Jakarta – As many as 31 non-government organisations (NGO) and one political party have agreed to conduct open resistance against the plans for the entry of the military (TNI) into the political and civil chessboard in Indonesia. This resistance is necessary because the representatives of the people in the People's Representative Assembly (DPR) can no longer be trusted because they have passed the Amendment to the Government Regulation on Anti-terrorism into a law and have given the "green light" for draft legislation on Intelligence and the TNI.
"We call on all pro-democracy and social forces to come out into the streets to hold a carnival action on March 20. This action will take the form of a rejection of the policy on the laws on Anti-terrorism, Intelligence and the TNI which clearly threaten civil society along with demanding a resolution of all existing cases of human rights violations", said Ori Rahman from the Commission for Missing Person and Victims of Violence (Kontras). Kontras is one of the NGOs which has joined the Anti-Militarism People's Forum (Forum Rakyat Anti-Militerisme).
As well as Kontras, members of the forum – among others – include Imparsial (Indonesian Human Rights Watch), the University of Indonesia Student Action Front, the Indonesian Catholic Students Movement, the PB Islamic Student Association, the Alliance of Independent Journalists, Pijar, the Aceh Referendum Information Centre and the National Student League for Democracy. The political party which has joined this coalition is the People's Democratic Party (PRD).
"Studying the case of the Anti-Terrorism Regulation which the DPR immediately agreed to becoming a law, we must conduct a struggle from outside parliament. The DPR is siding with the military in the upcoming 2004 general elections rather than the people.", said Jusuf Lakaseng from the PRD.
Ori said that they are extremely disappointed in the DPR. A number of larger fractions in the DPR who they had met with previously stated they agreed and would not accept the Anti-terrorism regulation in its entirety before it became a law. Afterwards however, what was agreed to was gone back on.
Ori also considered that TNI commander General Endriartono Sutarto was not constant in his own statements. For example, when meeting with the DPR, Endriartono clearly said "Don't drag the TNI into politics". However later with the emergence of Article 19 of the TNI draft law – which gives the authority for the TNI commander to declare a state of emergency without prior agreement from the president – clearly the TNI wishes to get back into politics.
The desire by the National Intelligence Agency to detain a person for purposes of interrogation in the draft law on Intelligence, said Ori, is a fatal error which cannot be accepted. The intelligence agencies cannot be given the authority to detain suspects. They are not a legal institution.
Al Araf added, under no circumstances should the DPR proved an opportunity to the TNI to enter into political-civil institutions. If that is allowed by the DPR, it means a democratic retreat has occurred in this nation. (SAH)
[Translated by James Balowski.]
Central Aceh isolated after Takengon violence
Jakarta Post - March 22, 2003
Nani Farida, Banda Aceh/Jakarta – Central Aceh regency remains isolated, with the main highway connecting the regency with other regencies blockaded by residents following two recent violent incidents in the regency this month.
Most people in rural areas of the regency now live in fear and stay indoors because of the uncertain conditions and the prices of daily goods are rising after the transportation between Bireuen and Takengon was blockaded by local residents who are demanding justice in regard to the two incidents.
S. Sembiring whose car was set aflame and ruined during a March 15 road block incident by the militia group, said people had stopped their daily activities because of the presence of the conflicting groups of armed civilians in remote areas of the regency.
"Farmers do not go to their farmland and traders have closed their shops in small towns and villages in the regencies because they fear for their lives if attacked by any of the thugs," he said.
At least four people have killed, several others injured and eleven cars and buses were burned down by rebels in Burlintang, a small town 15 kilometer south of Takengon.
The incident followed the attack by the suspected pro Jakarta militia group on the monitoring team's Joint Security Committee (JSC) office in Takengon. The mob said they were angry about the JSC's perceived failure to stop alleged extortion by the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) in the regency. Two JSC members were injured and three cars belonging to the team were torched. Sembiring said the situation in Takengon was still relatively normal. But he said fuel prices had risen to between Rp 3,500 (some 39 US cents) and Rp 5,000 from the current prices of Rp 1,800 to Rp 2,200.
A reliable source said that hundreds of people in Pondok Baru, some 33 kilometers east of Takengon, staged a demonstration, demanding local security authorities to enhance security both in their own villages and at traditional markets.
The demonstrators had Laskar Jihad headbands, the supposedly disbanded Java-based Muslim paramilitary gang, and claimed that GAM was being behind the two incidents.
Ela, the owner of a coffee shop in Ronga-Ronga, 40 kilometers southeast of Takengon, said she had closed her shop because of the mounting situation in the village. She said thousands of tons of fruits and vegetables have been rotting in Ronga-ronga because of the paralyzed highway.
Subsequently prices of fruit and vegetable in Banda Aceh have been rising amid the absence of supply from mountainous areas in Central Aceh. Prices of tomatoes have risen by over 70 percent from Rp 4.500 per kilogram.
Brig. Gen. Suharto, chief of the operation to restore security in Banda Aceh, said he had instructed the police and military in Bireuen and Central Aceh to boost security along the Bireuen-Takengon highway and to ensure the supply of basic commodities to the regency.
"I will go to Takengon immediately to check the social condition in the regency and urban areas in the regency," he said.