Jakarta – Indonesian police detained nine activists after a pro-democracy event in north Jakarta on Tuesday that was timed to coincide with the election of President Suharto to a seventh five-year term.
Activist Bonar Tigor - known as Coki - from PIJAR (a political reform group) told Reuters that he and eight other activists were detained at the North Jakarta police station on charges of holding an unauthorised meeting.
The meeting was attended by about 150 people including foreign diplomats. It was called the People's General Assembly in opposition to the official People's Consultative Assembly - MPR - that elected Suharto.
"After a short oration by Ratna Sarumpaet and singing of the national anthem, we declared that we would disperse and when we left the pavilion, the security forces attacked and took us away," Tigor said.
Sarumpaet (actress and playwright) is a leading activist with the SIAGA group which supports the outspoken Muslim leader Amien Rais and ousted minority party leader, Megawati Sukarnoputri. Neither was present at the meeting.
Witnesses said a group of activists tried to surround Sarumpaet and escort her to her car after she gave a pro-democracy speech, and police detained all those around her in a scuffle.
"There was lots of shoving but I didn't see anyone hit or any blood split," one witness said.
[Tapol posted this list of the ten (rather than nine) arrested activits - JB.]
[They have been charged with under Article 501 of the Criminal Code, for holding a public event without permission and Law Number 5/1969 (previously a presidential decree from 1963). This proscribes what is acceptable political activity and punishes those who engage in unacceptable political activity with five years imprisonment - James Balowski.]Ratna Sarumpaet, coordinator of SIAGA (Solidarity for Amien Rais and Megawati) Ging Ginanjar. a freelance journalist and member of AJI, the independent journalists alliance, Alexius Suria Tjahaja Tomu, lawyer of PBHI, the legal aid and human rights association, Fathom Saulina, the daughter of Ratna Sarumpaet Bonar Tigor Naipospos (Coki), Director of MIK, the Indonesian Humanitarian Association, Wira, a human rights defender of PIPHAM, a human rights educational group, Joel Thaher, artist, member of the theatre group "Satu Merah Panggung" run by Ratna Sarumpaet. Manggara Siahaan, member of Megawati's PDI, Aspar Paturusi, artist Adi Hermawan