The chairman of the Melanesian Spearhead Group, Manasseh Sogavare, says the regional body is pushing for an urgent intervention by the United Nations in West Papua.

Mr Sogavare, who is the prime minister of Solomon Islands, has also declared his country's support for the United Liberation Movement for West Papua's bid to be a full member of the MSG.

Mr Sogavare has just been in Port Vila where he met with his Vanuatu counterpart Charlot Salwai whose proposal to give the Liberation Movement full membership at the MSG is to be discussed at an upcoming MSG leaders summit in Papua New Guinea.

While in Vila, the MSG chair met with visiting representatives of the Liberation Movement which has strong support in Indonesia's Papua region.

Since the West Papuans were granted observer status in the MSG last year, Mr Sogavare said the situation in Indonesia's Papua region had become more tense, leaving the indigenous people on the "brink of extinction".

This comes after Indonesia's leading human rights organisation said that since the new government came to power in late 2014, abuses in Papua were as rampant as they were under previous governments.

Crossing the line

Indonesia was granted MSG associate member status last year in a bid to foster dialogue with Jakarta on West Papua.

However, in a statement, Mr Sogavare censured Jakarta for rebuffing his his request for dialogue on Papua. "Indonesia has crossed the line so we need to take some tough stance," he said.

A recent surge in Indonesian diplomatic overtures to Pacific Islands countries is increasingly seen as being about countering the growing regional support for West Papuan self-determination aspirations. However Melanesian leaders are frustrated at Jakarta's apparent aversion to meaningful dialogue about West Papua.

The Indonesian President Joko Widodo's refusal to meet with Mr Sogavare in his capacity as the MSG chair has been proffered as grounds for the Melanesian states to "take the matter up to the next notch which is the United Nations".

Mr Sogavare said as well as the membership bid, the MSG summit would address the group's pursuit of UN action on what he called "genocides committed against humanity in West Papua by Indonesia".

While Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia's Kanaks have signalled support for West Papua's membership bid, it remains uncertain where the other two full MSG members – Fiji and PNG – stand.

Governments of both countries have closer ties with Indonesia than the others, and Jakarta has recently said that it has support of the Fiji and PNG for its own bid for full MSG membership.

Vanuatu appeared to counter that when prime minister Salwai suggested Indonesia should be stripped of its membership status within the MSG. The West Papua issue continues to be a stern test of MSG unity.

Confusion over director-general's appointment

The upcoming MSG leaders summit was already shadowed by division among the members of the appointment of a new director-general.

Last month Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu objected to confirmation by the MSG chairman that the Fiji diplomat Amena Yauvoli had been selected for the role, which has been vacant since last year.

Earlier, it came as a surprise to other MSG members that the Fiji Foreign Minister Ratu Inoke Kubuabola announced Mr Yauvoli's appointment to media, when the formal selection process was still underway.

The MSG summit, originally scheduled for the first week of May in Vanuatu, was supposed to be when the leaders deliberated on the director-general's appointment.

Vanuatu had put forward its own nomination for the role, its ambassador to the European Union Roy Mickey-Joy, and insisted that the selection be finalised at the summit. This prompted an exchange between Charlot Salwai and his Solomon Islands counterpart over MSG procedure.

At the last minute, the summit was postponed, amid reports that Fiji's prime minister Frank Bainimarama opted instead to attend the Queen's birthday celebrations in Britain. The MSG chairman said the summit would now be held next month, in Port Moresby.

Mr Sogavare has also now indicated that he despite his earlier statements, he would allow the formal appointment of a director-general to proceed as originally planned, with a decision to be reached at the summit.

The other priority item on the summit's agenda is the formal application for full membership by the United Liberation Movement for West Papua.

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/303794/msg-chair-urges-un-intervention-in-west-papua

Solomon Islands, Vanuatu offer West Papua liberation group support for full MSG

ABC Radio Australia - May 13, 2016

The Solomon Islands and Vanuatu say they will support the United Liberation Movement for West Papua's bid for full membership to the Melanesian Spearhead Group at the organisation's upcoming summit in Papua New Guinea next month.

In a statement released on Thursday, the Solomon Islands' Prime Minister's office said it "acknowledged the intention by the Vanuatu Prime Minister to move a motion at the upcoming MSG Leaders' Summit for the elevation of the ULMWP's membership of the MSG from Observer status to Full Membership status".

"Your decision for the motion touches my heart and has my full support," Solomon Islands PM Manasseh Sogavare said in the statement. "I hope that our other colleagues will throw in their support behind this important agenda."

Indonesia was admitted to the MSG as an Associate Member in June 2015, while West Papua – a province of Indonesia – was granted Observer status. Analysts have cautioned that the move by the two Pacific nations to support the ULMWP's full membership may be met with blowback from Indonesia.

In a follow-up statement released on Friday, Prime Minister Sogavare said "Indonesia was granted Associate membership of the MSG to allow for dialogue between Jakarta and the MSG Leaders on the issue of West Papua."

It added: "Indonesia's refusal of [Mr Sogavare's] request for dialogue gives him all the reason to take this matter back to the MSG, adding that Indonesia has crossed the line so we need to take some tough stance."

Source: http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/2016-05-13/solomon-islands-vanuatu-offer-west-papua-liberation-group-support-for-full-msg-membership/1579962

West Papuan plight a humanitarian issue, says church leader

Radio New Zealand International - May 12, 2016

A church leader from Indonesia's Papua region who is in New Zealand raising awareness about conditions in his homeland says West Papua is a global humanitarian issue.

The chairman of the Papuan Baptist Church Alliance, Reverend Socratez Yoman says abuses against West Papuans by Indonesian security forces have not abated since his last visit to New Zealand ten years ago.

According to him, transmigration and Indonesian government policy have steadily left the Papua region's indigenous people marginalised demographically, culturally and economically.

Reverend Socratez told Johnny Blades that despite the new president Joko Widodo vowing to help Papuans, the Indonesian state is distrusted.

Socratez Yoman: Their character they never change and also their attitude never changes. They change their clothes their heart never changes. Papuans are undermined, they ignore Papuans. This is our direct experience, our daily experience. West Papua is dominated by migrants by Indonesians. A lot of military in Papua, they are removing, a genocide of local people. This is a humanitarian problem, as long as the Indonesian government continues to commit human rights abuses this is a humanitarian problem this is a global issue, a global concern. My concern is my people, the owners of the land how come they are treated like animals.

Johnny Blades: Does the government have any control over the security forces there?

SY: Now in Papua it is not civil government control know it is military control, the civil government is powerless. For example when the President SBY, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono period we met him, 16th of December 2011. We met him in his residence we are asking him and conveyed that to solve West Papua cases peacefully negotiations. But he said to us, he replied that okay I am willing to solve West Papua cases through peaceful negotiations but behind me are hardliners that say no. Our question is why? Here is a former military general, how and the second thing is you were elected by 300 million he has power how come he is controlled by the hard liners? But now Jokowi he is civil, he is powerless he has many time visited Papua, he plays games. He wants to tell the international communities you see I have visited Papua many times. West Papua does not need a lot of visits, we need real action. For example when the president Jokowi released five prisoners, this is real action, this is real action. We need like that. And he is also now constructing the long roads in West Papua. West Papua does not need long roads, who will use those roads? It is the military who will use them.

JB: Many times you have called for dialogue but dialogue with a third party like in Aceh. Are you still calling for that?

SY: Yes this is our standing we are church leaders, I as one of the church leaders from West Papua this is their way non-violence way is dialogue is the way. Now our call is a long time stand of ours in the media and all over the world. They said okay now Indonesia and West Papua go around the table to talk mediate by third party for example Aceh. Why Aceh they solved? Indonesian government they solved Aceh cases mediated by international communities why not?

JB: What is the difference?

SY: Yes what is the difference, this is our question, why? By now Indonesia it is too late, too late to control West Papua.

JB: You were asking for New Zealand help 10 years ago and further back. So what do you want the government to do?

SY: Yes so we need the New Zealand government to engage with their counterparts Indonesia government to open the way foreign journalists to visit Papua to gathering our coverage of what is happening inside. And also secondly New Zealand government also to engage with counterparts dialogue peacefully on negotiations to solve West Papua cases. West Papua today has become a part of Melanesian communities and they are like a lost son returned to his own family. And Melanesian communities or in Pacific communities the West Papuans are very happy because they come back, return from the other people. Vanuatu is the strongest long-standing supporter of West Papua. Now Solomon Islands supports West Papua, now Tonga and the Kanakys. And Fiji okay the government is friendly with Jakarta but all the churches and grassroots one hundred percent they are with Papua. PNG also the people they see our people, their people from their heart they see they are suffering. The West Papua suffering is Melanesian suffering.

JB: So all this international support which is growing, grassroots support which is growing plus the things like the London summit and the MSG focus on West Papua. Is that having an impact? Is Jakarta taking note?

SY: Yes Jakarta now should be aware yes and understand that West Papua is not alone anymore. Now West Papuan people have many friends and a lot of solidarity's in each corner of the world today now it is my prediction that West Papua will increasing its demonstrations, big huge demonstrations will be will come. Because now where they are now they have friends now all over the world support them. Now they have got like moral support.

JB: Do you have trouble getting out? I mean you have left the region last week to come here have you had any trouble?

SY: No no no I am a church leader. Who will interrupt me, I am talking about my own people. This is my responsibility I am an educated man, I understand what is happening, I will not be silent anymore. Historically I understand the background, what happened in 1969. I know I learned about that. I have written 19 books about West Papua. No we not be silent anymore when the West Papua undermine their dignity their life, their future, we will speak every where now it is time. Nobody is stopping us.

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/programmes/datelinepacific/audio/201800467/west-papuan-plight-a-humanitarian-issue,-says-church-leader

Indonesia has failed to change Papuans' stance

Radio New Zealand International - May 11, 2016

The United Liberation Movement for West Papua has opened its new office in Wamena, Indonesia.

The chairman of the Papuan Baptist Church Alliance says five decades of Indonesian rule has failed to dilute West Papuan nationalist sentiment.

Reverend Socratez Yoman is on a tour of New Zealand where he is raising awareness of the situation in Indonesia's Papua region, regarding human rights abuses and Papuan self-determination aspirations.

Reiterating calls he made on his last visit to New Zealand ten years ago, Reverend Socratez wants the New Zealand government to encourage Jakarta to engage in dialogue about Papua. He says in their hearts all Papuans would prefer not to be part of Indonesia.

"53 years under Indonesian occupation. 53 years from the primary school, secondary school, high senior school, university, they get education from Indonesia. But why they still against Indonesia? West Papuans never change their minds about this, they are strong nationalist West Papuan."

Reverend Socratez Yoman says abuses against West Papuans by Indonesian security forces have only worsened since his last visit to New Zealand.

"This is a humanitarian problem. As long as Indonesian government continue committing human rights abuses, this is a humanitarian problem. This is a global problem, global concern. My concern is my people, the owner of the land, how they're treated like, dehumanised like animals."

According to the church leader, transmigration and Indonesian government policy have steadily left the Papua region's indigenous people marginalised demographically, culturally and economically.

He said the international community has a role to play in helping forge a solution in West Papua, particularly with a need for a third party mediator in talks between Papuans and Jakarta.

Reverend Socratez described how Indonesia resolved the conflict in Aceh region, with third party mediation through the Helsinki process, as a good example of a peaceful negotiation within the Indonesian context. He said he was at a loss as to why Jakarta won't allow a similar process in Papua.

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/303610/indonesia-has-failed-to-change-papuans'-stance

International pressure building on Jakarta over Papua

Radio New Zealand International - May 10, 2016

The International Parliamentarians for West Papua has called for an internationally-supervised vote on independence in West Papua and is preparing to build pressure on Indonesia over the issue.

Transcript

The International Parliamentarians for West Papua has called for an internationally-supervised vote on independence in West Papua

This group of politicians from around the world, who support self-determination for West Papuans and are concerned about ongoing human rights abuses against Papuans, held a summit in London last week.

Also present were members of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua which was last year granted observer status at the Melanesian Spearhead Group.

One of those in attendance was the Vanuatu government minister Ralph Regenvanu who spoke to Johnny Blades about the IPWP's strategy.

Ralph Regenvanu: There is also a need for the whole process of the vote of self-determination to be revisited, in light of the fact that the UN-supervised vote when it happened back in the 1960s (The Act of Free Choice) was very questionable, basically a sham. So that needs to happen again because the people of West Papua haven't been given an opportunity to decide on their future. And it's really a decolonisation issue. It's not a secession issue or anything like that. It's a decolonisation issue. For that to go forward we basically need the support of many more countries so that it can be addressed at the level of the UN General Assembly. one of the strategies that Vanuatu for example will be actively participating in, and has been, as well as the other countries that were at the meeting, is to get more countries in support of seeking an internationally-supervised vote on self-determination again in West Papua.

Johnny Blades: In the wake of that meeting in London, the Indonesian House of Representatives has condemned it and called it a "reflection of colonial acts". What do you say to that, because they're also said it's a stunt, trying to disrupt the unitary state of Indonesia?

RR: Well, unfortunately, according to international law, that self-determination issue has never been addressed by a proper vote in West Papua, and that's been recognised at a number of levels, a number of forums. Decolonisation never happened and in fact this colony was simply passed from one colonial power, being the Dutch, to another colonial power which is Indonesia which continues to colonise the territory to this day."

JB: Now that strategy you told me about, in terms of through the MSG forum, we've seen divisions come up around this issue. Do you have faith in the MSG to be able to wrestle with this properly, to be able to get Indonesia to the table?

RR: Well, the point is that we are going down all avenues to address this issue. Through the MSG, we're trying to bring Indonesia to the table to talk. The (Pacific) Forum has asked for consultation regarding getting a proper human rights assessment done. We've got the International Parliamentarians for West Papua calling for a supervised vote. So there are a number of efforts happening at different levels to try and address the issue in a range of ways. And so if Indonesia doesn't want to... it hasn't actually responded to any of those. It hasn't responded to the Forum, it hasn't responded to the MSG, so basically we'll just take it to the next level. We're trying to do it at the levels we can. If there's no response, we go to the next level and we continue to address it at a higher level and ultimately the UN is going to have to take it on.

JB: Indonesia is obviously sensitive to this pressure. It wants to engage with Pacific countries. But your government wants Indonesia to be stripped of its associate member status at the MSG, right, how does that stack up with being able to dialogue with them?

RR: Well you have said that Indonesia wants to engage with the Pacific, ok. Unfortunately, the call by the MSG to sit at the same table has been ignored. And in fact they rebuffed the prime minister of the Solomon Islands (Manasseh Sogavare who is the current MSG chair). There's been no response to the letter from the prime minister of Papua New Guinea as the chair of the Pacific Islands Forum to them asking for some sort of human rights assessment to be done. The question is: do they really want to engage or not? Vanuatu will be happy for Indonesia to stay in as an associate member of the MSG if it comes to the table. But if it's not coming to the table, then why are they in the MSG? For Vanuatu the reason Indonesia is in the MSG is to be able to talk about this issue with the United Liberation Movement for West Papua. If they don't want to talk about that issue, then why are they there?

JB: And the United Liberation Movement is – depending on which MSG leader you speak to, some say they're just a technical group or a group outside of the region representing the interests of exiled West Papuans; I'm talking about comments coming from Suva or Port Moresby – but in fact we see in the demonstrations in the past few weeks in Papua that there is huge support for the United Liberation Movement and for the MSG, right?

RR: The United Liberation Movement for West Papua is recognised mostly within West Papua. It's only because the leaders within West Papua can't get out and get in these forums that we have people who are outside of the country actively engaging, people like the secretary-general Octo Mote, people like international spokesman Benny Wenda. These are all people who escaped as refugees in fear of their lives. People inside Indonesia, they're getting arrested in mass amounts, they're getting killed, they're getting tortured. So they can't be at the forefront of anywhere the ULMWP goes to talk about this issue. But of course they are part of it, they are intrinsic members of the movement and support it. So anyone who says that the ULMWP doesn't represent the movement in West Papua only has to see what's happening in country. Every time the ULMWP does anything, for example the mass protests in support of membership in the MSG, that's thousands and thousands of people in West Papua. Mass demonstrations in support of the International Parliamentarians for West Papua in London, the largest arrests in the history of West Papua (took place) because of that London meeting that we attended. So at that London meeting also, we had representatives who basically snuck out from the territory to be there. So I don't think there's any substance to the claims that the ULMWP doesn't represent the majority of the Movement.

JB: What do you and other people in the parliamentarians group make of the Indonesian government's efforts to foster economic development in Papua, with more participation by the Melanesian population?

RR: We received reports from... there were a few universities who presented assessments of what's happening. And while there are development efforts going ahead, there's a huge disparity on all indicators between the indigenous West Papuan population and the Javanese population that's been moved by transmigration to the territory. And in fact what we heard from one of the International Lawyers for West Papua who is based at Oxford University is that if you look at all those indicators and if you look at the historical development in the province, what's been happening, basically under international law, under the genocide convention, Indonesia is committing genocide.

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/programmes/datelinepacific/audio/201800161/international-pressure-building-on-jakarta-over-papua

RSF tells Indonesia to stop flouting journalists' rights in Papua

Pacific Media Watch - May 10, 2016

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has called on Indonesia's authorities to stop violating the rights of journalists in West Papua, where the Jayapura police prevented reporters from covering a peaceful demonstration in support of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua on May 2 – the eve of World Press Freedom Day.

The authorities must respect the rights of journalists to freely report events in West Papua (the western half of the island of New Guinea) even when journalists are covering protests by the Papuan population, RSF said in a statement.

After hundreds of protesters were arrested in various parts of the city, they were assembled in a compound in front of the police mobile brigade headquarters in Kotaraja, Jayapura, from which reporters who wanted to cover their arrest were driven back by about 20 policemen wielding wooden batons.

One of them said Police Commissioner Mathius Fakhiri had given them specific instructions to prevent reporters from covering how the police were treating the detainees, who were ordered to remove their clothes and shoes while standing in the square.

Ardi Bayage, a journalist working for the Suarapapua.com news website, was arrested at the same time as other protesters although he showed his press card to the police. They authorities, who accused him of lying, broke his mobile phone and took him to the mobile brigade's headquarters, where he was held for several hours.

Benjamin Ismaïl, the head of RSF's Asia-Pacific desk, said:

"We condemn this violence and censorship of local journalists, whose coverage of these demonstrations was in the public interest," said Benjamin Ismaïl, the head of RSF's Asia-Pacific desk.

"President Joko Widodo's promises now sound emptier that ever. After the recent banning of a French journalist who had been reporting in West Papua in a completely legal manner, we now have yet further evidence that the authorities continue to censor and control media coverage arbitrarily."

The West Papuan authorities are still censoring all reporters covering Papuan self-determination movements, and carrying out discrimination and human rights violations.

In January, RSF condemned Indonesia's ban on further visits by French journalist Cyril Payen, after France 24 broadcast a report by him from West Papua.

The authorities also target local journalists and fixers working for foreign journalists and those who act as their sources.

Abeth You, a journalist working for the Tabloidjubi.com website, was attacked by police on 8 October 2015 while covering a demonstration in Jayapura by a group called Solidarity for Victims of Human Rights Violations in Papua. Police arrested and questioned two fixers working for a French journalist.

Indonesia is ranked 130th out of 180 countries in RSF's 2016 World Press Freedom Index after its performance score fell by nearly a point from 2015.

Source: http://asiapacificreport.nz/2016/05/10/rsf-tells-indonesia-to-stop-flouting-journalists-rights-in-papua/

Vanuatu minister rejects Jakarta's West Papua claims

Radio New Zealand International - May 9, 2016

A member of the International Parliamentarians for West Papua has dismissed claims by Indonesia that its deliberations on Papuan self-determination are a 'publicity stunt'.

The Vanuatu government minister Ralph Regenvanu was one of dozens of MPs and leaders from the wider Pacific, Europe and Britain, who attended last week's IPWP summit in London.

The summit resulted in a declaration calling for an internationally-supervised vote on independence in West Papua. Jakarta condemned the London meeting, calling it a 'reflection of colonial acts' and affirming that Indonesian control of Papua is 'final'.

But Mr Regenvanu said there was growing international support to address a clearly unresolved decolonisation issue.

"According to international law, that self-determination issue has never been addressed by a proper vote in West Papua, and that's been recognised at a number of levels, a number of forums. Decolonisation never happened and in fact this colony was simply passed from one colonial power, being the Dutch, to another colonial power which is Indonesia which continues to colonise the territory to this day."

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/303413/vanuatu-minister-rejects-jakarta's-west-papua-claims

International surge on West Papua amid mass demos

Radio New Zealand International - May 9, 2016

More mass demonstrations are expected in Indonesia's Papua region amid growing international interest in West Papuan self-determination aspirations.

Last week's demonstrations in cities across Papua region and other Indonesian cities came three weeks after similar public mobilisations, and resulted in mass arrests.

It's traditional for West Papuans to demonstrate around May the 1st. This date is the anniversary of transfer of administration in the former Dutch New Guinea to Indonesia in 1963, a process in which Papuans were not consulted.

But this year they were also demonstrating their support for the United Liberation Movement for West Papua's bid to be a full member of the Melanesian Spearhead Group, as well as the International Parliamentarians for West Papua.

London summit

The IPWP, a network of politicians from around the world who support self-determination for West Papuans and are concerned about ongoing human rights abuses against Papuans, held a summit in London last week.

One of the IPWP's founders is the British opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn who said at the summit that he wanted support for West Papuan self-determination, and recognition of the human rights issues, to become central to policy in his Labour Party.

Attended by MPs from the wider Pacific, Europe and Britain, as well as Liberation Movement leaders such as Benny Wenda, the summit resulted in a declaration calling for an internationally-supervised vote on independence in West Papua.

The West Papua-based journalist Victor Mambor said people demonstrating last week in Papua's main centres supported this call.

"They want a referendum, they want the right to self-determination. As far as I know the authorities never talk about that, they didn't want to talk about that," he said.

However Jakarta insists that there is no going back on the what it calls the 'final' incorporation of West Papua into the republic, and has been swift to condemn the London meeting.

In a series of posts on Twitter, the Indonesian embassy in Australia called the meeting a publicity stunt organised by a 'small group of Papuan separatists and sympathisers.'

Jakarta said the United Nations and international community already recognised Papua as part of Indonesia, saying the region already has self-determination through special autonomy, elections and education.

However, the 1969 referendum by which West Papua was formally incorporated into Indonesia, named the Act of Free Choice, is widely regarded as having been stage-managed.

A leading Vanuatu government minister who attended the London summit, Ralph Regenvanu, said there was growing international support to address what remained an unresolved decolonisation issue.

"According to international law, that self-determination issue has never been addressed by a proper vote in West Papua, and that's been recognised at a number of forums," said Mr regenvanu.

"Decolonisation never happened and in fact this colony was simply passed from one colonial power, being the Dutch, to another colonial power which is Indonesia which continues to colonise the territory to this day."

Jokowi's Papua drive

The demonstrations came just a day after Indonesia's President Joko Widodo visited Papua region to open a major port facility and preside over a new market construction designed to assist Papuans.

Less than two years since taking office, President Widodo, or 'Jokowi' as he is known, has already visited Papua several times – more than any previous Indonesian president.

Jokowi has embarked on a major development drive in Papua, including plans for an 800-kilometre Papuan highway and an ambitious 1,390-km railway project.

"Within the first one-and-a-half years of Jokowi's administration, eastern Indonesia's economic growth has surpassed that of the western part of the country," according to a statement from Indonesia's House of Representatives following last week's London summit.

The president's focus on economic development in Papua has been welcomed but for many West Papuans has not addressed the self-determination issue, nor ongoing human rights abuses.

The Jokowi administration appears limited in its ability to rein in the military and police forces who run Papua; gains in living conditions for Papuans have yet to eventuate.

Indonesia's leading human rights body said last month that abuses in Papua, generally by security forces, remained as rampant as they were under previous governments.

Furthermore, health and education outcomes in Papua are typically Indonesia's worst – for instance, Papua region has a rate of HIV/AIDS which is 20 times the national average.

Marginalised

Indonesian police said that the West Papua National Committee (which is part of the Liberation Movement) requested permission to hold the demonstrations and failed to meet the requirements. They proceeded anyway.

The demonstrations have gone wider, spreading even to Indonesian cities outside Papua, including Semarang and Makassar, with significant West Papuan populations.

A Papuan who works with political prisoners, Ruth Ogetay, said there was a common theme among the demonstrators. "All over our land, West Papua, in cities like Wamena, Jayapura, the expression of West Papuans has been in support of independence," she said.

While there was a more restrained conduct of police forces in handling last week's demonstrations compared with past rallies, the number of arrests was massive.

Some local media reports had the number of arrests as high as 1700. While the vast majority of those detained have since been released, images of hundreds of Papuans being held semi-naked in the midday sun at paramilitary police headquarters have caught international attention.

In the wake of the arrests, New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully, not for the first time, was pressed about the rights situation in West Papua.

"The government is concerned about these matters," he told parliament, "and the government wants to see an improvement in the situation in that part of the world. The government does not believe that megaphone diplomacy will serve that objective."

Politicians in Australia have frequently claimed that the economic and social plight of the indigenous people of Indonesia's West Papua region was improving.

But a new report called 'We will Lose Everything', based on a fact finding mission the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission in Brisbane, concludes otherwise.

Some Papuans say life in their region has improved significantly, compared to the years under the rule of Indonesia's President Suharto who fell in 1998.

Yet the proportion of West Papuans to the overall population of their region is declining quickly as non-Papuan migrants stream in on a regular basis, via the state-facilitated transmigration system. As a result, in their homeland Papuans are increasingly marginalised, in terms of culture and economic activity.

International pressure

The internationalisation of the West Papua issue continues, despite Jakarta's insistence that it is a domestic matter.

As Tonga's prime minister Akilisi Pohiva said following his attendance at the London summit, United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals were 'impossible to achieve without the full support for the human rights of all people living in areas of conflict throughout the world and in the peaceful Pacific region.'

Grassroots support for governmental action on West Papua is steadily growing in the Pacific Islands region, particularly Melanesia.

The Melanesian Spearhead Group's decision last year to grant the Liberation Movement observer status within the group was a recognition of that.

Concurrently, Indonesia with its claims to a large Melanesian population, became an associate member of the MSG in 2015. The changing shape of the MSG – whose full members are Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji and New Caledonia's Kanak peoples – has become a divisive issue.

Ralph Regenvanu said Indonesian inclusion in the MSG was supposed to have opened the way for dialogue about West Papua. But he said that unfortunately the MSG's call for Jakarta to dialogue had been ignored.

"And in fact they rebuffed the prime minister of the Solomons (Manasseh Sogavare who is the current MSG chair). There's been no response to the letter from the prime minister of Papua New Guinea as the chair of the Pacific Islands Forum to them, asking for some sort of human rights assessment to be done," said Mr Regenvanu.

"The question is: do they really want to engage or not? If it (Jakarta) is not coming to the table, then why are they in the MSG?"

The MSG is expected to have a leaders summit before the end of June in Port Vila where the full members are due to discuss the Liberation Movement's bid for full membership. As this draws near, more West Papuan demonstrations are likely.

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/303417/international-surge-on-west-papua-amid-mass-demos

Government should settle human rights abuses in Papua through peaceful dialogue:

Jakarta Post - May 8, 2016

Marguerite Afra Sapiie – Former president of Timor Leste Jose Ramos-Horta has expressed optimism that the Indonesian government will settle cases of human rights abuses in Papua, saying that officials should prioritize peaceful dialogue.

Despite long decades of insurgency and rebellion from Papuan separatists, the government should not regard these people as enemies, but should instead work to rebuild trust with them, Horta said. The process will not be easy because the government has neglected Papua for too long, Horta added.

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's commitment to the Papuan people had begun to build up a sense of goodwill after a period of prolonged disappointment, Horta said. "They are hopeful that significant steps will be taken to improve human rights in Papua," Horta told journalists on Thursday.

The statement follows Horta's visit to Papua from May 2 to May 4 after receiving an invitation to inspect development in the region from Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan.

During the visit, Horta reportedly met with Papuan officials including Papua Governor Lukas Enembe, Papua Legislative Council Speaker Yunus Wonda, the Papuan People's Assembly (MRP), local teachers and medical assistants.

Horta also met with former rebels who used to be active in the Free Papua Movement, but who now agreed to develop Papua as a part of Indonesia.

The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) will cooperate with human rights NGOs to investigate cases of violence in Papua, Horta said. The government should also work closely with local churches, he added.

"Indonesia can settle the human rights cases in Papua internally without the help of foreign actors," Horta asserted. The government should also avoid using violence that often ended up wounding innocent civilians, Horta said.

According to Horta, the government should find the right balance between national development and understanding centuries-old Papuan values. This will be difficult because Papua is a large region, Horta said.

The government should develop programs to create more economic opportunity for Papuans, he went on to say. Besides developing infrastructure and reducing the disparity gap, education should also be a top priority to advance the quality of the region's human resources, Horta said.

Indonesia should take note of Singapore, a state with minimum natural resources, but a positive reputation in the international community, Horta said. "A nation can be minuscule, but if everybody studies and gets a degree from a reputable university, they can operate in a big industry," Horta said. (dan)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/05/08/govt-should-settle-human-rights-abuses-in-papua-through-peaceful-dialogue-horta.html

Human rights & justice

18 years on, families of 1998 May riots victims gather in prayer to demand govt

Jakarta Post - May 14, 2016

Damar Harsanto, Jakarta – Dozens of families members of the victims of the May 1998 riots staged a mass prayer and flower-laying ceremony at the front of Citra Mall on Jl. I Gusti Ngurah Rai in Klender, East Jakarta, on Saturday.

The group, mostly women from nearby Penggilingan, Kampung Bulak, Klender and Kampung Pulo, gathered at 8 a.m. to pray for loved ones who died in the shopping mall, previously known as Yogya Plaza, which were among many malls with casualties during the riots.

Ruyati Darwin, 70, said the mass prayer had been annually performed since 1999. Ruyati lost his eldest son Eten Karyana who previously studied French literature at the University of Indonesia. "It has been 18 years but the case has been left unresolved," said Ruyati.

She demanded President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo fulfill his promise to shed light onto the cases. "We are all tired [of empty promises]," she was quoted by tempo.co.

Until now, the government has refrained from stating an official number of victims from the riots, where the figure varies from one source to another.

The report of the joint-fact finding team (TGPF), a team dedicated to finding the truth about the alleged violation of human rights surrounding the May riots, found that the total number of fatalities in Jakarta ranged from 288 to 1,217. Data sources came from the Jakarta administration, police, the Jakarta Military Command and the Volunteers Team for Humanity.

The Volunteers Team for Humanity, a non-governmental organization advocating for the victims' families, and who represents the highest number of them, claim that 1,190 burned to death while 27 died of other causes such as from gunshot wounds.

The TGPF also found that 52 women, mostly Chinese Indonesians, experienced sexual abuse ranging from harassment to gang rape during the May riots. (dmr)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/05/14/18-years-on-families-of-1998-may-riots-victims-gather-in-prayer-to-demand-govt-resolve-cases.html

Jakarta remembers 1998 tragedy victims

Jakarta Post - May 14, 2016

Agnes Anya, Jakarta – Eighteen years have passed since May 1998, when the capital saw more than 1,000 people killed and dozens of female residents raped over three days of total chaos, a tragedy that should not be forgotten.

The National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) praised the Jakarta administration on Friday for erecting a monument last year in the Pondok Rangon public cemetery in Cipayung, East Jakarta, to remember the victims of the tragedy.

"We appreciate the administration's gesture with the Pondok Ranggon memorial. [...] We further hope that it will make regular commemorative events so that people will not forget the tragedy," said Komnas Perempuan commissioner Mariana Amiruddin during a press conference at City Hall.

Mariana added that Komnas Perempuan also hoped the administration would establish a museum dedicated to the 1998 tragedy so that future generations would be able to learn about and commemorate the events by visiting the museum. She said that such measures were needed to avoid a similar tragedy happening again in the country.

From May 13 to 15, 1998, bloody riots rocked Jakarta and the surrounding areas, preceding downfall of president Soeharto.

A report entitled Sujud di Hadapan Korban Tragedi Jakarta Mei 1998 (Kneeling in front of the May 1998 Jakarta tragedy victims) by Volunteers for Humanity records that the riots claimed at least 1,217 lives, injured 91 and led to the disappearance of 31 people.

Aside from killings and kidnappings, widespread sexual violence, which mainly targeted Chinese-Indonesian women, left many people traumatized.

The report's joint fact-finding team, comprising civilians, police officers, military personnel and NGO representatives, investigated the sexual violence that occurred during the May riots and found that 85 women suffered from trauma because of sexual attacks.

Of the 85 women, 52 were victims of gang rape, 14 were victims of rape and torture, 10 were victims of sexual assault and torture and nine were victims of sexual harassment. Eighteen years after May 1998, the tragedy remains unresolved.

Aiming to help the recovery of the victims, Komnas Perempuan has been working with several parties, including the Jakarta administration, to assist victims and their families.

Friday's conference was held to display the commission and Jakarta administration's commitment to keeping alive the memory of the 1998 tragedy. However, no administration officials attended the event.

On the same day, Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama said separately that he could not attend the event due to more urgent things on his agenda. However, he added, he had assigned Jakarta Deputy Governor Djarot Saiful Hidayat to attend the event.

In response to Komnas Perempuan's requests, he said the administration planned to hold a series of events this year to commemorate the tragedy, and particularly the sexual attacks. However, it was still discussing the format of the events with relevant parties, including Komnas Perempuan.

He said the administration currently had no plan to establish a museum for the 1998 tragedy, however it was likely to consider the proposal in the future.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/05/14/jakarta-remembers-1998-tragedy-victims.html

Trisakti University students demand Jokowi to resolve 1998 shootings

Jakarta Post - May 13, 2016

Jakarta – Students from Trisakti University in Jakarta have held a peaceful rally in commemoration of the 1998 shootings, urging the government to settle the unresolved case soon.

Aside from demanding that President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo issue a decree to set up a special tribunal on the incident, the students wanted the government to impart the title of "Reformation Heroes" on the four victims, who were shot dead on campus on May 12, 1998.

The rallying students also demanded the government show concern for the wellbeing of the victims' families and refused any form of reconciliation until officials reveal the identities of the perpetrators.

"We need to find the parties that carry responsibility for the tragedy," Trisakti University student body chairman Abdul Kader said.

The government might apologize, Abdul said, but he added that the law should be enforced against the human rights offenders through the tribunal. Only then can the rights of the victims and their families be met.

About 3,500 students of Trisakti University gathered in front of the State Palace on Thursday to remind President Jokowi about his pledge to resolve the tragedy, made during his presidential election campaign in 2014.

More than 80 minibuses and hundreds of motorcycles carried the college students from the campus to the palace, where about 200 police officers were deployed to ensure security.

Meanwhile, Trisakti University student body deputy chairman Reza Rahman said government officials seemed to keep referring the case to each other. The President once said the case had been handed over to the Attorney General's Office, but then it was referred again and its fate remains uncertain.

The government also had yet to provide compensation to the victims' families, Reza asserted, adding that there was one widow among them, who lived alone since his husband had died and her son had been killed in the shootings.

"We hope the 18th year of commemoration of the tragedy will not amount to a mere ceremony, but instead we demand government action in resolving the Trisakti tragedy," Reza said.

On May 12, 1998, four Trisakti University students, Elang Mulya Lesmana, Hery Hartanto, Hendriawan Sie and Hafidhin Royan, were reportedly shot dead by the military during protests to demand political and economic reforms of the New Order regime and that Suharto step down. The incident took place at the height of an economic crisis that had struck the entire Southeast Asian region.

Low-ranking police personnel were convicted over the shootings, but no one has been brought to trial yet. (afr/dmr)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/05/13/trisakti-university-students-demand-jokowi-to-resolve-1998-shootings.html

1965 anti-communist purge

Banning books an act of stupidity: Writers

Jakarta Post - May 14, 2016

Jakarta – A number of writers and literacy activists have condemned the recent bans on leftist books ordered by the military in an apparent attempt to prevent a feared revival of communism.

"Banning books in this era is a triple dose of stupidity as people can simply find them on the internet," said senior journalist and prolific writer Goenawan Mohamad on Friday.

"What exactly is the goal of this stupidity, if not to increase communism-phobia and fear and insecurity? In other words, they want to restore the security apparatus to control us. If that happens, not only civil society, but also the creative community could be suppressed," he added.

He said the idea of a communist revival was nonsense as the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) had long ago died out in the country and if people wanted to revive it, it would have happened a decade ago.

Members of the 0505 East Jakarta Military District Command (Kodim) seized several books entitled Palu Arit di Ladang Tebu (Hammer and Sickle in the Sugar Cane Field) written by Hermawan Sulistyo from a store in Dewi Sartika Street, Cawang, Jakarta, on May 3. Several T-shirts featuring a hammer-and-sickle logo were also confiscated at the time.

In Ternate, North Maluku, the 1501 Ternate Military Command arrested four activists of the Alliance of Indigenous People (AMAN), apparently because they were in possession of books and T-shirts related to leftist movements. The activists' books were confiscated.

"I don't know how to face this except by fighting. If there's a restriction on discussion, we hold more discussions. If there's a ban on a book, we write more books," Goenawan added.

Anton Kurnia, another writer and translator, stated that in 2010 the Constitutional Court had annulled the 1963 law on monitoring printed materials with content that could jeopardize public order, therefore, he added, the military and police had no right to seize those books.

Anton said the government had often misused the 1966 decree of the Temporary People's Consultative Assembly that prevented the dissemination of communism, Leninism and Marxism in Indonesia.

Meanwhile, Ronny Agustinus of Marjin Kiri publishing house said that the officials had never explained the precise criteria for banning books. "So, we feel that this intimidation has been done just to show off their authority to us, as if they decide what is allowed or not," he said.

The Indonesian Military (TNI) was known for its dwifungsi (dual role) concept during the New Order regime, which ended in 1998 with then president Soeharto stepping down from power. In that era, the TNI was commonly involved in politics and business.

However, the military has recently been more involved once again in public affairs, including in attempts to police events like demonstrations and evictions and to guard public infrastructure, such as railway stations, harbors and airports.

The writers and literacy activists presented their statements against book bans at the Jakarta Arts Council (DKJ) headquarters on Friday. Besides Goenawan, Anton and Ronny, writers Eliza Vitri Handayani and Okky Madasari, and also members of the DKJ such as Irawan Karseno and Yusi Avianto Pareanom, also attended. (vps/bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/05/14/banning-books-an-act-of-stupidity-writers.html

Defense minister decries 'treasonous' rise of communism

Jakarta Post - May 14, 2016

Jakarta – Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu was in full battle mode when he spoke of a need to counter what he saw as "the rise of communism" to hundreds of retired generals and members of several mass organizations at a meeting on Friday.

"The leftist movement is currently surging in this country. It is a sign of treason, sponsored by the leftovers of the Indonesian Communist Party [PKI]," he said vehemently in his opening remarks.

Ryamizard was referring to the recent discovery by police and military officials of the use of communist symbolism across many forums nationwide – including at cultural events, public screenings, on shirts carrying the symbol of the now-defunct PKI, the hammer-and-sickle logo, in books about the party in many bookstores and at book exhibitions.

People found to be associated with communist symbolism have been arrested, while book confiscations have become commonplace in several cities, including Surakarta, Tegal and Grobogan in Central Java, a main base for PKI supporters. Human rights advocates say the crackdowns and raids have only cast a shadow over the ongoing nationwide reconciliation process in relation to the 1965 purge, including the symposium in April that gathered the government, victims and families of victims of the tragedy.

Ryamizard, however, was of the opinion that the symposium was but "an obscure idea" in a bid to address the 1965 issue. "I decried the symposium. There is no need to remember old and forgotten parts of our history. In fact, it was not in line with the government's main program of getting on with infrastructure development nationwide," he said.

Ryamizard also insisted that military officials had the right to crackdown on "swelling leftist symbolism", notwithstanding the fact that only the police were authorized to do so.

"The police cannot deal with this matter alone, without help from the military, which has a lot more personnel than the police," Ryamizard said.

Military observer Khairul Fahmi criticized the involvement of military officials in the crackdown on perceived expressions of communist ideals, saying that they had to focus solely on "maintaining the country's defenses to uphold [its] sovereignty".

"They are not authorized to do the police's as if they were a law enforcement institution," said Khairul, an expert from the Institute for Security and Strategic Studies, to the The Jakarta Post on Friday.

National Police chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti said on Friday that the police would take action against people who spread leftist teachings, within certain "restrictions" police officers had to observe.

"For example, if they find books allegedly containing communism, they can only take a sample of the book to give to attorneys to examine [it]," Badrodin said.

He added that anybody wanting to perform anything related with communism, such as public movie screenings, should inform local police in their region.

"We have also ordered police officers not to confiscate any books [related to communism] in campus book stores or in publisher's offices [but rather to only take samples]."

He also warned citizens against taking matters into their own hands: "We won't tolerate any parties, such as community organizations or social communities, becoming vigilantes." (mos/wnd)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/05/14/defense-minister-decries-treasonous-rise-communism.html

Anti-communist groups to stage rival symposium on 1965-66 massacres

Jakarta Globe - May 14, 2016

Jakarta – A seminar to counter the recent government-sponsored symposium on the 1965-66 anti-communist purge will be staged soon in Jakarta, leaders of anti-communist organizations in the city said on Friday (13/05).

The "National Symposium on the 1965 Tragedy" was held by the government last month to hear the country's political elite, as well as their critics and human rights activists, talk about how the Joko Widodo government should deal with what has been dubbed the worst mass killing of the 20th century.

President Joko Widodo had promised during his presidential campaign in 2014 that his government will find resolutions for past human rights abuses, the 1965-66 communist pogrom being one of them.

A military-backed purge against the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) members and its sympathizers in 1965-66 killed between 500,000 to one million suspected communists and paved the way for the rise of former President Suharto's New Order regime.

Retired army general Budi Sujana, chairman of the State Defense Movement group, said dozens of mass organizations will stage a symposium of their own on June 1-2. "We need to defend the official state ideology Pancasila. Communism has no place in this country," said Budi at Balai Kartini in Jakarta.

"Who were the real victims of the 1965 tragedy? Do you think the seven army generals buried in the Lubang Buaya well were not victims?" said Japto Soelistyo Soerjosoemarno, chairman of Pemuda Pancasila.

Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu told reporters communism is still "a latent danger," and warned that the public should refrain from unwittingly promoting the ideology by wearing or distributing communist-related accessories and memorabilia.

"Speaking as a minister, I want to keep the peace between everyone. Please, do not make any provocation by wearing or distributing communist-related memorabilia," Ryamizard said.

Overeager officers?

President Joko Widodo meanwhile has asked police chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti and the Indonesian military, or TNI, chief Gatot Nurmantyo not to overreact to the so-called resurgence of leftist ideologies and respect the principle of freedom of speech as mandated by a People's Consultative Assembly resolution released in 2013.

"Some police and military officers have been overeager in following the president's earlier instruction to keep watch on the possible spread of communism," said Presidential Palace spokesman Johan Budi SP, as quoted by state-news agency Antara.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/anti-communist-groups-stage-rival-symposium-1965-66-massacres/

Jokowi admits police, TNI overreacted to his order

Jakarta Post - May 13, 2016

Ayomi Amindoni, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has admitted that military (TNI) and police officers have overreacted to his order to uphold the law against any efforts to spread communist teachings.

The President greatly respected freedom of the press and academic freedom as essential parts of a democratic society, and therefore considered the seizing of goods with left-wing symbols as excessive, said Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung.

"Democracy is the substance of the state. So the police, as well as the military, went too far with their sweeping operations," Pramono said at the State Palace on Friday.

The President had explicitly ordered the TNI commander and National Police chief to immediately prevent their personnel from carrying out similar actions in the future, said Pramono, adding that in the democratic era, such seizures should no longer occur.

National Police chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti said earlier that the President had instructed law enforcement bodies to enforce the laws against the use of communist imagery. "That has already clearly been instructed. Law enforcement agencies will be assisted by the Indonesian Army as well," Badrodin added.

Parmono admitted that the President had indeed previously instructed both institutions to enforce the laws against the use of communist imagery. However, he said the implementation of those laws must consider human rights and freedom of expression.

"The point is that we respect the substance of the laws, but implementation in the community does not have to be excessive," he explained

Police and TNI personnel have cracked down on recent discussions and film screenings related to the 1965 tragedy, as well as vendors selling communism-related merchandise. Most recently, they raided several publishing companies in Yogyakarta to seize left-wing books. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/05/13/jokowi-admits-police-tni-overreacted-to-his-order.html

1965 symposium triggers internal rift among retired TNI officers

Rappler - May 13, 2016

Jakarta, Indonesia – The government sponsored national symposium on 1965 was held in April although reverberations over the forum, which for the first time brought together victims and perpetrators of the bloody 1965 tragedy, are still being felt to this day.

Moreover the final recommendation that is to be submitted to President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo is still being drafted by a symposium team headed by Presidential Advisory Council (Wantimpres) member Sidarto Danusubroto. According to information received by Rappler, the recommendation will be completed today.

While the recommendations have yet to be completed, the debate on the symposium which was held at the Aryaduta Hotel in Central Jakarta on April 18-19 April continues.

A debate is not just taking place among the general public but also between retired Indonesian military (TNI) officers. The reason is that retired Lieutenant General Agus Widjojo, who acted as the chair of the symposium's steering committee, is also the son of the late General Sutoyo Siswohardjo, one of the generals kidnapped and killed in 1965.

Post the symposium, there has been an internal rift among retired officers with some, instead of contributing opinions to the points in the recommendations, explicitly rejecting the symposium altogether.

One of these is Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu. Ryacudu, who graduated from the military academy in 1974, held a goodwill meeting with the Islamic Community Forum (FUI) and the Indonesian Ulama Council (MUI) at the Kartini building in South Jakarta today.

Although packaged as forum to respond to the [alleged] rise of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) following the arrest of people selling or wearing T-shirts and badges with symbols of the hammer-and-sickle, one of the issues discussed at the forum was the 1965 national symposium.

Concerns over the 1965 symposium were first raised by Retired Army Generals Association (PPAD) chairperson retired Lieutenant General Suryadi. "We are concerned about the government's position, people who rebelled are being facilitated. If the government is facilitating this, how is it being paid for?", asked Suryadi.

Suryadi alluded that 1965 symposium was more to facilitate the families of the victims of the mass killings and those who were jailed in 1965. And it was not just the symposium that was questioned, Agus Widjojo name was also mentioned.

Suryadi questioned President Widodo's decision to appoint Widjojo, a child victim of the 1965 tragedy as the governor of the National Resilience Institute (Lemhanas). "Who is he anyway?", asked Suryadi. Yet, said Suryadi, there were many other retired TNI officers who would have been better candidates than Widjojo.

FUI Secretary General Ahmad Al Khattah also sided with Suryadi criticising the security personnel that provided protection for the 1965 symposium. "Precisely because at the 65 symposium and the activities at TIM [Taman Ismail Marzuki Cultural Centre] people who sang the song Genjer-Genjer were protected by the police", he complained.

Ahmad was referring to the 2016 ASEAN Literary Festival held at TIM on May 5-8 which presented a monolog titled "The Silent Song of The Genjer Flowers" (Nyanyi Sunyi Kembang-Kembang Genjer) at one of the events.

It was after this that Ryacudu summarized the statements of his two colleagues. "This face-to-face [meeting] is very important for us who are loyal to [the state ideology] Pancasila and must be on guard against the danger of latent communism being driven by the PKI", he said.

He also called on Islamic mass organisations to join in safeguarding Pancasila and taking part in the State Defense program. "Today's threats are multi-dimensional and because of this it isn't enough for it to just be handled by the TNI", he said.

Following the event, Rappler approached Ryacudu and asked if he rejected the 1965 symposium and whether a spilt has occurred within the ranks of TNI retired officers following the symposium. "[There's only] one Pancasila, if [you're] not Pancasila, we are of dissenting views", he replied emphatically.

Ryacudu also admitted that he is not happy with how things are progressing post the symposium, namely the exhumation of mass graves being driven Coordinating Minister for Security, Politics and Legal Affairs Luhut Pandjaitan. "Specifically the exhumation of graves, if everyone gets angry what then? This isn't right", he said.

'Agus Widjojo isolated'

Prijanto, a former deputy governor of Jakarta and retired TNI officer who graduated from the military academy in 1975, says that before the 1965 symposium and the exhumation of the mass graves, the situation was calm. "That's what caused the split. Things were calm, why exhume the graves? It's not right", he said.

Moreover since the aim of the 1965 symposium was to straighten out history, according to Prijanto, there was no history that needed to be straightened out, history was already correct. "Was history indeed not straight? If you want to straighten out history, just go to the national library were the data is", he complained.

Prijanto said that Widjojo does not have any supporters among the grouping of TNI retired officers who backed him at the 1965 symposium. "Don't lump them [retired TNI officers] all together, there's not even 10 [officers] that support Pak Agus Widjojo. He's alone. Perhaps he has one friend, two people", he said.

What Widjojo and the 1965 symposium team did, said Prijanto, was opposed by most retired TNI officers. "It was opposed, it wasn't right. It was something that already didn't need to be dug up again", he said.

In addition to this, Prijanto also cites Widjojo's track record saying he has never gone along with the majority of retired TNI officers. "During the time he was an active [military officer], Pak Agus thought up the idea of dismantling the [TNI's] territorial [command structure] which employs the Babinsa, the Babinsa is the enemy of the PKI", he said.

The term Babinsa is an abbreviation of Bintara Pembina Desa, a non-commissioned officer stationed at villages and wards representing the TNI's regional military commands (Kodam).

So what is Widjojo's response to this? Speaking to Rappler, Widjojo claimed he was surprised by the odd comments made about the symposium and himself personally. "These are the words of retired officers. As soon as we become retired officer we become civilians, we are free to think and express views", he said.

Widjojo reminded his other colleagues that many retired TNI officers aside from himself have ended up joining other groups and political parties. "The evidence being that many retired officers have joined different political parties", he said.

He declined however to comment on there being a split among retired TNI officers over the 1965 symposium saying that it is natural for there to be differences of opinion.

But for how long will these differences of opinion continue? And will these differences have an impact on the final results of the symposium?

What is clear is that FUI, which has the support of Ryacudu and other TNI retired officers, have already declared a counter symposium that will be held on June 1-3. Although the venue has yet to be determined, they continue to insist that they will not accept the results, whatever they may be, from the 1965 symposium.

Notes

1. Ryamizard Ryacudu is a former army general known for his hardline stance on separatism and xenophobic remarks and criticism of rights activists. In 2001 he praised the killing of prominent Papuan independence leader Theys Eluay, saying the Kopassus soldiers who murdered him were "heroes". He is a close ally of Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chairperson Megawati Sukarnoputri and as army chief of staff during her presidency oversaw military operations in Aceh and Papua resulting in countless civilian casualties.

2. The Javanese folk song Genjer-Genjer, which tells the story of the genjer (lettuce) plant that gained popularity during times of extreme poverty due to its abundance amid high food prices, is associated with the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) affiliated women's organisation Gerwani or Women's Movement which was banned and then demonised by the Suharto's New Order dictatorship following the 1965 anti-communist purge.

3. The TNI's territorial command structure mandates the deployment of military command posts and detachments at all levels of the civil administration: provincial, district, sub- district and village. This structure provides the organisational framework for the TNI to act as a political security force at all levels of society.

[Translated by James Balowski for the Indoleft News Service. The original title of the report was "Ada gaduh dalam tubuh purnawirawan TNI soal Simposium '65".]

Source: http://www.rappler.com/indonesia/132947-purnawirawan-tni-gaduh-simposium-65

Defence minister backs move by retired TNI officers to hold anti-PKI symposium

Kompas.com - May 13, 2016

Jakarta – Retired Indonesian military (TNI) officers are planning to organise an anti-PKI (Indonesian Communist Party) symposium on July 2. The anti-PKI symposium is aimed at countering the government sponsored symposium on the 1965 tragedy in April.

The retired TNI officers claim that the April symposium did not accommodate all parties so they have decided to organise an alternative symposium.

"If you want to set things straight, it must be jointly, entirely objective, entirely open", said State Defense Movement (Gerakan Bela Negara) central leadership board chairperson retired Major General Budi Sujana at the Kartini Building in South Jakarta on Friday May 13.

"We're asking for assistance, if you want to organise (a reconciliation symposium) let's do it together, a comprehensive committee, balanced speakers", he added. Likewise with the victims, said Sujana, not just the victims after 1965 but also to delve into the causes going back to the preceding years back to 1948.

Sujana hopes various groups and parties can attend the anti-PKI symposium in order to prove that the Indonesian nation is capable of defending the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI) and the state ideology of Pancasila from being undermined by the rise of the PKI.

The retired officers plan to ask Coordinating Minister for Politics, Legal and Security Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, as a government representative, to facilitate the symposium. "If he doesn't (support it), well it means that the ones supporting them are PKI", said Sujana.

It is planned that the anti-PKI symposium will be chaired by former army deputy chief-of-staff retired Lieutenant General Kiki Syahnakri. Syahnakri has said that they are concerned that the earlier 1965 symposium was one-sided.

Syahnakri claims to have asked that the earlier symposium be postponed but it was not done. According to Syahnakri, if the symposium's ultimate aim was reconciliation then this was not achieved.

"Reconciliation is impossible if it's only one-sided. Meaning the goal of the symposium was not achieved and instead it gave rise to an extraordinary reaction such as this", said Syahnakri. "Not to mention that afterwards [they] want to [start] exhuming [mass] graves", he added.

He said however that the organisation of the anti-PKI symposium is still facing financial constraints. Nevertheless, Syahnakri claims that Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu already knows about the symposium and agrees with the plan. "Yes, [he] supports it. [He's] also supporting it financially", he said.

Notes

1. Former Army Deputy Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Kiki Syahnakri was appointed commander of the TNI in East Timor in September 1999 after pro-Jakarta militiamen went on a violent rampage in the wake of the independence vote. Along with former armed forces chief General Wiranto and six other senior generals, in February 2003 he was indicted for crimes against humanity by the joint UN-East Timor Special Crimes Unit.

2. Ryamizard Ryacudu is a former army general known for his hardline stance on separatism and xenophobic remarks and criticism of rights activists. In 2001 he praised the killing of prominent Papuan independence leader Theys Eluay, saying the Kopassus soldiers who murdered him were "heroes". He is a close ally of Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chairperson Megawati Sukarnoputri and as army chief of staff during her presidency oversaw military operations in Aceh and Papua resulting in countless civilian casualties.

[Translated by James Balowski for the Indoleft News Service. The original title of the report was "Didukung Ryamizard, Purnawirawan TNI Akan Bentuk Simposium Lawan PKI".]

Source: http://nasional.kompas.com/read/2016/05/13/15530051/Didukung.Ryamizard.Purnawirawan.TNI.Akan.Bentuk.Simposium.Lawan.PKI

Defense minister Ryacudu orders public to surrender leftist books, internet documents

Portal KBR - May 13, 2016

Jakarta – The owners of books related to communism have been asked to hand them over the government. According to Defense Minister retired General Ryamizard Ryacudu, prohibitions on such material also covers documents circulating on the internet.

"Anything that smacks of it [communism], that's enough. They're banned. So what is the law on this? This is how it'll be, there is a minister who has jurisdiction over it. I just don't want this republic to be in an uproar. As far as I'm concerned, it's like that. A warning, then hand them over. And don't do it again", asserted Ryacudu at the Defense Department's media building on Friday May 13.

The Indonesian military (TNI), which have been conducting aggressive sweeps for communist books, recently seizing the book "Hammer-and-Sickle in the Sugarcane Field" (Palu dan Arit di Ladang Tebu) by Hermawan Sulistyo. Soldiers have also raided book shops in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta and the West Java provincial capital of Bandung looking for books being sold on communism.

When four Alliance of Indigenous People (AMAN) activists were arrested on Tuesday May 10 in Ternate, North Maluku, security personnel also seized the books "The Logic of Rebellion" (Nalar yang Memberontak) and the Tempo Investigation "Lekra and Geger 1965" (Lekra dan Geger 1965). Not long ago, the Gramedia book shop chain also withdrew the Tempo series "The Leftist" (Orang Kiri) and "Memoirs from Buru Island" (Memoar Pulau Buru) from circulation.

Ryacudu claims that the TNI has the right to conduct sweeps for books on communism on the grounds that they disrupt security, citing Law Number 27/1999 on the prohibition of communist teachings, Law Number 34/2004 on the Indonesian military and Presidential Decree (PNPS) Number 4/1963 on the confiscation of printed materials whose content could disrupt public order.

Law Number 27/1999 however is a revision of the Criminal Code (KUHP) related to Article 107(a) on state security and under the Criminal Code only the police have the authority to conduct seizures.

The involvement of the TNI in assisting the police to maintain security also has to be through a political process via the president and the House of Representatives (DPR). Finally, PNPS Number 4/1963 was annulled by the Constitutional Court in 2010.

Meanwhile a group of people calling themselves the Literacy Activist Alliance held a peaceful demonstration at the Ismail Marzuki cultural centre in Central Jakarta. The alliance, which was established by Goenawan Mohamad, Yusi Avianto, Anton Kurnia and Okky Madasari, has slammed the security forces for conducting sweeps for and seizing books deemed to be related to communist ideas.

Goenawan said that the sweeps carried out be security personnel were stupid and could have been avoided.

Notes

Ryamizard Ryacudu is a former army general known for his hardline stance on separatism and xenophobic remarks and criticism of rights activists. In 2001 he praised the killing of prominent Papuan independence leader Theys Eluay, saying the Kopassus soldiers who murdered him were "heroes". He is a close ally of Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chairperson Megawati Sukarnoputri and as army chief of staff during her presidency oversaw military operations in Aceh and Papua resulting in countless civilian casualties.

[Translated by James Balowski for the Indoleft News Service. The original title of the report was "Buku Kiri, Menhan: Yang Punya, Serahkan!".]

Source: http://m.portalkbr.com/berita/05-2016/buku_kiri__menhan__yang_punya__serahkan__/81245.html

Activists lambast TNI's anticommunism campaign

Jakarta Post - May 13, 2016

Jakarta – Activists are decrying the increasing involvement of the military in Indonesian public affairs, which they say is accompanied by rampant human rights violations and attempts to prevent a feared revival of communism.

"The military doesn't have the right to arrest civilians," Alghiffari Aqsa, the director of the Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation (LBH Jakarta), said during a discussion in Jakarta on Thursday.

His comments follow an incident on May 3, when members of the 0505 East Jakarta Military District Command reportedly seized several copies of a book entitled Palu Arit di Ladang Tebu (Hammer and Sickle in the Sugar Cane Field) by Hermawan Sulistiyo from a store on Jl. Dewi Sartika in Cawang, East Jakarta. Several T-shirts featuring a hammer and sickle logo were also confiscated at the time.

Separately, in Ternate, North Maluku, the 1501 Ternate Military Command arrested four activists of the Alliance of Indigenous People (AMAN), apparently because they were in possession of books and T-shirts related to leftist movements. The activists' books were confiscated.

The Indonesian Military (TNI) was known for its dwi fungsi (dual role) concept during the New Order regime, which ended in 1998 with Soeharto stepping down from power. In that era, the TNI was commonly involved in politics and business.

In 2010, the Constitutional Court annulled the 1963 law on monitoring printed materials with content that could jeopardize public order. Hence, Alghiffari said, the military had no legal basis to seize those books.

"Under the pretext of the threat of communism they have been banning books and arresting people. Those facts show the social reality about the increasing role of the military in public and security affairs," said Gufron Mabruri from human rights watchdog Imparsial.

Gufron added that the military had signed a memorandum of understanding with several non-military institutions to extend its authority, including agreements that allowed military deployment to guard events like demonstrations and evictions and to guard public infrastructure, such as railway stations, harbors and airports. (vps/dmr)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/05/13/activists-lambast-tnis-anticommunism-campaign.html

When hammer-and-sickle symbol becomes funny memes

Jakarta Post - May 13, 2016

Jakarta – Logos bearing the hammer and sickle, recognized as a communist symbol worldwide, have suddenly become popular in Indonesia. Most of the logos have been used in jokes spread through various memes on social media.

Almost a century ago, leftist duo Vladimir Lenin and Anatoly Lunacharsky held a competition to create the first state emblem of the Soviet Union. Evgeny Ivanovich Kamzolkin won with his design of a hammer and a sickle, which represented the worker-peasant alliance of the socialist movement.

The now-defunct Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) used a similar but simpler logo, until the party was decimated by the military in 1965, marked by the purge of party members, their relatives and sympathizers nationwide.

However, recently the fear of communism has suddenly arisen, especially in the wake of the government's promise to resolve past human rights cases, including the 1965 mass killings.

Discussions on the 1965 tragedy have been disbanded, while books and T-shirts bearing the hammer and sickle logo or any related to any leftist movement have been seized.

Dewan Kesepian Jakarta Perjuangan, or the Jakarta Lonely Council of Struggle, a Facebook fan page that often parodies the famous quotes of well-known figures, has posted various memes related to the hammer and sickle, which have recently gone viral.

On May 9, it posted a picture of an actual hammer and sickle with a message that read: "Anyone who possesses a hammer and a sickle at home should destroy them lest they be accused of being a PKI member."

On the same day, the Facebook fan page posted a picture of a message that read "There are lots of hammer-and-sickle pictures on Google. The police should also seize Google!"

A parodied picture of communist symbol in the form of a picture of a razor and a comb crossed with a red background ("Indonesian Smooth Party").(Courtesy of Dewan Kesepian Jakarta Perjuangan/-)

It seems it just could not stop and went on to post several parodied pictures the day after, from a red T-shirt with a picture of a bird perched on a sickle ("Circumcision Doctor", with "bird" being slang for penis in Indonesian), a picture of a razor and a comb crossed with a red background ("Indonesian Smooth Party") and a picture of a computer mouse and a pen crossed with a red background ("Online PKI").

On May 11, it posted a comic strip with two panels, showing a little girl who was shocked at seeing a sign on a traffic light reading: "Keep going when you are turning left". She later said, "Latent danger of communism in sight!!!"

Although the tangible impact of the memes in Indonesia remains vague, scholars from RMIT University Vietnam found that memes served as a tool to empower a new form of civil engagement against the government.

Ethan Zuckerman, director of the Center for Civic Media at MIT, proposed the "Cute Cat theory" in 2008, which partly explains the meme phenomenon. Since memes are mostly simple and humorous, they do not look harmful (just like a cute cat). Hence, the government might find it hard to censor the hazard without censoring the cuteness, which could escalate public protests. (vps/bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/05/13/when-hammer-and-sickle-symbol-becomes-funny-memes.html

Fear of communism based on ignorance, expert says

Jakarta Post - May 12, 2016

Jakarta – People are afraid of communism because they do not understand it and just accept the single narrative of history provided by the government over the past 50 years, an expert has said in the wake of recent suppression of leftist activities.

Dave Lumenta, an anthropologist at the University of Indonesia (UI), said most people had no access to the country's history except through what was taught in schools.

However, those lessons just depicted the chronological order of historical events, not the cause and effect of each event, he said, adding that the history of the now-defunct Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) had also never been told.

On the other hand, Dave said the single narrative of the 1965 mass killings provided by the government had formed collective memories among people in which communists were regarded only as unconscionable atheists.

"Some parties received political legitimation after 1965, including the military. Hence, they have an interest in preserving the old narrative of 1965," Dave said on Wednesday, referring to the "Dwifungsi" (dual role) of the Indonesian Military (TNI) during the New Order era (1966-1998), with members actively involved in politics and business.

"In fact, it is going to be dangerous if the government keeps nurturing extremist right-wing movements," he added.

At the third ASEAN Literary Festival in Jakarta last week, which featured discussions on the 1965 massacre, protestors accused event organizers of seeking to promote communism and demanded the annual event be shut down. The event proceeded under police protection.

Meanwhile, the police arrested two clothing sellers in the Blok M shopping mall in South Jakarta on Sunday who were selling T-shirts of German heavy metal band Kreator. The shirts displayed a picture of the hammer and sickle logo used by communist organizations worldwide. However, the police have released them, saying that no treason or insult to the country had occurred.

"Currently, a lot of merchandise and activities reference communism. The President has given an order to take action against this," National Police chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti said at the State Palace on Tuesday.

The kidnapping and murder of six Army generals on Sept.30, 1965, led to a purge of PKI members, sympathizers and their families by the military under Soeharto's leadership. It is estimated that between 500,000 to 1 million people with any sort of leftist connections, regardless of their age or level of involvement, were massacred.

Soeharto seized power in 1966 with the controversial March 11 Indonesian Presidential Executive Order (Supersemar). The prevention of the dissemination of communism, Leninism and Marxism in Indonesia was later stipulated by a decree of the Temporary People's Consultative Assembly issued in 1966.

Setara Institute chairman Hendardi said on Wednesday that the truth-revealing process of the 1965 tragedy was often hampered by propaganda claiming it was an attempt to revive the PKI. Hence, he called on President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to not be distracted from his commitment to resolve the long-neglected case. "If the propaganda of communism's revival is still being maintained and affirmed by the government, the main victim will be civil liberties," Hendardi said.

Meanwhile, Ida Ruwaida Noor, a sociologist at UI, said the government needed to create policies that helped erase the stigma suffered by 1965 victims. Survivors and relatives of the victims were commonly stigmatized and discriminated against to this day.

"There should be a structural intervention by the state as that stigma has a historical dimension," she said. "Basically, the family, school and press could be the medium to alter the public's perspective." (vps/bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/05/12/fear-of-communism-based-on-ignorance-expert-says.html

Communist symbolism, debates spring up on social media and streets

Jakarta Globe - May 11, 2016

Jakarta – More than 50 years after the 1965 anti-communist purge, Indonesia has seen a reemergence of communist symbolism and debate through social media, pushing authorities to take serious action in preventing the propagation of communist ideas in the country.

The National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Boy Rafli Amar said law enforcers are aware of the growing phenomenon and reminded the public that anyone found propagating the forbidden ideology – communism, marxism and leninism – by law could face a maximum 12-years imprisonment sentence.

"Feel free to express [yourself], but please be aware what is prohibited," Boy told reporters on Wednesday (11/05) at the National Police headquarters.

He called on Indonesian citizens not to forward any communist propagation materials to others. "We already get the data... We are monitoring it, we prevent it [from spreading] because it can cause anxiety and conflict," Boy said.

Overreaction?

Communism has not just become a hot topic in the local social media recently, which has triggered some serious debate among netizens, but has also led to some arrests of merchandisers found selling attributes like clothing and toys resembling communist symbols.

On Monday, police arrested the owner and an employee of a store in Blok M, a major business and shopping quarter in South Jakarta, for selling a t-shirt featuring the hammer-and-sickle symbol that resembles by the long-disbanded and prohibited Indonesian Communist Party, known as PKI. The t-shirt is a memorabilia of metal band KREATOR.

Police have not been able to prove if the shop-owner was deliberately distributing banned attributes and the owner told local media they were not aware that the t-shirt featured the restricted symbol.

The banning and disbanding of events hosted by education and media institutions which discuss issues related to communism has left many on social media wondering if authorities are overreacting.

Student dialogues and even documentary film screening have been the victims of such worries by the authorities and even non-government organizations proclaiming themselves to be the guardian of Indonesia's philosophical foundation of Pancasila.

On Wednesday, members of the radical Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) disbanded a "Sekolah Marx" or "School of Marx" event hosted by the Student Press Association of Daunjati Institut Seni Budaya Indonesia (ISBI) in Bandung, West Java.

The incident was triggered by a discussion with the theme "Understanding Arts Through Karl Marx's Mind," during which an FPI member involved in the debate shouted "the unitary state of the Indonesian republic is a dead price," according to local media reports.

Last week, police raided a house party celebrating World Press Freedom Day at the Alliance of Independent Journalists, or AJI, office in Yogyakarta, as the party was to be followed by a screening of a documentary film on exiled communist writers.

Negotiations for proceeding with the party turned ugly with more threats coming after members of the so-called Children of Military and Police Veterans Forum (FKPPI) arrived at the AJI office and began shouting slogans and dispersing the crowd. No arrests were made during either incident.

Last year, a group of civic organization members assaulted a motorist for wearing a communist pin and received death threats – while police officers stood by without intervening.

Wednesday's Bandung incident caught the attention of Bandung mayor Ridwan Kamil who condemned FPI's disruption in an educational discussion. "That's not allowed [disbandment]. It's a campus. It's not any different from other ideologies. I too learned about Marx, Manuel Castels and the like," he said in his tweet.

Ulil Abshar Abdalla, the founder of the Liberal Islam Network, disputed the idea that communism is on the rise in Indonesia. "It's impossible for communist forces to rise in Indonesia. The hammer-and-sickle symbol is simply a fashion statement," he said in his tweet.

Home Affairs Minister Tjahjo Kumolo called the public to be cautious with the suspected new style of communist propaganda, with the recent cases of spreading pictures of the hammer-and-sickle not just in social media, but also in pins, clothing and hats.

"It needs to be cautiously monitored. If it is let go [just like that], it can be dangerous," he said, as quoted by Cnnindonesia.com. Still, he wondered if a third-party group had become involved in flaming the issue.

National Police Chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti had previously told local media that, as per the 1999 Law on threats to state security: "any persons violating the law in the public, be it verbal, written and or through any mediums, spreading or promoting the teaching of communism/Marxism/Lenin will be sentenced to 12 years in prison."

Police will not abuse the law, he said, and will carefully investigate potential cases before continuing with charges.

Communism, an antithesis of capitalism, was once popular in Indonesia before the 1965-66 massacre, which was triggered by a coup attempt blamed on communist supporters.

International agencies have suggested a campaign of mass killings began after the country's second president, Suharto, took power. The campaign targeted communists and alleged leftists around the country, leaving a death toll believed to be anywhere from 500,000 to 1.2 million.

During his decades long rule, Suharto continued propaganda against the evils of communism through pop culture and education. After he was toppled in 1998, Indonesia held on to its Pancasila ideology and communism remains a taboo subject.

[Writing by Muhamad Al Azhari, edited by Erin Cook.]

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/hold-for-donny-the-rise-of-communism-in-indonesia/

Government to examine mass graves of 1965 victims

Jakarta Post - May 10, 2016

Jakarta – The government plans to form a joint team to examine mass graves allegedly used to bury victims of the 1965 communist purge as part of its commitment to resolving the tragedy that has been neglected for more than 50 years.

"Soon, we want to prepare a team to inspect firsthand several mass graves reported in Pati and Wonosobo [Central Java]," Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan said in Jakarta on Monday.

Human rights activists and survivors of the tragedy went to Luhut's office on Monday for discussions and to report their knowledge of around 122 mass graves across Java and Sumatra that they say contain the bodies of at least 13,999 victims of the 1965 communist purge.

The activists and survivors are from the 1965 Murder Victims' Research Foundation (YPKP 65), the Struggle for Rehabilitation of New Order Regime Victims Association (LPR-KROB), the International People's Tribunal on the 1965 tragedy, the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta) and the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras).

Bedjo Untung, head of YPKP 65, said Luhut had also guaranteed to preserve all mass graves and prevent them from being destroyed or tampered with by hard-line groups.

Moreover, Bedjo said the number of mass graves was still not complete as the last report did not include countless mass graves in Bali, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, East Nusa Tenggara and West Nusa Tenggara.

"Furthermore, the report doesn't include the victims that were murdered and thrown into the seas and rivers during the tragedy, including the Ular River and Asahan River [in Sumatra] and the Brantas River and Bengawan Solo River [both in Java]," Bedjo said.

Quoting Luhut, Bedjo said the joint team would work together with the Attorney General's Office (AGO), the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) and archaeologists to examine the mass graves, even though there had been some obstacles thrown up by the military.

"We also asked about the establishment of a reconciliation committee under the President, but Pak Luhut said the team from his ministry would be enough," Bedjo said.

"Pak Luhut also said he had faced challenges from right-leaning groups, including the Indonesian Army, but he was still committed to resolving the case."

The kidnapping and murder of six Army generals on Sept. 30, 1965, led to a purge of communists and alleged communist sympathizers by the military under the leadership of then general Soeharto. It is estimated that between 500,000 and 1 million people were killed during the cleansing of people with any leftist connections, regardless of their age or level of involvement in left-wing movements.

Komnas HAM has launched its own investigation, but its recommendations have never been followed up by the AGO.

A national symposium organized by Komnas HAM, the Presidential Advisory Board (Wantimpres), the Press Council and several other institutions was held from April 18 to 19 to discuss and make further recommendations to the government on the mass killings.

Last year, the International People's Tribunal 1965, initiated by human rights activists, was held from Nov. 10 to 13 in The Hague, the Netherlands, on the 50th anniversary of the tragedy. Reza Muharam, a member of the tribunal, said panelists had been examining thousands of documents and were slated to announce their final results in July.

Reza also said if the final result was to state that the 1965 tragedy was a crime against humanity, the tribunal members would report it to the UN Human Rights Committee, putting further pressure on the Indonesian government.

"Then, if the government is still unwilling and unable to perform concrete actions to resolve the case, the UN could interfere by applying diplomatic pressure or establishing an international ad hoc tribunal," he said. (vps)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/05/10/government-examine-mass-graves-1965-victims.html

President blocks communist imagery

Jakarta Post - May 10, 2016

Ayomi Amindoni, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has instructed law enforcers to enforce the laws against the use of communist imagery, National Police chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti has said.

"Currently, a lot of merchandise and activities reference communism. The President has given a direction to take legal action against this," Badrodin said at the State Palace on Tuesday, adding that the prevention of the dissemination of communism, Leninism and Marxism in Indonesia was based on a decree of the Temporary People's Consultative Assembly issued in 1966.

"That has already clearly been instructed. The law enforcement will be assisted by the Indonesian Army as well," he said.

Attorney General Prasetyo added his institution would follow up any kind of indication or effort to revive communism in the country. "Efforts to promote this viewpoint must be prevented," he asserted.

Earlier, the police released two people detained for selling T-shirts of German-based trash metal band Kreator in Blok M Mall and Blok M Square in South Jakarta, which were emblazoned with the hammer and sickle, similar to the logo of the defunct Indonesian Communist Party (PKI), after finding no evidence of treason.

Meanwhile, a number of events, shows and discussions on the 1965 communist purge have been shut down since last year.

The latest controversy involved the third ASEAN Literary Festival in Jakarta last week in which protestors accused event organizers of aiming to promote communism and demanded the annual event be shut down following discussions planned on the 1965 tragedy and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) issues. The event proceeded under police protection.

Badrodin said the police would also use the Criminal Code to enforce the law related to communism, therefore, he added, the police could enforce the law against the distribution of communist imagery in the form of T-shirts and other material like movies promoting communism. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/05/10/president-blocks-communist-imagery.html

PKI issue being used to block resolution of 1965 human rights violations

Merdeka.com - May 10, 2016

Dieqy Hasbi Widhana – Following the 1965 International People's Tribunal (IPT65) in The Hague and the National Symposium on the 1966 Tragedy in Jakarta, there has been widespread arrests of people for using hammer-and-sickle symbols.

This increased after President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo asked Coordinating Minister for Politics, Security and Legal Affairs Luhut Binsar Panjaitan to find evidence of mass graves of victims of the 1965 killings.

Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) impunity monitoring division head Feri Kusuma believes there is a plot to create an unfavorable political climate in the context of resolving cases of human right violations in 1965. This is because post the 1965 symposium, there has been an escalation in arrests and the forced closure of public discussions on 1965.

"This is an effort to obstruct the real facts or truth behind the 65 affair. There is resistance from groups who we strongly suspect were involved in the crimes. There are also groups who are being paid to create an unfavorable political climate. And of course there are irresponsible groups that don't agree with the state's attempts to resolve the 1965 cases", said Feri when contacted by Merdeka.com on Monday May 9.

Feri says that there are intolerant groups who are intentionally creating fear over the rise of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) so that society is hostile to issues directly or indirectly related to the PKI.

"So the security forces should not be too repressive in responding to communist symbols. The security forces should remain neutral in resolving these issues. If there are groups that are taking the law into their own hands, just deal with these groups. These symbols only represent an ideology and are the same as the symbols of a [political] party or other organisation, right. It's only been made an issue by creating fear that the PKI is evil, anti-religion, atheist and the like", he said.

It is precisely because the issue is full of negative stereotypes about the PKI that makes the TNI (Indonesian military) and Polri (national police) so quick to prosecute people without any clear grounds. It is also exploited by intolerant groups to take the law into their own hands.

"This is because of weak law enforcement, the weakness of the security forces. So intolerant groups are increasingly free to take the law into their own hands. In the name of the state, in the name of the majority they draw conclusions that punish other people", he said. According to Feri, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo is trying to redeem himself for his failure to keep his pledge in the Nawa Cinta (Nine Priority Program), namely the resolution of past gross human rights violations. Meanwhile for Feri the problem is mutual one for Indonesia as a nation so it has to be shouldered together.

"I've checked with victims, no victims have ever printed T-shirts with pictures of the hammer-and-sickle. Most of the victims of 65 aren't political party cadres, they're people who were accused of being in the PKI political party in the past", he said.

Feri also explained that on Monday May 9 he managed to meet with Panjaitan at his office. During the meeting Feri raised the issue where the security forces and [sections of] society have indicated their resistance to resolving past human rights violations. This has been demonstrated in sweeps for and the prosecution of people wearing hammer-and-sickle symbols. "Pak Luhut said he would guarantee the security of all victims", he said.

Feri explained that the issue of the 1965 cases is not an issue of the reemergence of the PKI. There is no party issue there. Rather it represents a problem of the victims who suffered as a result of past political conflicts.

"This is simply a humanitarian problem were there were people who became victims of power during the New Order regime [of former President Suharto]. What the victims are asking for is the state taking responsibility for resolving [past] human rights violations. We want them to be resolved through a legal process, either in the courts or outside the courts, by consistently prioritising human rights values. Particularly the rights of victims". [eko]

[Translated by James Balowski for the Indoleft News Service. The original title of the report was "Marak isu kebangkitan PKI untuk jegal penuntasan kasus HAM 1965".]

Source: http://www.merdeka.com/peristiwa/marak-isu-kebangkitan-pki-untuk-jegal-penuntasan-kasus-ham-1965.html

Band members arrested for singing PKI associated folk-song Genjer-Genjer

Metro TV News - May 9, 2016

Nurul Hidayat, Mojokerto - Five members of a local band called Mesin Sampink in East Java have been arrested by the Mojokerto municipal police for playing the song Genjer-Genjer during a music performance.

Speaking on Monday May 9 Mojokerto city police chief Nyoman Budiarja said that police had closed down the concert on Sunday May 8 because one of the bands played the song Genjer-Genjer which is identified with the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI).

"[According to] initial information they sang the song five times at concerts they've played. This includes a concert at Waduk Tanjungan in Pagerluyung, at their friend's wedding and twice during a reggae musical concert at GOR Seni Majapahit", said Budiarja.

Budiarja added that police have also found a video documentary of Mesin Sampink at a concert in Waduk Tanjungan. In the video, which was uploaded to YouTube on August 1, 2015 the band also sang the song Genjer-Genjer.

According to band members, the song Genjer-Genjer sounded good and was compatible with being re-arranged to a reggae beat. However they claimed that they did not know that the song was identified with the PKI and only know of the song from a friend.

"The song was re-arranged with reggae music and they presented it at concerts on the grounds that there are several bands that sing the song on YouTube", he said.

The Mesin Sampink band members arrested were vocalist AFS (22) from Soko, guitarist JM (28) from Sooko, drummer JP (28) from Prajurit Kulon, guitarist OS (27) from Soko and base player RO (22) from Trowulan along with concert committee organiser BJH (45) from Sooko.

The reggae musical concert at GOR Seni Majapahit in Mojokerto city on Sunday evening was forcibly closed down at 9pm after Mesin Sampink played the song Genjer-Genjer.

"Yes, there was a song played by one of the bands that wasn't in line with their (the police) wishes, the song Genjer-Genjer", one of the committee members Defy told journalists.

Defy said that he regretted that police has acted repressively because the reggae musical concert was just for simple entertainment and to appreciate the creativity of local musicians. (SAN)

Notes

The Javanese folk song Genjer-Genjer, which tells the story of the genjer (lettuce) plant that gained popularity during times of extreme poverty due to its abundance amid high food prices, is associated with the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) affiliated women's organisation Gerwani or Women's Movement which was banned and then demonised by the Suharto's New Order dictatorship following the 1965 anti-communist purge.

[Translated by James Balowski for the Indoleft News Service. The original title of the report was "Personel Band Ditangkap karena Nyanyikan Genjer-genjer".]

Source: http://jatim.metrotvnews.com/peristiwa/JKR4RPxb-personel-band-ditangkap-karena-nyanyikan-genjer-genjer

Police question two over sale of T-shirts with hammer-and-sickle

Detik News - May 9, 2016

Mei Amelia, Jakarta – The Kebayoran Baru sectoral police have questioned a clothing trader in the Block M shopping district of South Jakarta for selling T-shirts with pictures of the hammer-and-sickle.

Based on the results of the questioning, no indications were found that the trader was spreading treason (maker).

"For the moment it's just being investigated, there are no indications of maker, according to his confession he didn't know anything and there was no word PKI [Indonesian Communist Party] on it, just a picture of a hammer-and-sickle", Kebayoran Baru sectoral police commander Ary Purwanto told Detik.com on Monday May 9.

Police secured six T-shirts from the trader with the word 'KREATOR' on which was found the hammer-and-sickle picture. According to the trader, he has been selling the T-shirts at his shop for the last three months.

"According to the trader, the T-shirts didn't sell. They've been there (on sale) for around three months", Purwanto said.

According to the owner, the T-shirts were bought from the internet. "He got them from the internet, there is a musical group 'Kreator' on the internet. But we don't know if the musical group exists or not", he continued.

Purwanto could not confirm whether or not there was a link between the sale of the T-shirts and information circulating related to the anniversary of the birth of the PKI.

"We haven't found any indications in that direction. The owner also doesn't know because it was just a picture of a hammer-and-sickle, there was no word PKI", he said. He added that police secured the T-shirts in order to follow up on information circulating on social media.

"Of course, that is precisely why were we able to secure those two people it was because we searched for info circulating on medsos [social media], whether or not if fulfilled the elements [of a crime] or not. This is just a case of T-shirts with pictures of a hammer-and-sickle but they didn't know", he explained.

The two people, an employee and trader at Block M on Jl Melawai in Kebayoran Baru, were taken to the Kebayoran Baru sectoral police because they were selling T-shirts with pictures of a hammer-and-sickle on the afternoon of Sunday May 8. (mei/fdn)

[Translated by James Balowski for the Indoleft News Service. The original title of the report was "Polisi Minta Keterangan Penjual Kaus Bergambar Palu Arit, Belum Ada Indikasi Makar".]

Source: https://news.detik.com/berita/3205550/polisi-minta-keterangan-penjual-kaus-bergambar-palu-arit-belum-ada-indikasi-makar

KSPI trade union leader warns against PKI communist infiltration

Bekasi Media - May 9, 2016

Confederation of Indonesian Trade Unions (KSPI) labour activist Iswan Abdullah A Siata is paying close attention to the communist movement that has begun to reemerge in Indonesia of late.

"We must keep our eyes and ears open in order to prevent PKI [Indonesian Communist Party] cadre from infiltrating all kinds of organisations particularly the political parties, the labour movement, farmers, fishing communities, mass organisations, students and non-government organisations", Iswan told Bekasi Media on Monday May 9.

Iswan also highlighted the position of the government and the legislator which he believes are weak and soft on cadre and communist ideology.

According to the KSPI national leadership board member, signs of this can be seen from the positions taken by Coordinating Minister for Politics, Legal and Security Affairs Luhut Binsar Panjaitan and People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) speaker Zulkifli Hasan.

"Their positions are strongly suspected to be thanks to lobbying by people who are suspected to be PKI cadre or sympathisers who are also suspected of starting to mushroom inside the government, parliament and political parties", revealed Iswan who also holds the position of vice president on the Indonesian Metal Trade Workers Federation's (FSPMI) central leadership board (DPP).

In the end, according to Iswan, the last bastion against the spread of communist and PKI ideology is the TNI (Indonesian military), the Islamic and other religious communities, along with nationalists and students who are ready to uphold the state ideology of Pancasila, the 1945 Constitution and the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI). (eas)

[Translated by James Balowski for the Indoleft News Service. The original title of the report was "Aktivis Buruh KSPI Ajak Seluruh Elemen Waspadai Penyusupan Kader PKI".]

Source: http://www.bekasimedia.com/aktivis-buruh-kspi-ajak-seluruh-elemen-waspadai-penyusupan-kader-pki/

Anti-communist propaganda being exploited to restrict freedom of expression

Kompas.com - May 9, 2016

Jakarta – Setara Institute for Democracy and Peace chairperson Hendardi believes that the recent spate of propaganda about the rise of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI), which is being linked to activities such as film screenings, discussions and book publications, is in fact aimed at creating a negative influence on government efforts to resolve the 1965 tragedy.

Hendardi said that this effort is being carried out by certain parties to play people off against each other and counter the state's interest in moves at reconciliation, along with justifying broad limits on civil freedoms.

"The spread of this PKI stigma against various activities has already given rise to hatred among people against efforts at a persuasive dialogue and solution to the fulfillment of the rights of victims of the 1965 affair", said Hendardi in a written statement on Monday May 9.

According to Hendardi, it is odd that the TNI (Indonesian military) and Polri (national police) believe that the PKI is rising up again when they have intelligence that can provide accurate information on the phenomena behind various attempts to restrict and persecute freedom of expression, opinion and association that have occurred over the last three months.

He said that broader society has doubts about the alleged reemergence of communist ideology in Indonesia. "The ordinary people actually have doubts about the propaganda on the rise of the PKI bearing in mind the construction of Indonesia's constitutional state that is becoming progressively more democratic", said Hendardi.

On the other hand he continued, it is impossible for the PKI as a political party to be reestablished in Indonesia. The TNI and Polri's mind set of reproducing this propaganda only shows that their intelligence networks are not working.

Or it could also be that it is precisely because it is the TNI that is part of the groups that reject efforts by civil society to push for the truth to be revealed.

"This situation is clearly counter-productive to democracy and the advance of HAM [human rights]. Moreover the comments by Indonesian Defense Minister [retired General Ryamizard Ryacudu] are not cooling things down but instead spreading hatred and reinforcing social segregation", he said.

Hendardi continued by asserting that the victims of this propaganda are not just the victims of the 1965 mass killings but citizen's basic freedoms. Moreover those who are not even discussing the issue of the PKI are persecuted with the same stigma.

Therefore President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo must immediately take a stand on plans to put together a scheme to resolve pass human rights violations so that the dynamics of social cohesion are not destroyed by this baseless propaganda.

[Translated by James Balowski for the Indoleft News Service. The original title of the report was "Isu Kebangkitan PKI Diembuskan untuk Gagalkan Penyelesaian Kasus 1965?".]

Source: http://nasional.kompas.com/read/2016/05/09/17573661/Isu.Kebangkitan.PKI.Diembuskan.untuk.Gagalkan.Penyelesaian.Kasus.1965.

Sexual & domestic violence

DPR pushes government to introduce sex-ed to combat rape culture

Jakarta Post - May 14, 2016

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – Calls are mounting for the government to introduce sex education into schools nationwide with the legislature throwing its support behind the cause, as anger and frustration grows within the nation over a series of gang rapes.

The House of Representatives (DPR) believes addressing the root of the sexual violence problem against Indonesian women as most important. Sexual violence is believed to have stemmed from the hierarchy of gender relations based on traditional norms, where masculinity is deemed more superior than femininity – associated with female domestication and "powerlessness".

Sociologist CJ Pascoe showed in her field research in an American high school that to assure their masculinity and heterosexuality, boys show dominance over girls bodies by "rituals of getting girls" (or having a girlfriend), "rituals of touch" (ranging from flirtation to assault-like interactions) and "sex-talk" (sharing stories about their sexual adventures and exercising dominance over girls' bodies to affirm their masculinity).

"Violence is a cultural problem, so children have to be taught on how to respect their opposite gender," lawmaker Eva Kusuma Sundari of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) told The Jakarta Post on Friday. Therefore, she will push Culture and Education Minister Anies Baswedan to include sex education in the national curriculum.

"It's a problem of mind-set, so in order to change it, we have to have an institutionalized effort, which is education," Eva, who is also vice chair of the ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights, said.

The public has been shocked by recent reports of the gang rape and murder of Yuyun, a 14-year-old girl, in Bengkulu by 14 males, seven of whom are still underage. The revelation of Yuyun's case has led to reports of similar cases emerging in other parts of the country.

Amid public outcry, the government recently revealed its plan to introduce life imprisonment and death penalty to rapists, with a maximum of 15 years' imprisonment, because of the current law's leniency. The government is also mulling over punishing rapists with chemical castration. However, the plan is too reactive, as opposed to addressing the root of the problem, Eva said.

Last year's Global Review on Emerging Evidence, Lesson, and Practice in Comprehensive Sexuality Education by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) highlighted that children between 10 and 14 years marked a significant transition period for young adolescents. This transition period determines attitudes and behaviors according to gender-related norms.

"There's a momentum. Anies need to stand up and say this is what I've done to prevent rapes," Eva said. The Asia Foundation's Indonesia representative, Sandra Hamid, also shares the same sentiment. "Women's rights has to start from education," she said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/05/14/dpr-pushes-govt-introduce-sex-ed-combat-rape-culture.html

Government to submit regulation on sexual violence to House next week

Jakarta Post - May 13, 2016

Ayomi Amindoni, Jakarta – The government, spurred by a recent sexual abuse case, will submit a regulation in lieu of law (Perppu) on sexual violence against children that contains harsher punishments for perpetrators to the House of Representatives next week, an official said on Friday.

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo had urged the Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister Puan Maharani, Justice and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly and Social Minister Khofifah Indar Parawansa to complete the Perppu before Jokowi's visit to Bali on Saturday, Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung said.

"Because of the urgency of the issue for the public we will give extraordinary attention to creating a deterrent effect against perpetrators. The government is very serious about handling the matter," Pramono told journalists in the State Palace on Friday.

The Perppu will impose a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment and additional punishments of chemical castration and chip implants on people convicted of sexual abuse of children.

The government expected the Perppu would be ready to be submitted to the House on May 18 to 20, Pramono said. The President also hoped for the lawmakers would pass the Perppu in addition to a bill on violence against women proposed by the government that was a priority in the House's National Legislation Program (Prolegnas).

The House had declared itself reluctant to deliberate over a bill to prevent such crimes, arguing the lawmakers were still busy with other "urgent bills".

Jokowi ordered on Tuesday that sexual abuse of children must be categorized as an extraordinary crime and extraordinary efforts must be undertaken to prevent it. The concerns were raised because of the rape and murder of a 14-year-old student in Bengkulu in early April. (rin)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/05/13/govt-to-submit-regulation-on-sexual-violence-to-house-next-week.html

Political parties & elections

Jokowi calls for political unity at Golkar congress opening

Jakarta Globe - May 15, 2016

Jakarta – President Joko Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, and Vice President Jusuf Kalla attended the opening of Golkar Party's extraordinary congress in Nusa Dua, Bali, on Saturday evening (14/05) on the invitation of current party chairman Aburizal Bakrie.

During the opening ceremony, Jokowi addressed the importance of cooperation between all stakeholders to advance in the current era of global competition.

"Once again, we should be united, fighting the battle, competing together against other nations. It is impossible for us to fight among ourselves," Jokowi said, as quoted in a statement.

The president also reminded party elites to create a positive and productive environment on the national political stage, to resolve the various issues they are currently facing.

"Indonesia needs unity. Don't let our politics to be filled with unnecessary debate, unproductive competition, or ideological debates," the president said.

Jokowi reiterated the government's focus on accelerating infrastructure development, as one of the means to unite the nation. He added that he seeks to ensure the completion of these projects during his term as president.

In conclusion, the president officially opened the congress with a wish for Golkar to be a party inspired to work towards national prosperity.

Among those present were House of Representatives Speaker Ade Komarudin, Regional Council Speaker Irman Gusman, People's Representative Council Deputy Speaker Oesman Sapta Odang, Justice Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan and several cabinet ministers.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/jokowi-calls-political-unity-golkar-congress-opening/

Committee to probe alleged bribery prior to Golkar congress

Jakarta Post - May 11, 2016

Erika Anindita Dewi, Jakarta – The Golkar Party's ethics committee will organize a hearing on Thursday to investigate the alleged bribery of regional party officials by a chairman candidate.

"Earlier on Tuesday, our officials uncovered a meeting between AK, a chairman candidate, and West Kalimantan regional executive board members," ethic committee chairman Fadel Muhammad said on Tuesday.

The 40-member committee started its work last Saturday by monitoring the movements of chairman candidates toward voters that include leaders of the party's provincial, regency and mayoral chapters and the executives of Golkar's organizational wings.

A source said the meeting between AK and the regional leaders took place in the middle of campaign trips on Tuesday.

Bambang Soesatyo, a member of Ade Komarudin's campaign team, denied that his candidate was involved in bribery. "There was no bribery and there was no meeting. I guarantee that. Prove it or we will take legal measures against this slander," Bambang told thejakartapost.com on Tuesday.

The party's steering committee in charge of the congress and the chairman candidates are currently in Surabaya to regulate the campaign for regional boards based in Java and Kalimantan.

The ethics committee has prepared a report on the "closed" hearing and has summoned all related parties. The committee said it had obtained a photograph of the meeting.

Aside from the discovery on Tuesday, the committee has also examined a report on alleged bribery in East Java orchestrated by another chairman candidate, Fadel said. He said the committee would handle the reports carefully ahead of Golkar's national congress.

Eight Golkar politicians are running in the chairmanship race, namely current House Speaker Ade Komarudin, former house speaker and Golkar's faction chief at the House of Representatives Setya Novanto, Golkar's faction secretary Azis Syamsuddin, seasoned politician Priyo Budi Santoso, People's Consultative Assembly Deputy Chairman Mahyudin, legislator Airlangga Hartarto, politician Indra Bambang Utoyo, and South Sulawesi Governor Syahrul Yasin Limpo.

The ethics committee will soon deliver an official statement on its decision and the parties involved in the alleged bribery, said Lawrence Siburian, the committee's secretary. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/05/11/committee-to-probe-alleged-bribery-prior-to-golkar-congress.html

Fahri call on PKS president to resign

Jakarta Post - May 10, 2016

Jakarta – An internal dispute at the Muslim-based Prosperous Justice Party has intensified with ousted lawmaker Fahri Hamzah calling for party president Sohibul Iman to step down from his post.

Fahri alleges that Sohibul has failed in his role as a House of Representatives member because he has been distracted by his duties as the party's chief executive.

"I suggest he resign as the party's president so that he can focus on his legislative duty. Currently as lawmaker, he seldom attends meetings," Fahri said on Monday.

Fahri was annoyed because Sohibul and two other party executives, Hidayat Nur Wahid, currently the People's Consultative Assembly deputy speaker, and Surahman Hidayat, the House's Ethics Council (MKD) chairman, did not show up to the South Jakarta District Court for a mediation hearing earlier on Monday. This was the second mediation attempt, after the three also failed to show up to the first one. They said they had been busy with their own routines as politicians.

"I'm also busy with my schedule as House deputy speaker, but I canceled several things to attend the hearing. They have shown poor attitudes in this matter," Fahri said.

Tense relations started after the PKS' central executive board decided to dismiss Fahri from the party membership and replace him as deputy speaker with Ledia Hanifa Amalia.

Besides publicly criticizing the PKS leadership, Fahri also filed a report against Sohibul, Hidayat and Surahman with the MKD for dismissing him without legal basis and for violating electronic information and transactions (ITE) regulations by publishing a release about the dismissal. "It means they have ruined my reputation," he said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/05/10/national-scene-fahri-call-pks-president-resign.html

Golkar to mend ties with President Jokowi

Jakarta Post - May 10, 2016

Margareth S. Aritonang and Apriadi Gunawan, Jakarta/Medan – The bitter experience of being in the opposition camp over the past two years has pushed all candidates vying to be the next Golkar chairman to vow allegiance to President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo.

A series of debates that kicked off on Sunday in Medan, North Sumatra, in front of the party's local executives turned into a choir of support for the government, a stance that has been taken by the party after a reconciliation process earlier this year.

The party had been split into two factions, led by Aburizal Bakrie and Agung Laksono, following Aburizal's insistence on keeping his leadership and opposing Jokowi's administration after the 2014 presidential election.

House of Representatives Speaker Ade Komarudin emphasized that the ideology of Golkar was working to bring prosperity to the people, which, according to him, was why the party should continue to support Jokowi's administration. He assured those concerned that Golkar would continue on this track under his leadership.

"We are a part of the government," said Ade, adding that Golkar should work together with the government to improve the lot of the people.

Another strong contender in the race, Setya Novanto, told the audience, "I will cooperate with Jokowi if elected chairman".

The 156 eligible voters from throughout Sumatra did not see any significant difference between Ade, Setya and the other hopefuls – Airlangga Hartarto, Mahyudin, Priyo Budi Santoso, Aziz Syamsuddin, Indra Bambang Utoyo and Syahrul Yasin Limpo – in terms of vision.

The lack of quality programs presented by the hopefuls seemed to reflect the pessimism expressed by several party members, many of whom questioned the seriousness of the debates.

Long before the committee in charge of the leadership race set up the formal debates to scrutinize the quality of candidates, each of the candidates had met with all eligible voters respectively in order to try and secure their votes.

Competing campaign teams accused each other of bribing voters, and several candidates were seen openly distributing money to their audience during their visits to the regions.

The deputy head of Golkar's regional office in North Sumatra, M. Hanafiah Harahap, admitted that some candidates had approached regional leaders throughout the province long before the formal gathering on Monday, but assured that none of the 34 eligible voters in the area had engaged in vote-selling.

In addition to vote-buying, power struggles between party elites have also tainted Golkar's leadership election.

Despite the dream of a fresh face to reform the party, the influence of old figures such as Vice President Jusuf Kalla and Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan are still clearly felt in Golkar.

Party members have made statements to the public signaling that the upcoming leadership race is a competition between Kalla and Luhut, who works as a surrogate for President Jokowi.

While some politicians preferred to keep things behind the curtain, quietly saying that Kalla was supporting Ade, others went public, accusing Luhut of using his power to endorse Setya. Luhut has denied the allegation and only said that he "liked" Setya as an old party fellow.

Some members, such as Ahmad Doli Kurnia Tandjung, blatantly pointed the finger at Luhut, while some others, such as leadership hopeful Aziz Syamsuddin, employed a softer approach to plant suspicion in the public.

"I hope it's just rumor. The competition will run smoothly without any intervention from old interests," he said on the sidelines of the debate on Monday.

Although eight candidates have registered to compete in the race, the election day is expected to see Ade and Setya go face-to-face for control of the party.

Siti Zuhro, an analyst from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), encouraged Golkar members to use the upcoming national congress to realize the change they have been aspiring for.

"It is a test to see whether Golkar can reform itself by breaking with the old tradition, which includes vote-buying and transactional politics," she said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/05/10/golkar-mend-ties-with-president-jokowi.html

Journalism & press freedom

Short stories, poems getting scarce in printed media

Jakarta Post - May 8, 2016

Jakarta – Literary forms like the short story and the poem nowadays feature less and less in printed media because of market conditions, an artist says.

"Literary magazines and journals are practically non-existent in this country or at least have lost their importance. It clearly shows our apathetic attitude toward literature," Poet Nirwan Dewanto said at the 2016 ASEAN Literary Festival on Sunday.

It was rare to find printed media that still featured researched works, he said, adding some publications still existed such as Horizon Literature Magazine and Koran Tempo. "However, Horizon magazine is difficult to find in the market," Nirwan asserted.

As mediums decreased publishing short stories and poetry, the situation became more difficult, Nirwan said. He added many of the young writers had moved to social media and personal blogs, adding they had their own authority and could communicate directly with readers but still lacked mediation.

"Our literary works in the last two decades have reached readers without the mediation of critical review and academics," Nirwan said.

In the digital era, many newspapers struggle to retain circulation numbers, and they need to accommodate more advertisements and cut pages for efficiency purposes to keep running, Nirwan asserted.

"Newspapers are about business; the profit drives it. So we should cut whatever pages or columns that do not bring in money," he said. "Keep the business pages because it is good money, maintain the sports pages but kill the literary pages," The Jakarta Post Editor in Chief admitted.

However, journalism and literature have a close relationship as many writers came from journalism backgrounds such as Leila S. Chudori and Okky Madasari. "Literature is the older sister of journalism because research came long before journalism, where even journalism is described as literature in a hurry," Endy said. (vps/anh/dan)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/05/08/short-stories-poems-getting-scarce-in-printed-media.html

Internet & social media

Netflix confuses Indonesian censorship agency

Jakarta Post - May 11, 2016

Anton Hermansyah, Jakarta – The Movie Censorship Agency (LSF) has admitted to being confused about censoring content on US-based streaming movie provider Netflix, because of a legal basis of obsolete regulations.

The 2009 Law on Film Censorship only mentions imported movies as an object of censorship policy. Netflix is at ambiguous case, as it does not run a movie importing business, said LSF chairman Ahmad Yani Basuki.

"Honestly, we are confused. Those movies are broadcast in Indonesia by a foreign company using servers located in foreign countries. Common movie media such as celluloid, CDs and DVDs are clear enough, but Netflix is not," he told thejakartapost.com in Jakarta on Monday.

Therefore, Yani said, he expected the Communications and Information Ministry and the Culture and Education Ministry to soon issue new regulations on internet-based movie providers. Both ministries had previously promised to issue regulations on Netflix-like services by June.

"We are currently waiting for the new regulations to come out. Hopefully, there will be a clear category regarding Netflix," he said. However, Yani underlined that adding streaming-movies to the LSF's duties would create a new problem for the agency, as it lacked human resources.

The LSF consists of 17 commissioners and 45 censorship professionals. But currently there are only 16 commissioners and 33 censorship professionals. It takes a day for the agency to censor one movie and another one or two days for the administration process.

"If we are assigned to censor Netflix' contents, we probably will have to add more resources," Yani said. (ags)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/05/11/netflix-confuses-indonesian-censorship-agency.html

Health & education

Mental patients continue to be shackled

Jakarta Post - May 10, 2016

Jambi – A considerable number of residents suffer from mental disorders in Merangin regency, Jambi, with local health agency data listing 205 people with psychiatric disorders across the province.

"However, the majority are shackled and have not received proper treatment," said Merangin Health Agency health promotion services head Erlangga on Monday.

"In fact, the number of people with mental disorders may be higher than the reported figure," he added.

He said his office would continue the free-shackle mental patient program initiated by the Jambi administration, but was still constrained by funding.

The Merangin administration did not set aside funds for the program this year.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/05/10/islands-focus-mental-patients-continue-be-shackled.html

Terrorism & religious extremism

Police denies death of terror suspect Siyono was murder

Jakarta Post - May 12, 2016

Jakarta – A panel holding an ethics hearing on the case of two Densus 88 counterterrorism squad members involved in the arrest of terror suspect Siyono has ruled that the agents only breached procedure.

The panel rejected allegations that the Densus 88 agents had engaged in torture and violence that led to Siyono's death, National Police spokesperson Brig. Gen. Boy Rafli Amar said.

"We see no indication of deliberate murder. They [Densus 88 members] were on duty [during the incident]," Boy was quoted as saying by kompas.com on Thursday.

Siyono's death was accidental due to the negligence of Densus 88 agents in guarding Siyono in the car, in which the terror suspect was being transported unrestrained, Boy said.

Two Densus 88 members, identified only as Adj. Sr. Comr. T and Insp. H, will be punished for violating procedure stipulated in a National Police chief decree during the arrest of Siyono. The two agents will be demoted and are required to apologize to their superiors.

They will be transferred from Densus 88, with Adj. Sr. Comr. T and Insp. H to serve for four years with other units.

Not only did Densus 88 breach procedure and transport the suspect unrestrained, the investigation noted that there was another violation in that more agents should have escorted Siyono when he was transported by car.

Meanwhile, Muhammadiyah central board and Siyono's family plan to report the two Densus 88 members to the police, accusing them of murder. "We will accept the complaint. However, in this case all will be sent to police investigators to collect corroborating evidence," Boy said.

Siyono, thought to be a leader of Neo Jamaah Islamiyah (JI), was escorted by only two Densus 88, one who drove and one who sat beside him, inside the car en route to the alleged location of the group's weapons cache.

He died under suspicious circumstances while in Densus 88 custody four days after his arrest. Reports say his body was covered in wounds and bruises, including on his head, raising suspicions that police abuse had led to his death. (afr/dmr)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/05/12/police-denies-death-of-terror-suspect-siyono-was-murder.html

Indonesian summit to promote 'renovated' Islam in challenge to global jihadism

Sydney Morning Herald - May 8, 2016

Jewel Topsfield, Cirebon – It's hard to know for certain what a Muslim saint who was born in 1448 might have looked like, but for a reasonable price you can wear his portrait on a T-shirt.

Kiosks outside the pilgrimage site devoted to Sunan Gunungjati in Cirebon, West Java, do a brisk trade selling tourist apparel along with flower petals, fragrant incense and canisters to scoop holy water.

Inside his mausoleum is a riot of sound and colour. There are gravestones spray-painted silver, a dusty chandelier, models of blue shrimps – Cirebon's nickname is Prawn Town – and walls decorated with porcelain plates.

Sunan Gunungjati was one of the Wali Songo, or nine saints, credited with spreading Islam across Java in the 15th and 16th centuries. Pilgrims might visit his tomb to seek help finding a soulmate or with a financial problem, says Muhammad Jadul Maula, who runs an Islamic cultural school in Yogyakarta.

"They sometimes ask the Wali Songo to say a prayer to God about their problems. They believe Wali Songo are saints, close to God, and it is hoped their prayers will be answered," he says.

Sunan Gunungjati used wayang puppetry, a Hindu art form, to spread the word of Islam. This was typical of the Wali Songo, who embraced cultural practices from pre-existing faiths in their proselytising, including kapitayan, the ancient religion of Java.

This syncretism is part of what gives the Islam of Indonesia, known as Islam Nusantara, its unique flavour. It is also considered heresy by some Muslims, such as those who espouse the ultra-conservative brand of Sunni Islam known as Salafism or Wahhabism.

Wahhabists oppose the veneration of saints and pilgrimages to tombs, which they see as idolatry. Saudi Arabia – where this puritanical brand of Islam originated and has official status – has even demolished the tombs of companions of the Prophet Muhammad in the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.

"Muslims are not allowed to idolise anyone," says Irfan Awwas, head of the executive board of the Wahhabi-inspired Indonesian Mujahideen Council. "(Pilgrims) pray to dead people. They idolise the Wali Songo."

The influence of Wahhabi teaching, funded by Saudi money, is spreading in Indonesia – six satellite TV stations promote its theology 24/7. But if anything, pilgrimage to the Wali Songo shrines is more popular than ever, in part due to government promotion of the sites as tourist destinations.

"Visiting tombs is an old tradition in Indonesia, so it is difficult to attack this tradition," Jadul Maula says.

A couple of years ago a tomb was bombed in Yogyakarta, with the word kafir (infidel) scrawled across the tombstone. "What is interesting is that people immediately realised it was a provocation," Jadul Maula says. "Now more people go to the tomb."

Many Indonesians believe the legacy of the Wali Songo is Islam Nusantara, a pluralistic, tolerant form of Islam that inspired the nation's founders to establish a multi-religious state in 1945.

This week the largest Islamic civil group in the world – Indonesia's Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) – will host a two-day international summit of Muslim leaders in Jakarta. The summit, attended by 300 Muslim leaders from more than 30 countries, is part of NU's global campaign to promote Islam Nusantara as an antidote to extremist ideology and jihadism.

NU's Supreme Council general secretary, Yahya Cholil Staquf, believes the event will be historic because it will discuss frankly the links between terrorism and Islam.

Yahya, whose family has produced kiai (Islamic scholars) for generations, is shocked by the argument often presented in the West that Islam has nothing to do with extremism and terrorism.

He says provisions within fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) allow for slavery and executions. It is from these medieval interpretations of Islam that the so-called Islamic State and al-Qaeda draw justification for their actions.

"If we may implement without questioning any provision of fiqh... then we may... butcher people according to the rules of fiqh that still exist today," Yahya says. "This is a problem."

NU is pushing for a debate about how literal interpretations of Islamic law – relevant at the time of the Prophet Muhammad – can be revised to reflect contemporary society.

There is a heightened urgency to this battle of ideas given that IS claimed responsibility for a terror attack in Central Jakarta in January which killed eight people. "We want to encourage people to acknowledge the problem honestly and stop denying it," Yahya says.

Hajriyanto Thohari, an executive board member of Muhammadiyah, Indonesia's second-largest Islamic civil organisation, believes this linkage of Islam and terrorism is simplistic.

Muhammadiyah promotes a "modernist" view of Islam, rejecting customary Indonesian rituals such as tahlilan, the prayers for the dead recited at deceased people's homes. "The root of terrorism is injustice in politics and the economy," Hajriyanto says.

He argues that Malaysia is a state based on Islam, where the Koran is interpreted literally. "Why is there no terrorism in Malaysia? Because the Malaysian government is successful in providing economic justice, it has a good political system where Islam is the official religion but non-Muslims can be in the government, the military etc."

Hajriyanto says Indonesia's founding fathers failed to offer a clear explanation to the country's Muslim community of their decision to adopt Pancasila, a state ideology of five founding principles. The first of these principles was monotheism, and Pancasila recognised six official religions – including Islam – in a secular democratic state.

"The majority of Indonesians see that it shows the great heart of Indonesian Muslims, it shows Indonesian Muslims' tolerance, but some small groups see it as the defeat of Islam," Hajriyanto says. "And these small groups are very noisy. They are the ones who are today voicing the need for a caliphate."

The idea of Islam possessing a distinct Indonesian identity provokes fierce debate. During celebrations to mark Isra and Miraj (the Prophet Muhammad's Night Journey to Jerusalem and then heaven) at the presidential palace last year, a university professor sparked controversy when he recited 15 verses of the Koran to a Javanese melody.

The Council of Indonesian Ulama (MUI), Indonesia's peak body of Islamic scholarship, denounced the recitation as "an embarrassment for Indonesia", saying the Koran was revealed in Arabic and had to be read according to that language's tradition.

But the recitation was defended by Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin, who said it preserved Indonesia's traditions and spread the teaching of Islam through the country.

A month later the Islam Nusantara campaign received an enormous boost when President Joko Widodo, known as Jokowi, described it as a force to counter extremism.

Jokowi said leaders of other countries often expressed surprise that people in Indonesia – an overwhelmingly Muslim country with a population of 250 million – lived safely with mutual tolerance. "Thanks be to God, our Islam is Islam Nusantara, which is full of respect, courtesy and tolerance," he added.

But conservative Islamic groups see Islam Nusantara as deviant and an attempt to localise Islam, which they argue is a universal faith with one God, one Koran and one messenger.

"Islam Nusantara is not Islam because [it] believes that it is different to Islam in [the] Arab [world]," says Awwas. "[Islamic State] are angry at the liberals such as Islam Nusantara for ignoring Islamic teachings. But the way they react is wrong because it shows their misunderstanding of Islamic teachings.

"Meanwhile Islam Nusantara is just the same, because they see other Muslims as terrorists. My conclusion is that both IS and Islam Nusantara are equally evil, because both of them are damaging the image of Islam."

Every Christmas, Ansor – the youth wing of NU – deploys its paramilitary unit to provide security outside churches. Its general chairman, Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, hopes it can inspire similar acts of interfaith co-operation on a global level.

"We are facing a situation in the world where it is becoming normal to regard people from other faiths as infidels," Yaqut says. "Witnessing this development, Ansor is extremely concerned."

At an event parallel to this week's NU summit, Ansor will issue a declaration calling for the "renovation" of Islamic jurisprudence that discriminates against non-Muslims.

"Ansor's global unity forum will highlight the fact that elements within classical Islamic law explicitly enjoin discrimination against certain classes of human beings on the basis of religion," says C. Holland Taylor from the LibForAll Foundation, a non-profit organisation fighting for tolerant Islam which he co-founded with former Indonesian president and NU leader Abdurrahman Wahid in 2003.

"Ansor will issue a call to ulama (Islamic scholars) to examine the problems humanity is facing and see how they are connected to Islamic law and teachings and how these might be reconceptualised."

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/world/indonesian-summit-to-promote-renovated-islam-in-challenge-to-global-jihadism-20160508-gop31k.html

Freedom of religion & worship

Ahmadiyah Muslims continue worshiping at sealed mosque

Jakarta Post - May 14, 2016

Jakarta – Pressure from intolerant people and the sealing-off of Ahmadis' Annur mosque in Bukit Duri, South Jakarta, by the local administration last year, have not discouraged the mosque's members from continuing to worship there.

"We pray five times a day here with congregations of three to four people every day," the group's leader, Muhammad Ali, told The Jakarta Post recently.

Ali, who is living at the mosque together with his wife, Hana Renata, said that he and his followers also recited the Koran together at the mosque every day.

However, he said, he did not practice Friday prayers at the mosque because he usually had to deliver sermons at other Ahmadiyah Indonesia Congregation (JAI) mosques in Duren Sawit in East Jakarta, Kebayoran Baru in South Jakarta and in Tanjung Priok in North Jakarta.

Moreover, there is a chance South Jakarta Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) officers would disperse the congregation if Annur hosted Friday prayers, Ali said.

South Jakarta municipal officers sealed the mosque on June 8, last year because it had no permit from the local administration for hosting worship activities and about 50 locals had protested outside the mosque and blocked the road off with a long bamboo stick.

Satpol PP head Ujang Harmawan told the Post on Wednesday that his agency encouraged Annur members to pray at other mosques belonging to Ahmadiyah Indonesia Congregation.

Ali said that he and other JAI members did not pray at mosques managed by Muslims of other sects that followed other schools of thought. Muslims of other sects, unlike Ahmadis, do not acknowledge Mirza Ghulam Ahmad as their Imam Mahdi (guided leader).

Ali said Annur sometimes hosted meetings of young JAI members without being disturbed by protesters. The congregation members also join with other JAI members for social activities in Jakarta, including cleaning up trash in the city following New Year celebrations.

Meanwhile, Zaitun Azhari, chief of community unit (RW) 08 of Bukit Duri subdistrict, said that she had not seen any activity at the Annur mosque since last year.

She said that Diantono, a former Annur leader, had asked for a recommendation letter for his children to move to another school in Tanjung Priok. "Diantono has moved to Tanjung Priok with his children, but he still holds a Bukit Duri identity card," Zaitun told the Post recently.

Ali, who used to lead the Nuruddin mosque on Jl. Kebun Bawang in Tanjung Priok, said that he had replaced Diantono as Annur leader two months ago. Diantono is now the leader of the Nuruddin mosque, according to Ali.

Ahmad Syakir, a local Muslim leader in Bukit Duri, said that he neither had seen any activity by the Annur mosque members since Idul Fitri last year. Ahmad told the Post recently he had invited Annur members to pray at his Assalafiah mosque in Bulit Duri but they had refused. (rez)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/05/14/ahmadiyah-muslims-continue-worshiping-sealed-mosque.html

Religion & morality

Surabaya to be an alcohol-free city

Jakarta Post - May 14, 2016

Surabaya – The second-largest city in Indonesia, Surabaya, has approved a bylaw that bans the production, distribution and consumption of alcoholic beverages.

"If in three months [Governor] Soekarwo does not respond to this bylaw, it would be enacted directly in Surabaya. The bylaw does not contradict to any regulation because we have consulted the Home Ministry," Armuji, speaker of the Surabaya Legislative Council, said on Friday.

According to the bylaw, punishments would include the issuance of warning letters, administration fines, temporary closure of businesses, revocation of business licenses and the shutting down of businesses.

"Offenders would also face three months imprisonment or pay a fine of Rp 50 million. The bylaw covers any kind of alcoholic beverage, such as beer or others with more than 10 percent alcohol, including traditional beverages and mixed alcoholic beverages [oplosan]," Armuji said.

The mayor of Surabaya, Tri Rismaharini, said she agreed that alcoholic beverages should not be freely sold, like in minimarkets or supermarkets. "In the near future, I'll issue a mayoral bylaw to ban alcoholic beverages in Surabaya."

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/05/14/islands-focus-surabaya-be-alcohol-free-city.html

Poverty & social inequity

Inequality between rich and poor deepens in Jakarta

Jakarta Post - May 12, 2016

Corry Elyda, Jakarta – For train commuters in Greater Jakarta, dozens of makeshift huts and tiny houses huddled along the railway are a common sight. Most of them are separated only by plywood sheets and use tarpaulins as roofs. They are set against a background of the gleaming glass of luxurious apartment and mall buildings.

On one side, people are struggling to make ends meet doing almost anything from scavenging to busking. On the opposite, people are easily spending millions just to buy foreign branded bags.

Such opposite poles of view and lifestyle are nothing new in the capital, but the recent finding of the Jakarta office of the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) shows that such inequality would likely prevail as the income gap between the rich and poor in the capital is sharpening.

Jakarta BPS head Syech Suhaimi said recently that the income gap, measured by the Gini ratio, in Jakarta increased from 0.43 last year to 0.46 in 2016. "When the Gini ratio is closer to 1, it means that the economic gap has worsened," he said.

Syech explained that the income of the rich, who are 20 percent of the population, increases while middle- and low-income residents suffer from declining incomes. "Jakarta has the highest Gini ratio among other provinces and the national average," he said, adding that the national Gini ratio was 0.41.

Eko Listiyanto, a researcher at the Institute for Development Economics and Finance (INDEF), said that the reason for the increasing Gini ratio was that the administration's programs did not directly affect the poor. "The realization of the city budget is low, so many social programs are not conducted," he said.

As of April 22, the city administration had spent 13.86 percent of its Rp 66.37 trillion (US$5.03 billion) budget this year, according to data from the Jakarta Financial and Asset Management Board (BPKAD).

The board revealed further that the administration had disbursed Rp 8.03 trillion from the budget. Rp 5.56 trillion was for routine expenditures, like employee salaries, and the remainder was for city expenditures.

Eko said that all social levels were affected by the economic slowdown, but upper-income people could still survive. "The lower-income people do not have that cushion. The administration's programs should have become their cushion," he said.

Syech explained that the city administration's evictions and forced relocations to low-cost apartments would definitely affect the ratio but the agency could not yet see it.

"It takes months to years to see the effect, just like the educational and health financial aid programs," he said, referring to the Jakarta Smart Card (KJP) and the Jakarta Health Card (KJS).

Since last year, the city administration has been forcefully evicting residents who live on state land and relocating those with Jakarta IDs to low-cost apartments on various justifications, ranging from the need to mitigate flooding, to suppressing prostitution and encouraging tourism.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/05/12/inequality-between-rich-and-poor-deepens-jakarta.html

Parliament & legislation

Watchdog asks KPK to probe $70m dubious working trips by house members

Jakarta Globe - May 15, 2016

Jakarta – Indonesia's most prominent antigraft watchdog urged the Corruption Eradication Commission to launch an investigation after a recent audit found irregularities surrounding some of the working trips conducted by members of the House of Representatives, potentially costing the state more than Rp 945 billion ($70 million) in losses.

All 560 lawmakers are entitled to Rp 2.5 billion a year each to conduct working trips both at home and abroad. Nearly all took full advantage of the available funds but most could not justify the junkets they made with report of what they did during said trips. They were also unable to submit receipts to prove their actual expenses, the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) revealed this week.

Indonesia Corruption Watch senior researcher Febri Hendri said the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) must launch an investigation based on this findings, saying that the problem has long plagued the House – which is already criticized for the appallingly low number of bills passed – and never gets resolved.

"The KPK must investigate the case thoroughly. Don't let the problem be settled administratively and out of court," Febri said on Sunday (15/05).

The ICW researcher said the case served as another example how lax the House and the various political parties monitor their lawmakers.

The House "is tasked with monitoring the government, how can people trust them with this task if they can't monitor themselves," he said. Febri added that by prosecuting the case, the KPK could help stop the practice from reoccurring.

The KPK said on Friday that it is waiting for the BPK to submit the audit report. "We need to examine in detail what the findings are," KPK spokeswoman Yuyuk Andriati said.

BPK chairman Harry Azhar Aziz said parties inside the House could still complete the report of all the working trips conducted by their respective lawmakers before the audit agency releases its final assessment next month.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/watchdog-asks-KPK-probe-70m-dubious-working-trips-house-members/

House denies state losses from allegedly fictitious work visits

Jakarta Post - May 13, 2016

Erika Anindita Dewi, Jakarta – The House of Representatives has denied allegations made in a Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) 2015 report on the House's secretariat general, that some lawmakers' work visits to constituents were fictitious.

"What is being referred to as state losses in the media isn't really state losses, but rather alleged potential [losses] which are yet to be verified," said Suratna, the House's secretariat general media bureau chief, in a statement on Friday.

Prior to the BPK's examination, many lawmakers had already reported their work visits to their factions, Suratna claimed. The House's secretariat will collect lawmakers' work-visit reports and hand them over to the BPK.

A letter, dated last Tuesday May 10, 2016, signed by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) faction secretary Bambang Wuryanto and addressed to all faction members, was circulated via media on Thursday.

The letter requested that all members report their working visits and visits made outside the recess period, in response to a letter from the House's secretariat general that doubted whether the work visits happened.

The one-page document highlighted potential state losses of Rp 945.465 billion (US$71 million) resulting from the ruling party's lawmakers' work-visit expenses.

PDI-P lawmakers are expected to complete their reports from the third and fourth sitting sessions of 2014-2015 and the first and second sessions of 2015-2016.

Former House speaker Setya Novanto, who is currently running in the Golkar Party's chairmanship race, served as a House speaker for 2014-2015 and the first session of 2015-2016.

Later on, Hendrawan Supratikno, a senior PDI-P politician, confirmed the letter's validity, saying it only constituted a notification from faction leaders to the lawmakers. Lawmakers have been warned to improve the quality of their activity reporting during recess sessions and visits to constituent regions.

"Judging from the amount of state losses, something doesn't make sense, because the House's budget in 2015 was only Rp 3.9 trillion," he said on Thursday.

The BPK is currently auditing the House's finance, including lawmakers' work-visit expenses, BPK chairman Harry Azhar Azis said on Thursday. The audit report will be delivered to the House in June.

As of Friday, two of ten factions in the House had admitted receiving the letter regarding work-visit reports from the House secretariat. Hidayat Nur Wahid, a lawmaker from the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), said his faction had received the letter and that the BPK's work was a routine thing.

The National Mandate Party (PAN) and NasDem Party factions said on Thursday they hadn't received any such letter from the House's secretariat. (dmr)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/05/13/house-denies-state-losses-from-allegedly-fictitious-work-visits.html

Jakarta & urban life

Put end to reclamation work pending review, City told

Jakarta Post - May 12, 2016

Jakarta – The Environment and Forestry Ministry has told the Jakarta city administration to prevent developing companies from continuing their land reclamation work, while the ministry carries out an evaluation of the project in the Jakarta Bay.

On Wednesday, the ministry installed signs demanding the suspension of construction work on three islets – Islet C, D and G – pending the evaluation.

The ministry's expert staff for relations among central and regional institutions, Ilyas Asaad, said on Wednesday that Environment and Forestry Minister Situ Nurbaya had issued a decree ordering the city administration to carry out an environmental assessment in connection with the construction of the islets.

"The city administration and the ministry have to carry out join monitoring of the reclamation project to make sure that the implementation of the project is in line with regulations," said Ilyas as quoted by kompas.com.

On May 4, accompanied by Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti, Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Rizal Ramli and Forestry and Environment Minister Siti Nurbaya visited Islets C and D.

They found a number flaws in the process of reclamation, including the unification of Islets C and D into one islet, which they claim violated the reclamation permits issued by the Jakarta city administration.

Siti also revealed that the environmental impact analysis (AMDAL) documents for the construction of the islets did not include crucial environmental considerations, like the provision of clean water, the impact on undersea cables and pipes as well as sedimentation in the surrounding area.

Ilyas said the Environment Ministry and the city administration were required to provide developers with guidance to make sure that the reclamation project would not derail from the initial planning. He also stressed the importance for both institutions to monitor the source of materials that would be used by the developers to carry out reclamation. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/05/12/put-end-to-reclamation-work-pending-review-city-told.html

Transjakarta use rises only slightly as 3-in-1 is ended

Jakarta Post - May 12, 2016

Agnes Anya, Jakarta – Commuters will have to revise their strategies to get to and from Jakarta during the week as the city administration is set to fully revoke the three-in-one traffic policy next week.

"The regulation had no significant impact in reducing congestion so it will be officially ended next Monday. Roads in the capital will still be congested regardless of the policy," Transportation Agency head Andri Yansyah said on Tuesday.

The administration had suspended the regulation, in which cars using major thoroughfares like Jl. Sudirman and Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat, had to carry at least three passengers, since April 14 while it examined what effect, if any, it had on reducing congestion. Along with implementing the suspension, the administration deployed 600 extra Transjakarta buses.

Andri said based on an evaluation conducted by his agency and the Jakarta Police, the main roads were heavily congested whether the three-in-one policy was implemented or not.

He said the public was informed about the revocation of three-in-one on Tuesday so that commuters would be able to find alternative routes while traveling in the capital.

The administration hoped the suspension of the policy and the additional buses would lead commuters to switch from private vehicles to public transportation, particularly city-owned Transjakarta.

However, almost a month since the regulation was lifted, the administration has only seen increases in passenger numbers of 7.38 percent and 13.75 percent, respectively, on Transjakarta corridor 1 and corridor 9 – the two most crowded Transjakarta routes.

Corridor 1 runs from Blok M in South Jakarta to Kota in West Jakarta, while corridor 9 stretches from Pinang Ranti in East Jakarta to Pluit in North Jakarta.

"In total, the increase of Transjakarta passengers is 6.58 percent. This shows that commuters have yet to switch to public transportation," Andri acknowledged.

Based on the agency's data, before the suspension, corridor 1 served 61,959 passengers daily while corridor 9 served 35,595 passengers per day. Corridor 1 and corridor 9 currently serve 66,036 and 40,690 passengers daily. This is a disappointing return for Transjakarta's efforts to improve its service.

Transjakarta president director Budi Kaliwono previously revealed the company had deployed 246 buses to shorten arrival times between buses on corridor 1.

Despite the slight increase, the Jakarta administration is upbeat that more commuters will switch to public transportation and it is set to provide even more buses in the capital.

"Seeing an increase in bus passenger numbers, we are planning to add more double-decker buses. We have [a total of] 4,000 buses currently," said Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Thajaja Purnama recently. He added that the administration would procure at least 25 double-decker buses.

Meanwhile, commuters in the capital remained skeptical about the administration's plans as they continued to prefer to opt for the comfort and safety of their private vehicles, despite the expense.

"It's nice that the administration is now concerned about improving public transportation, particularly Transjakarta. However, I still prefer to use my car," said employee of a private company Mariska Anastasia Simbolon, who usually commutes to the capital from her house in Lippo Karawaci, Tangerang, Banten.

"I cannot stand squeezing into the bus during rush hour. Using a car is much more comfortable, right?"

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/05/12/transjakarta-use-rises-only-slightly-3-1-ended.html

Jakarta voters not bothered about religion, race: Poll

Jakarta Post - May 11, 2016

Jakarta – Jakarta citizens care more about track records and programs offered by candidates in the upcoming gubernatorial election than sectarian or racial issues, researchers find.

A poll by survey institute IndoStrategi published on Tuesday shows that the majority of Jakarta citizens are not concerned about by ethnicity, religion or race of candidates – which were brought up by some to attack incumbent Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama.

"Around 29 percent of respondents believe that Jakartans could be divided by issues of ethnicity, religion or race, while 59 percent believe otherwise," IndoStrategi Executive Director Andar Nubowo said, as reported by newsportal kompas.com.

The survey, conducted from April 1 to 12, involved 1,200 respondents from five municipalities and one regency in the capital city. Ninety-one percent of respondents are Muslims.

The survey showed that 63 percent of respondents favored a Muslim taking up the top post in the capital. However, when they were offered the names of candidate hopefuls, the majority of respondents chose Ahok, a Christian of Chinese descent.

Jakarta Muslims' normative views did not affect their political preferences, Andar explained. Jakartans gauged the potential of candidates through their programs and track records. They did not much care about the religious background of their leader.

"What they need [to know] is how the leader will carry out the public service," he said, adding that Jakartans' concerns about choosing a governor pertained to practical rather than normative aspects.

Meanwhile, human rights activist and founder of Change.org, Usman Hamid, said candidates using racial and religious issues to attack their opponents without promoting their own program would lose in the election.

"I predict that campaigning on [sectarian issues] will not be effective. They will bite the dust in the 2017 gubernatorial election. That is based on previous experience," Usman said, as quoted by kompas.com.

Sectarian and religious issues are mostly used to attack Ahok, who remains the most popular figure among candidate hopefuls, leaving possible opponents like former Justice and Human Rights Minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra and Surabaya Mayor Tri Rismaharini far behind.

Ahok has announce that he will run as an independent candidate in next year's election. (rin)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/05/11/jakarta-voters-not-bothered-about-religion-race-poll.html

Film & television

Watchdog calls for tougher broadcasting commission

Jakarta Post - May 11, 2016

Jakarta – The upcoming election of new members to the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI) should be used to elect more credible commissioners who are able to impose tougher punishment against rampant violations by television stations, a media watchdog has demanded.

Remotivi, the media watchdog, claimed the KPI had ignored many broadcasting violations that had prompted complaints by the general public.

Remotivi launched an Android application called Rapotivi in February 2015 that collect complaints from the public about the content of all television programs.

In just one year, Rapotivi has received more than 1,000 complaints, which were directly passed on to the KPI, said Remotivi director Muhamad Heychael at a discussion in Jakarta.

"However, less than 10 percent of the complaints have been followed up by the KPI," he said, adding that according to a Remotivi study late last year, 94 percent of respondents were not satisfied with the KPI's performance, with most of them saying the content of television programs was still problematic.

Meanwhile, the KPI said it had imposed 266 sanctions on several television networks in 2015, with violations ranging from issues of child and adolescent protection to courtesy and morality as well as journalistic ethics. The figure was higher than the previous year's 184 sanctions.

Heychael said the new KPI commissioners should be independent, with no involvement in a political party or the broadcasting industry, and also with a commitment to preserve public participation. "The candidates must have integrity and commit to the transparency principle," he said.

Registrations for possible KPI commissioners for the 2016-2019 period were accepted from April 12 to 26; resulting in 689 applicants.

The selection committee, consisting of 11 experts from various backgrounds, has eliminated 488 applicants that failed to meet the minimum age limit of 30 years old and education qualification of a bachelor's degree. Some of the candidates also failed to fulfill administrative requirements.

The remaining 201 hopefuls will face psychological tests by the Institute of Applied Psychology of the University of Indonesia (LPT-UI), an audit by the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK) and an interview with the selection committee.

Pn June 27, the committee will announce the name of 27 hopefuls to undergo a fit and proper test at the House of Representatives, before the lawmakers finally elect nine new KPI commissioners.

Selection committee head Freddy H. Tulung said 123 of the 201 candidates had experience or advanced knowledge on broadcasting. Only 32 candidates, 16 percent of the total, are women. (vps/bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/05/11/watchdog-calls-for-tougher-broadcasting-commission.html

Regulator remains powerless against renegade content

Jakarta Post - May 10, 2016

Nurul Fitri Ramadhani, Jakarta – Factions of the House of Representatives agreed on Monday not to grant license revocation authority to the country's broadcasting body for sanctioning television stations.

House Commission I overseeing defense, foreign affairs and communications has ensured the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI) will stay in its current role only: regulating and making recommendations to the government about broadcasting content.

Previously, under Law No. 32/2002 on broadcasting the commission had the authority to revoke the broadcasting licenses of television stations that violated broadcasting content rules. However, in 2003, the Constitutional Court ruled to revoke that authority for the sake of press freedom.

The court then regulated that license revocation authority should rest with the government. Since then, the commission has only given recommendations to the Communications and Information Ministry regarding content violations by broadcasters.

"The court once annulled the authority. So, we can't grant the KPI such authority again because the annulment will be repeated," Commission I member Evita Nursanty of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) said.

However, Evita said that the amendment of the Broadcasting Law would grant the KPI the authority to impose fines on stations found to be violating the law. "There should be more than administrative sanctions for violators, to create a deterrent effect," Evita said. The House has been deliberating the law very closely and aims to pass the draft at a plenary session in the next sitting period. Then, the commission will deliberate over it with the government.

The deliberation might take a long time, Evita continued, as the contents of the draft were complex and stirred tense argument among factions.

"There might also be many different views within the government. These issues made us unable to complete the draft last year. It's a rigid and sensitive law for the public, so we must be careful in our consideration," she added.

Broadcasting watchdog Remotivi director Muhamad Heychael said that the broadcasting licenses should be in the hands of the KPI as a semi-independent institution.

"The frequency belongs to the public, thus the public should be involved in managing broadcasting content. The KPI, as the public's representative, should grant this authority," Heychael said.

Moreover, the draft is yet to mention clearly whether the KPI's recommendations are final and binding, because the ministry often ignores recommendations.

Remotivi also made recommendations regarding the role and selection of KPI commissioners. Heychael said that commissioners should only serve for a maximum of two years, shorter than their current three year tenures.

Commissioners, according to Remotivi, should also not engage with or have positions in the broadcasting industry for two years prior to and after their service with the KPI. "This is important because a tense relationship between a commissioner and a broadcasting institution has the potential for conflict of interest," he said.

He also said that the draft of the law had reportedly dropped a regulation about limitations on media ownership. Current regulations limit individual ownership of private broadcasting companies, although it is not discussed clearly.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/05/10/regulator-remains-powerless-against-renegade-content.html

Criminal justice & legal system

Death penalty has no deterrent effect: Activists

Jakarta Post - May 12, 2016

Jakarta – The number of drug convicts keeps rising despite the implementation of the death penalty, showing that capital punishment is not that effective in fighting drug-related crime, activists have said.

At least 16 NGOs grouped in the Anti-Death Penalty Civil Society Coalition told a press conference that the death penalty was not the solution to address crime in Indonesia, especially crime related to drugs.

The coalition's statement comes ahead of the third round of executions of drug convicts, which many expect to be conducted very soon.

Indonesian Drug Victim Advocacy Brotherhood (PKNI) head Totok Yulianto said there had been a rise in the number of drug convicts despite the executions carried out in 2015.

Under the administration of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, the government has conducted two rounds of executions.

Six death row inmates were executed on Jan. 18 last year, followed by eight more in the second round on April 29, 2015. Totok said there were 65,566 drug convicts recorded in January 2015, adding that that number had rose to 67,808 people by May 2015.

"Even though the government had carried out executions in January and April. This shows that the death penalty does not create a deterrent effect. This is data from the directorate general of corrections," Totok said, as quoted by Kompas.com on Wednesday.

Impartial director Al Araf said punishment in the modern era no longer followed the principle of retaliation; rather, it was aimed at correcting the behavior of someone who has broken the law.

"We do not support criminal acts at all. We reject the death penalty and instead lean more toward life sentencing, because the death penalty clearly violates human rights principles," he said.

Given the nation's fragile justice system, procedural violations in the implementation of the death penalty were still common, Araf added.

Citing the example of Zainal Abidin's case, whose appeal was rejected almost immediately, Araf suggested this was because the convict, found guilty of possessing 58.7 kilograms of marijuana in 2000, had already been listed in the second round of executions.

"Just imagine, the legal process hadn't yet finished, and when he lodged his appeal it was rejected within four days. This is clearly outside of the principles of justice," he added.

Meanwhile, police have said the third round of executions was ready to be carried out in May 2016. The firing squad has been prepared for the execution of 15 drug convicts.

The Central Java police, in charge of Nusakambangan prison island where the convicts will be executed, said it was awaiting instructions from Attorney General Muhammad Prasetyo.

So far, the Attorney General's Office has not disclosed the execution date or the identities of the convicts. (liz/dmr)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/05/12/death-penalty-has-no-deterrent-effect-activists.html

Supreme Court must address judicial corruption: Watchdogs

Jakarta Globe - May 11, 2016

Jakarta – Corruption and judicial watchdogs joined forces on Tuesday (10/05) to admonish the Supreme Court for judicial corruption which has engulfed the body and its subaltern courts with at least 35 court officials found to have been involved in corruption cases since 2002.

In a joint statement under the flag of Judicial Monitoring Coalition – including Indonesian Corruption Watch, Indonesia Legal Aid Foundation, Legal and Policy Study Center and the Indonesian Judiciary Watchdog Society – the group said the arrest of Central Jakarta District Court clerk Edy Nasution on April 20 has exposed the failure to reform the judicial system.

Edy allegedly received more than Rp 50 million ($3,800) in kickbacks from a middleman in relation to a case review. The case also involved Supreme Court secretary Nurhadi whose house was raided by KPK last month.

"The arrest of court official must not be seen as personal matters. It shows weaknesses of judicial system in Supreme Court and its subordinate courts, including in the matters of monitoring, recruitment, transparency, verdict administration and development," the statement said.

The watchdog groups urged Supreme Court chairman Hatta Ali to issue an official statement on the judicial corruption which has been long occurring in the body, adding that he also needs to map the corruption loopholes together with the KPK and the Judicial Commission.

The statement calls for the antigraft agency to begin systemic reform in judicial bodies, along with necessary intervention, in the Supreme Court to prevent further bribery cases involving judges and clerks.

In 2010, the now-defunct Presidential Delivery Unity for Development, Monitoring and Oversight (UKP4) had mapped the practises of the so-called judicial mafia. The practices included involvement in pre-hearing processes, case registration, the appointment of judges, court hearings and the issuance of verdicts.

The KPK has previously said it is considering the permanent deployment of a unit at the Supreme Court. Deputy chairwoman Basaria Pandjaitan said the agency will discuss its concerns with the court and assess its urgency.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/supreme-court-must-address-judicial-corruption-watchdogs/

'I am haunted': Indonesia death row prisoners allege they were tortured to confess

Sydney Morning Herald - May 11, 2016

Jewel Topsfield, Jakarta – Two fingers on Lim Jit Wee's right hand are ugly stumps; a legacy, he says, of the torture that led to him falsely implicating a man he had never met in a crime punishable by death in Indonesia.

In 2007, Lim, a Malaysian, was working as a driver for another Malaysian man when Indonesian police found 12,000 ecstasy tablets in his boss's car.

Lim says he was apprehended at gunpoint by police from the National Narcotics Agency outside his Taman Anggrek apartment in West Jakarta. "They asked me to say where the (ecstasy) factory and products are, when I am only the driver – how can I know?"

He says he was dragged behind a speedboat in Ancol in North Jakarta and lost the tops of his fingers after a steel table leg was slammed onto them – "I stitch it myself, I never go to the clinic or hospital" – and he was struck in the collarbone with a metal bar.

"I said: 'I don't know, I'm Malaysian.' They just beat me." Lim says he was forced to "confess" that a man named Christian was his boss.

In 2008, Christian, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, was sentenced to death for importing a psychotropic substance. He now faces death by firing squad, with a further round of executions for drug offenders imminent in Indonesia.

But on Tuesday, Lim told the West Jakarta District Court he did not know Christian at the time of his arrest. "I have spent 8-and-a-half years in jail and I have difficulty sleeping because I know I testified wrongly against Christian," says Lim, who was also sentenced to death.

"I said something because I was forced... because I was tortured, my fingers cut off. I feel guilty, I am haunted by the feeling that I made an innocent man have a difficult life."

Christian, who sold imported flour, was parking his car on a Jakarta street on November 25, 2007, when police pointed a pistol at his head and detained him without a warrant.

He was allegedly handcuffed, blindfolded and beaten. Photographs shown in court, taken the day after he was detained in November 2007, show deep bruises on his abdomen and arms. He was not arrested at the crime scene and no urine test was conducted, something required in drug-related cases.

Christian's lawyer, Azas Tigor Nainggolan, who works for the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Indonesia, says his client was wrongfully convicted on false evidence and had an unfair trial.

He has launched action in the West Jakarta District Court to request a judicial review of Christian's case. "Our judicial system is still unfair and corrupt, so we should not apply the death sentence," Mr Tigor says.

From September 2010 to December 2011 the National Human Rights Commission of Indonesia (Komnas HAM) monitored prisoners on death row in jails throughout Indonesia.

Commissioner Roichatul Aswidah said the investigation uncovered many instances of torture. "Our monitoring found cases of wrongful arrest, Christian's case in particular," she told the court.

"He was wrongfully arrested and tortured. Lim was also tortured. Death sentences cannot be issued in cases in which torture is part of the legal process."

Meanwhile, the Bishops' Conference of Indonesia has asked the government to re-examine 300 death penalty convictions it believes were the result of unfair trials.

But the drums are beating, with the latest round of executions expected this month. West Java police are now saying 15 drug offenders will be executed in the latest round. Mr Tigor admits he is "very worried".

Christian says his wife and daughters have never stopped suffering. "It is a lie that Indonesia is based on justice and law," he says. "There is no justice in Indonesia." (With Karuni Rompies)

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/world/i-am-haunted-indonesia-death-row-prisoners-allege-they-were-tortured-to-confess-20160511-gosn9h.html

Amnesty International slams Indonesia's plans to execute prisoners on death-row

Jakarta Globe - May 11, 2016

Jakarta – Amnesty International on Wednesday (11/05) slammed Indonesia's plans to execute death-row inmates, following recent reports of inmates being moved to Nusakambangan prison, where prisoners typically await their execution.

The executions are believed to take place this month as Attorney General H.M. Prasetyo has said that preparations ahead of the third round of executions are on track with probably 14 death row inmates on the list, including 10 foreigners. The government has not announced the names of the inmates, although some names have been speculated by the media.

Last Sunday, three local prisoners, Suryanto (53), Agus Hadi (53) and Pudjo Lestari (42), were moved from Tembesi pison in Batam, Riau Islands, to Nusakambangan prison in what appears to be part of preparations for executions.

Amnesty said the three prisoners were sentenced to death in 2007 for being convicted of attempting to smuggle benzodiazepine pills from Malaysia, a drug trafficking offense which does not meet the requisite "most-serious crimes" threshold under international human rights law to warrant the death penalty.

"It is devastating to hear that three more people are facing execution. The death penalty is a cruel, inhumane and degrading punishment that has no place in today's justice system," Amnesty International crisis campaigns coordinator Diana Sayed said on Wednesday.

Amnesty, who has campaigned for the abolition of the death penalty for more than four decades in more than 140 countries, called on Indonesian authorities to immediately halt any executions plans.

"The death penalty is always a violation of human rights and can never be condoned under any circumstances. State sanctioned killing only serves to continue the cycle of violence and we know it doesn't work as a deterrent for further crimes," she added.

Amnesty also urged Indonesia to establish a moratorium on all executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty, a policy previously upheld during Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's administration.

Last year, most of the executed inmates were foreigners, prompting a wave of international condemnation of Indonesia's use of capital punishment as well as diplomatic pressure from many countries.

After the executions, Australia temporarily recalled its ambassador to Indonesia following the execution of Bali Nine duo Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan. The relationship has since been restored.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/law-and-order/amnesty-international-slams-indonesias-plans-execute-priosners-death-row/

Indonesia announces new round of executions

Sydney Morning Herald - May 9, 2016

Jewel Topsfield and Amilia Rosa, Jakarta – Thirteen drug offenders on death row in Indonesia are listed to face the firing squad in a further round of executions expected within weeks.

Central Java police spokesman Alloysius Liliek Darmanto told Fairfax Media about 130 officers from BRIMOB – Indonesia's special police operations force – had been prepared to carry out the executions.

"The current number [of prisoners to be executed] is still 13," he said. "We don't have details of the names. We just wait for instruction from the Attorney-General's Office."

In a further sign the executions are imminent, three prisoners on death row for drug offences were on Sunday night transferred from Batam to Nusakambangan, where the executions will take place.

The three Indonesians – Suryanto, 53, Agus Hadi, 53, and Pudjo Lestari, 42, – were taken to Batu island, one of seven prisons on the island known as Indonesia's Alcatraz.

Last year 14 people – including Australians Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan – were executed by firing squad in Indonesia.

The executions led to international condemnation, with several countries whose citizens were killed, including Australia, temporarily withdrawing their ambassadors in protest.

Further executions were put on hold for a year, ostensibly because of the weak economy, however Indonesian authorities have confirmed they are now preparing for a third round. The prisoners are expected to be given only 72 hours notice of their deaths, as mandated by Indonesian law.

Chief security minister Luhut Panjaitan recently said Indonesia wanted to avoid the "soap opera" surrounding last year's executions, when speculation about the date dragged on for months.

Foreigners on death row for drug offences include Filipina maid Mary-Jane Veloso, Briton Lindsay Sandiford and Frenchman Serge Atlaoui.

Veloso, a domestic worker, was saved from the last round of executions on April 29 last year at the eleventh hour, after her alleged human trafficker surrendered on the day Veloso was due to be shot.

The mother of two, who was arrested in 2010 in Yogyakarta with 2.6 kilograms of heroin in the lining of her suitcase, has always maintained her innocence, insisting she was duped into smuggling the drugs.

Attorney-General Muhammad Prasetyo has said Veloso will not be part of the latest round of executions, because the trial of her alleged human trafficker, Maria Kristina Sergio, is still proceeding in the Philippines.

Serge Atlaoui was also due to be executed last year alongside Chan, Sukumaran and six others but won a reprieve because his appeal had not been heard in the Administrative Court. However his future is uncertain after the appeal was subsequently rejected in June.

Atlaoui, a welder and father of five, was arrested in 2005 in a meth lab in Tangerang, west of Jakarta. He insisted he was merely installing equipment in what he thought was an acrylics factory.

Atlaoui was arrested with 17 others. Several were also sentenced to death, including five Chinese nationals who recently had their case review rejected by the Supreme Court.

Lindsay Sandiford, 59, was sentenced to death in Bali in 2013 after she was convicted of trafficking cocaine worth an estimated £1.6 million ($3 million).

She said she agreed to carry the drugs after a drug syndicate threatened to kill her son. Sandiford last year described Chan, whom she met in Bali's Kerobokan jail, as "one of the heroes of my life".

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/world/indonesia-announces-new-round-of-executions-20160509-goq443.html

Australian police 'should not share information' with death penalty countries, MPs

The Guardian (Australia) - May 8, 2016

Helen Davidson – The Australian federal police should withhold information from foreign enforcement agencies if sharing it may lead to a person being subject to the death penalty, a parliamentary inquiry has said.

A year after the Bali Nine executions, Indonesia prepares firing squads again

The inquiry's final report, released in the same week as the anniversary of Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan's execution by an Indonesian firing squad, heard from a number of experts who said there was nothing in current Australian law to prevent a repeat of the circumstances which led to their deaths.

The report, by the joint standing committee of foreign affairs, defence and trade, and the human rights subcommittee, examined Australia's current engagement to end the death penalty, and how it could advocate further, at the request of the foreign affairs minister, Julie Bishop.

"Australia has long supported abolition, and is an active advocate on the world stage," said the chair of the subcommittee, Philip Ruddock. "As a nation, we can be proud of our advocacy and our support for the United Nations' work on abolition. But Australia can do more."

Among the recommendations was a call for the AFP to alter its guidelines on "international police-to-police assistance in death penalty situations".

The AFP, it said, should make its primary aim the prevention of exposure of persons to arrest or charge in countries which may apply the death penalty for those crimes. This aim should apply to all people, not just Australians, it said. Should a foreign law enforcement body request information about a case, the AFP should first seek assurances that the death penalty will not be sought.

Where the matter relates to drug crimes, including trafficking, the AFP should obtain a guarantee before providing any information. "In situations where such guarantees cannot be obtained, the AFP should withhold provision of information that may be relevant to the cases concerned," it said.

The release of the bipartisan report (pdf) comes one year after the Australian citizens, Chan and Sukumaran, were executed in Indonesia for their part in a drug-smuggling ring, known as the Bali Nine. Their deaths in 2015 contributed to the highest recorded number of executions worldwide since 1989.

The responsibility of the AFP and its actions in sharing information with their Indonesian counterparts, leading to the group's arrest in Bali, has long been a contentious point within the case. The AFP has always defended its actions. In 2006 the federal court found its actions to be lawful, but recommended a review of procedure.

"A number of witnesses to the inquiry raised the issue of the AFP's cooperation with international law enforcement, concerned that Australia's efforts to protect its citizens from exposure to the death penalty could be undermined by the sharing of information in possible death penalty cases," the report said.

The Human Rights Law Centre told the inquiry it was "foreseeable" that the information sharing would lead to the individuals facing execution.

"It was also open to the AFP to arrest the Bali Nine in Australia and ensure that they were tried in Australian courts that would not impose the death penalty. Yet there is nothing to prevent AFP from doing the same thing again," it said.

The Australian Lawyers for Human Rights said if not for inconsistencies in safeguards around cross-agency assistance, "Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran may not have been exposed to a sentence of death".

"There are currently no Australian laws that prevent a repeat of the circumstances that saw the Bali Nine sentenced to death and executed," it said.

Emily Howie, from the Human Rights Law Centre, also noted an inconsistency between the AFP's information-sharing guidelines and extradition legislation.

"[Our] Extradition Act protects against surrendering people to the death penalty and the Mutual Assistance Act protects against assisting other countries if the death penalty may be imposed, whereas the AFP Act contains no such safeguards," she said.

The AFP is currently reviewing its national guidelines. Data provided by the AFP showed that in the five years to 2014 it approved 411 of 446 requests to share information in potential death penalty matters.

The report also recommended a "whole-of-government strategy" to advocate for abolition around the world, with a particular focus on the Indo-Pacific region and the US.

"Were the United States to move towards abolition this would most likely have a significant catalytic effect on other retentionist nations," it said.

The committee expressed "grave concern" that executions increased in 2015, although its pushes for moratoriums had gained ground and a larger proportion of executions were by a small group of countries. International law did not comprehensively outlaw the death penalty, and its application was "fragmented".

While Australia has legislation preventing extradition of a person to a country where they face the death penalty, a caveat that it may go ahead if the country assures it will not carry out the death penalty was largely unenforceable.

Source: http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/may/09/australian-police-should-not-share-information-with-death-penalty-countries-say-mps

Mining & energy

Renewable energy left behind by cheaper options

Jakarta Post - May 14, 2016

Fedina S. Sundaryani, Jakarta – The country may face a long road ahead in its effort to procure electricity in remote regions through the use of renewable energy sources, while electricity procured from fossil fuel remains a more economically feasible option.

General Electric (GE) country leader for gas power systems George Arie W. Djohan said that despite growing public support, the development of renewable power in the country had yet to attract the same enthusiasm from the government and state-owned electricity company PLN.

"We need serious determination from PLN because from what we've seen so far, they always go for the cheapest way to procure electricity and renewable energy is not cheap," Arie said Thursday. "Renewable energy-powered plants will never win against coal-fired power plants."

George said that the government and PLN should take advantage of the fact that continuously developing technologies meant older technologies used for renewable energy were now significantly cheaper.

Furthermore, the country should not just calculate the economic feasibility of a power source but also take into account the environmental and health effects of the prolonged use of coal-fired power plants.

"It might be cheaper but we have to see the other external impacts. For example, how does it affect the environment? It might affect breathing and increase need for medical care. In a macroeconomic sense, it could become a burden for the government," George elaborated.

The government is trying to procure electricity for 12,659 villages in eastern Indonesia using renewable energy sources, and has set a target to procure electricity for 10,300 villages by 2019.

Up to 67 percent of the villages are located in six provinces – Papua, West Papua, Maluku, North Maluku, East Nusa Tenggara and West Nusa Tenggara – and will need a total capacity of 180 megawatts (MW), with an estimated consumption rate of 0.6 kilowatt hours (kWh) per household.

Although ambitious, the plan has been long-coming as the country holds vast renewable energy resources given its location in the Ring of Fire and its status as an archipelago.

The country is estimated to have approximately 28 gigawatt (GW) in geothermal potential and 75 GW in hydropower potential to generate electricity. The total potential renewable energy is estimated to be more than 300 GW.

Data from state-owned electricity company PLN shows that only 5.9 percent of electricity generated in 2015 came from hydropower plants, followed by 4 percent by geothermal energy. Electricity generation fueled by coal remains the highest at 55.7 percent.

The government has created three scenarios depending on the location of villages. If several villages are close to each other, the government plans to set up extension grids, if a village has households situated near each other then they would procure electricity through a solar mini-grid system. Meanwhile, villages with households further away from each other would have a solar home system.

GE Indonesia CEO Handry Satriago said that the government must also consider external factors when developing energy in remote regions.

"We need to see whether using the simplest technologies would be enough for remote areas. For example, it might be adequate to have one solar cell in a single village. Wind turbines are also a good choice but are dependent on speed," he said.

GE Indonesia itself, which recently acquired Alstom Power, is participating in several tenders to develop electricity from various renewable energy sources, including geothermal, hydro and wind-powered plants. The company also aims to win tenders for 3,000 MW nationwide from PLN this year.

The Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry has repeatedly emphasized the importance of procuring electricity for these remote regions to encourage development and boost local economies.

"The Indonesia Terang [Bright Indonesia] program is one of our innovative policies, and is a program that must be completed to fulfill Indonesia's electrification ratio target," electricity director general Jarman said.

In the long term, the country targets renewable energy to make up 23 percent of the electricity generated by 2025. Renewable energy currently makes up approximately 11 percent.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/05/14/renewable-energy-left-behind-cheaper-options.html

No tax amnesty for mining firms, NGOs demand

Jakarta Post - May 11, 2016

Anton Hermansyah, Jakarta – The government should exclude mining permit (IUP) holders as potential beneficiaries of a planned tax amnesty, NGOs have demanded, arguing that hundreds of them had evaded liabilities to the government, causing trillions of rupiah in state losses.

As the government was in the process of clearing up data on thousands of companies operating under IUP licenses, the tax amnesty would give the companies an exit door to not fully pay their obligations, said Wiko Saputra, a researcher from the Anti-Mining Mafia Coalition, which represents several NGOs.

The deadline for the IUP data reconciliation and annulment is May 12, with a three-month grace period until August. By December 2016, provinces may only record trouble-free IUP documents.

"We all need to monitor the process. [Holders of] around 1,087 licenses are clearly evading taxes. The government should enforce the law instead of giving them a tax amnesty," Wiko told thejakartapost.com in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Previously, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) said it had recorded Rp 25 trillion (US$1.88 billion) in unpaid receivables in the mining sector from May to October 2015. Around Rp 7 trillion of this stemmed from IUP holders and the rest from mining contract holders.

Based on the findings, the government has revoked 874 IUPs, most of which belonged to small and medium enterprises. That figure is believed to represent only 22 percent of the troubled licenses, held by companies producing around 20 percent of the total mining business value.

"The other 80 percent are not exposed yet. We may face big names. The problem is that there are 3,982 IUPs with non-clean and clear status as of April 2016, which is more than the KPK's finding from March to October 2015," Wiko said. (ags)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/05/11/no-tax-amnesty-for-mining-firms-NGOs-demand.html

Government told to shift to renewable energy as coal prices fall

Jakarta Post - May 10, 2016

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – The government should move away from its dependency on dirty coal to cleaner renewable energy if it is to meet its ambitious capacity target to install 35 gigawatts (GW) of electricity before 2019. The energy shift is necessary as the county will struggle to provide the coal required to fire its power stations in the near future.

The Network for Mining Advocacy (Jatam) is of the opinion that the government should have taken into consideration the prediction that Indonesia's coal supply would be insufficient to meet the ambitious electricity target.

"Actually we don't have a significant coal deposit, only 3 percent of the global coal deposit. So if our electricity demand is reliant on coal supply, with a requirement of 70 million tons of coal, our coal supply won't even last 30 years," Jatam coordinator Hendrik Siregar said.

In mid-2015, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo announced a target to install 35 GW before 2019, as electricity demand is predicted to reach 7,000 MW per year. Approximately 20 GW of the target will be met from coal-fired sources, with 13 GW from natural gas-fired plants and 3.7 GW from renewable sources (primarily hydroelectricity and geothermal).

However, a study by the Indonesian Coal Mining Association (APBI) in cooperation with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Indonesia suggests that coal-fired power plants will not be able to provide the expected 20 GW for the next 25 to 30 years. Current commodity prices has seen coal sector profitability reach its lowest point and led to a decrease in production by coal companies.

The government has been optimistic about program feasibility as, according to data from the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, Indonesia had 32.3 billion tons of coal reserves in 2014. However, the study suggests that, with declining coal prices, between 7.3 and 8.3 billion tons of these reserves are economically viable to mine and indicates that these reserves will be depleted by 2033-2036.

"What happens next? We will have to import coal. This will turn into a burden for the next government as the coal-fired power plants will need to keep operating," Hendrik said. The government should see the prediction as an opportunity to shift entirely to renewable energy.

"[The government] says that if we rid ourselves of our dependency on coal, it will slow down the economy. This is a false notion," Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) spokesperson Khalisah Khalid said. "But our economy will be more secure [if we ditch coal] when the global coal price is in decline."

According to her, the government failed to take into account the negative impact caused by the coal industry when it decided to support its ambitious electricity target by utilizing coal.

Khalisah noted how 19 people, including children and teenagers, drowned in 2015 at former mining sites in Samarinda and Kutai Kartanegara, East Kalimantan.

She also emphasized that the 42 coal-fired power plants in Indonesia emit hundreds of thousands of tons of pollution every year, filling the air with toxic pollutants, including mercury, lead, arsenic, cadmium and tiny toxic particles.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/05/10/govt-told-shift-renewable-energy-coal-prices-fall.html

Economy & investment

RI braces for influx of factories

Jakarta Post - May 14, 2016

Dewanti A. Wardhani, Jakarta – The recent closure of a number of major factories across China amid the economic slowdown and worker protests has Indonesia gearing up for the potential relocation of factories to the country.

The Industry Ministry's director general for industrial area development, Imam Haryono, said the government was prepared for a potential influx of manufacturers relocating from China.

"This is a good opportunity, so of course we're ready. Any industrial development would need investment," Imam said in a telephone interview on Friday.

He said, however, that the government would carefully select those seeking to set up shop in the country based on several requirements.

For instance, the government will examine companies' business sectors and proposed locations using the 2015 master plan on national industrial estate development.

According to the plan, there are 10 priority sectors, such as food; pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and medical devices; shoes, textiles and leather; transportation; and electronics and telematics.

Data from the ministry showed that non-oil and gas industries accounted for 18.2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2015. Food and beverages were the major contributors with 5.61 percent, followed by metallic goods with 1.96 percent and transportation with 1.91 percent.

In terms of locations, the government has determined four categories of industrial zones, such as in Java, northern Sulawesi and Papua. "Their choices of sector and location must be in accordance with our master plan," Imam said.

It will also assess the types of products to be manufactured and their choice of market location. "If these requirements are fulfilled, then they are most welcome. Investors stand to receive incentives if they choose to establish factories in less developed zones and develop cutting-edge technology.

Meanwhile, Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) deputy chairman Chris Kanter said national businesses welcomed potential cooperation with both foreign and domestic firms relocating from China.

He said Indonesia offered a large market and competitive production costs, two important factors that investors sought when establishing factories in China years ago.

Kadin, however, insists that Indonesia is looking for new investment focusing on technology, rather than those relying on labor. "We want firms to invest long-term," Chris said.

Separately, Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) economist Latif Adam warned that luring companies to relocate from China would not be straightforward. He pointed to neighbors Vietnam and the Philippines, both also hungry for foreign investments.

He said the government had the right tools in its deregulation packages, but they had done little so far except inject positive sentiment for businesses. Whether the government is ready to lure investors and handle an influx of investment could depend on its commitment to fully implementing the packages.

"I worry that this positive perception won't last long if the government does not take real steps as soon as possible to realize the packages," Latif said, adding that the packages served as a quick fix to lure investors.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/05/14/ri-braces-influx-factories.html

Wet markets grapple with soaring prices

Jakarta Post - May 12, 2016

Jakarta – Traditional market sellers and buyers may find the latest statistics intriguing, with prices of many food commodities on the rise despite recent data showing that consumer prices have deflated overall.

The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) reported that monthly consumer prices deflated 0.45 percent in April, bringing down annual headline inflation to 3.6 percent, well below the official 4.7 percent target for the whole year.

"Deflation? What deflation? Prices haven't gone down for quite some time," said Sriah, 42, who has been selling spices such as shallots and garlic at Palmerah traditional market for 13 years.

Sriah added that the prevailing price of food commodities had become unstable in recent months, calling it unusual. At her humble outdoor stall, the price of shallots has stood at Rp 45,000 per kilogram (US$3.4) since late February.

Shallots, tomatoes, garlic and carrots were among items to see inflation in April, despite deflation reported in the overall consumer prices index basket. However, fuel, chili, rice, fresh fish, chicken and eggs are seeing deflating prices, according to BPS data.

Prices of raw food materials, which are responsible for much of the deflation reported by the BPS in April and account for a significant posture for the overall headline inflation, dropped 0.94 percent in April, although on a year-on-year (yoy) basis, they soared 8.92 percent – the most among other posts.

In Cikunir, Bekasi, where the BPS reported among the highest deflation in comparison with other cities, garlic prices doubled in the past two months to Rp 40,000 per kg, beef prices rose to Rp 120,000 per kg from Rp 90,000 per kg and tomato prices more than tripled to Rp 18,000 from Rp 5,000.

"It's much quieter in the market these days. People are reluctant to shop with prices on the rise," said Mustofa, a trader at Cikunir Market,

Home to the world's highest population of Muslims, the country will observe the month-long fasting month of Ramadhan in the lead up to the two-day Idul Fitri holiday, from June to July, which is among the busiest periods for retail businesses, with many buying new clothes and making more food purchases to celebrate the end of the fasting month.

Ramadhan and Idul Fitri will likely strike the market with high demand for food commodities, with prices historically increasing the highest during the period among other times of the year.

Aware of the phenomenon, the government has conducted coordination meetings led by the Office of the Coordinating Economic Minister and agriculture and trade ministries to tame prices during Ramadhan and Idul Fitri by ensuring adequate supply and smooth distribution, especially during the festivities.

"There are several commodities that we need to be concerned with, such as red onion, garlic and chili," said Coordinating Economic Minister Darmin Nasution, referring to the ingredients commonly used in Indonesian dishes.

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has stated that shallot prices cannot exceed Rp 25,000 per kg, while beef Rp 80,000 per kg, to maintain people's purchasing power and avoid excessive food inflation.

The Agriculture Ministry will cooperate with the State Logistics Agency (Bulog) to supply around 23,000 tons of shallots this month, said the ministry's food security agency head, Garjita Budi.

The ministry's onion supply, sourced directly from the country's farmers, accounts for more than a fifth of the country's total monthly production, which lies at an average 100,000 tons, while around 90,000 tons is consumed nationally each month.

Meanwhile, the ministry's farming and animal health director, Muladno Bashar, said it was preparing to import beef from 12 companies in India soon after it sent a monitoring team to the South Asian country.

Traditional market traders can only hope that the efforts will bear fruit in taming prices and ensuring adequate supply, as well as good distribution.

"We are actually used to encountering commodity price volatility, but as low-income people, we want lower and more stable prices," said Sriah. (adt)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/05/12/wet-markets-grapple-with-soaring-prices.html

Indonesia's economy fairly good: S&P

Jakarta Post - May 9, 2016

Anton Hermansyah, Jakarta – Standard & Poor's (S&P), the only global rating agency that has yet to release an update on Indonesia's sovereign rating, says the country's economy is "fairly good" while its trading partners are under pressure.

S&P gives a BB+ rating for Indonesia, slightly below investment grade rating of BBB, with a positive outlook. The agency's team is currently carrying out an assessment to update Indonesia's rating, according to S&P director of sovereign Asia-Pacific Ex. Japan Kyran Curry.

"It is too early to speculate on the upcoming rating, but the numbers related to the risk look relatively good. The government's fiscal position remains sound; the external position is in relatively good shape. The downside risk is mainly the external trading partner growth, but the economic environment is fairly good for Indonesia," he told thejakartapost.com on Monday in Jakarta.

Curry led the S&P team as the ratings agency began its annual assessment by visiting and questioning the Jakarta administration. The assessment will last a week and the team will visit governmental and non-governmental figures, as well as infrastructure projects.

Moody's Investors Service Inc. in January decided to keep Indonesia's sovereign rating at Baa3 with a stable outlook. S&P, however, has yet to update its rating.

"The next step is taking the rating higher into the investment grade or revising the outlook back to stable. Moody's may choose to keep it but that is their own decision. We may have a different one, that is why we are here and we were pleased with the meeting today," Curry said. (ags)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/05/09/indonesias-economy-fairly-good-sp.html

Analysis & opinion

Indonesian crackdown on West Papuan independence protest

The Saturday Paper - May 14, 2016

John Martinas – The harassment, beating and jailing of independence protesters by Indonesian authorities in Papua continues, while Australia turns a blind eye.

On Monday, May 2, amid the fallout from the Papua New Guinea Supreme Court ruling the Australian detention centre on Manus Island unlawful, another momentous thing happened. Further west along the Papua New Guinea north coast, just over the border with Indonesia in the Papuan capital, Jayapura, 1500 people were arrested. It barely rated a mention here.

It was the largest mass arrest of pro-independence demonstrators in Papua, and included the arrest of demonstrators in the regional centres of Sorong, Merauke, Wamena, Fak-Fak and Manokwari. Arrests were made at similar rallies in Semarang in Java and Makassar in South Sulawesi. In all, 1888 people were arrested for demonstrating for independence. Photos and video circulating both on social media and local media show the masses of people arrested in Jayapura and taken to the Indonesian police compound – forced to sit in rows in the heat and made to remove their clothes.

According to local journalist Benny Mawel, reporting for Tabloid Jubi, the treatment of some of those detained was very rough. Activists were separated from the main group and put in cells at the main police headquarters. They were beaten – police stamping on their chests and backs and hitting them in the head with rifle butts. They were threatened with death and stripped of their clothes. The Papua police chief, Paulus Waterpauw, confirmed to Tabloid Jubi that some activists had been injured. The same outlet also reported beatings at the police headquarters in nearby Abepura, where more demonstrators were detained. "They tortured and arrested us at 9am in Lingkaran Abepura. They took us into the armoured truck and told us to raise our hands," activist Arim Tabuni said. "They beat us on the chest and head, mostly on the chest. So we looked not hurt." The demonstrators, both male and female, were stripped of their clothes and threatened.

Papuan leader Reverend Benny Giay, who was involved in negotiating the peaceful release of the majority of the demonstrators later in the day, wrote this week that: "Every protest and negotiation effort by indigenous people is met with brutal responses and security operations. In talking about West Papua, the Indonesian government often uses language that obscures past abuses. Papua's relationship with the outside world is heavily controlled".

I know all about that. Working there in 2002 as a journalist collecting information for a Quarterly Essay I was constantly harassed, followed, threatened and generally intimidated by the Indonesian military, police and intelligence services. Trying to interview Papuan leaders who were espousing nonviolence as a path to independence at the time was enough to have me tailed, and to fear that those I interviewed would be under threat. The intimidation and surveillance was quite open, down to the simple tactic of a police informant sitting on a bench outside my room at a guesthouse and following me wherever I went, occasionally giving me dagger looks and drawing his finger across his throat in a slitting gesture. It was as subtle as a brick in the head.

Of course, they were noting who I was trying to contact, who I was trying to speak to. It was much worse when I returned the following year, in 2003. There was one incident outside the southern town of Merauke near the PNG border where I really thought a soldier who waved down my hired car and got inside and started threatening me with his weapon was going to kill me in that remote spot. Knowing the United States and Australia would not object, as they were busy fighting the war in Iraq, the Indonesians banned foreign journalists from Papua in 2003. Restrictions remain in place today.

Local journalists are under great threat and intimidation. On Tuesday, media advocacy group Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF) issued a statement condemning the arrest of a local journalist in the Jayapura protests and the prevention of other journalists covering the mass detention. The organisation quoted unnamed local journalists as saying police told them they were under orders to keep journalists away from the site. Police Commissioner Mathius Fakhiri was named as directly issuing the order to remove journalists, who were greeted by about 20 police wielding wooden batons to keep them away. Benjamin Ismail, the head of RSF's Asia-Pacific desk, said: "We condemn this violence and censorship of local journalists, whose coverage of these demonstrations was in the public interest. President Joko Widodo's promises now sound emptier than ever. After the recent banning of a French journalist who had been reporting in Papua in a completely legal manner, we now have yet further evidence that the authorities continue to censor and control media coverage arbitrarily."

Earlier reports by RSF have documented and protested at the treatment of the few foreign journalists who have managed to get into Papua, as well as the harassment and intimidation of their local translators, drivers and fixers. If you ask Indonesian officials, they will say there is no press ban in Papua, you just have to go through the right process. But the complicated, lengthy and often futile series of permissions from anyone within Indonesian foreign affairs, or its police, military and intelligence services, means permission is rarely granted and strictly controlled. President Widodo promised to alleviate this but nothing has changed. Journalists are still getting arrested and deported. If they try to enter on a tourist visa, they are jailed. Local journalists are still harassed, monitored and jailed.

The Indonesian military are so concerned that Papua will be subject to international calls for independence they spy on everybody who takes an interest in Papuan events, politics and human rights. In 2011, leaked documents revealed that even though I hadn't been to or reported on Papua since 2003 I was on a list of "Foreign Networks/Foreign Leaders in support of Free Papua" held by the Indonesian army special forces group, Kopassus. I came in at No. 9 on the list of Australians. Thirty-one other Australians were named, including then Greens leader Bob Brown at No. 13. The list identified current and former US senators. It also mentioned Bishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa and members of the British parliament, Lord Avebury and Jeremy Corbyn. Also on the list were former PNG prime minister Sir Michael Somare, and former Vanuatu foreign minister Sir Barak Sope. In all, it lists 248 politicians, academics, environmentalists, journalists, artists and clergy, from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Britain, the US, Germany, Finland, Ireland, the European Union, PNG and Vanuatu, calling them "the supporters of Papuan separatists".

The reasons for the demonstrations last week were to both mark the 1963 annexation of Dutch New Guinea (Papua) when Indonesian troops arrived displacing the Dutch, and to show support for a broad coalition of groups campaigning for independence.

The arrested protesters were also showing support for the meeting of the International Parliamentarians for West Papua in London. The meeting, attended by ministers from Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu, the prime minister of Tonga and the group's co-founder, now British opposition leader, Jeremy Corbyn, came out with an emphatic resolution: "The UN must be allowed to organise a referendum to allow the people of West Papua to choose between acknowledging the incorporation of their country into Indonesia or voting for independence." It was the resolution and the high-profile recognition that has been demanded by the broad coalition of groups supporting independence for Papua for years. These groups also demanded that the international community, in the form of non-government organisations, media and international peacekeepers, be allowed access to Papua to monitor the process and the human rights situation.

Australia has made no comment on the declaration, and the Indonesian embassy in Canberra dismissed it in a statement as a "publicity stunt".

Australia remains silent on both the arrests in Papua, the historical and current abuses by the Indonesian military there, and the calls for UN involvement and a resolution to the ongoing violence and isolation by Indonesia of Papua. Unlike in the late 1990s, when we finally intervened in East Timor and our conservative leaders claimed moral capital for its "liberation" from Indonesian abuses, our moral bank is empty. The Indonesians can always point to Manus and say they only arrested and beat pro-independence protesters for a day or so. Australia does it indefinitely just down the coast. Maybe that was why the story didn't get much of a run.

Papua, sadly for its long-suffering population, was one of the most intimidating places I have ever worked. I was in Iraq at the height of the American occupation, Sri Lanka at the height of the campaign to crush the Tamils, Burma at the height of the campaign against Aung San Suu Kyi, East Timor and Aceh under the Indonesians, Afghanistan in Taliban-controlled areas. But never have I seen a people more systematically oppressed and isolated than the West Papuans by the Indonesian military and intelligence services. And it is still happening.

[This article was first published in the print edition of The Saturday Paper on May 14, 2016 as "Silenced protest".]

Source: https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/world/2016/05/14/indonesian-crackdown-west-papuan-independence-protest/14631480003240

The road to freedom for West Papua

Huffington Post - May 13, 2016

Benny Wenda – A historic step on the road to freedom for West Papua took place in London last week. At a meeting of the International Parliamentarians for West Papua in the Houses of Parliament, a new declaration was signed calling for an internationally supervised vote on the independence of West Papua.

Delegates came from around the world to attend this historic meeting on West Papua's future. The meeting was briefed by parliamentarians, lawyers and academics, all of whom discussed and affirmed the West Papuan people's fundamental right to self-determination.

Amongst those in attendance was the UK Opposition Leader, Jeremy Corbyn, a founding member of International Parliamentarians for West Papua. Adding his support to calls for an internationally supervised vote on independence, he also noted the recommendation calling for a visit by to West Papua by the UN special rapporteur, the reinstatement of NGOs in the region and questioning of international companies working in West Papua.

Since their occupation of West Papua in the 1960s, the Indonesian military has made West Papua a land of ongoing military operations. It is estimated that over 500,000 West Papuan people have been killed in the genocide that Indonesia is committing in West Papua, and the killing and torture continues with reports of human rights abuses coming out on an almost daily basis.

Known as the Paniai Massacre, it drew widespread condemnation from the international community and human rights groups. However, to date not one single Indonesian solider has been brought to justice for this heinous crime against humanity. In fact, the Indonesian Government have forced all foreign NGOs to leave West Papua. One can only conclude that this is an attempt to try and stop news of further killings being investigated.

The Chairperson of the Law Enforcement and Human Rights Advocacy in West Papua, himself stated recently that such military operations are evidence that the Indonesian government is not able to resolve the issues in West Papua. Calling for a political approach rather than simply a military or developmental approach, he said that operations like this will "result in more human rights violations" and would "add to the bad image of Indonesia in the eyes of the world."

But amidst all the suffering, there is also hope. Just days after the landmark Westminster meeting on West Papuan self-determination, there was more historic support for the people of West Papua as yesterday the Solomon Islands Prime Minister Hon. Manasseh Sogavare announced that he had met with Vanuatu Prime Minister Hon. Charlot Salwai and that together they had reaffirmed their backing for The United Liberation Movement for West Papua – ULMWP.

One of the most shocking massacres occurred less than 18 months ago, when a group of West Papuan school children were massacred by the Indonesian military.

On the issue of urgent UN intervention in West Papua, Prime Minister Sogavare said the Indonesian President's apparent rejection of the resolution reached by the Pacific Islands Forum leaders in Port Moresby in 2015 for the deployment of a fact-finding mission in West Papua as well as the Indonesian President's refusal to meet with him in his capacity as the MSG Chair to explain the position of the MSG on the issue of West Papua are very strong grounds warranting the MSG to take the matter to the United Nations.

He said Indonesia was granted Associate membership of the MSG to allow for dialogue between Jakarta and the MSG Leaders on the issue of West Papua, and the Indonesian President's refusal of his request to meet with him regarding MSG's position on West Papua is a clear indication that it has another reason for joining the MSG.

Such true Melanesian solidarity is unbreakable and the people of West Papua are filled with hope and gratitude at the strong, unwavering support that is increasingly being shown to them and their cause from right across Melanesia. We would like to convey our deepest thanks once again to Hon. Manasseh Sogavare, Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands and Hon. Charlot Salwai, Prime Minister of Vanuatu for their consistent solidarity and compassion for the people of West Papua and the struggle for self-determination.

For over 50 years the people of West Papua have been forced to suffer in silence, but our voice is finally being heard and justice is within sight. We are gaining support from all corners of the globe and we know that the power of truth and justice is on our side. We will be free people again. Nothing and no one can stop this movement.

[Benny Wenda is West Papua's independence leader, International Spokesman for the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) and founder of the Free West Papua Campaign. He lives in exile in the UK.]

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/benny-wenda/the-road-to-freedom-for-w_b_9950172.html

Indonesia supports Palestinian independence – What about West Papua?

Huffington Post - May 12, 2016

Benny Wenda – Earlier this year, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) held its extraordinary summit in Jakarta with the theme "Independence is the right of all nations".

The Government of the Republic of Indonesia reaffirmed its support for the independence and sovereignty of Palestine. In fact, through a bilateral meeting with President Mahmoud Abbas, Indonesia stated it had already opened an Honorary Consulate of Indonesia in Ramallah. The commitment of the Indonesian Government to support Palestine is in full accordance with its own Constitution of 1945 which stipulates that all colonialism must be abolished in this world.

At the same time, the Indonesian Government is hiding from the West Papuan political conflict, which involves a territory which was taken over forcefully in 1962, annexed illegally in 1969 and which has been occupied and subjugated up until today through militaristic and colonialist practices, causing acute humanitarian crises, devastation to the environment, considerable appropriation of natural resources, as well as the massive migration of Indonesians to West Papua.

Since 1961, the Papuan people have pledged to stand alone as a nation and as a State. And since then, the people of West Papua have waged a struggle filled with sacrifices in their quest for independence and sovereignty for nearly half a century, with no amicable solution between West Papua and Indonesia in sight. If the Indonesian Government is committed to help achieving the independence and the sovereignty of Palestine, the question is what about West Papua, which lost its right to independence and sovereignty?

We, as organizations which have come together under the umbrella of the national struggle of the people of West Papua, that is the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULWMP), which is also a member observer in the sub-regional organization known as the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG), are of the opinion that in reality, if one is passionate about liberating Palestine from Israeli occupation, one should also be passionate about decolonizing West Papua. How can Indonesia supports Palestine's independence and sovereignty, while the Papuan People are still colonized by Indonesia? How can Indonesia actively be involved in the peaceful settlement of the Palestine question at the UN, while it is rejecting any form of peaceful settlement of the political status of West Papua?

If Indonesia joins the efforts of the OIC to support Palestinian independence, Indonesia should also, as an associate Member of the MSG, promote the right to self-determination of the People of West Papua, in accordance with the 2013 MSG final communique. If Indonesia is also pushing the OIC for various fact-finding teams in Palestine, why does Indonesia, as a "dialogue partner" of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), not want to open access to West Papua for the fact-finding team from South Pacific nations, as agreed in the communique at the Forum's last Leaders' Meeting in Port Moresby, in September 2015? And what more, why does the Indonesian Government persist in rejecting the call of H.E. Mr. Manasseh Sogavare, Chairman of the MSG, for a dialogue with the ULMWP.

Therefore, on behalf of the People of West Papua, we convey to the Government of the Republic of Indonesia, and all members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) that:

- We support the OIC's efforts for a peaceful settlement of the political conflict between Palestine and Israel.

- We are hopeful that the Government of President Joko Widodo will join to seek a peaceful solution to the independence and sovereignty of the nation of West Papua.

- We also sincerely hope that member countries of the OIC will actively urge Indonesia to stop their illegal occupation of West Papua, and, together with the ULMWP, to resolve the political status of West Papua peacefully.

[Benny Wenda is an exiled West Papua independence leader living in the UK. He is the International Spokesman for United Liberation Movement for West Papua(ULMWP) and founder of the Free West Papua Campaign.]

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/benny-wenda/indonesia-supports-palest_b_9911520.html

They need our help, will we let West Papuans lose everything?

Fiji Times - May 11, 2016

Padre James Bhagwan – Last week I ended my column drawing a correlation between the writing of JW Burton, Totaram Sandhya and CF Andrews on the indenture system and the recent report of the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission of the Archdiocese of Brisbane on the injustice and human rights abuse in West Papua.

Titled, "We Will Lose Everything: A Report On A Human Rights Fact Finding Mission To West Papua", this document seeks to present the voice of the people of West Papua as accurately as possible. The delegation's program, while in West Papua, was determined by Papuans who worked closely with them throughout the two-week visit.

Beginning with the dealings by international powers which enabled the Indonesian Government to occupy West Papua in the 1960s without the free consent of the people, the report highlights the violence and marginalisation endured by the Papuan people. Below are extracts from the report which can be read in full at: https://cjpcbrisbane.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/we-will-lose-everything-may-2016.pdf

The commission's delegation to West Papua in February 2016 found no improvement in the human rights situation. Reports of human rights violations by members of Indonesian security forces had not declined and the economic and social status of Papuans has not improved. The Indonesian legal and political system is unwilling and unable to address human rights violations in West Papua.

A meeting with Papuan families living in a compound in Kuala Censana exemplifies why the fear among Papuans of security forces intimidation, harassment and violence has not declined at all in recent times.

The families met by the delegation are Dani people who support the West Papua National Committee (KNPB). They related an incident which occurred on February 5, 2016, a public holiday to mark the coming of Christian missionaries to West Papua. The local KNPB branch had organised a meeting on an oval to celebrate the holiday, but also to present awards for a recent sporting competition and to inform people about the organisation's campaign for a referendum on independence in West Papua.

In a report on arrests of political prisoners in West Papua between 2012 and 2014, Papuans behind Bars reported that 1341 Papuans were arrested in the two-year period and 98 per cent of those arrested were not armed. (See http://www.papuansbehindbars.org/and for a comprehensive coverage of human rights violations in West Papua in 2015, see the International Coalition for Papua's 2015 Human Rights Report at www.humanrightspapua.org/hrreport/2015/).

The delegation heard people do not go out at night for fear they will be taken by members of the security forces and will be beaten or killed. Their fears are not imaginary. They reported two men had been found dead in the town in the past year – one was found dead in the street with his scooter helmet still strapped to his head and another was a young man who is the son of a prominent pastor who is a strong advocate of the rights of the Papuan people.

They also reported that out-of-uniform soldiers would sometimes ride motorcycles into the stalls of Papuan women in the local markets to destroy their capacity to make a living.

In April 2016, the co-ordinator of the prominent Indonesian human rights organisation, the Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence (KONTRAS), Haris Azhar, asserted that human rights violations in West Papua had continued to worsen since the election of President Widodo in September 2014. He referred to data on his organisation's records indicating there had been over 1200 incidents of harassment, beatings, torture and killings of Papuans by Indonesian security forces in the past year.

Everywhere the delegation went in West Papua, soldiers, police and intelligence operatives were clearly visible. At one of the towns our delegation visited, the priest who hosted their visit was asked to attend the police station to answer questions on the reasons for the delegation's presence in the community.

In several places, Papuans reported that significant numbers of military personnel being brought into the area ostensibly for non-military purposes such as undertaking audits of places of cultural significance, but locals believe their presence is intended to reinforce the capacity to monitor and control the activities of those promoting independence.

Information from various parts of West Papua assert the security forces are often involved in businesses such as brothels and logging. If not involved as owners, they obtain income by providing security for these businesses. They also supplement their income by compelling local government authorities to employ soldiers as security or drivers.

According to KNPB leaders with whom the delegation spoke in 2016 and with whom members of the 2015 pilgrimage also spoke, 28 KNPB members have been summarily executed by Indonesian security forces between 2012 and 2016.

A report provided to the commission by a Catholic seminarian indicates that, on April 5, the Timika Branch of KNPB held a prayer meeting to pray for the granting to the ULMWP of full membership of the Melanesian Spearhead Group. The prayer meeting took place in the Golgota GKI Church. A group of soldiers, police and members of Detachment 88 arrived at the meeting and removed some KNPB material and destroyed a stage constructed for the gathering.

"When they arrived, the KNPB leader in Timika, Steven Itlay, said the prayer meeting would continue. However, the contingent of soldiers and police decided to break up the meeting. They beat members of the community and arrested Steven Itlay and eight other KNPB members. They were kicked and beaten with rifle butts during the arrests."

The report highlighted that West Papuans are just as much concerned about their growing economic and social marginalisation as they are about the violence of the security forces. Without a doubt, the single most important factor for them in this regard is the rapid demographic changes which have resulted from the extremely high rate of migration into West Papua from Java, Sumatra, Flores, West Timor and other Indonesian islands.

As visitors, the dramatic demographic shift is readily observable. Indonesian faces are as common as Melanesian faces, if not the majority, in many places the delegation visited in West Papua. In the main towns we visited – Port Numbay (Jayapura), Timika, Sorong and Merauke – they are already the majority.

Along with the influx of Indonesian migrants have come changes in language, food, dress, religion, music, art and much more. Papuans have seen themselves pushed to one side by often more aggressive Indonesian migrants who have taken over land, the economy and cultural spaces.

Dr James Elmslie's demographic projections for Melanesian people in West Papua present a stark picture. Since 1971, he estimates the Melanesian proportion of the population in West Papua has declined from around 96 per cent to a present day minority of 48.73 per cent; and he projects the proportion will decline to 28.99 per cent in four short years in 2020.

It is no wonder that Papuans, seeing the rapid changes around them, believe their situation is desperate. It is also the reason why the ULMWP leadership claims that "We will lose everything!" unless there is a dramatic shift in the political situation in West Papua in the next few years.

In the light of the delegation's findings, the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission of the Archdiocese of Brisbane made a number of recommendations, including that:

- Governments in the Pacific, including the Australian Government, should seek intervention at the United Nations Human Rights Council and the United Nations General Assembly to initiate a credible, independent investigation into human rights violations in West Papua;

- Governments in the Pacific should also pressure the Indonesian Government directly and seek the intervention of the United Nations to establish a dialogue between the Indonesian Government and the acknowledged leaders of the people of West Papua, the United Liberation Movement for West Papua in order to identify a credible pathway towards genuine self-determination for the people of West Papua; - Churches and civil society organisations in the Pacific should continue to build a network of solidarity with their counterparts in West Papua in order to support advocacy and action on human rights violations and the pursuit of self-determination by the people of West Papua and their leaders, the United Liberation Movement for West Papua; and

- The Australian Government should urgently consider the mounting evidence of involvement in human rights violations in West Papua by members of the Indonesian military, police force, including Detachment 88, and intelligence service. Based on this investigation, it should review any support, training and funding of any units involved in human rights violations in West Papua with a view to suspending such support until policy changes to end violations are implemented by the Indonesian Government.

There is much more in the report than which I have shared. One reader of the report shared his hope and prayer that we in Fiji realise that while we may be suffering there are others in our midst who are suffering more. My thoughts and prayers are with our brothers and sisters in West Papua and I pray that sooner rather than later, I will see the day when an international or regional peacekeeping, peace building force is deployed to West Papua.

Simplicity, serenity, spontaneity.

[Reverend James Bhagwan is an ordained Methodist minister and a citizen journalist. The opinions expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Methodist Church in Fiji or this newspaper.]

Source: http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=353260

Sade Bimantara is already free, rights protected

Jakarta Post - May 10, 2016

Ligia J. Giay – A recent article by Sade Bimantara on how Papua is "already free and its rights protected" reeks of what it means to be privileged in Indonesia. I accept that everyone experiences differently what it is to be a citizen of a country, but to use one's experience of being in Indonesia to scold other people (in such a patronizing tone, mind you) makes it difficult to ignore. Let me make my points one by one.

Sade began his case by saying that the use of the word "liberation" in the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) was pretentious. Perhaps to be deliberately facetious, he asks, "[liberated] from whom or what?" But let's pretend that the question is serious.

Papua wants independence from Indonesia. Most Papuans have never wanted to be a part of Indonesia. Were it not for the Netherlands, Indonesia would never have had any basis on which to claim that Papua is part of Indonesia. We all know that Sukarno demanded that Indonesia inherit the entirety of what was the Dutch East Indies. If Papua were not part of the Dutch East Indies, the claim would not have any basis whatsoever.

But Papua was a part of the Dutch East Indies. Hence, Sukarno's claim was reified. But to say that "the people of Papua together with their brothers from other parts of Indonesia fought together in the war for independence from the Netherlands" and that 'in 1969 the people of Papua once and for all reaffirmed that Papua was an inevitable part of Indonesia" is taking it too far. I suggest reading a book by historian P.J. Drooglever entitled An Act of Free Choice: Decolonisation and the Right to Self-Determination in West Papua.

The idea that Papuans fought in the war of independence from the Netherland is preposterous, to say the least. Which war of independence are we talking about here? If Sade was referring to the revolutionary war in 1945-1949, I have bad news for him. In 1945-1949, Papuans did not know of other Indonesians; they were not fighting against the Netherlands.

If the author was referring to the 1969 Act of Free Choice (which my friends have called affectionately 'the Act of No Choice'), a cursory reading of the work above by Prof. Drooglever would debunk the idea that Papuans ever "reaffirmed" their belonging to Indonesia in the act. Prof. Drooglever took 900 pages to make this case; I will not waste ink on simply repeating it.

But let me get to the point of why the article reeked of privilege, and what I mean when I say that the article reveals what it means to be privileged in Indonesia.

To be privileged in Indonesia is knowing that you can go to the police for protection. In light of the detention of at least 1,600 demonstrators last week, you can be assured that most Papuans don't feel protected when we think of the police, or worse, the military apparatus.

To be privileged in Indonesia is to be able to say that the government is committed to solving all human rights issues, and use that sentiment to end the argument. To a free Indonesian, commitment is enough. Papuans know better. Most of us do not hate Jokowi; we simply wonder how far his commitment to human rights can take us toward a better life. We like commitments; unfortunately, they are not enough.

To be privileged in Indonesia is to be able to read about local daily injustices in national newspapers, instead of on Facebook posts. To refer to commitment when Human Rights Watch still laments the lack of journalist access to Papua is wilful ignorance. Dear author, do you know why it is so difficult to receive "credible" information on Papua? Because any journalist you deem "credible" enough would not be able to go to Papua freely.

To be privileged in Indonesia is to be able to attend a university anywhere in Indonesia, without having to prove that you are not an idiot. It is about being able to leave your home region and use the local dialect, without receiving smirks. Our different dialect does not showcase our stupidity, but somehow that connection is there, and we Papuans have to prove we are not as idiotic as we sound.

To be privileged in Indonesia is to say that Papuans are brothers while at the same time saying that this demand for freedom is ridiculous. It thinks that we are stupid and ungrateful. That it is improper for Papuans to be still demanding liberation from Indonesia. 'Look at all this development and progress we've given you – how dare you ask for more?"

It is at the point of human rights issues that the claims fall short. Instead of referring to recent human rights reports to be able to say that we are doing great, the author has to fall back on the argument that "we are not as horrible as these separatists are saying." And Papuans are supposed to be satisfied with this.

Guess what? Papuans are not satisfied. We deserve better than your commitment, your insistence that you are not committing genocide. If we were satisfied, the independence movement would not have been as strong as it is. ULMWP would have remained on the fringes of our society, not central to it.

Because the problem of being a Papuan is to know that when you look around you, a lot of things fall short. Because while the author has given us an extensive list of the freedom of Papuans to do things, it has not given a list of things Papuans are unfree from. Unfree from police brutality. Unfree from fear of the military. Unfree from living our lives peacefully.

But perhaps the point the author makes relates more to the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) than the ungrateful wretches of the ULMWP. It is about the annoyance that the ULMWP causes to Indonesia's membership in the MSG. Of course, while I will not dispute that Indonesia has a significant population that can be called Melanesian, I have to say that Indonesia's interest in MSG is as old as the success of ULMWP's lobby in the MSG. It is so recent that one may rightfully wonder whether Indonesian entrance into the MSG intends simply to force MSG members to adhere to the Agreed Principles of Cooperation of the MSG – i.e., forcing them to respect Indonesia's sovereignty.

I know that I will not change the author's mind regarding the issue. I simply wish to point out that the Indonesia that Sade lives in is to Papuans as real as the magical land in The Wizard of Oz.

[The author is a student in the history department at Leiden University in the Netherlands. The article "Papua is already free, rights protected" can be found at: http://www.thejakartapost.com/academia/2016/05/09/papua-is-already-free-rights-protected.html.]

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/academia/2016/05/10/sade-bimantara-is-already-free-rights-protected.html