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Indonesia Roundup No 5 - March 6-12, 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...

Bogor residents demand jobs from local garment factory

Hundreds of residents of the Nagrak village of Gunung Putri in Bogor, West Java, demonstrated in front of a garment factory owned by PT Libra Pratama on March 4. The action was held to demand that the factory that specialises in exports employ local people. Protesters said they would not leave until their demands were met.

The demonstration was triggered by the failure of the company's management to fulfil an agreement reached two weeks ago to employ local residents. As a result of the action traffic and the factory's production schedule were disrupted. (Liputan 6, 4/3/2006)

Thousand demonstrate against eradicating illegal logging

Eradicating illegal logging is good, right? But not so for some 2,000 residents of the Kampar regency in Riau, because it is precisely the little people that that have been the principle victims.

Calling themselves the Kampar Public Life Concern Forum (FPKMK), they demonstrated at the Riau governor's office opposing programs to eradicate illegal logging. Their reasons make sense. They said that the program only targets ordinary people while government officials protect the large companies. The protest was triggered by the arrest of 24 residents in February when they were cutting wood on traditional land.

In a speech they expressed the hope that the government would give them traditional rights over land with they could use to seek a livelihood by logging. "We cut wood only to the extent of fulfilling our families and children's needs. This principle source of income is hereditary and existed since long ago. Now we are prohibited from cutting wood on our own land", one of the residents told Detik.com. (Detik.com, 6/3/2006)

Yogyakarta students demand KPK take over corruption case

Dozens of students from the CDMA Case Advocacy Network held a demonstration on March 6 in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta marching to the Yogyakarta public prosecutor's offices. They brought a bier containing a "corpse" to symbolise the death of the prosecution's ability to deal with corruption cases.

Students said they were disappointed by the attitude of the Yogyakarta chief public prosecutor who has terminated a corruption case related to the construction of a communication system based on CDMA (code division multiple access). The prosecutor's office has said that case was dropped because the money plus interest had been returned. Students are calling for the case to be taken over by the Corruption Eradication Commission (Media Indonesia, 6/3/2006)

Honorary teachers demand appointment as civil servants

Hundreds of teachers and honorary civil servants from various regions in Banten, West, Central and East Java, demonstrated at the House of Representatives (DPR) in Senayan on March 6. Wearing full uniforms they arrived at about 7am, well before any of the arrival of assembly members.

In speeches they demanded to be treated fairly, both in terms of the size of the honorarium they receive as well as opportunities to become candidate state civil servants. To date they have been getting different honorariums for each region while in order to become civil servants they have been hampered by administrative conditions even though they have served for more than 10 years. A member of the DPR's Commission X who later met with representatives of the teachers promised to convey their demands to the relevant parties. (Liputan 6, 6/03/2006)

Local residents attack police station in Aceh

For the first time since the peace deal was signed, unrest has broken out again in Aceh. Thousands of residents attacked and vandalised a police station in Pedawa, East Aceh, apparently over the death of a fellow resident at the hands of police.

According to police public relations officer Brigadier General Anton Bachrul Alam, police were conducting vehicle checks on the morning of March 6. When police stopped Agus Sulaiman he tried to flee on his motorbike. He then hit the curb and fell and was then struck by a police officers rifle butt. Alam could not confirm whether it was intentional.

Shortly after the incident, Agus' family and local residents gathered at the Pedawa police station demanding that the officer concerned by tried. When they attacked and vandalising the station and police fired warning shot in the air. By early afternoon tensions had begun to diffuse. "Since the agreement between the Indonesian government and the Free Aceh Movement, this has been the most heated incident. However the law must still be enforced, if not, peace will be hard to achieve", asserted Anton. (Detik.com, 7/6/2006)

Hundreds of residents blockade roads in Madiun

Hundreds of residents from four villages in the Central Java sub-district of Kebonsari, Madiun, again blockaded local roads on March 7. They were protesting the government's slowness in repairing a two-and-a-half kilometer length of road.

The blockade was put into place the previous night when angry residents cut down mango and banana trees and planted them in the middle of the road. They also set fire to tyres. Residents were angry because the Madiun regent, Djunaedi Mahendra, and the speaker of the Madiun DPRD failed to meet with them. The planned meeting was to discuss repairs to roads at the villages of Tambak Mas, Sukorejo, Palur and Tanjung Rejop. Residents are threatening to continue the action until their demands are met. (Liputan 6, 7/3/2006)

Recipients of direct cash subsidies demonstrate again in Java

Hundreds of recipients of direct cash assistance to compensate for fuel price increases from three villages in Brebes, Central Java, have again demonstrated at the offices of the Brebes regent. They were demanding that a village head and other village officials be removed from their posts for deducting as much as 99,500 rupiah from each families' subsidy. (Liputan 6, 7/3/2006)

Pre-trial hearing in Purwokerto marred by demonstration

Hundreds of residents from the village of Kalipagu in Banyumas, Central Java, demonstrated at the Purwokerto State Court demanding that law enforcement officials act in a just manner in the pre-trial hearings of the Banyumas district chief of police, the Banyumas regional police chief and the Central Java chief of police. Demonstrators believe that police have acted arrogantly in the arrest of two collages that had been charged with stealing timber. (Liputan 6, 7/3/2006)

Hunger strike at Chinese Embassy in Jakarta

On March 6, 10 people began a hunger strike in front of the Chinese Embassy in Mega Kuningan, South Jakarta. They are demanding that the Chinese government end acts of oppression committed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

The hunger strikers came from Falun Dafa Solidarity (Falun Gong) and the Mandarin language newspaper The Ephoc Times. They are the Indonesian contingent of a group of hunger strikers in the Asia Pacific region who are opposing various forms of oppression and persecution by the CCP.

Protesters said that millions of people have been slaughtered by the CCP, 3,000 of which are Falun Gong activists. Compared to similar protests on February 16 and 25, this action is regarded as more important because it coincides with the National People's Congress in Beijing. (Liputan 6, 7/3/2006)

25,000 plantation workers go on strike in Medan

The plantation company PT Perkebunan Nusantara (PTPN) II Tanjung Morawa has been plagued with problems. After its executive director was arrested on charges of corruption, now 25,000 of its employees have gone on strike.

The strike was held because the company has failed to pay workers' wages for February. On March 8 thousands of employees from the PTPN II Independent Trade Union (SPM) held a demonstration at the North Sumatra DPRD in Medan. Despite arriving at 10am by 12noon not one assembly member was prepared to receive them.

According to SPM chairperson, Josem Ginting, the strike that started on March 6 was over a number of issues but primarily unpaid wages. Workers are also asking for a 20 percent wage increase, annual and extended leave, contributions for accidents and that that the company review problems related rice allocations for workers. (Detik.com, 8/3/2006)

NGO in Surabaya oppose draft law on pornography

Dozens of activists from a number of non-government organisations in the East Java provincial capital of Surabaya demonstrated on March 8 against the draft law on pornography.

According to demonstrators, if the law is ratified it will only create discrimination against Indonesian women. "It is not impossible that our grandmothers in the villages will be accused of being criminals and arrested because they were batik sarongs that don't cover all of their bodies", said action coordinator Purnomo in a speech.

Although they explicitly support the government's efforts against pornography, they said that they did not agree if this has to be legislated. "We must oppose pornography, however simplifying the issue by ignoring the reality of the diversity of gender, sexuality and unique local cultures is a violation of humanitarian principles", they said. (Tempo Interactive, 8/3/2006)

East Kalimantan election result meeting marred by demonstration

Hundreds of members of the Clean Pro-Democracy Social Forum demonstrated at the offices of the General Elections Commission in the Kutai Barat regency of East Kalimantan on March 8. The action almost resulted in a clash when the coordinator of the demonstration who was driving a truck broke through the police blockade. He then forced his way into the offices where a plenary meeting on the results of election of regional heads was taking place. (Liputan 6, 8/3/2006)

Demonstration against electricity hikes in Medan

Hundreds of people from the North Sumatra United People's Committee held a protest at the Medan DPRD on March 8. The demonstrators, who were protesting the planned increases to basic electricity rates, tore down and destroyed the front gates when they were prevented from entering the assembly building. (Liputan 6, 8/3/2006)

Hundreds of public transport drivers strike in Padang

Hundreds of public transport drives in Padang, West Sumatra, went on strike on March 9. The trigger for the strike was the increasing number of illegal public transport vehicles operating in the city.

The drivers parked their vehicles in front of the West Sumatra DPRD and demonstrated until representatives were received by a member of the DPRD. The day before they also demonstrated by parking their vehicles at the Imam Bonjul Padang Field leaving thousands of passenger stranded and seeking alternative means of transport.

The drives said that the large number of illegal operators had cut into their income and demanded that the Padang municipal government cancel plans to increase the number of vehicles plying existing routes. (Media Indonesia, 9,3/2006)

Presidential visit to Semarang met with protests

The arrival of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in the Central Java provincial capital of Semarang was greeted by student demonstrations on March 8. Demonstrators were protesting the planned increases to basic electricity rates and demanding an investigation into a number of corruption cases involving government officials. They called on the president to speed up approvals for local officials suspected of corruption to be investigated.

Yudhoyono's visit to the Meteseh housing complex in the Tembalang sub-district was to officiate over the opening of 100 low-cost housing units. The demonstration was almost marred by a clash with students and police pushed and shoved each other as protesters tried to get nearer the event. (Liputan 6, 9/3/2006)

Protesters in Mataram condemn draft law on pornography

On March 11 another demonstration against the draft law on pornography took place in Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara. Like earlier demonstrations in Bali, protesters condemned the law as discriminating against women and injuring cultural diversity in Indonesia.

The protest, which was held on the main street in Mataram city, included women wearing traditional local clothing. As well as giving speeches they also brought banners and posters condemning the law. They also went to the West Nusa Tenggara DPRD where they called on the people's representatives to concentrate on solving the nation's more substantial problems such as corruption. They said that the law only represents the political interests of a small number of groups who support it in the name of religion. (Liputan 6, 11/3/2006)

Police break up protest by public transport drivers

Police broke up a demonstration by hundreds of public transport drivers plying the route between Maros and Makassar in South Sulawesi on March 10. Police said they did so because the demonstration was creating traffic congestion. The drivers were demanding the removal of prohibitions on operating in the city of Makassar. During the police action 10 drivers were arrested as suspected provocateurs. (Liputan 6, 11/3/2006)

Students in Medan oppose inauguration of governor

Thousands of students in Medan demonstrated against the inauguration of Rudolf Pardede as the governor of North Sumatra on March 10. They even sealed off six offices of political party factions at the DPRD who were attending Pardede's inauguration at the department of home affairs in Jakarta. The protesters are refusing to accept Pardede as the governor because he is still as suspect in a case of diploma forgery. (Liputan 6, 11/3/2006)

Housewives seal off PLN offices in Makassar

Hundreds of housewives sealed of the state-owned electricity company PT PLN offices in the South Sulawesi provincial capital of Makassar on March 11. The women were protesting the government's plan to increase basic electricity charges. (Liputan 6, 11/3/2006)

Protesters call for immediate enactment of draft law on Aceh

A visit by a team from the DPR's special committee on the draft law for a government for Aceh at the office of the Aceh-Nias Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency in Banda Aceh on March 11 was greeted by protests. The demonstrators were calling for the draft law to be enacted immediately because it is essential for the Acehnese people. The action ended with the handing over nine traditional Acehnese daggers to the team. (Liputan 6, 12/3/2006)

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