Three women activists of the group of "Suara Ibu Peduli" who were organising and participating in a peaceful demonstration in front of the Hotel indonesia, Jakarta, were arrested by the Police and taken into the custody of Polda Jaya, Monday, 23 Feb, 1998.
The three women are Dr. Karlina Leksono Supeli, Gadis Arivia Effendi, and Wilasih Noviana.
About 50 women, mostly housewives, joined the group to protest against the increase in the price of milk. They were also expressing concern on the current economic situation.
It is not yet known what charges they will face.
The Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association, PBHI, has sent a letter to Major-General Hamami Nata, Jakarta Police chief, strongly protesting against the arrests.
The Association said that the peaceful protest which was organised by a group called The Voice of Concerned Mothers was forcibly dispersed was protesting about the soaring prices of the nine basic commodities as well as rising costs of medical treatment and contraceptives.
The letter stated that the economic situation is now extremely grave and was being felt by all sections of society, particularly women.
It said that it was the responsibility of the state to guarantee the rights of all its citizens, among which was the right of women and children to decent health and welfare. It is totally within their right for women to give expression to their aspirations by means of peaceful demonstrations. The right of association and assembly are central to people's basic rights.
If women can be arrested simply for expressing their concern about very concrete problems, it is clear that the state authorities are responsible for a number of human rights violations.
Meanwhile, according to an AFP report about the women's demonstration, Tuty Heriaty, a lecturer at the University of Indonesia, read a statement which said that the current dire economic crisis was caused by a "government which does not pay attention to the interests of the common people and which represses their voices. We do not want to live in a culture of intimidation and manipulation."
Another protester, Tineke Arif, said the group represented about fifty mothers but acted on behalf of all Indonesian women, mothers and housewives. Elsewhere in Jakarta, two dozen activists from SIAGA, Solidarity for Amien and Mega, staged a brief, silent demonstration for about 30 minutes at the main entrance to a central arts centre where some of them study.
The group clutched a long strip of black cloth and held their fists in the air. Police in the area directing the traffic allowed the demonstration to proceed and the protesters left peacefully afterwards.
"This is a form of protest and a reflection of our peaking grievance over the continuously worsening economic and political conditions in Indonesia," a SIAGA statement said.