Tokyo – Protestors on Tuesday appealed to a meeting here of Indonesia's donor nations to force Jakarta to address human-rights abuses before releasing any new aid.
The murders of three UN aid staff in West Timor, violations by soldiers in Aceh and alleged military complicity in violence rocking the Maluku "spice islands" should all dominate donors' deliberations, activists said.
A coalition of Japanese and Indonesian pressure groups said in a statement that "we request that aid be conditioned for achievements on the above-mentioned points."
About 20 protestors picketed the two-day meeting of the Consultative Group on Indonesia (CGI) as it got under way in central Tokyo's Mita Conference Hall.
As delegates' cars swept through the venue gates, the activists held aloft banners reading "To support the government is to support the military too" and "Link aid with human rights."
Another banner was a mock recruitment poster from the Indonesian security forces, promising new recruits the opportunity to "Be a National Hero" by killing innocent civilians and creating social disorder. A handful of police and security guards watched over the peaceful protest outside the venue.
Japan's Finance Minister Kiichi Miyazawa met Rizal Ramli, Indonesia's coordinating minister for the economy, last Tuesday and said Tokyo was ready to announce fresh support for Indonesia at the donor nations' meeting. Japan, Indonesia's biggest donor, is likely to provide fresh loans worth 58 billion yen (540 million dollars), Japanese reports have said.
But some donors are still reluctant to provide fresh aid because of Indonesia's lax security measures against militia groups opposing East Timor's independence, the reports say.
The international community has pressured Indonesia to disarm pro-Jakarta East Timorese militias blamed for the murder of the three UN aid workers in West Timor on September 6.
Japan, however, had been happy to overlook abuses in Indonesia, said one of the protestors. "Japan releases enormous amounts of money to the Indonesian government, despite the fact that Indonesia's human-rights records remains poor," said Natsuko Saeki, head of the Network for Indonesian Democracy (Japan).
"After President (Abdurrahman) Wahid came to power, it appears people started to think that Indonesia was improving its record on human rights," she said. "But actually, the military is starting to regain its political strength."
The activist also urged the countries and organisations attending the World Bank-backed meeting to cancel some of Indonesia's state debt, which is estimated to reach 4.9 billion dollars next year.
"It's estimated about 30 percent of the debt has gone into the pockets of corrupt bureaucrats," Saeki said. "The money never reached the Indonesian public, who are now responsible for paying off the debt. I ask the lending countries to forgive at least 30 percent of their loans to Indonesia.