Solomon Islands' diplomat in Geneva has told the UN Human Rights Council's 32nd session about an eroding human rights situation in Indonesia's Papua region.

Barrett Salato told the session that whilst his country welcomes increased attention on West Papua from Indonesia's president Joko Widodo, violations of Papuans' rights remain unresolved.

Mr Salato said his government received regular reports from Papua of arbitrary arrests, summary execution, torture, restriction of freedom of expression, assembly and association, committed mainly by Indonesian police.

After the session, he said it was important to raise the issue globally. "It will give the international community some awareness about what's going on (in Papua)," he said.

"Not much information goes out to the international community about what's happening so we take it here to the right body of the UN to raise the voices of our fellow human beings that does not have a voice in the human rights council."

West Papua was singled out for attention at the session by the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association, Maina Kiai. He said what is occurring in Papua was a phenomenon connected with cultural fundamentalism and nationalism seen in other parts of the world.

"In each case, the superiority has triggered the process of dehumanization or delegitimizing of particular groups," said Mr Kiai in his report.

Barrett Salato pointed out to the Council session that on 2 May 2016 alone, over 2000 West Papuans were arrested for participating in peaceful demonstrations in several cities in Papua and eastern Indonesian cities.

"We would encourage the government of Indonesia to find peaceful and sustainable solution of the on-going conflict in West Papua through constructive engagement with the representatives of the West Papuans and respect their right as a people," he said.

MSG focus on Papuan rights

Solomon Islands is currently occupying the chair of the Melanesian Spearhead Group. In this capacity it has been pushing for increased engagement with Indonesia's government over the situation in West Papua.

The United Liberation Movement for West Papua was granted observer status at the MSG last year and is seeking full membership in the group, with a decision to be made at an upcoming MSG leaders summit in Honiara next month.

Indonesia, which has associate member status in the MSG, has been opposed to greater representation within the group by the ULMWP.

Indonesia's delegate at last week's MSG Foreign Ministers meeting in Fiji was reportedly unhappy about having to sit alongside the Liberation Movement representative for discussions. The Solomons government, however, was upbeat about the impact of getting Indonesians and West Papuans together at the same table.

The MSG Foreign Ministers meeting concluded with agreement to establish a Committee of High Level Representatives of MSG members to facilitate constructive engagement between Jakarta and West Papuans as concernd parties on the issues of rights abuses against Papuans.

Jakarta establishes team to address Papuan rights abuses

Indonesia's government has been making efforts to respond to the ongoing international concern about rights abuses in West Papua. While the UN Human Rights Council was discussing Papua in Geneva, Jakarta has been pushing ahead with the establishment of a team tasked with addressing a number of cases of human rights abuses in Papua region.

The team is being created under the watch of the Coordinating Minister of Political, Legal and Security Affairs, Luhut Pandjaitan, who has invited regional monitoring for the team's inception.

Mr Luhut told media the team would consist of the chairmen of both National and Provincial Human Rights Commissions and several human rights commissionaires.

But Papua's Governor Lucas Enembe and various Papuan civil society figures have voiced concern that the team would not be independent and would be restricted in its scope.

Jakarta is under increasing pressure to be transparent about its efforts in Papua. According to Barrett Salato, the Solomons would continue to urge Jakarta to accept MSG and Pacific Islands Forum fact-finding missions to Papua, and open up Papua to international access.

"Journalists working on human rights are still prevented to have free and full access to do their work in West Papua," he said. "Our delegation is convinced that access of international community to West Papua, particularly to UN Special Procedure, will provide an opportunity to improve the human rights situation."

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/307125/un-and-jakarta-focus-on-papua-rights-abuses

Papua police to issue rules on demonstrations

Tabloid JUBI - June 21, 2016

Wamena, Jubi – Papua Police would issue rules on public expressions in a move that many fear will curtail free speech.

Papua Police Chief Inspector General Paulus Waterpauw said everyone has right to express their opinion in public, but for such groups such as KNPB, PRD who advocate for separatism, there are legal consequences.

"We will specially record those who are against the legitimate government. There will be legal consequences and it is regulated in the Criminal Code," he said in Wamena, Jayawijaya Regency on Friday (17/6/2016).

He said those who conduct a demonstration on the issue of separation from the Republic of Indonesia could be charged with treason and would be on a police criminal record if convicted.

He explained if someone has convicted of crime, they would have the police criminal record. For students who want to continue their study, the record would be attached with them. It's also applied to the graduates apply for a job; this record would prevent them in the future.

He also asked to the regents in Papua to identify the pupils and students funded or financially supported by government. "They shouldn't get involved that finally made them trap in the situation that ultimately harm themselves," he said.

In response the chief, Papuan political prisoner Philep Karma said this notice would merely to rise the number of political prisoners in Papua, because many activists and indigenous Papuans, in particular KNPB who conduct the protest demanding the truth of Papuan history to the self-determination.

"The more political prisoners, the issue of Papua will increasingly global. It means the president would feel more complicated, isn't he?" he said to Jubi on Monday (20/6/2016).

On the last few days, the demonstration was flaring in Papua, whether held by West Papua National Committee in Jayapura on 3 May 2016 and 15 June 2016 respectively or White-Flag National Group in Wamena in last month and Thursday (16/6/2016) or the National Front (BARA NKRI) in the early June. It seems they are competing against each other.

The Coordinating Minister of Politic, Legal and Security Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan considered the demonstration is the citizens' constitutional rights and there's no problem as long as it is according to the Law and not anarchistic.

"But if it breaks the Law, off course there is a legal consequence, and should be considered," he told reporters after meeting with Jayawijaya leaders in Wamena on Friday (17/6/2016). He also asked to Papua Police Chief to review the permit for demonstration, because everything has consequences.

"Governor also must form a regulation related to the demonstration, for example, in Jakarta the demonstration was allowed to conduct from six in the morning to six in the afternoon. Secondly, it could be done at particular places and not allowed for violating the rights of other people," he said. (Islami Adisubrata/rom)

Source: http://tabloidjubi.com/eng/papua-police-to-issue-rules-on-demonstrations/

Minister's integrated team provides no room for victims

Tabloid JUBI - June 21, 2016

Wamena, Jubi – The government's attempt to resolve alleged human rights violations through an integrated team formed under the Coordinating Minister of Political, Legal and Security Affairs must involve relevant parties.

Papuan human rights activist Teo Hesegem who was involved in the investigation team for human rights violations representing the Central Highlands said human rights violations in Papua must be resolved but community representatives such as KNPB, Customary Law Council, as well as OPM must be involved to allow their opinions heard.

"The victims should also deliver their aspirations as well as their families. They have rights to say several things to the minister, but the space has never been existed," he said on Monday (20/6/2016).

"So, it should be raised from the victims about how to solve this human rights violation. So, this meeting actually could provide more times or wider space to each components. If KNPB, Customary Council or even OPM have chance to speak, if we were not involving them into this attempt we would be in deadlock," said Hesegem in responding the meeting between the Minister of Political, Legal and Security Affairs with Jayawijaya leaders at the Regent Office on Friday (17/6/2016).

In this meeting, Minister Luhut Binsar Panjaitan admitted about rejection against his investigation team. But it was only few people. According to him, the team is consisting of the Chairman of both National and Provincial Human Rights Commission and several human rights commissionaires.

"I can tell everyone can look on the existing document, while the journalists also could be included in this team, so that this could be well settled, but better come with data not rumors. What we wanted is no group to from independent team to investigate us," he said in Wamena, Jayawijaya.

He admitted so far the current process is collecting the data, because from the meeting in Jayawijaya it founded many police officers and military personnel have become the victims, therefore he considered it is not fair if the problem was only solved for the civilians.

On the same occasion, Papua Police Chief Inspector Paulus Waterpauw explained the cases of severe human rights violation that become their focus are the cases of Wamena, Wasior and Paniai. National Human Rights Commission and General Attorney would handle all cases.

"Yesterday the human rights observers that we brought to Jakarta, about 12 persons directly visited to the General Attorney and National Human Rights Commission to make direct endorsement to each leaders. Hopefully, with the seriousness and endorsement from our government in Papua, the human rights observers could accelerate the settlements of human rights cases in Papua, which we are targeting to solve the three mentioned cases," said Waterpauw.

Earlier the minister's visit, the Chairman of Papua Legislative Council Yunus Wonda has doubted the minister's investigation team in solving the human rights violations in Papua. Because he thought this team is not independent.

"Though the government's team has data, but I am not sure if any countries could trust on it," he said. He expected the resolution of human rights issues is carried out by an institution that supposed to work for it, namely National Human Rights Commission.

At the beginning of the establishment of this integrated team, Papua Governor Lukas Enembe expressed his disappointment towards this attempt by the Coordinating Minister of Political, Legal and Security Affairs because it still argued about the criteria and definition of human rights violations.

"If it's still arguing about the criteria and definition, it's better giving back to Papua, so it could be resolved by the customary law," he said after the closed meeting in the last April with the Coordination Minister of Political, Legal and Security Affairs along with the Chairman of Papua Legislative Council and Chairman of Papua People's Assembly. (Islami Adisubrata/rom)

Source: http://tabloidjubi.com/eng/ministers-integrated-team-provides-no-room-for-victims/

Focus on West Papua

Fiji Times - June 21, 2016

Charlene Lanyon – Submissions made by various sectors to the Pacific Islands Forum have highlighted West Papua as an issue of concern in the region.

Committee representative Lopeti Senituli said 47 submissions were received from the private sector, civil society, individuals, donor communities and Council of Regional Organisations in the Pacific (CROP) agencies.

"The committee comprises experts in specialist fields and we are tasked with identifying and recommending to the forum leaders a set of initiatives that are transformative of the region and supportive of deeper regionalism.

"We would also review progress reports and prepare a brief report to the forum leaders. "During our assessment, we found that 13 of the 47 proposals that were received were on the issue of West Papua," he said.

PNG's Leonard Louma said West Papua was also one of the five priority issues adopted by the forum last year, along with climate change, fisheries, cervical cancer and information and communications technology.

"However, last year the focus was on the human rights violations happening in West Papua," he said.

"This year's submission focuses on highlighting the issue on the international stage such as at the United Nations and its Human Rights Council.

"Papua New Guinea PM and forum chair Peter O'Neill had written to the Indonesian president and he has informed us that the appropriate place to bring up this issue was at the Bali Democracy Forum."

Source: http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=358985

West Papuan activists claim more big arrest numbers

Radio New Zealand International - June 20, 2016

The West Papua National Committee, or KNPB, has claimed that more than 1,000 of its members were detained by police during a demonstration last Wednesday.

This comes as Indonesian police claim they made no arrests in the latest of a series of large demonstrations by Papuans in support of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua.

Last Wednesday's demo in Jayapura by the KNPB was also voicing opposition to the Human Rights Investigation Team set up by the Ministry of Political, Legal and Security Affairs.

The KNPB, which is part of the Liberation Movement, has concerns about the veracity of the Investigation team although Jakarta says it is making concrete efforts to address rights abuses in Papua.

One KNPB leader, Alan Halitopo, told the Tabloid Jubi newspaper 1,004 activists were taken in briefly for police questioning. He said the police arrested them because they did not have a permit for the rally.

A Jayapura police spokesperson Imam Rubianto said they questioned 600 people and released them shortly afterwards. This follows media claims by the Papua police commander Paulus Waterpauw denying that anyone was arrested during last week's demonstration.

On one day in Papua last month, police arrested around 2,000 demonstrators in Jayapura alone.

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/306866/west-papuan-activists-claim-more-big-arrest-numbers

UN Special Rapporteur speaks out against restrictions to free speech in Papua

Tabloid JUBI - June 20, 2016

Jayapura, Jubi – UN Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association, Maina Kai, highlighted the issue of Papua in his report to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland on Friday (17/6/2016).

In the 32nd session of the UN Human Rights Council Plenary, he reported what was occurring in Papua is a phenomenon which has connection with cultural fundamentalism and nationalism.

He spoke of the domination of a particular culture, a particular language and even a particular tradition which is claimed superior than others.

"My report documented about the phenomenon occurring in China that restricts the rights of assembly and association of Tibetans and Uighurs; in Indonesia against the West Papuans and in other places such as India and Mauritania against the individuals considered a lower caste," said Kiai in his report in the plenary.

He also mentioned about the significant rise of fundamentalism in the last few years, as seen in the rising popularity of many right-wing political parties, in particular in Austria, Denmark, Hungary and Switzerland.

"The fundamentalism cases initially may look different, but it has the same interest. In each case, the superiority has triggered the process of dehumanization or delegitimizing of particular groups. Gradually, these groups would lose their humanity and rights. This process can lead to devastating consequences, because history has proved it many times," said Kiai in his report.

In addition to the report of the UN Special Rapporteur, the civil society group who concerned about Papua issue also reported the restriction of freedom of expression in Papua.

Franciscans International, VIVAT International, International Coalition for West Papua, West Papua Nezwerk, Tapol, and Minority Rights Groups International, Geneva for Human Rights and The World Council of Churches urged the UN Human Rights Council for asking the Government of Indonesia to conduct investigation on the arbitrary arrests in Papua and other places. The Government of Indonesia was asked to guarantee the rights of freedom of expression, and freedom of assembly and association for Papuans.

"We also ask the UN Human Rights Council to urge the Government of Indonesia to open the access on Papua for the international community and set a date for the UN Special Rapporteur on the Freedom of Expression an allow other mandate holders to visit Papua," said Budi Cahyono, the Coordinator for Asia Pacific Franciscans International Program in Geneva to Jubi through email on Sunday (19/6/2016). (Victor Mambor)

Source: http://tabloidjubi.com/eng/un-special-rapporteur-speaks-out-against-restrictions-to-free-speech-in-papua/

Indonesia rejects separatist movement in West Papua: Foreign ministry

Jakarta Globe - June 17, 2016

Eko Prasetyo, Jakarta – The Indonesian government has rejected the claims of a separatist group which calls themselves the United Liberation Movement for West Papua, or ULMWP, a press release from the Foreign Ministry said on Friday (17/06).

"The ULMWP is a separatist movement in a sovereign state. The movement has no legitimacy and does not represent the people of West Papua," the ministry's director general of Asia Pacific and Africa Desra Percaya said at the Ministerial Level Meeting of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) in Lautoka, Fiji, Thursday.

Desra in his statement made specific references to the ULMWP's effort to upgrade its status from an observer group to a fully-fledged member of the MSG.

Intense lobbying from the Indonesian delegation had apparently foiled the ULMWP's move. MSG merely noted ULMWP's proposal and formed a committee to discuss membership criteria, as some of its member states had proposed to have Indonesia instead as a full member of the MSG.

The Indonesian delegation also invited MSG member countries to attend the Bali Democracy Forum on Dec. 8-9 to discuss how to strengthen security cooperation in the Melanesian subregion.

Desra also met face-to-face with the foreign ministers of Fiji and the Solomon Islands, the head of the Papua New Guinea delegation and the director general of the MSG during the meeting.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/indonesia-rejects-separatist-movement-west-papua-foreign-ministry/

Rights violation cases in Papua to be settled definitively: Minister Pandjaitan

Antara News - June 16, 2016

Syaiful Hakim, Jakarta – An Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Political, Security and Legal Affairs, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan said here on Thursday that the government wishes to settle alleged cases of human rights violations in Papua definitively.

"I will meet all community elements, including religious figures, students, military and police officials and also non-governmental organizations. The government wishes to show to the world that we are serious and transparent in settling the cases. There is no engineering," he said at Sentani airport in Jayapura, Papua.

He said the process has been going well. The integrated team that was set up in May 2016 to handle alleged cases of human rights violations in Papua and West Papua provinces has been assigned to collect data, information and analysis and it will submit its report to the President.

Minister Luhut said in a written statement received here that day that a team had indeed been set up by the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) in 2011 and this integrated team was set up by the government and was aimed at helping accelerate the settlement of the cases.

"The integrated team has defined the criteria for a human right violation. The criteria have been formulated transparently, and are measurable with impartiality. Based on the criteria, out of 22 reported cases, three could be categorized as human right violations, namely the Wasior, Wamena and Paniai cases," he said, adding that he had never intervened in the process of work of the team.

Minister Luhut said whoever is declared guilty by the team will face judicial process. "Whoever he is, be they community members or law enforcement officials. In principle, whoever is declared guilty will be taken through a judicial process," he said.

To assure that the process is transparent, he said he had invited New Zealand's Ambassador to Indonesia, Trevor Matheson, Solomon Ambassador Salana Kalu, Fiji Ambassador S.T. Cavuilati and Papua New Guinea Ambassador Peter Ilau to Papua. "Their presence here is to make the international community see what we have been doing. They are not a fact-finding team," he said.

When asked about the rejection of the team by a Komnas HAM Commissioner, Minister Luhut said he had received confirmation from Komnas HAM Chairman Nur Kholis that this is a matter of a personal view and not the decision of Komnas HAM.

"When he was contacted by our staff, Pak (Mr) Nur Kholis said the decision of Komnas HAMs plenary meeting is to establish a working task force that will help Nur Khlis and Ibu (Mrs) Zandra Mambrasar to work for Papua together with the governments team," he said.

With regards to reports about more than 1,000 people being arrested while conducting a demonstration to protest the governments team, Papua Regional Police Chief Paulus Waterpauw denied this, saying, "There has never been any arrest made. We only asked them to disperse."

During his visit to the office of the Financial Service Authority (OJK) in Jayapura, Minister Luhut and the Head of the National Planning Board, Sofyan Djalil, had been briefed on OJK activities so far. OJK has emphasized on financial education and boosting economic development in Papua.

On the occasion, Minister Luhut also expressed support for the development of entrepreneurship in the coffee, cocoa and palm oil plantation sectors. He advised OJK to set a target and find indigenous business cadres. Minister Luhut plans to visit Wamena, Manokwari and Merauke while in Papua.

Source: http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/105264/rights-violation-cases-in-papua-to-be-settled-definitively-minister-pandjaitan

Doubts cast team's prospects of resolving human rights cases in Papua

Tabloid JUBI - June 17, 2016

Jayapura, Jubi – Some Papuans expressed doubts that an investigation team from the Coordinating Minister of Political, Legal and Security Affairs will be able to resolve cases of human rights violations in Papua.

Yunus Wonda, Chairman of Papua Legislative Council, told reporter on Thursday (16/6/2016) in Jayapura that he was pessimistic the Indonesian Government could resolve such cases in Papua.

"The team would not able resolving such cases though by involving some human rights observers, since the Ministry of Political, Legal and Security Affairs is not an independent institution," he said.

He said although the government's team had some data, he believed it would not gain trust from other countries. "The Government can give anything in funding for Papua, but still it wouldn't solve the problem because it didn't reveal the root [of the problem]. We hope a resolution for Papua could be found through dialogue," he said.

He said he totally agreed if the human rights issue could be resolved collectively by involving the National Human Rights Commission. If so, Indonesia would be recognized in the international community as being capable in solving the cases of human rights violations.

As an example, he pointed if he murdered someone, and then personally pointed himself to resolve the problem, it's just not right.

"Therefore, the team that consisting of Minister of Political, Legal and Security Affairs, General Attorney and National Human Rights Commission and some human right observers would be useless, because the world would not recognize their work," said Wonda.

Earlier, Papua legislator Laurenzus Kadepa said he was pessimistic if the Government would resolve the cases of human rights violations in the past and present, though President Joko Widodo has asked the Coordinating Minister of Political, Legal and Security Affairs and other institution for tacking it. Papuans shouldn't have expectations to the State.

"I am not sure if the Government had good intention to resolve the human rights violations in Papua properly. Despite finding resolution, it refused to admit that human rights violations were truly occurred. I am not sure the Government would recognize the human rights violations whether it was occurred in the past or present," Kadepa told reporter on April.

Meanwhile, Papua Governor Lukas Enembe expressed his disappointment after holding a closed meeting with the Coordinating Minister of Political, Legal and Security Affairs to discuss about the alleged human rights violations in Papua at the minister's office in Jakarta.

Attended in the meeting were including Papua Police Chief, the Chairman of Papua Legislative Council, Cenderawasih Military Commander, the Chairman of Papua People's Assembly, National Human Rights Commission Papua Representative, Coalition for Human Rights Violations in Papua.

This meeting was to follow up the Focus Group Discussion on Documentation of Alleged Human Rights Violations from 15, 18 and 10 April that was held in Jayapura City and attended by the civil society groups concerned to human rights violations issues. Papua Police and National Human Rights Commission Papua Representative Office facilitated the FGD.

"The Central Government couldn't resolve the human rights issues in Papua. It must be handed over to Papuans to solve it through the customary law. It's still need to be discussed," said Governor Enembe on April.

He disappointed with this meeting and considered the Government is not capable in solving the human right issues in Papua. (Arjuna Pademme/rom)

Source: http://tabloidjubi.com/eng/doubts-cast-teams-prospects-of-resolving-human-rights-cases-in-papua/

Papuans and Indonesians at the same table in MSG

Radio New Zealand International - June 17, 2016

The chairman of this week's Melanesian Spearhead Group Foreign Ministers meeting in Fiji has lauded the occasion of having West Papuan and Indonesian delegates at the same table.

However, Milner Tozaka, who is the Solomon Islands Foreign Minister, has admitted that this was not the way Indonesia initially wanted it to be.

Mr Tozaka claimed it was the first time in the MSG history that Indonesia and the United Liberation Movement for West Papua were seated with the rest of the group's full membership at the meeting in Lautoka.

The Liberation Movement, which has observer status in the MSG, and Indonesia, with associate member status, are both vying for full membership in the group. An upcoming MSG leaders summit in July in Honiara is expected to deliberate on this.

However Jakarta has lobbied intensely in the region to counter efforts to include the Liberation Movement in the MSG, saying its own involvement in the group already covers representation of West Papuans.

But grassroots support in Melanesian states for West Papuan self-determination aspirations is strong and international diplomatic activity over the matter is growing.

The Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia's FLNKS Kanaks movement have signalled support for West Papuan full membership, while the other two full members, Fiji and Papua New Guinea, appear likely to sie with Indonesia.

In Lautoka, Mr Tozaka said Indonesia expressed objections to accommodate the Papuans at the senior officials meetings prior to the Foreign Ministers meeting. But he said he stood his grounds and stressed the need for both parties to participate.

Meanwhile, Solomon Islands' special West Papua envoy, Rex Horoi, described it as the start of a long awaited process the MSG has been pushing for.

He said the MSG wanted to provide a platform for both Indonesia and the ULMWP to conduct open and transparent dialogue on ongoing human rights violations and issues facing the indigenous Melanesians of Indonesia's Papua region.

The MSG Foreign Ministers also discussed the recently concluded negotiations for the new MSG Trade Agreement – the Melanesian Free Trade Agreement (MFTA) which was endorsed at the recent Trade Ministers Meeting convened in May in Port Vila.

Mr Tozaka admitted that there is a dire need to convene the meetings to ensure that the life-blood of the MSG is maintained and, if need be. revamped.

"Today we have important issues to consider, most notably the critical financial situation of our Secretariat," he said. "The Secretariat needs adequate financial support to deliver a number of important mandates and decisions of our leaders."

He said despite the challenges faced by members on the resourcing issues and differing views on how to best address these challenges, it was good to see the exploring of various cost-cutting measures.

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/306639/papuans-and-indonesians-at-the-same-table-in-msg

Indonesian police tell Papuan journos to co-ordinate with them

Radio New Zealand International - June 17, 2016

Indonesian police have told journalists from an independent West Papua news outlet to co-ordinate with them over coverage of public demonstrations.

This comes amid a recent spate of large pro-independence demonstrations by West Papuans in cities across Indonesia's eastern region.

Tabloid Jubi reports that two of its journalists were told by the Jayapura Police Deputy Chief Police Commissionaire Arnold Tata to make early coordination with police while covering a rally by the West Papua National Committee in Sentani on Wednesday.

The journalists said they were warned that their journalistic activity has been considered intrusive. They indicated that as journalists, based on Indonesia's Press Law, they had the right to do their job without restrictions.

However Mr Tata disregarded their explanation. The senior police official complained that Jubi hasn't been covering various activities carried out by Jayapura Police whereas other media outlets have.

Jubi's Editor-in-chief Dominggus Mampioper said there was no obligation for reporters to make advance coordination with police for doing coverage. He said regardless of whether the demonstration itself was legally sanctioned, if something newsworthy was happening, then Jubi would cover it.

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/306646/indonesian-police-tell-papuan-journos-to-co-ordinate-with-them

Papua-centric perspective should guide development in province: minister

Jakarta Post - June 17, 2016

Marguerite Afra Sapiie, Jakarta – The government should change its view of development in Papua from an Indonesia-centric perspective to a Papua-centric one that prioritizes underdeveloped areas, National Development Planning Board (Bappenas) chief Sofyan Djalil has said.

According to Sofyan, Papuans should make use of local resources in their development efforts. For example, if they have coffee and cacao plants, then they should improve those industries. If they have fish, then the government could help to create a fisheries-based industry.

"Instead of constructing Transpapua, it's better if we build or strengthen intermodal transportation or connect the province with outside areas," Sofyan said in a visit to the easternmost province on Thursday.

Sofyan emphasized that local government in Papua should not initiate infrastructure development that did not offer a fruitful contribution to the local people, such as constructing a road on a mountain that would only benefit some vehicle owners but not all residents. (dan)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/06/17/papua-centric-perspective-should-guide-development-in-province-minister.html

Papuans rally to protest Indonesia's rights policies

UCA News - June 16, 2016

Benny Mawel, Abepura, Indonesia – Over a thousand people, including seminarians, have staged a rally in Jayapura, the provincial capital of Papua in Indonesia to protest the central government's human rights policies.

A host of abuses occurred during the first year of Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's administration, including the arrest, torture and murder of at least 700 civilians, according to a report by the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence.

"The root of the problem in Papua isn't the shooting of one or two persons," Bazooka Logo, who organized the rally, told ucanews.com. "It's the 1969 Act of Free Choice."

The Act of Free Choice which asserts that the indigenous population of Western New Guinea relinquished sovereignty to become part of Indonesia – emerged without a clear legal basis, he claimed.

"The agreement is invalid and a gross human rights violation," said Logo, who is also spokesman for the pro-independence, National Committee for West Papua. "This violation is the basis of all human rights violations happening in Papua."

The central government formed a task force last month to resolve the issue in Papua. The team has been tasked with collecting data and submitting a report to the president. They hope to resolve 12 human rights cases by the end of this year, cooperating with the police and the National Commission on Human Rights.

"The Papuan people reject the team formed by Jakarta," said Logo. "We will open our arms only if they address the history and the Act of Free Choice."

Christianus Dogopia, a seminarian from the Fajar Timur School of Philosophy and Theology in Abepura, Jayapura claimed that the team would have a political agenda.

"Jakarta formed the team after the human rights abuses in Papua became topics of international discussion," he told ucanews.com. "The state knows they violate human rights. But it seems they aren't willing to [fully] resolve the problems.... So it's fine if the Papuan people reject them."

Yadinus Mabel, who heads the youth group from the Synod of the Evangelical Church in Indonesia, was equally pessimistic. "The state can't judge the state," he said.

Source: http://www.ucanews.com/news/papuans-rally-to-protest-indonesias-rights-policies/76336

Papuan rights issues will be solved without deception: Luhut

Jakarta Post - June 16, 2016

Marguerite Afra Sapiie, Jakarta – Indonesia is committed to taking a holistic approach in its push for an immediate settlement of human rights cases in Papua, Coordinating Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan said on Thursday.

Luhut, who flew to Papua on Wednesday night and will be in the province until Saturday, plans to meet with all stakeholders, including religious leaders, students, military and police personnel, and NGOs to prove the country's commitment to settling the issue.

"The government wants to show the world that we are serious and accountable and [will resolve these cases] without any deception," Luhut said in a statement.

An integrated team responsible for investigating and analyzing alleged rights abuse cases in Papua, formed in May by Luhut, has concluded that from the 22 cases that were investigated, three constitute human rights violations and those three are currently in the process of being settled, Luhut said. The three are the 2014 Paniai shooting, the 2001 Wamena incident and the 2003 Wasior incidents.

Confirming a statement made by National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) commissioner Nur Kholis, Luhut said a plenary meeting of the commission had agreed to create a task force that included Komnas HAM commissioners that would assist the government in resolving the cases.

New Zealand Ambassador to Indonesia Trevor Matheson, Solomon Islands Ambassador to Indonesia Salana Kalu, Fijian Ambassador S.T. Cavuilati and Papua New Guinean Ambassador Peter Ilau also presented as witnesses of Indonesia's efforts in Papua, Luhut said.

The results of the investigation carried out by the integrated team will be submitted to President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/06/16/papuan-rights-issues-will-be-solved-without-deception-luhut.html

Artists launch protest against Freeport's sponsorship in Art Jog

Tempo - June 16, 2016

Shinta Maharani, Yogyakarta – A group of young artists under the Alliance for Art Jog 2016 Boycott urged the Art Jog 2016 committee to return a sponsorship money worth Rp100 million (US$7,500) given by mining company PT Freeport Indonesia.

The demand was expressed in a rally launched in front of the Jogja National Museum, Yogyakarta, where the Art Jog 2016 was held on Thursday, June 16, 2016. As many as 30 people launched the protest that was tightly secured by police. Some of the protesters were from Papua who live in Yogyakarta.

The Art Jog 2016 was opened in May 27, 2016 and will be closed in June 27, 2016. Protest coordinator Nasir explained that the alliance was not against the art event. "But we reject inhuman arts," Nasir said.

According to Nasir, the event sponsorship was counterproductive with the Art Jog 2016 that features humanity-themed artworks. The alliance urged the committee to answer for their decision to involve Freeport and other environmentally-unfriendly companies as sponsors of the event. They also urged the committee to terminate contracts with Freeport and ban the company to be involved in art events in Indonesia.

Earlier, Art Jog director Heri Pemad insisted on keeping sponsorship fund from Freeport Indonesia to hold the largest art fair in Indonesia. Heri said that it would be tricky to break the contract with Freeport in the middle of the event. "If we terminated the sponsorship [contract] with Freeport, we would have legal issues," Heri added.

Source: http://en.tempo.co/read/news/2016/06/16/055780621/Artists-Launch-Protest-Against-Freeports-Sponsorship-in-Art-Jog

KNPB claims police detain 1,004 members

Tabloid JUBI - June 16, 2016

Jayapura, Jubi – The West Papua National Committee claimed that more than 1,000 of its members have been detained by police during a rally on Wednesday to oppose the Human Rights Investigation Team set up by the Ministry of Political, Legal and Security Affairs on(15/6/2016).

"All were detained. We are now at Jayapura Police Office. There are 1,004 activists. They are still being questioned at the Police's office," Chairman of KNPB Sentani Region Alan Halitopo told Jubi on Wednesday (15/06/2016).

He said the Police arrested them because they did not have a permit for the rally. But KNPB said they were likely to be released after being questioned.

Bazoka Logo, Central KNPB spokesperson told today the Police broke its record of arrests against Papuans. "The colonial government made a record of highest detention," he said. This detention proved Indonesia is no longer democratic State.

Separately, Jayapura Police spokesperson Imam Rubianto they questioned 600 people and released them shortly after "They have been released this afternoon, at five o'clock. Cellphones that were seized by the Police have been returned as well," he said.

Papua police spokesman Patridge Renwarin said police localised the demonstrators to limit their movements. He added no one was arrested. The police action was backed by Atmadji Sumarkdijo, an aide of Chief Security Minister Luhut Pandjaitan, who is set to visit the province today. (Benny Mawel/rom)

Source: http://tabloidjubi.com/eng/knpb-claims-police-detain-1004-members/

Aceh

Kertas Kraft Aceh tragedy announced gross human rights abuse

Jakarta Globe - June 23, 2016

Jakarta – The National Commission on Human Rights, or Komnas HAM, on Wednesday (22/06) named evidence of gross human rights abuse conducted by the soldiers in the 1999 Kertas Kraft Aceh tragedy, which killed dozens of people.

The commission said in a statement that it included massacre and persecution against rallying protesters in North Aceh district in 1999.

The massacre, known as "the Simpang KKA tragedy," saw the Indonesian Military (TNI) allegedly open fire on a protest rally at the entrance to the now liquidated state-owned paper manufacturing company Kertas Kraft Aceh in North Aceh district. The investigation found at least 23 people were shot dead by the soldiers, while more than 30 others were persecuted.

The proves of the attack included the deployment of military forces Arhanud Rudal Detachment 001/Pulo Rungkom and Yonif 113/JS, equipped with fire arms to violently intercept the protesters.

"The acts was conducted systematically in wide range of areas, so it can be included in the crimes against the humanity," said the statement.

The commission also named those held responsible for the massacre, among others were the Indonesian Military, Bukit Barisan Military commander and the commanders of military forces of Lilawangsa military resort, North Aceh military resort, 113/JS Infantry Battalion, Arhanud Rudal detachment and North Aceh subdistrict Dewantara military base.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/kertas-kraft-aceh-tragedy-announced-gross-human-rights-abuse/

Sexual & domestic violence

Underage boys make up the majority of gang rapists: Komnas PA

Jakarta Post - June 17, 2016

Jakarta – Data released by the National Commission for Child Protection (Komnas PA) suggests that the majority of the 40 gang rape cases that occurred from April 2015 to May 2016 had been carried out by underage boys.

Ninety percent of perpetrators were underage boys, Komnas PA chairman Arist Merdeka Sirait said, adding that while the victims had been girls in 100 percent of the cases recorded. Komnas PA data does not include data collected by other stakeholders located in the provinces and regencies across Indonesia, he added, hinting that the number of cases could be much higher.

"From 2010 to 2014, perpetrators of sex crimes were predominantly individuals, but now the crimes appear to be carried out in groups. Gang rape has become very terrifying," Arist said on Friday, as quoted by kompas.com.

Arist said that, according to Komnas PA data, almost one third of the cases were carried out by underage perpetrators ranging in age from 12 to 17 years. Sixteen percent were 14 years of age, while 15 percent were aged 12 years or younger, he further said. Arist speculated that many gang rape cases were triggered by pornography and the consumption of alcohol and or drugs.

"These groups threaten children's lives, influencing children watch pornography, to consume alcohol. They could also be influenced by social media content," he said, adding that a comprehensive address must be conducted to face the issue.

One of the more recent cases occurred in Tangerang, Banten, where 16-year-old RA, accompanied by two friends aged in their twenties, allegedly raped and murdered 19-year-old EF, who is thought to have been RA's girlfriend. (liz/dmr)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/06/17/underage-boys-make-up-the-majority-of-gang-rapists-komnas-pa.html

Labour & migrant workers

Government assures workers of holiday bonuses

Jakarta Post - June 17, 2016

Jakarta – With Idul Fitri to begin in less than a month, the Manpower Ministry has assured that workers in the formal sector will receive their holiday bonuses (THR), with the issuance of two ministerial decrees.

The first decree, which was issued on March 8, ensures the granting of the bonus even for those who have only worked for a month. The decree is a major breakthrough from a previous regulation, which required at least three months of full-time work in order to get the bonus.

The second decree, issued on June 6, stipulates administrative punishment for employers who do not give bonuses to their workers.

"The requirement in the first decree was changed because we wanted it to be fair. Employees get paid after working for a month; therefore, they also have the right to receive the THR," the ministry's director general of industrial relations and social security, Hayani Rumondang, told the media on Wednesday.

She added that workers who had been employed for less than two months would get a proportional bonus, while those who had spent 12 months in a job would get a bonus equal to their monthly salary.

The new decree also stipulates that the bonus has to be in the form of money, while under the previous regulation, employers could give their workers staple foods or parcels. The ministry's remuneration director, Adriana, said the ministry had to change the form of the bonus because goods given to workers might not suit their needs.

"Employers should give the THR at least seven days before the religious holiday. They must pay it even if they claim that they do not have enough money. They have to find a way because it is their responsibility," Adriana told The Jakarta Post over the phone on Thursday. She added that the issuance of the second decree was expected to ensure that employers paid the THR.

Last year, the ministry recorded 50 cases of THR disputes, up from only eight in 2014. So far, the ministry has resolved 49 cases.

"If employers are late in paying the THR, they will be required to pay 5 percent of the total THR amount as a fine. The money will be given back to their employees to improve their workers' welfare in the office. That detail should be stipulated in the collective labor agreement," Adriana said.

She added that the second decree would be used if employers were found to have failed to pay the THR. The second decree stipulates various administrative punishments such as warning letters, restriction of business activities, temporary suspension of production and freezing employers' work permits.

The ministry also has assigned supervisors from employment agencies to monitor the implementation of the decrees and will establish posts in the regions to accommodate THR complaints from workers.

Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) chairman Tulus Abadi appreciated the new decrees, describing them as fair for all workers in formal sectors. (wnd)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/06/17/govt-assures-workers-holiday-bonuses.html

'Jamu' factory workers demand salaries

Jakarta Post - June 16, 2016

Semarang – Hundreds of workers of the PT Nyonya Meneer jamu (traditional herbal medicine) factory in Semarang, Central Java, staged a protest on Wednesday, demanding the company pay their January to May monthly salaries.

They also demanded that management pay their daily wages for 13 weeks, meal allowance from February to June and overdue Health Care and Social Security Agency (BPJS Kesehatan) fees from 2012.

They staged the rally along the main road in front of the factory from the morning. They then entered the factory premises at 10 a.m. local time. Their actions, however, did not attract the attention of motorists passing along the main Java north coast highway.

"I've been working here for the past 38 years. We have asked the company to pay the daily wage arrears of 13 weeks. We are paid Rp 480,000 (about US$36) weekly, in addition to the daily meal allowance of Rp 8,000," said factory worker Parti.

Another worker, 60-year-old Kodriyah, who has been working there since she was a teenager, said, "I started working here with a starting salary of Rp 40 per week."

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/06/16/islands-focus-jamu-factory-workers-demand-salaries.html

Political parties & elections

Lawmaker urges Jokowi to sign new elections bill into law

Jakarta Post - June 17, 2016

Erika Anindita Dewi, Jakarta – A lawmaker is pushing the government to immediately sign the bill containing revisions of the 2015 Regional Elections Law so that it can be used for public purposes.

The House of Representatives had passed the draft revision of the Regional Elections Law on June 2. However, the bill has not yet been signed into law and numbered by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's administration.

The future law will be needed for the second stage of the simultaneous regional elections that are to take place in several provinces in February 2017, as the preparations for the elections would be starting this year, lawmaker Ateria Dahlan from Commission II overseeing internal affairs said on Friday.

"We hope the numbering doesn't take too long because the law will be the reference for rule-making in the election," lawmaker Arteria Dahlan of the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) told journalists at the House complex.

Jokowi needs to sign the bill before it becomes law. The Constitution stipulates that after a bill has been jointly approved by the legislature and the government, if President does not sign it into law within 30 days then it automatically becomes law without his signature.

House Commission II chairman Rambe Kamarulzaman claimed the House had forwarded the bill to Jokowi on June 10 through the State Secretariat. However, the Home Ministry's director general of regional autonomy, Sumarsono, said on Thursday that the government had not yet received the bill from the House of Representatives. (rin)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/06/17/lawmaker-urges-jokowi-to-sign-new-elections-bill-into-law.html

Ahok supporters to request judicial review of revised elections law

Jakarta Post - June 17, 2016

Jakarta – Supporters of Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama have informed the Constitutional Court on their intention to file a judicial review if a revised regional elections bill is passed into law.

The bill was approved by the House of Representatives on June 2. As of Friday, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has not signed the bill into law; therefore the judicial review request has not yet been filed.

Ahok supporters grouped under Teman Ahok (Friends of Ahok), the Independent Candidate National Movement (GNCI) and the New Indonesia Awakening (KIB) group visited the Constitutional Court on Friday.

The groups were particularly concerned about stipulations in the bill that only voters included on the voters lists from the previous election were eligible to lend their support to independent candidates by providing a photocopy of their identity cards, Amalia Ayuningtyas of Teman Ahok said as reported by kompas.com at the Constitutional Court.

The groups also questioned a rule requiring supporters to show up at the polling committee within three days in case committee members failed to meet them at their homes for ID verification, she added.

Meanwhile, Ahok said he had not been informed about the plan by his supporters to approach the Constitutional Court. "They did not consult me [before going to the court]," said Ahok, adding that it was not unusual for Teman Ahok to make decisions without his knowledge.

Ahok said Cyrus Network CEO Hasan Nasbi, his political adviser, had been informed on the decision. "Teman Ahok's actions have nothing to do with me. They play by themselves," Ahok added. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/06/17/ahok-supporters-to-request-judicial-review-of-revised-elections-law.html

Environment & natural disasters

Move cement industry off Java Island, expert says

Jakarta Post - June 23, 2016

Jakarta – Cement plants must be moved outside Java to prevent worsening ecological damage to the most densely populated island, an environmental expert said on Wednesday.

The cement industry should be included on the list of business sectors in Java closed to foreign investors to protect the environment, a senior adviser to the environment and forestry minister, Suryo Adi Wibowo, said. "We need to tighten regulations on the extractive industries, especially cement," he said in a discussion on Wednesday.

The cement industry causes environmental damage as the extraction of its raw materials drains water sources in many areas of Java. Cement plant activities also hamper agriculture sectors as it deprives farmers of their farmland from the ecological damage, forcing them to find other jobs, Suryo added.

In some areas of Java, limestone quarries have already met rejection from residents. Women from Kendeng, Central Java protested the establishment of cement plants by cementing their feet in Jakarta last month, urging the government to shut down the plants. (sha/rin)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/06/23/move-cement-industry-off-java-island-expert-says.html

Weak disaster management leads to deaths

Jakarta Post - June 23, 2016

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – In the wake of extreme weather that has devastated parts of Indonesia and claimed dozens of lives, the government is being urged to overhaul the country's disaster management by introducing disaster literacy in school curriculums, as well as by strengthening its early warning system.

Indonesia's disaster literacy in general is still low compared to other disaster-prone countries like Japan, a senior researcher has said.

"In Japan, disaster literacy is already internalized. In every school and village, there is training to prepare for disasters. For instance, elementary students are trained once every three months on what to do during earthquakes," Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB) senior researcher Soeryo Adiwibowo said.

While disaster literacy might not prevent disasters from claiming any lives, it can at least reduce the death toll, Soeryo said.

Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) head Andi Eka Sakya said disaster literacy should be introduced through a formal mechanism that could reach a wide range of the population. "Indonesia is a supermarket of disasters. Therefore, many kinds of disasters have to be integrated in a mechanism so that our disaster literacy can be improved," he said.

In order for disaster literacy education to be effective, it has to be designed by taking into account local characteristics, according to Andi. "Every region has differing characteristics. Therefore, local regulations [on disaster literacy education] are needed," he said.

Being literate in disasters can determine whether one survives. "Usually it's not an earthquake that kills people, but panic," Andi explained.

Disaster literacy is not new for the country. Since 2008, UNESCO and the Education and Culture Ministry have been implementing a natural disaster literacy program in Central Java, Yogyakarta and Lampung. The program aims to mitigate the harmful effects of natural disasters on communities by equipping participants with the knowledge and skills they need to cope.

The program also raises awareness of the risks associated with natural disasters and helps communities to recover from disasters. Most of the program's beneficiaries are poor adults and out-of-school young people with low literacy levels.

However, the implementation of the program is still far from what was desired because of limited infrastructure, facilities and funding.

Besides introducing a thorough disaster literacy education, the government should also improve the country's early warning system, which so far has failed to prevent massive casualties in this year's floods and landslides.

Following the 2004 tsunami, which killed 168,000 people in Aceh, Indonesia introduced a sophisticated early warning system using buoys, sea-level gauges and seismometers that can send alerts to the country's tsunami warning centers within 10 minutes of a quake.

But all 22 of the early-warning buoys Indonesia deployed after the 2004 tsunami disaster were inoperable when a massive undersea earthquake struck off the coast of Padang earlier this year. Most of the buoys were broken by vandalism and the government did not allocate enough money to maintain them, which should have cost around US$2.3 million a year.

"We as a country are easy to forget. Once we do something, it goes back to business as usual. Actually the 2004 tsunami was a good entry point for improvement of disaster management, but now it seems that our readiness is declining," Soeryo said.

Besides better early warning systems for tsunamis, the government is also being urged to improve its early warning system for landslides, a common occurrence during the rainy season in the country.

Landslides have been especially deadly this year, as the country is experiencing an abnormally wet dry season with heavy rains hitting parts of Indonesia. As of Wednesday, floods and landslides in Purworejo regency, Central Java, had killed 38, with nine people reported missing.

Andi said the government should build more devices that could detect seismic movement. "This early warning system could detect not only rainfall, but also landslides," he said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/06/23/weak-disaster-management-leads-to-deaths.html

Dozens dead in Indonesia landslides

Sydney Morning Herald - June 20, 2016

Jakarta – At least 35 people have been killed by landslides and floods on Indonesia's Java island and many others are missing.

Dozens of houses have been buried in the landslides and thousands of homes inundated by floods in Central Java province over the weekend.

The National Disaster Management Agency said torrential rains had caused emergencies in 16 districts of the province since Saturday afternoon. It said 25 villagers were still missing in the worst-hit district of Purworejo.

"Rescue operations are still underway to search for other victims, while dozens of houses are damaged and buried in the landslide and thousands of homes are inundated," agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said.

The agency deployed five emergency rescue teams to assist regional disaster mitigation agencies to search and evacuate the victims, and set up temporary shelters for the refugees.

"Purworejo district is the hardest hit with the most people killed in numerous villages in the district," Nugroho said. (DPA, AAP)

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/world/dozens-dead-in-indonesia-landslides-20160620-gpn0rd.html

Health & education

Anti-smoking coalition urges Jokowi to ratify FCTC

Jakarta Post - June 16, 2016

Jakarta – The National Coalition of Civil Society for Tobacco Control called on President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to ratify the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) as a strategic step, arguing that it is in the best interest of the nation.

FCTC ratification would be of benefit to Indonesia's future, said Ifdhal Kasim, coordinator of the coalition, on Thursday. "The ratification of FCTC is for the future of Indonesia and the protection of human rights particularly public health rights," he said as reported by Antara News Agency.

The United Nations' Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights had also explicitly pushed Indonesia to ratify FCTC promptly and to tighten regulations on tobacco control in Indonesia, Ifdhal cited.

"In its recommendation to the Indonesian government on June 19, 2014 the Committee urged Indonesia to ratify FCTC and prioritize several things including the prevention of cigarette consumption especially for children and teenagers," Ifdhal said.

The FCTC contains several provisions regarding smoke-free areas, packaging and labeling, pricing and taxing and the prohibition of advertising and promotion, including sponsorship.

Jokowi said on Tuesday that the decision to ratify FCTC must be thought through thoroughly, adding that national interests must be considered.

Indonesia, the world's fifth-largest tobacco producer, is the only country in Asia yet to ratify the agreement, however Jokowi asserted he would not ratify the convention just to follow a trend. The government, he said, would look at all perspectives, including health risks, the future of Indonesian youth, and the livelihood of tobacco farmers and that of workers involved in cigarette manufacturing before making a final decision. (rin)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/06/16/anti-smoking-coalition-urges-jokowi-to-ratify-fctc.html

RI institutions lag behind regional counterparts

Jakarta Post - June 16, 2016

Tama Salim, Jakarta – A global higher education index has found Indonesia is lagging behind ASEAN neighbors in academic excellence as the country is represented by only two higher education institutions on the list of Asia's 100 most reputable universities.

Conducted by education rating institution Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) and released Tuesday, the QS University Rankings: Asia listed 11 Indonesian universities among the 350 best campuses in Asia this year.

Unfortunately, none came close to competing with institutions from Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, which all had institutions placed higher in the annual ranking.

The prestigious National University of Singapore (NUS) topped the list, while the country's Nanyang Technical University (NTU) took third place. The top 10 also featured four Hong Kong-based institutions and two universities each from China and South Korea. Singapore Management University (SMU) was included for the first time in 60th place to round out the city-state's academic prestige.

Malaysia, once known for sending its foremost scholars to Indonesia to study, now boasts two universities in the top 50 and four in the top 100: Universiti Malaysia ranked 27th and Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) placed 49th, while Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) was close behind at 51st and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) took 55th spot.

Two Thai universities fared better than Indonesian institutions, with Chulalongkorn University placing 45th and Mahidol University at 61st.

The University of Indonesia (UI), despite rising 12 spots from last year, sat in an underwhelming 67th place, followed by the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), which jumped from 122nd to 86th this year.

The QS University Rankings for Asia uses 11 indicators in its scoring system, with academic reputation and reputation among employers making up 50 percent of the score. This is followed by a faculty-to-student ratio worth 15 percent.

Meanwhile, citations per paper and papers per faculty account for 10 percent each, followed by staff with PhDs at 5 percent and the proportions of international faculty, international studies, inbound exchange students and outbound exchange students with 2.5 percent each.

While it is still debatable how accurately the QS rankings reflect academic standing on the global stage, some experts insist that Indonesian higher education institutions should remain unperturbed by the glossy numbers announced each year.

"I've always told my friends in higher education institutions not to be trapped by the ranking system, as it cannot be completely separated from capital interests," education expert Darmaningtyas said on Wednesday.

He argued that reputation was merely one indicator for gauging a university's popularity, saying academics could also focus on building up institutions that played active roles in social, cultural and political change.

"What's important to note is that the government should revise its regulations so that lecturers aren't considered mere salarymen; they should be assessed by their outputs in teaching, research and public education," Darmaningtyas said.

In order to catch up and improve the country's standing in higher education, the government must devise policies that emphasize the importance of an outward-looking faculty, according to another education expert, Doni Koesoema, an advisor to the Federation of Indonesian Teachers Associations (FSGI).

Doni recommended that the state equip prospective students with adequate critical thinking skills and a sound command of English from as early as junior high school.

By opening up educational institutions to a broader audience, it is hoped Indonesia can make up for its lackluster research culture and attract interest from international faculty members and students.

"If we want to compete with other countries, we have to shift the paradigm so that all courses are taught in English – that is what will improve our ranking," he told The Jakarta Post.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/06/16/ri-institutions-lag-behind-regional-counterparts.html

Refugees & asylum seekers

Tamils stranded in Indonesia face 'probable torture' if returned to Sri Lanka

The Guardian (Australia) - June 22, 2016

Ben Doherty – Several of the Tamil asylum seekers stranded after arriving by boat on the Indonesian island of Aceh have been tortured in Sri Lanka and face certain persecution if they are returned, a compatriot living in Australia has claimed.

Karikalan, who has agreed only to be identified by a nickname, came to Australia as an asylum seeker by boat in 2010. He was recognised as a refugee – having a "well-founded fear of persecution" in Sri Lanka – and is now a permanent resident, living in Melbourne.

He said he was tortured in Sri Lanka alongside some of the 44 on board the boat, including the woman Anathi (not her real name) who was pictured on the boat, pleading with Indonesian officials to be allowed off, holding her fingers to her heading mimicking a gun being fired into her temple.

The Guardian has been able to independently verify the details of Karikalan's own claim to asylum, but cannot corroborate his claims about the torture of others, as they have not been formally assessed.

The current boat, carrying 44 asylum seekers, arrived off the beach at Lhoknga in the northern Indonesian province of Aceh on 11 June. Indonesian authorities initially refused to let those on board disembark – several women who jumped from the boat on to the beach were forced back on to the vessel.

But as protracted bad weather and damage to the boat prevented it from being pushed back to sea, Indonesian authorities have allowed the passengers to stay in tents on the beach.

Indonesian authorities initially said the boat would be towed back into open water when the weather improved. The passengers said if they were towed back to sea they would continue on their journey to Australia.

But Indonesian officials have conceded it is increasingly unlikely that the boat is seaworthy enough to push back into open water. Indonesia has notified the embassies of Sri Lanka and India, and is seeking travel documents for the Tamils.

Karikalan said he was concerned for the safety of the asylum seekers. He said after those on board contacted him 10 days ago by satellite phone, he has not heard from them since.

Karikalan said he was imprisoned by Sri Lanka police's Criminal Investigation Department in Colombo in 2005, during the country's long-running and brutal civil war. He was detained because of his links to the separatist Liberation Army of Tamil Tigers Eelam, or Tamil Tigers. Two of his brothers were killed fighting for the LTTE.

Karikalan said Anathi and her now husband, Wasanth, who is also on the boat, had been in jail alongside him. He said they were all tortured daily, including being hung upside down while being interrogated.

"We watched each other being tortured. They would strip us naked and then beat us on the feet and body and put our heads in plastic bags that had had petrol in them. They would jam our fingers in a drawer and then beat them with a hammer. Once swollen they would pull out the nails with pliers. They would often beat us until we became unconscious.

"Both Wasanth and I had teeth pulled out by pliers. They pulled one bottom tooth on either side of my mouth. They couldn't get the roots out. They broke the teeth. I finally got them fixed when I came to Australia."

Karikalan says sexual abuse and torture, of both men and women, was common.

He said he was later separated from Wasanth and Anathi when they were taken to a different prison. When he was released, Karikalan fled Sri Lanka for India, where he faced further persecution, before boarding a boat to Australia. He said both Wasanth and Anathi would face torture if they were returned to Sri Lanka.

"I saw a photo of her in the newspaper. It showed her pretending to hold a gun to her head and shooting herself. I know what she means by this. She may as well die rather than be sent back to Sri Lanka or India. They would probably commit suicide if this happened.

"They had a satellite phone on the boat. They contacted me about 10 days into their journey. But I haven't heard from them since. Something must have happened to the phone."

Those on board the boat reportedly did not pay a people smuggler to bring them from the southern Indian city of Velankanni from where they left in early May. Instead, the asylum seekers pooled their money to buy the old boat, which is now aground on the beach at Lhoknga and listing badly.

If the asylum seekers' boat is towed back to sea by Indonesian authorities, and they intend to continue south towards Australia, they face almost certain interdiction by Australian authorities, who are aware of their location.

It is Australian government policy to turn back all asylum seeker boats "where safe to do so". Asylum seekers undergo an abbreviated interview process at sea, after which an initial, but in many cases final, decision on their claim to refugee status is made. People screened 'out' in this preliminary on-water interview are immediately returned, without recourse to an independent appeal.

On-water assessments have been consistently criticised by the UN as "unfair and unreliable" and a breach of international law.

Twenty-one Vietnamese asylum seekers were returned to their country of origin after on-water screening this month. But Sri Lankan Tamils whose boat has come from India via Indonesia would present a more complicated return.

Australia previously tried to return 157 Sri Lankan Tamils to India, from where they had sailed, in 2014, but failed when India refused to accept them. Those asylum seekers ended up within Australia's offshore processing regime.

Torture by Sri Lanka's extensive state security apparatus is well-documented. Reports by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Freedom from Torture have detailed physical and sexual abuse of men and women, mainly of Tamils believed to have links to the LTTE, both during and after Sri Lanka's civil war, which raged from 1983 until the LTTE's resistance was ultimately crushed in May 2009.

The UN special rapporteur on torture, Juan Mendez, said in May this year that torture remained "common practice" by Sri Lanka's security officials.

"Torture is a common practice inflicted in the course of both regular criminal and national security-related investigations," he said. "Severe forms of torture continue to be used, although probably less frequently [since the end of the war], while both old and new cases of torture continue to be surrounded by total impunity."

An interim report by Mendez noted that between 16,000 and 22,000 people had gone missing during the war and its aftermath, and reported that torture was a "routine method of work" by police investigators to obtain confessions.

"The nature of the acts of torture consists mainly of transitory physical injuries caused by blunt instruments (essentially punches, slaps and, occasionally, blows with objects such as batons or cricket bats) which heal by themselves without medical treatment and leave no physical scars.

"There were also several accounts of brutal methods of torture, including beatings with sticks or wires on the soles of the feet (falanga); suspension for hours while being handcuffed, asphyxiation using plastic bags drenched in kerosene and hanging of the person upside down; application of chilli powder to face and eyes; and sexual violations including mutilation of the genital area and rubbing of chilli paste or onions on the genital area."

Several reports have identified asylum seekers returned to Sri Lanka by Australia who have been imprisoned and tortured.

Karikalan said if those on board the boat in Aceh are returned to Sri Lanka, they face "certain incarceration and probable torture". "Many of them have Tamil Tiger connections, as I do. That makes you a prime target for the authorities."

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jun/23/tamils-stranded-in-indonesia-face-probable-torture-if-returned-to-sri-lanka

World Refugee Day: Indonesia's asylum seekers stuck in limbo

Jakarta Globe - June 21, 2016

Jakarta – In the same fortnight a boat load of Sri Lankan refugees in Aceh makes global headlines, the 13,000 asylum seekers calling Indonesia home reflected on World Refugee Day on Monday (20/06).

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), most asylum seekers originate from Afghanistan, Myanmar and Somalia and hope to be resettled by the organization in Australia, New Zealand, Canada or the US.

In the meantime, many live with their lives in limbo in Cisarua, Bogor, West Java, where four schools operated by non-government organizations provide education for migrants and their children.

Abbas Hussaini, a co-founder of the Cisarua Refugee Learning Nest, told Agence France-Presse that most of his pupils hail from Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, Iraq and Sri Lanka.

"The learning nest is already at capacity and twelve students are on a waiting list as the school seeks for donations for additional classrooms and learning materials," Abbas said.

At Cisarua, over 20 refugees-turned-teachers volunteer for mathematics, English, computer studies and art classes for students aged between 6 and 18.

"Years ago, when I came to Indonesia, I could not imagine that one day I would study in a school like this," Iraqi 14-year-old Ali Riad said. "In the future, I want to be a doctor and help people."

While Indonesia is yet to ratify the UN convention on refugees – the country does not have an obligation to host refugees – the archipelago often provides a temporary safe haven for asylum seekers.

"Refugee children technically are allowed to attend Indonesian schools, but language barriers and registration problems hinder them from enrolling," Jeffrey Savage, UNHCR senior protection officer, said.

The UN has praised Indonesia for its humanitarian spirit, despite still not taking part in the refugee convention.

"Even though Indonesia is not a signatory – they've not signed the refugee convention – they live up to their humanitarian responsibilities and the spirit of humanitarianism that I think most Indonesians have," Thomas Vargas, UNHCR representative, told Channel News Asia news outlet on Monday (20/06).

World Refugee Day is celebrated worldwide to honor the strength and resilience of millions who are forced to flee their homes due to violence and turmoil. This year, United Nations reported an all-time high of 65.3 million people seeking for a new home at the end of 2015.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/world-refugee-day-indonesias-asylum-seekers-stuck-limbo/

Stranded Sri Lankans vow to continue to Australia if boat escorted to

Sydney Morning Herald - June 20, 2016

Jewel Topsfield and Amilia Rosa, Jakarta – Sri Lankans on board a boat marooned in Indonesia for more than a week insist they will continue their journey to Australia if their boat is escorted back into international waters as planned by Indonesian authorities.

The 44 Sri Lankans, who were stranded in Aceh Besar on June 11 when their boat developed engine trouble, will be taken by bus to a nearby port in Lhoknga, and then escorted out of Indonesian territory.

But human rights organisations have urged the Indonesian government to allow the Sri Lankans, who are believed to be Tamils, to stay until they have been interviewed by the UN's main refugee agency, the UNHCR.

"The last thing we want to see in these types of situations is for governments to turn boats back into the open sea where it could be very dangerous for people who have been through so much already," said the UNHCR's Indonesia representative Thomas Vargas.

"There have been too many statistics already of people losing their lives in these types of situations on the high seas."

Mr Vargas said the UNHCR had requested access to the Sri Lankans at all levels of government but it had so far been denied. "At this point we don't know if they are refugees or not or if they are seeking asylum."

The Geutanyoe Foundation, an Aceh-based humanitarian organisation, said many of the Sri Lankans were in possession of refugee identity cards issued by the government of Tamil Nadu, one of the 29 states of India.

"On World Refugee Day, which falls on June 20, we once again call on the government of Indonesia to grant immediate and unhindered access to UNHCR to meet the Sri Lankan Tamil asylum seekers in Aceh," it said. One of the Sri Lankans, Sehuda, told Fairfax Media they would continue to Australia because they could not get citizenship in India. "For the past 26 years we have stayed there, they did not give us citizenship," the 25-year-old said.

She said they wanted to go to Australia "for a better life and to earn money" and had paid their leader 50,000 "Indian money" (rupees) – the equivalent of $1000 – for a place on the boat.

Thousands of Sri Lankan Tamils live in Tamil Nadu, many of them in refugee camps. The Geutanyoe Foundation said over the past two months there had been a renewed crackdown by the military in northern Sri Lanka, which had further deterred Sri Lankan refugees in India from returning to Sri Lanka.

"The fact there are a large number of women and young children on the vessel indicates strongly that they are seeking asylum, not only seeking employment, as has been suggested by several Indonesian observers.

"Decisions on this case seem to have been taken in haste, without carefully weighing the risks and consequences to human life in terms of safety and protection," the Foundation added.

The Foundation also warned that Australia had tough policies designed to prevent asylum seekers reaching its shores, including towing boats back to sea.

The 44 Sri Lankans, who include a seven-month-old baby and a pregnant woman, were allowed to temporarily disembark on the beach at Lhoknga in Aceh Besar at 4am on Saturday morning, after storms tilted the boat. They were sheltered in tents on the beach and given food and drink.

This followed a tense stand-off between the Sri Lankans and Indonesian authorities, who had previously refused to allow anyone to disembark because they did not have travel documents or passports.

Last Thursday police fired a warning shot to "take control of the situation" after five Sri Lankan women, who had earlier called for a doctor to see a sick child and mimed pointing a gun to their temples, clambered ashore and sat on the beach.

Indonesian Navy Commander Kicky Salvachdie in the Acehnese city of Sabang, said once the Sri Lankan boat was pulled from the sand and taken to a port belonging to the SAI cement factory in Lhoknga, they would have the Sri Lankans board their boat. "The Teluk Sibolga navy ship will escort the boat to our border. After that it's up to them," he told Fairfax Media.

House of Representatives member Nasir Jamil, who met the Sri Lankans on Sunday, said they had asked for a new ship to continue their journey. However he said the strong winds and high waves made the journey risky and he suggested they instead be flown to Medan or Jakarta and placed in immigration detention centres.

"They are from Sri Lanka but they hold Indian refugee cards," Mr Nasir said. "We can't tell whether the card is the real thing or a fake. Their boat is using an Indian flag. We don't have sufficient information on them." He said the Sri Lankans would accept their fate whether they stayed in Indonesia or continued their journey.

Indonesian Vice-President Jusuf Kalla said he had instructed authorities to treat the refugees well and provide them with food and drink and fix their boat. "Their destination is not Indonesia and they don't want to stay in Indonesia, so I just ordered the Acehnese government to help them with logistics," he said on Friday.

Mr Kalla said it was out of Indonesia's control where the boat went when it left Indonesian waters. "It is different to the refugees in Europe who wanted to go to Europe," Mr Kalla said. "Their destination is not Indonesia so there is no use sheltering them because they don't want to stay in Indonesia."

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/world/stranded-sri-lankans-vow-to-continue-to-australia-if-boat-escorted-to-international-waters-20160620-gpn94p.html

Indonesian police fire warning shot as stranded Sri Lankan women disembark boat

Sydney Morning Herald - June 18, 2016

Jewel Topsfield and Amilia Rosa, Jakarta – Police fired a warning shot into the air after a group of Sri Lankan women who have been stranded off the coast of Aceh since June 11 disembarked from their boat in defiance of orders from Indonesian authorities.

An eyewitness told Fairfax Media the five women, who are among 44 Sri Lankans who claimed they were en route to Australia when they suffered engine trouble, had earlier pleaded that a child they said was sick be allowed to come to shore.

Indonesian immigration authorities have refused to allow the Sri Lankans, who are believed to be Tamils, to disembark in Indonesia because they do not have passports or travel documents.

This is despite Amnesty International and the Geutanyoe Foundation for Aceh urging the Indonesian government to allow the Sri Lankans to disembark and meet with UN refugee agency officials.

Sabang navy commander Kiki said the boat was now fixed and would be escorted out of Indonesian waters by Indonesian navy ship Teluk Cirebon. "But it's high waves now. We have to wait until weather permits," he said. "When it's OK, it will be towed out slowly through the reefs."

The international director of the Geutanyoe Foundation, Lilianne Fan, told Fairfax Media the Sri Lankans had indicated to local journalists that they had left Jaffna, the capital city of the northern province of Sri Lanka.

"If they are from Jaffna, this would indicate they could be genuine asylum seekers who are fleeing a worrying deterioration in the security situation," Ms Fan said.

"Over the last few months there has reportedly been a military crackdown in Jaffna on former Tamil Tigers. The most urgent thing right now besides their physical and mental needs is to get them unhindered access to the UNHCR and that just doesn't seem to be happening."

Fairfax Media understands the women who jumped off the boat on Thursday sat on the beach and mimed shooting themselves in the temple.

The 44 Sri Lankans claim they were en route to Australia when they had engine troubles. In chaotic scenes local police tried to cordon off the beach and persuade the remaining Sri Lankans to stay on the boat.

Aceh Besar police chief Heru Suprihasto told Fairfax Media the warning shot was to "take control of the situation".

"The warning shot... was to control the local spectators who tried to come close to the boat and the Sri Lankans," he said. "It's not up to the police to decide if the Sri Lankans get to disembark or not, it's the jurisdiction of immigration. We are just there to keep the security."

The women, who suffered mild injuries jumping on shore, later returned to the boat where they – and the sick child – were treated by Indonesian health officers.

Indonesian Defence Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu said it was important to co-ordinate with the country of origin of the boat people, although he said Indonesia was yet to discuss the issue with Sri Lanka.

"If we do not solve it with the country of origin it will keep happening and happening. It can lead to criminality in this area," Mr Ryamizard said. "It is most important that we have to respect humanity, that we have to treat them (the Sri Lankans) well, give them food, give them clothes. That is very important, that is our policy."

Amnesty International said the boat began a hazardous journey from India after those on board reportedly fled Sri Lanka. The human rights organisation said despite many recent improvements, there were still concerns about discriminatory practices against Tamils by Sri Lankan law enforcement officials.

The International Organisation for Migration has indicated it is ready to assist with services if asked to do so. Indonesia is not a signatory to the UN refugee convention and refugees cannot legally work there while waiting for resettlement in a third country.

There are 13 immigration detention centres in Indonesia, most of which are overcrowded. As of January there were 13,679 refugees and asylum seekers registered with the UNHCR in Indonesia, many of whom have been stuck in transit for years.

Source: http://m.smh.com.au/world/indonesian-police-fire-warning-shot-as-stranded-sri-lankan-women-disembark-boat-20160616-gpl2k2.html

Sri Lankan refugees denied entry into Aceh

Jakarta Post - June 16, 2016

Banda Aceh – The Indonesian government has said it will not take in 44 Sri Lankan refugees who have been stranded in Aceh waters for the last few days.

"We'll pull their boat into international waters when the weather improves," Deputy Aceh Governor Muzakir Manaf said at the site of the stranded Sri Lankan boat on Wednesday.

The Aceh immigration office has refused to allow the refugees, who say that they are en route to Australia, to dock at the Aceh port. "Whatever their stories are, the Immigration Law stipulates that we cannot accept them due to their unclear status," Aceh Immigration Office head Samadan said.

He added that his office had contacted the Sri Lankan embassy to confirm their status, but had been told that the Indonesian government must verify their identities before the embassy could properly respond.

"What they have is a piece of paper saying that they are Sri Lankan refugees who had fled to India. That's all they've got and it cannot be considered an immigration document," Samadan said.

The refugees earlier asked the Aceh administration to give them 7 tons of fuel so that they could continue their journey. However, the government, via the local immigration office, only gave them 1 ton.

As they failed to get as much fuel as they had asked for, the refugees then decided to drop anchor 500 meters off the beach before their boat was carried into shore by strong waves and washed up on the beach.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/06/16/national-scene-sri-lankan-refugees-denied-entry-aceh.html

Terrorism & religious extremism

Police should still lead counterterrorism efforts: Chief

Jakarta Post - June 22, 2016

Jakarta – National Police chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti asserted on Tuesday that the police should remain the leading force in the country's efforts to combat terrorism.

He further said the Indonesian Military's (TNI) role in counterterrorism measures, as stipulated in the draft revision of the 2003 Terrorism Law, should be discussed thoroughly because it did not have authority as a law enforcer.

"We are applying a criminal justice system [in counterterrorism], which means all law enforcement measures will end at the court and therefore the police are still the leading sector," Badrodin said as quoted by tribunnews.com in Jakarta on Tuesday.

He further said the military had also taken part in counterterrorism operations, such as Operation Tinombala in Poso, Central Sulawesi, in which police and military personnel cooperated to hunt down members of a terrorist group led by Santoso in the regency.

If the TNI stands independently and does not cooperate with the police in counterterrorism operations, its position is likely to be questioned since it does not have authority as a law enforcer, Badrodin said.

The House of Representatives' special committee on the deliberation of the draft revision of the law has been debating a plan to insert articles on the military's role in counterterrorism measures. Human rights watchdogs have strongly criticized the plan, saying that an active military role in counterterrorism is prone to human rights violations. (afr/ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/06/22/police-should-still-lead-counterterrorism-efforts-chief.html

TNI seeks direct role in terrorism fight

Jakarta Post - June 17, 2016

Jakarta – The Indonesian Military (TNI) wants a direct role in combatting terrorists in the country, despite the fear that this will allow it to commit repressive acts against civilians.

During a hearing with the House of Representative's special committee on the revision of the 2003 Terrorism Law, the TNI's chief of general staff, Vice Adm. Didit Herdiawan Ashraf, requested that terrorism no longer be considered a criminal act.

Under prevailing law, terrorism is a criminal act, thus it is beyond military jurisdiction and only law enforcement agencies, such as the National Police and the Attorney General's Office (AGO), that can directly tackle it, while the TNI can only take part under the President's orders.

"The responsibility belongs to us, not only the police, because the terrorists are now developing military systems," Didit said.

Also in the draft revision of the law, TNI wants the authority to maximize the use of its Strategic Intelligence Agency (BAIS) for early detection and to conduct investigations of groups and individuals.

Special committee chairman Muhammad Syafi'i said the role of the military was important, but it could not get too deeply into civilian matters. "There should be a limitation and a difference between the roles of the TNI and the police, otherwise it may lead to repressive acts," Syafi'i said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/06/17/national-scene-tni-seeks-direct-role-terrorism-fight.html

Freedom of religion & worship

Local wisdom helps teachers to instil peace, tolerance

Jakarta Post - June 23, 2016

Jakarta – Amid the growing Islamic radicalism that has influenced many countries, including Indonesia, the country has to look no further than local wisdom to teach children peace and tolerance.

Education expert Muljani Nurhadi said Wednesday that the government should incorporate local values in school curriculum that have already carried messages of peace and tolerance.

"The government has to harness these two things because, currently, they are only used sporadically in the regions," Muljani said during a discussion at the Culture and Education Ministry building in Senayan, South Jakarta.

Muljani, a religious education specialist with the Analytical and Capacity Development Partnership (ACDP), was referring to a 2015 research report by the institution, which is primarily aimed at assisting the Religious Affairs Ministry to better the quality of Islamic religious education in the country.

The research report found out that several regions have been practicing traditions that embody peace and tolerance. "People in Manado, North Sulawesi, have long used the torang samua basudara [we are all family] term as their tenet, showing that they believe fraternity is a focal point to promote tolerance. Dayak people in Kalimantan use the term bubuhan, in which they do not differ between people even though they came from mixed marriages.

"In Bali, there is a new tradition by the local administration to gather religious leaders to solve problems in the public. Meanwhile, the Batak people have a clan name system that regards people as being in the same clan even if they have different religions," Muljani explained.

The ACDP also found that teachers in several regions are developing new methods to promote peace and tolerance among their pupils, citing what has been done by teachers in West Java and Yogyakarta.

Teachers in West Java created several books aimed at raising students' comprehension of those two values, such as Aku Bangga Jadi Diri Sendiri (I am Proud of Myself), No Curiga No Prasangka (No Suspicion and Prejudice), Beda Keyakinan Nggak Usah Musuhan (We Should Not Be Enemies Because of Different Beliefs), Laki-Laki dan Perempuan Sama-Sama Manusia (Men and Women Are All Human) and Konflik Bikin Kamu Makin Dewasa (Conflicts Make You Wiser).

Meanwhile, in Yogyakarta, which is heralded by many as the country's education center, teachers have found methods to promote peace and tolerance by creating fable books in Javanese, such as Sinau Marang Semut Ireng (Learning from the Ants) and Golek Iwak (Fishing).

Muljani said that the ACDP, along with the religious ministry, had included those findings in a training syllabus for Islamic religious education teachers, which contains several directives on how to promote peace and tolerance in this school subject.

"We have also broached these findings with the Culture and Education Ministry. The ministry research and development unit is mulling over implementing what the ACDP had done with the Religious Affairs Ministry to improve the quality other school subjects," Muljani added.

The head of the education ministry's research and development unit, Totok Suprayitno, said that in the 2013 curriculum, which would be used in July this year, the ministry allows teachers nationwide to maneuver, giving them the freedom to use any form of teaching method, including in the effort to promote peace and tolerance.

"In the revised 2013 curriculum, teachers are encouraged to be more creative, so that students could gain a wider perspective that people have to be tolerant to others," Totok said.

He cited an example of what the ministry is hoping from the teaching of history. "In the previous curriculum, teachers had to stick to details written in the history learning book, but history is still a debatable subject. In the revised curriculum, they are allowed to use different sources, so that students could be more flexible in accepting and discussing historical details from various sources." (mos)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/06/23/local-wisdom-helps-teachers-instil-peace-tolerance.html

Ahmadis arrested in Lombok following village protest

Jakarta Post - June 22, 2016

Jakarta – The East Lombok Police criminal investigation division released eight Ahmadiyah followers from Bagik Manis village, East Lombok regency, West Nusa Tenggara, on Saturday after detaining them for four days for allegedly praying with non-Ahmadis.

"They told us that there was a report from local people saying that we prayed with non-Ahmadis in my home. Then, local officials from the village administration ordered us to go to the sub-district office with them," Monginsidi, one of the Ahmadis, told The Jakarta Post in a telephone interview on Sunday.

He added that when they arrived, the head of Sambelia religious affairs office (KUA) told them that Ahmadiyah followed a different syahadat (Islamic creed), which the three Ahmadis denied.

Sambelia sub-district head Buhari said that to avoid any problems, he decided to take the Ahmadis to the Sambelia Police office. "A crowd formed outside while they were in my office, so I decided to take him to the police to protect as they would not come to any harm there," Buhari told the Post over the phone.

Indonesian Ahmadiyah Congregation (JAI) spokesperson Yendra Budiana said there were eight Ahmadiyah families in Sambelia village and the heads of five of them were also taken to the Sambelia police office from their homes while the other three were being questioned.

National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Boy Rafli Amar said on Monday that the local police decided to detain the eight Ahmadis for their own protection. "It was for their own safety. We didn't want any violence. We also ordered local communities to engage in dialogue to address any problems," Boy told journalists.

However, Monginsidi said that several people joined them in the sub-district office such as local figures from Bagik Manis village but none of them spoke out against the Ahmadiyah or tried to harm them.

Yendra said the JAI contacted East Lombok Police on Friday asking them to release the eight Ahmadis. The request was granted after a meeting was held in the village with Sambelia Police officers, local figures and local officials, which decided that they should be released but must move from the village.

He added that the next day, East Lombok Police officers delivered them to a mosque at their village where Sambelia Police personnel and village officials asked them to sign statements promising not to disseminate Ahmadiyah teachings and if they wished to live in the sub-district they must give up being Ahmadis.

"However, they all refused to sign the statements, asking to remove the words 'should not follow Ahmadiyah' in the text before they would be willing to sign them," Yendra said, adding that currently all of them were still living in the village.

There have been widespread instances of discrimination against Ahmadiyah followers across the country. In February, Ahmadis in Bangka regency, Bangka Belitung, were forced to leave their village because local people protested against their presence. Meanwhile, in May, a mob ransacked an Ahmadiyah mosque in Kendal, Central Java even though the followers had acquired a permit to build it in 2003.

National Commission on Human Rights commissioner Muhammad Nurkhoiron said that the government was failing to guarantee the freedom of religion in the country.

"Discrimination against Ahmadiyah followers is an old story. It proves that the government has never regarded it as a serious matter. That is an example of a human rights violation and the government has not been there to protect the minority," Nurkhoiron said. (wnd)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/06/21/ahmadis-arrested-lombok-following-village-protest.html

Religious tolerance shown by jazz at mosque

Jakarta Post - June 20, 2016

Agnes Anya, Jakarta – Most of the time, mosques are seen as places restricted only for Muslims to pray and carry out other religious activities.

However, this view was rearranged somewhat last Friday by youngsters who came to Ramadhan Jazz 2016 at the Cut Meutia Mosque in Cikini, Central Jakarta. 23-year-old Hanindya Bodhi Wijaya, for example, came away with a different perspective.

The Buddhist animator visited the courtyard of the Cut Meutia Mosque on Friday evening to witness its annual Jazz festival, which was held from Friday to Saturday by Cut Meutia Mosque's Islamic Youth (RICMA) teaming up with jazz portal wartajazz.com.

The event was enlivened by numerous prominent Jazz groups and musicians, like the Idang Rasjidi Quintet, Maliq & d'Essentials, Dira Sugandi and Barry Likumahuwa.

Hanindya, who is also called Nindya, valued the visit as an opportunity to be entertained and to find out what goes on inside a mosque – a place she had never visited before.

"Although I cannot enter the building, I am quite satisfied to be here, in the mosque's courtyard. Somehow, being able to step around mosque's area feels special to me," said Nindya, who came to the event to watch her favorite Jazz singer Dira Sugandi.

Initially, she added, she hesitated to come to the music event. However, her Muslim friends convinced her that the mosque was open to "anyone with good will".

"They told me to not think that mosques were only for Muslims. They said as long as I had good will, I was welcome," said Nindya, who wore a long-sleeved blouse and long trousers. "They emphasized that I had to, at least, wear skin-covering clothes to respect Muslim values."

Nindya, who came with a Christian and two Muslim friends, sang along with Dira Sugandi in a friendly atmosphere that did not make her feel any different from the Muslims present.

The organizers of the Jazz festival opened the Mosque's gate for literally anyone. "Through the event, we want to show that Islam is a peaceful religion that welcomes anyone regardless their background. We want to show that religious tolerance happens here at the mosque," said RICMA chairman Mochamad Deo Saputra, 23, adding that the event was also designed to attract more Muslim youngsters to take part in the Mosque's activities.

The commitment to religious tolerance, he added, was also shown from the recruitment process. The organizers accepted a Christian volunteer to help out at the event.

"It is possible that we will team up with youth organizations from other religions for the upcoming Ramadhan Jazz Festival as we have worked with such organizations in other forms of charity," Deo added.

Talking further about the Ramadhan Jazz Festival, which is in its sixth year, Deo said the organizers expected to attract 10,000 visitors. Visitors can enter the event by donating cash, blood, books, or even Quran verses.

"This year's donations are different because we also allow the donation of Quran verses, teaming up with youth initiative movement Quran Indonesia Project. They have a project to record the verses being read. Visitors can donate by providing a record of themselves reading the Quran," said Deo, adding that the organizers also teamed up with the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) for blood donations. Meanwhile, the organizers will distribute the donated books to orphans in Depok, West Java, and disburse cash to the Mosque's foster children.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/06/20/religious-tolerance-shown-jazz-mosque.html

Gus Dur's wife iftar event moved after protests by FPI

Jakarta Post - June 18, 2016

Jakarta – An inter-religious breaking-of-the-fast gathering, or iftar, attended by former first lady Sinta Nuriyah Abdurrahman Wahid on Thursday had to be relocated following protests from Islam Defenders Front (FPI) Central Java branch who opposed the event being held in a church in Semarang, Central Java.

Sinta, the founder of Puan Amal Hayati, has held the inter-religious event during Ramadhan for the past 16 years, since her time as wife of Indonesia's fourth president the late Abdurrahman Wahid. This was the first time for her to have to relocate the event following protests by a mass organization opposed to having the iftar held in a church, according to Inter-Faith Commission Head of Semarang archdiocese Pastor Aloysius Budi Purnomo as reported by kompas.com.

The event was planned to be held in the Raja Ungaran Church on Thursday and was moved to St. Yakobus Zebedeus Church in Pudakpayung, Semarang after objections. However, FPI still opposed the event and it was finally held in Pudakpayung administrative village hall in the afternoon.

Budi said in a statement that it was agreed to relocate the event to the administrative village hall. Churchgoers were allowed to welcome Sinta only at the churchyard and there must not be Islamic religious rituals such as prayers, the adzan, or Quran recitals conducted in the church location.

The iftar event with Sinta had been planned for weeks and involved several local Muslim figures, said Yanti, 50, a member of the Yakobus Church congregation. The organizers also invited 425 local people, local figures, mosque officials, village officials as well as the church congregation.

The relocated iftar event was held without problem on Thursday and was safeguarded by dozens of police and members of Banser, the youth wing of Indonesia's largest Muslim organization Nahdlatul Ulama. Sinta attended the event accompanied by Semarang Mayor Hendrar Prihadi and several local religious figures. (rin)

Airlines gear up to cater to fasting passengers during Ramadhan Break the fast in style at these hotels in Jakarta

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/06/18/gus-durs-wife-iftar-event-moved-after-protests.html

Religion & morality

No shariah among problematic regulations scrapped by government

Jakarta Globe - June 21, 2016

Jakarta – A senior state official confirmed on Tuesday (21/06) that no shariah-influenced regulations were included in the 3,143 regional regulations the government has scrapped in an effort simplify and unite the central and regional governments' visions.

The Ministry of Home Affairs announced the list of scrapped regional regulations in a 104 page-document, mostly comprising rules on repayments, work permits, taxes and building permits.

Aceh province, which has incorporated shariah in many local bylaws, had 65 local regulations scrapped by the ministry, but none of them are related to Islamic law. Most of them were related to repayments and taxes.

Home Affairs Minister Tjahjo Kumolo said the move was aimed at improving the country's competitiveness by making it easier to do business and simplifying procedures for obtaining business permits.

The scrapped regulations also include those that stalled regional growth by adding extra layers of bureaucracy, hampered licensing and investment processes, as well as regulations that contradicted national laws.

"The government is also evaluating local regulations and bylaws that are not in line with the diversity and spirit of unity in Indonesia," Tjahjo said recently.

Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch Asia deputy director Phelim Kine deplored Tjahjo's move to backtrack on an earlier commitment to abolish abusive shariah regulations in the country. HRW has documented human rights abuses linked to the enforcement of shariah bylaws that prohibit adultery and impose public dress requirements on Muslims.

"A khalwat law makes association by unmarried individuals of the opposite sex a criminal offense in some circumstances. While the dress requirement is gender-neutral on the face of it, in practice it imposes far more onerous restrictions on women with the mandatory hijab, or veil, and long skirts. These 'offenses' are not banned elsewhere in Indonesia," Kine said in a statement on Tuesday.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/no-sharia-law-included-in-governments-cancelled-problematic-regulations/

Sharia regulations not included in reforms: Home Minister

Jakarta Globe - June 16, 2016

Jakarta – Minister of Home Affairs Tjahjo Kumolo has been forced to deny allegations that the cancellation of 3,143 regional regulations also included several sharia-based regulations.

"Who erased them? Nobody cancelled those [sharia regulations]," Tjahjo said at his office in Jakarta, Wednesday (15/06).

He reiterated the central government's respect for sharia regulations, such as those in effect in Aceh. "For example, Aceh wants to apply Islamic sharia in its region, it is allowed. But if the same wants to be applied also in Jakarta, it surely can't be done," Tjahjo said.

He explained that the cancelled regional regulations have all been related strictly to the economy. "Everything is about investments. We do not interfere with regulations based on Islamic sharia," he said.

The minister said he had received a short message claiming the reforms had cancelled sharia regulations. "The negative sentiment is common, whereas the framing uses regional autonomy issues clashed with Islamic issues or sharia. The Home Affairs Ministry, as the axis of the government, will not be trapped into such negative framing," Tjahjo said.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/sharia-regulations-not-included-reforms-home-minister/

Agriculture & food security

Indonesia to be beef self-sufficient in a decade, Jokowi says

Jakarta Post - June 21, 2016

Ayomi Amindoni, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo is aiming for Indonesia to be self-sufficient in beef cattle in the next nine to 10 years, saying that all preparations needed to achieve that are "on the right track".

The President said Indonesia will be self-sufficient in the industry within six years as long it could provide 2 million to 3 million frozen sperms a year for cattle breeding. Meanwhile, an estimated additional three years was needed to make Indonesia self-sufficient in the downstream sector.

"What we are seeing here is the upstream process of cattle breeding in a long-term program that we expect to meet self-sufficiency in beef," he said during a visit to the Karya Anugrah Rumpin (KAR) cattle breeding farm in Bogor, West Java on Tuesday,.

Based on the government's calculation, Jokowi continued, the program must be cautiously maintained in a decade to make sure qualified cattle selected in the breeding program to be distributed both to industry and farmers.

Indonesia currently operates seven cattle-breeding farms that are located throughout the country, such as in West Sumatra, East Nusa Tenggara, Bogor in West Java and Pare-Pare in Central Sulawesi.

"Everything is on the right track. It takes consistency to do it [...] it is a long process, not instant. If we are consistent and do it constantly, we will be a self-sufficient country in beef," Jokowi said. (ags)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/06/21/indonesia-to-be-beef-self-sufficient-in-a-decade-jokowi-says.html

Government takes blame for high beef price

Jakarta Post - June 20, 2016

Dewanti A. Wardhani, Jakarta – "Sorry [...] we were very slow," Trade Minister Thomas Lembong said on behalf of the government, admitting that the late decision to import had contributed to surging beef prices.

The slow issuance of import licenses was partly caused by a data mix-up. Agriculture Ministry data suggested no import was necessary because of a higher cattle population than what was reported by the Central Statistics Agency (BPS).

Hence, there has been a shortage of beef supply in the country's market, while demand for beef continues to rise during the festive Ramadhan fasting month in the country with the world's largest Muslim population.

"We should have issued the import permits for 650,000 tons of live cattle all at once at the beginning of this year, so that importers could adjust the timing for the cattle imports by considering the season and the demand," Thomas told reporters on Saturday.

The ministry issued at the beginning of this year import licenses for only 120,000 tons of live cattle, compared with the overall 650,000 tons needed throughout the year, based on official calculations agreed to at a meeting at the Office of the Coordinating Economic Minister.

With a small amount of imported cattle, a shortage of beef has continued until now, resulting in high beef prices, Thomas added.

Beef prices currently stand at around Rp 100,000 to Rp 135,000 per kilogram (kg), according to nationwide prices at hargapangan.id. That compares with the government's target of Rp 80,000 per kg for beef.

Thomas also admitted that the government's tardiness in carrying out the import process was also caused by a lack of coordination between the trade and agriculture ministries.

Earlier in the year, Thomas and Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman disagreed over food supplies and whether or not the government should carry out imports as each ministry's data on food production and food needs contradicted the other.

"The ministries could not come to an agreement. We kept arguing instead of working. It's good that we've come to terms now," Thomas said recently. Throughout Ramadhan, Thomas and Amran have repeatedly held joint meetings to discuss rising food prices in an attempt to find a long-term solution.

BPS data says the population of live cattle in the country totals 12.5 million, while the Agriculture Ministry's data points to a higher figure of 17.5 million, according to the Cow and Buffalo Breeders Association (PPSKI). This data issue has also caused damage to local farmers.

The high population of cattle -– based on the Agriculture Ministry's data -– persuaded Indonesia to halt the importation of cattle. In reality, however, the country needed to import to meet the high demand for beef, PPSKI chair Teguh Boediyana said. "As a result, we have had to slaughter female cattle, which is actually forbidden," Teguh added.

Conflicts of interest between the two ministries caused disagreements between the ministries, according to the Institue for Development on Economics and Finance (INDEF).

While the Trade Ministry would rather import than risk food scarcity, the Agriculture Ministry would be embarrassed to acknowledge a lack of supply, said INDEF executive director Enny Sri Hartati. The BPS, she said, was also not trustworthy on food production data as they were not allocated enough funding by the government to properly gather reliable data.

"I think the BPS should also cooperate with food-producing villages to obtain primary data as well so that the predictions can be more accurate," Enny said.

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has asked for all ministries to refer to BPS data instead of their own respective data sets to be consistent when shaping policies.

To help improve the accuracy of food data, the Agriculture Ministry will cooperate with Indonesia's National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (LAPAN). Through satellite images, LAPAN will provide data on land mapping, as well as mapping for irrigation infrastructure and farm roads. It will also forecast paddy crop growth phases and productivity.

"Hopefully, this will improve the quality of data on food supply and production so we can more accurately predict food supply," Agriculture Ministry secretary general Hari Priyono said. (vny)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/06/20/govt-takes-blame-high-beef-price.html

Regional autonomy & separatism

Regions await guidance for annulment of bylaws

Jakarta Post - June 20, 2016

Ganug Nugroho Adi and Ni Komang Erviani, Surakarta/Denpasar – Although some regional administrations have reiterated their readiness to annul problematic bylaws, they say they will await guidance from the central government on the technicalities of the annulment process.

An official with the Surakarta administration, Kinkin Sultanul Hakim, said at the moment there was no official guidance that could be used as a reference for the bylaw annulment process.

"We are still waiting for an explanation on these technical matters. We have asked about it at the provincial administration but we were told to wait for information from the Home Ministry," Kinkin said on Saturday.

Separately, the Surakarta Legislative Council's (DPRD) bylaw making agency (BP2D) head Putut Gunawan said so far what the city administration had done was revise bylaws by omitting or adding content in them.

He said, however, revisions could not be applied to problematic bylaws, which needed a total overhaul or revocation. The Surakarta administration plans to revoke seven bylaws that are thought to be problematic or negatively affect investment.

Of the seven bylaws to be revoked, three were proposed by the city administration while the remaining four were proposed by the Home Ministry. Surakarta Mayor FX Rudyatmo said some of the bylaws to be revoked would be replaced with new ones while for the others, no replacement bylaws would be made.

"We will soon discuss which bylaws are to be replaced or revoked," said Rudy, adding that for the abolishment of the bylaws, his administration would wait for guidance from the Home Ministry or the Central Java provincial administration.

Kinkin said the seven bylaws to be revoked included Bylaw No. 5/2003 on company registration documents, Bylaw No. 9/2003 on business licenses, Bylaw No. 4/2010 on education and Bylaw No. 3/2012 on telecommunications tower development and regulation. These four were proposed by the Home Ministry.

The other three to be revoked, which were proposed by the city administration, are Bylaw No. 8/2008 on city property management, Bylaw No. 1/2014 on disturbance permission and Bylaw No. 2/2014 on ground water management.

"For the bylaw on city property management we propose its absolute abolishment because it is against Government Regulation No. 27/2014 on state and regional property management," said Kinkin, head of the Surakarta administration's law and human rights division.

Meanwhile, the Bali administration said on Friday the governor had annulled at least 86 bylaws and regulations from regencies and city administrations across the resort island.

Bylaws on alcoholic beverages, free smoking areas and bylaws related to education, were annulled. "These regulations were annulled, mostly because they were not in line with the law," the Bali administration's legal section head I Wayan Sugiada said.

Citing an example, Sugiada said all bylaws that regulated the education system at the senior high school level had to be annulled as the authority for handling senior high schools came from the provincial administration. Meanwhile, the free smoking area bylaw was annulled because the term used in the bylaw was inappropriate.

The governor also annulled several bylaws that could have negatively affected investment, such as the bylaw on telecommunications towers.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/06/20/regions-await-guidance-annulment-bylaws.html

Regions to maintain bylaws that protect local interests

Jakarta Post - June 16, 2016

Ganug Nugroho Adi, Arya Dipa and Djemi Amnifu, Surakarta/Bandung/Semarang/Kupang/Batam/Palu/Surabaya/Yogyakarta – While most regional administrations threw their support behind President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's decision to annul over 3,000 bylaws considered to hamper investment, they also said they would keep protecting the interests of locals.

The administrations agree with efforts to lure more investment in a bid to drive the economy. But, they also require the central government to accommodate the interests of locals.

Surakarta Legislative Council (DPRD) member Putut Gunawan, for example, says the development of a factory in a certain area needs to be regulated with a bylaw because the presence of a factory would certainly have an environmental, social and economic impact on its surrounding community.

"A bylaw that requires particular environment assessments or the obligation to employ locals must not be seen as hampering investment," said Putut, head of the council's bylaw drafting agency, on Wednesday.

Numerous bylaws that are seen as counter-productive to investment and out of date are now being assessed by the Surakarta DPRD. "If we find outdated bylaws, we will either revise them or produce new bylaws," said Putut, a politician from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).

Surakarta DPRD speaker Teguh Prakosa, meanwhile, said so far there was no bylaw in Surakarta deemed to be hampering investment. "Bylaws in Surakarta are issued to protect local culture. For example, there is a bylaw requiring hotels to display Javanese ornaments as part of an effort to preserve local culture," he said.

West Java Governor Ahmad Heryawan said the provincial administration would evaluate all bylaws following the annulment of over 3,000 bylaws across the country by the President.

Among the bylaws annulled by the President were bylaws that prolong the bureaucratic process, ones considered a hindrance to business licensing and investment and bylaws that contravened higher laws and regulations.

Jokowi said the annulment of the bylaws was part of the government's attempt to increase the country's ease-of-doing-business ranking.

Not all regional councillors and administrations have offered a view on the annulment of the bylaws yet. Semarang Legislative Council Speaker Supriyadi is one of those. He said the local council was still discussing the issue. "We will look at the bylaws first, then discuss them together. We need to identify which bylaws are being annulled," he said.

In addition, Kupang Regent Ayub Titu Eki has expressed his support for Jokowi's decision to annul the problematic bylaws, as he believes it will invite more investors. "President Jokowi's decision is in line with his program to develop Indonesia through the periphery. We fully support that decision," he added.

He suggested that the central government issue a regulation that streamlined the process of getting an environment impact analysis done, considering that currently it took a lot of time to get the assessment completed.

Separately, a business association in Batam welcomed the annulment decision and suggested that the government supervise its implementation directly in the field.

"There are numerous licenses that businesspeople need to get. This surely takes up time and funds. We welcome the annulment of those problematic bylaws," said Riau Islands Industrial Estates Association deputy chairman Tjaw Hioeng.

[Suherjoko, Ruslan Sangadji, Wahyoe Boedhiwardhana, Bambang Muryanto and Fadli contributed to this reporting.]

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/06/16/regions-maintain-bylaws-protect-local-interests.html

Jakarta & urban life

Ahok orders police to arrest residents attempting to block garbage trucks

Jakarta Post - June 23, 2016

Jakarta – Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama has ordered police to arrest residents that attempt to block trucks transporting garbage from Jakarta to a waste treatment facility in Bantar Gebang, Bekasi, West Java on Wednesday.

"The temporary solution is for the sanitation agency to report the people to the police. Tell police to arrest them," Ahok said, as reported by kompas.com on Thursday.

Hundreds of residents blocked on Wednesday garbage trucks in response to a third warning on June 21 by the Jakarta Sanitation Agency to two operators of the waste treatment facilities in Bandar Gebang: PT Godang Tua Jaya (GTJ) and PT Navigat Organic Energy Indonesia. Four garbage trucks from Jakarta were blocked by the residents. The trucks were prevented from entering the garbage treatment facility.

Another reason of the blockage was that the volume of garbage from Jakarta had reached more than 2,000 ton per day.

Ahok said the companies had not complained about the amount of garbage sent to the Bantar Gebang waste treatment facility. "The people either want to rebel against the government or they just want to defend Gondang Tua Jaya. Don't be a thug. The state will never be defeated by thugs," he said.

The Jakarta administration has long been dissatisfied with the performance of the two waste treatment operators. With the third warning letter, the administration wants to end its cooperation with the two companies.

The companies rejected the city administration's decision and hired lawyers, including former law and human rights minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra to challenge the decision.

Ahok questioned the move by the residents, saying that for years, the residents did not oppose the waste treatment in Bantar Gebang when it was handled by PT GTJ. "My question is, are they defending the government or GTJ?", the governor added.

Jakarta reportedly produces 7,000 ton of garbage per day. The city had long planned to construct its own garbage treatment facility, but the plan failed to be materialized. Therefore, Jakarta still relies on its neighboring city to treat garbage. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/06/23/ahok-orders-police-to-arrest-residents-attempting-to-block-garbage-trucks.html

Traffic, flooding, housing problems plague Jakarta

Jakarta Post - June 23, 2016

Corry Elyda, Jakarta – In its 489th anniversary, Jakarta, a city of around 10 million people, still has long way to go to become a livable city. Worsening traffic and flooding problems and a lack of affordable housing are the three big issues facing the big durian.

Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama said during a special plenary meeting for the city's 489th anniversary on Wednesday that he wanted solve the city's major problems and create a clean and advanced Jakarta.

Ahok said his administration was also trying to create a system of governance that was effective, efficient, transparent and credible. "Officials should be professional, dedicated, loyal and honest," he said.

He said traffic, flooding, the provision of clean water, waste management, poverty reduction, health and education and the provision of low-cost apartments were the crucial issues that needed to be faced. On transportation, Ahok said the city had 12 Transjakarta corridors and six inter-corridor routes.

"We will add 20 more routes, including ones that mix regular traffic lanes and Transjakarta lanes," he said, adding that the Transjakarta routes were being expanded to Greater Jakarta and would connect eight low-cost apartments to nearby train stations.

Many low cost apartments provided by the Jakarta administration like Rawa Bebek in East Jakarta and Marunda in North Jakarta are located on the outskirts of Jakarta without any public transportation.

Ahok said that besides bus transit, the city was now also building infrastructure for rail-based transportation services like the MRT and the LRT networks.

"The underground part of the MRT is 65 percent complete while the elevated part is 32 percent complete," he said, referring to the first phase of the MRT connecting the Hotel Indonesia Traffic Circle in Central Jakarta with Lebak Bulus in South Jakarta. He added that the MRT could be enjoyed by Jakartans within two to three years.

The city has also just commenced the first phase of the LRT system, connecting Pegangsaan in North Jakarta to Velodrome in East Jakarta. The 5.8 kilometer line will support the 2018 Asian Games.

Ahok also boasted of plans to provide more low-cost rental apartments, currently reserved for residents evicted from river banks and state land. "We have built six towers and 18 apartment blocks with a total of 2,478 apartments," he said.

He said the locations included KS Tubun in Central Jakarta, Cakung Barat in East Jakarta, Rawa Bebek and Rawa Buaya in West Jakarta. Ahok said the city administration was also building child-friendly public spaces (RPTRA) in order to create a child-friendly city.

He said the RPTRA would be funded by private companies through so-called Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) schemes. The city now has 73 RPTRA. "The Jakarta Housing and Administration Building Agency will build 150 more [RPTRA] this year," he said.

City Council Speaker Prasetio Edi Marsudi said during the plenary meeting that he wanted the city administration to be more inclusive. "A clean Jakarta does not only mean clean rivers but also officials clean of corruption," he said.

He said an advanced Jakarta did not only mean more sky scrapers but also improvements in the livelihood and welfare of low-income people.

Prasetio also criticized the inability of the city administration to manage its finances. The city administration has received bad grades from the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) for three years in a row, he noted.

Prasetio said the last audit report from the BPK showed that there were irregularities worth around Rp 30 trillion (US$2.25 billion). "Rp 14.5 trillion in assets have not been validated and assets from the Education Agency, worth some Rp 15.2 trillion, are also considered unreasonable," he said.

The speaker also reminded the city administration that the City Council was part of the administration.

Home Minister Tjahjo Kumolo, who attended the plenary meeting, said he hoped the governor, deputy governor and the City Council could cooperate in running the administration.

"I hope the governor and the deputy will be close with one another, even though next year is a political year," he said. He also said that no matter who won the gubernatorial election, the figure should be able to solve the city's problems.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/06/23/traffic-flooding-housing-problems-plague-jakarta.html

Consumer groups slams odd-even license plate policy

Jakarta Post - June 21, 2016

Jakarta – The Jakarta administration's decision to implement an odd-even license plate scheme on the capital's thoroughfares has been lambasted as a setback by the Indonesian Consumer Foundation (YLKI).

The odd-even license plate policy, set to be trialed next month, faces obstacles in supervision, YLKI Chaiman Tulus Abadi said on Tuesday, adding that weak monitoring could encourage bribing of police officers.

The policy could also give rise to a rogue business of falsifying license plate numbers, especially by people with more than one car, Tulus added.

"The implementation of the policy could also reduce economic growth from a macroeconomic [perspective], as it could obstruct people's mobility," he was quoted as saying by the Antara news agency.

The city decided to switch to the odd-even policy to replace the three-in-one policy that was abandoned in May over a lack of effectiveness. The three-in-one policy allowed only cars carrying at least three people to pass certain major roads, but was frequently skirted by drivers picking up for-hire passengers on the roadside.

YLKI slammed the city administration for the new policy, claiming it only showed that the city was doubtful about its plans to tackle traffic congestion in the capital, especially given that the odd-even policy lacked a strong legal basis.

Tulus suggested that the city administration instead kick off the planned Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) system, which would be more effective in tackling traffic woes, as it had supporting regulations both from the central government and city administration.

"Three-in-one must be replaced with a stronger traffic management system, which is ERP. Don't even start with an odd-even license plate policy, which is an outdated system," he said.

The Jakarta Transportation Agency planned to trial the odd-even traffic policy from July 27 to August 26 before fully implementing it in August, the office's traffic engineering division head Priyanto said, as reported by beritajakarta.com.

The policy aims to alleviate congestion and push citizens to use public transportation. It is set to be implemented at nine intersections with 15 monitoring spots on Jakarta thoroughfares until an ERP system becomes fully operational in 2017.

Jakarta sees a 12 percent increase in motor vehicles each year, with 4,000 new motorcycles and 1,600 cars registered in the capital every day, according to data released by the Jakarta traffic police in January. (rin)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/06/21/consumer-groups-slams-odd-even-license-plate-policy.html

Support for Ahok not yet official: Golkar chairman

Jakarta Post - June 21, 2016

Jakarta – Golkar Party chairman Setya Novanto says his party has not officially voiced support for Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama as a candidate in the 2017 gubernatorial election, but has promised to make a decision on the matter as soon as possible.

"Hopefully, the decision will be made before the Idul Fitri celebration [on July 6]," Setya said as reported by tribbunnews.com on Monday.

The decision to support Ahok will be made by Golkar's Jakarta chapter under the leadership of Fayakhun Andriardi at a plenary meeting, Setya said, adding that if the Jakarta chapter recommended supporting Ahok, it would be further discussed by the Golkar executive board. "I will soon organize a meeting. Hopefully within the next two or three weeks," he said.

Meanwhile, Fayakhun said the party's Jakarta regional meeting on Sunday, which elected him as a chairman, had also resulted in a recommendation to nominate Ahok, which had been submitted to the Golkar executive board.

Commenting on a statement made by Golkar supervisory council chairman Aburizal Bakrie that the decision to nominate a Jakarta gubernatorial candidate should be agreed upon by the council, Setya said it was the right of the Golkar executive board to reach a decision.

"We respect the supervisory council. We respect Pak ARB [Aburizal] and appreciate his opinion. But I believe he will support the decision that is made by the executive board," he added.

Aburizal reportedly wants to nominate former law and human rights minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra as the Jakarta gubernatorial candidate, while Setya has frequently praised Ahok for successfully governing the city.

Setya said he was still waiting for a decision from Ahok as to whether he would continue on his independent path or run with a political party nomination. "We will monitor the progress. I believe Pak Ahok will find a smart way out," he added. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/06/21/support-for-ahok-not-yet-official-golkar-chairman.html

Golkar announces political support for Ahok

Jakarta Post - June 19, 2016

Callistasia Anggun Wijaya, Jakarta – The Golkar Party has declared its political support for Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama in next year's gubernatorial election.

The acting chief of Golkar's Jakarta chapter, Yorrys Raweyai, said his party's support for Ahok came without preconditions because the party wanted to offer Ahok the freedom to run as an independent candidate or on the party's ticket.

"It is up to Ahok, whether he will run as an independent candidate or with Golkar. In principle, we will support him. We will even let him to run with support from his volunteer group, Teman Ahok," Yorrys said during the party's regional conference (Musda) in Jakarta on Sunday.

The senior politician further said that Golkar had coordinated with the Hanura and NasDem parties. These two parties earlier declared their commitment to Ahok.

Attending the Musda, Ahok seemed happy to have Golkar's support. He revealed that he had been a loyal supporter of the party for a long time. His family members were also loyal Golkar supporters, Ahok said.

"The Golkar Party has always supported people who want to work for the public. This is what my father once told me. Golkar's support for me shows that the party has recognized my good work in Jakarta," Ahok said, with a wide smile. (ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/06/19/golkar-announces-political-support-for-ahok.html

Ahok blasted for scolding, expelling reporter in City Hall drama

Jakarta Globe - June 18, 2016

Jakarta – A journalism professional group has slammed Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, or Ahok, after he expelled a local media reporter, saying the move is a threat to press freedoms in Indonesia.

Journalists questioned Basuki at City Hall on Thursday over rumors swelling around Teman Ahok, a volunteer group supporting the governor's independent run for reelection at next year's election, received funds from developers of the allegedly graft-tainted North Jakarta reclamation project.

Basuki turned on an online reporter after he asked a question the governor deemed was aimed at "spinning" his answer and expelled the reporter from his office.

City Hall is a public space where reporters have the right to carry out their duties, the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) warned, citing the 1999 law on the press.

"When Ahok expelled the reporter from his duty post, it's the same as undermining the public rights to information from City Hall," AJI head Ahmad Nurhasim said on Friday (17/06). "City Hall is not Ahok's. His moves are a threat to freedom of the press."

According to AJI, Thursday's incident also indicated the governor, widely known for his outspoken, no-nonsense style of leadership, is unable to deal with journalists professionally.

"Even the hardest and unruliest question could actually be answered without having to expel the reporter," Ahmad said. "If Ahok objects to certain news, please report it to the Press Council."

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/ahok-blasted-scolding-expelling-reporter-city-hall-drama/

Armed forces & defense

Soldier tried for alleged role in illegal logging

Jakarta Post - June 22, 2016

Medan – The Medan Military Court began on Monday the trial of First corp. Sumardi of the Bukit Barisan Regional Military Command, who is accused of involvement in illegal logging at Mount Leuser National Park (TNGL).

The defendant is accused of violating Article 83 Point 1 on forest destruction of the Forestry Law, with a maximum sentence of five years' imprisonment.

According to the indictment, Sumardi worked with former soldier Suriono to conduct the logging activities. Suriono and Sumardi were both posted to the regional military command before the former was dismissed in 2011 for domestic violence.

"Suriono took logs from Leuser illegally and delivered them to Sumardi who later sold them to residents for window frames and doors," military prosecutor Lt. Col. Yunus Ginting told the court during the hearing on Monday.

Suriono was previously sentenced to one year and six months in prison by the Stabat District Court in Langkat and was also ordered to pay Rp 500 million in fines.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/06/21/islands-focus-soldier-tried-alleged-role-illegal-logging.html

Police & law enforcement

KPK, PPATK find nothing on Tito

Jakarta Post - June 22, 2016

Nurul Fitri Ramadhani, Jakarta – Comr. Gen. Tito Karnavian's path to becoming the next National Police chief has been made smoother as the country's antigraft body and the audit agency have declared that he is clear of any suggestion of corruption.

As a senior state official, Tito, the sole choice of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to replace retiring police chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti, has never been mentioned in any public complaint related to graft or irregular transactions, said the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK) on Tuesday.

KPK chairman Agus Rahardjo also revealed that the antigraft body found no irregularities in Tito's official wealth reports (LHKPN), which he submitted twice, in November 2014 and March 2016.

"The KPK has found no indication of wrongdoing linked to corruption," Agus said during a hearing with the House of Representatives Commission III overseeing security, human rights and legal affairs.

The PPATK, meanwhile, has checked the transaction records between 2004 and 2014 of Tito's 14 accounts with private banks, only one of which is still active, and three accounts with state-owned banks, two of which have been closed. The agency also audited the bank accounts and insurance policies of his wife and three sons.

"We found no irregularities there at all. All was clean," PPATK chairman Muhammad Yusuf said.

The declarations by the two most respected institutions in the country come ahead of the current National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) chief's confirmation hearing by the commission, which is set for Thursday. This is in stark contrast to last year when Jokowi proposed current deputy police chief Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan as police chief to replace former chief Gen. Sutarman.

Jokowi subsequently canceled the proposal after the KPK named Budi a graft suspect in connection with suspiciously substantial bank accounts the day prior to his undergoing a confirmation hearing with Commission III. Jokowi eventually appointed Badrodin to the top job.

Meanwhile Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan as well as Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly, speaking on behalf of the National Police Commission (Kompolnas), have confirmed to Commission III that Tito's professionalism is "not in doubt."

"Good professionalism and excellent handling of responsibility and his duties" was how Yasonna described Tito, who was formerly police chief in Papua and Jakarta.

However, lawmakers have expressed concern about whether Tito's appointment will cause trouble within the police itself, as he is the youngest of all the mooted candidates, including Budi and National Narcotics Agency (BNN) chief Comr. Gen. Budi Waseso.

In response, retired police executive Bekto Suprapto of Kompolnas said Tito's relationship skills would allow him to resolve any issues with subordinates.

National Police general planning assistant Arif Wachyunadi concurred saying that leapfrogging nominal seniors was not uncommon. "As far as I can see, Tito is an officer with the greatest of respect for his seniors. He will be very welcome," Arif said.

However, the opposition Gerindra Party still questioned whether Tito could earn the public's trust as opposed to that of the President.

"I'm not sure Tito can free himself from [the suggestion of] political intervention, unless Jokowi has the courage to appoint a more senior officer as his deputy," said Gerindra lawmaker Desmond J. Mahesa, who is also Commission III deputy chairman, following speculation that Tito would conduct an internal reshuffle and nominate Insp. Gen. Lutfi Lubihanto and Comr. Gen. Syafruddin as candidates for the post of National Police deputy chief.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/06/22/KPK-ppatk-find-nothing-on-tito.html

LBH Jakarta questions Tito's track record amid compliments

Jakarta Post - June 21, 2016

Jakarta – Arbitrary arrests of activists and the suppression of free speech in Papua and Jakarta are included in the track record of National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) chief Comr. Gen. Tito Karnavian, the widely praised sole candidate for National Police chief, lawyers claim.

In a report entitled "Track Records of Police Chief Candidates" released over the weekend, the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta) questioned Tito's policies when he served as Papua Police chief in 2012 to 2014 and as Jakarta Police chief in 2015 to 2016.

"Throughout 2013, Tito was allegedly responsible for human rights abuses [in Papua] including the shooting, disappearances, murders, restriction and dismissal of demonstrations that resulted in three dead victims and two injured, and also the arbitrary arrests of 26 people," the report says as published on the LBH Jakarta website, www.bantuanhukum.or.id.

As Jakarta Police chief, Tito was also reportedly responsible for several evictions, the criminalization of workers and members of the Papuan Students Alliance, who held rallies in October and December 2015, respectively. Furthermore, Tito was also suspected of giving a green light to the dispersing of the Belok Kiri (Turn Left) Festival, an event held in March to discuss the history of the leftist movement in Indonesia as well as the 1965 Communist purge.

The report also claims that Tito said the police by law had the authority to violate human rights when doing their jobs. "I disagree that the police cannot use violence," he said in November 2015, the report says quoting tempo.co.

Tito, the youngest three-star police general to be nominated for the post, has been lauded for his extensive educational background and achievements during his career at the National Police. Often dubbed a terrorism expert, Tito saw his career soar after being named best student when he graduated from the Police Academy in 1987 up until he won the favor of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to gain the sole nomination for top cop.

The House of Representatives is scheduled to hold a confirmation hearing on Tito before deciding whether to approve his promotion to the position of National Police chief to replace Gen. Badrodin Haiti. (vps/rin)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/06/21/lbh-jakarta-questions-titos-track-record-amid-compliments.html

Corruption watchdog calls on Tito Karnavian to improve police image

Jakarta Globe - June 19, 2016

Jakarta – Indonesia Corruption Watch has called on National Police chief candidate Comr. Gen. Tito Karnavian to make it his priority, if he is appointed, to improve the public image of the law-enforcement institution.

"Efforts to improve the image of the National Police have been stagnant. We often hear about and see police officers extorting money from members of the public and there are even videos that show them asking for bribes related to traffic offences," ICW coordinator Adnan Topan Husodo said in Jakarta on Saturday (18/06).

According to Adnan, Tito's role will be crucial in this regard if he is appointed as the nation's top cop. He said law enforcement in Indonesia will be effective and efficient if the institution is above reproach regarding officers' integrity.

"The more fundamental strategic role of the police chief in the reform agenda is the effort to eradicate corruption from within the institution," Adnan said.

He added that this would be no walk in the park for Tito and that it would a take long time to root out such a deep-rooted culture of corruption.

"There will be resistance from within, especially with seniority issues and powerful factions inside the police, each with its own interests. Therefore, Tito will need political support from Jokowi," Adnan said, referring to President Joko Widodo by his popular nickname.

If the House of Representatives approves the president's pick, Tito will be inaugurated as National Police chief after the incumbent, Gen. Badrodin Haiti, retires at the end of July.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/corruption-watchdog-calls-tito-karnavian-improve-police-image/

Young gun tipped to be top cop

Jakarta Post - June 16, 2016

Margareth S. Aritonang, Nurul Fitri Ramadhani and Ina Parlina, Jakarta – Comr. Gen. Tito Karnavian is one step closer to becoming the chief of the National Police, and earlier than anticipated to boot.

The current chief of the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) has been named by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo as his sole candidate for the top police post. Widely considered to be the least-eligible of a group of nine three-star police generals, Tito now has the chance to show his critics that age does not determine leadership skills, reportedly the rationale behind Jokowi's nomination.

Tito's nomination has raised optimism and doubt in equal measure, as he is the youngest of all three-star police generals touted to take the reins of the institution from retiring chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti.

Jokowi's decision to pass the leadership baton from an incumbent chief to Tito's generation constitutes a breaking of tradition. As a 1987 graduate of the police academy, Tito's appointment over more senior police generals would also be a national first.

Badrodin himself acknowledged that although he had given Jokowi personal input on all of the nine three-star generals long before the police's high-ranking promotions and duty rotation council (Wanjakti) gave its recommendation, Tito was not even on Wanjakti's list after Tito requested that he wanted to focus on his BNPT duties.

"Tito himself said that if it was possible, he should not be considered a candidate," Badrodin said. "That's why Wanjakti did not put his name on the list."

Badrodin claimed to not know the reason behind Jokowi's decision, but said that in his opinion Tito's outstanding experience would have been one of the President's considerations.

Unlike Badrodin, many are hesitant about the future of the National Police if Tito assumes the leadership. "His nomination is the result of a political game, and it poses a threat to the police institution," said Muradi, a political and security analyst of Padjajaran University.

According to Muradi, Tito will experience difficulties maintaining unity within the institution due to its strong culture of seniority that obliges individuals to respect and obey their seniors. "Internal resistance will emerge and challenge his leadership. Thus, Pak Tito may not be able to carry out his job smoothly," he added

Muradi is apparently not the only one. Indonesian Police Watch (IPW) chairman Neta S. Pane said that "Tito is considered a junior in the National Police. So, I think it is inappropriate for him to be the new chief because he will feel uncomfortable leading his seniors."

Tito's nomination was made public following an announcement made by House of Representatives Speaker Ade Komaruddin that the House had received an official letter from Jokowi earlier on Wednesday that named Tito as the sole candidate to replace Badrodin, who will retire by the end of next month.

Besides Tito, the list of hopefuls includes National Police deputy chief Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan and National Narcotics Agency (BNN) chief Comr. Gen. Budi Waseso – both have close links to the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).

Police educational institution head Comr. Gen. Syafruddin, a close associate of Vice President Jusuf Kalla, is also among the strongest candidates.

Although the government still needs the House's nod, Tito, who is known as a "highly educated" officer and has close ties to Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan, seems to have won the hearts of the majority of lawmakers.

Jowoki's decision, however, reportedly caught many of them by surprise, with Budi Gunawan the assumed favorite to succeed Badrodin.

"One thing we have to consider is its impact on the internal affairs of the police, because Jokowi's nomination means Tito would not only overtake his seniors but also several generations in the force. If discontent is significant, it may affect the way he manages the police," Masinton Pasaribu of the PDI-P said.

"But perhaps Jokowi has his own reasons and wants a fresh figure to lead and unite the police corps. Someone who has a longer serving time," he added.

The Golkar Party, which recently joined the coalition supporting the government, also expressed its support of Jokowi's decision. "Tito may be the youngest, but don't doubt his experience and professionalism," said Golkar lawmaker Bambang Soesatyo, who is also chairman of House Commission III overseeing legal affairs and laws, human rights and security.

The House will bring the President's letter to the Steering Committee (Bamus) meeting before the commission carries out a screening to measure Tito's capability.

Tito was Jakarta Police chief before he was assigned to lead the BNPT. Before that, he led the National Police's Densus 88 counterterrorism squad. (wnd)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/06/16/young-gun-tipped-to-be-top-cop.html

Intelligence & state security

MoD seeks stronger power via defense intelligence agency

Jakarta Post - June 17, 2016

Margareth S. Aritonang and Nurul Fitri Ramadhani, Jakarta – The lack of recognition from peer spy bodies has led the Defense Ministry (MoD) to seek "political back-up" directly from President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo through the establishment of a defense intelligence agency.

The agency itself will not be a totally new division in the ministry because it currently has a National Strategic Agency (Bainstranas), the job of which is also to formulate strategies to counter threats to the country.

Bainstranas head Maj. Gen. Paryanto told a media briefing on Thursday that his division needed an official change of name in order to justify its role in intelligence activities. "The name defines the function," Paryanto said. "Attaching 'intelligence' to the name will accelerate our work in intelligence."

He, however, insisted that nothing would change in the structure, or in resources, including financial resources. "We will continue to use the allocation from the ministry's budget," Paryanto said.

He said the defense intelligence body was expected to be the center for intelligence information analysis. Thus the Defense Ministry will be the coordinator of all intelligence bodies in the country, including the National Intelligence Agency (BIN) and the military's intelligence body (BAIS).

Paryanto's explanation reiterated that of Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu who earlier expressed the difficulty his office had in obtaining information from BAIS in particular.

The proposal to set up a defense intelligence organization quickly raised questions from intelligence practitioners as well as from observers. "The law doesn't prohibit any ministry from establishing its own intelligence body, but the law should first be revised," BIN chief Sutiyoso said.

Currently, Law No. 17/2011 on the National Intelligence Agency stipulates that defense intelligence is in the jurisdiction of the Strategic Intelligence Agency under the TNI, while BIN coordinates all intelligence agencies across the country.

Sutiyoso said the military would need a larger budget and more staff if it insisted on establishing a new intelligence body, even as the country was already burdened economically and had to concentrate on its infrastructure development agenda.

"Actually, if the existing body can cover what the ministry's needs, we just need to enhance coordination without having to establish a new one," Sutiyoso said.

The establishment of the defense intelligence body will require a presidential decree by Jokowi. The President may also need input from the House of Representatives.

Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) lawmaker TB Hasanuddin said there should be a thorough review of two regulations, Law No. 34/2004 on the TNI and Law No. 3/2002 on defense. Furthermore, he said the ministry could not establish an organization only based on a presidential decree or a presidential regulation.

"Actually, if they need some information, they can just ask for it from the BAIS," said the deputy chairman of House's Commission I overseeing communications, foreign affairs and defense.

On the other hand, the NasDem Party supports the idea. NasDem lawmaker Prananda Surya Paloh of Commission I said that the proposal was better than establishing regional defense ministry offices like the ministry has planned.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/06/17/mod-seeks-stronger-power-defense-intelligence-agency.html

Mining & energy

Private power firms to play greater role

Jakarta Post - June 23, 2016

Ina Parlina and Fedina S. Sundaryani, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo is reiterating the government's intention for private investors to play a greater role in his administration's ambitious 35,000 megawatt (MW) electricity procurement program after state-owned power company PLN declined to work on some of the projects assigned to it.

"To speed up electricity infrastructure development, I am of the view that the private sector needs a greater role [...] especially on new and renewable energy," the President said in a limited Cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

Jokowi mentioned geothermal and micro hydro as the main types of power generators in which private companies can invest, although according to the development plan, hydroelectric plants should be mostly built by PLN for a total capacity of 1,389 MW, while the private sector, independent power producers (IPP), would only be responsible for 582 MW.

His directive came as PLN and the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry are having disagreements over several projects and pricing policies.

PLN recently said it would not move forward with the construction of inter-island connection lines between Sumatra and Java and a 5x600 MW mine-mouth power plant project in South Sumatra, although those projects have been included in the ministry's electricity procurement business plan.

Moreover, PLN has issued several circulars and tariffs that go against regulations issued by his ministry, such as the 2015 ministerial regulation on the purchase of excess power and the regulation on fees for micro-hydro power plants.

Of the total target for 35,000 MW by 2019, PLN is responsible for procuring 10,000 MW while the remaining 25,000 MW capacity is expected to be supplied by the private sector, or IPPs.

"Because constructing a 35,000 MW power supply is impossible to be done alone. The more parties that are involved there, the better it is," Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Sudirman Said told a press conference after the meeting.

Sudirman took the opportunity to lash out at PLN by saying: "The country is responsible for procuring electricity and PLN is one of the instruments for doing so. Policies cannot be based on commercial calculations, but they have to be the driver of economic development."

PLN president director Sofyan Basir said the reason behind his company's decision not to pursue many of the government's assignments is because they are deemed as not being favorable to the company's business.

For the inter-island connection lines project between Sumatra and Java with 500 kilovolt (kV) high voltage direct current (HVDC), Sofyan said the project was no longer economically feasible and was unnecessary as Java was almost at full electrical capacity.

President Jokowi, however, has a different view. From his visits to a number of power plant development sites across the country, the President found out that even on Java, the most densely populated island and the most developed area, not every family had access to electricity.

In the limited Cabinet meeting, Jokowi said he has received information that there are about 30 to 34 locations that have stalled power plant construction projects. For instance, he said, ones in West Kalimantan and Gorontalo have been postponed for about seven to eight years, as well as one in Lombok. "It needs a decision whether to continue or to terminate it," Jokowi told his ministers.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/06/23/private-power-firms-play-greater-role.html

Economy & investment

RI could see wider budget deficit: WB

Jakarta Post - June 21, 2016

Prima Wirayani, Jakarta – The government should prepare for a bigger state budget deficit if it is to realize its capital spending to stoke growth amid looming risk of lower revenues and an uncertain future regarding the government's planned tax amnesty, the World Bank has said.

The international agency said that government expenditure was projected to increase in the next three quarters in line with historical trends and calculations showing that at least Rp 183 trillion (US$14 billion) or 90 percent of total government capital expenditure of Rp 202 trillion, which is mainly used to fund infrastructure projects and has been stated in the 2016 state budget, could be achieved by this year-end.

The World Bank report shows that total expenditure increased by 9.2 percent as of April from the same period last year (yoy), supported by strong growth in material (66 percent yoy) and capital spending (106 percent yoy). Disbursement increased by 89 percent for material and by 39 percent for capital relative to the average of the past five years. The improvement is likely the result of early procurement decisions made by the Public Works and Public Housing Ministry.

High public spending on investment is the key factor in Indonesia's resilience and marks it out among its peers amid private investment conditions that have yet to recover, World Bank lead economist for Indonesia Ndiame Diop said during the launching of the World Bank's Indonesia Economic Quarterly June 2016 edition at the Trade Ministry in Central Jakarta on Monday.

The report however also recorded a 9.8 percent broad-based decline in revenue collection between January and April. The World Bank estimates that state revenues will reach only Rp 1.51 quadrillion, slightly lower than the Rp 1.55 quadrillion projected in March. The projection does not take into account potential revenues from the tax amnesty, which remains in limbo.

To partly compensate for lower revenues, the government can expand the fiscal deficit within the rule of 3 percent of gross domestic products (GDP) and reduce non-priority expenditure to prioritize public investment and maintain growth.

The World Bank also projects a fiscal deficit of 2.8 percent, far higher than the government target in the revised 2016 budget draft of 2.48 percent. "Indonesia will still be able to maintain its public investment even if the tax amnesty produces nothing," Diop said.

The government is depending on the tax amnesty bill currently being deliberated at the House of Representatives to cushion the tax revenue shortfall this year, including Rp 165 trillion expected from the amnesty in its tax collection target of Rp 1.36 quadrillion, a figure deemed by economists as too risky.

Diop said Indonesia would continue to face limited fiscal space as a domestic risk alongside weak credit growth and frozen state-owned enterprise capital injections (PMN). "If PMN and the tax amnesty are approved, those risks can be mitigated domestically," he said. External risks and uncertainties, which include monetary policy in the US, the UK's EU membership referendum, China rebalancing and trajectories of commodity prices and global growth, could also affect Southeast Asia's largest economy, Diop warned.

He also said that it would take a while for President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's reform measures to bear fruit and help ease the government's burden. "Reform through policy packages will take time to be effective. We need more measures in the meantime," Diop said, referring to the government's 12 economic policy packages issued since September last year.

Trade Minister Thomas Lembong maintained that the government would continue on the path of reform. "We are only 3 to 5 percent along the planned reforms that we'd like to pursue," he said, "It's a massive adjustment for bureaucracy, business and beyond."

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/06/21/ri-could-see-wider-budget-deficit-wb.html

Lack of investable projects

Jakarta Post - June 17, 2016

The government, faced with increasingly severe budget restraints, has encouraged ministries to develop infrastructure projects under public-private partnership (PPP) schemes, rather than relying on state budget financing.

But Finance Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro's criticism of the mindset of most ministries, which prefer to wait mainly for government financing, instead of working hard to attract private investors to develop infrastructure projects under the PPP scheme, tends to simplify the complex problems that have hindered PPP programs.

The main barriers to PPP are an acute lack of leadership that has made inter-ministerial coordination and cooperation almost impossible, while this factor is key to selecting and preparing and eventually making infrastructure projects bankable under a PPP scheme.

The government has never been able to set up an effective, well-resourced PPP management center in charge of selecting, preparing (with feasibility studies) and tendering projects. A PPP unit was set up a few years ago under the Finance Ministry but this unit has not received full support from other ministries. Another PPP central unit was also established at the National Development Planning Board (Bappenas), but was not effective.

PPP is a good concept because the government still owns the project/facility, while private investors put up the bulk of the needed investment. But the projects need to be managed by highly competent officials in view of the complex supply chains involved, regulatory risks and long gestation period. However, most ministries, as the government contracting agencies in the implementation of PPP projects, have an acute lack of competent managers, especially for big projects.

Most analysts conclude there are sufficient long-term funds from pensions and insurance firms available for infrastructure because this facility can secure a long-term, stable stream of revenue.

Returns from debts secured against real assets are fairly high because financial instruments linked to infrastructure are typically hedged against inflation and offer stable returns, with low volatility. The long life of these assets is a perfect match for the long-term liabilities of a pension fund.

But the acute lack of project preparation and development seems quite obvious in Indonesia, which has since 2005 offered hundreds of projects under the PPP scheme, but very few, however, attracted investor interest because the government did not or hesitated to allocate adequate funds for hiring professional consulting firms and advisors to prepare bankable projects. Project development is an important tool for catalyzing professional development of complex infrastructure and services and a key contributor to realizing investable, bankable projects.

Too often projects that are put out to competitive tender under the PPP program lack proper contracts, appropriate risk allocation, a sustainable revenue model, government support, key project input such as international-standard studies for feasibility, environment or social safeguards, uncertain resource assessments and properly secured land.

Hence, the government should develop a powerful management center directly under the President in charge of coordinating and supporting PPP-related programs to prepare a pipeline of ready-to-finance infrastructure projects. This would go a long way in helping to address impediments to investment decisions, supporting project design, preparations and structuring.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/06/17/lack-investable-projects.html

'Ojek' drivers cushion motorcycle sales plunge

Jakarta Post - June 17, 2016

Hasyim Widhiarto and Wahyoe Boediwardhana, Jakarta/Surabaya – After working as a Go-Jek driver for several months, 38-year-old Irwan recently ditched his old motorcycle for a new Honda Vario with an Rp 18 million (US$1,342) price tag.

The West Jakarta resident, who was jobless before joining the popular application-based ojek (motorcycle taxi) service late last year, said he became interested in a new ride when he learned he could afford such a product, which he bought under a 26-month installment scheme.

"This new motorbike can help me move faster. It also makes my passengers feel more comfortable," he said, adding that he allocated Rp 900,000 monthly to pay the installments for his new motorcycle.

A much cheaper option compared to cars, motorcycles are a popular means of transportation in Indonesia, a home to over 250 million people.

For millions of households, a motorcycle is also deemed a crucial investment, as it can transport laborers to their places of work, farmers to agricultural land, students to schools and vendors to traditional markets, at minimal cost. For many people, like Irwan, a motorcycle can also become a direct source of income as they can offer ojek services.

The popularity of motorcycles has also made them an important indicator to gauge the country's economic state. Annual sales of motorcycles, for example, took a nosedive to below 1 million vehicles for three years after the 1997-1998 Asian financial crisis. The global financial crisis in 2008, meanwhile, sent motorcycle sales down by 6 percent to 5.8 million, before making a quick recovery the following year.

The local motorcycle industry struggled once again over the past year amid the global economic slowdown, as annual sales declined by almost 20 percent last year – the biggest drop in 15 years – according to data from the Indonesian Motorcycle Industry Association (AISI).

Industry players have also shared their pessimism about the industry's outlook as the government recently revised down this year's economic growth target to 5.1 percent from an initial 5.3 percent, after acknowledging that private consumption, which accounts for about 50 percent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP), would remain low as a result of weakened purchasing power.

This year, AISI members set a sales target of 6.5 million motorcycles, a minor increase from the 6.4 million sold last year.

Although the industry had managed to fulfil almost 40 percent of the target by May, AISI executive Sigit Kumala said manufacturers and dealerships could not do much to push cautious customers into buying new motorcycles, even with installment schemes, a common payment option in Indonesia's automotive market.

"During difficult economic conditions like today, giving discounts is clearly not an option. The best thing we can do is giving small merchandise to buyers," he told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

With many people holding off on spending for secondary items, including motor vehicles, the local motorcycle industry now relies heavily on limited buyer segments, such as drivers of app-based services like Go-Jek, Grab and Uber, which have been gaining popularity.

While Grab and Uber are reluctant to reveal their driver numbers, Go-Jek claims to have around 200,000 drivers nationwide, half of whom operate in Greater Jakarta.

University students are also a potential target market, amid promising sales in cities with numerous higher education institutions.

The general manager for marketing and distribution at automotive distributor PT Mitra Pinasthika Mustika's (MPM) East Java office, Abdy Ronotana, said the company had seen its sales in Malang, home to over two dozen universities, grow by 5 percent year-on-year (yoy) during the first five months of the year, much higher than the province's average of 0.8 percent.

"The demand for motorcycles in education hubs, like Malang, is always sustainable, with the inflow of new students every year," he said.

Abdy also acknowledged that motorcycle sales in the province's industrial areas had dropped significantly over recent months as many factories had laid off workers.

MPM, the main distributor of Honda motorcycles, held a market share of over 70 percent in domestic motorcycle sales in the January-May period. Competing brands are Yamaha (24.2 percent), Kawasaki (1.86 percent), Suzuki (1.12 percent) and TVS (0.04 percent).

Separately, automotive financing giant Adira Finance's president director Willy S. Dharma admitted that the company had become more selective in disbursing motorcycle financing to minimize bad loans. "We also have to give financing to employees who are working in companies in order to reduce the risk of non-performing loans," he said.

Bank Central Asia (BCA) chief economist David Sumual, meanwhile, suggested that the free fall of motorcycle sales could only be cushioned by certain measures, including the loosening of the government's loan-to-value (LTV) policy to allow customers to make smaller down payments.

"But for the short term, demand from traditional ojek and app-based ojek drivers could help to cushion the decline in motorcycle sales," he said. (win)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/06/17/ojek-drivers-cushion-motorcycle-sales-plunge.html

Analysis & opinion

Dispatches: Indonesia's blind eye to abusive sharia bylaws

Human Rights Watch - June 21, 2016

Phelim Kine – Indonesia's Minister of Home Affairs Tjahjo Kumolo backtracked on a pronounced commitment to abolish abusive Sharia regulations in the country.

Kumolo said last week that the government chose to ignore discriminatory Sharia or Islamic law-based local regulations while cancelling 3,143 other "problematic regional regulations" for violating the country's credo of "unity in diversity." Kumolo was unapologetic. "[Bylaw cancellation] is about investments," he said. "We do not interfere with regulations based on Islamic Sharia."

That's bad news for women and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people, who are discriminated against under the Sharia regulations imposed by the Aceh provincial government in northwestern Indonesia. Aceh is the only one of Indonesia's 34 provinces that can legally adopt bylaws derived from Sharia.

Human Rights Watch has documented human rights abuses linked to enforcement of Sharia bylaws prohibiting adultery, and imposing public dress requirements on Muslims. A khalwat law makes association by unmarried individuals of the opposite sex a criminal offense in some circumstances. While the dress requirement is gender-neutral on its face, in practice it imposes far more onerous restrictions on women with the mandatory hijab, or veil and long skirts. These "offenses" are not banned elsewhere in Indonesia.

On September 27, 2014, Aceh's provincial parliament approved bylaws that extend Sharia to non-Muslims, criminalizing consensual same-sex sexual acts as well as all zina (sexual relations outside of marriage). The criminal code permits as punishment up to 100 lashes and up to 100 months in prison for consensual same-sex sexual acts, while zina violations carry a penalty of 100 lashes. The criminal code also allows Islamic courts to dismiss charges against rape suspects who take an Islamic oath, sumpah dilaknat Allah, asserting their innocence – so long as the court determines there's a lack of incriminating "other evidence."

Within days of Aceh's bylaws coming into force, special Sharia police arrested two "suspected lesbians" – women aged 18 and 19 – who were spotted hugging in public. Police detained the women for four days, and released them into a government-run, week-long religious "rehabilitation" center.

Kumolo needs to recognize that cancelling laws that discriminate against women and LGBT people should be a greater priority than regulations "about investments." Until the Indonesian government revokes discriminatory Sharia bylaws in Aceh, women and LGBT people will remain vulnerable to violations of their basic rights and freedoms.

Source: https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/06/21/dispatches-indonesias-blind-eye-abusive-sharia-bylaws

Indonesia attempts to crush mass peaceful rallies across West Papua

Huffington Post - June 20, 2016

Benny Wenda – Last week, thousands of West Papuan people rallied in the streets to call for freedom and for our fundamental right to self-determination to be exercised.

They showed their full support for the United liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP)'s full membership of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG). The people of West Papua also rallied to show their support for the Pacific Islands Forum Human Rights Fact Finding Mission to West Papua, and a rejection of Indonesia's false attempts of an Indonesian led Fact Finding Mission.

In every corner of West Papua and in several Indonesian cities, the people of West Papua gathered peacefully to show their true aspirations.

I hope that the world will look and see these demonstrations as evidence that we the people West Papua continue to risk our lives by simply calling for our fundamental right to self-determination. While our demonstrations were entirely peaceful, the Indonesian police were determined to use brute force to crush them and unconfirmed reports estimate that over 1000 people were arrested simply for joining and supporting these peaceful demonstrations.

It is reported that in the last 5 days over 1000 people have been arrested in Port Numbay/Jayapura, over 100 people arrested in Wamena, 32 people arrested in Malang, 5 people arrested in Yahukimo and 4 people arrested in Nabire. At least one of the people arrested in Port Numbay/Jayapura is believed to have been interrogated and beaten until they lost consciousness. Such mass arrests and brutality are becoming increasingly common in West Papua and it is estimated that in the last 2 months, nearly 3000 West Papuan people have been arrested by the Indonesian authorities simply for peacefully demonstrating and calling for our fundamental right to self-determination to be exercised.

My people cannot be silent while our fundamental human rights continue to be crushed, violated and denied to us by this brutal occupying colonial power. We desperately need a Pacific Islands Forum Fact Finding Mission to come to West Papua to help to uncover, document and expose these ongoing human rights violations. The Indonesian government is trying to claim that there are only 11 human rights abuses that need to be investigated in occupied West Papua. We West Papuans know that this is totally and deliberately false. It is estimated that over 500,000 West Papuan people have been killed since Indonesian illegally took control of West Papua and this killing along with torture, rape and other of the most heinous human rights abuses continues unabated to this day. As an example of the scale of human rights atrocities in occupied West Papua, the Asian Human Rights Commission has found that between 1977 and 1978 at least 4146 West Papuan people were killed by the Indonesian authorities in the Central Highlands region of West Papua alone.

Why then is the Indonesian Security Minister Luhut Panjaitan going to West Papua, the UK and Australia, attempting to claim that he is helping human rights in West Papua when his government continues to oppress our fundamental human rights, arresting hundreds of people for peacefully demonstrating? Clearly there is no democracy or freedom of expression in occupied West Papua. We are being silenced and suppressed by the Indonesian government, military and police. While the Indonesian government is trying to claim it is resolving human rights abuses, literally thousands of West Papuan people have been arrested in the last two months alone; just for peacefully demonstrating for self-determination.

West Papuan people continue to be arrested, continue to be tortured and continued to be murdered by the Indonesian military and police.

The world needs to see this truly desperate situation in occupied West Papua. West Papua is a militarized emergency zone with more and more Indonesian soldiers coming and killing innocent people. The biggest human rights disaster in the Pacific is happening today just 250km North of Australia and we West Papuans are worried that if this genocide and illegal occupation continues to be ignored, in the next few decades will will be completely wiped out from our own country.

Therefore on behalf of my people I am calling for urgent international intervention in West Papua. We are suffering under a cruel genocide and have been brutally oppressed ever since Indonesia illegally took control of our country in the 1969 Act of NO Choice. It is time for we the West Papuan people to be free to choose our own destiny and to exercise our fundamental right to self-determination in an Internationally Supervised Vote (Independence referendum).

Please help to support the people of West Papua before there are no West Papuans left. Please help to end to these human rights atrocities once and for all by joining the growing number of voices around the world supporting the people of West Papua and our fundamental right to self-determination being exercised through an Internationally Supervised Vote.

Please hear my people's cry for freedom.

[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 has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize and lives in exile in the UK.]

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/benny-wenda/indonesia-attempts-to-cru_b_10515498.html

Indonesia's grand defense vision

The Diplomat - June 17, 2016

Scott Edwards and Masyithoh Annisa Ramadhani – Indonesia's new Defense White Paper, released at the end of April 2016 (originally due in 2013-2014, but delayed due to a change of administration and consultations), offers a comprehensive view of Indonesia's defense grand vision, incorporating various issues and dynamics. Beyond formalities, however, it offers little insight into making Indonesia's grand vision a reality, and seems to have very little new to say concerning significant policies and issues such as the Global Maritime Fulcrum and Indonesia's regional aspirations.

The comprehensive aspect comes about from Indonesia's focus on various threats, which it sees as being increasingly dynamic and varied; in response, Jakarta is eager to depict an image of itself as the regional rising power. The strategic outlook includes a recognition that traditional security issues and potential dilemmas arising from interstate competition in areas such as the South China Sea, East China Sea, and Korean Peninsula could have profound effects on the region. As such, issues such as the South China Sea garner a great deal of attention. Despite stating that Indonesia is not a claimant in the disputes, the white paper conveys a sense of vulnerability over Indonesia's status as an island nation with outstanding border issues, leading to a declaration that of the 92 small outlying islands, 12 need priority management to secure Indonesia's territory and sovereignty.

Beyond this, however, is recognition that the challenges that Indonesia will face will be more complex. The country could be beset by both traditional and non-traditional security challenges, conducted by state and non state actors, from both the domestic and international levels at once. These include issues such as transnational crime, climate change, and natural disasters, which align with issues that have seen to have regional implications. As such, Indonesia lays out its defense policy as based on "Sistem Pertahanan Semesta," combining military and non-military strategy. Further, it calls for the involvement of all elements within the nation – not only the army but also civilians – in an attempt to establish a defense posture.

As part of this defense posture, Indonesia optimistically presents itself as the region's rising power by bringing up the idea of "Bela Negara," or Defending the State, as the plausible key to both facing the regional challenges ahead and further protecting Indonesia's national interests. This is not new, though it is laid out in depth in the White Paper. Based on the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia article 30 (1), every citizen has the right and the duty to participate in the defense and security of the state. Ryamizard Ryacudu, Indonesian minister of defense, argued that the goal is to protect the values of Pancasila as the nation's core principles, especially given the potential impact of globalization on the nation, especially the youth, in relation to nationalism. The paper presents Bela Negara as being different from "Wajib Militer" (military service) as "Bela Negara" is still a voluntary program.

Without elucidation in the paper, however, it is hard to predict the extent to which it can contribute to the nation's defense, and what the expense of such a policy may be. There remains a question of whether or not Indonesia urgently needs "Bela Negara." Some critics believe that the policy's costs may undermine the focus on economic development as a national priority. It also raises further questions of how Bela Negara, delivered by the Ministry of Defense, will influence civil-military relations, an issue that is attracting growing concern. Observers and analysts hoped the White Paper would focus on civil-military relations, but the issue was not addressed at all.

A focus on these areas, furthermore, make the paper less convincing in laying out tangible strategies for other policies that constitute Indonesia's grand vision, such as President Jokowi's "Global Maritime Fulcrum." The paper stresses that Indonesia's defense power development is not intended to promote an arms race, but instead aims to achieve the goal of establishing Indonesia as a significant maritime power. Geographically, Indonesia is surrounded by two big oceans – the Indian and Pacific Oceans – which has accelerated Indonesia's use of its maritime zone as the country's main "playground." However, there is a distinction between being a maritime nation and a maritime power, and the paper raises the question of whether Indonesia will be ready to become a maritime power in the years ahead. Despite this, the White Paper offers little in the way of strategizing how this transition may occur; the absence of a coherent strategy centering on Jokowi's Global Maritime Fulcrum policy is disappointing.

The White Paper itself mentions that the movement toward developing defense capabilities is meant to support the policy, but the only tangible vision is prioritizing the procurement of drones and satellite technology to protect Indonesia's territorial seas from infringement. The White Paper has a lot to say about defense industry development, which also fits the regional context – states such as Indonesia and Malaysia increasingly see an independent domestic defense industry as an important development goal. However, the relation between this goal and defense policies is unclear with no distinct strategy outlined, beyond a desire to increase technological capability through cooperation and offset contracts.

However, such a policy raises questions – mostly unanswered – on how Indonesia can afford such expensive technology at a time where there is no sign that defense will be established as a top priority in the government development program "RPJP Nasional" (Rencana Pembangunan Jangka Panjang Nasional, or National Long Term Development Plan) as laid out in Article 4 of Law Number 25/2004. Budgeting receives little attention in the White Paper, aside from a cursory statement that Indonesia will only spend 1 percent of its GDP on defense.

Another issue that emerges is the lack of discussion concerning the role of various institutions in realizing the vision of a Global Maritime Fulcrum. In 2014, the Indonesian government established BAKAMLA or Badan Keamanan Laut (Maritime Security Agency), whose task is to conduct security and safety patrols in maritime territory, and the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs, whose main task is helping the president to coordinate planning and policymaking, synchronizing the related policies on maritime affairs. Unfortunately, none of the chapters in the 2015 Indonesian White Paper clearly distinguish the roles of these new agencies, and the extent to which BAKAMLA will support the Indonesian Navy (TNI-AL) to conduct any maritime operations. There is an implied overlap between the functions of TNI-AL, BAKAMLA, and the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, with no clear coordination outlined between the three.

Beyond these policies constituting Indonesia's grand vision for Bela Negara and the Global Maritime Fulcrum, the other area of importance is Indonesia's defense diplomacy and cooperation. Indonesia clearly places this at the cornerstone of its defense vision, especially considering the focus on India and China as increasingly prominent actors and the U.S. rebalance. Diplomatic efforts regarding issues such as the South China Sea and the desire for greater defense industry cooperation will also continue to shape Indonesia's defense diplomacy. As such, Jakarta's emphasis on this point explains both Indonesia's bilateral relationships and multilateral involvements.

Whilst significant, the discussion in the White Paper does not necessarily move beyond formalistic statements on how diplomacy is important, nor does it give a sense of how various factors will be improved through diplomacy or Indonesia's relationships. Interestingly for ASEAN observers, many of whom suggest that Indonesia is focusing less on ASEAN under Jokowi, the White Paper discusses the institution sparingly, with only minor references to mediation in the South China Sea and the ASEAN Political-Security Community pillar.

As such, it is difficult to assess whether the paper contributes to advancing Indonesia's grand defense vision, and whether Indonesia will be able to realize such a vision. While it could be said to strengthen the vision of Indonesian defense strategy, the way in which to realize this strategy, and how the pieces fit together, are less clearly discussed. The question of how Indonesia will do what it sets out to remains largely unanswered.

[Scott Edwards is a doctoral researcher at the University of Birmingham with a research background in the international relations of Southeast Asia. Masyithoh Annisa Ramadhani is a lecturer at the Muhammadiyah University of Yogyakarta with a research background in Indonesia's foreign and defense policy, and the international relations of Southeast Asia.]

Source: http://thediplomat.com/2016/05/indonesias-grand-defense-vision/