled the department saying that it was "now or never", and that he "devoutly hope[d]" that "the army [would] act firmly" against the PKI. In mid-1966, prime minister Harold Holt expressed detached satisfaction with the pro-Western shift in Indonesian foreign and economic policy. He casually told the crowd at the Australian-American Association in New York, "with 500,000 to one million Communist sympathisers knocked off, I think it is safe to assume a reorientation has taken place".

As the Indonesian Army murdered hundreds of thousands of alleged PKI, the Australian Embassy maintained ties with Indonesian Army generals, discussing anti-PKI activities and ways Australia could assist the army in its transition to power. A cable from 12 November 1965 shows ambassador Shann discussed the army's anti-Communist campaign and Australia's military campaign in Borneo to defend the newly-created Malaysia against Indonesian aggression with the undersecretary from the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr A.Y. Helmi.

Helmi requested Australian and British troops restrict all patrols and activities in Borneo, so the Indonesian Army could deal with the communists. Shann reassured Helmi that the army was "completely safe in using their forces for whatever purposes they saw fit", knowing those forces would be used to attack PKI members and allies.

The biggest role Australia played in the 1965-66 massacres of the PKI was through broadcasting and supporting Indonesian Army propaganda. In the weeks that followed the attempted coup, the Indonesian Army seized control of virtually all of Indonesia's media, and began an aggressive and pervasive anti-PKI campaign which spread disinformation aimed at discrediting and dehumanising the communists.

During the time of the killings, Radio Australia was under the influence of the Department of External Affairs, which was passed information from the Australian Embassy in Jakarta following instruction from the Indonesian Army. Cables show that through regular daily guidance, Radio Australia was instructed on the topics it should report on and the phrases it should use about key figures and events.

Ambassador Shann urged Radio Australia to focus on the PKI's involvement in the attempted coup, and to "pound the facts into Indonesians", noting that it is "excellent propaganda and of assistance to the anti-PKI forces" who were "refreshingly determined to do over the PKI". Radio Australia was also encouraged to report manipulations and misconstructions of the truth, in line with what the Indonesian Army requested. A 9 November 1965 cable showed that ambassador Shann was approached by an unnamed colonel from the army's Information Section and was told that Radio Australia should not focus on the army, but to "mention as often as possible youth groups and other organisations, both Moslem and Christian" that were involved in anti-communist actions, to dilute the culpability of the army. He also discussed the reporting of a list of other internal and external issues in favour of the army. Shann concluded the cable with the comment that he could "live with most of these [instructions], even if we must be a bit dishonest for a while".

Radio Australia was also told to avoid "giving information to the Indonesian people that would be withheld by the army-controlled internal media", and Radio Australia should not compromise the army's position. Almost all the media outlets in Indonesia were controlled by the army, and Radio Australia was one of the most popular foreign radio stations in the country. The army's anti-PKI propaganda was an incitement to violence, which contributed to the mobilisation of parts of the Indonesian population to participate in the massacres. By contributing to the propaganda that swept the country, Australia played a part in encouraging militias and civilians to participate in the slaughter, while justifying the killings through the demonisation of the victims.

Australia's actions as an accomplice to these killings should not be exaggerated. The massacres of the PKI took place against the backdrop of years of tension and hatred between the army and the PKI, in a complex internal political environment that would have seen the killings take place regardless of any role Australia might have played. Fifty years later, those who committed the atrocities have never been brought to justice. Denial of the killings is rife. Where it is acknowledged, the perpetrators are admired as heroes who saved the nation from a communist menace. As activist groups across Indonesia struggle to cut through the propaganda and spread the truth about the massacres of the PKI, it is important that Australia's role in these events is understood.

[Marlene Millott is a research assistant at Monash University. This article is based on the thesis completed for her Masters in Journalism and International Relations. This article was first published at the Australian Institute of International Affairs.]

Source: https://redflag.org.au/article/australias-role-1965-66-communist-massacres-indonesia

No need to apologize for 1965 communist purge: FPI

Jakarta Post - October 1, 2015

Ayomi Amindoni, Jakarta – Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) has said that it is forbidden to apologize to the victims of the 1965 communist purge.

According to FPI Patron Muhammad Rizieq Shihab, known as Habib Rizieq, an apology for the 1965 purge will lead to the rise of a communist ideology and threaten Muslims.

"If you [President "Jokowi" Widodo] apologize, then the state must pay compensation of Rp 1 billion [US$68,000]. If there are 3 million families that means Rp 3 quadrillion. The PKI could rise again," exclaimed Rizieq before screening the movie "Pengkhianatan G30S" in Majlis Talim Revolusi Anwarul Hidayah hall in Jakarta on Wednesday.

If the government apologizes, he added, it would mean the PKI had done nothing wrong, implying that the purge was the fault of NU and its youth wing, and also the fault of the police and military.

"If the PKI is not guilty, it means they deserve rehabilitation. And the consequence is that the communist party will rise again" said Rizieq.

Moreover, he said, all assets of PKI members and sympathizers would need to be returned, if there were an apology, including their houses and land. The state would also need to pay compensation for each victim.

Earlier, Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan said the government would not apologize to the victims of the 1965 communist purge and instead would focus on a suitable format in accordance with Indonesia's recent condition. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/01/no-need-apologize-1965-communist-purge-fpi.html

President Widodo hopes G30S/PKI communist rebellion won't happen again

Kompas.com - October 1, 2015

Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo is certain that past incidents such as the rebellion by the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) will not be repeated in Indonesia. Nevertheless, he is calling on all parties to be on guard against the emergence of movement groups such as this.

"Don't let there be a lack of vigilance, even though I'm sure the incident will be repeated, and I hope that the G30S/PKI [September 30/PKI] affair will not happen again in our land", said Widodo after inspecting a Pancasila Efficacy Day event at Crocodile Hole monument in East Jakarta on Thursday October 1.

Widodo also took the opportunity to explain that he would not be apologising to PKI family members and denied rumours that have been circulation about government plans to apologise to former PKI members.

"There hasn't been any consideration of apologising, up until this point there hasn't been any thinking in that direction", he said.

On Wednesday September 30, Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung stated that they know the identity of the individual that has been spreading slander against President Widodo. Anung believes that the slanderer had created a great deal of unease by saying that Widodo would apologies to the families of former PKI members.

Anung revealed that the individual's identity was discovered thanks to cooperation with the national police. The slanderer allegedly circulated a series of messages on Tuesday September 29 saying that Widodo would meet with PKI family members and former members of the PKI affiliated women's organisation Gerwani at the Bung Karno Sports Stadium in Jakarta.

Anung said no legal proceedings have been yet taken against the slanderer and that proceedings will only be considered if the slanderer does not stop their actions.

[Translated by James Balowski for the Indoleft News Service. The original title of the report was "Jokowi Yakin Pemberontakan seperti PKI Tak Akan Terjadi Lagi".]

Source: http://nasional.kompas.com/read/2015/10/01/10350071/Jokowi.Yakin.Pemberontakan.seperti.PKI.Tak.Akan.Terjadi.Lagi

Indonesia has 'no intention' of issuing apology: Joko on 1965 massacre

Jakarta Globe - October 1, 2015

Jakarta – President Joko Widodo confirmed that Indonesia will not issue an apology for its role in what has been described as one of the worst mass killings of the twentieth century, as the nation commemorates the horrific events that occurred 50 years ago today.

Speaking to guests after leading the Pancasila Efficacy Day ceremony at the eponymous monument in East Jakarta on Thursday morning, Joko reminded the nation not to let history repeats itself.

"We must be vigilant; don't lose our guard and let the incident happen again," he told reporters. It is unclear whether Joko was referring to the killing of several top military officers in 1965, or the ensuing bloody military crackdown that killed between 500,000 and one million people.

Pancasila Efficacy Day (not to be confused with Pancasila Day, which falls on June 1) marks the Indonesian Army's success in restoring order after what the Armed Forces (Abri, now the Indonesian Military or TNI) has always maintained was an attempted coup against then-president Sukarno by the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) on Sept. 30, 1965. Six Army generals and a captain were killed in the incident.

The ensuing anti-communist crackdown in various parts of the country played no role whatsoever in the Pancasila Efficacy Day ceremony, which was introduced by the late president Suharto who led the bloody crackdown as an army general.

Joko, who took office in 2014 with high public hopes that he would address past human rights cases, has formed a committee to seek reconciliation for gross human rights violations involving the military. Activists suspect the move is merely an attempt to settle the matter out of court and retain impunity for perpetrators, many of whom remain in powerful positions and even part of the president's inner circle.

But even an acknowledgment that crimes against humanity have been committed 50 years ago proved too much for several political elites and groups.

Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah, two of the biggest Islamic groups in Indonesia, have denounced attempts to apologize for the massacre, as have politicians from former president Suharto's Golkar Party and officials from the PPAD, the military's biggest veterans' association.

Joko confirmed that the government had "no intention to issue an apology" for the mass killings "at this point."

But Justice and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly said on Wednesday that although the government refuses to apologize to the PKI, it is ready to acknowledge that many innocent lives were lost in the crackdown, including teachers, writers, labor unionists, women activists and artists.

The crackdown also saw at least one million people imprisoned for years without trial and upon release endure harassment, discrimination and stigma that also extend to their children and grandchildren.

Much of what happened in 1965 is still shrouded in mystery. For most Indonesians, their recollection of what happened was the official account and propaganda launched by Suharto's 32-year rule, describing the PKI as "bahaya laten" or an "undying threat" to the nation that could resurface at anytime.

The most prominent of these propaganda materials is the film "Pengkhianatan G30 S PKI" ("Treachery of the PKI's September 30 Movement"), which has been criticized as one-sided, misogynistic and highly inaccurate. During Suharto's rule, students were obliged to watch the film on the anniversary of the attempted coup.

Challenging the official account has been met with resistance. Several discussions on 1965 as well as public viewings of the acclaimed documentaries "The Act of Killing" and "The Look of Silence" by filmmaker Joshua Oppenheimer have been barred and forcibly disbanded by police and military.

The Muhammadiyah is one of the groups looking to maintain Suharto's version of what happened by organizing public viewings of "Pengkhianatan G 30 S PKI," which was no longer made compulsory since Suharto was toppled in 1998.

News portal Detik.com reported that Muhammadiyah organized one such viewings in Menteng, Central Jakarta, which were also attended by several retired military generals, including former Army Special Forces Commander Muchdi Purwoprandjono.

"We are organizing the viewings so that we will not forget our own history," said Muchdi, who was once accused of orchestrating the assassination of human rights activist Munir Said Thalib. The allegations were never proven and Muchdi never charged.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/indonesia-no-intention-issuing-apology-joko-1965-massacre/

Sexual & domestic violence

Complicated procedure causes hardship for rape victims

Jakarta Post - October 1, 2015

Jakarta – The Central Jakarta Police have confirmed that the family of an allegedly raped child had to pay for a forensic examination themselves because the 3-year-old victim was not a participant of the Healthcare and Social Security Agency's (BPJS Kesehatan) national health scheme.

The police's women's and children's protection (PPA) unit chief, First Insp. Martiana, said, however, that the police had reimbursed the Rp 867,000 (US$60.60) cost on Wednesday.

The parents of the young girl from Central Jakarta had to pawn a motorcycle belonging to the child's aunt to cover the cost of a forensic examination at Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital (RSCM).

They alleged their neighbor, S, 57, had raped their daughter, who complained of pain in her genitalia. The parents immediately took their child to hospital on Friday.

The Legal Aid Foundation of Indonesian Women's Association for Justice (LBH APIK) law and public advocacy officer Khusnul Anwar said that the procedures for sexual assault victims filing a report with the police and having a forensic examination were more complicated since the introduction of BPJS Kesehatan.

"Hospitals previously never charged for examinations of abused victims. But since the central government launched BPJS Kesehatan in September last year, the hospitals no longer provide free tests for them," Anwar told The Jakarta Post.

The police, he said, were often reluctant to take victims to hospital for an examination, telling them to go to hospital themselves. Sometimes they did not reimburse victims for examination expenses because there is no obligation to do so.

"We're trying to make the central government change the procedure," Anwar said. Anwar said that, ideally, rape victims or their families should be able to access a one-stop procedure in which the police handled everything.

Martiana said a preliminary examination of the girl confirmed that she had suffered injuries to her genitalia, caused by sexual penetration. "Her hymen is intact," she said, adding that the police had detained the suspect. "He has confessed to his crime," Martiana said.

She denied that her institution demanded any payment from the parents of the victim as the mother had accused. "When a person reports a crime to us, we are obliged to provide counselling only, explaining to them about what to do," Martiana said. "Then, they should go to a hospital for a test themselves. After receiving the preliminary report, we then make a police report."

On Tuesday, local newspaper Warta Kota reported that the mother of the victim said the Central Jakarta Police had asked her to pay Rp 1.2 million for an examination on her daughter.

The mother said on Friday that her daughter came home crying, saying her vagina was hurt. The parents immediately took the child to RSCM but the hospital required them to bring a recommendation letter from the police.

"So, we went to the police for the letter, but a policewoman from the PPA unit asked us for the money," she said.

The couple had only Rp 500,000 at the time and had to pawn the motorcycle. After securing the money, the parents took their daughter to RSCM for the test. (foy)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/01/complicated-procedure-causes-hardship-rape-victims.html

Labour & migrant workers

Government launches investment program monitoring labor-intensive sector

Jakarta Post - October 6, 2015

Ina Parlina, Tangerang, Banten – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo on Monday launched an investment program that will monitor 16 companies in the labor-intensive industry, in an effort to increase employment and boost optimism amid sluggish domestic economic growth.

Under the program, the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) will be working together with the companies – mostly apparel, footwear and garment businesses – to ensure the employment of 121,285 workers within the next five years. This year alone, some of the 16 companies have absorbed a total of 26,780 workers.

President Jokowi highlighted the importance of optimism despite the domestic economic slowdown, encouraging the 16 companies to remain upbeat as "there are still opportunities in the country, which we can turn into investment and employment".

"Because with optimism, we will be able to settle the economic problems that are happening in the country," Jokowi said in his speech at the event held at PT Adis Dimension Footwear, a manufacturer of Nike shoes, in Tangerang, Banten, on Monday.

The 16 companies have realized Rp 11.4 trillion (US$789 million) in investment as of September, of the total Rp 18.9 trillion investment estimated for the projects. Eleven of the firms are foreign investors from South Korea, Taiwan, Japan and Singapore.

The companies – five of which are located in West Java and 11 in Central Java – are expected to bring around $1.3 million in export value.

Jokowi also urged businesspeople to consult the government and the BKPM should there be any problem in terms of investment, as well as lay-off issues.

BKPM chairman Franky Sibarani stressed that businesses in the labor- intensive industry played a big role in creating multiplier effects for the country's economy and sparking development in areas surrounding their factories.

"In the meantime, we see some industries, just like the ones present today, still in need of manpower," Franky said. "One of BKPM's tasks is to facilitate existing textile and footwear industries that are facing difficulties."

Labor-intensive industry covers firms that employ at least 200 workers and whose labor costs account for 15 percent of total production costs; they include manufacturers of food and beverages, tobacco, textiles and garments, leather and leather products, footwear, toys and furniture.

Investment in labor-intensive industries trended upward between 2010 to 2014, rising by between 20 to 40 percent annually, with 1,528 projects realized in 2014 making up 15 percent of total domestic and foreign direct investment.

However, industrial growth did not trigger increased labor absorption, which raised concerns among policy makers. In fact the number of workers in the labor-intensive industry dropped, falling from 337,305 workers in 2011 to 203,732 workers last year.

According to BKPM, investment in the labor-intensive industries reached Rp 28.5 trillion in this year's first semester.

In a related development, Jokowi added he had set a deadline of Oct. 26 for the government to wrap up the mechanism allowing investment licensing to be completed within three hours, one of the policies being prepared by the government in the second part of its economic policy package announced last week.

Under the new mechanism, those investing at least Rp 100 billion or employing at least 1,000 workers could see principal business permits, local company deeds and taxpayer numbers issued in three hours if they set up their businesses in industrial parks.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/06/govt-launches-investment-program-monitoring-labor-intensive-sector.html

Help desk to save textile, shoe industries from layoffs

Jakarta Post - October 3, 2015

Jakarta – The government will launch a help desk dedicated to helping to solve problems in the textile and footwear industries in a bid to prevent more layoffs in labor-intensive businesses.

The Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) and several ministries are preparing to launch the dedicated desk. BKPM head Franky Sibarani said on Friday the special desk would be located at the BKPM office and was set to launch on Oct. 9.

The desk will receive and identify problems experienced by companies in the industries and offer them specific and applicable solutions. "Currently, we are focusing on textile and shoe industries as they are prone to layoffs due to the sluggish economy," he said.

He added that many companies had complained about soaring prices of raw materials – which are mostly imported – as the rupiah nose-dived to more than 14,700, a level unseen since the 1998 financial crisis. They also complained about illegal textile and apparel imports.

According to a statement by the BKPM, the textile industry has laid off around 39,000 workers recently. However, the BKPM also booked a 58 percent increase in textile industry investment realization value during the first half of this year, to Rp 3.88 trillion (US$264,67 million).

The Indonesian Textile Association (API) even noted that the garment industry in Central Java suffered an 8,000-worker shortage.

Franky said such an "anomaly" encouraged the government to take immediate steps to save existing companies in the industries by establishing the help desk.

"There will be three parties hosting the desk, which are officials from the associations, the BKPM and related ministries," he said, adding that officials from the ministries in charge would be available on an on-call basis depending on the problems raised by companies.

The Trade Ministry, Industry Ministry, Manpower Ministry, Finance Ministry and Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry are ready to join forces with the BKPM to run the services.

Trade Minister Thomas Lembong told journalists at the same event that the textile and footwear industries were among the biggest in the country in terms of manpower absorption and foreign exchange earnings from exports (DHE).

According to the BKPM, investment realization value in the footwear industry was recorded at Rp 759 billion in this year's first half, or up 613 percent from the same period last year.

Meanwhile, export potential from these industries was considered adequate as the textiles and apparel industry currently takes only 1.85 percent of global market value, or US$700 billion. The footwear industry, meanwhile, has 4 percent of the market, or around $100 billion.

"We hear that investments amounting to $200 billion are ready to leave China due to its slowing economy and Indonesia is among their next destinations. We have to address the issue by taking all measures to support our industries," Thomas said.

Franky elaborated that services offered by the special desk would include, among other things, loan and tax payment restructuring. "For example, a company can pay its taxes at a later time after it proposes to the desk to get an approval after going through an audit by the team," he said.

Separately, API chairman Ade Sudrajat told The Jakarta Post on Friday that around 50 textile companies had laid off employees. "We hope that the industries can benefit from the desk," he said. (prm)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/03/help-desk-save-textile-shoe-industries-layoffs.html

Freedom of speech & expression

Local activist criminalized for uploading alleged bribery video

Jakarta Post - October 5, 2015

Hasyim Widhiarto, Jakarta – Defying public pressure, the North Maluku Police have reiterated that they will continue their investigation into alleged defamation by a local activist who uploaded to YouTube a video showing a Ternate Police officer accepting money from a traffic violator.

North Maluku Police chief Brig. Gen. Zulkarnain said that although the police had released the suspect, identified as Adlun Fiqri, a student at Ternate-based Khairun University (Unkhair) in Ternate, the legal process regarding the case was ongoing.

"After I watched [the video], I saw that it [Adlun's act] was improper conduct. There was no bribery. The police officer just ticketed [the motorist]," Zulkarnain said over the weekend as quoted by Antara news agency.

Last week, the Ternate Police arrested Adlun for allegedly violating Article 27, point 3, of the 2008 Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE) Law on online defamation, which carries a maximum sentence of six years in prison, after he uploaded a video showing a Ternate traffic police officer accepting Rp 115,000 (US$7.80) from a motorcyclist who was not wearing a helmet.

The 30-minute video, uploaded on Sept. 26, defamed both the officer and the police force, according to Ternate Police crime investigators. Adlun also reportedly removed the video from YouTube at the police's request.

Adlun's arrest quickly sparked public anger after activists and netizens jointly launched an online campaign to demand his release.

Adlun, who is also a member of the North Maluku branch of the Alliance of Indigenous Peoples (AMAN), was finally released on Saturday morning from police custody.

Zulkarnain, however, insisted that the traffic police officer, who has filed a police report against Adlun, had followed standard operational procedure by accepting payment of the fine from the traffic violator before handing it over to the court.

Traffic violators, according to Zulkarnain, can pay a fine through Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI) or can hand it over to traffic police officers under certain circumstances.

"[Traffic violators] can ask [an on-duty officer] to keep the fine if they don't live in the region or have activities that would leave them unable to go to court," he said.

The dean of Unkhair's School of Law, Syawal Abdul Ajid, however, strongly questioned Zulkarnain's argument. Syawal said there was no article in the 2009 Traffic Law stipulating that on-duty police officers may personally accept fines paid by traffic violators.

"The law says that [fines] must be paid directly to court," he said. Adlun's lawyer, Maharani Carolina, meanwhile, said that the video was authentic. "The video was not doctored," she said.

Speaking to The Jakarta Post on Sunday, AMAN North Maluku branch head Munadi Kilkoda, who visited Adlun in police custody before his release, claimed that Adlun had been subjected to violence during interrogation.

"Adlun said he had been kicked in the hip, punched in the arms and in the back of the head," he said.

Munadi has also called on North Maluku Police chief to ask the traffic police officer in the dispute to withdraw his police report and instruct the Ternate Police to close the case.

"Instead of prosecuting those who reveal alleged police misconduct to the public, it would be fairer if the police investigated the misconduct to avoid public anger," he said.

Rights groups have repeatedly called on the government to amend the ITE Law, arguing that it could easily be used by authorities to infringe on people's right to free speech.

The Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (Elsam), for example, reported that 37 people had been charged under the law between 2008 and 2013, including Prita Mulyasari, who was sued by Omni International Hospital in 2009 for defamation after she complained about the hospital's service in an online mailing list.

Most of the victims were charged under Article 27 of the law, the wording of which is considered to be open to interpretation.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/05/local-activist-criminalized-uploading-alleged-bribery-video.html

Police refuse to free student who uploaded bribery video

Jakarta Post - October 2, 2015

Jakarta – The police in Ternate have ignored public outcry and demands for the release of Adlun Fiqri, a student arrested for uploading a video of a police officer accepting money from a road-rules violator.

The public have also called on the Legal Aid Foundation (LBH) to file a complaint with the National Police Commission (Kompolnas).

Detective and Crime chief at Ternate police precinct Samsudin Lossen said on Friday that he was not concerned about facing Kompolnas and the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) with regard to the Adlun case.

"I am not afraid [...] The suspect has confirmed that he committed the crime," he said as quoted by tempo.co.

The police officers, he continued, had gathered information from six eyewitnesses, including another police officer and the motorist in the video.

The police decided to proceed with Adlun's case because the student had slandered the police officer and the police institution. Samsudin told the LBH to file an official complaint to Kompolnas and Komnas HAM on this issue.

Adlun Fiqri's video, showing a police officer taking money from a motorcyclist, has gone viral. The student of Khairun University in Ternate, Maluku, was imprisoned after uploading the video to YouTube with the title "Police in action asking for bribes in Ternate".

The Ternate police arrested Adlun on Monday, charging him with defamation and violating the Information Technology and Electronics Transactions (ITE) Law, which carries a maximum sentence of six years in prison.

After the information about Adlun's arrest was exposed in the media, the public condemned the police and demanded his release using the hashtag #saveadlun on twitter and other social media. (ags/bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/02/police-refuse-free-student-who-uploaded-bribery-video.html

Tech law strikes again: Ternate student arrested for bribery video

Jakarta Globe - October 2, 2015

Jakarta – Police in Ternate, North Maluku, triggered a firestorm of outrage on social media after arresting and charging a university student for slander after he uploaded a video on YouTube purportedly showing local traffic police officers accepting bribes from traffic violators.

Adlun Fiqri Sigoro uploaded a one-minute video titled "Police Asking for Bribes in Ternate" on Saturday which instantly went viral. The video was taken during a police traffic operation on Jalan Pahlawan Revolusi in front of the Dharma Ibu hospital in the island district.

North Maluku Police chief Brig. Gen. Zulkarnain confirmed on Thursday that the Ternate district police had arrested Adlun on Monday, charging the student with defamation and violating the notorious Information Technology and Electronics Transactions (ITE) Law, which has been highly criticized by free speech advocates. Adlun could face a maximum sentence of six years in prison if found guilty.

Zulkarnain said that the video posted by Adlun was not what it seems. "The traffic police officers were simply taking fines for safekeeping. They were not taking bribes," the general claimed as quoted by Detik.com.

Since news of the arrest spread, people across the country took to Twitter and Facebook condemning the arrest through hashtags such as #SaveAdlunFiqri and #KitaAdalahAdlunFiqri (We Are Adlun Fiqri).

A number of free-speech groups and police watchdogs like the Institute for Criminal Justice Reform and the Alliance for Independent Journalists (AJI) have also joined the wave of condemnation.

Several members of the online discussion forum Kaskus have spread the personal cellphone number of Ternate Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Kamal Bachtiar, urging other members to text their condemnation and criticisms.

Kamal defended the arrest, telling Merdeka.com news portal on Thursday that "it was hurtful, slanderous and far from the truth."

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/indonesias-notorious-tech-law-strikes-ternate-student-arrested-bribery-video/

Political parties & elections

Golkar's future on edge as congress proposal hits wall

Jakarta Post - October 6, 2015

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – A proposal for a Munaslub (extraordinary national congress) to select a new chairman to lead the Golkar Party has been met with opposition from the two competing factions, with calls for all members to stick to the legal process.

The plan to set up a Munaslub was initiated by members of a joint reconciliation team tasked with paving the way for Golkar to secure the upcoming simultaneous local elections amid confusion over the party's chairmanship.

The team members maintain that selecting neither Aburizal Bakrie nor Agung Laksono, who have been fighting over party control, was the best way to unite the fragmented party.

Team member Yorrys Raweyai, an executive with the Agung-led faction who has been an advocate of holding a national congress, has said that placing either of the two competing leaders in the party's top position will put Golkar at a disadvantage in the long run. According to Yorrys, "Golkar needs to promote a new fresh face if we want to survive."

Supporters of the Munaslub are convinced that Golkar should hold the gathering before the local elections slated for Dec. 9 to ensure that the country's oldest political party was fully consolidated under the command of one agreed leader to win the elections.

However, the party's older members, particularly supporters of the two competing factions, oppose the plan, saying that sticking to the legal process is the best solution to end the months of battle.

Agun Gunandjar Sudarsa applauded the "good intention" of a holding a Munaslub as a way to keep the party intact, particularly during the elections, yet said that waiting for a final and binding decision from the Supreme Court was the way to go.

"We've discussed this at the DPP [headquarters] and we all agreed to wait for the Supreme Court decision. Arranging a Munaslub sounds good but it's not urgent," Agun, a member of the Agung faction, said on Monday.

His colleagues from the rival faction concur, emphasizing that "it's too early to talk about a national meeting". "We don't need a Munaslub now. Just wait and see," Fadel Muhammad, a supporter of the Aburizal-camp, said when asked about the matter.

Separately, fellow Aburizal camp supporter Tantowi Yahya agreed, saying that "Whoever wins the legal battle later will be asked to present their opinion on the need to hold a national meeting". "Thus, it's best to wait for the Supreme Court ruling. Whoever wins the case will make the decision later," Tantowi said.

The Supreme Court is expected to announce its ruling sometime between October and November. The two competing groups fighting over the party's chairmanship filed separate appeals with the Supreme Court after losing the battle in different courts.

The North Jakarta District Court ruled in favor of Aburizal in July after the Jakarta State Administrative High Court (PTUN Jakarta) previously ruled that Agung Laksono was the legal chairman of the party.

Political analyst Yunarto Wijaya of the Jakarta-based Charta Politika encouraged Golkar to wait for the Supreme Court to make its final ruling on the matter because according to him, "there will be an opportunity [to end the prolonged infighting] following a final and binding ruling [by the Supreme Court]".

"It will be better though if the Supreme Court includes an arrangement of a munas [national meeting] in its ruling. The court's ruling will settle the matter de jure, while a munas will do it de facto," Yunarto said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/06/golkar-s-future-edge-congress-proposal-hits-wall.html

House praises MK ruling on local elections

Jakarta Post - October 1, 2015

Tama Salim, Jakarta – Members of the House of Representatives praised the Constitutional Court (MK) for its ruling allowing regions with only a single ticket candidate to proceed with balloting in the Dec. 9 simultaneous elections.

House deputy speaker Fahri Hamzah of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) said that the court ruling protected the political rights of political candidates who went uncontested in local elections.

"Let's just run with it, as there are currently no plans for a new law or a revision to the Regional Elections Law – this is the most practical way single tickets can gain legitimacy in their respective regions," Fahri said at the House compound on Wednesday.

Fahri said that if a political candidate went uncontested, he or she must have had a good track record. "There is a consensus among political parties that some [uncontested] candidates are simply very strong, good candidates," he said.

Fellow lawmakers, however, warned of possible complications arising from the ruling.

According to M. Lukman Edy, deputy chairman for House Commission II overseeing regional autonomy, the court's decision brings renewed pressure on election organizers to speed up preparations in time for the simultaneous balloting in December this year.

The court ruling prompted election organizers in three regions, Blitar in East Java, Timor Tengah Utara in East Nusa Tenggara and Tasikmalaya in West Java, to stage elections in spite of only one candidate contesting the election.

"Will the three regions be prepared to host the regional elections with such tight time constraints?" Lukman said at the House complex on Wednesday.

Lukman said the General Elections Commission (KPU) should quickly draw up a new regulation to implement the court ruling. "We give the KPU a week to draft the new regulations. We [Commission II] will discuss it next week," he said.

Meanwhile, the head of the PKS faction in the House, Jazuli Juwaini, warned that the new court ruling should not be used to promote foul play in local elections.

Jazuli urged all political parties to prevent political horse trading in regional elections, when they joined hands only to nominate one political ticket.

The court has also set up a new mechanism in electing regional heads in regions with single ticket ballots. The court ruling stipulated the use of a kind of plebiscite or a referendum, by which voters either choose to elect in favor of or against the sole candidate.

According to the court ruling, such a mechanism would guarantee the political rights of voters to elect political candidates rather than postpone the balloting until the next election period and feasible candidates emerge.

Commenting on the reason behind the ruling, the court said that "it would be against the Constitution if a regional election was not held and postponed until the next [simultaneous] local elections due to the requirement of having at least two tickets contesting".

Meanwhile, KPU commissioner Ferry Rizkiyansyah told The Post that the election body would comply with requests to accommodate the court ruling on single-tickets and have the new KPU regulations (PKPU) ready within a week.

"We are currently looking into [the ruling] and will attempt to enact several limited revisions in the existing regulations," Ferry said on Wednesday.

Ferry said that existing KPU regulations on election stages, political campaigning, logistics and vote-counting did not accommodate elections with a single candidate running for office.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/01/house-praises-mk-ruling-local-elections.html

Surveys & opinion polls

After one year in office, the public is not satisfied with Jokowi

Jakarta Post - October 8, 2015

Jakarta – Public satisfaction with President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kala is continuously declining, according to a survey conducted by Indo Barometer.

Indo Barometer's survey, released on Thursday, shows that public satisfaction with Jokowi is only 46 percent in September, down from 57.5 percent in March. Meanwhile, public satisfaction with Jusuf Kalla is currently 42.1 percent, down from 53.3 percent.

Indo Barometer executive director M Qodari explained that most respondents were not satisfied with the government's economic performance.

"The public pays serious attention to the economy. When asked about the failures of the Jokowi-Kalla administration, the four top answers related to the economy," said Qodari as reported by kompas.com on Thursday.

Similarly, the public satisfaction rate with cabinet ministers declined to 37.1 percent, down from 46.8 percent in March.

According to the survey, 17.3 percent of respondents say that the government fails to maintain the price of basic commodities, 13.3 percent of respondents say the government fails to solve the economic problems, 7.4 percent of respondents say the government fails to prevent the rupiah from weakening and 4.1 percent say that the government has failed to maintain fuel prices.

Respondents also think that Jokowi failed to create jobs, failed to control his ministers and failed to fight against corruption.

Meanwhile, those who are happy with the government's performance say that the government has been successful with its health program, education programs and its fight against narcotics.

The survey was held Sept. 14-22 in 34 provinces involving 1,200 respondents, with 95 percent confident and a 3 percent error margin.

Jokowi and Kalla were inaugurated as President and Vice President on Oct. 20 after winning last year's presidential election. The pair garnered 53.15 percent of votes, beating Gerindra Party chief patron Prabowo Subianto and his running mate Hatta Rajasa, who won 46.85 percent. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/08/after-one-year-office-public-not-satisfied-with-jokowi.html

Media & journalism

Journalists' trial set bad precedent: Lawyer

Jakarta Post - October 3, 2015

Jakarta – The court trial of two British journalists for allegedly filming a documentary about piracy in the Malacca Strait has set a very bad precedent for press freedom, their lawyer said.

"It is in conflict with President [Joko] Jokowi [Widodo's] policy of giving foreign journalists more access," Todung Mulya Lubis, the lawyer of the two journalists, said on Friday.

Neil Bonner, 32, and Rebecca Prosser, 31, appeared at their second hearing on Thursday at the Batam District Court in Riau Islands, accused of having worked on the film while only on tourist visas, Todung said.

"I hope the court will give a jail term only the length of their detention period so far, so that they can be deported," he said, adding that prosecutors had requested that the pair receive five years behind bars.

According to Todung, foreign journalists who work without journalism visas should be simply deported instead of being brought before the court.

The two UK citizens are charged with Article 112 of Law No. 6/2011 on immigration, which carries a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment and a Rp 500 million (US$35,000) fine.

Todung was also concerned about the use of handcuffs and prison uniforms for his clients during the trial, noting that the treatment was not reasonable given his client's offenses.

"What they did was merely an administrative violation. This case will cast a dark image over the freedom of the press message spread by Jokowi," he added.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/03/national-scene-journalists-trial-set-bad-precedent-lawyer.html

2 UK citizens face second trial in Batam

Jakarta Post - October 1, 2015

Fadli, Batam, Riau Islands – The second trial of two UK citizens has begun in Batam District Court on Thursday.

Neil Bonner, 31, and Becky Prosser, 30, were arrested in May by a Naval patrol for allegedly misusing their tourist visas by making a documentary film on piracy in the Strait of Malacca.

The two UK citizens are charged with Article 112 of Law No. 6/2011 on Immigration, which carries a sentence of five years imprisonment and a Rp 500 million (US$35,000) fine.

At the beginning of the trial, lawyer Aristo Pangaribuan said to the panel of judges and prosecutors that he objected to the use of handcuffs and prison uniforms for his clients. And he also objected to the fact that his clients were placed in a cell together with other criminals.

"We consider the use of handcuffs, prison uniforms and imprisonment together with other criminals extremely unreasonable. We want this objection to be recorded," said Aristo.

He added that the treatment did not conform to his clients' offense and that they should be deported instead of facing trial, since they were simply carrying out their journalistic duties, not creating a film.

Presiding judge Wahyu Prasetyo replied that the use of handcuffs and uniforms was fitting due to security reasons.

The second trial's agenda included witnesses testimonies from Navy (TNI AL) personnel as well as Indonesians who were allegedly paid to act in the film.

One of the witnesses, Batam Navy quick response commander, Captain Rudi Amiruddin, said the Navy had received information regarding the film production four days prior to the arrest.

During the arrest, the Navy allegedly seized four different video cameras, four face masks, four machetes and other equipment.

Another witness, Apsom Kakahue, who was allegedly one of the actors in the film, said that they were asked to do a scene without any script, only improvising. "We were paid Rp 3 million [US$205] per person to reenact a piracy scene," said Amson.

The trial will continue next Monday with a testimony hearing from an expert witness from the immigration directorate general.

Previously, it was reported that Bonner, the alleged cameraman, and Prosser, the alleged producer, arrived in Batam via International Batam Center ferry port. They entered Indonesia using a visa on arrival and planned to stay in the country for seven days as tourists.

The general crime division head at the prosecutor's office, Ali Akbar, denied speculations that Bonner and Prosser were journalists. He said one of the suspects was listed as a documentary movie produce and the other as a cameraman for Wall to Wall Limited, a production house based in London.

Meanwhile, the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) said in a statement that Bonner and Posser were two journalists who worked for a production house called Wall to Wall Limited in London. All the films they produced would be aired on National Geographic. Based on information from the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) Asia Pacific, the two Brits are members of the National Union of Journalists.

On Thursday, AJI head Suwarjono said that if the two Brits were thought to be misusing their tourist visas, then they should be immediately deported.

"Why do [Bonner and Prosser] have to wait four months in immigration prison and be taken to trial? It is the epitome of the government's unreasonable nature," said Suwarjono in a press release as quoted by tempo.co.

He added that the criminal sanction would only add to the bad image Indonesia had concerning journalism and press freedom. Even though, he continued, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo stated he would give foreign journalists more access, even in conflict areas, it did not seem like that was happening.

"From the information we have received, the two journalists have submitted their visa requests to the Indonesian Embassy in London but didn't receive any answer," said Suwarjono. (kes)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/01/2-uk-citizens-face-second-trial-batam.html

Environment & natural disasters

Indonesia seeks Australian help on fires

Sydney Morning Herald - October 8, 2015

Jewel Topsfield, Jakarta – Indonesia has asked Australia to help it fight forest fires raging through Kalimantan and Sumatra that have created dangerously high levels of air pollution in the region.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Arrmanatha Nasir said Australia was among five "friendly" countries that had confirmed they would provide assistance, although the exact nature was not yet known. He said water bombing planes were among the forms of assistance needed.

Last month Indonesia refused Singapore's offer of aircraft for cloud seeding and fire fighting, saying the government was well equipped to handle the situation.

However the haze has caused school closures, interruptions to sporting events, flight cancellations and thousands of respiratory illnesses across the region. The crisis has been exacerbated by drought across Indonesia and the prolonged dry season caused by El Nino.

Mr Nasir said Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi had called her counterparts in at about 8pm on Wednesday night. He said Australia, Russia, Malaysia, Singapore and China had all agreed to assist.

"They indicated they would co-operate and develop the terms of reference of what assistance would be given," he said.

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/world/indonesia-seeks-australian-help-on-fires-20151008-gk4nyv.html

Asian haze set to become worst on record

Sydney Morning Herald - October 5, 2015

Lindsay Murdoch, Bangkok – Malaysia has ordered all schools to close for two days as choking haze blanketing a large swathe of south-east Asia is on track to become the worst on record.

The fog-like grey smoke caused by slash and burn techniques used to clear Indonesian forests has for weeks caused health problems, flight delays and school closures in Singapore and parts of Indonesia and Malaysia.

Hundreds of thousands of people are suffering acute respiratory infections as the region has struggled to find an effective response to the problem.

Malaysia's deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi took a swipe at Indonesia as his country cancelled sporting events including a marathon for 30,000 runners and local soccer matches.

"We hope Indonesia's commitment is not only on paper or mere statements pleasant to ears, but through implementation which could end all haze problems," he said.

Singapore last weekend was forced to cancel a final of swimming's World Cup. The haze has even reached the Philippines island of Cebu which has suffered a week of polluted skies.

Malaysia's education minister Mahdzir Khalid ordered his country's schools to close for two days on Sunday, saying the haze is beyond Malaysia's control.

"This issue has to be addressed wisely and quickly as it can do harm to our children," he said. "We cannot compromise with anything that may bring harm to children in our schools."

In Kuala Lumpur, pollutant monitoring stations registered "very unhealthy" or close to "hazardous" levels. High levels were recorded across peninsular Malaysia and Borneo.

Similar crises have gripped the region each dry season for decades as palm oil plantation owners have set fires to clear forests to meet rising global demand for the oil used for cooking and in household products.

But scientists predict the current outbreak is on track to surpass 1997 levels when pollution soared to record highs in an environmental disaster that cost an estimated US$9 billion ($12.7 billion).

"If the forecasts for a longer dry season hold, this suggests 2015 will rank among the most severe events on record," said Robert Field, a Columbia University Scientist based at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies.

The fires have raged despite Indonesia deploying more than 20,000 troops, police and other personnel to fight them through water bombing and chemically-induced rainfall.

Under criticism from its neighbours, Indonesia has investigated more than 200 companies and ordered four to suspend operations for allegedly causing fires on Sumatra and Kalimantan islands.

But weak enforcement in Indonesia is exacerbated by a lack of transparency about land ownership, making it harder to pinpoint and punish perpetrators, experts say. Indonesia is the fifth largest emitter of greenhouse gases, mainly from deforestation.

The NASA-linked Global Fire Emissions Database has estimated this year's fires have released around 600 million tonnes of greenhouse gases.

In the Indonesian province of Riau alone officials say 44,000 people have suffered acute respiratory infections.

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/world/asian-haze-set-to-become-worst-on-record-20151005-gk18i9.html

Australian company Kayung Agro Lestari investigated over Indonesian fires

Sydney Morning Herald - October 5, 2015

Jewel Topsfield, Jakarta – An Australian company is being investigated by Indonesian police over a fire on a palm oil plantation in Borneo as the republic tries to crack down on companies responsible for the haze choking the region.

Kayung Agro Lestari, which has a palm oil plantation in Ketapang regency in West Kalimantan, is one of 42 companies being investigated over the forest fires.

The slash-and-burn technique of land clearing used by some palm oil and timber plantations is commonly blamed for starting the fires, which have created dangerous levels of air pollution in parts of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.

The fires dog the region every year but have been exacerbated this year by El Nino and protracted drought in parts of Indonesia.

Malaysia has ordered all schools to close for two days because of the thick smog and the first night of finals at swimming's World Cup in Singapore was cancelled on Saturday.

Indonesian police told reporters that as of October 1 they were investigating 232 cases of forest and plantation fires. Forty-two cases involve corporations, including two foreign investment companies – Kayung Agro Lestari (PT KAL) from Australia and PT ASP from China.

West Kalimantan police spokesperson Arianto told Fairfax Media there was fire in Kayung Agro Lestari's concession.

"Therefore we are investigating the company," he said. "We have called witnesses from the local community, from the company itself and experts. We don't have any conclusions at the moment because the investigation is still ongoing."

In a statement late last month, Kayung Agro Lestari said that as of September 22, 356 hectares on its 17,998 concession had caught fire. "These fires were caused by windborne sparks from fires outside our plantation area," it said. "All of these fires have been put out by our team."

The statement said Kalimantan was facing an extremely dry climate and high winds. "Together they make the plantation vulnerable to outbreaks of fire, especially from wind-borne sparks originating in fires outside our plantation."

Kayung Agro Lestari said it was in daily coordination with the police and regional disaster management in fighting the fires and investigating their causes.

"The most serious outbreak PT KAL has witnessed was a fire affecting a large area of land just beside our plantation. Our team has worked together with the local authorities and communities to contain the fire. We also recorded that five orangutan fled from the fire and moved into our conservation area. As far as we can determine they are unharmed."

Rising global demand for palm oil, which is widely used in food and cosmetics, has led to the clearing of forests in Indonesian national parks, high levels of greenhouse gas emissions and the destruction of the habitat of endangered species including the Sumatran orangutan and tiger.

Kayung Agro Lestari is a subsidiary of PT Austindo Nusantara Jaya Agri, which is a member of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil. Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil certification is an assurance to buyers of palm oil products that the standard of production is sustainable. (With Amilia Rosa)

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/world/australian-company-kayung-agro-lestari-investigated-over-indonesian-fires-20151005-gk1br7.html

Gender & sexual orientation

One suspect behind gay wedding named

Jakarta Post - October 2, 2015

Denpasar – Police have named a hotel employee, Ni Nyoman Mulyani, a suspect on charges of blasphemy for her alleged involvement in organizing a gay wedding in Ubud, Bali, recently.

"We have enough evidence to accuse her of committing religious blasphemy," Gianyar Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Farman said on Thursday.

However, Farman acknowledged that there was no gay wedding ceremony at Four Seasons Resort Ubud on the day when the controversial photos circulating on social media were taken last month.

He said the ceremony was only a penglukatan (cleansing) ceremony for the gay couple, who had been married in the US several months ago. He added that the ceremony, led by a pemangku (Hindu leader), was a ceremony package that was commonly offered by the hotel.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/02/islands-focus-one-suspect-behind-gay-wedding-named.html

Graft & corruption

Law revision said to be first step toward KPK disbandment

Jakarta Post - October 8, 2015

Jakarta – Trisakti University criminal law expert Abdul Fickar Hajar said on Thursday that the revision of Law No. 30/2002 on the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), proposed by six factions at the House of Representatives, was a follow up effort to weaken the antigraft body.

"It is not only aimed at weakening the KPK. It is also an initial effort by people in a number of parties, who are worried about being prosecuted for their alleged involvement in graft cases," said Abdul Fickar as quoted by kompas.com in Jakarta.

The law expert also called the revision of several points in the 2002 KPK Law into question. He said it seemed that the revision was aimed at giving the National Police and the Attorney General's Office (AGO) more authority in corruption eradication while in fact these two institutions were prone to misuse by interests of elite groups.

Fickar said one of revision points he was really worried about was about KPK's work period, which was limited to only 12 years after the revised law took effect. He said disbanding the KPK was a betrayal to corruption eradication commitments of not only Indonesia but also the global community.

"There is also a misunderstanding on what is a so-called ad hoc institution. As an ad hoc institution, it doesn't mean that KPK should function only for a certain period of time. As a term, ad hoc refers to a particular situation and condition, in which we can see that up till now, corruption practices still happen everywhere," said Fickar.

Therefore, the expert said, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo must take tough actions to ensure his commitment to corruption eradication by not approving the proposed changes to the 2002 KPK Law.

"If the draft revision is deliberated and passed into law, Indonesia's history will record that during President Jokowi's administration the KPK was destroyed. The President's administration will also be considered as a regime that eradicates anti-corruption efforts," said Fickar.

Six House factions proposed the revision of the 2002 KPK Law during a meeting at the House's Legislation Body on Tuesday, kompas.com reported. They are factions of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the NasDem Party, the United Development Party (PPP), the Hanura Party, the National Awakening Party (PKB) and the Golkar Party.

In the draft revision, the antigraft body would no longer have either surveillance or prosecution authority. The draft revision also stated the KPK would have the authority to issue investigation termination warrants or SP3, like the ones owned by the National Police and the AGO.

The draft revision also states that wiretapping or recordings cannot be conducted without court consent.

In another article, the draft revision states that the KPK is only allowed to handle a corruption case, which has inflicted Rp 50 billion (US$3.6 million) worth of financial losses to the state. The KPK is also not allowed to recruit employees, including investigators, independently. The draft revision says the KPK must recruit employees from the National Police, the AGO and the Development Finance Comptroller (BPKP). (ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/08/law-revision-said-be-first-step-toward-KPK-disbandment.html

Law revision criticized for its potentials to degrade KPK's power

Jakarta Post - October 7, 2015

Jakarta – Antigraft watchdog Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) has criticized several articles in the draft revision of Law No. 30/2002 on the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), saying that the revised articles had the potential to degrade its power.

ICW's judicature monitoring and legal division member, Aradilla Caesar, said the KPK law revision would slowly kill the antigraft body.

"The revision of the 2002 KPK Law is a substantial attempt to kill the antigraft body in stages," he said as quoted by kompas.com in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Aradilla said the House had struck "a war drum" against Indonesia's corruption eradication efforts. He said the KPK had noted a number of articles of the KPK law draft revision that might lead to the weakening of KPK. One of them was Article 5, which limited the body's working period to only 12 years from the law taking effect.

"It seems that the House has misinterpreted KPK as an ad hoc institution. It also did not take into account a Constitutional Court [MK] decision, which asserts that KPK is an institution that is constitutionally important," said Aradilla.

He further said the draft revision had diminished the KPK's law enforcement authorities, as the body would no longer have either surveillance or prosecution authority.

The draft revision also stated that the KPK would have the authority to issue investigation termination warrants or SP3s, as the National Police and the Attorney General's Office do, he added. Currently, KPK does not have the authority to issue SP3s, as stipulated by the 2002 KPK Law.

"The draft revision also states that wiretapping or recordings cannot be conducted without the court's consent. This will complicate KPK operations, since it has to first deal with the court's bureaucratic system," said Aradilla.

In another article, the draft revision states that the KPK is only allowed to handle a corruption case that has inflicted state financial losses of at least Rp 50 billion (US$3.6 million).

The KPK is also not allowed to independently recruit employees, including investigators. The draft revision says that the KPK can recruit employees only from the National Police, the AGO and the Development Finance Comptroller (BPKP).

"All of these will narrow the KPK's scope in eradicating corruption," said Aradilla. (ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/07/law-revision-criticized-its-potentials-degrade-KPK-s-power.html

Experts skeptical over planned tax amnesty

Jakarta Post - October 5, 2015

Haeril Halim, Jakarta – Despite criticism from the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK) and Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's administration has insisted that it will go ahead with its implementation of a tax amnesty for financial criminals by the end of the year to help right the staggering economy.

Vice President Jusuf Kalla said that the speedy implementation of the controversial policy aimed at seeking financial resources to compensate the government's failure to collect a targeted Rp 200 trillion from registered taxpayers this year.

The government is hoping to coax offenders, including perpetrators of money laundering, embezzlement and tax evasion, to bring home their assets parked abroad, including around Rp 4 quadrillion in Singapore alone, in exchange for clearing them of legal charges, in the hope of getting a 10 to 15 percent slice of the would-be repatriated assets to help build the economy.

"If not by the end of the year, then [the amnesty] will be implemented in the first few months of next year. The government will take the draft proposal to the House of Representatives, where it could be integrated with the existing draft revision of the general provisions and procedures of taxation bill," Kalla said as quoted by kompas.com. Kalla defended the tax pardon plan, arguing that it was not an innovation of Jokowi's administration but a continuation of a policy begun by the preceding government.

The government is stepping up efforts to finalize the draft bill before sending it to the House for deliberation.

The PPATK has warned that instead of helping the economy, an amnesty would engender greater numbers of violators, while the KPK argues that it would constitute a legal discrimination against financial violators who have been convicted and their assets seized by the courts.

Transparency International Indonesia (TII) has also criticized the plan, saying that the government would do better to repair flaws in the country's investment system, which is still plagued by corruption, in order to attract new investment to bolster the economy.

TII secretary-general Dadang Trisasongko said that a study conducted by the NGO showed that bribery practices in permit issuance processes could account for 15 to 30 percent of the total production cost, a situation discouraging foreign investment in Indonesia.

"The tax amnesty has more to do with the already existing business in Indonesia, and nothing to do with encouraging new investment to be brought to Indonesia to help the economy," Dadang told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

He added, however, that an amnesty could have positive effects on tax receipts if financial criminals became obedient taxpayers after receiving a government pardon, and only in a system that is fully transparent, it would be vulnerable to great abuse.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/05/experts-skeptical-over-planned-tax-amnesty.html

New rule may limit public's right to graft info

Jakarta Post - October 1, 2015

Jakarta – The draft of an anticriminalization regulation, which includes a ban on law enforcement institutions disclosing information on graft case progress to the media, contradicts the Press Law that protects the public's right to information, journalists say.

According to National Police chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti, the new regulation, which is currently being processed by the Law and Human Rights Ministry, would prohibit law enforcement institutions, including the police, from briefing the media on the progress of their investigations until a suspect is named.

This also means that law enforcers could not announce names of people undergoing questioning or allegedly involved in a case until they were named suspects.

"The planned regulation will hamper corruption eradication efforts in general and obstruct journalists' work in disseminating public information on law enforcement processes," Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) head Suwarjono told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

He said that the new regulation contradicted the Press Law, which protects the media's right to find and obtain public information.

Article 18 of the law states a maximum of two years' imprisonment or Rp 500 million (US$34,188) in fines for anyone hampering the press in news gathering.

Suwarjono also said that the government did not need to worry about disclosing the names of anyone allegedly involved in a case because "suspect" and "alleged" were two different things; officials need not be afraid of "alleged" status if they are innocent.

"Journalism's basic principles also tell us to always cover both sides. When one is named 'alleged' we always have to ask his or her view about it and let the public judge for themselves," he added.

Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) researcher Ade Irawan said the new regulation would significantly discourage the fight against graft.

"Media is the fourth pillar in democracy to ensure clean governance. If the process is closed to the public, there will be higher chances of 'back dealings' between law enforcers and public officials to free people from suspect status," Ade told the Post.

Instead of a new regulation, public officials could avoid criminalization by consulting with the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) or Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) prior to making policies or disbursing funds, he said.

"There are many ways to avoid criminalization. The government could also accommodate complaints from officials alleged to be or named a suspect in a case by using the existing Presidential Working Unit for the Supervision and Management of Development [UKP4]," he added.

"Basically there is no need for such a regulation because the government could from the outset avoid criminalization by increasing the quality of public officials as well as clean law enforcers," Ade said.

The government aims to launch the regulation in early October. (rbk)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/01/new-rule-may-limit-public-s-right-graft-info.html

Freedom of religion & worship

HTI banned from conducting activities in East Nusa Tenggara

Jakarta Post - October 2, 2015

Djemi Amnifu, Kupang – East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) authorities have officially banned Islamic group Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI) from conducting any activities in the province arguing that the organization spreads a radical ideology.

If HTI continued conducting activities in the predominantly Catholic province, the executives of the organization would be tried in court, an official said.

"We have issued an official letter banning HTI from conducting any activity in NTT," NTT National Unity, Politics and Community Protection (Kesbangpol Limnas) Agency head Sisilia Sona told reporters in Kupang on Thursday.

Sisilia said that her office had banned the organization from operating in NTT but it was disregarded. That accounted for why HTI executives signed statements agreeing not to conduct any activity in the province during a meeting on Thursday, she said.

The move, Sisilia said, was to maintain security and order in NTT as interfaith relations in the province had been harmonious so far.

Apart from that, she said, the ideology that HTI spread was clearly against the principles of the state ideology Pancasila, the 1945 Constitution, the Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (Diversity in Harmony) state slogan and the Unitary Nation of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI) as the four pillars that unite the nation.

In almost all activities HTI campaigns for implementation of sharia and an Islamic caliphate system.

"We hope the police officers can act firmly if HTI continues to conduct any form of activity," said Sisilia, adding that although the organization had been in the province since 2013, the provincial administration never issued them with a license.

Kupang City Police Chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Budi Hermawan separately said that the statements for not conducting activities in NTT were signed by HTI's NTT branch chairman Said Made Amin and Kupang city branch chairman Suryadi.

Budi said both chairmen were once held at Kupang city police's headquarter after dozens grouped as "Brigade Meo", flocked the organization's secretariat in Oesapa subdistrict. The mob forcefully removed the name board of the secretariat and banned the organization from conducting activities.

Kupang city residents, according to Budi, had banned HTI from conducting two planned activities, namely a grand parade and a halal bihalal (post- Idul Fitri) gathering.

"We hope HTI executives obey the statement and agreement. If they violate it, we will process them legally," Budi said.

Brigade Meo chairman Priest Ady Ndiy said that the people had come to HTI secretariat and told both executives to remove the name board.

Ady said it was done to avoid tension in the community as both chairmen still actively conducted activities at the time people aggressively disagreed with HTI's presence in the region.

Earlier, The Indonesian Ulema Council's of NTT chapter rejected the HTI's plan to hold the halal bihalal meeting.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/02/hti-banned-conducting-activities-e-nusa-tenggara.html

Agriculture & food security

Government trains more young people to become farmers amid low prices

Jakarta Post - October 4, 2015

Jakarta – Following a warning by the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) that Indonesia may face a shortage of farmers as more and more young people object to becoming farmers, the government has claimed that farmers today are more prosperous and that young people are still interested in taking up the job thanks to several ongoing programs offered by the agriculture ministry.

Pending Dadih Permana, the ministry's head of agricultural human resources development and counseling on modern agricultural technologies, said the government had rolled out programs that included intensive training and counseling to youth in 10 provinces in Indonesia, including Bali and East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), as well as sending young farmers to train in agriculture in developed countries like Japan.

"Our farmers are happy and prosperous and more young people are getting more interested in becoming farmers in their hometowns," Dadih said.

On Friday, LIPI published the preliminary findings of its long-term survey showing that more and more young people had joined in the exodus to cities in order to seek a more promising income.

The survey, which was conducted in six months in three Central Javanese regencies – Sragen, Klaten and Sukoharjo – found that most young people in these areas objected to becoming farmers.

The intensive training and counseling provided by the Agriculture Ministry, Dadih said, aimed at improving young people's knowledge and skills by introducing them to modern agricultural machines so that they could carry out agricultural work, from planting to harvesting, by themselves in simpler and easier ways.

Dadih said that the ministry had also sent tens of youths from several provinces to undertake an internship in Japan so that they could gain more knowledge about farming and how to make agricultural products more profitable.

"We will show them that the agriculture sector is fun and has potential. Most of them show an interest in it," Dadih said. "So, who said that young people don't want to become farmers?"

According to him, the programs were interesting enough to excite and inspire the youth to stay in their hometowns and become farmers.

"The programs work well. If we take a look at Central Java, or those in Karawang [West Java], many young people manage their own agricultural lands," he said.

The ministry expects to open more and more agricultural vocational schools (SMKs) in addition to universities offering agriculture programs. However, such programs are not enough to check the declining number of farmers.

Association of Indonesian Farmers (HKTI) deputy chairman Rachmat Pambudy said that the programs were far from enough to generate more young farmers in Indonesia. "The programs are good, but not enough to convince young people that becoming farmers is a profitable thing," Rachmat said.

He went on to say that hundreds of graduates who held degrees in agricultural science from prestigious universities in Indonesia would not even want to become farmers. "Who wants to work in a field toiling under the sun for an uncertain amount of income?" Rachmat said.

He said that in order to attract more young people to farming, the government had to reform selling prices.

"The government must have the courage to buy agricultural products, such as chili and rice, at high prices," he said. "What's the point of training and sending youths abroad to learn about agriculture, subsidizing fertilizer and seed, when the products that go to market confront falls in prices?"

Rachmat pointed out that in Japan and Malaysia, for example, many people were interested in becoming farmers because it was profitable. The government, Rachmat added, should start to involve farmers in helping to decide market prices.

He said that the government should also provide them not only with modern machines, but also long-term infrastructure. "For example, tobacco farmers should have their own cigarette factories, and chili farmers their own sambal [chili sauce] factories," Rachmat said. (foy)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/04/govt-trains-more-young-people-become-farmers-amid-low-prices.html

Land & agrarian conflicts

Police criticized for inaction in lead up to activist's death

Jakarta Post - October 5, 2015

Jakarta – A team of House members have alleged that the Lumajang Police did not respond correctly to threats received by Samsul, or Salim Kancil, a 52-year-old villager from Pasirian district, Lumajang, who was beaten to death for organizing a protest last week.

Arsul Sani, from the House of Representatives Commission III, which oversees legal affairs, human rights and security said on Monday that "the Lumajang police had failed to give sufficient attention to the threats received by Salim Kancil and his colleague, Tosan, and their group", as quoted by Antara news agency in Jakarta.

He further said there was a sense that local administrators had been conniving with the illegal sand miners for more than two years.

Arsul said the team also learnt that Salim Kancil was not only an activist fighting to protect beaches in his village from environmental damage, but a victim of damaging practises.

"Pak Kancil is also the owner of paddy fields that have been destroyed and cannot be cultivated anymore due to sand mining conducted by his village's head and others, known as Team 12," the lawmaker said.

Arsul said that Commission III had asked the East Java Police to take over the investigation of Salim Kancil's murder case and look into not only his murder and torture but also to environmental damages occurring.

The politician further said that police should expand their investigation to include possible money laundering by the village head, Haryono.

"There is suspicion that Haryono could do as much large scale sand mining as he pleased because he shared his earnings from the illegal activity with certain parties," said Arsul.

He said the East Java Police should investigate the alleged money laundering and give "justice collaborator" status to any party who agreed to disclose alleged bribery practices surrounding Salim Kancil's death case.

A group of people assaulted Salim Kancil, who had co-organized a protest against invasive sand mining in his village. The same group also assaulted another villager, Tosan, 51, leaving him in a critical condition. (ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/05/police-criticized-inaction-lead-activist-s-death.html

Yogyakarta law is 'lex specialis': Minister

Jakarta Post - October 2, 2015

Bambang Muryanto, Yogyakarta – In the long-running dispute about land rights in Yogyakarta, Agrarian and Spatial Planning Minister Ferry Mursyidan Baldan has supported the position of the province's two sultanates that special status law should override national law in determining land rights.

Ferry, who also heads the National Land Agency (BPN), asserted that the 2013 law on Yogyakarta's special status was the umbrella for regulating land issues in the province.

"SG [Yogyakarta sultanate grounds] and PAG [Pakualaman sultanate grounds] are still there. They have a basis," Ferry told reporters after speaking at a seminar at Gadjah Mada University's School of Agriculture on Thursday.

Ferry said that the law on Yogyakarta's special status was lex specialis (specialized law) to the 1960 Basic Agrarian Law (UUPA).

Based on the Special Status Law, Yogyakarta's provincial administration is currently taking inventory of the lands claimed as SG and PAG. The process is creating restlessness in the community, as any land with no clear ownership documents is considered as belonging to the Yogyakarta or Pakualaman sultanates.

Article 32 of the Special Status Law gives the palace and principality the status as legal entities to own lands referred to as SG and PAG. The law distinguishes between two types of SG and PAG: keprabon (crown lands) and non-keprabon (non-crown lands).

Keprabon lands are lands on which the palace and principality buildings are located, while non-keprabon lands are lands used by the people or institutions and land used by people without ownership documents.

Activist Kus Sri Antono of the Agrarian Community Communication Forum (FKMA) said the Special Status Law was only lex specialis to Law No. 32/2004 on regional administrations, as stipulated in Article 1 (3) of the Special Status Law.

"As such, the Yogyakarta Special Status Law does not regulate land ownership as stipulated in Article 32," Kus said. He added that SG and PAG as mentioned in the Special Status Law were not subject to the colonial regulation (Rijksblad), which would allow the sultanates to claim all lands in the province.

The UUPA, he said, already stipulated that swapraja (kingdom) lands and former swapraja lands, such as SG and PAG, belonged to the state.

"To implement UUPA, we have Government Regulation (PP) No. 224/1961 subjecting former SG and PAG lands to land reform."

He also referred to Presidential Decree No. 33/1984 and Yogyakarta Provincial Bylaw No. 3/1984, which he said confirmed that the UUPA applied fully in the province of Yogyakarta.

"We don't want to own any land. We just want to uphold the law. Yogyakarta is still under the jurisdiction of Indonesia," he said.

Conflicts originating from claims by the Yogyakarta and Pakualaman sultanates over lands have been increasing in the province following the implementation of the Special Status Law.

Contested lands include those in Watukodok Beach, Gunungkidul and in Gondomanan, Yogyakarta city. Farmers on Kulonprogo coast were evicted from land claimed to be owned by Pakualaman, as the site would be turned into an iron sand mine and an airport.

In 2008, 100 certificates of ownership belonging to residents of Pundungsari subdistrict, Gunungkidul, were changed into right-to-use documents for lands belonging to the sultanate of Yogyakarta.

Yogyakarta Governor Hamengkubuwono X, who is also the sultan, has repeatedly insisted that SG and PAG still carried legal authority, as UUPA was not fully implemented in the province. He also said that none of the land in Yogyakarta belonged to the state.

"SG and PAG are acknowledged by the state. The basis is the rights of origin," the sultan said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/02/yogyakarta-law-lex-specialis-minister.html

Jakarta & urban life

LadyJek says ladies first on Jakarta's unsafe streets

Jakarta Globe - October 8, 2015

Jakarta – App-based motorcycle taxis, known locally as ojek, including GoJek and GrabBike have a new contender on the streets of Jakarta with the launch of women-only service LadyJek on Thursday.

The service is "for women, by women" and features 700 female drivers who will only accept female customers.

Director Brian Mulyadi says many women feel insecure taking a motorcycle taxi driven by a unfamiliar male and the idea behind the app is to provide peace of mind to commuters.

"We believe LadyJek can be a solution for women to feel... since all of our drivers are women as well," Brian said on Thursday at the LadyJek launch in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta.

LadyJek drivers are equipped with sophisticated safety measures dubbed the "LadyJek Shield," in which a driver can activate a loud alarm if the driver or customer become the victim of street crime.

The system is also used to accurately detect the motorcycle taxi's location. "We also provide insurance for both drivers and customers," Brian added.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/ladyjek-says-ladies-first-jakartas-unsafe-streets/

Evicted residents demand fairness, dialogue, compensation

Jakarta Post - October 6, 2015

Corry Elyda, Jakarta – About 100 protestors representing thousands of residents who have been evicted, or who expect to be evicted soon, grouped as the Victims of Jakarta Evictions Forum (FKPJ), staged a protest in front of City Hall on Monday, urging Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama to end evictions, involve them in future plans and to provide rightful compensation.

Gugun Muhammad of the Urban Poor Consortium (UPC) said during the rally that the evictions conducted by the city administration had traumatized low-income residents as their homes had been demolished without prior discussion or fair compensation.

"The actions have violated our human rights," he said, adding that in some areas evictions had been conducted violently.

A recent eviction of Kampung Pulo residents who lived on the banks of the Ciliwung River, for example, descended into chaos after city officials refused to open dialogue with residents and instead deployed Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) officers and police and military personnel to resolve the problem.

The incident led to dozens of people being injured and an excavator set ablaze in clashes between residents and the security personnel.

Gugun said the evictions not only make the poor poorer but also stigmatized the residents as squatters. He said the protestors who came to City Hall demanded negotiations with the city administration in the future.

The protestors represented evictees and those who expect to be evicted in 15 areas, comprising Ancol, Kamal Muara, Muara Baru and Papanggo in North Jakarta; Bidaracina, Jatinegara Kaum, Kampung Pulo and Prumpung in East Jakarta; Kali Apuran, Kali Sekretaris, Pinangsia and Rusun Pesakih in West Jakarta; Bukit Duri and Rawajati in South Jakarta; and Rajawali Selatan in Central Jakarta.

Gugun said the forum urged the city administration to halt all kinds of evictions in Jakarta and to open a dialogue with residents over the plans as well as complying with Law No. 2/2012 and Presidential Regulation No. 71/2012 to provide fair compensation to the evictees. The regulations on land procurement for public need stipulate that residents, even those occupying state land, are entitled to compensation.

The city administration has intensified the clearance of river banks and reservoirs in the last two years. Although the officials insist that they have publicized evictions beforehand, residents say the information is top down and leaves no space for negotiation.

Ahok has usually refused to pay compensation to evictees who do not have land certificates, saying that relocating them to low-cost rental apartments (rusunawa) is more than enough.

However, the city's Housing and Administrative Buildings Agency has confirmed that they plan to evict about 12,000 families this year but are only providing about 5,000 housing units.

Agency head Ika Lestari Aji said the fate of the remaining 7,000 families would be up to the residents themselves and was not the responsibility of the city. On Monday, Ahok declined to meet with the protesters.

Besides demanding fair treatment, the group also discussed other issues such as land reclamation, alleging that the city administration always acted in favor of the rich.

Enny Rochayati of the Jakarta Urban Poor Network (JRMK) asked why, if the city administration wanted to enforce its bylaws, it did not regulate houses and buildings in Pantai Indah Kapuk (PIK), which are built on former mangrove forests.

"You kill our livelihood and raze our homes," she said, adding that the city administration forced them to live in low-cost apartments similar to bird cages.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/06/evicted-residents-demand-fairness-dialogue-compensation.html

Civil servants discouraged by Ahok's iron fist

Jakarta Post - October 3, 2015

Dewanti A. Wardhani, Jakarta – "People don't resist change. They resist being changed!" said American systems scientist and senior lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management, Peter Senge.

His words described well the situation of civil servants currently working at the Jakarta administration under the leadership of Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama.

Ahok, who took office last November, has constantly attempted to carry out bureaucratic reforms in his administration.

His first move was to get rid of officials who, in his eyes, were mediocre or underperforming. Civil servants in Jakarta are now rotated at least every two months. Ahok's moves, however, have created uneasiness among his subordinates.

One civil servant, who requested anonymity, said the governor's policies to achieve bureaucratic reform were often random and not based on clear standards.

"We fully understand that the governor aims to improve services at the Jakarta administration [...] However, we feel that his ways to achieve that goal are not correct," the civil servant told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

The staff member, who has served at the administration for five years, said he and his colleagues could not meet Ahok's standards and were concerned about the future of their careers. He argued that Ahok did not have clear standards on who would face demotion and promotion.

"We have no idea on the criteria for a civil servant to be demoted. No matter how hard we work, there is always a chance that we could face demotion," he said. He added that many of his colleagues were demotivated and discouraged by the governor's policies and chose to not work as hard as before.

"If the city administration is a train, Pak Ahok is the locomotive and bureaucracy is the carriages. If the carriages cannot follow the locomotive's speed, then the train won't work. The city administration cannot carry out its programs," he said.

Ahok has implemented several improvements in his administration, such as holding open recruitment for middle-ranking officials, including for subdistrict heads and school principals, and increasing civil servants' salaries to prevent rampant corruption.

Yogyakarta-based Gadjah Mada University public policy expert Wahyudi Kumorotomo said the Jakarta administration's current dynamics might cause instability. He said that it was important to maintain stability in order to ensure the sustainability of policies and services.

"The constant reshuffling of city officials may have negative effects on civil servants. They will feel uneasy and nervous, and this will negatively affect their performance," he told the Post over the phone on Thursday.

He added that the administration's new allowance system was still improper as it was position-oriented as opposed to performance-oriented. As stipulated in Gubernatorial Regulation No. 193/2015 on regional performance allowances, the higher a civil servant's position is, the higher the monthly allowance they will receive.

"The amount of allowance should be determined by the level of difficulty of a position. For example, a non-echelon staff member who works as a public service officer should receive higher allowances compared to their superior who signs papers behind a desk," Wahyudi said.

Ahok acknowledged that many civil servants would be demoted, but argued that hardworking staff members would encouraged to work even harder. He admitted that he had wrongly demoted officials more than once, but said he would rathefr wrongly demote an official than keep the wrong person in the wrong job.

The reform efforts have received a warm welcome from Jakartans. Resident Noriko Adhyanti praised the services at the Rawamangun One-Stop Integrated Services Agency (BPTSP) in East Jakarta, where she renewed her identity card last month.

"I used to view public services in the Jakarta administration negatively. I thought that there would be many middlemen and that the officers would ask for illegal fees. To my surprise, the office provided good and quick services and the officers were friendly," Noriko said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/02/civil-servants-discouraged-ahok-s-iron-fist.html

Jakarta government: No entertainment venues open past midnight

Jakarta Globe - October 2, 2015

Jakarta – In its latest nonsensical move to squeeze out every last ounce of fun for Jakarta residents, the Jakarta City Council is set to issue a regulation ordering all entertainment venues to close their doors by midnight, in what officials claim is a bid to combat drug trafficking in the capital.

The bylaw on the city's tourism sector has already been drafted and is set to be ratified next Friday, said Mohammad Taufik, head of the Council's Legislation Agency (Balegda).

The questionable bill, which would significantly affect Jakarta's slew of high-earning nightclubs, karaoke bars, "spas" and lounges, will also regulate the general operating hours of the capital's entertainment venues.

Should the bylaw pass the City Council's approval, nightclubs will have to put up their "closed" signs by midnight, Taufik said. Should venues fail to do so, they may face a degree of sanctions, with the heaviest being the revocation of their operating permits.

The decision was met with opposition from Jakarta Deputy Governor Djarot Saiful Hidajat, who proposed a slightly more lenient and mandatory closing time of 2 a.m.

Taufik, however, would have none of that. "We [Balegda officials] have all agreed [on the bylaw] and this has been decided," he said as quoted by Kompas.com.

He added that his office will forward the bylaw to the city administration, Jakarta Police, the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) and city's fire brigade once the Council has given its approval. "We will evaluate [the rule] every three month. This is not a bluff. We're serious," Taufik said.

The Jakarta government permanently shut down its most notorious nightclub last May following the drug-related death of a police officer at Stadium in Central Jakarta.

Since taking office last October, President Joko Widodo has amped up Indonesia's war on drugs, citing BNN data that claims 50 people die from drug-use every day across the country.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/jakarta-govt-no-entertainment-venues-open-past-midnight/

Armed forces & defense

Lawmakers want soldiers to face civilian justice

Jakarta Globe - October 7, 2015

Jakarta – Tantowi Yahya, deputy chairman of Commission I of the House of Representatives, said on Monday that all factions of the legislature support the idea of revising the law on military tribunals, which could mean that members of the Indonesian Military (TNI) will be tried at regular courts if they are suspected of general crimes.

"We all agree. The House, all factions, mostly they support [the revision]. The government has not agreed yet though," Tantowi said.

The revision is proposed for Law No. 31 from 1997, which states that criminal acts committed by soldiers must be resolved internally, within the military institution.

The House of Representatives of the 2004-o9 period already discussed the idea of revising the law but the TNI at the time maintained it was not ready to let soldiers appear in civilian courts.

"If [the soldiers commit a crime that] has nothing to do with their military jobs, then [they] must be processed at regular courts. If they commit graft, they must be processed at the Anti-Corruption Court," added Tantowi, who is a member of the Golkar Party.

NGOs such as the human rights watchdog Imparsial and the Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence (KontraS) have long called for the revision of the law.

The revision is "a constitutional obligation" for the government, Poengky Indarti, Imparsial's executive director, said in March. "Article 27 [...] of the 1945 Constitution that says every citizen is equal before the law, [...] including the TNI's soldiers," she added.

Arif Nur Fikri of KontraS said last month that the military tribunal should only be allowed to hear "cases regarding their professional code of conduct."

There have been a number of high-profile cases in recent years in which soldiers were involved, that including the shooting and torture of civilians. However, most military personnel to have been involved in such cases received relatively light sentences in military courts.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/lawmakers-want-soldiers-face-civilian-justice/

The success of former TNI generals in the world of business

CNN Indonesia - October 5, 2015

Abraham Utama, Jakarta – A new life begins after 50. This is what has been the case for a number of retired Indonesian military (TNI) generals, because shedding their official military uniforms has not necessarily meant ending their careers.

Soon after officially taking up the status of a civilian after reaching 58 years of age, these former senior military officials have been actively courted by conglomerates that place them in senior positions in their companies.

Since the reform process began in 1998 at least three out of six former TNI commanders have become senior business leaders in companies. Former TNI commander retired General Endriartono Sutarto for example currently holds the post of president commissioner with the Pundi Bank.

Soon after retiring in 2006, Sutarto was chosen to become the president commissioner of the state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina. After leaving Pertamina, according to the Pundi Bank website, in March 2010 Sutarto became the chairperson of the nomination and remuneration committee with the bank established in 1993. Five months later, he was promoted to chair Pundi Bank's auditing committee.

Former TNI chief retired Admiral Agus Suhartono also followed in Sutarto's footsteps. Suhartono currently holds the post of president commissioner with PT Tambang Batubara Bukit Asam, a state-controlled coal mining company headquartered in Tanjung Enim, South Sumatra.

After hanging up his military uniform, former coordinating minister for legal, political and security affairs retired Air Chief Marshal Djoko Suyanto became an independent commissioner with the company PT Adaro. It was only after he was selected as coordinating minister for legal, political and security affairs in 2009 that Suyanto resigned from the coal mining company owned by business tycoon Edwin Soeryadjaya [the son of Indonesia's national car company PT Astra's founder William Soeryadjaya].

This year, after retiring from public office, Suyanto returned to the world of business. According to the PT Bursa Efek Indonesia (the Indonesian Stock Exchange self regulatory organisation) website, on March 17 Suyanto drafted a statement declaring he was ready to be appointed as president commissioner and independent commissioner with the company PT Chandra Asri Petrochemical.

According to his curriculum vitae uploaded to the PT Chandra Asri website, Suyanto was once a commissioner with the PT Lestari Asri Jaya, a company that manages industrial timer estates and is affiliated with the Barito Pacific Group owned by [former Suharto crony and timber tycoon] Prajogo Pangestu.

In fact it is not just former TNI commanders that have taken up careers in the world of business after retirement. Former Army Chief-of-Staff retired General Subagyo Hadi Siswoyo, according to a PT Berau Coral Energy general shareholders meeting dated June 29, 2013 was appointed as a commissioner with the company.

A year later in July 2014, Siswoyo resigned from PT Berau Coral Energy. And early this year was appointed by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo as a member of the presidential advisory board.

The career of former Army Special Forces (Kopassus) commander retired General Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan has been a little different. He established his own company PT Toba Sejahtera, which is active in the coal, mining, oil a gas, electricity generation and forestry and timer sectors.

PT Toba Sejahtera, a subsidiary company of PT Toba Bara Sejahtera, appointed the former TNI armed forces chief of general staff retired Lieutenant General Suaidi Marasabessy as executive director.

Retired Lieutenant General Kiki Syahnakri, who ended his military service as army deputy chief-of-staff, currently holds the post of president commissioner with the Artha Graha Bank.

When speaking with CNN Indonesia in mid-September, Syahnakri said that he once held the post of commissioner with the company PT International Timber Corporation Indonesia Kartika Utama.

"After the TNI AD's [army] businesses were restructured, there were several former senior military officers who became commissioners in companies whose shares were once owned by the [army's] Kartika Eka Paksi Foundation", said Syahnakri in Jakarta.

The Kartika Eka Paksi Foundation referred to by Syahnakri was established by retired army officers during the era of former president Suharto. The foundation's name was taken from the army slogan "Kartika Eka Paksi", which means "Unmatchable Bird with Noble Goals".

Trusted by corporations

The tendency of former senior TNI officers to be active in various companies is not strange in Syahnakri's view. Although according to Syahnakri, out of the many senior TNI officers that have retired only a small number have chosen a career in the business world.

"Those that have become commissioners can be counted on one hand. This is because there is trust on the part companies", said Syahnakri.

The phenomenon of generals holding senior company positions has not just happened in Indonesia. Syahnakri cites the example of former Australian defense chief Sir Peter John Cosgrove.

Cosgrove, who is currently the liaison between Australia and the British crown with the status of governor general, was once part of the management of the Australian airline company Qantas.

"The former Singaporean army chief of staff also become a CEO (chief executive officer) in various companies", said Syahnakri.

Nevertheless, Imparsial (Indonesian Human Rights Watch) executive director Poengky Indarti questions the reason why companies have placed former senior TNI offices in vital positions in their businesses.

"Is it true that they have skills in accordance with the fields that are embraced by the companies? Or are they in fact being used by companies to smooth the way for business through particular channels such as securing the acquisition of land or facilitating the procurement of licensees", said Poengky.

If such suspicions are correct, said Poengky, then this truly is unprofessional. "Why are retired generals with combat skills being recruited as commissioners in mining companies. Once there who are they waging war with?", asked Poengky.

Syahnakri believes that there are two things that make companies consider employing retired senior TNI officers, namely discipline and leadership.

So for these generals then, a new life does indeed begin at 58. (agk)

[Translated by James Balowski for the Indoleft News Service. The original title of the report was "Kisah Sukses Jenderal-jenderal TNI di Dunia Bisnis".]

Source: http://www.cnnindonesia.com/nasional/20151004181459-20-82708/kisah-sukses-jenderal-jenderal-tni-di-dunia-bisnis/

TNI intrusion into public life met with wariness

Jakarta Post - October 5, 2015

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – Marking its 70th year of existence on Monday, the Indonesian Military (TNI) has been accused of becoming more unprofessional, with increasing involvement in political, social and economic affairs.

Watchdogs that focus on promoting democracy are concerned that the military's lack of professionalism will drag Indonesia back to the New Order era, when it was heavily used to serve the government's political interests under the command of president Soeharto, himself a military general.

Activists have compiled a list of memorandums of understanding (MoU) that the TNI sealed with non-military institutions during the leadership of former chief Gen. (ret) Moeldoko, which pro-democracy campaigners are worried could open the door for the military to once again meddle deeply in public life.

Besides agreements that allow military deployment to guard public infrastructure such as railway stations, harbors and airports, the list includes a deal with the Law and Human Rights Ministry to recruit former soldiers as prison guards and an agreement with the National Population and Family Planning Board (BKKBN) to involve the military in family planning programs.

"The public does not have the instruments available to evaluate these collaborations. How can the public involve themselves with checking for misuse of power by the military as it carries out its work? Will soldiers be punished for abusing their authority?" Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) coordinator Haris Azhar asked on Sunday, questioning the purpose of military engagement in public life.

Emphasizing the threat to democracy resulting from a lack of civil control over emerging TNI public involvement, Haris described the situation as "politics as usual".

Concerns over the professionalism of the military have further mounted after the TNI insisted on maintaining the existing law on military courts, Law No. 31/1997, which stipulates that criminal acts by soldiers must be resolved internally within the military institution.

Human rights watchdogs claim the law prevents members of the military from being held accountable for crimes against civilians, particularly in conflict-prone areas such as the country's easternmost province of Papua. In Papua, a shooting at Koperapoka in Mimika involving soldiers claimed the lives of two civilians in August, one of several such cases in the province that remain unresolved.

Activists also often cite the infamous attack at Cebongan Penitentiary in Sleman, Yogyakarta, by members of the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus) in 2013 that left four detainees dead. That case was similarly tried before a military rather than civilian court, and is held up as an example of the military's seclusion and lack of accountability.

Until the TNI allows civilian courts to try soldiers accused of crimes, activists say, it will remain vulnerable to charges of lack of professionalism and commitment to justice.

"Thus, a revision of the Military Court Law is urgent," said Poengky Indarti of the Jakarta-based human rights watchdog Imparsial. "Revising the law is one way to make sure that the military is professional in carrying out its job."

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/05/tni-intrusion-public-life-met-with-wariness.html

Activists call on military to return to the barracks

Aktual.com - October 5, 2015

Muhammad Kemal Macharani, Jakarta – Scores of activists from the movement Indonesia Without Militarism (ITM) held a protest action in front of the State Place in Central Jakarta.

The action, which started at 2.07pm, was in the form of a statement and calls for reforms to the TNI (Indonesian military), particularly given that over the last few years indications of a rise in militarism and the politics of the New Order dictatorship of former President Suharto have become very apparent.

According to the group, this has been demonstrated by the many cases of violence involving the TNI.

"The military as an institution should be focusing on the problems of national defence only", said one of the action coordinators, Surya Anta, in a speech on Jl. Merdeka in Central Jakarta on Monday October 5.

Surya said that the military should not get involved in or get into issues that are under the jurisdiction of the civilian sphere, whether it be the political, social, cultural or other areas.

All the more so because today President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo called on the TNI not to offend the ordinary people during a speech commemorating the 70th anniversary of the TNI in Cilegon, Banten.

"The TNI has never been one with the people, the TNI must return to the barracks, reject militarism, is it appropriate for the TNI to sign memorandums of understanding [with civilian institutions]", said Surya in conclusion.

The action was limited to participants taking turns to give speeches. (Zaenal Arifin)

Notes

In recent months the TNI has signed a number of memorandums of understanding (MoU) with non-military institutions which pro-democracy activists worry could open the door for the military to once again become involved in civilian affairs. Besides agreements that allow military deployment to guard public infrastructure such as railway stations, harbors and airports, the list includes a deal with the Ministry of Law and Human Rights to recruit former soldiers as prison guards and an agreement with the National Population and Family Planning Board (BKKBN) to involve the military in family planning programs.

[Translated by James Balowski for the Indoleft News Service. The original title of the report was "Aktifis Minta Militer Kembali ke Barak".]

Source: http://www.aktual.com/aktifis-minta-militer-kembali-ke-barak/

Foreign affairs & trade

Russia-Indonesia partnership to build future of Indonesian nuclear sector

Jakarta Globe - October 8, 2015

Jakarta – A prominent Russian representative has welcomed the opportunity to develop the peaceful use of nuclear power in Indonesia after a number of Russian companies signed on to a flagship project which is hoped to be the future of Indonesia's nuclear program.

Mikhail Galuzin, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Indonesia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), said the nuclear powerhouse nation "hopes for a closer cooperation in the area of peaceful use of nuclear energy."

In June this year, Indonesia's National Nuclear Energy Agency (Batan) signed a deal with Rosatom – Russia's State Nuclear Energy Corporation – at the Atomexpo international conference and exhibition in Moscow to develop nuclear energy.

Batan now operates three research nuclear reactors, Serpong in Banten, Bandung in West Java and a third location at Yogyakarta in Central Java.

Under the deal, both parties will cooperate on both the scientific and development aspects as well as promote the use of nuclear energy in Indonesia while increasing community awareness about modern nuclear energy technologies.

In April, Rosatom announced a consortium of Russian and Indonesian companies had won a contract for a the preliminary design of a multi- purpose, high temperature, gas-cooled nuclear reactor which is expected to be the flagship for Indonesia's future nuclear program.

"We hope that if from the Indonesian side make a decision to build its first ever nuclear power plant, the Russian company Rusatom can be useful for the interest of Indonesia," Galuzin said.

"We in Russia have the most advanced technology, services, experience in the world... Russia provides the full cycle service cooperation," he said, adding the Russia will also take care of the nuclear waste.

Nuclear power remains a daunting prospect to many Indonesians. Plans for developing a nuclear power plant in 2013 near Jepara, Central Java, were shelved after strong local resident resistance.

However, with ever increasing energy demands, alternatives to fossil fuels – such as nuclear – are becoming an attractive alternative for the future.

Director general of renewable energy at the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, Rida Mulyana, was reported as saying in April that the government plans to break ground on a nuclear power plant in 2024 or 2025.

Southeast Asia's biggest economy has a significant reserve of plutonium in Bangka Belitung island and Uranium in Kalimantan island.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/russia-indonesia-partnership-build-future-indonesian-nuclear-sector/

Malaysia, Vietnam may grab Indonesia's manufacturing market

Jakarta Post - October 8, 2015

Indonesia's manufacturers said that they had been concerned since Malaysia and Vietnam joined with eight countries in the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement.

Both countries' products would be more competitive with tariff cuts and less barriers, which in turn would endanger Indonesia's market share, secretary-general of the Indonesia Textile Association (API) Ernovian Ismy said.

"They join and give incentives to access their market. It is possible for Vietnam and Malaysia to crush Indonesia's products exported to TPP members such as the US," Ernovian was quoted by kontan.com as saying.

According to him, Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia had similar manufacturing products, such as textiles and textile products (TPT), tires, automotive parts and electronic products.

API's data shows Indonesia exported US$12 billion in TPT last year. The biggest markets were the US (36 percent), the Middle East (23 percent), Europe (16 percent), Japan (7 percent) and Southeast Asia (7 percent).

Chairman of the Indonesian Shoe Manufacturing Association (Aprisindo) Eddy Widjanarko said that TPP, as a new free-trade block, would take effect in the long term. "Vietnam will book more orders for their footwear, while Indonesia is going to be stagnant," he said.

Referring to Industry Ministry data, Indonesia's footwear exports amounted to $4.11 billion last year, increasing 6.44 percent from the previous year's exports totaling to $3.86 billion. The export destinations were the US, UK, Belgium, Germany and Japan.

As previously reported, the US, Canada, Japan, Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam have joined in the TPP trade deals. The 12 countries comprise 40 percent of world trade.

Both Ernovian and Eddy stated the government should join the free-trade pact as well, adding that if it was not possible, the government should create a similar pact with Europe and Turkey as soon as possible.

Director of PT Pan Brothers Fitri Ratnasari Hartono said Indonesia's products would be lost in competition without a new free trade deal with Europe. Indonesia's textile market in the US and Japan could be taken over by TPP members.

"It is possible to join with Europe, because we have started the initial dialog," she said. (ags/dan)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/08/malaysia-vietnam-may-grab-indonesia-s-manufacturing-market.html

Mining & energy

Freeport is greedy, says Rizal Ramli

Jakarta Post - October 8, 2015

Jakarta – Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Rizal Ramli dished out a sharp critique once more, and this time it was directed against foreign companies controlling Indonesia's mineral wealth.

For example, the gold mine controlled by giant gold and copper miner Freeport in Papua. He also lambasted the mentality of the country's state officials in the mineral sector.

Rizal said Indonesia was blessed with abundant mineral resources such as copper, gold, coal, nickel and tin. Unfortunately, all of those resources, except coal, are controlled by foreign powers through a work contract.

The minister said a mining site currently controlled by PT Freeport Indonesia, a subsidiary of US-based mining giant Freeport-McMoRan Inc., in Papua was one of the three biggest copper and gold mines in the world.

"However, people in Papua are very poor because Freeport pays only 1 percent in royalties for the gold it exploits. Across the world, gold royalties are around 6-7 percent," Rizal said as quoted by tempo.co in his remarks during a general lecture to celebrate the 57th anniversary of the Jayabaya University in Jakarta on Thursday.

The minister said gold and copper reserves in the mine currently controlled by Freeport could be exploited for the next 30-40 years. Meanwhile, the company's contract would expire within the next 5 to 10 years.

"There is now a chance for our country to be able to repeat our previous history, during which our mineral resources gave much benefit to all Indonesian people and the nation," said Rizal.

Based on existing laws, he said, a contract could be renegotiated only 2 or 3 years before it expired. However, there were state officials who wanted Freeport's contract to be renegotiated 10 years before it expired.

"They don't understand negotiation techniques. We have to understand that the closer we get to the expiry of a contract, the bigger our bargaining position is. So, we can push forward much better contract terms for this nation," said Rizal.

The minister also criticized Freeport's poor environmental management, saying it threw mining waste, which contained mercury, into rivers in the surrounding areas, damaging the ecosystem.

Rizal said if Freeport implemented good corporate governance, it would not be that difficult for the company to handle mining waste, preventing it from polluting the environment.

"But because it [Freeport] is greedy, it doesn't want to pay compensation to victims of environmental damage. Our weak law enforcement has aggravated the situation. Ironically, in its home country, any company found guilty of damaging the environment, such as the incident that happened in the Gulf of Mexico, must pay billions of dollars in fines," said Rizal. (ags/ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/08/freeport-greedy-says-rizal-ramli.html

Economy & investment

Palm oil producers call for government support

Jakarta Post - October 5, 2015

Jakarta – The Indonesian Palm Oil Producers Association (Gapki) says the government should provide support and pay close attention to the national palm oil industry to ensure that it continues to grow in the midst of the country's economic slowdown.

"There should be supports from the government so that this industry can survive and dominate the international market," said Gapki chairman Joko Supriyono as quoted by Antara news agency in Jakarta on Monday.

He said the ongoing fluctuations of the rupiah exchange rate had hurt palm oil companies in Indonesia, especially those with huge US-dollar debts.

"In the current slowing economic condition, many business players are tightening their belts, thus, we need support from the government," he added.

Meanwhile, Palm Oil Agribusiness Strategic Policy Institute (Paspi) executive director Tungkot Sipayung said palm oil companies had always been blamed as parties most responsible for land and forest fires.

He said the government needed to thoroughly check their sources before naming palm oil companies and their officials suspects in land and forest fire cases.

"Land and forest fires have brought losses upon all parties. This is a fact we have to be aware of. The incidents are triggered by a range of factors such as existing regulations that allow land clearing using risky slash and burn practices, problems in the management of state forests and the current long dry spell," said Tungkot.

Among the relevant regulations are Law No.32/2009 on environmental protection and management, which allows local people possessing 2-hectare or smaller plots of land to open their land using the slash and burn method, he added. (ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/05/palm-oil-producers-call-government-support.html

Jokowi urged to resolve political turmoil to speed up economic recovery

Jakarta Post - October 4, 2015

Ayomi Amindoni, Jakarta – Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (Indef) senior economist Didik J. Rachbini has warned that the successful implementation of Indonesia's economic stimulus policy package will depend on President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's leadership, in which political turmoil appears to be the biggest challenge he needs to resolve.

"It will be difficult to get economic recovery if ministries and non- ministry government institutions continue to fight. As we've seen they have continued to quarrel with each other," the economist said in Jakarta on Saturday.

"The rupiah exchange rate has worsened and it could soon reach Rp 15,000 to the US dollar if the unconducive situation is not resolved," he went on.

Didik acknowledged that Jokowi's popularity had waned because of his strategic policies, which were considered weak, following intensified conflict and rivalry within his government.

"The success of the government's economic policy packages will depend on whether President Jokowi's communication and political power run well," he added. Didik further said the government should improve the bureaucracy, which was considered poorer than in many other countries.

"There will be no improvement, even if the government deregulates [business and investment] licensing procedures, if our bureaucracy performance is still not good," he stated.

Indef researcher Imaddudin Abdullah said deregulation and de- bureaucratization measures offered in the second economic stimulus package should be appreciated because there was more focus on providing convenient investment licensing and facilitation.

Unfortunately, he said, the offered deregulation and de-bureaucratization measures seemed to be provided to solve problems in the central government only.

In fact, regional autonomy regulations stipulate that some licensing procedures should be carried out at the regional level. "At the regional level, licensing procedures are still very bureaucratic and take quite a long time," he said. (ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/04/jokowi-urged-resolve-political-turmoil-speed-economic-recovery.html

Business owners claim discrimination over liquor sales ban

Jakarta Post - October 3, 2015

Business – Business owners are speaking out against the issuance of Ministerial Regulation No. 6/2015 on the control and supervision of the production, distribution and sale of alcoholic beverages.

"We want to speak with the government. We are ready to do business in accordance with the procedures but we have become victims of discrimination," said Alcoholic Beverages Association chairman Bambang Britono as reported by tribunnews.com on Saturday.

Referring to a ban on the sale of Group A alcoholic beverages, or those with 5 percent alcohol content, in all minimarkets nationwide, Bambang, said many liquor products had been withdrawn from the market.

He said although the regulation came into effect last April, most Group A beverages were taken off the market in January because local administrations had begun conducting raids.

Bambang added that the production of alcohol had decreased by about 50 percent since the issuance of the regulation and that many liquor producers had been forced to lay off workers.

Meanwhile, logistics and distribution infrastructure director at the Trade Ministry, Jimmy Bella, said that the government had not included the distribution and sale of alcohol in the economic packages announced by the government, as initially planned.

"Policy on alcohol distribution was not included in the deregulation packages," Jimmy said on Saturday.

The government had previously said that it would relax the sale of liquor and allow regional administrations to determine the locations where people could purchase alcoholic beverages. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/03/business-owners-claim-discrimination-over-liquor-sales-ban.html

Staple food contributes deflation in September: BPS

Jakarta Post - October 1, 2015

Jakarta – Central Statistics Agency (BPS) Suryamin said staple food contributed a lot to the deflation in September, which stood at 0.05 percent with a consumer price index (IHK) of 121.67.

"The 0.05 percent deflation in September was triggered by a deflation in staple food, which stood at 1.7 percent, followed by transportation, communication and finance services at 0.4 percent," he said as quoted by Antara in Jakarta on Thursday.

Suryamin said prices of food commodities had returned to normal after Ramadhan and Idul Fitri festivities. "Eggs, chicken, milk, vegetables, fruits and cooking spices have all suffered a deflation," he said.

BPS data said five groups experienced an increased index. The processed food, beverages, cigarette and tobacco recorded a 0.39 percent inflation in September, followed by housing, tap water, electricity, gas and fuel (0.20 percent), clothing (0.83 percent), health (0.44 percent) and education, recreation and sports (0.89 percent).

With such an inflation development in September, the calendar year inflation rate (January-September) stood at 2.24 percent while the year-on-year inflation stood at 6.83 percent.

Meanwhile, core components experienced a 0.44 percent inflation in September so that the calendar year core component inflation rate (January-September) stood at 3.32 percent and the year-on-year core component inflation rate stood at 5.07 percent.

Of total 82 IHK cities, 36 cities experienced a deflation while the 46 others suffered an inflation. The highest deflation rate occurred in Sibolga, which stood at 1.85 percent with an IHK level of 120.15 and the lowest deflation was in Bandung, which reached 0.01 percent with an IHK of 120.61.

The highest inflation occurred in Merauke, which stood at 1.33 percent with an IHK of 123.20, while the lowest inflation was in Jakarta, which stood at 0.01 percent and IHK 122.38. (ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/01/staple-food-contributes-deflation-september-bps.html

History & culture

Two centuries of slavery on Indonesian soil

Jakarta Post - October 5, 2015

Linawati Sidarto, Contributor, Amsterdam – While slavery in Dutch colonies in America is a known historical fact, hardly anyone is aware that up to a million people were bought, sold and had to endure slavery in Holland's largest possession: Indonesia.

The slave Mono was regularly beaten by her owner. One day she could no longer stand the abuse and tried to run away.

Alas, she was captured. Her owner, seething with rage, tied her to a ladder, whipped and tortured her and left her for dead. Somehow, Mono was able to get hold of a knife and killed herself.

The above may sound like a scene from a Hollywood slavery movie, but it actually took place in Batavia in 1765, according to court archives belonging to the Dutch East India Company or Veerenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie (VOC).

Two books published this year in the Netherlands shed light on the widespread existence of slavery in the Indonesian archipelago during Dutch colonial rule.

"I became increasingly dismayed as I did my research: How was it possible that nobody had any idea about this dark history?" says Reggie Baay, author of Daar werd wat gruwelijks verricht: Slavernij in Nederlands-Indie (Gruesome things were committed there: Slavery in the Dutch East Indies).

The Netherlands started spreading its maritime wings in the late 16th century, dividing its global trading posts between the West Indian Company (WIC – West-Indische Compagnie), which overlooked its territories in the Americas and the VOC for Asia.

The two companies came to be among the largest Atlantic slave traders between the 17th and the 19th centuries, shipping and trading hundreds of thousands of Africans to the Americas to work on plantations, including in the WIC territories of Surinam and the Antilles. Unknown to many, however, the Dutch were just as active in Asia.

Historian and writer Baay points out in his book that "from the beginning of their activities in Asia, the VOC bought, sold and used slaves."

In his book Kleurrijke Tragiek: De geschiedenis van Slavernij in Azik onder de VOC (Colorful Tragedy: The history of slavery in Asia under the VOC), historian Matthias van Rossum recounts how VOC vicar Johann Christian Hoffman spoke of the dynamic trade carried out by Europeans and Asians in Batavia in the mid 17th century.

"The most important merchandise was slaves brought here from Ambon, Ternate, Bali, Borneo, Bengal, Madagascar and other countries, who were sold and resold on a daily basis," Hoffman wrote in his journal.

Slavery already existed in many places in Asia before the arrival of the Europeans. "In Sulawesi, for example, there were frequent wars between local rulers. Soldiers from the losing faction would be captured and kept or sold as slaves," Baay explains.

Until then, however, slavery was mostly local and relatively limited in scale. "When the Europeans arrived, the slave trade became a much bigger and more lucrative trade. The VOC needed slaves to build forts and cities, work on plantations, offices and households. Slaves were no longer just sold locally, but across the archipelago and beyond," he adds.

Van Rossum estimates that between 660,000 and 1,135,000 slaves were shipped into and from VOC territories in Asia during the 17th and 18th centuries – markedly more than between 495,000 and 850,000 in the West Indian colonies.

"There were internal trade routes in the Indonesian archipelago, particularly from the eastern and northern parts of the archipelago toward the more urban areas on Java and the surrounding islands.

"From the Indonesian isles, slaves were transported to India, Sri Lanka and South Africa," explains Van Rossum, a senior researcher at Amsterdam's International Institute for Social History.

Slaves were obtained in various ways. "A great number of men, women and children were shipped off as prisoners of war and coerced into forced labor or sold," Van Rossum writes. Drought and famine, he continues, also led to bonded labor and slavery, as did "small and large kidnapping operations".

While slaves in the Americas mostly worked outdoors on plantations, those under the VOC were used in a wider variety of labor. Some were put to work on plantations, but many also worked in cities, burdened with tasks ranging from household work to construction and weapon production.

The notion that household and urban slavery was milder than plantation slavery is not entirely correct. "The close proximity in which slaves and their owners lived and worked often led to tension. The reality, or threat, of physical violence was part of these slaves' daily lives," Van Rossum said.

It was not unusual for female slaves to be forced into performing sexual services for their owners, and some were even rented out to earn money for their proprietors.

Slaves under the VOC regime had to adhere to strict rules, with severe punishments for violators. "More than half, and at times three-quarters, of Batavia's population in the second half of the 17th century was made up of slaves," Baay says in his book. "Due to this imbalance, owners were constantly aware of the potential threat from their slaves."

These rules included restrictions on gathering together, carrying weapons or even using fireworks in celebrations. Slaves were to have minimum physical contact with Europeans. If a slave accidentally bumped into a European on the street, Baay writes, "they would immediately be tied to a tree and savagely beaten".

At that time, harsh corporal punishments were an integral part of the penal system in Europe and its territories. The VOC regulations allowed owners to hit their slaves with a rattan stick or heavy ropes "to reprimand them".

Court archives reveal that some of these beatings led to death. While this was a crime under the law, "in practice the perpetrators were seldom punished".

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/05/two-centuries-slavery-indonesian-soil.html

Analysis & opinion

Maire Leadbeater: A glimmer of hope for West Papua?

New Zealand Herald - October 7, 2015

It is frustrating that serious human rights abuses in Indonesian-controlled West Papua continue to fly below the radar.

This year there has been some good news but it is also going largely unremarked. This is equally frustrating, especially as the positive developments all stem from initiatives taken by courageous Papuans themselves or by our neighbours in the Pacific.

Let me review. First, the five-member Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) granted the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) umbrella group official observer status at its June summit. To the Papuans this was a huge step as they have been excluded from Pacific regional bodies for over 50 years.

Second, the 16-nation Pacific Island Forum meeting in September, not only named the issue of human rights in West Papua as one of its five major agenda items, it also resolved to ask Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister to consult with Indonesia about accepting a Pacific fact-finding mission to the territory.

Third, West Papua now has new friends speaking out for it on the world stage. Most recently both Tongan Prime Minister, Akolisi Pohiva, and Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare took to the UN General Assembly podium to remind the world body of its duty towards West Papua in the face of ongoing human rights abuses and brutality. Sogavare, who recently appoint a special West Papua envoy, urged Indonesia to allow free and unrestricted access for a regional fact finding mission.

None of these positive developments would have come about without taro- roots work. Activists in West Papua face almighty obstacles but they were determined to ensure that the Melanesian leaders knew of their support for West Papua to be included in the regional body. So they organised a petition, a proper paper one with ID-card validated signatures, and somehow they defied military and police to get that petition distributed across the rugged and mountainous territory.

Hundreds of activists were arrested for campaigning to support the ULMWP, but still the final tally in the packages couriered to the Honiara MSG meeting was 55,555. Many Indonesian migrants signed on alongside Church and tribal leaders. Thousands more signatures did not make the deadline.

In the months leading up to the two regional Pacific meetings there were a whole series of amazing marches and colourful events in several Pacific capitals in which the Churches were prominent participants.

Honiara, site of the MSG summit, was awash with the West Papuan independence Morning Star flag and posters with the slogan 'Bring West Papua back to the family.' Popular bands brought out West Papuan songs. Aotearoa's Maori and Pasifika performance group Oceania Interrupted circulated a catchy YouTube video in support of the fact-finding mission.

The bad news is that New Zealand's political leaders are not on board. Foreign Minister Murray McCully dismissed the value of a regional West Papua fact-finding mission even before he arrived at the Pacific Forum summit. Apparently good relations with Indonesia and our defence and trade ties trump human rights. It was not always so. In the 1950s and early 60s when the Dutch were preparing West Papua for self-government New Zealand politicians and diplomats gave their plans whole-hearted support in the UN.

Indigenous Papuan leaders were welcomed when they attended South Pacific Commission conferences. New Zealand sent a delegation along when a democratic legislature, the New Guinea Council, was inaugurated in April 1961. The delegation included the then Minister of Island Affairs and a high-ranked representative of almost-independent Samoa. He was Malietoa Tanumafili II, later Samoan Head of State.

West Papua has been largely closed to outside media ever since Indonesia assumed control in 1963. But there is some good news on this front too. After years of trying Maori TV's Native Affairs team was allowed in. The documentary did not shy away from detailing past human rights abuses or the issue of military impunity and they also offered a tantalising glimpse of the Dani – a tribe with a 40,000 year history of highlands habitation. The Dani have been working on a project supported by OXFAM Aotearoa to ensure that their traditional kumara is revived as a staple food and favoured over expensive imported rice.

West Papuans believe the UN and the international community let them down 50 years ago when it agreed to Indonesian control so now it must be an international responsibility to help support negotiations towards a fair and peaceful solution.

Pacific Island leaders are listening to their people and taking up the cause with great dignity, so when will New Zealand follow suit?

[Maire Leadbeater is a member of West Papua Action Auckland and author of "Negligent Neighbour; New Zealand's Complicity in the Invasion and Occupation of Timor-Leste", published by Craig Potton in 2006.]

Source: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11525284

Back to wanton murder?

Jakarta Post Editorial - October 6, 2015

A murder in public view in an East Java village takes us back to the dark days of impunity, an end to which was promised by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo during his election campaign.

The chronology of the murder of Samsul, known as Salim Kancil, 52, on Sept. 26 is stomach-churning; further, the victim's son and local kindergarten children were reportedly involuntary spectators of the beating of the villager, who, along with his neighbors, was intent on protecting the survival of their village from the threat of excessive sand-mining.

Samsul, of Selok Awar-Awar subdistrict in Pasirian district, Lumajang regency, was apparently tortured and killed because he and his neighbors were in the way of lucrative business interests involving the village head and possibly other figures of authority. His neighbor Tosan, who was also tortured, is in a critical condition.

At least 23 people, including village head Hariyono, have been named suspects for illegal sand-quarrying. However, lawmakers said on Monday that the case was too large to handle by the local police, as illegal sand- mining is worth billions of rupiah, despite the regent's claim that everything has been done to stop such activities.

The director of a mining firm that operates almost 4,400 hectares of mining area has been named a suspect for bribing authorities for the permit and has claimed he reported illegal mining to the local police last year. Hariyono himself has denied any intention to torture or kill members of the antimining group.

The provincial chapter of the environmental NGO Walhi reported there were at least 15 resources-related conflicts in East Java from January to September this year, related to the increasing need to convert land for industry and mining. Samsul and his neighbors are, then, the unfortunate victims of merely one of many such cases.

They had gained increasing support for non-violent protest methods such as blocking the trucks going to and from the mining site, thus posing a major threat to those seeking profits from the business.

To curb unbridled local authority to issue permits, last year the law on regional administrations revoked the right of regents and mayors to issue mining permits. Businesses in East Java are reportedly authorized to operate in areas of over 86,000 hectares in total, mining gold, sand, geothermal energy and other resources.

However, weak law enforcement has barely touched even outright illegal activities, leaving villagers to defend their land and water – their very survival.

It may be too much to expect the President to swiftly resolve the murder of leading rights activist Munir or the highly divisive issue of the 1960s massacres. But Jokowi and his administration must at least hammer home the message of the first point of his Nawacita program across the length and breadth of law enforcers and local leaders – "To return the presence of the state to protect the nation and to provide a sense of security to all citizens".

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/06/editorial-back-wanton-murder.html

Mass killings underpinned Soeharto's national security doctrine

Jakarta Post - October 6, 2015

Endy M. Bayuni, Jakarta – If I had to sacrifice the lives of two million Indonesians to save the lives of 200 million Indonesians, I would do so: So once said one of former president Soeharto's top military chiefs to a closed House of Representatives hearing.

When Gen. Benny Moerdani uttered these words, during his stint as defense minister from 1988 to 1992, he was explaining the national security doctrine that his military and political mentor Soeharto had used so effectively to rule the country with little serious challenge.

Soeharto never publicly spelled it out this way, and it is unlikely that anything like it was ever put in writing in any state document, but it was a national security doctrine that helped launched his presidential bid when he led the army in purging Indonesia of communists and left-wing activists in 1965-1966, and later propped him up in power for more than three decades.

This year marks 50 years since the mass killings, a national tragedy that has left a deep scar to this day. Going by official statements these past few weeks, however, it is clear that the nation is far from feeling remorseful about the state taking the lives of many of its people.

Forget about getting any apology from the state. The nation is still very much in denial. At best, it entertains the idea that it was an inevitable or even necessary tragedy to prevent Indonesia from falling into communism.

The scariest part of this is that in the absence of any feeling of remorse, many here would probably endorse another round of killings, given circumstances similar to those that surrounded the 1965-1966 massacres.

Most independent estimates put the death toll between 500,000 and one million. With Indonesia's population then just surpassing the 100 million mark, this gives us the "tolerable" number to kill off: 1 percent of the population. When Benny spoke in the early 1990s, Indonesia's population had just surpassed 200 million, so it was no coincidence that he picked two million as the tolerable limit.

Killing 1 percent of the population for the good of the other 99 percent may make sense in a national security doctrine drawn up by the military. But for Indonesia, 1 percent translates into a staggeringly huge absolute number.

If Soeharto were still in charge today, going by his national security doctrine, the state would have to be prepared to kill up to 2.5 million people for the good of some 250 million plus people.

States kill to protect people, and yes, often this means killing their own citizens. Undemocratic states use their military, rather than police, to carry out the killings. In Soeharto's case, he was the president and the military had always been his personal tool.

Soeharto was not the only leader who killed his own citizens on a large scale for the "greater good".

World history is full of leaders who brutally murdered in the name of the state and the people, including the Soviet Union's Joseph Stalin, communist China's Mao Ze Dong, Germany's Adolf Hitler, Cambodia's Pol Pot, junta leaders in Latin America and more recently, the generals in the Myanmar junta.

One can even throw the US into this category when it decided to use the nuclear bomb in Japan in 1945 to end World War II once and for all.

Any attempt to look into the reasons for the 1965 killings would do well to scrutinize Soeharto's national security doctrine.

The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) in 2012 published a detailed report of its four-year study into the killings and concluded that it amounted to a crime against humanity. The report spared the armed forces, then ABRI, from any institutional culpability, instead laying the blame on the Operational Command for the Restoration of Security and Order (Kopkamtib).

This was the command Soeharto created in 1965 to give him the powers to take whatever steps he deemed necessary to restore peace and order.

The command usurped the powers of Sukarno, who had become a sitting duck president after Oct. 1, 1965. Although Soeharto was still reporting to Sukarno, he was able to ignore and circumvent the president by using his Kopkamtib authority. In March 1966, he edged Sukarno out of power and assumed the presidency himself.

Soeharto kept Kopkamtib in operation, at first leading it alongside his job as president, but over the years he put the command in the hands of his most trusted general answerable to him. Thus Indonesia for the next three decades was de facto ruled by a dictator with a national security doctrine that tolerated mass killings.

None of the killings during his tenure, including in East Timor, matched the scale and horror of the 1965 massacres, but the doctrine was very much at work throughout Soeharto's rule, using fear and terror effectively to remain in power for three decades.

But something must have happened to the old man that changed his mind by May 1998. Then military chief Gen. Wiranto reported to Soeharto about the plan for an assembly of up to one million people in Jakarta to call for his resignation. Wiranto said cracking down on the protestors could lead to a bloodbath. He asked for instruction.

This should have been a no-brainer for someone who had overseen the mass killings more than 30 years earlier. But Soeharto, then 77, asked for time to consider anyway. A few hours later, he informed Wiranto not to bother. He quit the next day.

[The writer is senior editor of The Jakarta Post.]

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/06/commentary-mass-killings-underpinned-soeharto-s-national-security-doctrine.html

Happy birthday TNI, bring military reform back on track

Jakarta Post - October 5, 2015

Bhatara Ibnu Reza, Sydney – The Indonesian Military (TNI) celebrates its 70th anniversary on Oct. 5. This makes TNI one of Asia's oldest national defense forces.

The TNI was born out of the struggle for independence. Now, the TNI has a good reputation in places where our soldiers join in UN peacekeeping operations. Our soldiers' achievements in the Military Olympics are among the best in the world.

However, as a political tool of past authoritarian regimes, the TNI was the perpetrator of scores of human rights violations and other illegal acts, some of which sought to wipe out pro-democratic activists and students for the sake of state and economic stability. Advocates for democracy and human rights were declared state enemies. The New Order claimed TNI as a vanguard of the nation, and legalized its "dual function" in politics and security.

After Soeharto stepped down in May 1998, the TNI had to adjust from being a tool of the regime to becoming a professional defense force. Their activities in politics and independent business had to be abolished. Their budget was controlled by government and supervised by the House of Representatives. Furthermore, legislations including Law No. 34/2004 on the TNI aimed to reform the military and to curb its desire to return to politics. The law intended to make the military pay heed to human rights, especially during military operations.

But problems emerged when civilian government lacked self confidence in governing the country independently without military assistance. The latest example is the encouragement of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's administration for military involvement in several non defense sectors. For example, the President has encouraged the practice of babinsa (village- based noncommissioned officers) becoming advisors to farmers. Some ministries even have exclusive agreements with the TNI, mostly unrelated to defense.

No wonder Pandora's box is now open, and the TNI desires to come back into politics. TNI leaders offer their opinions on various issues, whether requested to or not. Recently, TNI Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mulyono rejected the "dichotomy" of civilians and the military, arguing that it was an effort to "split the nation". He has also remarked on the possibility of a "communist resurgence", and has rejected efforts to achieve truth and reconciliation for the sake of victims of the 1965 slaughter.

The government should learn a lot from history where our military has always been keen to retain a political role. Strengthening civil-military relations is a must in this administration because this issue is always targeted by conservative politicians and the military. They often raise the "dichotomy" between civilians and the military and that a synergy is needed between both elements to strengthen the nation since they share the same obligations. This kind of opinion is misleading and promotes the rejection of military submission to civilian government.

While citizenship does not discriminate between civil and military spheres, it does not mean that there should be equality between civilians and the military in politics, law and human rights. Civilian supremacy is a concept inherent to democracy where the military, as the only actor that can legitimately use violence for state defense, should obey a civilian government elected through a democratic process.

Thus, any acts interfering in politics by force or by request from the government, acts that are unrelated to their main duties and functions based on the constitution and other related laws, should be considered unconstitutional and illegal. For example, the agreements between ministries and the TNI should be considered illegal regarding functions unrelated to defense – such as the guarding of airports and train stations, which is the function of the police.

There are differences between civilians and soldiers regarding rights and duties as citizens. Civilians are citizens entitled to the full range of human rights guaranteed by the state through the constitution and other laws. Military personnel, meanwhile, possessing state authority, are obliged to take up arms when required, to protect both the rights of the state and the rights of citizens.

Military members still retain non-derogable rights. The right to life, the right to be treated equally before the law, the right not to be tortured or subjected to degrading and inhumane treatment, freedom to religion are rights shared by military members and civilians in accordance with the Constitution and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Regarding equality before the law, President Jokowi should continue to reform military justice, which is demanded by the Constitution following the second amendment on reform Law No. 31/1997 on Military Tribunals.

Until now, there has been no effort to continue the reform. The draft is absent from the current National Legislation Program. The military justice system notoriously doles out insufficient punishment to those who breach the laws and human rights violations. Examples include the forced disappearance of student activists, the shooting of students in 1998 and the Cebongan case, where special forces members killed detainees in a Central Java police detention center.

It is not too late for President Jokowi to bring back security sector reform by keeping the TNI away from politics and other activities outside their main duties and functions. It is also important to modernize our defense forces. These efforts would lead to success in creating a more professional TNI and enhance our prestige as a nation with one of the world's most respected and finest defense forces. Happy 70th anniversary of the glorious TNI.

[The writer is researching civilian involvement in state defense for his PhD in law at the University of New South Wales, Sydney. He is a researcher for Imparsial (an Indonesian Human Rights Monitor).]

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/05/happy-birthday-tni-bring-military-reform-back-track.html

The week in review: Public funds for family outings

Jakarta Post - October 4, 2015

Pandaya – Recent hearings at the Jakarta Corruption Court gave the public a glimpse of how two former Cabinet ministers allegedly spent public funds like their private wealth.

Key witnesses disclosed under oath that the defendants had burned billions of rupiah they accepted as "operational funds" on anything from the official's wife's lavish birthday bash to an application for a grandchild's passport.

On the docks were former religious minister Suryadharma Ali and former energy and mineral resources minister Jero Wacik. In separate hearings, prosecutors charged Jero with allegedly misusing Rp 8.4 billion (US$57,100) and Suryadharma Rp 1.8 billion in operational funds.

Beside the operational fund case, Suryadharma – a United Development Party (PPP) politician – is also standing trial for the unaccounted Rp 27.4 billion in haj funds during his ministerial stint between 2009 and 2014.

In fact, Suryadharma's embezzlement allegation was a "byproduct" of the Corruption Eradication Commission's (KPK) probe into the haj-fund case.

Suryadharma is trying to disprove prosecutors' charges that he misused official funds to settle his wife's medical bills and finance family outings that took them to Australia and Singapore.

Andri Alphen, one of Suryadharma's aides, testified on Wednesday that when the irregularity was found out by the KPK, Suryadharma went ballistic and summoned him along with two other staffers to his residence. His boss banged the table and ordered them to manipulate the accountability report in his favor.

Suryadharma dismissed Andri's testimony as "an attempt to corner him". "My wife is a House of Representatives member and has medical insurance to cover her medical bills," he told reporters.

Jero, a senior Democratic Party politician, was charged with allegedly misappropriating Rp 10.5 billion in operational funds during his previous stint as culture and tourism minister between 2008 and 2011.

Among the private events allegedly funded with money from the state coffers was his wife's lavish birthday party thrown simultaneously with the launch of her book about embroidery in 2012, which together cost Rp 619 million, according to court documents. On hand were fellow ministers' wives.

Jero denied the charge. He swore that his relatives' birthdays had always been celebrated modestly with a family get-together at a restaurant. As for the book, he claimed the launch was held and funded by a foundation that his wife chaired.

He fiercely argued that the money was legal income and thus he had every right as a state official to spend it however he deemed appropriate. "During my term as culture and tourism minister, I earned Rp 14.4 billion in operational funds. I took Rp 8.4 billion [thereof] and I have receipts for all my spending," he told journalists.

KPK prosecutors told the court that state losses had reached a whopping Rp 10.5 billion. The difference gives KPK investigators reason to suspect that Jero may have shared the money with other people.

While judges may need a few more weeks to reach verdicts, the Suryadharma and Jero cases are a shocking sign of crumbling family values.

This year's observance of Pancasila Sanctity Day on Oct. 1 was unusually lively with debates on what the government should do to resolve the long- standing gross human rights violations in the wake of the communist purge that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives in 1965.

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has been steadfast in rejecting demands that the state should apologize to the victims of the aborted coup attempt blamed on the now-defunct Indonesian Communist Party (PKI).

On a more positive note, this year's observance offered more than the televised routine, somber state ceremony at the Pancasila Sanctity Monument at Lubang Buaya, East Jakarta, where attendants walk down memory lane of the seven generals slain in the coup bid.

Intellectuals, activists, religious leaders and the mainstream media have been renewing their calls for the Jokowi administration to revitalize the state ideology, Pancasila, which has been seriously undermined by the growing tide of intolerance, religious radicalism, widespread corruption and injustice.

As the state ideology that binds the various ethnic, cultural and religious differences that make up Indonesia, Pancasila has been facing serious challenges since the fall of president Soeharto, who often bent the philosophy to suit his political interests and thus gave it a bad name.

Then came greater freedom of speech, which has been unfortunately misused by religious radicals in the name of democracy to promote their theocratic ideology to replace Pancasila.

The government ought to reintroduce Pancasila as a mandatory subject in schools as Soeharto did, albeit with innovations to fit present day situations. Other concrete measures the government may take would be to review sharia-inspired bylaws adopted by numerous cities and regencies nationwide.

Economic injustice resulting in the concentration of resources in the hands of an elite few, the widening gulf between the rich and the poor blamed for social ills, like poverty and extremism, have long been identified, but solutions remain a far cry.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/04/the-week-review-public-funds-family-outings.html

Will leaders ride the tide that favors truth about '60s killings?

Jakarta Post - October 3, 2015

Prodita Sabarini, Jakarta – This month marks the 50th year Indonesia has been ignoring the murder of more than half a million people. The gruesome crimes of 1965 were provoked by Cold War era anti-communist propaganda that the state has yet to dispel.

There has not been an apology, let alone a criminal inquiry, despite a 2012 report by the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) declaring that the army was responsible for gross human rights violations.

But some officials seem eager to leave "the past" behind. In July, then military chief Gen. Moeldoko, after a meeting to set up a truth and reconciliation committee for past human rights abuses, said, "We must not forget, but forgive".

Victims of the 1965 crimes do not need reminding to not forget that their friends and family members were tortured, raped and murdered by the army and civilian death squads.

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, elected by the people based on a human rights platform, should listen to the victims and prevent perpetrator groups from dictating how reconciliation should happen.

Seventeen years have passed since the fall of Soeharto, the general who led the crackdown against communists in 1965. Historical studies and research by academics and civil society groups have since shed light on the army's fabricated tales about Indonesia's communists.

Soeharto blamed the communist party for the killing of six army generals and one junior officer on Oct. 1, 1965. Junior officers of Sukarno's presidential guard calling themselves "the Sept. 30 movement" ("G30S") had kidnapped and killed the generals to prevent a military coup against the ailing Sukarno's government that they believed would happen on Oct. 5.

Theories abound on the mastermind of the Movement. The latest 2006 study by historian John Roosa claimed that the officers conspired with party leader DN Aidit and a few others. But the rest of the party members and sympathizers who perished most probably had no idea.

History shows that paranoia towards "the other" can prompt a group of people to stop seeing themselves in the face of others. The Nazi propaganda described the Jews as poisonous mushrooms. The Hutu painted the Tutsi, favored by the Belgians during Rwanda's colonial era, as cockroaches.

In Indonesia, Army propaganda painted communists as immoral bloodthirsty savages ready to take over the nation. As researcher Saskia Wieringa pointed out, among them are stories published in the army newspapers of communist women mutilating the genitals of the kidnapped generals before killing them.

Other countries that have experienced genocide have woken up from their paranoia and acknowledged the harm it brought to their people. Perpetrators were brought to justice. Whether victims forgave them or not wasn't discussed, but empathetic leaders apologized for the crimes regardless of public sentiment. In 1970 German chancellor Willy Brandt kneeled in silence in Poland before a Holocaust monument.

Perhaps Jokowi will not formally apologize this year or revise the history books to include the anti-communist massacre of 1965-1966. Recently the nation's second-largest Islamic organization Muhammadiyah questioned the President over plans to apologize for the 1965 crimes and they got the answer that they wanted. No – as the President made clear again on Oct. 1, Pancasila Sanctity Day, at Lubang Buaya, where the generals were killed.

With resistance from the military and elements of Islamic groups to even acknowledge what happened, let alone apologize, it may seem that many prefer that no real change occur. But after decades of silence, more people inside and outside Indonesia are becoming aware of what happened and are talking about this more openly and objectively.

A group of human rights activists are preparing an International People's Tribunal for the 1965 crimes in The Hague, Netherlands, bringing attention from local and international media. Indonesian novelists writing with the setting of 1965 are becoming focused on in the upcoming Frankfurt Book Fair, the world's biggest book festival.

In covering the 50th year of the massacre, local and international mainstream media are no longer silent, which shows where the tide is heading.

Sindonews recently published the history of how "communist women" were slandered by the army. BBC Radio recently aired an interview of a descendant of killers perplexed by the cruelty of his uncle. Deustche Welle Indonesia published an interview with writer Martin Aleida who was imprisoned during the pogroms, and a profile of Soeharto on how he took advantage of the coup to rise to power.

In our digital age, it will be difficult to hide the truth, especially from the generation born after 1965.

In time, the tide will favor the truth and victims of the 1965 crimes. Experience tells us that the future will not be kind to those who stubbornly stand on the wrong side of history. Our present leaders have the choice whether they will ride the tide or be swept away by it.

[The writer is a Jakarta-based journalist and an editor for The Conversation. She writes here in a personal capacity.]

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/03/will-leaders-ride-tide-favors-truth-about-60s-killings.html

Insight: Prevent recurrence of 'an event like this': But which one?

Jakarta Post - October 2, 2015

John Roosa, Vancouver – At the base of the Pancasila Sakti Monument, below the towering statue of Gen. Ahmad Yani, is a plaque with the inscription: "Be vigilant and conscientious so that an event like this never happens again."

The inscription commands us not just to remember the killing of six Army generals at Lubang Buaya on Oct. 1, 1965. It commands us to see that particular event as one instance of a general category: "an event like this [peristiwa sematjam ini]".

What kind of general category did the monument creators have in mind? What kind of event was the killing of the six generals? The event should be classified as a case of forced disappearances with extra-judicial killings. Those responsible for the Sept. 30 movement (G30S) arranged for six generals to be forcibly abducted from their homes and executed without judicial process. The perpetrators dumped the bodies down a well and covered it.

The monument, by appealing to a general category of events, seems to be instructing us to stand in opposition to all cases of forced disappearances and extra-judicial killings. But then why have so many politicians, officials and military officers who have attended the annual ceremonies there, been so opposed to investigations or even discussions about the other forced disappearances and extra-judicial killings following the G30S? Why have they been urging us to forget those cases but keep remembering that of Lubang Buaya? Why have they prevented victims' families from exhuming mass graves and providing proper funerary ceremonies? Why have they been opposed to an official apology to the victims?

Perhaps the real message of the monument's inscription is that only Army officers or non-communists should never again be forcibly disappeared and executed. The message seems to be that forced disappearances and extrajudicial killings are not objectionable in principle; it depends on who the victims are. If such an event happened to ordinary citizens accused of being communists, that is perfectly acceptable.

Indonesian society since 1965 has demonstrated a remarkable ability to throw all such events down the memory hole. The massacres of people suspected of being affiliated with the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) have been forgotten all the while the event of Lubang Buaya has been drilled into everyone's memory through films, museums, street names, monuments, books and other methods of state propaganda.

The Soeharto-era publications barely acknowledged that anyone was killed. The 1994 "white book" described the "crushing of the PKI" without mentioning a single death. The Sejarah Nasional Indonesia (National History of Indonesia), in a 660-page volume, contained only one sentence on the killings: "Only in the regions of East Java and Bali arose the chaos of kidnappings and murders which in a short time were brought under control." That was all – a single, factually incorrect, highly ambiguous sentence.

To say those massacres have been forgotten is perhaps inaccurate: they were never meant to be known about in the first place. They were never supposed to enter collective memory. The newspapers did not report on them. Photographers were not allowed to photograph them. Many knew suspected communists were being killed but rarely had any definite, first-hand knowledge. The massacres tended to be carried out at night in remote locations where there were few witnesses.

The mass killings of 1965-1966 should be more precisely termed mass disappearances. My research indicates that most of those killed were people who had already been detained. They disappeared from their places of detention. Forced disappearance is a cruel type of human rights violation – it leaves relatives forever uncertain about the fate of loved ones and forever anxious for their souls.

How many unmarked mass graves are there? They have never been counted but villagers from Aceh to Flores, East Nusa Tenggara, can point to plots of land where captives, with hands tied behind their backs, were executed and then dumped in a mass grave. How many were executed and then dumped into rivers? In President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's hometown of Surakarta, Central Java, captives were killed on the Bacem bridge and their bodies left to be carried away without a trace by the river below.

If Lubang Buaya is evidence of the PKI's "barbarism", then what are the thousands of unmarked mass graves? Evidence of justice? If so, why should they be secret? Why should Indonesians be asked to forget about them? The perpetrators have been strangely quiet about details of the massacres even while they have boasted about their role in "crushing" the PKI.

If one does not care about disappearances and extra-judicial killings on such a large scale, then it is impossible to claim that those violations are wrong in principle. If Indonesia today does not care enough about those mass disappearances to even issue an apology to the victims, then why should it complain about massacres carried out by Dutch troops during the Revolution, such as the one at Rawagede for which the Dutch government has apologized?

Regardless of what the victims did before October 1965, they did not deserve to be disappeared and executed without trial. If politicians cannot uphold that simple principle then they might as well rip up the Constitution and forget about the idea of Indonesia as a state of law.

[The writer is an associate professor at the History Department, University of British Columbia. He is the author of Pretext for Mass Murder: The September 30th Movement and Suharto's Coup d'Etat in Indonesia (2006) and numerous articles on the events of 1965-1966.]

Source: http://m.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/02/insight-prevent-recurrence-event-but-which-one.html

Tribunal a necessity for truth and reconciliation

Jakarta Post - October 1, 2015

Fynn-Niklas Franke, Yogyakarta – Prior to the Independence Day celebrations last month, the international European Association for Southeast Asian Studies (EuroSEAS) conference was held in Vienna, Austria, from of Aug. 11 to 14. The conference brought together 500 scholars and PhD students, including 130 participants from Asia, with 26 Indonesians participating also.

The event featured heated debate on relevant research topics related to Southeast Asia. One popular presentation related to the "International People's Tribunal for the 1965 crimes against humanity [IPT 1965]."

The presentation was based around a film program curated by Ascan Breuer, an Austrian filmmaker. After the screening of his new documentary Riding My Tiger, the audience gained first-hand information about the IPT 1965 from two of its representatives, Sri Tunruang and Artien Utrecht. Alex Floor, chairman of Germany-based human rights organization Watch Indonesia! moderated the discussion.

The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) called on the government to establish an ad hoc Human Rights Court in mid-2012, after the Commission completed a report on their investigations of human right abuses committed in 1965/1966.

The organizers of the IPT said they felt that the government has not made serious legal attempts to find a meaningful solution to the issue. As a result, the IPT foundation was established in early 2014 and has since been working on the establishment of an alternative international human rights tribunal.

A group of 12 people in the Netherlands and 10 in Indonesia are preparing to hold this tribunal at The Hague, Netherlands, in November this year. Despite criticism over the venue, and questions as to why it is not being held in Indonesia, the organizers are determined that it is in the interest of the victims and survivors to hold the tribunal on an international stage.

The tribunal will be organized like a human rights court with the regular legal processes and procedures. "We take our inspiration and lessons from over 80 people's tribunals that have been held in the past 40 years, since the Russell tribunal, which was the first one, on Vietnam," explained Utrecht.

Former peoples' tribunals include the Russell Tribunal on Palestine (2010- 2012), the Iran Tribunal (2007-2012) and the Permanent People's Tribunal on Sri-Lanka (2010-2013), among others.

The tribunal in The Hague will establish a historical and scientific record that will build upon oral testimonies and a research reports from 13 provinces in Indonesia. "We are working together with a pool of 40 Indonesian and foreign researchers," said Utrecht. "There is plenty of material, which the tribunal will examine and apply principals of international law to it."

The IPT will also consider the significant amount of research made available by the Komnas HAM report and other resources as important foundations to build on.

However, the Tribunal will not determine the legal culpability of individual perpetrators or make legal findings regarding guilt. Nor will it be able to impose legal sanctions. "It has no mandate to do that, because it is a people's tribunal and not a formal criminal court," admitted Utrecht.

"Our aim will be to inform the international community about the 1965 massacres and violence and call upon the Indonesian state to recognize the crime and to take accountability towards the victims and survivors over what has happened. The state should furthermore take legal and policy measures to allow for rehabilitation."

In fact, reconciliation and restitution is much needed in Indonesia as many of the victims and their families continue to suffer discrimination and stigmatization. Sri Tunruang explained that this can be seen as a result of the "ghost of communism" that still haunts the minds of many in Indonesia.

This term refers to the sense of fear created under the New Order administration about the potential revival of communism, created by using anti-communist propaganda such as the film Pengkhianatan G30S/PKI (Treachery of the Sept. 30 Movement/Indonesian Communist Party).

The 50th anniversary of the killings this year marks 50 years of impunity for the perpetrators of one of the largest crimes in human history. It is crucial that at this time, a deeper historical analysis of these events takes place, both in the interest of Indonesia and the whole international community.

Unfortunately, reconciliation matters are still opposed by many factions of society. For example, according to merdeka.com, Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu said that the government would not move forward if it always concerned itself with a past that could not be resolved. "If you hold a grudge, you'll never move forward, just add to the complexity of our problems," he complained.

That probably represents the views of a large number of the Tribunal's opponents, who come primarily from the military, as well as influential Islamic organizations.

Although the government announced the formation of a Reconciliation Commission in May this year, people engaged in the 1965 Tribunal are not fully convinced of the government's commitment to the process. "We consider it is not possible to have reconciliation without first establishing the truth," said Utrecht.

Similar reactions occurred following rumors of a possible apology from President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo during his State of the Nation address on Aug. 15. "A 'sorry' needs a truth," wrote Sri Lestari Wahyuningroem for The Jakarta Post, fearing that "without truth and commitment to justice, it [the apology] would not liberate the nation from the burden of its past."

Truth-finding is the basis for reconciliation; a process that not only takes place among individual victims and perpetrators, but also between the generations of young and old people.

In a German anthology edited by Anett Keller related to this history, "The Presence of a Mass Murder", Indonesian historian Budiawan explained that "reconciliation includes the dealing with lived history and inherited history." It therefore exceeds the personal boundaries and becomes a societal phenomenon.

The hope of the IPT 1965 lies in its contribution to find the truth about what happened in 1965 and its aftermath, by holding the International People's Tribunal in November.

Nevertheless, the task remains for the Indonesian government to recognize the human rights violations, take on the responsibility to exercise justice, implement a reparations scheme, provide compensation and issue apologies to all the victims.

This will hopefully ensure a healing process for the victims and their families.

[The writer is a German journalist, currently living in Yogyakarta and a former intern at The Jakarta Post.]

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/01/tribunal-a-necessity-truth-and-reconciliation.html