Dessy Sagita – An Indonesian transsexual organization has criticized the Depok public order agency for failing to prevent dozens of hard-line Islamic activists from charging into a civil rights training session organized by the National Commission for Human Rights on Friday.
"Human rights have been violated here, but instead we were accused of violating the law by conducting an event without permit," Widodo Budidarmo, of the Indonesian Transsexuals' Communication Forum (FKWI), said on Sunday.
Widodo said the public order agency, or Satpol PP, treated the organization unfairly by disputing the permit issue.
"I believe that the permit became such a problem because the event involved transsexuals. They never question other events held in this hotel," he said. Widodo said the event had been approved by the rights commission, known as Komnas HAM.
Depok public order agency head Sariyo Sabani said Komnas HAM only issued a permit for the training but the FKWI also held a transsexual beauty contest.
On Friday morning, the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) burst into a room at the Bumi Wijaya Hotel in Depok where the civil rights training was being held, panicking about 25 participants.
FPI's Depok chapter head Idrus Al-Ghodri said the training should be halted because it recognized the transsexual community. Idrus said his organization also believed the organizers had not asked permission from local community leaders, the Depok city authority and the police.
On Friday night another event was held in the hotel which Sariyo believed was a beauty contest. He regretted the FKWI's decision to go ahead with the contest despite that morning's unrest.
"We came to secure the event because we were afraid there would be another attack, but the event committee decided to finish the contest," Sariyo said. "It was obviously a contest. I saw some transsexuals sashaying down the catwalk."
Widodo denied there had been a beauty contest, saying that it was only for the selection of a human rights ambassador. "I don't think Satpol PP would make the permit such an issue if the event didn't involve transsexuals," Widodo said.
Sariyo insisted it was only a permit issue. "We would not have made it a big deal if they asked for the proper permit before holding the event," he said.