Jakarta – Unruly demonstrations make for good newspaper copy and dramatic photos, but trashing a government building is likely to lead to criminal punishment.
When all other avenues of protest have been exhausted, some, like residents claiming to be victims of the construction of extra high-voltage electricity wires in their neighborhoods, resort to the most drastic measure of all: hunger strikes.
After the clamor of noisy protests has died down, the protesters say they believe a hunger strike is the most effective way to be heard.
Kuswiyanto, 24, and Suyoto, 38, traveled all the way from Kalisari village in Semarang, Central Java, to Jakarta with only enough money for a one-way trip. They left behind their wives and children in the village to take part in the hunger strike.
"We have had enough. Nobody cares," Kuswiyanto said. "In our village, if you carry an umbrella and touch it with an electricity rod, it will immediately light up."
He said he was among the many villagers who suffered mysterious health problems since state electricity company PLN built the electricity towers, with capacity of 500 kilovolts, in his village in 1997.
"I've had respiratory problems for over nine years. Doctors said there was something wrong with my lungs," he said.
The two men joined the band of hunger strikers, who had their lips sewn up; there are four today, down from 12 earlier this month, on Jl. Diponegoro, Central Jakarta.
The first to have their mouths sewn shut were Ikah, 44 and Yani, 40, both residents of Cianjung in Sumedang, West Java, on Dec. 27. They were later joined by three farmers from Kademangan village in Cianjur, West Java.
Many have refused to give up their protest despite their weakening condition. One was rushed to a nearby hospital where his stitches were forcibly removed.
A few days later, he was back on hunger strike. "The idea of having my lips stitched up doesn't scare me at all. The pain is minor compared to what we have to stand every day. Us little people are used to suffering," Kuswiyanto told The Jakarta Post a day before his lips were stitched up.
A group of 10 mentally and physically disabled children also was brought before the media, their handicaps a result of living below the electricity lines, protest organizers said.
"The physical growth of some children was seriously affected even before they were born," said student activist Mustar Bonaventura, who has assisted the protesters in getting their story out to the media. He claimed that a five-year-old girl weighed only 11 kilograms.
Mustar said the people demanded that the government pay attention to their health problems, as well as their relocation from the area. "The government can either relocate their homes or provide land compensation at current market value." Mustar and his group, Saksi, have helped the residents for the last 10 years.
"We are still waiting for the right moment to launch a strategic fight against the injustice. Our fight will be massive," he said. As they wait for that right time to come, the handful of hunger strikers continues to hold out for their complaint to be heard.