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Indonesia Roundup No 22 - July 3-9, 2006

[Indonesia roundup is a weekly compilation of actions, demonstrations and protests taken from Indonesian language news sources produced by the INDOLEFT News Service and the People's Democratic Party (PRD). Please note that actions already covered by English language media sources are generally omitted. Compiled and translated by James Balowski.]

Actions, demos, protests...

  • Sidoarjo residents demand compensation from PT Lapindo
  • Hundreds of farmers demonstrate over water shortages
  • Demonstrators in Medan demand disbursement of development funds
  • Street traders in Manado oppose plan to move to new market
  • Earthquake victims demand relief aid
  • PT Dirgantara Indonesia workers demand severance pay
  • Semarang parking inspectors oppose privatisation
  • Makassar residents protest education office
  • Palu residents oppose militarism
  • Student demonstration against fee increase ends in chaos
  • Formers in North Sulawesi protest 'cigarette industry'
  • Makassar residents protest over cash subsidies
  • Central Java residents demand closure of sand mines

    • Sidoarjo residents demand compensation from PT Lapindo

    Hundreds of residents from Porong in the East Java regency of Sidoarjo protested at the site of the hot mud outpour at PT Lapindo Brantas on July 3. They were protesting the company's failure to pay promised financial assistance of 300,000 rupiah per month in compensation for damage cased by the mud. The residents wanted to meet with company officials but were told that they were unavailable. (Liputan 3/7/2006)

    Hundreds of farmers demonstrate over water shortages

    Hundreds of farmers from three villages in the Gabus Wetan sub-district of Indramayu, West Java, protested at the local government offices on July 4. The action was triggered by delays in the distribution of irrigation water that had not reached their rice fields.

    As soon as the farmers from the villages of Sekarmulya, Pancahan, Jenguk and Kamplong arrived, they were received by the local sub-district head. They asked them for assistance because no water has flowed through their rice fields for the last three weeks. As a result thousands of hectares of rice plans face the threat of drought. (Liputan 6, 4/7/2006)

    Demonstrators in Medan demand disbursement of development funds

    Hundreds of protesters from the regency of Serdang Bedagai demonstrated at the offices of the North Sumatra governor in Medan on July 4. They were demanding that the Deli Serdang regency, which represents the main regency in the province, hand over assistance funds of 171 billion rupiah that have not been disbursed for the last three years. They said that the cutting off of the funds has affected the region's development since it became separate regency. (Liputan 6, 5/7/2006)

    Street traders in Manado oppose plan to move to new market

    Hundreds of traders from the Kalaka Market in the North Sulawesi city of Manado demonstrated at the offices of the mayor on July 4. They were opposing the Manado municipal government's plan to move the traders to the Bersehati Market. The traders said they were opposed to the plan because there is still no guarantee they will obtain the necessary facilities if they move. The action disbanded peacefully after a member of the mayor's staff received their representatives. (Liputan 6, 5/7/2006)

    Earthquake victims demand relief aid

    Feeling that the government has neglected them, hundreds of earthquake victims from a number of sub-districts in the Klaten regency of Central Java held an action at the offices of the Klaten regent on July 6. They were demanding that the government keep its promise to provide a living allowance and other assistance to earthquake victims saying that many residents had yet to receive anything at all.

    The protesters, who came from a number of organisations including the ten Farmers Forum (FPK), the National Student League for Democracy (LMND), the National Peasants Union (STN) and the Bina Desa Jakarta, gathered at the local government radio station then marched to the regent's office.

    The protesters, which also included housewives and children, brought banners with messages such as "The welfare of earthquake victims is the responsibility of the state" and hundreds of posters reading "Reregister aid recipients for the sake of justice", "We need action not promises" and "Abolish debts of less than 100 million owed by the People to Bank Rakyat Indonesia".

    The coordinator of FPK, Bismo Prasetyo, then read a statement that questioned the disbursement of aid by the government. "Thousands of Klaten residents have been left in emergency tents. The promises of the government of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Vice President Jusuf Kalla to provide funds for assistance and the rehabilitation of damaged homes are becoming less and less clear, even though there are no grounds for the government to keep delaying assistance", said Prasetyo.

    FPK also revealed irregularities in the disbursement of assistance citing cases were some received compensation and other received nothing.

    Responding to the protests, Klaten regent Samiadji conceded that the financial assistance sent by the National Disaster Management Coordination Board was only 48 billion rupiah while the actual amount needed was 64 billion. This was the reason that many people had not yet received assistance. (Kompas Cyber Media, 6/7/2006)

    PT Dirgantara Indonesia workers demand severance pay

    As many as 52 members of the PT Dirgantara Indonesia Trade Union held a long-march from the West Java provincial capital of Bandung to the State Palace in Central Jakarta on July 5. The action was organised to convey the workers' disappointment with the failure of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to fulfil his promise to pay outstanding severance pay. The protesters plan to arrive in Jakarta on July 10. (Liputan 6/7/2006)

    Semarang parking inspectors oppose privatisation

    Around 100 parking inspectors in the East Java provincial capital of Semarang protested on July 6 against the privatisation of the parking system that they say has resulted in increased fees. The demonstration became tense when the protesters were confronted by a group of people who tried to obstruct the action. (Liputan 6/7/2006)

    Makassar residents protest education office

    Dozens of parents of students demonstrated at the National Education office in the South Sulawesi provincial capital of Makassar on July 6. They were protesting the policies of the local education office that has applied new rules in the acceptance of new primary school students. According to these rules, each prospective student must have completed kindergarten before being eligible to attend primary school. (Liputan 6/7/2006)

    Palu residents oppose militarism

    Dozens of people from the Palu City United Peoples Committee (KPR) in Central Sulawesi protested in front of the headquarters of the Tadulako 32 District Military Command on July 6. The action that started peacefully was marred by a war of words between the protesters and TNI (Indonesian military) officers. The argument broke out when one of the TNI officers became angry over statements by the protesters such as abolish the dual social and political function of the military and oppose militarism. The action was related to a land dispute between residents and the local TNI. (Liputan 6/7/2006)

    Student demonstration against fee increase ends in chaos

    A demonstration on July 7 by students from the Makassar State University (UNM) opposing increases to education fees has ended in chaos leaving seven protesters injured.

    The action, which was held in front of the recreate building, was organised by the UNM Student Executive Council (BEM), was demanding that the increases be postponed. In the middle of the demonstration rectorate officials arrived together with people from the sports and technical faculties who support the fee increases. The sudden arrival of the group with the intent of forcibly disbursing the demonstrators caused the students to scatter. A number were detained and beaten.

    As well as breaking up the demonstration, they also vandalised the BEM secretariat, breaking down doors and wall partitions and smashing glass topped desks. The students have now sought assistance from the Makassar Legal Aid Foundation who will help them submit a report on the incident to the local police. (Tempo Interactive, 7/7/2006)

    Formers in North Sulawesi protest 'cigarette industry'

    Clove farmers across the province of North Sulawesi from the Clove Farmers Solidarity Forum (FSPC) protested at a company affiliated with one of the largest cigarette manufactories in Java. The protesters said the company was damaging farmers by planting 7,500 hectares of cloves in the Bolaang Mongondow regency.

    “The government must intervene to end these activities because it is against the spirit of the people’s economy. At the same time it is destroying the livelihoods of clove farmers,” said FSPC chair Franklin Singal on July 7 in Manado. Singal added that it is also against the central government’s concept of empowering farmers.

    Of late the cigarette industry is increasingly planting or opening up thousands of hectares of land for cloves on the grounds that the factories will not be able to maintain production levels because of the scarcity of cloves. (Kompas, 8/7/2006)

    Makassar residents protest over cash subsidies

    Hundreds of poor people from the Kumuh area of Makassar demonstrated at the DPRD on July 8 demanding that the government form a supervisory team to review the disbursement of direct cash subsidies. The protesters said that after three rounds of direct cash disbursement there was a possibility that irregularities had been committed by officials from the village administration, the sub-district and the National Statistics Agency. This can be seen from the increasing number of people registered as poor while only 30 percent of them had received direct cash subsidies. (Liputan 6, 8/7/2006)

    Central Java residents demand closure of sand mines

    Around 100 residents from the Cepogo sub-district in the Central Java regency of Boyolali who live in the vicinity of the northern slopes of Mount Merapi demonstrated at the offices of the Boyolali regent on July 6. The residents, who came from the Social Forum for Environmental Concern (FMPL), were demanding that sand mines at site C be closed because the heavy equipment used by the mining operation had caused environmental damage and destroyed their source of water.

    "We demand that the scores of hectares of mining operations at site C in Cepogo be closed. Although several of these mining operations have local mining permits, the practical upshot of the diggings they are conducting have not heeded regulations and tend to damage the environment. As a result, the water sources are now damaged", said an elderly Cepogo resident, KH Muh Suparno.

    Ten representatives from the protesters were invited to discuss the issue. During the dialogue that was attended by deputy regent Seno Samudra, DPRD Commission I member Boyolali Subroto and Commission II member Jamal Yazid, the deputy regent apologised for the government's delays in responding to the problems at mining site C and said that they understood the resident's concerns. He said however that the provincial government issued the mining licenses so all they could was to compile evidence on violations and the environmental damage and recommend that the provincial government revoke the licenses. (Kompas, 7/7/2006)

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