Louise Williams, Jakarta – President Soeharto has ordered the army reserve to prepare to mobilise to counter further civil unrest, warning political dissidents that anti-Government groups would not be tolerated.
In a message read at a ceremony of the Army's Strategic Reserve Command, Mr Soeharto told reserves to step up their readiness to quell threats within and outside Indonesia.
Referring to anti-Government groups, Mr Soeharto said: "While improvements in various fields are under way, we have to stop the groups' activities.
"No national state is willing to give elbow room to such groups, let alone turn their actions into armed rebellions. We have to stay alert to the invisible menaces stemming from a lot of problems."
The statement followed the arrest on Thursday of the former MP turned democracy activist, Sri Bintang Pamungkas, who has been charged with sedition over his calls for a boycott of the coming national elections. The sedition charge carries a maximum penalty of death.
While armed separatist movements are fighting Indonesian soldiers in East Timor and Irian Jaya, there is no evidence that any pro-democracy group has been plotting to overthrow the Government by violence.
The use of the sedition charge against political dissidents has been strongly criticised by the Indonesian Human Rights Commission, which says the charge was formulated to protect the state against armed rebellion, not to be used against dissidents. Amnesty International condemned the arrest of Sri Bintang, which brings to 12 the number of political dissidents facing the death penalty on sedition charges.
"The sedition law has been used to sentence to death or imprison people for the peaceful exercise of their rights to freedom of expression, opinion and association," Amnesty said.
"Amnesty believes the arrest is yet a further example of the Indonesian Government's intention to remove its opponents to ensure the smooth return of Golkar [the ruling party] in an election free of dissident opinion."
Indonesia's two minority political parties announced yesterday they had not received any funding to campaign against the Golkar party in the May elections and were on the verge of bankruptcy.
The Muslim-based United Development Party (PPP) and the Partai Demokrasi Indonesia are the only other parties allowed to stand.
The Soeharto Government has banned outdoor campaigns, meaning the cash-strapped alternative parties will have to hire local halls to stage rallies, a major logistical disadvantage given Golkar's access to government facilities and the Government-controlled media.
Seven branches of the PPP announced they would boycott the election, saying they cannot campaign properly.
The Soeharto Government yesterday denied reports that a United Nations office would be established in Jakarta to monitor human rights in East Timor.