The New Order military regime apparently has still not ended its hunt for PRD cadre. Miranti, a Surabaya PRD cadre was kidnaped on 18 March by agents in civilian clothes, after she attended a session of the trial of Dita Sari and Coen Hussein Pontoh. Other PRD cadre saw Miranti being forced into a green coloured car about 300 metres from the court

This is not the first kidnaping by the East Java military apparatus. Earlier, Syafii Kemang (a member of the Surabaya SMID executive) and also Agus (Surabaya PRD) were kidnaped. Syafii Kemang was kidnaped by 7 agents in civilian clothes and was threatened with death. He escaped by jumping from the car he was arrested in. Agus was tortured and forced to disclose the whereabouts of Yoko (head of SUrabaya SMID) and Herman (PRD head in Surabaya).

There has been no further news on Miranti: whether she will be killed like Marsinah or tortured. PRD cadre in Surabaya are suffering constant repression by the military. Kidnapings and other repression will surely continue because this has become the character of the military.

PRD cadre understand this fully. The military are mistaken if they think these tactics will erode the spirit of PRD cadre because all cadre are in agreement with the slogan: Democracy or Death!

[Statement and information released by LIBERATION (PEMBEBASAN), 24 March, 1997.]