Anton Hermansyah, Jakarta – Inside Indonesia, a magazine focusing on Indonesia created by academicians and scientists living in Australia has digitized its archives, including articles that had strongly criticized the New Order government under president Soeharto.

Inside Indonesia Board chair Jemma Purdey told thejakartapost.com in Jakarta on Monday that because its early issues had become a treasure of knowledge, an initiative to digitize the magazine began in 2010.

"There are issues that are not available in the library, so we tried to get the privately owned copies even in Indonesia," Purdey said during a community meeting at Coffee Academy, adding that it had been 30 years since the first issue was published. The magazine was solely published online beginning in 2007.

The early issues of the magazine focused on Indonesia and were written by Indonesians. Since going online, its readership has expanded.

Purdey said that the digitization would allow people in Indonesia to read old issues that had been banned by the New Order regime.

According to Purdey, Inside Indonesia has broadened its products to not only texts and photos but also videos. He added that the magazine was also focusing on covering Indonesian views on Australia, an initiative overseen by film producer Nick Baker.

Baker said that both Indonesians and Australians did not have much knowledge about the lives of their respective neighbors. "Indonesians' views of Australians are influenced by the political news, in fact they rarely know about how everyday Australian live. And vice versa, Australians usually just know Indonesia as Jakarta and Bali," Baker said.

In the future, Inside Indonesia hoped for more contributions in the form of writings and videos, said Purdey. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/02/inside-indonesia-digitizes-archive.html

West Papua

Papuan women question Jokowi about promised market

Jakarta Post - December 5, 2015

Jakarta – When President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo visited Papua in December 2014, he led a ground-breaking ceremony to kick of the development of a market named Pasar Mama Mama Papua (Papuan Mamas' Market), but no progress has been made on its construction nearly one year after the ceremony, except the stone laid by the President.

Six of the Papuan ladies visited Jakarta recently to convey their disappointment to President Jokowi, in the hope that he would give them a guarantee that the market's construction would begin immediately. They women are Mama Yuliana Pigai, Mama Martina Halitopo, Mama Yustina Arobaya, Mama Albertina Yapsenang, Mama Yohana Yumame and Mama Martha Basik Basik.

They said that the President had promised to complete the market development within one year. However, the fate of the market is similar to that of traders, who have to do business at a building formerly used as the Papua Information and Communications Agency office on Jl. Percetaan in the Papuan provincial capital of Jayapura.

"We have met with Lenis Kogoya, a presidential staff member, who is also a Papuan. I have told him everything. I hope President Jokowi will immediately pay attention to the fate of us, Papuan mamas," Yuliana said at the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta) on Friday, as reported by tribunnews.com.

Yuliana is one of the women who received a portion of a tumpeng (cone-shaped rice dish) from Jokowi during a party to celebrate the inauguration of Jokowi and Jusuf Kalla as the country's new leaders in October 2014.

They met with staff from the Presidential Office on Thursday and planned to meet with other related institutions in Jakarta to ensure that the market would be constructed. "It is not true that the Mama Mama Market has been constructed. What is being constructed is Pharaa Market in Sentani, not the market that is only for Papuan ladies," Yuliana stressed.

As part of their protest, the women opened stalls selling Papuan handicrafts on the grounds of LBH Jakarta, on Jl. Diponegoro in South Jakarta on Friday. They called the event Pasar Noken, after a fiber used to create handicrafts.

Yuliana said that traders had been told to move from their initial site on Jl. Percetaan in Papua to the Yotefa or Hamadi markets, quite a distance from Jl. Percetaan, forcing the traders, who are mostly women, to spend much more money on operational costs, particularly daily transportation. They have to do business in front of shops, with only limited working hours.

Papuan women who come from mountainous areas need the market promised by President Jokowi to sell agricultural commodities like vegetables, fruits and spices. Most of them cultivate their own land to grow crops. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/05/papuan-women-question-jokowi-about-promised-market.html

Papua expects rapid investment growth

Jakarta Post - December 4, 2015

Ayomi Amindoni, Jakarta – Investment to the country's easternmost province is increasing at a rapid pace, as Papua's provincial government expects both domestic and foreign direct investment (FDI) to grow stronger in 2016.

Increasing investment from within and outside of Indonesia was fostering economic development and helping small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Papua, said Muhammad Musaad, the head of Papua's Regional Development Planning Board (Bappeda).

The increase in investment had significantly reduced unemployment, open up business opportunities and increased people's income, Musaad explained, adding that the realization of investment in Papua reached US$41.13 billion of FDI and Rp 33.32 trillion of domestic direct investment in 2014.

In the first half of 2015, Papua's economy grew by 7.26 percent from the same period last year. "This figure exceeds the average national growth," Musaad pointed out. The unemployment rate in Papua stood at 3.7 percent of the total workforce as of February 2015, far below the national average rate of 5.8 percent.

"We expect investment to grow by 20 to 25 percent next year," Musaad said in Jakarta on Friday at an event called "Papua Investment Year 2016". He added that the province's macro-economic conditions were very supportive for turning Papua into a center of industrial growth and investment.

In terms of natural resources, Musaad added, Papua had various potential resources, including mining, forestry and tourism. These were the biggest contributors to income in Papua, he said.

Meanwhile, agriculture, fisheries and the plantation sector had not been fully developed, the official acknowledged, despite the fact that Papua had vast land and sea territories.

To ensure continued progress on investment, Papua's provincial government introduced several key policies, including designating and offering extra support for five centers of economic development, namely Mamta, Saereri, Mee Pago, La Pago and Anim Ha.

"In line with [this policy], the provincial government has proposed special economic zones (KEK) to the central government, which has responded by preparing a food-industry based KEK in Merauke and a mining-based KEK in Mimika," he said, adding that to improve the business climate, the local administration had established a unified licensing and investment body.

The Papuan government has decided to develop specific commodities in certain areas. Canning, fisheries and tourism will be developed in Saereri, Cendrawasih Bay. The palm oil, coconut, chocolate and tourism industries will be developed in Mamta, North Mainland. Sago, coffee, sweet potatoes and tourism will be developed in Mee Pago in the West Central Mountains, while La Pago in the East Central Mountains will develop coffee, red fruit, sweet potatoes, horticulture, livestock and tourism as its key drivers of economic development. Meanwhile, Anim Ha, South Mainland, will develop rice, sugarcane, oil palm, rubber, fisheries and livestock industries.

The provincial government also encourages community and village-based economic development through SMEs. "We have declared 2016 the Papua investment year. We believe Papua is a prospective place to invest in," Musaad said. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/04/papua-expects-rapid-investment-growth.html

Repression of Papuans could spell trouble for Indonesia

UCA News - December 4, 2015

Ryan Dagur, Jakarta – Indonesian rights activists said the brutal response of police toward protesting Papuan students has incited hatred and could further strengthen the resolve among Papuans to demand independence.

"If this approach continues, it is possible that in a few years no more Papuans will claim to be part of Indonesia," Budi Hernawan, activist with the Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy, said at a Dec. 3 press conference in Jakarta.

Several hundred protesters, mostly Papuan students, rallied Dec. 1 in Jakarta to commemorate the anniversary of Papua's 1961 independence from Dutch colonial rule, in which the Morning Star flag was first unfurled. The Indonesian government has banned the raising of the Morning Star flag.

Police used tear gas and forcibly dispersed the protesters. At least a dozen students were injured, with one reportedly suffering a fractured skull. Some 306 students were arrested and later released.

In Nabire in Papua province, 32 people were also arrested during a simultaneous protest and later released.

Jakarta police chief Tito Karnavian told reporters that the police responded with tear gas after students threw stones at police. Two police officers were injured in the melee, he said.

Hernawan – a former Franciscan missionary – said the tactics used by police against Papuan protesters was similar to what was done against the people of East Timor, when that country was still part of Indonesia.

"The pattern is similar. Brutality committed in East Timor made people angry, fearful and increasingly consolidated the opposition movement," he said.

Puri Kencana Putri from the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence said repressive acts indicate that there is no good news for human rights in Papua. She also questioned the commitment of the government for peace in the restive province. "Police should have behaved in a more humane way," she said.

Meanwhile, Frans Nawipa of the Papua Students Alliance who participated in the rally said Papuans should have the right to determine their own future.

"We want to live in a society without constantly being victims of violence and cruelty," he said. He also questioned why a struggle for self-determination was considered a separatist movement. "What we understand is that separatist movements use weapons. What we did was peaceful," he said.

Divine Word

Father Paul Rahmat of Vivat International-Indonesia said he lamented the lack of church support in Papua in addressing the repressive violence used by Indonesian authorities against the Papuan people.

"Efforts in education, health and others have been made. However, we also need the voice of the church as an institution to protest such violence," he said.

A low-level insurgency has simmered for decades in resource-rich Papua.

Source: http://www.ucanews.com/news/repression-of-papuans-could-spell-trouble-for-indonesia-activist-warns/74728

Three Muslim witnesses in Tolikara case say suspects not involved in

Tabloid JUBI - December 4, 2015

Victor Mambor, Jayapura, Jubi – Three witnesses from Tolikara presented by the Public Prosecutor in the trial over the Tolikara incident held at Jayapura District Court were praised by two defendants and their attorney after they testifed that they did not see Jundi Wandikbo and Arianto Kogoya at the scene, contrary to prosecutors' charges.

The three witnesses who have lived for 10 years in Tolikara are Sarno, Usman and Ali Mukhtar. The testimony of the three witnesses, who were also victims of the rock-throwing and arson incident on 17 June is a breath of fresh air for the defendants.

The suspect's attorney Gustaf Kawer said their testimony relieved the charges over his clients. "Their testimony didn't point to the suspects, but help my clients," Kawer told Jubi on Thursday (3/12/2015) after the hearing on Wednesday (2/12/2015).

In answering the prosecutor's question, the witnesses justified the stone throwing towards approximately 400-500 Muslims who were doing Eid prayer at Karubaga Military Command yard at 06:20 AM. They heard a voice screaming "Dismiss! Dismiss! from megaphone to the Muslims. But they confessed they didn't see both suspects among the GIDI at that morning.

The first witness to testify was Sarno. He said, "There was screaming after fifth takbir. I thought it was not too long, about ten minutes, I heard screaming "Dismiss'," Sarno told in the trial answering the Judge. His hand was bleeding due to stone throwing in that incident.

He also confessed he didn't see the suspect's face to answer the prosecutor's question whether he saw who was behind the megaphone screaming to disperse the Muslims. "Yes, there was someone hold the megaphone, but I don't know who is he because there were about 50 or 70 people out there. But yes, there it was (holding megaphone)," he said.

He admitted recognizing Jundi Wadimbo because the suspect shopped at his kiosk, which was burned in the incident for several times. But, he just knew Arianto after the trial. "I didn't see, I was panic at that time. When I say Arianto at the scene, but I didn't see him throwing the stone," he said.

Two other witnesses Ali Usman and Ustadz Ali Mukthar said the similar thing. "It's right there was fire on houses, kiosks and stone throwing, but they were not involved at all. And the most important of their testimony, they talked about peace agreement that the problem out there has been settled," said Kawer.

Arianto Kogoya expressed his gratitude to Sarno who were his former teacher at Karubaga Junior High School to come in the trial though he should come from distance, from Karubaga to Jayapura.

"Thank you to this old man for coming and want to present in this court. I must thank him for clearly testifying in this court, and furthermore, he was my former teacher at Junior High School. He was one of my parents and now he was testified over me, spoke the truth about what I did with Jundi, and the police also knew both I and Jundi were to secure the situation at that time. We were to calm down the crowd," he said.

Meanwhile, the Public Prosecutor Gloria Sinohaji didn't bother whether the testimony of three witnesses to relieve the charges. According to her, the witnesses are both victims and witnesses based on what they have seen and heard.

"The incident is truly occurred, there was creaming, incitement. That's we want to prove, that both suspects did the incitement, fire and violence. That's we want to prove," Prosecutor told Jubi at the court.

Related to the testimony considered to be relieved the suspects, she said she want to prove something. "When we want to prove a case, we had a strategy. Look, I was the victim, I was beaten, but we can prove it through other witnesses about who was beat people, who was threw the stones. When you were the victim, you got beaten you might don't know who did it. We can not force the victims to tell but at least they can hear the screaming," she said.

The trial will continue on Thursday (10/12/2015) with the agenda of hearing the witness from the Public Prosecutor. (Yuliana Lantipo/rom)

Source: http://tabloidjubi.com/eng/three-muslim-witnesses-in-tolikara-case-say-suspects-not-involved-in-arson-stone-throwing/

President criticizes ministries over Papua development

Jakarta Post - December 3, 2015

Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has criticized ministries for a lack of cooperation in implementing development in the easternmost region, accusing them of only focusing on their respective sectors.

The President stressed that development in the region should consider the aspirations of the Papuans.

"In recent years, the ministries work based on their respective sectors, not together," said Jokowi when opening a limited Cabinet meeting to discuss development in Papua at the Presidential Office on Thursday as reported by kompas.com.

During the meeting, the President instructed the ministers to closely coordinate when implementing their respective development projects in Papua.

The President stressed that the government gave serious attention to the development of Papua by building infrastructure, including roads, bridges and markets, and improving healthcare services and education.

Jokowi also instructed the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the National Police to coordinate when doing their jobs so that the benefits of their presence could be felt by Papuans.

"[We need] to speed up infrastructure development in the border areas, such as roads and bridges, to eliminate isolation in Papua. It will help ease the movement of people and goods. It will affect [lower] prices of commodities," Jokowi added. (bbn)

Maori TV investigates indigenous issues in West Papua

Tabloid JUBI - December 3, 2015

Victor Mambor, Jayapura, Jubi/Asia New Zealand Foundation – Assisted by an Asia New Zealand Foundation media travel grant, Mauri Television's Native Affairs producer and cameraman Adrian Stevanon and freelance photojournalist Karen Abplanalp travelled to West Papua, Indonesia in August. They were the first New Zealand television crew to visit the province in 50 years.

In the days leading up to our assignment to Papua, a lot of my work colleagues were asking where I was going and why. My reply was generally met with a confused look followed by "Papua? Is that in Papua New Guinea?"

The lack of knowledge and public awareness about a territory so close to Aotearoa is actually quite remarkable.

If you don't know where Papua is, it's located just north of Australia – the province occupying the western side of the island of New Guinea. The region is largely referred to as 'West Papua' by western countries, although the area is actually divided into two separate provinces of Papua and West Papua.

It's a resource-rich land that has been governed by Indonesia since 1969. The province boasts the world's largest goldmine, and one of the world's largest rainforests. There has also been a bloody struggle for independence since Indonesia took over governance of the territory from the Dutch.

Since the Indonesian takeover, West Papua has also tainted by allegations of wide-spread human rights abuse, and environmental destruction.

For more than 50 years, West Papua has largely been a no-go zone for foreign journalists, and after three years of trying our Native Affairs team was finally granted a visa to enter. This was a unique opportunity that had to be accepted.

Flying into the capital of Jayapura, the thing that hit us first is the size, and the beauty of the place from above. On the ground, one of the first things I noticed was the fusion between Asia and the Pacific. The number of indigenous faces at the airport was dwarfed by those from other parts of Indonesia who now call West Papua home.

Jayapura itself is bustling metropolis, with a population of over 300,000. The level of development was not unexpected, but the size of the city sprawl was, as was the quality of the infrastructure – which was certainly better than we had anticipated. The military presence was noticeable, as too the interest from locals to our presence on the street with a TV camera.

For a place that has a somewhat violent and dangerous reputation, our experience was safe and enjoyable. Jayapura is a great place with great people, but it's also a place that's grappling with some challenging social dynamics.

West Papua has an indigenous population of around two million people who speak more than 270 different languages.

We travelled to the highlands, where the vast majority of indigenous Papuans live. Our aim was visit some villages involved in a New Zealand aid project that's focused on the growth and commercialisation of crops, in particular kumara or 'ubi jalar' as they call it in the Highlands.

There are many traditional and cultural similarities between Mauri and the Dani people we connected with. From the way they greet guests, and cook their food, to the traditional gods they worship, the cultural parallels are clear to see.

The concerns around colonisation felt by the locals we met echo the sentiments felt here by Mauri. The loss of traditional knowledge and culture was by far the greatest concern for the village elders we spoke to.

"As youth from the villages get educated and migrate to the cities in search of work, few are willing to return to the hard graft of village life. So much of the village way of life operates around working the land and their crops. The Indonesian influence of rice is strong, with free rice delivered to villages by the government; many villagers don't see the value in continuing to grow their traditional crops," said Adrian.

"We were told this can lead to a break down in the functioning of the village, and lead to issues of alcohol abuse and domestic violence."

Traveling to the highlands and connecting with some of the indigenous people of West Papua was such an incredible experience. Their hopes and dreams and dreams for their kids are the same as ours, so too are the dreams of the kids.

One teenage boy we spoke to said he wanted to be a pilot, another girl wanted to be doctor so she could help the sick in her village. Both spoke about the struggles of life living in a poor community. The irony is, theirs is a resource-rich land, with a third of Indonesia GDP coming from Papua alone. Its promising to see the Indonesian government loosen their grip on the province and allowing foreign journalists to enter, we hope this continues," Karen added.

Source: http://tabloidjubi.com/eng/maori-tv-investigates-indigenous-issues-in-west-papua/

306 Papua student activists detained at Jakarta police

Tabloid JUBI - December 2, 2015

Victor Mambor, Semarang, Jubi – Dozens of Papuan students activists were arrested during a street rally in Jakarta to commemorate the political manifesto day that is regarded by many Papuans as their national day.

From Jakarta, the Alliance of Papua Students (AMP) chairman of Kota Semarang Committee, Bernardo Boma told Jubi he and other student activists were being detained at Polda Metro Jaya (Jakarta Police Headquarters).

"I am currently detained at Polda Metro Jaya with other AMP activists. We were headed by the police before the rally," Boma told Jubi by phone on Tuesday (1/12/2015).

He explained, besides him, some activists who came from Cawang, Tangerang and Bandung to Jakarta also blocked by the police, so now their position was under the police's control.

"The fact is the Central AMP has sent a notice to the police long before the rally. We did it to respect the Indonesian democracy and legal system. But before we run the rally, the police have deployed its full-equipped troop. We regret it," explained Boma.

Meanwhile, the activist from AMP Kota Malang, Wilson Nawipa told Jubi the same thing but in more detail. "Today we were headed and suppressed by the police.

Now about two hundreds of student activists were detained at Polda Metro Jaya. Two activists were reportedly shot by the police," he said. However, he could not provide more detail information about the shot activists.

"I will give the chronology and the names of arrested students soon after I get detail information," he said.

Director of Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta), Alghiffari Aqsa told Jubi the police have not only forced the crowd to disband, but also arrested them brutally. In this case, the police had no warrant, so the arrest considered illegal by Law. 128 activists were reportedly detained.

This incident is not the first time to be happened, but has repeatedly occurred. The police have violated the right of freedom of speech in the public. "While the right of freedom of speech in public for Papuans is guaranteed by the constitution,"Said Alghiffari Aqsa.

Similar with Aqsa, the Division Head of Case Handling Division of LBH Jakarta thought the forced dissolution, the arrest and repressive act by the Police is an abuse against the right of freedom of speech in public.

"It's regretful, the law enforcement authority should be respect, protect and fulfill the human rights without discrimination, including towards Papuans," he said.

For that reason, LBH Jakarta demanded the Minister of Legal, Politic and Human Right Affairs, Indonesian Police Chief, and Metro Jaya Police Chief to release the activists of the Alliance of Papua Students of Java and Bali. "Respect, protect and fulfill the right of the freedom of speech in public!" stated Aqsa.

On Tuesday (1/12/2015) night, most students was released by police. But two students are still being detained for questioning. (Arnold Belau/rom)

Source: http://tabloidjubi.com/eng/306-papua-student-activists-detained-at-jakarta-police/

Police arrest, beat residents during prayer gathering

Tabloid JUBI - December 2, 2015

Victor Mambor, Jayapura, Jubi – Nabire Police arrested about 20 people who were preparing for a prayer gathering to commemorate the West Papua Anniversary.

A Nabire activist Gunawan Inggeruhi said they were arrested at 10:30 AM local time while gathering at Bunga Bangsa Park, Oyehee, Nabire.

"At that time, the police were doing raids. Their cars were driven into the field near the park. We were outside the park to prepare the place for worship event. Suddenly they were out of car and arrested us. They also beat us with rattan," Inggeruhi said.

Until now, he said, he didn't know the reason behind their arrest. He claimed they only wanted to do worship, raising the morning star flag wasn't on their agenda.

On Saturday (29/11/2015), Antara News Agency reported the Nabire Police arrested and detained 17 residents.

The Papua Police Chief Inspector General Paulus Waterpauw said they were detained for raising the morning start flag. But not longer, he corrected his statement through the same media, said they were arrested for combatting the officers when disbanded while doing the activity at Lapangan Gizi Nabire.

Inggeruhi denied his friends attacked the police while being disbanded on Saturday morning. "We didn't fight the police. They just come to arrest us. We only brought some bamboos to build a stage. We didn't fight at all," he said.

Seventeen residents were released on 30 November. (Victor Mambor/rom)

Source: http://tabloidjubi.com/eng/police-arrest-beat-residents-during-prayer-gathering/

Filep Karma warns of time bomb in Papua

Tabloid JUBI - December 2, 2015

Victor Mambor, Jayapura, Jubi – Former political prisoner Filep Jacob Samuel Karma said he was concerned about the current situation facing indigenous Papuans.

He said currently discrimination is not only being practiced by non-Papuans to Papuans or vice versa, but also among Papuans. He described the situation as a time bomb that is ready to explode at anytime.

"Racism is not only coming from non-Papuans but also emerging among Papuans. We accuse the Indonesians of being racist, but the fact is we are also racist against them. It means we are doing the same thing. Instead of solving the problem, it will trigger a new problem. We don't have to vengeful. Striking back with violence would not solve the problem but create a new one instead," stated Karma at Kingmi Synod Office, Jayapura City on Monday (30/11/2015).

He said the state is racist towards Papuans. However, sometimes Papuans who are fighting for their rights also do the same. Rather stopping the racism, he said, Papuans promote it.

"I see this is like a time bomb. When Papua was succeed and Indonesia returns home, the time bomb would be exploded, but I don't want it going to be happened," he said.

Karma thought it is a trick played by the Indonesian Government to bring Papuans into a conflict among each other, including the regional extension that recently happened. It is a way to split Papuans.

He further said now the terms such as the highlander and the beach, north and south, or the valley and the coast are rising among Papuans.

"It is not different from the divide and rule politics used in Dutch era. Before I was put in jail, I have told this to Parjal activists whether they saw this situation. I am concerned, if Papua gained independence; there would be a tribal war. If Papuans killed each other, I would regret to fight for its independence," he said.

Karma also thought the prison had been used to silence some activists, especially those who live in Papua. But he reminds them to not be afraid. They must turn on their voice even facing a prison. "If we are still together to build public awareness, we could even destroyed the prison," he said.

Karma demonstrated his consistency when he was sentenced for 15 years in prison eleven years ago. Although he was behind the bar, he never stops to voice for the injustice against Papuans. At that time, he said, he just spoke about his aspiration, not the intention of building a new State and yet to meet a criteria of treason.

"I was confused why I was charged for treason. The article used to punish me wasn't appropriate. I admit that I have an intention to it, just it. I am waiting the State to admit its mistake," he added.

He also refused his release from the prison, but both authorities of Abepura Prison and the Legal and Security Affairs Papua Region forced him to accept this.

The Division Head of Legal and Security Affairs Papua Region, Johan Yarangga, said he was obliged enforcing Karma and everyone who declared officially free from the charge should take their freedom.

"We don't have any rights to detain people without a legal reference. Mr. Filep Karma is currently free, there is no reason for us to detain him," Johan Yarangga said during the day Karma was released. (Arjuna Pademme/rom)

Source: http://tabloidjubi.com/eng/filep-karma-warns-of-time-bomb-in-papua/

Four KNPB activists jailed for opinions

Tabloid JUBI - December 2, 2015

Victor Mambor, Jayapura, Jubi – A lawyer for four activists of West Papua National Committee (KNPB) in Manokwari region, said the jail sentence of 1 year 6 months for them was too harsh because they simply expressed different views.

"Alexander Nekenem, Othen Gombo, Nopinus Humawak, Yoram Magay were convicted because of different views," said lawyer Yan Christian Warinussy in a written statement received by Jubi in Jayapura on Monday (11/30/2015).

According to the Papuan human rights lawyer from the Institute for Research, Study and Development of Legal Aid (LP3BH) Manokwari, on Nov. 27, as the legal team received a copy of verdict number: 107/Pid.B/2015/PN.Mnk on behalf of Alexander Dekenem et al.

The letter stated that the defendants were sentenced to prison, each for one year and six months, with their time in custody deducted. Prosecutor Irna Indira Ruth sought two years imprisonment for them.

That ruling, the Warinussy is still waiting for an official copy of the decision of the Registrar Court of Manokwari, in order to learn the basic consideration of the judges who had declared the four defendants were found guilty so that sentenced them.

According to the Secretary of the Regional Parliament, Rafael Natkime, the verdict will never confine their ideology. "Be in Jail is one of the highest sacrifices for fighters," he said.

He said four KNPB activists were detained on May 20, 2015 during a peaceful demonstration in Manokwari with three agendas, first, demanding the state to immediately open access to foreign journalists in Papua, according to a statement the president of Joko Widodo, second was to immediately open the democratic space for the people of West Papua.

And the last was to support the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) as representatives of Papuans in Melanesian Spread head Group(MSG). (Mawel Benny/Tina)

Source: http://tabloidjubi.com/eng/four-knpb-activists-jailed-for-opinions/

Activists slam police action against Papuan student rally

Jakarta Globe - December 2, 2015

Jakarta – The Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta) has criticized police in the capital over the detention of several hundred Papuan students calling for independence at a rally in the city center on Tuesday.

Hundreds of members of the Papuan Students Alliance (AMP) rallied near the Hotel Indonesia roundabout in Central Jakarta on Tuesday, from about 8 a.m. Police later used tear gas to disperse the crowd.

The demonstration was meant to commemorate the establishment of a Papuan state independent from Dutch rule, with its own national anthem and the Morning Star flag, effective Dec. 1, 1961.

Indonesia has never recognized Papuan independence and later incorporated the entire region after a brief United Nations-led transition period and a much- criticized poll. Dec. 1 has since held great importance for Papuan separatists.

In Jakarta on Tuesday, demonstrators called on the national government to allow Papuans to decide their own fate via autonomous governance and a referendum on independence, besides limiting the role of the Indonesian Military (TNI) in the region.

Police, however, said the protesters didn't have permission to stage their rally. "The police efforts were lawful, because we have to also take into account the rights of other people," said Sr. Comr. M. Iqbal, a spokesman for the Jakarta Police.

Jalan Imam Bonjol, near the HI roundabout, was completely cut off because of the demonstration, creating severe traffic congestion in the area.

Police officers gathered in force at the scene before firing tear gas into the crowd as the group prepared to march to the State Palace around 10.30 a.m.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/activists-slam-police-action-papuan-student-rally/

AJI: Police target foreign journalists at Papuan student rally in Jakarta

Jakarta Globe - December 2, 2015

Donny Andhika Mononimbar, Jakarta – Two foreign journalists have reportedly become victims of police violence and intimidation in Jakarta on Tuesday while covering a rally by Papuan students.

Archicco Guilianno of ABC Australia dan Step Vaessen of Al Jazeera were covering the demonstration when police reportedly asked Archicco to erase his footage. When he didn't immediately comply, identifying himself as a journalist in the process, he was beaten by an officer.

An account of the incident was reported on the website of Indonesia's Independent Alliance of Journalists (AJI). Vaessen recorded the incident but was also ordered to erase the images. Police at some point forcibly did so, the AJI account says.

The incident triggered an immediate condemnation from AJI, with its chief, Suwarjono, saying in a press release that officers had clearly violated the law. AJI urged the National Police to investigate.

Issues surrounding Papua, the scene of a decades-long, low-level insurgency, remain very sensitive in Indonesia, despite promises by President Joko Widodo to open up the area to foreign journalists.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/two-foreign-journalist-were-victims-of-violence-while-covering-papua-rally-in-jakarta/

Reported deaths on West Papua Flag Day

Radio New Zealand International - December 2, 2015

Reports from Indonesia's Papua region indicate up to four people have been shot by police and military as the security forces cracked down on people marking West Papuan Flag Day.

Thousands of people across the world took part in demonstrations to mark the anniversary of the region's declaration of independence in 1961, when the Morning Star flag was first raised. The Morning Star was subsequently banned in Indonesia, so many West Papuans look to mark this anniversary without raising the flag.

However, demonstrating independence aspirations in Papua is dangerous, and reports have emerged today from the town of Serui that up to four people were shot by military and police.

A West Papua independence activist Benny Wenda said he's heard of at least one death among the many reports of people being arrested, beaten and intimidated across West Papua for marking the day.

"In Serui, a person was shot dead by Indonesian police and two are critical. And some of the members also beat them up. The reports are still coming. And in Nabire a few days before about 32 people were arrested, just preparing for celebrations before 1 December."

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/291105/reported-deaths-on-west-papua-flag-day

Indonesian police fire tear gas at pro-Papua demo

Channel News Asia - December 1, 2015

Jakarta – Police fired tear gas at a hundreds-strong crowd hurling rocks on Tuesday (Dec 1) during a protest in Jakarta against Indonesian rule over the eastern region of Papua, with a lawyer saying that over 100 demonstrators had been detained.

Several hundred protesters, mostly university students from Papua, took part in the demonstration to mark the anniversary of the region's declaration of independence in 1961, two years before Indonesia took control.

About 400 police in riot gear were standing guard at the protest by a roundabout in downtown Jakarta, which turned violent as demonstrators hurled rocks and police responded by firing tear gas and chasing protesters.

"They have no permit to stage a protest here, so we are dispersing them," said Central Jakarta police chief Hendro Pandowo, insisting the police had not used excessive force. Protest organisers insisted they had notified authorities.

Veronica Koman, lawyer from Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation, speaking on behalf of the protesters, said at least 114 had been detained by police, with some stopped before even reaching the site.

Journalists at the scene saw demonstrators being put into police vehicles and driven away. Police refused to confirm how many protesters had been detained.

The remaining demonstrators were later driven from the scene in buses and trucks, but said they were voluntarily going to join the detained protesters at police stations to show solidarity.

A low-level insurgency has simmered for decades in Papua, where local groups are fighting on behalf of the mostly Melanesian population, who are a different ethnicity from most Indonesians.

Jakarta took control of the region, which forms half of the island of New Guinea, in 1963 from former colonial power the Netherlands. (AFP/ec)

Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/indonesian-police-fire/2309828.html

Two Papuan students named suspects in attacks against police officers

Jakarta Post - December 1, 2015

Jakarta – Two Papuan students were named suspects in attacks against a police officer during a violent demonstration in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Head of Jakarta City's general crime division Adj. Sr. Comr. Eko Hadi Santoso said that the two students of the Surya Teachers and Education College were named suspects after the police collected two pieces of evidence that indicated their involvement in the attack.

"We have named two suspects. We have collected two pieces of evidence: the results of a forensic test on the victim and a report from the victim," Eko said in Jakarta on Tuesday as reported by tribunnews.com.

Previously, kompas.com reported that at least three journalists had been injured during the incident, including The Jakarta Post photographer Nabil, Archicco Guilliano from ABC and Stephanie Vaessen from Al Jazeera.

The Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) has condemned the police for attacking and threatening several journalists covering a Papuan Students Alliance (AMP) rally at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Central Jakarta.

Eko said that the police had questioned head of Kelapa Dua Police office's detective division Second Insp. Habib, the victim of the attack.

According to Eko, the suspects attacked Habib when the latter demanded their identity cards and information from them. "The police have the authority to check someone's identity and to seek information. But they attacked [the police officer]," he added.

He said that the police would not arrest the suspects because there was a guarantee from the Indonesian Legal Aid (LBH) foundation. "As long as there is a guarantee from LBH, we will not arrest them," said director of Jakarta Police's detective division Sr. Comr. Krishna Murti.

Two suspects are accused of violating article 170 of the Criminal Code, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 6 years and six months. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/02/jis-sexual-abuse-case-not-based-solid-evidence-watchdogs.html

TNI officer killed by armed civilian group in Papua: Spokesman

Jakarta Globe - December 1, 2015

Jakarta – The Indonesian Miliary has confirmed that an armed Papuan civilian group known as Cosmas Makabori was responsible for the shooting death of a military officer in Namuni Kampong, Papua, on Monday.

The victim, Maj. Inf. Jhon E. de Fretes, was accompanied by 2nd. Crp. Simon Sopakua and 2nd. Crp. Afan to monitor the area ahead of the Dec. 9 simultaneous regional election, according to Indonesian Military (TNI) spokesman Maj. Gen. Tatang Sulaiman.

They were traveling by boat and "came under attack immediately after disembarking. Maj. Inf. Jhon was shot in the abdomen," Tatang told CNN Indonesia on Tuesday.

The surviving officers claimed they were surrounded by about 20 armed civilians who opened fire. Jhon was shot four times as they attempted to escape. His body was left at the scene and evacuated by TNI officers on Tuesday morning, after the crowd had dispersed.

Jhon's body will be flown from Papua to Magelang, Central Java, for burial, Tatang said. Afan and Simon both suffered minor injuries in the skirmish.

The TNI and National Police are currently working together to locate members of Cosmas Makabori.

Indonesia is set to hold its first simultaneous regional elections on Dec. 9, which will see residents of more than 250 districts, cities and provinces across the archipelago heading to the polls to choose their next regional leaders.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/tni-officer-killed-armed-civilian-group-papua-spokesman/

Indonesia's Papua battles AIDS epidemic

Medical Xpress - December 1, 2015

Fifteen-year-old Adina curls up in bed under a sheet, her body ravaged by AIDS, one of many caught up in an epidemic sweeping Indonesia's eastern Papua region.

The teen, who only gave her first name, contracted HIV from an infected boyfriend and is one of 10 AIDS patients receiving free care at a hostel run by Agustinus Adil, a Catholic brother.

The patients include children and adults, with some whose cases are less advanced still able to walk around but others skeletal figures, who are almost blind and confined to bed.

Some ended up in the hostel in Waena village after being thrown out of home when their relatives found out they had HIV, as the virus still carries a strong stigma in deeply poor Papua, which has the highest prevalence of infections in Indonesia.

On World AIDS Day on Tuesday, activists said that government efforts to fight HIV/AIDS in Papua are inadequate, and small, private facilities such as the Waena hostel cannot alone tackle the epidemic.

"The approach to tackling HIV transmission is outdated," said Aditya Wardhana, from Indonesia AIDS Coalition, adding that official efforts focused on groups such as sex workers, but the virus had now spread through the whole population of Papua.

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which can lead to AIDS, is mostly spread through unsafe sex in Papua, in particular due to the growth of prostitution in major cities.

The prevalence of HIV in Papua is 2.3 percent of the population, compared to a national figure of 0.47 percent, health ministry data showed. While the number of new HIV infections worldwide has fallen by 35 percent over the past 15 years, according to UN figures, in Papua the figure has remained stubbornly high.

Latest official figures show that around 18,000 cases of HIV have been reported in Papua, but activists believe the real number is far higher.

Source: http://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-12-indonesia-papua-aids-epidemic.html

Mass organisations ready to expel OPM student separatists from Yogyakarta

Okezone - December 1, 2015

Yogyakarta – Coinciding with the anniversary of the Free Papua Movement (OPM), some 29 mass organisations (ormas) in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta declared the formation of the Jogya Anti-Separatist Front (Front Jogja Anti Separatis, FJAS) on the grounds of the Yogyakarta Regional House of Representatives (DPRD DIY).

The formation of the FJAS reflects the unease of Yogyakarta residents about the activities of rogue Papuan students in Yogyakarta who are believed to be involved in OPM separatist movement activities.

"We reject all forms of protest by OPM separatists in Yogyakarta", said action coordinator Muhammad Suhud on Tuesday December 1.

Suhud said that because Yogyakarta is a student city it is not surprising that many students from Papua are studying in Yogyakarta – His group however opposes this if the arrival of Papuan high school and university students in fact gives birth to a separatist movement.

The FJAS is made up of, among others, the Paksi Katon [a group which sees itself as a guardian of Javanese culture and the Yogyakarta sultanate], the Indonesian Anti-Communist Front (FAKI), the Religious Community Brotherhood Forum (FKUB), the Jogja Discussion Forum (FJR), Banser [the Islamic mass organisation Nahdlatul Ulama's paramilitary youth wing], the Anshor Youth Movement [Nahdlatul Ulama's youth wing], the Pareanom Community, the Islamic Youth Movement (GPI), the Pancasila Youth (PP), the Muhammadiyah Youth and the martial arts group Pagar Nusantara.

"I invite all residents who care about and want to safeguard Yogyakarta from the OPM separatist movement", Suhud said.

Suhud urged both the Yogyakarta provincial government as well as the Yogyakarta provincial police to take firm action against the OPM separatist movement in Yogyakarta.

He also called for the Papuan student hostel on Jl. Kusumanegara in Kemasan to be closed because it is causing social unrest and is suspected of being the headquarters of the OPM separatist movement in Yogyakarta – (fds)

[Translated by James Balowski for the Indoleft News Service. The original title of the report was "Ormas Siap Usir Mahasiswa Papua yang Terlibat OPM di Yogyakarta".]

Source: http://m.okezone.com/read/2015/12/01/510/1258821/ormas-siap-usir-mahasiswa-papua-yang-terlibat-opm-di-yogyakarta#top

Police forcibly disburse Papuan students commemorating December 1 in

Tribune News - December 1, 2015

Jakarta – On Tuesday December 1 police blocked protesters from the Papua Student Alliance (AMP) who had come from throughout Java and Bali to demonstrate at the Hotel Indonesia (HI) traffic circle in Central Jakarta.

AMP spokesperson Abby Douw said he regretted the police's actions because they had already submitted a notification of the rally with the Jakarta Metro Jaya police.

"We sent the notification directly to the Metro Jaya regional police, we faxed it. The fax was ACC [accepted]", said Abby at the Metro Jaya police headquarters on Tuesday.

Abby explained that there were around 500 members of the AMP who had come from throughout Java and Bali. They were blocked by police at the Hotel Indonesia between 9-9.30am.

This is despite the fact that according to Abby they did not bring Free West Papua (OPM) flags or act in an anarchic manner. The protesters only wanted to express their views that the Papua problem be resolved freely and that the Papuan people should determine it.

"Our main aim was simply to express our views, but we were criminalised, by which I mean I think the issues we [wanted to raise] caused the uproar, [because] we hadn't started the action yet because it was to be at the HI traffic circle and before we [even] arrived at the traffic circle we were stopped", he said.

The AMP was planning to raise four demands, namely that they be allowed the freedom to determine their own future as a democratic solution for the West Papuan people, the withdrawal of all organic and non-organic military (TNI/Polri) personnel from the land of Papua, an end to deployment of organic and non-organic military (TNI/Polri) personnel to Papua and the repeal of all political products such as special autonomy, special autonomy plus, the creation of new districts and the Special Unit for the Acceleration of Development in Papua and West Papua (UP4B), which are being applied in the land of Papua, and to allow the Papuan people to hold a referendum.

[Translated by James Balowski for the Indoleft News Service. The original title of the report was "Aliansi Mahasiswa Papua: Kami Hanya Ingin Sampaikan Pendapat".]

Source: http://www.tribunnews.com/metropolitan/2015/12/01/aliansi-mahasiswa-papua-kami-hanya-ingin-sampaikan-pendapat

Security chief Luhut 'appreciates' police action against Papuan

Liputan 6 - December 1, 2015

Luqman Rimadi, Jakarta – Police have broken up a rally by the Papuan Student Alliance (AMP) who were protesting at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Central Jakarta on December 1. As a result, a clash broke out between the protesters and police.

Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Luhut Binsar Padjaitan has expressed his appreciation over the police's actions, saying the protesters did not have a permit so it was illegal and was appropriate that it was broken up.

"There were several issues with the Papuan demo earlier, first they did not apply for a permit. We're a democratic country right and must obey the [requirement to have a] permit. [Demonstrators] must also be disciplined. Second it wasn't at a place [allowed for] demos. Third [they were] warned three times [to disburse] but refused. Fourth they assaulted the police. Five, of course they were arrested and questioned", said Luhut at his office on Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat in Central Jakarta on Tuesday December 1.

In relation to reports that rogue police officers committed violence against journalists covering the action, Luhut believes that the police did not do so intentionally.

"It was not violence against journalists. Someone or other (a protester) hit [a police officer], so the police broke it up see. So, perhaps a journalist was pushed around or something. Yeah (if they were hit), then we apologise", he said.

Despite this, Luhut said that he would check if it was true that journalists were assaulted and their cameras seized by police during the chaotic protest action. "I'll check it out later", said Luhut briefly.

The riot broke out when police forcibly disbursed demonstrators commemorating the December 1 anniversary of the Free Papua Movement (OPM).

Central Jakarta district police chief Senior Commissioner Hendro Pandowo said that police were forced to take firm action and break up the demonstration after protesters insisted on marching to the State Palace where they planned to hold a demonstration.

"They did not have a permit to demonstrate, so [we were] forced to disburse them", said Pandowo at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle on Tuesday December 1.

[Translated by James Balowski for the Indoleft News Service. The original title of the report was "Menko Luhut: Demo Pemuda Papua di Bundaran HI Salahi Aturan".]

Source: http://news.liputan6.com/read/2379862/menko-luhut-demo-pemuda-papua-di-bundaran-hi-salahi-aturan

Jakarta LBH slams police violence against Papuan protesters in Jakarta

Tribune News - December 1, 2015

Jakarta – The Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation (LBH Jakarta) has condemned the forced disbursing and arrest of protesters from the Papuan Student Alliance (AMP) by Metro Jaya police in Jakarta on December 1.

The AMP protest action was held in the context of expressing the identity of the Papuan people that is celebrated every year on December 1.

The protesters came from AMP groups throughout Java and Bali. The solidarity action descended into chaos when police, without reason, forcibly broke up the protest action. Police also arrested 128 protesters in a violent manner. In this case there were no arrest warrants so in legal terms the arrests were unlawful.

LBH Jakarta director Alghiffari Aqsa said this is not the first incident of its kid and the right to the freedom of expression in public has been repeatedly violated by law enforcement officers.

"Yet the right to the freedom of expression in public by the Papuan people is also guaranteed by the Constitution", said Alghiffari in a press release received by journalists on Tuesday.

Meanwhile Alghif M. Isnur, the head of LBH Jakarta's case management division said that the forced disbursal and arrest of the demonstrators was accompanied by repressive actions by police including hitting and kicking demonstrators.

The police's actions were a violation of the right to the freedom of expression in public. "It is very regrettable, the police should have respect for, protect and fulfill human rights without discrimination, including for Papuan people", said Isnur.

The Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation is demanding that the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs, the National Police chief and the Metro Jaya police chief release the arrested AMP members.

"Respect, protect and fulfill the right to freedom of expression in public", Isnur added.

[Translated by James Balowski for the Indoleft News Service. The original title of the report was "LBH Jakarta Kecam Pembubaran Paksa Unjuk Rasa Warga Papua oleh Polisi".]

Source: http://www.tribunnews.com/nasional/2015/12/01/lbh-jakarta-kecam-pembubaran-paksa-unjuk-rasa-warga-papua-oleh-polisi

West Papua: Students, staff stage PMC human rights flag-raising ceremony

Pacific Media Centre - December 1, 2015

Auckland (Pacific Media Watch) – A group of postgraduate students and staff today raised the West Papuan flag on campus at Auckland University of Technology in solidarity for Papuan self-determination.

The Morning Star flag-raising at the Pacific Media Centre was held to mark the day the banner was first flown 54 years ago – 1 December 1961.

Del Abcede of the Asia-Pacific Human Rights Coalition (APHRC) spoke of the risks and 15-year penalty for raising the banned flag in the Indonesian provinces of Papua and West Papua.

She also hailed the freedom of political prisoner Filep Karma last month after he had been sentenced for 15 years over a peaceful flag-raising ceremony in 2004. He served 11 years (with normal remission) but refused to be released early with conditions being imposed.

PMC director Professor David Robie highlighted the continual pressure from Indonesian politicians and authorities on Pacific nations to undercut West Papuan support.

"This is quite outrageous. But in spite of this West Papua has gained growing support Pacific nations and the people, expecially from the Solomon Islands, and now has observer status in the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG). He also criticised lack of NZ media coverage of West Papua.

'Long suffered'

In Sydney, the Australia West Papua Association congratulated the West Papuan people on the national flag day.

"It is now 54 years since the Morning Star flag was flown officially for the first time on the 1 December 1961. We are all aware how much the West Papuan people have suffered under Indonesian rule," Joe Collins said in a statement.

"However, in the past year the West Papuan people have had many victories in their struggle for self-determination.

"From the formation of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) in Vanuatu in December 2014 to ULMWP's achievement of gaining observer status at the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG).

"Another victory is West Papua is back on the agenda at the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) and hopefully Jakarta will accept a request from the PIF leaders for a fact finding mission to West Papua."

West Papua has been raised at the UN by various Pacific leaders and awareness throughout the Pacific has increased sharply through the lobbying of governments in the region by West Papuan representatives, civil society organisations and church groups.

Civil society organisations in the Pacific have committed to take up the fight for the people of West Papua. The issue is also being raised around the world by solidarity groups and individuals.

On November 20, political prisoner Filep Karma was released from prison after serving his full sentence (minus standard remissions) for participating in the raising of theMorning Star flag on 1 December 2004.

Karma has always insisted that he acted peacefully and that raising the flag was a right and not a crime.

Despite his 15 year sentence, Karma refused all offers to be released on grounds of "clemency" because that would involve an admission of guilt and pledges not to "re-offend". Instead, he demanded unconditional release.

Source: http://www.pmc.aut.ac.nz/pacific-media-watch/west-papua-students-staff-stage-pmc-human-rights-flag-raising-ceremony-9494

Banned Papua flag raised in NZ ceremony

Radio New Zealand International - December 1, 2015

A flag raising event in support of the West Papuan symbol, the Morning Star, has been held on the steps of New Zealand's parliament.

It's one of a number of annual West Papua Flag Day ceremonies in New Zealand, in Indonesia's Papua region and elsewhere abroad.

The Morning Star flag was first raised on December the 1st 1961 but was later banned by Jakarta after it assumed control of the former Dutch territory.

The Wellington event, organised in conjunction with the Peace Movement Aotearoa, was attended by half a dozen MPs.

A Hawaiian university student who attended the event, Emalanai Case, says as a Pacific Islander, she is obligated to help fellow Pacific people who cannot necessarily stand for themselves. Emalani Case says she hopes to raise awareness about West Papua.

"We were colonised and we have gone through a lot and we are still fighting for our sovereignty, but we can raise our flag and we can fight openly. And I look at the people there who are suffering all these injustices, who are abused, killed and imprisoned. You can be imprisoned for 15 years for just raising your flag whereas I can wear one if I want to. I look at that as just a geat injustice."

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/291042/banned-papua-flag-raised-in-nz-ceremony

Vanuatu marks West Papua day

Radio New Zealand International - December 1, 2015

Vanuatu chiefs and church groups have led a march through the Vanuatu capital Port Vila to mark West Papua Day.

They are among supporters of West Papuan self-determination who have been holding ceremonies today (Tuesday) within and outside Indonesia's Papua region.

The former MP for Port Vila Ralph Regenvanu says chiefs and churches are keeping up the pressure for Vanuatu to stand up for West Papua.

"Despite all the instability in government, the fact that governments get deposed and new ones come in, the important thing in Vanuatu is that the chiefs and the churches continue to be active in advocating to the leaders of the country and civil society in general to continue to put pressure on the government to continue to maintain our stand with regard to total support for the independence of West Papua."

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/291037/vanuatu-marks-west-papua-day

Maori, Pasifika women to mark Papua freedom day

Radio New Zealand International - December 1, 2015

A collective of Maori and Pacific women in South Auckland will today raise the Morning Star flag in a show of solidarity for freedom in West Papua.

The flag is a potent symbol for the Free Papua Movement and was first raised on the 1st of December in 1961 but was later banned by Jakarta after it assumed control of the former Dutch province.

Spokesperson for the Oceania Interrupted group, Leilani Salesa, says the flag raising is also in honour of the recently released Papuan political prisoner Filep Karma who served more than a decade for raising the flag.

"Oceania Interrupted is delighted that Filep Karma was freed on November the 19th. And whilst his case is a really well known case in terms of political prisoners we also need to remember those other West Papuan political prisoners who still require our support and you know, our call for our solidarity."

Filep Karma was found guilty of treason and jailed in 2004 after raising the banned flag at a rally. He was released on the 19th of November after serving more than a decade of his 15 year sentence. During which time he rejected several offers of pardons from Jakarta because they required he sign an admission of guilt.

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/290977/maori,-pasifika-women-to-mark-papua-freedom-day

Papua's Karma raises questions after release

Radio New Zealand International - December 1, 2015

Johnny Blades – The West Papuan independence campaigner Filep Karma has questioned the veracity of the process around his early release from prison last month.

Mr Karma, who was released after spending eleven years in prison for raising the banned Papuan Morning Star Flag, has promised to continue his peaceful campaign for West Papua independence.

However he said after being forced to go to jail under an unclear degree, charged with treason, he had now been forced to leave prison with similar "dubious" treatment.

Filep Karma previously refused government offers of an early release from his fifteen year jail term because he did not want to admit guilt for a crime he didn't commit.

In the end, Indonesian officials forced West Papua's leading political prisoner to leave Abepura Prison under a remission directive.

In a statement, Mr Karma claimed he was given just an hour to leave prison, but accorded no opportunity to see the official government letter ordering his release, or the conditions around it.

Captivity

The statement is timely as it comes as West Papuans today mark Flag Day, the 54th anniversary of when Morning Star flag was first raised in a Papuan proclamation of independence.

The flag was later banned by Jakarta after it assumed control of the former Dutch territory, and Indonesian authorities take a dim view of Papuans who raise the Morning Star Flag or voice any separatist sentiment.

Filep Karma is not the only Papuan who has been jailed for raising the flag, but his 15-year jail term is the harshest sentence to date.

In 2011, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention said that Filep Karma's detention was arbitrary because he was imprisoned for the exercise of his rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.

Indonesia's Political, Law and Security Minister, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, recently said Filep Karma was wrongly convicted of treason, or makar, which implies inciting armed revolt.

Filep Karma expected it would take time to adapt to being out of prison again after such a long time.

"The process of my exemption was very brutal," he said. "Even animals that are in captivity may need some time to adapt before being released into the wild. I had been imprisoned for eleven years, but I have not been given the time to adapt. Am I, a Papuan, was nothing more valuable than an animal?"

Since it came to power a year ago, Indonesia's government of President Joko Widodo has been making clear efforts to foster economic development in Papua.

But long-running injustices related to the conduct of security forces in the region, as well as the state programme of transmigration continue to marginalise Papuans in their homeland.

Ideology to 'never die'

The independence leader accused the Indonesian government of seeking to destroy his credibility for the sake of Jakarta's image and authority.

"My current status, released from prison, wasn't the result of a good will or good policy of the Racist Colonial Government of Indonesia as stated by Paulus Waterpauw, Papua Police Chief whom I consider as an invader's servant in the Land of Papua."

Mr Karma suggested that Mr Waterpauw would better serve his responsibility as head policeman in Papua by seeking arrests of unidentified people and military personnel "who continuously kill Papuans rather than dealing with what I believe about the Papua liberation ideology".

He said that this ideology would never die. The former Indonesian civil servant said that his freedom from prison had materialised because of growing international pressures against the government of Indonesia which he says "continues to commit crimes against humanity and human rights violations against it colony's people and against its own people".

RNZ International recently visited Filep Karma in Abepura prison, where he indicated he would continue to endorse independence for West Papuans. According to the online political prisoner database Papuans Behind Bars, 47 political prisoners are currently detained in West Papua.

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/290999/papua%27s-karma-raises-questions-after-release

1965 mass killings

In shadows of propaganda and complicity, truth about 1965 massacre still

Jakarta Globe - December 7, 2015

Jakarta – Tumiso Lukas still remembers the morning of Dec. 19, 1965, when hundreds of armed soldiers marched onto the campus of Res Publica University in Surabaya, Indonesia's second-biggest city.

The school, established three years earlier by Indonesia's first president, Sukarno, also spelled Soekarno, was placed under lockdown and taken over by the military because of its affiliation with the president, who by then was already under house arrest on orders from Maj. Gen. Suharto.

Troops quickly rounded up hundreds of students, in particularly the 500 or so members of the Concentration of Indonesian Student Movement (CGMI), which the military accused of being linked to the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI).

Tumiso, now 76, says virtually all the students and faculty at the university were arrested by the military, leaving the campus deserted the following day. They were taken to a military base, where they would be interrogated and beaten.

The military, Tumiso says, took a particular interest in him. As well as being a member of the CGMI, Tumiso was also affiliated with the Indonesian Teachers Association (PGRI), led by a man named Subandri, whom the military accused of being a communist sympathizer.

Tumiso says he was tortured nearly daily while in prison, sometimes in a bid to make him rat out his friends, other times when the military had made new arrests and obtained fresh information – but often simply for the guards' own amusement. By the time the guards were done each time, Tumiso and the others could barely walk.

"Have you ever heard the expression 'barely alive'?" Tumiso asks me while describing his days in military detention. "That was one way to describe us prisoners. We were given just enough food to keep us from dying but they starved us so that we were so weak we wouldn't revolt.

"We were given leftover vegetables, waste from vendors at the market; bug- infested cabbages and half-rotten water spinach. That's what we ate."

One day, after months of incarceration, the students were taken out of their cells and told to line up in a single row in front of the military compound.

Under the watchful eye of dozens of armed guards, they were told not to speak a word to each other or to their loved ones, who had gathered at the gates, waiting to see them.

The military simply wanted to show the families that their sons, husbands and fathers were still alive and not among the hundreds of thousands of suspected communist sympathizers killed between 1965 and 1966 in what has been dubbed one of the worst mass killings of the 20th century.

'Lying or a puppet'

It was a hot September day when I first met Tumiso, who now cares for about a dozen survivors of the 1965 purge, most of them women many years his senior for whom the Waluyo Sejati Abadi retirement home in Central Jakarta is their sole refuge.

Tumiso had just returned from a meeting with fellow human rights activists earlier in the day; his silence, deep stare, and the frown hiding beneath his thick mustache hinted at a sense of anger and disappointment.

The outcome of the discussion was that the long-awaited justice promised them by President Joko Widodo during his election campaign in 2014 remained elusive; the government had refused to issue an apology to the survivors of the massacres, and Joko's ministers had suggested that no one would face justice for the countless lives lost, proposing reconciliation rather than prosecution.

"There are several possibilities: either Jokowi is lying and he wasn't sincere about his promises of resolving past human rights abuse; that the whole thing was just a campaign strategy to beat his opponent," Tumiso says. "Another possibility is that Jokowi is indeed a puppet as many people suspect."

Tumiso is a thin and slender man but with an imposing look that commands respect and fear. The anguish that roils him manifests itself in sudden outbursts of rage, a temperament often provoked by the most trivial of reasons, as the people around him can attest.

The women at the retirement home can understand, or at least tolerate, Tumiso's occasional tantrums. Although they too were detained without trial, tortured and treated inhumanely for years by the military, they know that Tumiso's past was far darker, his pain more unbearable. That's why they afford him the utmost respect, even though he's the youngest in the group.

During our conversation, Tumiso gave clues to the origin of his temper, the fire deep inside that kept him going through the years of hardship until his release 14 years later: pride.

"Over time, the physical agony and the inhumane condition of our time in prison became just a part of the daily routine. Some couldn't bear the pain and chose to end their lives, but many people like me held on with the conviction that we did nothing wrong," he says.

After four years in prison, Tumiso found himself on a boat, in his first voyage at sea. His destination: the now infamous Buru Island in Maluku, where he would become one of thousands of political prisoners subjected to forced labor.

"There were a thousand prisoners from across Java cramped into that one Navy ship. We were locked inside the ship's hull, sleeping on a makeshift floor made of planks covered with sheets of plywood. We could hardly breathe from the heat and sweat. The stench was unbearable. Below us was seawater mixed with urine and feces," Tumiso recalls.

It was in Buru that he realized the military hadn't just targeted those with direct links to the supposed murder of six Army generals on Sept. 30, 1965, which Suharto's forces had used as a pretext for the eventual slaughter of between 500,000 and a million civilians accused of being communist sympathizers.

With Tumiso on the 9,505-square-kilometer island – one and a half times the size of Bali – were the likes of the preeminent writer Pramoedya Ananta Toer; renowned wayang master Terstuti Resmadi; an aging professor named Soeprapto; a 14-year-old boy named Asmuni, who had volunteered to go in his father's place; and Bronto Kusumoatmojo, the composer of the song "Garuda Pancasila" – the national symbol and ideology that, ironically enough, the military claimed it was protecting from the nefarious communists.

"There were future pastors [in Buru]; there were also graduates of Al Azhar University [in Cairo]. So it wasn't true that we were a bunch of godless atheists," Tumiso says.

Propaganda

Yet the majority of Indonesians still believe that men like Tumiso were evil, thanks to more than three decades of propaganda by Suharto's military-backed government, which portrayed communism as an existential threat to national security and the military as the heroes who quashed it.

The most powerful piece of propaganda ever produced by the regime was the four-hour-long docudrama "Pengkhianatan G30S/PKI," or "The Treachery of the September 30th Movement/PKI." Riddled with inaccuracies and over-dramatization, the film served as the sole source of history for millions of Indonesians – even those who were alive in 1965.

Literacy rates were low back then, and few people had radios in their homes; television sets were only found in big cities like Jakarta. News traveled through word of mouth, in bits and pieces, getting distorted and exaggerated with each telling. So it was no surprise that people accepted the narrative depicted in the film as the historical truth.

Suharto was so enamored of the film – and its portrayal of him as the hero who single-handedly destroyed the PKI "down to its roots" – that he organized public viewing in schools as well as the only television station at the time, state-owned TVRI, on the anniversary of the supposed communist coup attempt.

In the film, the communists torture the kidnapped generals, stab them repeatedly and burn them with lit cigarettes. They even gouge out the eye of one of them out with a sickle. In another scene, the generals' lifeless bodies are thrown into a hole while the Communists dance in celebration.

At the time of the film's release in 1984 no one disputed its accuracy, for fear of drawing the ire of the military, which since the massacre ruled the country with an iron fist.

No one criticized the film for failing to mention that hundreds of thousands of innocents were slaughtered in the ensuing military-sponsored anti-communist purge, their bodies clogging up major rivers so badly that no one dared to eat freshwater fish for months.

No one questioned the litany of holes in Suharto's version of history, most importantly: if the PKI had been plotting a coup against Sukarno, then why was the country's founding president declared an enemy of the state a year later? And why did the military, in its campaign of murder and imprisonment of millions, encounter no resistance from a group of supposed armed insurgents?

Also conveniently overlooked was the fact that one of the slain generals had once court-martialed Suharto on suspicion of corruption. And the fact that the man accused of kidnapping and killing the generals, Col. Untung, the commander of the presidential guard, had been close to Suharto, serving alongside him in many campaigns.

Had they been brought to light, these and other important points would likely have bred suspicion that it was Suharto, and not the PKI, who was responsible for the murder of the generals.

But even after the strongman was forced from power in 1998, attempts to challenge Suharto's take on history continue to meet with resistance.

On Oct. 18 this year, authorities in Central Java seized and burned hundreds of copies of Lentera Magazine, a campus-based publication at Satya Wacana University in the town of Salatiga, because the issue in question featured in- depth coverage of the murder of thousands of suspected PKI members and sympathizers in the area during the purge.

Later that month, the highly regarded Ubud Writers and Readers Festival in Bali was forced to cancel three panels and discussion events exploring the massacres, as well as a photo exhibition and the screening of a documentary on the subject, after authorities threatened to shut down the festival.

Many public screenings and discussions of two award-winning documentaries on the subject – "The Act of Killing" and "The Look of Silence" by US filmmaker Joshua Oppenheimer – have also been broken up by the authorities or Islamist groups since the films were released in 2013 and 2014, respectively.

"The main reason why is that these people are still in power," Human Rights Watch Indonesian researcher Andreas Harsono says of those who were linked to or benefited from the purge and the New Order regime that it spawned. "Indonesia is the only country which has not reconciled with its own past."

The slain generals continue to be feted year after year, with no questions asked about who was really responsible for their deaths. (Antara Photo/M. Risyal Hidayat) The slain generals continue to be feted year after year, with no questions asked about who was really responsible for their deaths.

Foreign complicity

Much of the truth about what happened in 1965 is still shrouded in mystery and systematically kept hidden from public view, including the extent to which the United States, Britain and Australia were involved, supported or at the very least condoned the mass killings.

International scholars as well as former US and British intelligence officers have written extensively on the subject, linking the massacres to then-US president Lyndon B. Johnson's concerns about the growing influence of the PKI in a part of the world where communist forces had already seized power, in neighboring Vietnam.

The PKI at the time had three million members, making it the third-largest communist party in the world after those of the Soviet Union and China.

The West was also concerned about Sukarno's socialist bent and his refusal to stop strikes, demonstrations and the occupation of businesses and plantations by workers and farmers.

Those industrial actions affected Western companies operating in Indonesia, and the West soon began to look for someone more amenable to supporting Western interests – someone like Suharto.

In a letter to the Washington Post in 1990, Robert J. Martens, who from 1963 to 1966 was a political officer at the US Embassy in Jakarta, admitted to having provided a list of 5,000 names to the Indonesian military. Everyone on the list was later presumed killed by the military.

Whether it supported it or not, the West certainly benefited from the purge. Suharto, in his new role as president, opened up Indonesia to Western businesses. He also declared communism illegal, and any attempt by farmers or workers to unionize or go on strike resulted in them being labeled communists.

"After the anti-communist massacre, Indonesia became very pro-Western," historian Asvi Warman Adam of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences wrote in The Conversation recently. "The destruction of communism in Indonesia benefited capitalist countries such as the United States and Japan."

Under Suharto, people like Tumiso were sent to places like Buru, where they were forced at gunpoint to work long hours without pay, cutting wood, tapping rubber and growing produce, which the military sold to foreign-owned companies.

Back to Buru

Tumiso describes the island as a remote wasteland. Except for a few military buildings and houses along its coast, it was untouched by modern civilization. It was virtually uninhabited, except for a few indigenous communities who traveled into and out of the jungle in their traditional garb hunting for wild animals with their bows and arrows.

The prisoners could easily have escaped their camps and hid in the jungle, but no one did because they knew that those left behind would be punished for it.

The prisoners were distributed to various parts of the islands, some for farm work, others for logging. But the labor camps meant for agriculture were surrounded by thick brush, and the guards, paranoid that the prisoners might attack them, refused to provide sickles to clear the land.

So the prisoners had to uproot all the thorny shrubs, grass and weeds with their bare hands, returning to camp at the end of each day with ghastly blisters on their hands.

Having grown up in a big city, Tumiso had never touched a shovel or a plow in his life. He was not used to the intense labor associated with farming. But what he lacked in skills and muscles he more than made up for with his wile.

He quickly realized that the guards weren't all that sharp. So he tricked them into thinking that the 100-by-100-meter lots that each prisoner was supposed to plow each day was the same as two 50-by-50-meter lots – which amounted to just half of what they should have been plowing. He spread the word among the other prisoners.

Over the years, Buru became more and more developed thanks to the prisoners. The once illiterate indigenous communities were taught to read and write by former ministers, public officials and teachers like Tumiso. The prisoners built roads and dams for irrigation, which helped the locals and, later, transmigrants to grow their own crops.

Finally, in 1979, after years of international pressure, the government released the prisoners. But by then Tumiso's parents were long dead, his wife had remarried, and his own son didn't recognize him. To this day he refuses to acknowledge Tumiso as his father.

The survivors endured discrimination and stigma even after they were free. Those accused of being communists were barred from joining the civil service, and many businesses were too afraid to hire them.

Many like Pramoedya sought political asylum abroad, while those like Tumiso survived by doing odd jobs, while still under constant monitoring from Suharto's security apparatus, which treated them like second-class citizens. Some returned to Buru, having found little left for them back home except pain and anguish.

'Impunity on the grandest of scales'

But for those who led the purge, and Suharto's hangers-on, the opposite was true. They grew wealthy on business concessions, and powerful on political appointments. They thrived, seemingly without a pang of guilt for the lives lost or fear that they would one day have to face justice.

Fifty years on, they and their families continue to dominate Indonesia's political landscape, using their influence and power to stop the truth from coming out. "The administration of Jokowi and Megawati is surrounded by people who were involved in the massacres in one way or the other," HRW's Andreas says.

With the impunity it enjoyed, the military grew more brazen in its actions, committing more massacres and human rights violations across the breadth of the country.

Since 1965, it has been responsible for the bloody occupation of East Timor between 1975 and 1999; displaced thousands from their homes to make way for oil exploration in Aceh and copper mining in Papua; slaughtered protesters in Lampung and North Jakarta; and orchestrated the forced disappearance and torture of student activists in 1997-98.

"This is impunity on the grandest of scales. Because of what happened [in 1965] and the impunity they enjoyed, history repeated itself, albeit on a smaller scale [than in 1965]," Andreas says. "What happened in Aceh, East Timor, the killing of protesters would not have occurred if the [1965] perpetrators were brought to justice."

With Indonesia reluctant to acknowledge the massacres, human rights activists are turning to the international community to uncover what truly happened.

Several activists took the issue before an International People's Tribunal in The Hague recently, while in the US pressure is increasing for the Central Intelligence Agency and the State Department to fully declassify files showing just how much of a role Washington played in the atrocity.

For Tumiso, these moves are important for the thousands of survivors 1965 still alive today.

"What we want is not vengeance. What we want is recognition. For the state to acknowledge that what happened in 1965 is not what the New Order wanted people to know. We don't want to open old wounds, like people accuse us of doing," he says.

"At least [with formal acknowledgment] our kids can hold their heads high knowing that their families were not criminals."

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/shadows-propaganda-complicity-truth-1965-massacre-still-glows/

Indonesia's 1965 massacres on trial in The Hague

Red Flag - December 5, 2015

Janis Hooper – Over four days in November, the voices of survivors of the 1965 Indonesian massacres were heard by a hushed crowd of several hundred people, mainly Indonesian exiles, gathered in a 17th century church in The Hague.

Fifty years ago, the Indonesian army, led by general Suharto, used an alleged coup attempt by the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) as a pretext to mount a savage right wing seizure of power.

Starting on 1 October 1965, at least 500,000 people were murdered and millions were imprisoned without trial in appalling conditions for up to 20 years. Many were subjected to torture – including rape and other sexual violence – forced labour and exile.

Until this day, survivors and their relatives continue to suffer discrimination, such as bars to employment and educational opportunities and persecution by local authorities.

For 50 years, the government has denied these crimes; the state has never uttered a single word of apology, let alone paid reparations or brought any of the perpetrators to trial.

As a result, a number of victims, scholars and activists decided to convene a People's Tribunal on the events.

It became clear that such a tribunal could not be held safely in Indonesia: a number of attacks were launched this year – by vigilantes, militias and even some local authorities – on efforts to commemorate or even discuss the 1965 massacres or to identify the many mass graves throughout the country.

In October, a student newspaper was seized and destroyed. Even the prestigious Ubud Writers Festival was instructed to cancel a number of book launches and discussions, or risk the closure of the whole festival.

A prosecution team led by one of Indonesian's leading lawyers, T. Mulya Lubis, travelled to The Hague to present the indictment against the state of Indonesia for crimes against humanity committed in 1965 and beyond.

The United States, the UK and Australia were also charged with conspiracy for their role in facilitating the commission of these crimes – including the provision of military equipment as well as political and diplomatic support and even provision of names of people to be targeted. The government of Indonesia and the other states did not respond to an invitation to make submissions to the tribunal.

Survivors also travelled to The Hague to give testimony – some publicly in ringing and defiant tones, while others spoke from behind a curtain to protect their identity, barely able to relate the extent of their pain and suffering.

Their accounts were supplemented by video footage and expert testimony as well as a huge volume of research reports and documentation.

On the final day of the hearings, the panel of seven judges issued a concluding statement, which said:

"It has been established that the state of Indonesia during the relevant period through its military and police arms committed and encouraged the commission of these grave human rights violations on a systematic and widespread basis.

"The judges are also convinced that all this was done for political purposes: to annihilate the PKI and those alleged to be its members or sympathisers, as well as a much broader number of people including [former president] Sukarno loyalists, trade unionists and teachers.

"The design was also to prop up a dictatorial violent regime which the people of Indonesia have rightly consigned to history. It cannot be doubted that these acts, evaluated separately and cumulatively, constitute crimes against humanity, both in International Law and judged by the values and the legal framework of the new reformist era accepted by the people of Indonesia 17 years ago.

"This Tribunal has heard the detailed and moving evidence of victims and families as well as the evidence of established experts. It saw this evidence as no more than the mere tip of the iceberg, a few tangible, graphic and painful examples of the devastation of the human beings who appeared before them, as well as the wholesale destruction of the human fabric of a considerable sector of Indonesian society...

"The judges consider the state of Indonesia responsible in the commission of such crimes against humanity as the chain of command was organised from top to bottom of the institutional bodies. The prosecution made the case that other states have aided Suharto's ruthless regime to achieve these results in the pursuit of the establishment of a particular international order in the context of the Cold War. We will consider this in our final judgment."

The tribunal called on the Indonesian government to implement the recommendations (to take action to find justice and provide reparations for the 1965 crimes against humanity) made by both its own Commission for Violence against Women in 2007, and Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) in 2012 after hearing representatives of both bodies; and for Indonesia's president Joko Widodo to deliver on his electoral promise to act.

Hundreds of reports on the tribunal appeared in the Indonesian press and social media, and people gathered in a number of locations around the country to watch a live streaming of the hearings.

While many welcomed the belated attempt to press for justice, some military and reactionary groups immediately labelled it a "revival of the PKI", calling those who participated "traitors to the nation". The latter slogan was painted on placards and banners unfurled at Jakarta airport on the participants' return.

After 50 years of fighting, those survivors who are still alive have finally found enough support to force a public discussion of 1965. A strong campaign will be needed to achieve their demands for justice and reparations.

[For more details of the People's Tribunal, and how you can join this campaign, visit 1965tribunal.org .]

Source: https://redflag.org.au/article/indonesias-1965-massacres-trial-hague

50 years ago today, American diplomats endorsed mass killings in

Washington Post - December 2, 2015

Kai Thaler – Fifty years ago today, the US Embassy in Indonesia sent a cable to the State Department asking for funding to help civilian groups that the United States knew were engaged in a violent effort to eliminate communist influence in Indonesia.

At the time, these civilian groups and the Indonesian military, led by Gen. Suharto, were massacring and purging communists and suspected communists, in response to what the military alleged was an attempted coup on Sept. 30, 1965.

The ensuing civilian-military campaign resulted in the mass killing of about 500,000 people. Around 750,000 more civilians were imprisoned, tortured and discriminated against for decades. This marked the beginning of a shift to military rule in Indonesia.

The highly repressive military has retained influence. Reforms have been slow and incomplete, even after Indonesia's transition to democracy in 1998-99. Those responsible for the mass violence have never been punished.

The documentaries "The Act of Killing" and "The Look of Silence" have brought greater attention to the massacres and the impunity their perpetrators enjoy. But Indonesian forces are not solely responsible for what happened. As I explore in a forthcoming book chapter based on declassified government documents, US officials were accessories to this mass murder. The United States helped create the conditions for the killings. It supported, rather than restraining or condemning, the perpetrators. The United States was not alone; British and Australian officials also supported the killings.

The United States has never officially apologized, though, for its involvement in what the CIA called "one of the worst mass murders of the 20th century." America also continues to support the Indonesian military despite its culture of repression. In fact, during Indonesian President Joko Widodo's visit to the United States in late October, President Obama and he largely ignored human rights issues.

In the early 1960s, Indonesia had a left-wing president, Sukarno, and the third-largest communist party in the world, the PKI. The US government believed that Sukarno and the PKI were threatening to make Indonesia the "next China," endangering US strategic and commercial interests.

The United States took covert action against Sukarno in the 1950s and restricted aid in the 1960s, primarily funding military assistance programs. US officials cultivated relationships with anti-Sukarno leaders. In February 1965, as tensions were rising in Indonesia, the United States approved a covert action plan to "chip away at the PKI" through "black letter operations" and support for anti-communist groups.

The political situation exploded Sept. 30, 1965, when a group of junior military officers killed six top generals. By the next day, the army, under the command of Suharto, had crushed the officers. There is no evidence that the Sept. 30 attack was organized by the PKI or part of a larger plot, yet Suharto moved quickly to smear the PKI and leftist organizations and painted the events as a communist coup attempt. The military sidelined Sukarno and immediately launched a campaign with student and Muslim organizations to "crush" the PKI.

US officials had long hoped that the military would repress the PKI and moved to bolster the military. On Oct. 5, Ambassador Marshall Green recommended that the United States spread anti-PKI propaganda, and Secretary of State Dean Rusk wanted to encourage the military "to follow through against PKI."

By Oct. 12, aware that the army was organizing anti-communist attacks, the United States secured assurances that the British would stand down from their confrontation with Indonesia in Malaysia to allow the Indonesian military to "straighten things out" domestically.

Later that month, Green expressed approval that the military was "working hard at destroying PKI" through executions, and Rusk affirmed US support for the "elimination of the PKI." US officials also provided detailed lists of thousands of PKI members for the military and anti-communist civilians, with American officials reportedly checking off who had been killed or arrested.

Amid reports of massacres throughout the country, in late October, Rusk and US national security officials made plans to unconditionally provide weapons and communications equipment to the Indonesian military, while new US aid was organized in December for the civilian anti-communist coalition and the military. By February 1966, Green stated approvingly that "the Communists... have been decimated by wholesale massacre."

US support deepened in March 1966 as the military pushed Sukarno further off the scene, with the United States releasing economic aid that was frozen while Sukarno was in power, even as killings slowed but continued through 1968. In September 2015, the CIA released Presidential Daily Briefings from Lyndon Johnson's administration confirming that Johnson was well aware of events in Indonesia and did nothing to halt the killings.

Suharto remained in power until 1998, retaining strong US support. US- Indonesian military ties likewise continued, despite Indonesia's illegal, deadly 1974-1999 occupation of East Timor and its ongoing highly repressivecounterinsurgency campaign in West Papua.

Research has shown that governments that commit one mass killing and remain in power, like those of Suharto, Slobodan Milosevic and Saddam Hussein, are likely to employ these tactics again. Close allies are best positioned to pressure governments to avoid or halt mass atrocities. But in the Indonesian case, the United States assisted and encouraged the killing.

In a January 1966 speech, Sen. Robert Kennedy said, "We have spoken out against inhuman slaughters perpetrated by the Nazis and the Communists. But will we speak out also against the inhuman slaughter in Indonesia, where over 100,000 alleged Communists have been not perpetrators but victims?"

Kennedy argued that the United States must speak out against all mass killings. If the United States explicitly acknowledged and atoned for its role in the violence that engulfed Indonesia in the 1960s, it could help Indonesia confront its past and move toward justice and reconciliation.

The survivors and relatives of victims still suffer from discrimination in Indonesia, and the alleged threat of communism is still used to justify political and social repression.

Half a century after the massacres began, Widodo and his ministers have refused to apologize, espousing the false narrative that the PKI bear equal responsibility for the violence, even though there was minimal PKI resistance at the time. Perpetrators still hold positions of power locally and nationally.

If the United States were to pressure the Indonesian government and military to follow international law, it could help minimize or even prevent contemporary abuses in West Papua and elsewhere in the country. Sen.

Tom Udall (D-N.M.) has twice proposed a 'Sense of the Senate' resolution seeking both a truth and reconciliation commission in Indonesia and further clarity on the US role in the massacres, though this has not spurred further legislative or executive action. US acceptance of responsibility for its own role in the massacres could reinforce American human rights rhetoric and bolster the claims of survivors and victims' families in Indonesia.

[Kai Thaler is a PhD candidate in the department of government at Harvard University, studying civil wars, political violence, and state building, and is on Twitter @KaiMThaler.]

Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2015/12/02/50-years-ago-today-the-u-s-embassy-endorsed-mass-killings-in-indonesia-heres-what-that-means-for-today/

Labour & migrant workers

1,000 Chevron affiliate workers protest

Jakarta Post - December 4, 2015

Pekanbaru – About 1,000 workers of PT Beasco Housing Maintenance, a subcontractor of PT Chevron Pacific Indonesia (CPI), rallied on Thursday at the entrance of CPI's Minas Field in Siak regency, Riau.

The rally was a repeat of a protest staged at the CPI entrance in Rumbai, Pekanbaru, on Wednesday. The demonstrators planned to deliver a speech at the CPI entrance and paralyze production at the site.

"We will still express our aspirations to CPI, including the demand to reinstate 82 employees working for CPI's subcontractor," demonstrator Sohib was quoted as saying by tribunnews.com.

CPI spokesperson Tiva Permata expressed hope that the problems between PT Beasco Housing Maintenance and its workers would be resolved amicably.

"CPI has no right to interfere in the internal issue of its partner companies. Despite that, CPI will continue to make sure that our partner provides its services in accordance with the contract and obeys prevailing rules and regulations," Tiva said on Wednesday.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/04/islands-focus-1000-chevron-affiliate-workers-protest.html

New bill leaves out articles mandating rights protection

Jakarta Post - December 1, 2015

Jakarta – The Coalition of Indonesian Women for Justice and Democracy (KPIKD) has criticized the proposed Indonesian migrant workers protection bill for not stipulating protection against rights violations abroad.

The bill, which will replace Law No. 39/2004 on the placement and protection of migrant Indonesian workers abroad, is currently in the deliberation process at the House of Representatives.

KPIKD secretary-general Dian Kartikasari said during a discussion on Sunday that the draft had 34 articles stipulating the protection of the workers prior to their departure and three articles about protection during their working tenure abroad.

However, those articles mainly focus on administrative procedures and mechanisms, such as arrival processes and job placements.

"It doesn't say anything about how to deal with violations of workers' rights, such as exploitation, sexual harassment, placement periods and, most importantly, debt issues involving a number of PJTKI [migrant worker suppliers]," Dian said.

Data from rights group Migrant Care showed that by the end of 2014, 1.5 million migrant workers out of a total of 6.5 million working overseas had experienced various rights violations, ranging from being unpaid, or suffering rape and harassment, to being trafficked.

Most violations took place in Saudi Arabia and Malaysia, where there are 1.5 million and 2.4 million Indonesian migrant workers, respectively, according to the data.

"The draft should contain specific articles mandating protection for migrant workers. Otherwise, it would be useless and, still, the condition of our workers abroad will not get better," she said.

The draft, Dian said, should adopt the mandate of the UN's 1990 International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), as well as International Labor Organization Convention No. 189, to guarantee the workers' rights.

Other data from Migrant Care has revealed that up to 281 migrant Indonesian workers are facing the death penalty in 2015, 59 of them have been sentenced to death and 219 others are currently undergoing legal proceedings.

Malaysia is the location of the largest number of Indonesian migrant workers who are facing the death penalty this year, accounting for 212 people. Around 36 workers are facing the same fate in Saudi Arabia.

Irma Suryani Chaniago, a member of House Commission IX overseeing labor affairs and health, acknowledged that the draft was weak and had yet to accommodate what the migrant Indonesian workers really needed.

She, then, pledged to consider and propose the KPIKD's recommendations to the House. "We, indeed, still need many recommendations for the draft. No need to worry because we still have time for the revision process," Irma said.

She went on to say that all this time the government had only looked upon the migrant workers as economic commodities, while in fact, they were heroes and heroines of foreign exchange.

Data from the National Team for the Acceleration of Poverty Alleviation (TNP2K) showed that remittances from migrant workers during January to June this year alone amounted to US$3.8 billion, making them the second largest contributor to Indonesia's foreign exchange earnings after oil and gas. (foy)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/01/new-bill-leaves-out-articles-mandating-rights-protection.html

Freedom of speech & expression

New bill may threaten judicial transparency

Jakarta Post - December 7, 2015

Ina Parlina, Jakarta – Legal activists on Sunday slammed a contempt of court draft bill for limiting reports on court proceedings and judges.

Under the draft bill, which according to various media outlets was initiated by the Indonesian Judges Association (IKAHI), those who publicize ongoing hearings or court proceedings in a way that "tends to be able to influence the independence or does not side with judges in nature" face up to 10 years in prison or Rp 1 billion in fines.

Institute for Criminal Justice Reform (ICJR) senior researcher Anggara blasted the bill, saying that it had no urgency and restricted the freedom of speech and mass media.

"Access for media to information could be limited and public criticism of judges will be deemed problematic. Such circumstances are unacceptable in this democratic country," Anggara said. "If the bill is passed, the judges will have limitless authority."

The bill, he said, might have good intentions, namely to protect the judges' honor, but at the expense of fundamental democratic values.

"There are many other ways to keep [the judges'] stature and to improve public trust in our judicial system, one of which is transparency in every court decision," Anggara said.

He went on to say that judges should publish every decision they make and explain briefly on what grounds they reached their verdict.

Anggara said the draft bill as proposed by IKAHI, which was supported by the Supreme Court, showed an intention of "criminalizing people".

The idea to introduce a contempt of court law is not new in the country, but concerns remain that such provisions would limit the monitoring role of the public and the media. Many believe the judiciary lacks transparency, and the involvement of judges in some recent bribery cases has stoked such concerns.

Just recently, IKAHI won a petition at the Constitutional Court that scrapped the Judicial Commission's role in the selection of judges for district courts, religious courts and state administrative courts. The ruling allows the Supreme Court to select judges without having to be accountable to other state bodies and leaves the Judicial Commission with authorities to only monitor judges and help maintain their credibility. Choky Ramadhan from the University of Indonesia's Indonesian Judicial Watch Society (MAPPI) called for the provision penalizing those criticizing the courts and judges to be removed from the draft bill.

"Provisions that impede the public and the media in carrying out their monitoring role by penalizing them need to be scrapped," Choky said. "Criticism is essential to build a better judiciary in the country."

However, IKAHI executive Suhadi, who is also a spokesman at the Supreme Court, claimed that IKAHI was merely playing a role of stakeholder in the scheme, saying that it only provided the House with input on the contempt of court issue following what Suhadi deemed as the need to protect the judges who presided over trials.

"Any initiative for deliberating a bill comes only either from the House or the government. In this case, we are merely a stakeholder that gives input related to a judge's role in a trial," he said.

Although he underlined IKAHI's support for the contempt of court bill, Suhadi dismissed activists' concerns, saying the legal guideline was essential "to ensure the safety and security of the judges" and that their concerns "have no basis", since there were already "provisions regulating the press in terms of forming responsible opinion".

A number of violent protests have erupted during trials in the past, for example, during a blasphemy case trial in Temanggung, Central Java, in 2011 and an Ahmadiyah case trial in Cibinong, Bogor, in 2011. In late 2013, supporters of a plaintiff ran amok during a local election dispute hearing at the Constitutional Court, marking the first such incident in the Constitutional Court's history.

Contempt of court is, in fact, mentioned briefly in the Criminal Code (KUHP), while security for an ongoing trial is ensured by the 2009 Law on judicial authority.

According to Suhadi, the IKAHI's input focuses on how to protect judges from threats and harassment, instead. "Forming an opinion [about a trial] is allowed, but don't create disorder or curse a judge during a trial," he added.

Separately, Arsul Sani from the House of Representatives Commission III, which oversees legal affairs, human rights and security, said the public should not worry too much about the bill, as it would not be on the commission's 2016 priority list.

"We won't include it in our priorities. For next year, we have decided to focus on deliberating two laws only," Arsul said, referring to the revision of Law No. 2/2002 on the National Police and the bill on judges.

Arsul, who is also a member of the House's, said the contempt of court bill would still be one of the National Legislation Program (Prolegnas) long- term targets.

However, he was of the opinion that the bill should be dropped, because the points stipulated in the bill were also stipulated in the revision to the KUHP, currently under discussion at the commission.

"Chapter six of the KUHP revision has around 39 articles about criminal acts in court. Thus, we actually don't need such a bill anymore," Arsul said.

The United Development Party politician also said that the bill was unnecessary, because criminal acts in court were included in ordinary crime laws, thus required no particular law. "Particular law is only for extraordinary crimes, such as corruption and terrorism," he said. (foy)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/07/new-bill-may-threaten-judicial-transparency.html

Experts blast new 'contempt of court' bill

Jakarta Globe - December 6, 2015

Jakarta – Legal experts and activists have slammed a bill that proposes penalizing anyone criticizing court proceedings, including journalists, with contempt of court.

Neither the executive nor the legislative branches of government, the only ones authorized to draft legislation, have claimed credit for the bill, which has been included in next year's list of priority legislation, activists say.

The nongovernmental group Institute for Criminal Justice Reform argues that the bill will eliminate transparency and accountability from the country's judicial system.

Article 24 of the bill forbids the media from covering an ongoing trial, and threatens reporters and their chief editors with a maximum jail sentence of 10 years or fines of up to Rp 1 billion ($72,250) for violating the prohibition.

The bill claims that allowing an ongoing trial to be covered by the press allows for a public opinion about the case to be established, which in turn can cloud the court's judgment.

The same bill would also bar anyone from publicly criticizing a court ruling, including those that may still be appealed, saying that such acts will demean judges and the supremacy of the law.

"This is an odd argument because it goes against a judge's principle of following and understanding people's sense of justice," said ICJR senior researcher Anggara.

He added there was a greater need for transparency in the Indonesian judiciary, given the number of judges arrested and convicted of taking bribes in exchange for favorable rulings.

"The judicial system is the main avenue for seekers of justice. It is important that the public's interest be prioritized in the system," Anggara said.

Asep Komarudin, of the Legal Aid Foundation for the Press, told Detik.com that the bill "will silence freedom of the press and freedom of expression."

Bayu Dwi Anggono, a legal expert from East Java's Jember University, told Detik that President Joko Widodo's administration must withdraw the bill from deliberation. "The bill is not in line with the president's commitment to advancing democracy. The president must exercise his right to reject the bill," he said.

Bayu said the press should be allowed to cover court proceedings and critics should be able to freely express their opinions on a court ruling.

"The judiciary needs to be controlled so that it does not stray from the Constitution and the law. The public, including the press, must be given the opportunity to express their views on the judicial process and its outcome," he said.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/experts-blast-new-contempt-court-bill/

Police circular may threaten minorities

Jakarta Post - December 2, 2015

Jakarta – The Association of Journalists for Diversity (Sejuk) has criticized a recent National Police circular on hate speech, warning that it could pose a threat to minority groups and restrict freedom of speech.

Sejuk said that the circular could become a baseline for the police to criminalize religious minority groups, such as the Ahmadiyah and Shia, in the name of blasphemy.

National Police chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti issued the circular to police stations on Oct. 8, reminding officers about how to prevent potential social discord caused by hate speech and how to deal with such cases.

The forms of hate speech mentioned in the circular were the same as those stipulated in the Criminal Code (KUHP), which include libel, defamation, blasphemy, unpleasant conduct, provocation, inciting violence and spreading lies.

Rights activists have criticized the circular since then, warning that police officers could have different interpretations of hate speech.

They have demanded a revision and the removal of blasphemy, insult and defamation as forms of hate speech because there are no set standards to determine whether a statement is defamation or an insult or blasphemy.

"Religious majority groups could sue Shia followers, for example, for blasphemy and spreading religious concepts that, for the majority, deviate from the teachings of mainstream Islamic groups," Andy Budiman of Sejuk said on Tuesday.

Andy added that the circular had the potential to restrict people, also in the name of blasphemy, who just wanted to express their critical opinions about religion.

"The police nowadays seem to close the door to any discussion supporting pluralism, while in fact, such discussions are important in combating radicalism," Andy said.

Muslim scholar Ulil Abshar Abdalla, who is also the founder of the Liberal Islamic Network (JIL), said the circular had yet to provide any benefits for people. "It came from a very good purpose, but unfortunately the police can't implement it well," Ulil said.

According to him, the guidelines should have helped the police to follow up cases and violence caused by hate speech, such as the recent anti-Shia campaign.

The campaign has been initiated by members of the Anti-Shiite National Alliance (ANNAS) and started in February this year in several cities, including Bogor, West Java, and Yogyakarta, where banners containing hate speech, such as "Syiah Bukan Islam" (Shia is not Islam), "Syiah Kafir" (Shiites are infidels), have been erected. "So, what's the point of the circular if such discriminative movements remain in existence? What kinds of hate speech exactly does it deal with?" Ulil said.

Terrorism expert Sidney Jones said that that the main problem in Indonesia was not hate speech, but the lack of firm action by law enforcers, including the police, in fighting against religious persecution.

She said police personnel tended to ignore attacks by majorities on minorities. According to her observation, this happens because their leaders did not instruct officers to protect the minorities when the clashes occurred. The police were also frequently afraid that militant groups could strike them back if they prevented attacks, Jones said.

She said there were many hard line groups, such as the Islam Defenders Front (FPI), that clearly persecuted other Islamic minority groups and spread hate speech, but the police often permitted their aggression and discriminatory campaigns.(foy)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/02/police-circular-may-threaten-minorities.html

Political parties & elections

Cheating, vote-buying feared ahead of polls

Jakarta Post - December 7, 2015

Ganug Nugroho Adi, Djemi Amnifu and Apriadi Gunawan, Surakarta/Kupang/Medan – As election day nears, candidate pairs are worrying about the possibility of cheating and vote-buying by their rivals, while the names of many who are deceased remain on voter lists.

In Surakarta, Central Java, the camps of both candidate pairs have begun to deploy thousands of their respective supporters in anticipation of vote-buying and cheating.

Chairman of the FX Hadi Rudyatmo – Achmad Purnomo camp, Putut Gunawan, said his side had prepared 5,000 volunteers to conduct night patrols prior to the opening of voting booths on Wednesday morning. "We predict aggressive vote- buying during the so-called dawn raid," Putut said.

Rudyatmo replaced President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo as mayor of Surakarta after the latter was elected Jakarta governor in 2012. Rudy, as he is fondly called, and his running mate were nominated by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).

Separately, the camp of Rudy's rival candidate pair, Anung Indro Susanto and Muhammad Fajri, plans to deploy 10,000 campaign team members to polling stations in the city in anticipation of cheating ahead, during and after votes are cast.

The pair was nominated by a coalition of six parties: the Golkar Party, the Gerindra Party, the United Development Party (PPP), the Democratic Party, the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) and the National Mandate Party (PAN).

Meanwhile, issues emerged in Sabu Raijua regency, East Nusa Tenggara, as 24,928 voters who were previously registered found that they had been scrapped from the voter list, leaving only 52,917 eligible voters from previously 77,845.

Sabu Raijua General Elections Commission (KPUD) chairman Yudi Tagi Huma said the names had been taken off the voter list because during field verification it was found that many of the names were listed multiple times.

"There were also names of those who are deceased on the list, or names of people who have moved from Sabu Raijua," Yudi said on Sunday.

While candidate pairs hope for fair voting conditions, election bodies in the regions are struggling to attract voters.

In Medan, North Sumatra, the KPUD is preparing to set up mobile polling stations in a number of spots to encourage people to cast their votes in the mayoral election slated for Wednesday.

In Bone Bolango, Gorontalo, the local election organizer distributed 1,433 ballots to the remote district of Pinogu on foot.

"We could have used a motorcycle taxi, but the route is steep and is prone to landslides during the rainy season," Bone Bolango KPUD chairman Darwis Hassan said while dispatching logistics couriers to Pinogu on Sunday morning.

In West Kalimantan, seven out of the province's 14 regencies, namely Sambas, Bengkayang, Kapuas Hulu, Ketapang, Sekadau, Sintang and Melawi regencies, will hold elections on Wednesday.

Syamsul Huda M. Suhari in Gorontalo and Severianus Endi in Pontianak contributed to this article.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/07/cheating-vote-buying-feared-ahead-polls.html

Local leaders, not president, key to ending tyranny of majority

Jakarta Post - December 6, 2015

Ati Nurbaiti, Jakarta – The popularity of several local leaders set the stage for election campaigning ahead of this year's local elections. Campaigns have been either fierce or, for those running against hugely popular incumbents, relatively low profile.

In Surabaya, the capital of East Java, threatened with the prospect of elections being postponed as only one ticket was running against incumbent Tri Rismaharini, a pair of obscure candidates headed to the local elections office – and the running mate disappeared. He reportedly got a call from his mom, "who didn't approve of his candidacy", reports said, to much amusement and disbelief.

In South Sulawesi, Bantaeng Regent Nurdin Abdullah may run for governor in 2018. He will likely face influential relatives of twice-elected Governor Syahrul Yasin Limpo, whose younger sister is being investigated for graft.

Though lacking a huge dynasty, leaders like Nurdin, a 52-year-old professor of agriculture from Kyushu University in Fukuoka, Japan, have other sources of confidence – their innovative approaches are gaining local and international attention. Nurdin, who was nominated for regent by several political parties, is the recipient of over 50 national and provincial, government and private awards including for autonomy, innovations in agriculture and animal husbandry, environmental management, marine resources development and improving local libraries and kindergartens. And he is not alone.

The emergence of leaders including Nurdin, former Surabaya mayor Ibu Risma, current Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama, former Surakarta mayor and now President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo and Bandung Mayor Ridwan Kamil makes one wonder what kind of leaders will emerge from across the nine provinces, 224 regencies and 36 municipalities set to hold simultaneous elections on Dec. 9.

As this went to press, the results were far from definitive. But the popularity of such leaders indicates how voters have been drawn to leaders seen to be trying their best to deliver public services to everyone.

One illustration is from Bojonegoro Regent Suyoto. As he ends his second term, Suyoto told a conference held by the International NGO Forum on Indonesian Development (Infid) in November about local clerics insisting that he build a mosque, to act as "the road to heaven".

"Spirituality is not my business," he said. "Public service is." Building a road to the mosque was also a way to heaven, he had suggested. Infrastructure such as smooth roads and irrigation were his priority in the area he described as "the poorest of the poor". On his watch, poverty rates have plunged from 23 percent in 2008 to 14.75 percent last year.

In his second term, he finally agreed to build a grand mosque, he said, "to showcase a new tourism icon" and to display a mosque with high standards including in its toilets. "If I had built a mosque in my first term, I wouldn't have been able to convince people that I was not discriminating against anyone," he explained.

He had to avoid seeming to favor Muhammadiyah, Indonesia's second-largest Muslim organization, of which he is a member. Having mastered Arabic helped boost his Islamic credentials in the area dominated by the largest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul Ulama, he said. Eventually he was asked to officiate temples and churches, which had earlier had a hard time acquiring building permits.

He said the regency was riddled with communal disputes and conflicts, tracing all the way back to the Majapahit kingdom in the 13th to 16th centuries, and promising oil exploration. Establishing and preserving a trust fund supported by local oil reserves is one of the regency's main assets, and another legacy of Suyoto.

The results of more elections in the coming years will indicate where Indonesia's democracy is heading, and whether new leaders' performances can help reduce the alarming trend of the tyranny of the majority across the country, an ugly hangover from authoritarian rule.

Exclusion, discrimination and intimidation of minorities, based on ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, etc., is seen often, including in over 300 bylaws, policies and regulations across provinces, mayoralties and regencies.

They are a legacy of previous governments, including the 10 years under former president Susilo Bambang Yudhyono, according to the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan). Yudhoyono's government left the policies as they were, despite protests from the public and rights bodies, saying that such policies were in the jurisdiction of regional administrations. The rights bodies and NGOs had claimed that many of the policies contravened the Constitution.

Yudhoyono even failed to ensure the upholding of a Supreme Court ruling in favor of the Indonesian Christian Church (GKI) Yasmin in Bogor, which remains unresolved today. Residents still hope for a solution from new Bogor Mayor Bima Arya, a young leader with a PhD in politics from Australia, but the city has been listed as the most intolerant in Indonesia, according to the NGO Setara in its recent tolerant cities index.

In October, Bima banned a Shiite Asyura ritual, mainly on security concerns, he said, "because based on intelligence and the muspida [local consultative forum], action had to be taken because there were threats [to the safety of participants]." Religion itself, he said, was "not the business of the mayor".

More hope for progress, however, comes from Purwakarta Regent Dedi Mulyadi in West Java who stood out in the province long dubbed the most intolerant by rights bodies, along with its neighbor Banten, given its many discriminatory policies and church closures. In November, Dedi issued a circular guaranteeing the right to worship.

It merely affirmed constitutional rights, but it was a bold move in the wake of a local anti-Shiite movement. Ahmadis, members of another sect, had been attacked in early 2011 in Banten, leading to three deaths, with perpetrators getting only a few months' jail.

This is why amid signs of intolerant policies and actions, the above leaders bring much hope for Indonesia's democracy. With Jokowi seemingly throwing his weight very selectively, and mostly in a too subtle a manner, it is such local leaders on whom we must rely to end sectarianism and discrimination by the majority in this so-called pluralist country.

Of course, we need the President to consistently pursue his nine-priority Nawacita agenda that includes assuring the "presence of the state" in fulfilling citizens' rights. But more and more local leaders may feel forced to show more commitment to inclusiveness, as incentives for such attitudes are growing along with local and global recognition.

Citizens place much hope on emerging leaders that look clean, humble and that actively reach out to grassroots communities, such as Jokowi and Bima.

But, once elected, they may have larger priorities to stay in power or seek higher office. Exasperated people then often realize how democracy brings such a tiresome responsibility – to constantly watch over the individuals they voted into office.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/06/local-leaders-not-president-key-ending-tyranny-majority.html

Government gears up for simultaneous regional head elections

Jakarta Post - December 5, 2015

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – The government is gearing up for the simultaneous regional elections, slated for Dec. 9 in 269 regions throughout Indonesia.

General Elections Commission (KPU) commissioner Arief Budiman said on Friday that preparations for the regional elections were almost done only five days before voting booths open.

"Reports from regions indicate the situation is improving and approaching 100 percent [readiness]," he told reporters at the KPU office in Central Jakarta.

Production of all necessary election materials had been completed, Arief said, leaving only distribution to the district and subdistrict levels unfinished.

"In terms of production [of materials], we have reached 100 percent. The distribution to regencies has reached 100 percent. The sorting and packing has also reached 100 percent. But distribution to the district and subdistrict level has only reached 61 percent," he said.

However, Arief said that there was nothing to worry about as the remaining 39 percent was scheduled to be distributed in the next few days.

"As for regions that are close in proximity, the logistics will be distributed on Dec. 6 or 7, but that's not an issue because to distribute to the district level only takes one to two hours," he said. Arief also said that the government would fix any remaining budget issues by tomorrow at the latest.

Earlier on Monday, KPU chairman Husni Kamil Manik revealed that the election budget in 23 regions had not been fully disbursed by regency administrations. Since then, the number of regencies with funds still to be disbursed has dwindled to just three regions.

"We just received confirmation this afternoon that the government had transferred the money to all three regions, except Yahukimo Regency in Papua. But the budget for Yahukimo is ready [to be disbursed] 100 percent," Arief said. According to Husni, Yahukimo's budget amounts to Rp 42 billion (US$3.1 million).

Arief added that the KPU had intensified election campaigns starting from 14 days before the voting day, since the law on regional elections banned candidates from conducting open air events, large scale campaigning and big rallies.

"In the past, candidates could do open campaigning and [vehicle] convoys, but now the law has banned that, as it sought to bring candidates closer to voters and encourage them to do door-to-door campaigning. They are also forbidden from campaigning in mass media, both print and electronic," he said.

The KPU is aiming for a voter turnout of 78 percent, 3 percent higher than the turnout for the 2014 elections. The KPU has said that a voter turnout of between 71 and 75 percent would be considered a success for a democratic country.

However, Regional Representatives Council (DPD) committee I speaker Akhmad Muqowam casted doubts on the ambitious target, citing recent research.

According to a University of Indonesia Center for Political Studies (Puskapol) study conducted from Oct. 27 to Nov. 6 in Depok, West Java, 44.9 percent of the 630 respondents did not know that the regional elections would be held on Dec. 9.

"That study was done in Depok, the home of the country's most prestigious university. Therefore, the voters there should be better informed than those in other regions. So I suspect other regions to have the same problems," Akhmad said on Friday.

Arief said that since the study was done before the KPU intensified its campaigning, it did not reflect the current situation.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/05/govt-gears-simultaneous-regional-head-elections.html

Journalism & media freedom

Pekanbaru police under fire for beating journalist

Jakarta Globe - December 6, 2015

Pekanbaru – Police in Pekanbaru, Riau, have come under fire for clashing with university students and beating a journalist at a congress for the Islamic Students Association.

The meeting, held at the Pekanbaru Youth Center on Saturday, took a violent turn when officers allegedly dragged a student out of the building for causing a disturbance and proceeded to beat the young man.

The scene was promptly photographed and filmed by Riau Online reporter Zuhdi Febrianto, according to witnesses, at which point the officers' attentions shifted.

"They [the police] tried to confiscate Zuhdi's camera and cellphone, demanding that he delete all the footage," said Ratna Sari Dewi, another journalist who was covering the congress.

She added that Zuhdi had attempted to show his press card, which the officers ignored and began to beat him until he lost consciousness. Fellow journalists then transported him to the hospital for medical treatment.

Satria Utama Batubara, deputy chairman of the Indonesian Journalist Association's (PWI) Riau chapter, called the incident "a crime." Riau Online editor in chief Fakhrurrodzi, meanwhile, threatened to take legal action.

The incident came two weeks after participants of the 29th Islamic Students Association (HMI) congress were involved in scuffles with security officials, claiming they were not fed or given a place to spend the night by organizers – despite the Rp 7 billion ($505,739) budget for the bash.

The protesters had to be disbursed by force after they blockaded streets leading to the congress venue.

Attacks on journalists are not uncommon in Indonesia, where law enforcement officers have long used their position as licence to intimidate and suppress free speech.

Last week Jakarta Police attacked two reporters for refusing to hand over footage of officers firing tear gas into a crowd calling for autonomous governance in Papua.

In November, three television journalists covering the murder of anti-mining activist Salim Kancil in East Java's Selok Awar Awar Village received death threats via short messages service (SMS) sent by a pro-mining group.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/pekanbaru-police-fire-beating-journalist/

Journalists attacked in two separate incidents in Indonesia

Tabloid JUBI - December 3, 2015

Victor Mambor, Jayapura, Jubi – The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate Aliansi Jurnalis Independen (AJI-Indonesia) in strongly criticizing the actions of local police in Indonesia, in two separate incidents where journalists were harassed and attacked. The IFJ and AJI demand an immediate investigation into both incidents.

On December 1, Topilus B Tebai, editor of majalahselangkah.com, was covering the preparations to commemorate the declaration of West Papua independence in Nabire in West Papua.

Topilus was taking pictures of police vehicle inspections at the Heroes Cemetery. A police officer, allegedly claiming to be a police leader, kept distracting Topilus. Shortly after two other officers came over to Topilus and stopped him, asking for his camera.

The officers continued to question Topilus and one officer tried to kick the journalist. Topilus told the officers he was a journalist and showed his press card, however the officers then started yelling and demanded to speak with the editor-in-chief of majalahselangkah.com.

Topilus protested against the officers' actions, telling them that they were violating Indonesia's press law. Officers told Topilus to delete the photos and that he shouldn't be photographing the police operations. Five more officers approached Topilus and forcibly removed his camera. Police officers then kicked Topilus and forcibly removed him from the Heroes Cemetery.

On the same day, Archicco Guilianno of ABC Australia and Step Vaessen of Al Jazeera were covering a rally organized by Papuan students in Jakarta when they were attacked and intimidated by local police.

According to AJI police asked Guilianno to erase her footage of the rally, however when she didn't immediately comply but identified herself as a journalist, she was beaten by an officer. Vaessen recorded the incident and was then requested by police to delete the footage, when she didn't comply police forcibly removed the footage.

Suwarjono, AJI president said of the incident in Jakarta that: "The violence suffered by the two journalists in the demonstration is evidence that the police have not been fully aware of the duties of journalists. Indonesia has ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, police must understand the Convention, in order to avoid such an event again."

Victor Mambor, AJI Papua chairperson said of the incident in West Papua that: "The police chief must educate their officers to understand Indonesia Press Law. Most violations against journalist in West Papua happen to Indigenous Papuan journalists. This incident is a case of police discrimination."

The IFJ said: "The situation for journalists in Indonesia remains a key area of concern. These incidents highlight the environment that journalists in Indonesia operate within. Following the International Partnership Mission to Indonesia (IPMI) it is clear that journalists across Indonesia continue to be targeted for their work, which is a clear threat to press freedom. We call on the Indonesian government to investigate the situation and engage the local authorities to better understand the rights of journalists and media workers in Indonesia."

In November, the IFJ participated in the second IPMI, which visited Jayapura in Papua, Makassar in Sulawesi and Jakarta. The mission met with local journalists, civil society groups and government ministers to discuss the challenges for press freedom in Indonesia. Read the IPMI statement here, with a full report to published soon.

Source: http://tabloidjubi.com/eng/journalists-attacked-in-two-separate-incidents-in-indonesia/

Environment & natural disasters

Indonesia introduces carbon emissions monitoring system

Jakarta Post - December 7, 2015

Paris – The Indonesian government has introduced a monitoring system named the Indonesian National Accounting Carbon System (INCAS) in a bid to reduce national carbon emissions.

The government presented the INCAS recently during the Global Landscape Forum (GLF) on the sidelines of the COP 21 UNFCCC in Paris.

"This will help Indonesia to monitor our emissions reductions and reach our target of a 29 percent reduction by 2030," said presidential special envoy for climate change Rachmat Witoelar as quoted on Kompas.com.

The system will use spatial data from the National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (LAPAN) to calculate carbon stocks, Rachmat said in his opening statement.

INCAS, which will work under the Ministry of Environment and Forestry's Research, Development and Innovation Agency, was also supported by the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and Australian Aid, he added.

INCAS head researcher Haruni Krisnawati said that the carbon monitoring system had been in development since 2011 and had met the standards of the UNFCCC Reporting Guidelines of Transparency, Accuracy, Consistency, Comparability and Completeness (TACCC).

The system can also be used to measure carbon stocks in forest and peatland areas, both underground and aboveground, Haruni added.

Earlier, Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya said that Indonesia had committed to a transparent method of calculating its carbon emissions.

"We have assured developed nations that Indonesia will conduct calculations in a transparent and responsible manner in order to reach the targeted 29 percent carbon emissions reduction," she said. (liz/dan)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/07/indonesia-introduces-carbon-emissions-monitoring-system.html

National environmental activists ask world leaders to save earth

Jakarta Post - December 5, 2015

Jakarta – Dozens of environmental activists grouped under the Alliance of Earth Our Home held a street rally on Saturday

in the North Sumatran provincial capital of Medan to call on world leaders to take action to save the earth from climate change, the impacts of which have been felt by millions of people worldwide.

"We represent members of 48 organizations in North Sumatra. We hope that the world leaders who are meeting [in Paris] will be able to make a decision for the future of our earth," said Saurlin Siagian, one of the activists as reported by tribunnews.com.

Equipped with banners to voice their aspirations, the protesters marched along the streets of the city. The banners featured statements such as "Act for the Earth; Voice for Reform".

Participants of the demonstration included green activists, faith-based representatives, youth organizations and local residents.

Representatives of governments from across the world have gathered in Paris since Nov. 30 for the 2015 Paris Climate Conference, COP21. The meeting is expected to achieve a legally binding and universal agreement on the climate, with the aim of keeping global warming below 20C.

Environmentalists say that climate change is the greatest existential threat faced by humanity and have blamed it for various phenomena including bad weather, disease outbreaks and the loss of small isles. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/05/environmental-activists-ask-world-leaders-save-earth.html

Indonesia has most wildlife crime in Southeast Asia: Police

Jakarta Post - December 5, 2015

Jakarta – Indonesia is home to the most wildlife crime involving illegally traded endangered species in Southeast Asia, in both the domestic and export markets, according to the National Police's director for specific crimes, Brig. Gen. Yazid Fanani.

"In Southeast Asia, [Indonesia] is number one as it's a huge country," Yazid said in Jakarta on Saturday as quoted by Antara news agency.

Yazid said that wildlife crime was part of transnational crime and that the illegal trading of endangered species was increasingly being conducted on the Internet.

"So far, online trading [of endangered species] is increasing as the number of Internet users is also greater," said Yazid. He added that his team was collaborating with the police's cybercrime unit to conduct online surveillance.

"We conduct [online] patrolling along with the cybercrime unit. We encourage people to participate in keeping watch. We want to educate people that trading in endangered species is regulated by law," said Yazid.

The police also cooperate with foreign embassies and environment-related organizations to prevent the export of endangered species, as well as working with Interpol and police from other countries to hunt for the culprits of illegal wildlife trading and the buyers of threatened Indonesian animals that are exported overseas.

According to Yazid, the police had uncovered 23 wildlife crime cases, in which the majority of trading was conducted online. (kes)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/05/indonesia-has-most-wildlife-crime-southeast-asia-police.html

Fingers point as threat from Papua forest fires increases

UCA News - December 2, 2015

Ryan Dagur, Jakarta – For years, forest fires and the ensuing haze have been reoccurring problems in Indonesia.

For the most part, the scorched forest issue was isolated to the western Indonesian islands of Kalimantan and Sumatra. However, this year, the issue has plagued both Papua and West Papua, which raises concern among activists about the future of forests in these easternmost provinces.

"If it is not seen as a serious threat. It is a scourge for the future," said Franciscan seminarian Yulianus Freddy Pawika of the Francisan commission for Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation in Papua.

According to the national agency for disaster management, from July to October this year, fires struck 2.6 million hectares of forest.

Papua, which had 353,191 hectares of land burned, stands behind Sumatra (832,999) and Kalimantan (806,817). The number of fire hotspots in Papua, according to Purbo Sutopo Nugroho, the agency spokesman, reached 584, with the majority in Merauke district, which had 346, while Mappi district had 117.

Triggers

Nugroho said forest fires are a new problem for Papua. The government, meanwhile, placed the blame for the fires on indigenous people.

"If the forests are burned and rain falls after that, grass will grow back and become green and animals will come. It will become a hunting ground for nomadic groups. These aspects are being investigated by us," Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar told The Jakarta Post.

However, activists like Pawika believe the fires are triggered by the activities of multinational corporations, which have increased their presence in Papua over the past decade.

In Merauke, a fire hotspot, the Merauke Integrated Food and Energy Estate megaproject converted about 1.6 million hectares of land used by indigenous Malind people into a food, timber and biofuel production plantation.

The project was initially announced in 2009 by former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, with the goal of helping the country raise production of crops like rice, corn and soybean. In May, President Joko Widodo announced plans to relaunch the project and said that the allocated area would be expanded to 4.6 million hectares.

According to Pusaka, a nongovernmental organization focusing on indigenous rights, the government so far has granted permits to 41 plantation companies to operate on 1.5 million hectares of land.

Pusaka spokesman Yosafat Leonard Franky said three companies were responsible for the fires.

"We do not believe the Papuans are the perpetrators of forest fires," he said. "We are more inclined to think that there are other parties who deliberately set fire to the forest, because perhaps in the future they need land for oil palm plantations and other agriculture."

According to Franky, culturally, Papuans never burn their forests, preferring instead to preserve the land. "In general, if Papuans want to open new fields, they use machetes and axes to chop wood. If it is said that people burn forests to clear land and then hunt animals, that is not at all in accordance with their traditions," he said.

Pawika said that in the Papuan mindset, the forest is their friend. "So it is impossible that the perpetrators of forest fires are indigenous Papuans."

Nugroho, the disaster agency spokesman, said he would not rule out corporations' culpability. However, he said the effects of the El Nino phenomenon, which have wreaked havoc on developing countries dependent on agriculture, is the principal cause of the prolonged drought that has left the region vulnerable to forest fires.

Concerns

Attention to this issue is already emerging, especially from local governments. Lamadi de Lamato, spokesman for Papua Governor Lukas Enembe, said that in addition to taking steps to extinguish the fires, the government has urged all parties, including companies, to not set forests on fire.

The plantation corporations maintain that they are not responsible for the forest fires; placing the blame on the prolonged drought leading to arid conditions. Indeed even de Lamato said the corporations' involvement in the fires would be difficult to prove, given the worsening drought.

Meanwhile, Franky said he hopes the local government will remain consistent in its attempts to preserve the forests, noting that many government officials are more concerned with short-term profits rather than preserving forests for long-term benefit.

Zenzi Suhadi, forest protection campaigner for the Indonesian forum for the environment, said the government must control the activities of corporations working in the region. He accused government officials of passing out concessions too easily to various companies.

From 2007-2011 for example, he said 14.7 million hectares of land were awarded to plantation companies. "The granting of licenses should be tightened and law enforcement must be carried out on those negligent of their duties," he said.

Weak church

Pawika lamented the weak role of the church in speaking out forcefully on the destruction of Papua's forests, in comparison to the corporations who are backed by security forces that suppress resistance from local people.

"Concern over this issue is still limited in certain circles. It has not been a concern for the five dioceses in Papua," Pawika said. "We have not heard of one bishop in Papua speak firmly about this issue," said Pawika, a Papua native.

He said the church must unite against forest destruction, given that this is a major threat to the indigenous Papuans' survival. "The indigenous people depend on the forest. If this problem is not solved soon, then this also means Papuans will be increasingly marginalized," he said.

Source: http://www.ucanews.com/news/fingers-point-as-threat-from-papua-forest-fires-increases/74687

Almost every regency, city prone to disaster: BPBD

Jakarta Post - December 1, 2015

Agus Maryono, Banyumas, Central Java – Almost everywhere in Central Java is categorized as prone to natural disasters, especially floods, windstorms and landslides, an official has warned.

The head of the provincial disaster mitigation agency (BPBD), Gembong Purwanto said on Monday that of 35 regencies and cities in Central Java, only Salatiga city was considered to be safe from natural disasters.

Gembong said that of the 34 remaining regencies and cities, four were prone to tsunamis, two were prone to volcanic eruptions and the rest were prone to floods, landslides, noxious gas and windstorms.

"Entering this rainy season, a number of regencies have reported natural disasters including the latest windstorms in Banyumas, Magelang, Temanggung, Sragen, Sukoharjo, Pemalang, Kudus, Purbalingga and Cilacap," he said.

Landslides had also been reported in Banjarnegara, Pekalongan and Banyumas, he added. The landslide in Banyumas left one person dead, in Pekalongan two people were injured and in Banyumas thousands had to flee their homes.

A landslide in Banjarnegara in December 2014, left 108 residents dead in Jemblung village, Karangkobar district. The bodies of five victims were never found. In 2006, a landslide in Sijeruk village in the regency killed more than 200 residents.

Gembong said that natural disasters also prevailed in urban areas of high population growth, which in turn affected the environment as a result of the pressure caused by development and human activities.

Many urban people were forced to build houses on hillsides because of a lack of land. Many others chose to build on hillsides out of a desire to be closer to nature, whatever the reason this often led to natural disasters, Gembong said.

"To help reduce potential fatalities due to natural disasters we are establishing strong city and regency posts that will be prepared around-the- clock and know what to do in the event of a natural disasters," he said.

In March this year, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) revealed that 40.9 million people, around 17.2 percent of the population, lived in landslide-prone areas.

BNPB data and information center head Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said on Monday that disaster mitigation efforts for landslides were still minimal but, during the rainy season, people living in susceptible areas faced a medium-to-high risk of landslides.

Meanwhile, windstorms in Banyumas brought down dozens of trees and electricity poles on Sunday night.

"The wind was very strong. The electricity pole in front of my house collapsed last night, causing a blackout for the whole night. Fortunately there were no fatalities," Agus Nurhadi of Karanglewas subdistrict, Banyumas, said.

He said he had been forced to take his children to his office in Purwokerto to enable them to study for the term exams they had to sit the following morning in their respective schools.

The windstorm in Banyumas was also reported to have caused damage to several houses as a result of falling trees.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/01/almost-every-regency-city-prone-disaster-bpbd.html

Health & education

Thousands of Indonesian women experience unwanted pregnancies

Jakarta Post - December 5, 2015

Jakarta – More than 32,000 Indonesian women experienced unwanted pregnancies between 2010 and 2014, one of the highest figures among ASEAN countries, according to data from the World Health Organization (WHO).

"As of this year, cases related to the deaths of women who had unsafe abortions are still very high. That's why we sought to aid those who suffered from unwanted pregnancies. We're trying to fulfill their rights on wanting or not wanting the pregnancy," said Indonesian Planned Parenthood Association (PKBI) chairman Sarsanto Wibisono Sarwono on Friday, as quoted by tribunnews.com.

In an effort to provide necessary medical treatment for women who experience unwanted pregnancies, the PKBI has urged the Health Ministry to issue a dedicated regulation on safe and responsible abortion services.

However, PKBI secretary Ramona Sari said, the organization applied strict requirements in accordance with Government Regulation No. 61/2014, which states that abortion remains prohibited in most cases, unless the mother's life is in danger or in the case of rape.

"[The PKBI], along with the government, clearly doesn't support abortion. But we want to provide [the necessary] services to prevent the death of Indonesian women [due to abortion]," said Ramona Sari.

She added that over 32 percent of women who came to the PKBI to access unwanted pregnancy services had previously tried to conduct an abortion in a non-medical way.

"Of course, [these kinds of abortions] are dangerous for them. That's why we also give them counseling on pregnancy," said Ramona. (kes)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/05/thousands-indonesian-women-experience-unexpected-pregnancies.html

Government to revamp family planning

Jakarta Post - December 2, 2015

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – The government is gearing up to revitalize its family planning (KB) program after being dormant for more than a decade, starting with the launch of KB villages in January.

Such a plan was needed as the country was experiencing a baby boom with roughly 4.5 million births annually, equal to 85 percent of Singapore's population, according to the government.

"The project will be launched by the President in January in Cirebon and Pangandaran. This is a pilot project to see how we can transform a region that is falling behind in terms of demographic development and family planning," National Population and Family Planning Board (BKKBN) head secretary Ambar Rahayu said on Monday.

She said that people in the two villages that would not just be educated on contraception but other issues surrounding family planning such as early marriage.

"They will receive integrated intervention not only from the BKKBN but also other government agencies," Ambar said. "We will start by touching on the topic of early marriage. Sustainable intervention needs to occur."

To prepare for the project, the BKKBN is training its field officers to facilitate communication and become development agents there, according to her. "There will be certification for PLKB [field information officers in the KB program] so that they will properly educate people there," said Ambar.

The project also aimed to stimulate growth at the village level, she added. "With the existence of village development funds, it will be a pity if they are not utilized to develop quality human resources because to do so, you have to start at the family level," Ambar said.

Besides the launch of KB villages, the BKKBN is developing smartphone apps aimed at providing thorough education on family planning.

"In this era of netizens, posters might not have much appeal anymore," said Ambar. "There will be information on how to plan a family, choose contraceptives, plan pregnancies, implement a family planning program post pregnancy and so on."

The apps, available on Android devices, have been launched in North Sumatra, Central Java and South Sulawesi.

The country's KB program started in the 1970s, proving to be a success with a decrease in the number of people under 15 years old in the 1980s.

This decrease, coupled with the high birth rates in the 1960s-1970s, which led to a rise in younger age groups (15 years and above) in the 1990s, has changed the age structure in the country by decreasing the non-productive population and increasing the productive population, otherwise known as a demographic bonus.

The country has the opportunity to take advantage of the demographic bonus until the year 2030. However, the advantage is at great risk of turning into a disadvantage as the country is struggling with a baby boom that could lead to demographic burden. The country's target population growth rate is 1.1 percent, whereas it currently sits at 1.49 percent.

Ambar said that the population boom, following the success of the KB program, was caused by the program's slogan change.

BKKBN head Surya Chandra previously said that the country's growth rate was worrying, especially if such massive growth was not accompanied by global manpower competitiveness.

The fastest growth rates were recorded in East Nusa Tenggara, West Nusa Tenggara, Maluku and Riau Islands.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/02/govt-revamp-family-planning.html

Disability rights

Disability bill should mandate accessibility: Minister

Jakarta Post - December 3, 2015

Jakarta – Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Minister Yohana Susana Yembise has urged lawmakers to include articles mandating access to public facilities for disabled people as they deliberate a draft bill on people with disabilities.

Yohana said that access to public services and transportation for disabled people in the country remained low, with even lawmakers and the government turning a blind eye to what disabled people really need.

According to the minister, most public infrastructure, including government buildings, ignore safety and security principles for disabled people.

"I will try to convince them that accessibility should be the main concern of the bill," Yohana said in a seminar commemorating the International Day for People with Disabilities, which falls every year on Dec. 3, Wednesday.

The bill follows the ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and will replace the current 1997 Disability Law that many consider ineffective and outdated. The House of Representatives aims to see the bill passed into law by the end of this year.

Yohana wants all ministries and related lawmakers to sit together to perfect the bill and make sure that it covers all the needs of disabled people. "We have to discuss this together because disabilities are a cross-sector responsibility," Yohana said.

Presidential office staffer Jaleswari Pramodhawardani acknowledged that most ministries took an outdated approach to infrastructure development that was inherently unfriendly to the needs of the disabled.

"They still use the old mindset in dealing with disabled people and sometimes can't coordinate well," Jaleswari said.

Yohana went on to say that the bill in its current form overlooked disabled people's right to an education. She pointed out that, even today, many schools across the country rejected disabled students.

She added that even when disabled people received a good education, they faced hurdles in higher education, especially when applying for scholarships.

The National Coalition of People with Disabilities has proposed to the House Commission VIII overseeing religion, social affairs and women's empowerment, that the bill stipulate that all education institutions must accept disabled students.

The coalition has also recommended that the bill oblige all companies to give disabled people the same job opportunities as non-disabled people and provide any facilities they need.

However, the House has ignored those proposals and gone ahead with its own version of the bill, arguing that the proposals were too detailed for inclusion in government regulation (PP).

"The lawmakers and the government still consider the disabled among social problems and have failed to recognize them as elements of the country's development," said Maulani A. Rotinsulu, the head of the Indonesian Women with Disabilities Community (HWDI), which is a member of the coalition.

House Commission VIII member Ledia Hanifa said that it was not simple to put all of the recommendations they had received into the draft, given they had to finish it as soon as possible.

"We can't miss the deadline. We have to finish and submit it first. We will then discuss the details directly with the President," said the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) politician. (foy)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/03/disability-bill-should-mandate-accessibility-minister.html

Marriage & polygamy

No same-sex marriage under Balinese customary law

Jakarta Post - December 3, 2015

Jakarta – Balinese customary law does not recognize same-sex marriage as it is against Hindu beliefs, an expert said recently.

Wayan P. Windia, an expert on customary law at Bali's Udayana University, said same-sex marriage was against Bali's traditional culture.

"In Balinese culture, a marriage is between a man and woman, which is why there are the traditional terms nganten [bride] and gerorod [groom]", he said as quoted by Antara news agency.

He said Balinese customs defined a marriage as a bond between a man and a woman based on love and witnessed in a ceremony in accordance with Hindu beliefs. Bali's customary law also had a biological perspective to fulfill sexual needs and to produce offspring, he added.

"From a social perspective, there is also a basic philosophical belief that offspring will carry an inheritance from their parents and ancestors that frees them of their sins," he said.

Recently, a reported marriage between two men in Bali caused a stir in the local community. The news arose after a photo of the couple exchanging vows went viral on social media in September.

Local religious figures also slammed same-sex marriages taking place in Bali. Taufik As'adi, chairman of the Bali branch of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) said same-sex marriage was against Islamic teachings where a man may only marry a woman.

He said every religion prohibited same-sex marriage as the purpose of marriage was to produce children and was not merely for sexual pleasure.

Priest Wira Dhammo from Bali's Indonesian Buddhist Community (Walubi) said Buddhist religious teachings only recognized a legitimate marriage between a man and a woman. "If there are same-sex couples who claim they are married, then it is not valid," he said.

The government stipulates that a marriage is between a man and a woman as stated in the 1974 Marriage Law.

Local media reported that LGBT activists questioned Indonesia's stance following the legalization of same-sex marriage in all 50 states in the US in June. The government, however, maintains that a marriage is between a man and a woman, as stated in the 1974 Marriage Law. (liz/rin)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/03/no-same-sex-marriage-under-balinese-customary-law.html

Refugees & asylum seekers

Indonesian captain makes US$32,000 deal to return asylum seekers, court

Agence France Presse - December 2, 2015

The captain of an asylum-seeker boat allegedly intercepted by the Australian navy has told a court how he negotiated a hefty payment to take the migrants back to Indonesia to avoid going home "empty-handed".

The Indonesian captain, Yohanis Humiang, 35, is on trial charged with people- smuggling after Australian officials allegedly stopped his boat in May and paid him and his crew US$32,000 to return to Indonesia.

Five crew members are also being tried separately on Rote Island in eastern Indonesia. All six face a minimum of five and a maximum of 15 years in jail.

Claims that Australia paid to turn the asylum seekers back to Indonesia renewed tensions over migrant boats.

Humiang told the court how his boat, carrying 65 mostly Sri Lankan migrants, was intercepted as it tried to head to New Zealand, and he was taken aboard an Australian navy ship.

"I was interrogated," Humiang told the court on Tuesday. He said he negotiated for 30 minutes with officials before the payment was agreed.

"The money was given to us to take the migrants back to Indonesia, and to be honest I need the money – that's the very reason I took this job. I can't go home empty-handed."

Humiang said he and one senior crew member got US$6,000 each, and US$20,000 was divided between the four other crew members. He took the money and agreed to take the migrants back to Indonesia, as he had not yet been paid by the people-smuggler who had arranged the trip to New Zealand.

In June, after his arrest, Humiang had told how the crew and migrants were not allowed to make the return journey in their own boat, which was seized by the Australians, but were put into two "unseaworthy" wooden vessels.

The crew and migrants arrived on a small island near Rote after being turned back.

Source: http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/dec/02/indonesian-captain-makes-us32000-deal-to-return-asylum-seekers-court-hears

Graft & corruption

Freeport boss trying to cause trouble between House, govt: deputy speaker

Jakarta Post - December 7, 2015

Jakarta – House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Fadli Zon has accused PT Freeport Indonesia president director Maroef Sjamsoeddin of intentionally causing conflict between the legislative and executive branches of the constitutional system.

"Please don't fool the people. How can a foreign private party so easily intervene in our constitutional system? This is a bad precedent for the future," said Fadli as quoted by Kompas.com on Monday.

According to Fadli, Maroef's attempt at creating a rift between the House and the government was shown by his decision to record his conversation with House Speaker Setya Novanto and oil businessman Riza Chalid in June this year.

"We should not fall for 'divide et impera' over something that did not happen, especially as at the end of the day this is about Freeport's [contract] extension," Fadli said.

Fadli insisted that he could hear no attempt by Novanto to ask for a share allocation in Freeport in the audio recording used as evidence by Maroef in the hearing at the House's ethics council last Thursday, Dec. 4.

Fadli accused Maroef of attempting to extend Freeport's contract, which is due to expire in 2019, before it was due.

During the hearing in question, Maroef admitted that he recorded his meeting with Setya and Riza, saying that he decided to do so because he was worried or suspicious about Riza's motives when he asked Maroef to meet for the third time.

In the hearing the House's ethics council played the audio recording of the conversation during which Setya allegedly cited the authority of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla when asking for a share allocation from Freeport. (afr/dan)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/07/freeport-boss-trying-cause-trouble-between-house-govt-deputy-speaker.html

Activists call on Setya to remember oath of office

Jakarta Post - December 6, 2015

Jakarta – Indonesian Women Against Corruption (PIA) activists have called on House of Representatives Speaker Setya Novanto to remember the promises he made as a people's representative when he took his oath of office.

They were conveying their concerns over an ethics violation case in which Setya is being investigated for allegedly misusing the names of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla in negotiations with gold and copper mining firm PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI).

PIA coordinator Ririn Sefsani said the group had made a nine-point statement covering members' disappointment and demands for Setya over the case. One of the nine points calls on Setya to renew the oath of office he delivered when he was inaugurated as a House member.

"Setya has broken his oath of office as a representative of the Indonesian people," Ririn said as quoted by kompas.com on the sidelines of a peaceful rally at Suropati Park, Central Jakarta, on Sunday.

The activist further said that the oath of office Setya and other House members had taken contained promises that they would work to fulfill their duties as representatives of the people and would always put forward the interests of their country above personal and group interests.

Ririn added that PIA considered Setya a leader who had failed to be a good role model for Indonesian people, saying he also performed poorly on integrity and ethics. "As a leader who has no integrity, he is not worthy of being a leader of anybody," she said.

PIA members also considered Setya unable to uphold the truth and fulfill his mandate. Some said he was believed to have attempted to take advantage of Papuan people amid difficulties in the province.

"Setya's act could also become a bad part of history for future generations. Instead of admitting and regretting his mistakes, the House speaker has conspired with other lawmakers to conceal his disgraceful act," said Ririn, adding that PIA would convey its nine-point statement to Setya through the House's ethics council.

The nine points were displayed on a board at the rally, at which a number of activists performed yoga and meditation. (ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/06/activists-call-setya-remember-oath-office.html

Tycoon Reza Chalid's tentacles in the club of the elites

Jakarta Post - December 4, 2015

Rendi A. Witular, Jakarta – Muhammad Reza Chalid may be the epitome of a shadowy business leader, a man involved in the country's billion dollar fuel and oil import business with profound influence on the political elite.

Having largely avoided the media limelight, Reza has thus far proven to be immune from prosecution. Now, however, Reza finds himself at the epicenter of a political scandal revolving around allegations that he and House of Representatives Speaker Setya Novanto attempted to broker shares and projects from gold and copper miner PT Freeport Indonesia in return for a contract extension from the government.

The scale and scope of Reza's political tentacles were hinted at on Wednesday evening during the House's ethics council hearing on Setya's alleged misconduct.

A majority of the council members agreed to make public a recorded conversation between Setya, Reza and Freeport Indonesia president director Maroef Sjamsuddin. Setya and Reza, an Indonesian of Arab descent, boasted to Maroef that their clout reached deep into the Presidential Palace and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).

They claimed to have bought off Darmawan Prasodjo, a rising star in the PDI-P who also serves as deputy for monitoring and evaluation at the Office of the Presidential Chief of Staff.

"Darmo [Darmawan's nick name] is cherished by him [Jokowi]. Having a PhD degree from the US, Darmo's presentations have always made Jokowi happy. He has the ear of the President," said Reza.

Setya then replied: "He [Darmo] was bought after he met Bapak [Reza], locked and changed."

Darmo repeatedly denied any involvement in the plot before the ethics council made the recording public.

Reza also claimed to have strong relations with former State Intelligence Agency (BIN) chairman Hendropriyono and National Police deputy chief Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan. Both Budi and Henropriyono are confidants of PDI-P chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri.

Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan was also mentioned by Reza and Setya as their liaison with Jokowi. Both Reza and Setya believed the retired general had the ear of the President.

Reza claimed that it was because of his lobbying efforts with Luhut that the opposing Red-and-White Coalition (KMP), the backers of failed presidential and vice presidential candidates Prabowo Subianto and Hatta Rajasa, had agreed to throw its support behind Jokowi.

In an interview with The Jakarta Post last month, Luhut said that he knew Reza and Setya but had no business relations with them. "I am fortunate not to have had any business relations with them. If I did, then I would be in big trouble now."

Since the fall of Soeharto's dictatorship in 1998, Reza has climbed up the ladder from being a mid-sized fuel trader to eventually become a kingpin in the fuel and oil import business after the Megawati administration provided him with an incubator to expand between 2002 and 2004.

Then energy and mineral resources minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro, whose term was extended into then president Susiolo Bambang Yudhoyono's first period of administration, is thought to have played a major role in the rise of Reza.

The success of Reza's business hinged on orders from Petral, Pertamina's fuel and oil trading arm in Singapore, with orders valued at more than US$30 billion annually, according to Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Sudirman Said.

With unlimited cash from his raft of companies, Reza expanded his influence into all quarters of the political factions.

Reza claimed in the conversation that he had been willing to bankroll Jokowi's presidential bid if the then Jakarta governor agreed to pair with Hatta, the former coordinating economic minister during Yudhoyono's term. Jokowi and the PDI-P turned down the proposal.

Reza and Hatta are inseparable friends. Wherever Hatta goes, Reza follows, including when the former agreed to pair with Prabowo in the 2014 presidential election.

According to the conversation, Setya claimed that he and Reza had donated Rp 500 billion (US$36.5 million) to the Prabowo-Hatta campaign. Reza, however, regretted the move, saying that he should have equally split the donations to both camps to effectively hedge for a Jokowi victory. After backing the wrong horse in 2014, Reza claimed that he now found himself in a difficult position.

"If only we had divided the fund equally, we could have been happy. Rp 250 billion for Jokowi-JK [Jusuf Kalla] and Rp 250 billion for Prabowo-Hatta. We could have been sitting quietly, going to Singapore, playing golf. All is secured," he said.

Reza has seen his business deteriorate after Jokowi declared war on the oil and fuel mafia by first shutting down Petral's operations in May and then centralizing the purchase of fuel and oil at Pertamina's headquarters in Jakarta.

Sudirman has also encouraged the purchase of oil and fuel directly through a government-to-government mechanism rather than through the spot market to limit the operations of brokers. Sudirman has also declared a crusade against oil brokers attempting to undermine reform in the energy sector.

"I have no personal issues with him [Reza]. I've never tried to disturb his business," said Sudirman in an interview with the Post in October.

"But I cannot tolerate it if there is an intention [from him] to occupy and dictate the Presidential Palace and government agencies just to preserve his own interests," Sudirman said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/04/tycoon-reza-chalid-s-tentacles-club-elites.html

Novel released following dubious dossier handover

Jakarta Post - December 5, 2015

Fedina S. Sundaryani, Jakarta – Senior Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) investigator Novel Baswedan was released from Bengkulu Police custody a little before midnight on Thursday, following requests from the antigraft's leaders to have him released.

On Thursday, Novel was unexpectedly flown to Bengkulu during what was supposed to be a case dossier handover from the National Police to the Attorney General's Office (AGO) in Jakarta. Novel said on Friday that although he was not arrested he was detained in a Bengkulu Police office for several hours.

Novel had been summoned for a case dossier handover from the National Police to the AGO. "I just followed them and showed no resistance. But then I found the dossier handover did not happen. I don't know why," Novel said.

He said the police had prepared an arrest notice, however, he refused to sign the notice as he thought it was unnecessary since the investigation was almost complete.

Novel is accused by the police of shooting a robbery suspect during his tenure as Bengkulu Police detective chief in 2004. The police first reopened an investigation into Novel in 2012 after the KPK named then National Police Traffic Corps (Korlantas) chief Insp. Gen. Djoko Susilo a graft suspect.

Then president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono requested the police to drop the investigation into Novel's case to avoid worsening the standoff between the police and the KPK.

However, the case emerged once again earlier this year soon after Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan, a former candidate for the National Police chief, was inaugurated as deputy police chief. Budi had been named a suspect by the KPK in January for bribery.

Novel was arrested in May at his residence and forced to take part in a crime scene reconstruction in Bengkulu. The police then released him following an instruction by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to halt the case. However, the case continued to be investigated as it is due to expire next year.

Novel added that the most recent incident was clearly a move to criminalize him in retribution for his having investigated corruption cases involving police personnel.

"All this time I've just remained calm and followed the police's investigation because I respected the legal process they were following. However, I feel that the process is becoming strange and is leading to criminalization," Novel said.

National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Agus Rianto confirmed that Novel's official handover would be conducted next Monday, to which Novel said he was ready to show up but hoped that no more surprises would occur.

Novel's lawyer, Saor Siagian said that what the police had done clearly violated the law. He explained that he planned to report the police investigators to the National Police's detective division for abduction.

Separately, National Police chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti denied the move against Novel was a show of force but said that Novel's sudden transfer to Bengkulu on Thursday might have been due to miscommunication between police investigators and prosecutors at the AGO.

"We handed him over to the AGO, who then asked for [Novel and his dossier] to be submitted to the Bengkulu prosecutor's office. When the police reached Bengkulu, the prosecutor's office asked for it to be submitted on Monday," Badrodin explained.

"Since the investigators didn't want to take any risks with Novel, they decided to detain him. However, [he was released] after the KPK leaders said they would act as his guarantors and we respected that." (foy)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/05/novel-released-following-dubious-dossier-handover.html

Freeport Indonesia head says speaker tried to extort shares

Reuters - December 4, 2015

Fergus Jensen & Wilda Asmarini, Jakarta – The operator of one of the world's biggest copper and gold mines was at the center of a major political scandal in Indonesia after confirming that the speaker of parliament tried to extort shares from the company to ensure its contract extension.

Maroef Sjamsoeddin, head of Freeport McMoRan Inc's Indonesian operations, told the parliament's ethics panel he secretly recorded a meeting in which speaker Setya Novanto asked for a 20 percent stake, estimated to be worth billions of dollars, in the US-based company's Indonesia unit.

His remarks on Thursday came after Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Sudirman Said reported Setya to the ethics panel last month and submitted a transcript of the conversation recorded by Maroef.

In the recording, Maroef said, Setya indicated that a 20 percent stake be given to President Joko Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla. Setya allegedly told the Freeport executive that he could ensure the miner's contract would be extended from 2021 to 2041.

The Indonesian government already has a 9.36 percent stake in Freeport's Indonesian operations, and is due to take another 10.64 percent stake under existing regulations.

Freeport had asked for an extension of its contract to give it legal certainty before investing billions of dollars in an underground phase at its Grasberg gold and copper sites in Papua province. Freeport generated 8.4 percent of its revenue last year from Indonesia.

The contract extension and now the political scandal are more headaches for Freeport in Indonesia, where new rules have banned the export of unprocessed minerals, forcing mining groups to build local smelters.

'Tip of the iceberg'

Joko is "monitoring and following this carefully," Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung told reporters on Friday. "Some of it is hyperbole and some of it is fact. Let the ethics council investigate it," Pramono said, referring to the recording.

Vice President Kalla was quoted by Kompas newspaper on Friday as saying the Freeport case was just the tip of the iceberg and the government will pull out all stops to "clean up corruption no matter what happens."

Indonesia is routinely ranked as one of the world's most corrupt countries and the anti-corruption NGO Transparency International says its surveys show Parliament is perceived to be among its most corrupt institutions.

The allegations threaten to further erode investor confidence in Indonesia, analysts said. "The multifarious affair surrounding Setya reeks of the sort of shady dealings and political conspiracy theories which makes investing and operating in Indonesia extremely precarious and challenging," Concord Consulting said in a note.

Suharto's Golkar

The parliament speaker is from Golkar, the party that the late and authoritarian president Suharto used as his political vehicle. Golkar supported Joko's opponent in the country's 2014 presidential election.

Freeport's Maroef told the ethics panel he met speaker Setya along with businessman Muhammad Reza Chalid at their request to discuss business at a Jakarta hotel in May and June.

"I took the initiative to record it... because I was by myself and there was two of [them]," Maroef said, adding he'd used his phone to record the last meeting with the pair. "The parliament speaker and his friend Reza told me they wanted a 20 percent stake and also asked for a hydroelectric power project," he said.

The pair said they were working with Chief Security Minister Luhut Pandjaitan and also wanted to be involved in Freeport's planned smelter project, Maroef added.

Luhut said earlier this week that Jakarta would not do an early extension of Freeport's contract because local regulations say negotiations can only begin two years before the contract ends in 2021, local media reported.

This was the parliament speaker's second brush with the ethics council in recent months. He was criticized after appearing next to US presidential candidate Donald Trump at a news conference in September in New York.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/freeport-indonesia-head-says-speaker-tried-extort-shares/

Freeport boss taped Setya meeting 'after growing suspicious'

Jakarta Post - December 2, 2015

Jakarta – PT Freeport Indonesia president director Maroef Sjamsoeddin decided to record a conversation with House of Representatives Speaker Setya Novanto and oil and gas businessman Muhammad Riza Chalid after becoming suspicious about the planned subject of discussion, according to a minister.

Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Sudirman Said said on Wednesday that it was Maroef himself who had decided to record the meeting, his third with Setya and Riza.

"[Maroef] told me, 'I took the decision to tape the third meeting because by that point it was clear to me that there were aspects that required protection'", Sudirman said as quoted by kompas.com.

Sudirman was speaking during the first House ethics council hearing into allegations that Setya falsely reported that President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla had asked for shares in return for helping mining giant Freeport secure a contract extension from the government.

Akbar Faisal, an ethics council member from the NasDem Party, asked Sudirman to elaborate on Maroef's suspicions. "I suggest you ask [Maroef]," replied the minister.

Sudirman further explained that Maroef was in the habit of reporting any updates to him, as ordered by the President, so as to prevent any intervention on the issue of the mooted extension to Freeport's mining contract.

Maroef gave the recording to Sudirman in early October, the latter subsequently reporting Setya to the ethics council last month for allegedly invoking Jokowi and Kalla's names, without their approval, to ask for shares in Freeport and to suggest cooperation on a power plant project.

Asked by Akbar his motivation for bringing the case to the ethics council, the energy minister replied that he had felt it was unethical for a state official to use his position for personal gain, adding that Setya's alleged actions had "debased the dignity of the state".

"This is my personal judgment as a minister. If the leader of a state institution did indeed employ the names of the President and Vice President, which are symbols of the state, then he has befouled and degraded the integrity of the state," he said.

The case has attracted public outrage, with mounting calls for Setya, a member of the Golkar Party, to step down. (rin)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/02/freeport-boss-taped-setya-meeting-after-growing-suspicious.html

Freedom of religion & worship

Church relocation threatens pluralism: GKI Yasmin

Jakarta Post - December 7, 2015

Jakarta – The Bogor City administration's plan to relocate a church belonging to the Indonesian Christian Church (GKI) Yasmin congregation faces strong opposition from congregation members, who say the move threatens pluralism and freedom of religion.

Congregation member Jayadi Damanik, who is also a commissioner at the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), said the security excuses the administration had used in trying to relocate the church were illegitimate according to the Constitution. "In the name of stability and security, minority groups are discriminated against," Jayadi said in a visit to The Jakarta Post recently.

Bogor Mayor Bima Arya said recently that the administration was still in discussions with GKI Yasmin's umbrella church, GKI Pengadilan, to find a solution, and was considering a relocation as long as it could prevent further problems between the congregation and local residents.

Problems related to the GKI Yasmin church started in February 2008, when the administration's urban planning and parks agency issued a decree to freeze the church's building permits (IMB), following pressure from Islamic groups that opposed the construction of the church.

The congregation considered the decree illegitimate, because it was issued by the agency, not by the Bogor mayoralty office, which had issued the permit in 2006.

The congregation then petitioned the decree at three judicial institutions: the Bandung State Administrative Court (Bandung PTUN) in 2008, Jakarta PTUN in 2009 and the Supreme Court in 2010.

All the three institutions made rulings ordering the agency to revoke the decree freezing the IMB. On March 8, 2011, the agency eventually revoked its decree, but three days later, then-Bogor mayor Diani Budiarto issued another decree, this time to cancel the IMB, leaving the church without any kind of building permit altogether.

Many see Diani's move as a way of evading the three judicial institutions' rulings, which on paper only ordered the revocation of the freezing of the church's IMB.

On June 1, 2011, the Supreme Court issued a legal opinion requesting the administration follow the court's ruling to revoke the freezing of the church's IMB. The administration considered the request as invalid, saying the agency had executed the ruling on March 8, 2011.

Jayadi said relocation was not an option for the congregation, because they had already changed location before they built the church at the current location.

He said that between 2001 and 2003, the congregation had asked private developer PT Inti Innovaco to give them for free a plot of land on its social facility area in sector V for the construction of a church.

"The company agreed, but when we processed the permit at the mayoral office, the then mayor said that Muslims already wanted to use the location for a mosque. We gave up the location and asked the company for an alternative location. The company showed us Kav. 31 [the current location], but we had to pay for it," he explained, adding that the congregation eventually agreed to buy Kav. 31 and build the church on it.

He said a possible win-win solution for both the locals and the congregation would be building a tolerance center at Kav. 31. "The center will have several floors, one of which will be allocated for the congregation as a worship venue, and another one for pluralism activities," he explained. (saf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/07/church-relocation-threatens-pluralism-gki-yasmin.html

Government 'turns a blind eye' to religious intolerance

Jakarta Post - December 1, 2015

Jakarta – The central government is continuing to ignore religious-based discrimination and violence, with many cases going unresolved, human rights watchdogs have said.

The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) said recently that the government had yet to act on plans to revoke religious-based bylaws and ordinances that tended to discriminate against minority groups.

Komnas HAM religion and faith freedom desk coordinator Jayadi Damanik said that according to Article 10 Point 1 of the 2014 Regional Administrations Law, regulating religion is the authority of central government, not local administrations.

"Local administrations are the worst violators of religious freedom; they tend to work on their own agenda in their own political interests," Jayadi said. "The existence of such discriminatory bylaws shows the weakness of the central government in handling and monitoring its subordinates."

According to data from rights group Setara Institute, there are 57 bylaws across the country that discriminate against certain religious groups and could endanger the country's pluralism.

In Bogor, West Java, for example, Mayor Bima Arya issued a circular on October banning members of the city's Shia community from celebrating their religious feast day, Asyura.

Accusations of intolerance also surround the prolonged saga of the Indonesian Christian Church (GKI) Yasmin in Bogor, which started after the administration issued a decree freezing the church's building permit (IMB) in February 2008 in response to Islamic opposition. Jayadi said the government could, if willing, revoke the bylaws in question.

"The government often deems such cases to be under the remit of local authorities, so turns a blind eye to religious intolerance," he said.

Human Rights Working Group (HRWG) deputy director Choirul Anam said that the government itself had issued a number of regulations that might indirectly discriminate against minority groups, such as Religious Affairs Ministry and Home Ministry joint decrees No. 9/2006 and No. 8/2006 on the establishment of places of worship.

The decrees stipulate that to obtain a permit to build a place of worship, there must be a minimum of 90 members of the congregation, support from 60 other residents in the area and a recommendation letter from the local authority.

According to Choirul, the decrees make it hard for religious minorities looking to establish places of worship to obtain a permit and pave the way for the government and communities to blackmail minority groups.

The Religious Affairs Ministry claims it is striving to deal with religious intolerance, including by coordinating with the Law and Human Rights Ministry and the Home Ministry.

"We have conducted countless discussions and meetings as part of efforts to improve tolerance among religions," said the head of the ministry's Center of Religious Harmony, Wawan Djunaedi. (foy)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/01/government-turns-a-blind-eye-religious-intolerance.html

Agriculture & food security

Rice mills, big traders blamed for rice scarcity in regions

Jakarta Post - December 3, 2015

Bambang Muryanto, Yogyakarta – The Business Competition Supervisory Commission (KPPU) has claimed that owners of rice mills and large-scale traders in rice production provinces are responsible for the scarcity of the commodity in the country.

KPPU chairman Syarkawi Rauf said the commission had for the last few weeks been investigating the cause of the scarcity of IR 45 medium rice in Cipinang Market in Jakarta, the biggest rice market in Indonesia.

"We believe they [rice mill owners and traders] have been withholding the supply to create a rice scarcity that leads to high prices," Syarkawi told reporters in Yogyakarta on Wednesday.

He said that the investigation had been conducted in rice production centers in Karawang, West Java, and Makassar, South Sulawesi. On Wednesday the investigation continued in Delanggu, Klaten regency, Central Java, and in Pasar Legi, Surakarta, also in Central Java.

The investigations, he said, showed that there was no shortage of supply from farmers, which had led the commission to its conclusion that it was rice mill owners and large-scaled traders that were behind the scarcity.

Syarkawi said that based on the study conducted by the commission, there were many players involved in the distribution of rice from the field to people's plates and that mid-size rice mills and large-scale traders were only a few.

"The KPPU will focus on rice mill owners and large-scale traders. It's they who have the power to control the rice price in the market," he said.

He added that Indonesia had between six and 11 provinces that were rice production centers. In each province, he said, there were some five to seven big players capable of influencing rice prices. "Once they are proved to have committed price fixing, they will be sent to court, just like the beef mafia," he said.

KPPU deputy chairman Kurnia Sya'ranie added that the government should probably intervene in the downstream distribution of rice. "We see that downstream rice distribution is just left to the market. This has led to the high price of rice," Kurnia said.

When visiting a warehouse belonging to Srihadi, a farmer and owner of a rice mill in Bowan subdistrict, Delanggu, the KPPU did not find any rice being stored.

Srihadi said he had collected unhusked rice from farmers and milled them at the mill, which has a capacity of milling five tons of rice per day. "We directly sell them every day while the price is still high. I never have a large amount of rice in storage. It's just a few sacks," Srihadi said.

Agriculture Ministry Director General of Crops, Hasil Sembiring, who was among the KPPU entourage, said that there should not be a rice scarcity in the country as according to this year's calculation there was a rice harvest surplus of 9 million to 10 million tons.

"From the beginning the Agriculture Ministry has been improving irrigation networks, increasing the number of tractors, seedlings and water pumps and keeping watch on fertilizers to boost rice production and expand rice plantations," he said.

He also said that with the current supply of rice, the Indonesian population was still consuming domestically produced rice and had not yet needed to import any.

Last month, State Logistics Agency President Director Djarot Kusumayakti, who is responsible for managing domestic rice stocks, said that current stocks had almost run out, with only 1.4 million tons remaining.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/03/rice-mills-big-traders-blamed-rice-scarcity-regions.html

Ethnic & communal conflicts

MK rejects social conflicts law review

Jakarta Post - December 1, 2015

Jakarta – The Constitutional Court on Monday rejected a judicial review filed by a civil society group challenging the authority of regional heads to declare a state of emergency during conflicts in their regions, as stipulated in two articles of Law No. 7/2012 on social conflicts.

"The court categorically rejects the request filed by the plaintiffs," presiding court justice Anwar Usman said while reading the decision at the Constitutional Court in Central Jakarta.

The plaintiffs argued that social conflicts fell under the category of a "state of emergency" and that therefore the President was the one who had the authority to declare a state of emergency.

The panel of judges reasoned that threats from social conflicts were usually confined to certain areas and that they posed less of a threat than a condition that warranted the President to declare a state of emergency.

"Regional heads know the actual conditions of their regions better than the President," justice Patrialis Akbar said. With the implementation of decentralization in the country, it was only natural that regional heads had such authority, he added.

The former law minister said that regional heads being able to declare a state of emergency accelerated the resolution of conflicts. "Therefore, the declaration of social conflicts by regional governments is rational and does not contradict the 1945 Constitution," he said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/01/national-scene-mk-rejects-social-conflicts-law-review.html

Jakarta & urban life

Jakarta suspends permits for 1,600 unsafe buses

Jakarta Post - December 7, 2015

Edna Tarigan, Jakarta – Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama has annouced that the city's transportation department has suspended route permits for more than a thousand Metro Mini buses following the recent deadly crash.

"We have suspended the route permits of 1,600 buses as we consider them unsafe," Ahok told reporters on Monday. The unsafe buses failed to pass roadworthiness tests (KIR), according to Ahok. "We seized them on the road [after random inpections]."

Yesterday, 18 people died after a commuter train hit a Metromini bus at a railway crossing near Angke train station in West Jakarta. (dan)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/07/jakarta-suspends-permits-1600-unsafe-buses.html

Crash raises bus safety issue

Jakarta Post - December 7, 2015

Jakarta – An accident involving a commuter train and a Metro Mini bus that killed 18 of the bus' passengers in Tambora, West Jakarta, on Sunday and the skidding of a Kopaja bus that killed one in Sudirman, Central Jakarta, have heightened calls for improving public transportation safety in the capital.

Witnesses said that prior the crash at the railway crossing on Jl. Tubagus Angke, the railway gate near Angke Station was down and the siren sounded to warn of an incoming train.

The people started yelling at the driver, who insisted on driving through the gate through a gap. The commuter train heading to Bogor in West Java crashed into the minibus, completely wrecking the bus that was traveling between Kota in West Jakarta and Manggarai in South Jakarta.

The fatalities include the driver and the driver's assistant, both of whom died in hospital, according to tempo.co. The police said there were 19 passengers on the bus and all were either dead or injured.

On the same day in the afternoon, a single-vehicle accident occurred involving a Kopaja minibus on Jl. Jendral Sudirman in Central Jakarta, killing one of its passengers and injuring the other seven.

Yoga Adiwinarto, a transportation specialist from the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), said the Jakarta administration should place the two minibus operators under the management of city-owned bus operator PT Transportasi Jakarta (Transjakarta), by force if necessary, to improve their services.

"After the two accidents, it is necessary that the administration take over the management of the two operators," he told The Jakarta Post by phone on Sunday.

Drivers of Kopaja and Metro Mini buses are notorious for their reckless driving, disregarding the safety of passengers.

Yoga said the two operators could not take firm action against any of the reckless drivers because the vehicles were individually owned. If the administration did not take over the two operators as soon as possible, passengers would lose faith in public transportation and would eventually switch to private vehicles, he added

"The administration should be strict and revoke their permits if they refuse to be under Transjakarta management," he said.

If the administration took over the two operators, Transjakarta would have full control over their management, including assigning professionals to run the two firms, he said.

"Owners of vehicles in the two operators will have shares and get income but they can no longer manage the companies," he said.

Nirwono Joga, an urban expert with Trisakti University, blamed the two operators' bad management as the root of the many incidents involving their buses. "I often find many of their buses are not roadworthy and some of their drivers are underage."

Nirwono said it was urgent for the administration to push, specifically Metro Mini, to be placed under Transjakarta management.

Kopaja is owned by vehicle owners operating under a cooperative and monitored by the cooperative's management. On the other hand, Metro Mini is run by vehicle owners themselves without the control and monitoring of any management.

Jakarta Transportation Agency head Andri Yansah said that his agency hoped to launch the integration of Kopaja into Transjakarta's management in the middle of this month.

He said, however, that Metro Mini would not be integrated in the near future because the owners of Metro Mini buses had not agreed to fulfill the administration's requirements such as, among other things, each bus having air conditioning and their doors remaining closed while operating.

"Kopaja has agreed [to fulfill the requirement]," he said. He said the integration would mean Kopaja would be operated by Transjakarta, which would pay monthly salaries to the drivers.

Public minibuses and minivans in Jakarta use the "setoran" system, where each driver has a target to give some money to the vehicle owners and pocket the rest. Such a system forces the drivers to stop anywhere to pick up passengers. Witnesses of the Angke accident said the incoming train draggedthe minibus 200 meters into the station.

Motorcycle taxi driver Purwo Winarno, 38, who often looks for passengers around the area, said that Metro Mini buses often stopped around the crossing, creating traffic jams around the road. He also said Metro Minis in the area often ignored traffic signs, often passing through red lights. (saf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/07/crash-raises-bus-safety-issue.html

Fishermen politicized to oppose reclamation project: Ahok

Jakarta Post - December 5, 2015

Jakarta – Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama has accused certain parties of politicizing fishermen to oppose a reclamation project in Jakarta Bay and has stressed that no Jakartan will be negatively affected by the project.

"The fishermen just spoke up. What they didn't understand was what they had said. They were [provoked] by politicians," Ahok said in Jakarta on Friday as reported by tribunnews.com, in response to a recent demonstration by hundreds of people in North Jakarta to oppose the reclamation project.

The Jakarta administration, in cooperation with private companies, is set to construct 17 islands in Jakarta Bay for luxury residences and commercial facilities.

Fishermen and environmental activists have expressed their views that the reclamation would affect fishermen's catches and would have a negative environmental impact on nearby areas, including the possible worsening of annual floods.

The reclamation project has been on the agenda of Jakarta governors since 1995, based on Bylaw No. 8/1995 on reclamation. Then-president Soeharto issued Presidential Decree No. 52/1995 on the reclamation of Jakarta's northern coastal areas. But the reclamation could not be implemented because of strong opposition from environmental activists.

"It is a story that began 20 years ago. There was also a study stating that Jakarta Bay was acutely contaminated, seriously degraded," Ahok said, adding that an Environmental Impact Analysis (Amdal) document had been issued long ago.

According to the governor, nearly 51 percent of the results of the reclamation would be used for the public's interests.

The People's Coalition for Equal Fisheries (Kiara) and the Indonesian Traditional Fishermen's Association (KNTI) have registered a petition at the Jakarta State Administrative Court (PTUN) against Ahok for issuing a gubernatorial decree giving developer PT Muara Wisesa Samudra a permit to build a man-made islet, known as Islet G, off Jakarta's coast.

They said that the permit violated the rights of fishermen in Muara Angke and Muara Baru, who relied on catching fish in the North Jakarta coastal area. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/05/fishermen-politicized-oppose-reclamation-project-ahok.html

Transport & communication

Government tightens regulations on aviation safety

Jakarta Post - December 4, 2015

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – Amid growing concerns over safety standards in the country's aviation industry, the government will tighten regulations on aircraft maintenance and flight crew competence.

The ministry's air transportation director general, Suprasetyo, announced a series of measures to be carried out on the recommendation of the National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) following the release on Tuesday of the results of its investigation into the December 2014 crash of AirAsia flight QZ8501.

"We have established a special team to ensure all safety measures and the KNKT's recommendations on AirAsia Indonesia are being followed in accordance with civil aviation safety regulations and other existing regulations," said Suprasetyo.

It will also be mandatory for flight crews to practice flight simulations for emergency recovery of an aircraft every six months, an increase from the previously recommended 12-month timeframe, according to him.

The KNKT recommended AirAsia Indonesia train its pilots flying Airbus aircraft how to cope with a loss of control, as its investigation pointed to weaknesses in pilot training in dealing with such an eventuality. The KNKT said the cockpit voice recorder revealed confusing instructions from the captain to the co-pilot who was manning the controls at the time.

The AirAsia pilots had not been trained for that scenario because the manual provided by the plane's manufacturer said the aircraft, an Airbus 320, was designed to prevent it from getting out of control and therefore recovery training was unnecessary, according to the KNKT.

However, the government claimed that crisis recovery training had been mandatory for a long time before the crash. "Emergency recovery training has been conducted, but it was once every 12 months in the past. Now we're changing it to once every six months," said Suprasetyo.

Likewise, AirAsia Indonesia said that it had integrated emergency recovery training into the Airbus A320 recurrent pilot training syllabus since 2013, even though it was not mandated by Airbus.

"We also include additional simulator training sessions in our initial type rating, which will cover more complex exercises," AirAsia Indonesia told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

The ministry's airworthiness and operations director, Mohammad Alwi, said that even though the manual provided by Airbus said that emergency recovery training was unnecessary, the government had the authority to require all Airbus pilots to be trained in how to restore control of an Airbus aircraft during emergency conditions.

"Airplanes with the 'PK' registration code are Indonesian airplanes, which fall under the authority of Indonesia. We have the authority [to force emergency recovery training for all Airbus pilots]. But if the registration code is not 'PK', then we don't have that authority," he said.

Alwi added that he had met with representatives from the French government to discuss the matter.

"We are coordinating. As a matter of fact, a French government official had just met me. We can't conclude whether these [Airbus aircraft] are very bad or very good. There needs to be evaluation because producing an aircraft needs certification, starting from drawing, calculating, making the components, building the plane and testing it," he said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/04/govt-tightens-regulations-aviation-safety.html

AirAsia disaster: Indonesia cites faulty component, crew response in

Sydney Morning Herald - December 2, 2015

Joe Cochrane, Jakarta – The pilots of an AirAsia passenger jet that crashed off Indonesia last year appear to have reset the circuit breaker of a computer system that regulated the aircraft's rudder functions, leading to a series of electronic failures that caused them to lose control of the plane before it plummeted into the Java Sea, killing all 162 people aboard, crash investigators have said.

The attempt to reset the flight augmentation computer disengaged the autopilot and auto-thrust of the plane, Flight 8501, and the pilots were unable to keep the aircraft under control, said Soerjanto Tjahjono, the head of Indonesia's National Transportation Safety Committee, during a news briefing before the release of the final crash investigation report.

"The circuit breaker was pulled out and then pushed in again," he said. "It caused some electrical distraction."

Soerjanto and crash investigators said they did not have audio or video evidence to determine who reset the computer's circuit breaker, although there has been widespread speculation that one of the two pilots in the cockpit did so.

The investigators did acknowledge that analysis of the aircraft's recovered flight data recorder showed a signature consistent with the circuit breaker being removed. Asked if someone in the cockpit had pulled out and reinserted the circuit breaker, Soerjanto replied only, "Someone".

Flight 8501, an Airbus A320-200, crashed less than an hour after taking off from the Indonesian city of Surabaya on December 28, 2014, bound for Singapore. According to crash investigators, its problems began when pilots received four separate warning alarms in the cockpit that a system in the plane that controlled its rudder movement had failed.

In what appears to have been an attempt to fix the problem, the flight augmentation computer's circuit breaker was pulled out and reinserted.

Although Flight 8501 was flying in heavy storm clouds when the pilots lost control of the plane, investigators said weather was not a factor in the crash.

The final investigation report cited several factors that contributed to the accident, including the rudder travel limiter system, which restricts rudder movement when the aircraft is flying at a high speed and a high altitude, having failed to function because of the cracking of a solder joint in the system's electronic card, "which led to a loss of electrical continuity".

Investigators said maintenance records for the aircraft showed that the system had problems on 23 other occasions in 2014. "At the time, it was considered minor damage," said Nurcahyo Utomo, a retired Indonesian pilot and a member of the investigation team. "It was not a concern at the time."

Although the investigators did not blame human error for the crash, the report noted that after the plane's autopilot and auto-thrust disengaged, "subsequent flight crew action resulted in inability to control the aircraft".

According to the investigators, after the circuit breaker was removed and reinserted, the aircraft rolled hard to the left before levelling out. The aircraft, flying at an altitude of 32,000 feet, then climbed at a steep angle for an additional 5000 feet before its engines stalled.

The aircraft then rolled hard to the left again and began falling out of control, nose first, toward the water at a speed of 20,000 feet per minute.

"The manual handling" after the autopilot was off "resulted in the aircraft entering a prolonged stall and upset condition, which was beyond the capability of the crew to recover," the report said.

Officials also said they had recommended to Indonesia AirAsia and Airbus that they take steps to prevent pilots from "improvising" when faced with problems.

"The thing we recommend is to please provide some procedure to prevent the pilots from improvising. Today maybe they improvise by pulling the circuit breaker, tomorrow they may do something else," NTSC investigator Nurcahyo Utomo said.

Lawyers for victims' families, airline and manufacturer are likely to debate whether the problem with the rudder system was solely a maintenance issue or whether its design was robust. Some relatives have begun action against the airline and Airbus.

Indonesia AirAsia said it had upgraded pilot training and enhanced safety standards following the crash, adding that the report showed "several factors" cased the crash. "There is much to be learned here for AirAsia, the manufacturer and the aviation industry," AirAsia founder Tony Fernandez tweeted. (New York Times, Reuters)

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/world/airasia-disaster-indonesia-cites-faulty-component-crew-response-in-crash-20151201-glcwnj.html

Armed forces & defense

Indonesia to master military technology in decade

Antara News - December 4, 2015

Jakarta – Indonesia is expected to master military technology and produce military equipment to meet its own needs, Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu stated.

"We are a big country and will increasingly become bigger in the future. We have been able to assemble (military equipment). In future, we are not going to assemble but produce military equipment, such as aircraft and submarines," stated Ryamizard.

He made the statement after attending the signing of a strategic cooperation agreement between state-owned aircraft manufacturer PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PT DI) and Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) on Friday.

According to the defense minister, in the next ten years, Indonesia will be able to produce modern 4.5 generation aircraft.

"We have 4th generation aircraft. What is important is that we master its technology first as we are a big country and will be able to produce our own aircraft," the defense minister.

He pointed out that the cooperation agreement between PT DI and KAI was signed after it cleared a process with different technical and administrative constraints. It included overcoming investment problems and lengthy negotiations to reach the agreement.

"The agreement is the first strategic step between the two defense industries, particularly PT DI," he remarked.

In the agreement held in the framework of the Business to Business scheme, PT DI and KAI will cooperate in the production of KFX/IFX aircraft, including their maintenance, modification, and renewal.

The other cooperation is the implementation of the Engineering Management and Development, which will be carried out simultaneously by the two sides in line with their respective capacity and credibility.

Source: http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/101845/indonesia-to-master-military-technology-in-decade

Indonesia: Concerns mount over possible expansion of military's authority

Benar News - December 1, 2015

Dewi Safitri – At a training session in South Jakarta in mid-November, a military officer taught martial arts to 300 students from a public school.

The activity was part of a defense program recently added to Indonesia's national curriculum. The program, which is mandatory for schools in several provinces, marks the latest move by the Indonesian military (TNI) to make its presence felt in society, as well as gain more control over combatting drug trafficking and terrorism – areas traditionally handled by the police.

Human rights advocates and other observers, however, worry that the military is now trying to expand its authority at a time when past abuses allegedly committed by TNI members remain unresolved.

"Numerous human rights violations cases during the reformation period have not been resolved yet," Haris Azhar, director of the Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence (KontraS), told BenarNews.

He was referring to the so-called reformation era that followed the end of the Suharto regime (1967-98), during which the military controlled many aspects of Indonesian society. "What if similar cases happen in the near future? What is the resolution, while the old cases have not yet been resolved," Haris added.

Such concerns expressed by Haris and other observers have deepened with a draft of a presidential decree that has been circulating in recent weeks, and which proposes to expand the military's powers by placing the TNI directly under the president's authority and not under the Ministry of Defense, where the military's authority still rests.

"The document being discussed by the defense ministry and TNI headquarters clearly intends to restore the TNI's role in maintaining public order and security, which is now the job of the police," Tempo, an Indonesian news publication, said in an editorial published last month.

"If this proposal moves forward, it will be a betrayal of the reform movement," Tempo opined.

Greater military role?

Fears that the military might be trying to restore its past prominent role – which, at times, was repressive under Suharto – first crept in back in March and April, when the TNI set up a special command to help police fight terrorists, and military forces staged counter-terrorism drills in Poso.

Poso, the capital of Central Sulawesi province, is a hotbed of terrorist activity where the country's most wanted militant, Santoso, heads the Eastern Indonesia Mujahideen (MIT) group.

The drills were unusual because the authority for combating terrorists formally rests with the National Police through its anti-terrorism unit, Densus 88.

A few weeks later, the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC), a Jakarta-based think-tank, published a report that examined the very question of the Indonesian military's expanding role.

According to IPAC, the military is trying to increase its authority to combat terrorists by persuading the country's new president, Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, to authorize an expansion of its powers.

"The TNI has managed to position itself as the president's reliable ally at a time when he is under political pressure from all sides," IPAC Director Sidney Jones said when the institute released its report on May 25. "It is more important than ever that the Indonesian parliament exercise its oversight role and ensure that the military restricts itself to defence, narrowly defined."

"There would be less concern about the expansion of the TNI's role if there had been any progress in the last decade toward improving military accountability, but there has been almost none," Jones added.

'Our obligation'

In October, the Jakarta Post quoted Gen. Moeldoko, the former head of Indonesia's armed forces, as saying that an expansion of the military's authority had been discussed during his command of TNI. But military spokesman Tatang Sulaiman denied that the former TNI chief, who retired a few months ago, had talked about widening the military's powers.

"What authority expansion?" Tatang said. "[I]t is our obligation to guard the country's strategic assets and help police," Tatang said. He also rejected allegations that the military was trying to undermine the police's authority in combating terrorism and drugs.

"Our military have 14 major obligations, which includes law enforcement. If we saw people throwing a drug party in front of us while the police was absent at the moment, do you think our personnel would just neglect it?" Tatang said.

Human rights advocates worry, nonetheless, that President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo – who took office in October 2014 after campaigning on a pledge of making improvements to Indonesia's young democracy – might give in to the military's demand for a wider role by agreeing to implement the controversial decree.

"Who knows if the deal is silently signed? It's dangerous. We need to keep our eyes on it," said Haris of KontraS.

Source: http://www.benarnews.org/english/news/indonesian/TNI-12012015125414.html

Criminal justice & prison system

BNN chief: Own up before 2016 or face prosecution

Jakarta Post - December 3, 2015

Fedina S. Sundaryani, Jakarta – The government has given until the beginning of 2016 for drug users to turn themselves in so that they can be rehabilitated without fear of facing criminal charges.

National Narcotics Agency (BNN) chief Comr. Gen. Budi Waseso told reporters on Wednesday that next year all drug users, whether they were caught by law enforcement authorities or turned themselves in, would face charges.

"However, we are now giving [all drug users] the chance to turn themselves in," he said following a meeting with the coordinating political, legal and security affairs minister in Central Jakarta.

Budi also said the prosecution process would target first-time users, and rehabilitation would also be available in prison. The drug users and addicts would be placed in separate prisons in the hope that it would speed up their rehabilitation.

"[They need to be legally processed] because we also need [support] in our investigation. We must uncover [drug trafficking] networks," he said.

Budi also emphasized that arrested drug traffickers would not be given the opportunity to undergo rehabilitation even if they were also drug addicts. "We must break the chain of [drug] mafias so that they do not continue with their games," he said.

Earlier this year, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo declared that the nation was in a "narcotics emergency" and called for the death penalty for drug dealers; he also rejected the clemency pleas of numerous convicted traffickers.

However, despite the harsh penalties for drug dealers, drug abuse reportedly continues to be rampant in the country. The BNN estimated that between 3.8 million and 4.2 million people aged between 10 and 59 had used or were actively using drugs in 2014.

National Police chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti previously sent an internal telegram recommending that drug users be immediately sent to rehabilitation centers after being assessed by doctors and legal experts, instead of locking them up in detention centers, as Law No. 35/2005 on narcotics allows the police to do.

Budi has dismised Badrodin's internal telegram, saying that "the law was clearly more important than internal telegrams. I still believe that investigators should look at the law".

Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna H. Laoly also confirmed that starting next year all drug users would be legally processed and locked up. "They will be imprisoned, of course. They cannot [just be rehabilitated]. However, we will ensure that they are imprisoned separately from drug traffickers," he said.

Anti-Narcotic National Movement (Granat) founder Henry Yosodingrat had said that the government must treat casual drug users and drug addicts different. The latter, he believes, should be rehabilitated while the former should be incarcerated as a deterrent from drug use.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/03/bnn-chief-own-2016-or-face-prosecution.html

JIS sexual abuse case not based on solid evidence: Watchdogs

Jakarta Post - December 3, 2015

Indra Budiari, Jakarta – Human rights and judicial watchdogs have claimed that a child abuse case that led to the imprisonment of teachers and janitors at the Jakarta Intercultural School (JIS) violated the standards of justice by prosecuting people without solid evidence.

A joint examination held by the commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) and University of Indonesia's Judicial Watch Society (MaPPI) found that violations had been committed from when the six cleaners were named suspects by the Jakarta Police to when the guilty verdict was delivered by the court. One cleaner died while in police custody, which the police claimed was a suicide.

Haris Azhar from Kontras said on Tuesday the violations included using unreliable forensic examination techniques as evidence during the trial and the allegations that police tortured the six janitors and forced them to confess to the crime of sexually assaulting a 5-year-old child.

"To make it worse, the judge made the session closed-door, which ensured that all these questionable things didn't leak to the public," Haris told reporters during a press conference.

Furthermore, Haris slammed the judges' decision to let mothers of the victims play an active role in the children's giving of testimony on the witness stand, saying that it could potentially result in manufactured statements.

"Representatives or parents of child victims must undergo an examination to prove they are capable of representing the children," he said.

In December last year, five cleaners were sentenced to seven and eight years' imprisonment for collaborating with others and repeatedly sexually abusing a minor at the school. The five were planning to file a judicial review as their appeal had been turned down by the Jakarta High Court and The Supreme Court.

During the first hearing of the trial at the district court, four male cleaners who accused the police of torturing them retracted their confession, which had made up the majority of their indictment. The police have denied the cleaners' allegations that they were tortured.

Only limited information on the trial is available as the law stipulates that any trial involving an underage person must be held behind closed doors.

The case also implicated Ferdinant Tjiong and Neil Bantleman, two teachers at the school, and on April 2 the South Jakarta District Court slapped them with a 10-year sentence for sexually abusing three children at the school.

However, the two teachers were acquitted on Aug. 15 this year after the Jakarta High Court granted their appeal, saying that the lower court have made "shallow, inaccurate and not thorough consideration" in declaring both guilty.

Choky Ramadhan from MaPPI told the press conference that the Jakarta High Court had made the correct decision by releasing the two teachers, adding that there were too many doubts relating to the case to declare them guilty.

For example, he said that the forensics examination carried out at the National Police Said Sukanto Hospital in Kramat Jati, East Jakarta, found bruises on the three alleged victims of the teachers, which contrasted with earlier examinations carried out at the same hospital, which found no bruises or signs of violence.

"A medical expert told me that in any case of multiple forensics examinations, the first results must be considered the most accurate as they are carried out within the nearest time with the alleged criminal act," he said.

Contacted separately by The Jakarta Post, the prosecutor who brought Ferdinant and Bantleman to court, Shandy Handika, said that despite the watchdogs' claim, the South Jakarta District Court had found them guilty and that he was certain the Supreme Court would reach the same verdict.

"I understand that the high court had a different opinion from us and the district court, but I believe the Supreme Court will overturn the acquittal," he told The Jakarta Post.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/02/jis-sexual-abuse-case-not-based-solid-evidence-watchdogs.html

Mining & energy

Minister urged to revoke letter to Freeport boss

Jakarta Post - December 5, 2015

Jakarta – Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Sudirman Said has been advised to revoke a letter to Freeport McMoRan Inc. board chairman James R. Moffet, which was considered to have given a guarantee that the Indonesian government would extend a contract with PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI) to manage its gold mining site in Papua.

The chairman of House of Representatives Commission VII overseeing mining affairs, Kardaya Warnika, said on Saturday that the letter sent by Sudirman on Oct. 7 had put the government in a difficult position in negotiating the contract extension with PTFI.

"It is not easy to revoke a letter. But it [should be done] for the bigger picture," Kardaya said in Jakarta on Saturday as reported by kompas.com.

The fourth paragraph of the letter states: "The Indonesian government has a commitment to assure the continuity of foreign investment in Indonesia, but because of the need for adjustment of the existing regulations in Indonesia, the agreement on the contract extension with PTFI will be given soon after the result of the reorganization of the regulation on minerals and coal is implemented".

In the letter, the government appeared to be giving a guarantee that PTFI's contract would be extended, said the lawmaker, underlining the phrase "will be given soon". Under the existing regulation, the contract extension could begin to be discussed in 2019, two years before the contract expires in 2021.

"Because there is a promise [in the letter], I propose the revocation of the letter in order to not shackle the Indonesian government," Kardaya added.

Kardaya also questioned why the minister had sent such a letter to Moffet. According to the lawmaker, if such a letter had to be sent, it should have been directed to PTFI president director Maroef Sjamsoedin.

In relation to the contract extension of PTFI, Sudirman has reported House Speaker Setya Novanto to the House's ethics council for allegedly claiming to have won the approval of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla to secure shares and projects from Freeport in exchange for helping the company extend its contract and continue operating its gold mine in Papua, which is the largest in the world. Sudirman and Maroef have given testimony at the council's hearing, while Setya is scheduled to testify on Monday.(bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/05/minister-urged-revoke-letter-freeport-boss.html

Indonesia gives Freeport until January 12 to propose divestment price

Reuters - December 4, 2015

Wilda Asmarini, Jakarta – Freeport McMoRan must propose a price for a 10.64 percent stake it is required to divest from its Indonesian subsidiary on or by January 12, a mining ministry official said, amid a parliament probe centering around the stake.

"They have 90 days after October 14," Coal and Minerals Director General Bambang Gatot said on Friday, referring to Freeport.

Once it has received the offer from the US copper mining giant, Indonesia will decide within 60 days whether it will buy the stake or offer it to a state- owned enterprise or regional government, Gatot told reporters.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/business/indonesia-gives-freeport-january-12-propose-divestment-price/

Construction at gold mine halted after locals rise up

Jakarta Post - December 1, 2015

Anggi M. Lubis, Jakarta – Publicly listed miner Merdeka Copper Gold says that its subsidiary Bumi Suksesindo (BSI) will temporarily halt construction at its East Java site – said to contain the second-largest supply of ore resources in the country – following a riot that ended in arson and shooting last week.

Despite the disruption, Merdeka – part of investment company Saratoga Group – emphasized that initial production from the concession would be on schedule, and that the incident would not affect a syndicated loan the miner plans to sign in January by putting up its whole stake in BSI as collateral, an executive has said.

BSI president director Cahyono Seto said that his company would halt physical activity at Tujuh Bukit mine in Banyuwangi and would only carry out administrative activities, at least until after local elections on Dec. 9.

The measure, he said, was intended to calm tensions at the site, adding that BSI would enhance security at the concession in cooperation with local police.

Seto said that his company would educate local people that the company's operations were legal and environmentally safe. "We are still figuring out what is behind the riot and such strong opposition," he told reporters in Jakarta on Monday.

The riot, according to media reports, broke out after a meeting held between BSI, the local administration and local residents on Wednesday evening, lasting until early Thursday, with people demanding the company close the mine.

Enraged locals burnt facilities and equipment at the site, and though no fatalities were reported, at least three people suffered injuries as police officers opened fire, claiming to be outnumbered by protesters. Two people had been named suspects, media reported.

Merdeka Copper Gold president director Adriansyah Sjoekri insisted that his company had obtained the necessary permits from the Banyuwangi administration in 2012, including an environmental impact assessment (AMDAL).

Adriansyah added that 80 to 90 percent of BSI employees were locals, and that last week's uprising had no precedents.

Merdeka corporate secretary Ellie Turjandi said that her company was currently reviewing possible losses from the riot, adding that all equipment was insured.

According to Ellie, despite the disruption, initial production from the site was expected to start in the fourth quarter of next year as previously planned. "The construction is still at an early stage, as we are still building infrastructure, such as roads," she explained.

According to a 2012 Joint Ore Reserves Committee (JORC) report, Tujuh Bukit has 90 million tons of ore in its oxide layer. The company expects to generate 90,000 troy ounces of gold and 300,000 oz of silver annually up to 2025 once production begins.

The riot, the company insisted, would not impact a plan to secure a syndicated loan amounting to US$120 million from five foreign banks in January to help finance construction at the site expected to reach $126.5 million.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/01/construction-gold-mine-halted-after-locals-rise.html

Economy & investment

Gloomy outlook on global oil and gas overshadows Indonesia output

Jakarta Post - December 7, 2015

Raras Cahyafitri, Jakarta – As world prices continue to plunge, oil-and-gas companies operating in Indonesia are expected to further lower spending next year amid a slowdown in exploration activities.

Spokesperson for the Upstream Oil and Gas Regulatory Special Task Force (SKKMigas) spokesperson Elan Biantoro said oil-and-gas capital spending would range between US$16.14 billion and $17.68 billion next year, lower from this year's initial investment plan of $22 billion.

Currently, the task force and contractors are finalizing the work plan and budget for next year. "The protracted pressure on global oil prices is the main cause for the lower capital spending plan. Companies have to recalculate their investment and keep working only on priority activities," Elan said.

Market glut driven by the boom in shale oil development extended its pressure on global oil prices and therefore dealt a severe blow to firms. Global oil prices are currently less than a half of the price level recorded early last year. The bearish price outlook is also expected to continue after last week's OPEC meeting in Vienna, Austria, concluded that the group, which produces a third of global oil supply, would keep pumping at the current level of approximately 31.5 million barrels per day.

Elan added that exploration activities would also be significantly reduced as only 26 exploration wells had been proposed for next year as compared to this year's plan of 184 wells.

Indonesia, which recently re-joined OPEC, has suffered from declining oil production as its oil fields have depleted. The government is calling on companies to expand exploration to secure hydrocarbons for future use. However, such exploration is hampered by several hurdles, including red tape.

Next year, state-owned oil-and-gas firm PT Pertamina has said that it would drill a total of 34 exploration wells, comprising four wells in overseas fields and 30 wells in domestic fields. In addition, there the company will drill 149 development wells, of which 112 wells will be located in Indonesia.

To support the projects, Pertamina will disburse a total of $3.81 billion in investment next year, both for its domestic and overseas fields. "Out of the total, as much as $2.61 billion will be allocated for domestic assets," Pertamina's upstream director Syamsu Alam said.

Meanwhile, the Pertamina Hulu Energi Offshore North West Java (PHE ONWJ), which is owned by Pertamina, will disburse around $135 million in investment next year. Some part of the fund will be used to drill three development wells and five work-over wells, according to its spokesperson Donna Apriadi.

A similar view on the slowdown in exploration activities is shared by Andrew Harwood, Wood Mackenzie's upstream oil-and-gas senior research manager for South and Southeast Asia.

Harwood said reduced exploration activities would linger in 2016 amid the deferral of investment decisions on projects such as Ande Lumut, Tangguh LNG expansion, Indonesia Deepwater Development (IDD) and Abadi field of the Masela block.

Harwood said Indonesia had averaged around 70 exploration and appraisal wells per year during the 2010 to 2014 period. For 2015, the think tank estimated that less than 25 exploration wells would be completed, with activity set to fall further in 2016.

Harwood estimated Indonesia's output from oil-and-gas fields, either those on- stream or currently under development, would hit 2 million barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd) in 2016 and that by 2020, production would fall by 20 percent to around 1.6 million boepd.

"However, with 15 percent of production in 2020 set to come from fields that have not yet been sanctioned, further deferrals in investment decisions could see 2020 production fall to as low as 1.4 million boepd. This would reflect a 31 percent decline from 2016 levels, in just five years," Harwood said.

Therefore, the medium-term oil-and-gas supply outlook for Indonesia would remain uncertain, Harwood warned.

Wood Mackenzie earlier reduced its estimate for 2015/2016 global upstream capital spending by $276 billion. Such a figure is 23 percent lower compared to its forecast 12 months ago.

Meanwhile, Total E&P Indonesie, the operator of the Mahakam block, the country's biggest gas producing block, will significantly lower its investment next year.

An executive with the company, Arividya Noviyanto, said his firm would spend $1.1 billion next year, lower than the estimated realization of this year's investment plan of $1.97 billion. Pertamina will take over from Total E&P Indonesie in running the Mahakam block in 2017.

Separately, the Indonesian Petroleum Association's (IPA) director, Sammy Hamzah, said companies should prepare themselves for a prolonged period of low oil prices. Sammy said the massive layoffs might be inevitable, especially to companies engaged in exploration.

Gunawan Sutadiwiria, deputy for planning at SKKMigas, said companies, particularly those that were subsidiaries of multinational corporations, would have to compete with their sister companies operating in other countries.

They would have to ensure the parent firms that Indonesian fields could meet economies of scale before the parent firms approved their activities.

"Indonesia is actually competing with other countries [where the companies also have investments]. If [they deem] production in Indonesia uncompetitive, they will pull the plug [on supporting Indonesian subsidiaries]," Gunawan said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/07/gloomy-outlook-global-oil-and-gas-overshadows-ri-output.html

Indonesia shows moderate growth with high inflation: ADB

Jakarta Post - December 6, 2015

Anton Hermansyah, Jakarta – The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has recently updated its outlook on Indonesia, forecasting moderate gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 4.8 percent in 2015, or slightly higher than the average growth of its Southeast Asian neighbors, which stands at 4.4 percent.

The ADB outlook argues that Indonesia's inflation will stand at 6.4 percent in 2015, making it the country with the highest inflation rate compared to other countries in the region. The average inflation rate for Southeast Asia stands at 2.8 percent.

The ADB stated in a press statement released on Thursday that its current outlook lowered Indonesia's GDP growth forecast for 2015 to 4.8 percent from the 4.9 percent outlined in its September outlook. The bank says that the decline is due to lower-than-expected budgetary disbursements and ongoing problems in exports. The ADB forecasts that Indonesia's exports will rejuvenate next year

The ADB outlook says that Indonesia's real GDP growth in the third quarter of this year stood at 4.7 percent. Vietnam and the Philippines are the two countries that led growth in Southeast Asia in 2015. Vietnam grew at 6.5 percent and the Philippines grew at 5.9 percent. Vietnam has received high foreign direct investment and the Philippines has been supported by strong domestic demand and remittances from overseas workers.

In Asia more broadly, India and China (PRC) are still the prime drivers of growth. India grew at 7.4 percent and China grew at 6.9 percent in 2015. "Although we have seen some softening in a number of economies, the broader regional outlook is for continued steady growth," ADB chief economist Shang-Jin Wei said.

"The region's growth is supported by vibrant private consumption in the PRC and expanded industrial production in India and in other countries. At the same time, countries reliant on commodities are hurting from the global slump in prices. The slower-than-expected recovery in the US and an economic contraction in Japan will continue to weigh on export prospects," the economist added.

The ADB says in its outlook that inflation will remain a problem for Indonesia. It forecasts that Indonesia's inflation rate will stand at 6.4 percent in 2015, far higher than the inflation rates of other Southeast Asian countries. Despite their high GDP growth, Vietnam and the Philippines are forecast to record low inflation rates of 0.9 percent and 1.6 percent, respectively.

In real inflation data published by the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), Indonesia's inflation rate in November stood at 4.89 percent year-on-year. BPS deputy head of distribution and service statistics Sasmito Hadi said that inflationary pressures mainly came from the prices of chicken, rice and cigarettes. (ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/06/indonesia-shows-moderate-growth-with-high-inflation-adb.html

Tax cuts proposed for footwear, textile companies

Jakarta Post - December 4, 2015

Jakarta – The Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) has proposed income tax cuts to support the labor-intensive footwear and textile industry.

The BKPM's deputy director for investment monitoring and implementation, Azhar Lubis, said the board had talked to the Office of the Coordinating Economic Minister and the Finance Ministry to suggest a reduction in employees' income tax (PPh21) by as much as 50 percent.

"It's still a suggestion, but we hope they will grant it soon," Azhar said on Thursday, adding that the incentive was suggested to last for five years and would come with terms and conditions.

The mulled tax cut would only be applicable for companies that export 50 percent of their production, employ at least 5,000 workers and provide details on the employees' Social Security Management Agency (BPJS) policies and salary slips.

Azhar explained that the incentive was expected to benefit the industry's cash flow. "Some companies file their workers' taxes directly to the tax office, so if the rate is cut, it will, of course, increase their cash flow," he said.

The government is pushing efforts to revive growth in the labor-intensive industry after the country's economy weakened to the lowest level since 2009 in the past three quarters.

Falling demand combined with soaring material prices, rising electricity tariffs and illegal imports have prompted manufacturers of shoes and textile goods to lay off workers. At least 40,000 workers at footwear factories and another 39,000 textile workers were dismissed in the first half of this year.

To avoid more layoffs and revive the industries, the BKPM on Oct. 9 launched a special help desk for the two industries called "DKI-TS". To date, the desk has assisted 33 companies that are under pressure to terminate 24,509 workers, of which three cases had been solved, saving 1,458 jobs.

Indonesian Textile Association (API) chairman Ade Sudrajat welcomed the tax incentive, but was of the opinion that it would only benefit the employees, not the businesspeople. "It will be useful to increase our employees' purchasing power," he said.

He also added that the terms and conditions were too strict. "There are only few factories with more than 5,000 workers. It'd be better if it was at least 2,000 workers," he said, adding that fewer than half of the shoe companies employed upward of 5,000 workers.

Indonesian Footwear Association (Aprisindo) head Eddy Widjanarko shared the same view with Ade. "The benefit for us [the businesspeople] is only a little, but we appreciate the stated effort and intention to support the labor- intensive industry," he commented.

In the past two years, textile and shoes businesses have seen decreased demand from within and outside the country against the backdrop of global economic uncertainty. Besides facing decreased orders, the industry faced the added challenge of rising electricity prices.

State-owned electricity firm PLN last month lowered the industry electricity tariff from about Rp 1,200 per kwH to about Rp 1,100 this month. However, both Ade and Eddy said the price was still too high.

The government's third economic stimulus package released on Oct. 7, promises a 30 percent discount on power used between 11 p.m. and 8 a.m. Only later did PLN explainthat that incentive only applied if the usage exceeded normal volumes. (rbk)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/04/tax-cuts-proposed-footwear-textile-companies.html

Indonesia needs to boost services, high-end manufacturing sectors

Jakarta Post - December 1, 2015

Khoirul Amin, Jakarta – Policymakers need to start focusing more on the development of the services sector and high-skilled manufacturing to reduce dependence on commodities, which have seen prices slump in recent years, economists have said.

Services such as healthcare and insurance are touted to be among the fastest growing in the industry, with the number of young people outpacing that of the elderly, Center for Economics and Business Research (Cebr) senior economist Danae Kyriakopoulou and former Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) chief Ito Warsito both said.

"Moving toward high-end manufacturing or services sector is more sustainable because it allows competition in other matrix [...] and the services, in particular, make the economy less dependent on exports," said Kyriakopoulou.

She said that economic growth that was based on commodities was not very sustainable for economies in emerging markets because commodities could be quite volatile in terms of outlook and prices.

Cebr has noted that Southeast Asian countries' exports to major export markets like the US, Japan and Europe have slumped, with only 31 percent of the region's exports going to the markets last year compared to almost half in 2000.

Indonesia alone has seen a slump of 18 percent in its coal exports this year. Indonesia, which according to the Institute for Development on Economics and Finance (Indef) relies on commodities for more than 70 percent of its exports, saw a 20.98 percent slump in its exports value during the first 10 months of the year, Central Statistics Agency (BPS) data show.

Meanwhile, Ito said that two prominent sectors that had good potential were healthcare and financial services as the country's growing young, rising middle-class consumers would propel demand for the services.

"The growing number of the country's productive age population has high potential for both sectors," he said. Indonesia's annual premiums have reached more than US$15 billion, but its insurance penetration rate remains low at below 2 percent of its more than 250 million population.

Both Ito and Kyriakopoulou also mentioned that Indonesia needed to develop high-end manufacturing that would produce added-value products.

HSBC Indonesia country manager and CEO Sumit Dutta also mentioned that there was a need for the country to shift its heavy reliance on commodities as commodity downturns had squeezed the growth of a number of provinces.

Finance Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro said previously that the country was leaning toward its manufacturing industry to reduce the excessive reliance on commodities, and in turn export more added-value goods.

The Finance Ministry has issued new fiscal incentives, extending the period of tax holiday from between five and 10 years to between five and 15 years with the possibility of an extension of up to 20 years.

The facility also extends its coverage to nine sectors from the previous five. Among new industries covered are manufacturing related to agriculture, forestry and fisheries, marine transportation, manufacturing within special economic zones (KEKs) and economic infrastructure not part of the government-to-business program.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/01/ri-needs-boost-services-high-end-manufacturing-sectors.html

Government to utilize more local materials in projects

Jakarta Post - December 1, 2015

Jakarta – As part of efforts to boost the business of local manufacturers, the government has pledged to use more locally sourced materials for various infrastructure projects next year.

Public Works and Public Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono expressed his regrets over what he said was a currently low level of use of local materials in government projects.

Basuki pointed out that locally sourced asphalt only made up around 3 percent of the total 1.5 million tons of asphalt used in projects. "That makes me angry. I want to increase that to over 100,000 tons," Basuki said recently.

According to him, the ministry plans to boost the use of locally sourced natural asphalt from Buton, Southeast Sulawesi, among others. He added that local asphalt was also of export quality, as shown by the material's robust exports to China.

Meanwhile, Indonesian Asphalt Concrete Association (AABI) chairman Zulkarnain Arief lauded the government's campaign to increase the use of locally sourced materials in infrastructure projects, saying that the campaign would help revive industry in the country.

Zulkarnain added that the use of more local materials would reduce the country's exposure to global economic conditions. "When the US dollar strengthens and deals a blow to the price of asphalt, we won't be greatly affected."

He also claimed that the increased use of local materials would decrease budget spending on the projects by 20 percent to 30 percent.

He said that the association expected the locally sourced asphalt from Buton would cover around 10 percent to 15 percent of the required amount by next year, and 30 percent by 2019.

The current production of asphalt is currently around 300,000 tons annually, according to the association's data.

Aside from increasing the use of locally sourced asphalt, the ministry also plans to reduce the use of imported steel, especially in bridge construction projects.

Basuki said that the ministry would increase the use of steel from local steel producers, such as state-owned steel giant PT Krakatau Steel (KS), which has an annual production capacity of 3.9 million tons.

The total amount of steel used in bridges was projected to be 1.8 million tons this year, the ministry said.

This year, imported steel still accounted for a majority of that used in bridge projects, with 60 percent of the steel used in the projects being imported from overseas,

Basuki has previously said that the government wanted to reverse those figures so that the majority of steel used was sourced locally. "We want to drive the economy in the manufacturing sector," he said.

Next year, the ministry will construct eight new dams, 769 kilometers of new roads, 29 kilometers of new toll roads and 12.7 kilometers of bridges.

The massive infrastructure development is part of the government's plan to build 1,000 kilometers of new roads and 49 new dams by 2019 as part of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's vision to spur economic growth. (fsu)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/01/govt-utilize-more-local-materials-projects.html

Analysis & opinion

Freeport imbroglio: Sanctity of a contract should not always be honored

Jakarta Post - December 6, 2015

Vincent Lingga, Jakarta – Should the sanctity of an investment contract always be honored and should business contracts be held sacred? Not always, assert Louis T. Wells and Rafiq Ahmed, business management experts, in their book "Making Foreign Investment Safe: Property Rights and National Sovereignty".

They argue that the "magic" of property rights in industrialized countries comes not from being absolute, but rather from a balance between individual or corporate rights and fairness, and, especially, overall economic benefits. When circumstances change after a contract is signed, making it impossible or impractical, or uneconomic or inefficient, to comply with contractual obligations, courts may relieve a party of its commitments.

Consequently, Wells and Ahmed further argue, a nation may be excused from honoring a treaty if, first, the existence of the circumstances that changed constituted an essential basis of the consent of the parties to be bound by the treaty and, second, the effect of the change radically transforms the obligations that are to be performed under the treaty.

Even courts in industrialized countries may excuse parties from fulfilling contracts if they were entered under compulsion (duress) or corruption or if one party is not competent, the book states. Sometimes in such cases, a high standard of proof is not required as courts may simply assume that something is amiss when there are at least substantial hints of compulsion or corruption and the terms of investment arrangements seem imbalanced.

The book contains real case stories on a telecommunications and power generation contracts the Indonesian government awarded to foreign investors in 1967 and 1992-1994, respectively, under Soeharto's authoritarian rule, when corruption, collusion and cronyism were considered to have been rampant.

Wells was one of the foreign advisers hired by the Indonesian government to renegotiate the contract with International Telephone and Telegraph (ITT) and nationalize the ITT subsidiary in 1980 into a state firm now renamed PT Indosat Ooredoo.

Ahmed, an experienced manager, worked for Exxon Corporation for 20 years, including five years in Indonesia in the 1980s.

The ITT subsidiary was nationalized in 1980 without causing any damages to Indonesia's credibility and reputation because the deal seemed to have been based on a greedily lucrative contract that gave the US company an annual rate of return on equity of over 80 percent.

But how are these points of argument relevant to PT Freeport Indonesia (FI), the local unit of US-based mining giant Freeport-McMoRan, which has mined the world's largest gold deposits in Papua since 1972?

The first Freeport contract was signed in 1967 and its renewal was made in 1991 for another 30-year tenure also under the authoritarian government of Soeharto.

Right or wrong, the public has perceived even until now that most major mining companies that obtained their concessions during Soeharto's rule in 1967-1998 had bulldozed their way through the corrupt licensing system to obtain all the necessary permits for their operations in collusion with corrupt officials.

As Denise Leith observes in her book "The Politics of Power: Freeport in Suharto's Indonesia", in the early years of Soeharto's New Order regime, the government used the vast mineral riches of Papua as collaterals on foreign loans aimed at holding the archipelago together.

In the government's eagerness to steer the country toward economic stability and international credibility, generous concessions were granted to FI in its first contract of work in 1967. This contract of work had been portrayed by many analysts as a blank check for Freeport to operate in any way it chose with little regard for the consequences.

By 1991, when the contract was extended for another 30 years, Leith argues, FI had become an integral part of Soeharto's patronage system, an integral cog in the politico-business machinery of the New Order.

None of the allegations made against the New York-listed mining company have ever been proven in court. But blatant unfairness could be easily seen in the terms of the renewed contract that were mostly to the disadvantage of the Indonesian people.

Being just and fair is even more crucial in FI's case because mineral resources involve national patrimony.

Certainly FI, which has invested hugely in Papua but has also reaped whopping profits there over the past 45 years, will fight at any cost to get its contract another 30-year extension because it plans to invest another $17 billion in its mining expansion.

The problem, though, is that the 2009 Mining Law stipulates that negotiations for extensions can start only two years before a mining contract's expiry, which in FI's case is 2021. Hence, FI can start contract negotiations only in 2019, which will be an election year when nationalist sentiments usually peak.

The dilemma facing the government is that the FI 1991 contract allows the American company to ask for contract negotiations any time and it has implicitly threatened to bring any dispute to international arbitration.

But the public has demanded that the government stand firmly by the 2009 Mining Law and start negotiations only in 2019 and make good preparations to gain a fair share of the benefits from the huge Ertsberg and Grasberg gold deposits in the next contract extension.

Historian Greg Poulgrain of the University of Sunshine Coast in Brisbane suggested in a recent article in this paper that during the upcoming negotiations on the FI contract extension, the government should demand clarification about the gold concentration of the copper concentrate FI extracts in Papua.

Poulgrain, who has interviewed Jean Jacques Dozy, the Dutch geologist who discovered the Ertsberg and Grasberg gold reserves, says in his article that "the Ertsberg gold concentration was stated to be around 2 grams/ton yet the concentration in official Dutch reports and confirmed during my interview with Dozy was 15 grams/ton".

"This discrepancy needs to be clarified [...] The Ertsberg and the Grasberg, it should be stated, have geologically developed from the same subterranean source," Poulgrain says.

The government, therefore, should force FI to build a smelter in Indonesia, as required by the 2009 Mining Law, so that the government will be able to ascertain the difference between official and unofficial FI gold production.

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

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/06/view-point-freeport-imbroglio-sanctity-a-contract-should-not-always-be-honored.html

Fighting rent-seekers

Jakarta Post Editorial - December 4, 2015

Thanks to the House of Representatives ethics council members who voted for an open hearing of a misconduct case implicating House Speaker Setya Novanto, the people have seen for themselves that when politics meddles in business, the result may be rent-seeking practices.

The marathon hearings on Wednesday and Thursday will not prove anything until the council reaches a decision, but for the public the question and answer sessions, which were aired live on TV, are enough to demonstrate betrayal of the mandate they entrusted to House politicians in the general elections of April last year.

Suffice to say that the one-and-a-half-hour recording of a conversation between Setya, fuel importer Muhammad Reza Chalid and PT Freeport Indonesia president director Maroef Sjamsoeddin, which was played on Wednesday, indicates not only a gross violation of the House code of ethics, but also trading in influence, which is as a crime under the UN Convention Against Corruption – but which has not yet been adopted in Indonesia's criminal justice system despite the ratification of the international treaty.

Both Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Sudirman Said, who reported the alleged misconduct to the council, and Maroef told the council Setya was trying to convince Freeport that he could help the company strike a deal with the government for its contract extension, but in exchange for shares in a power plant to be built in Papua to help the company operate a smelter to process its concentrate.

Freeport might be desperately seeking renewal of its contract for another 20 years before the election year 2019, but there is no excuse for a high-ranking state official like Setya, despite his background as a businessman, to broker a deal with the government, let alone to initiate a private meeting with Freeport's top executive and invite a businessman to attend the talks.

Common sense naturally triggers curiosity about the motive behind Setya's actions, which the council members have to dig out when they grill the House speaker.

In fact, the council stood a great chance of restoring the public trust in the legislative body when it decided to launch the hearing and declared it open to the public. But the way the council members, at least some of them, treated both Sudirman and Maroef – as if they were defendants instead of the plaintiff and witness, respectively – sends a strong message that they are merely playing politics rather than seeking the truth behind the alleged misconduct.

Of course, as politicians they have to look good in front of their voters, the public and their party leaders, but without taking tough action against possible violations, they will contribute nothing to efforts to put an end to rent-seeking practices that are apparently rampant in the House, as evidenced in the high number of politicians arrested by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

The ongoing probe into Setya should not stop at the ethics council. It should pave the way for a criminal investigation, or else we cannot beat the rent- seekers.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/04/editorial-fighting-rent-seekers.html