[The following is a slightly abridged translation of a report sent to ASIET by the Peoples Democratic Party (PRD)]

At 1am yesterday night, July 29, Dr Rifka Ciptaning, deputy chair of the Tangerang Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI), was released by the Jakarta police. Ciptaning was arrested by the military along with 70 pro-Megawati PDI members in East Jakarta while leading a "Bloody July 27" commemoration rally.

At the time of the arrest, the rally had only just begun. Tangerang PDI members had gathered waiting for others to come but who failed to arrive because they were blocked by the military at Cimone, Tangerang.

The plan of the Tangerang PDI members was to rally along with PDI masses from other areas, United Development Party (PPP) supporters and pro-democracy activists starting from Cawang, East Jakarta (a area with a strong base of PDI and PPP support). Ciptaning was one of the rally marshals and the leader of the action.

The rally from Cawang intended to go to Jl. Diponegoro 58 (1) to draw in Jakarta's residents, primarily in the streets of Cawang-Otista-Matraman-Salemba-Diponegoro. This area is known a PPP and PDI base of support, which during the election campaign held rallies with "Mega-Star-People Democratic Coalition" (2) banners – and was attacked by the military (a nine year old child was hit by a rubber bullet) in Berlan before the Kampung Melayu bus terminal.

Apparently the military imagined that if the Mega-Star-People supporters held a rally on these roads it would become too large for the military to contain. So the military attacked them before the rally could start and arrested Ciptaning who is well known for frequently leading such mass actions.

With the release of Ciptaning it is still not clear whether she will be tried. Perhaps she was released because she is still suckling a one month only baby.

Notes

1. Jl. Diponegoro 58: The location of the pro-Megawati PDI headquarters in Central Jakarta before the July 27 attack by the military.

2. Mega-Star-People (Mega-Bintang-Rakyat): a slogan popularised during the election campaign calling on pro-Megawati supporters, the Islamic orientated United Development Party and broader popular forces to unit in mass movement to replace Suharto.

[Translated by James Balowski]