Tassia Sipahutar, Jakarta – The financial assets of Indonesian households jumped almost three times between 2007 and 2012, but this upward trend was not enough to keep the country from loitering almost at the bottom of a new report on global wealth.

Indonesia was ranked ninth in 2012 among 10 Asian countries in terms of gross financial assets, with $280 billion (US$378.03 billion), or $1,120 per capita, said an Allianz SE report titled "Allianz Global Wealth Report 2013".

The report said Indonesia's assets grew by nearly one-third in 2012 from the previous year and almost three times from the previous five years due to higher securities and insurance ownership.

"One indicator of how developed a financial system is can be found in the composition of household portfolios. The lower the proportion of bank deposits, the more developed the capital market tends to be and the broader range of investment alternatives on offer," the report says.

In Indonesia's case, bank deposit ownership continued to dominate the portfolio, accounting for 53.3 percent of total gross financial assets, followed by securities with 30 percent and insurance and pensions with 16.7 percent.

Despite being the majority, the contribution of bank deposits last year was lower than 2011, when bank deposits made up 60 percent of the portfolio, while securities and insurance made up less than 10 percent each.

Malaysia's portfolio composition looked more balanced with insurance and pensions accounting for 36.4 percent, securities 33.4 percent and bank deposits 30.2 percent.

The report has always placed Japan at the top since it was first issued in 2010. But Japan's share in the financial wealth of the region has decreased from 62.3 percent in 2007 to 48.2 percent in 2012 because of Chinese households, which doubled their slice of the gross financial asset cake during the same period.

Indonesia, meanwhile, managed to up its share to 1 percent in 2012 from 0.4 percent in 2007. Overall, the total gross financial assets of all private households in the 10 Asian countries reached $29 trillion by the end of 2012, from $27.86 trillion in 2011.

"One thing is becoming more and more evident. Private wealth is immense in global terms and an increasing number of people across the globe are able to participate in it," Michael Diekmann, chairman of the board of Allianz SE management, wrote in the paper.

Standard Chartered Bank Indonesia economist Eric Sugandi acknowledged Indonesian households were still "conservative" in their investment attitudes, citing bank deposits' dominance in investment. "They aren't yet as advanced as in other countries. The new middle- class still tends to start by using banking products," he said on Friday.

However, he added it would not take the new generation too long to adapt to investment trends and that the growth rate would be higher in "late blooming" countries compared to advanced ones.

Similar to Eric, Dian Ayu Yustina, a Bank Danamon economist, said Indonesians still preferred low risk investments such as bank deposits. Even when considering the diversification of asset allocation, Indonesians would prefer to invest in property or gold, she added.

"Looking forward, if Indonesia's fundamentals are improved, such as stable interest rates, people's appetite for securities or insurance or pensions will definitely grow," Dian said. (asw)

Pekanbaru wins cleanest airport toilet award

Jakarta Globe - September 27, 2013

SP/Hendro Situmorang – The Sultan Syarif Kasim II airport in Pekanbaru has emerged victorious in the Sapta Pesona cleanest airport toilet of the year award.

"This award plays an important role in creating a culture of hygiene in public services," Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Mari Elka Pangestu said on Friday. "Especially in... public toilets – it gives rise to a positive image in the eyes of domestic or foreign tourists."

Frequent travelers around the archipelago have been known to express the view that competition for the award should be something short of fierce, but the judging methodology appears to indicate that hygiene in Indonesia's airports is being taking seriously – Sultan Syarif Kasim II led the leader-board with the fairly precise score of 89.62.

The second-best toilet experience in Indonesia can be found at Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (83.62), while there was also room on the podium for Juanda airport in Surabaya, which was given a 79.82 by a jury composed of experts from the Indonesian Toilet Association, the tourism ministry, the Consumer Protection Foundation and the media.

Bali's Ngurah Rai was placed fifth, though observers will probably be keen to see whether the airport's soon-to-open renovation will have the judges in a more generous mood next year.

The jury found room for improvement at Jakarta' Halim Perdanakusuma Jakarta (75.74) and the Minangkabau airport in Padang (75.60), which were ranked ninth and tenth, respectively. Soekarno Hatta's silver medal will be welcome news to State-Owned Enterprises Minister, Dahlan Iskan. Dahlan took matters into his own hands and cleaned the floors before boarding a plane to Surabaya after stumbling into a sub-standard facility last year.

"There is not a single piece of paper or cigarette butt anymore. We have changed [cleaning service] providers for the bathrooms in every terminal," an official told Tempo.co. in August, 2012. "Even if a person is holding his or nose, they can smell the fragrance."

The biannual award has been held since 2007 as part of the government's efforts to not only promote a culture of hygiene but also to show appreciation for PT Angkasa Pura I and PT Angkasa Pura II – the two state-owned firms managing and operating airports across the country. A separate award exists for zoos and museums.

Sanitation is a serious issue in the country, where communicable disease such as typhus and diarrhea remain priorities for health authorities. A recent report by the UN on countries' progress in meeting the Millennium Development Goals found that Indonesia was falling behind.

"Indonesia is the second ranking country in the world where 63 million people don't have toilets," said Angela Kearney, the Unicef representative to Indonesia, while a 2011 survey by the World Toilet Organization found Indonesia's toilets were among the dirtiest in Asia, with around 80 million germs found on a single specimen.

Nanik's fate renews pressure on zoo

Sydney Morning Herald - September 27, 2013

Michael Bachelard – A young orang-utan died prematurely on Saturday after a short life spent in the squalid environment of Indonesia's Surabaya zoo. Her death will put more pressure on the City of Surabaya, which now manages the notorious zoo, to upgrade facilities which international NGOs have identified as archaic and cruel.

But zoo workers and expert Tony Sumampauw say that, instead of accelerating improvements to animal welfare at the zoo, the city government-appointed managers have halted them and concentrated instead on painting cages and tending the gardens.

An autopsy report shows orang-utan Nanik died last Saturday afternoon with liver problems, intestinal tumours, hepatitis and pneumonia at just 10 years old, a fraction of the 50-year lifespan expected of an animal in captivity in a decent zoo.

She had grown sick after years of being kept in dark and humid colonial-era enclosures where the zoo's orang-utans are still forced to spend the night. There are no current plans to upgrade those enclosures.

Nanik died just a week after the city's mayor, Tri Rismaharini, known as Risma, told Fairfax Media there would be no more deaths under her management.

The historic zoo in Indonesia's second largest city has become a byword for the poor treatment of captive animals in Indonesia. After a Fairfax Media story in May highlighted the sad plight of Sumatran tiger Melani, a petition signed by more than 100,000 people globally called for the "cruelty of Surabaya zoo" to stop.

But political infighting over the zoo's management continued and in July the city government of Surabaya seized control, ousting temporary managers who had included Mr Sumampauw, the highly regarded head of the Indonesian Zoological Parks Association, as a consultant.

Since then, a push to reduce overcrowding and update cages has stalled. Offers of help from international NGOs have also been stonewalled by the new management team.

Ms Risma says animal welfare is a high priority and the city had commissioned a university-run audit of the zoo, which has not yet reported.

But Sybelle Foxcroft, from Australian NGO Cee4life, has visited the zoo and tried to get an audience with the mayor, adding that, if Surabaya allowed international experts in, "help would be pouring in from all over the world". Those offers have so far been rejected.

In an interview with Fairfax Media, Ms Risma defended the city's takeover of the zoo, saying "the temporary management was worse" and that, "people can see for themselves that the zoo is getting better". "The test is that the dead and lost animals only happened under the temporary management. I can guarantee there will be no dead or lost animals under this management," she said.

Her assurances did not save Nanik. Just 10 days before her death, Fairfax Media had filmed the orang-utan chewing on some of the garbage that still litters the zoo's grounds. An autopsy report shows the animal's liver was yellow with white spots, her kidney also had yellow spots and she had gastric tumours which blocked her intestinal tract.

Mr Sumampauw said the orang-utan enclosure where the animals were kept at night was damp and had been dark until his temporary management had installed skylights. At one stage in the past, a keeper with tuberculosis had also slept in the enclosure.

A staff member, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the animals were still put there and Ms Risma did not want to fix the Dutch-era enclosure "because it's of cultural heritage value". "We'd like to maintain the old cages and we are evaluating which animals are suitable to put in them," Ms Risma said.

On a recent visit it was clear to Fairfax Media that, under the new management, a number of enclosures had been freshly painted, the amount of rubbish greatly reduced and the gardens were well tended.

A giraffe, Moritz, which was donated under the temporary management from Berlin Zoo, is living apparently happily in an enclosure built especially for him.

The zoo achieved international notoriety in 2012 when its previous giraffe died with a 30-kilogram ball of plastic bags in its stomach.

But a number of projects to renovate enclosures, including those containing the Barbary sheep and the elephants, have stalled.

Ms Risma has also vetoed the temporary management's policy of trading overcrowded animals out of the zoo. "It is not overcrowded," Ms Risma said, adding that there was vacant space around the zoo which could be used to expand.

She has also denied the zoo needs the 100 billion rupiah ($A10 million) funding injection recommended by Mr Sumampauw, saying the funds in the city budget are adequate.

Melani, an emaciated Sumatran tiger whose digestive system was wrecked by a life eating formalin-contaminated meat at the zoo, is now being cared for at Mr Sumampauw's state-of-the-art Taman Safari park in Bogor.

West Papua

Abbott urged to put Papua rights on the agenda

ABC Radio Australia - September 30, 2013

While the Australian PM is taking 20 prominent business leaders with him to Jakarta, the diplomatic tension over asylum-seekers will be hard to ignore.

Already, human rights groups calling on Mr Abbott to use his meeting with Indonesian President Susilon Bambang Yudhyono, to address the issue. Human Rights Watch says any refugee agreement should include provisions to grant legal protection to asylum-seekers and migrants who come to Indonesia.

Presenter: Sen Lam

Speaker: Elaine Pearson, Australian director of Human Rights Watch

Pearson: Well, our concern is that they protection, they languish for months if not years in squalid detention conditions. We've documented how kids don't have access to education, adults don't have the right to work. In the worst cases, they're mistreated and beaten in these detention centres. And so really, if Abbott wants a lasting solution to stop people from getting on these boats, then he should be encouraging Indonesia to adopt a refugee policy that will protect their rights, rather than subjecting them to more abuse.

Lam: Do you think PM Abbott is inclined to raise human rights issues on his first official visit to Indonesia, given that Jakarta's already strongly objected to the government's new policy of turning back boats. How realistic is it?

Pearson: Well look, I think he has an opportunity to set the tone of this debate and I think it doesn't have to be seen as lecturing Indonesia. It can be certainly be seen as engagement, as helping Indonesia to address these issues. I mean certainly we've seen that there has been quite a harsh response to raising policies, such as the boat buy back policy and other issues without coordinating with the Indonesians. So I think it's really how Tony Abbott raises these issues.

Lam: Well, Indonesia has not ratified the 1951 Refugee Convention, and yet the number of asylum seekers reaching Indonesia is dramatically higher than Australia's. How would you access Indonesia's handling of this refugee increase?

Pearson: Well yeah, there's been a 2,000 per cent increase in the number of asylum seekers reaching Indonesia, so this is quite a crisis situation. I think that there needs to be more involvement of the UN Refugee Agency, while they are providing assistance in status determinations in Indonesia, There's certainly a backlog of cases.

I think Australia should be looking at ways, that it can sort of help this backlog, because ultimately, if those cases aren't resolved, then people are going to feel like they have no option but to get on boats and go to another country.

Lam: And Elaine, a group of Papuan Independence activists were deported to Papua New Guinea, after arriving in Australian territory seeking asylum. Do you think Papua should also feature in Prime Minister Abbott's talks in Jakarta and what specifically would you like raised?

Pearson: Yes, I think Tony Abbott has talked quite a lot about free speech in Australia and so it would be fitting for him to also raise concerns about the fact that Indonesia has detained dozens of Papuans, for peaceful acts of free expression, for simply expressing their views or raising flags and we're very concerned that these Papuans that sought asylum in Australia were deported to PNG and it appears that they don't have protection and we would really encourage Tony Abbott to be raising these issues and putting Papua on the agenda.

Lam: And the Prime Minister of Vanuatu has used his speech at the UN General Assembly to call for investigations into alleged human rights abuses, particularly by the PNI, the Indonesian military in Papua Province. What's your intelligence telling you? Is the Indonesian military still behaving with impunity in Papua?

Pearson: Certainly, there have been cases of the Indonesian military detaining, torturing Papuans. The problem is it's very difficult for journalists and human rights organisations to get access to the area. Access is still very much restricted. So one of the things Tony Abbott could raise, for instance, is that Indonesia should allow foreign human rights monitors, allow foreign journalists unimpeded access to Papua and I think that would be an important first step to actually be able to investigate these cases and see what the military is doing there.

Lam: And finally, just briefly Elaine. If there were to be an agreement with Jakarta on the issue of asylum seekers. What do you think the focus should be? What would you like it to contain?

Pearson: Certainly, I think one of the key components should be encouraging Indonesia to sign and ratify the Refugee Convention and I think discussions with Indonesia should really focus on improving the conditions in detention, ensuring that asylum seekers have the right to work, basically addressing those key factors of abuses in detention that have been reported, so that people feel like they can be safe in Indonesia and protected.

Vanuatu PM accuses UN of ignoring West Papuans

ABC Radio Australia - September 29, 2013

Vanuatu's prime minister has used his time at the United Nations General Assembly to call for investigations into alleged cases of human rights abuses in West Papua.

Prime Minister Moana Carcasses Kalosil accused the UN of consistently ignoring West Papuan people or their plight.

"It is clear from many historical records that the Melanesian people of West Papua were the scapegoat of Cold war politics and were sacrificed to gratify the appetite for the natural resources which this country possess," Mr. Kalosil said. "Today they are still the victims of ignorance of the UN."

"We are now deliberating on the issue of Syria, but when it comes to the issue of the rights of the people of West Papua, our voices are muted even in this podium," he said.

"How can we then ignore hundreds of thousands of West Papuans who have been brutally beaten and murdered? The people of West Papua are looking to the UN as a beacon for hope".

Mr Kalosil, a long time advocate of independence for West Papua from Indonesia, called on the UN to appoint a Special Representative to investigate alleged human rights abuses.

"It is time for the United Nations to move beyond its periphery and address and rectify some historical error," he said.

The United Nations human rights chief, Navi Pillay has previously highlighted her concerns. In May, when police reportedly shot and killed two protesters on the eve of the 50th anniversary of Papua becoming part of Indonesia, she called on the Indonesian government to allow peaceful protests to take place.

"These latest incidents are unfortunate examples of the ongoing suppression of freedom of expression and excessive use of force in Papua," Ms Pillay said.

Australia's influence

Meanwhile, there are calls for Australia's prime minister Tony Abbott to use his trip to Indonesia this week to put the issue on the agenda.

The Human Rights Law Centre's Tom Clarke said the new Australian government has the opportunity to address "serious human rights violations occurring a stone's throw away in Indonesia's Papua Provinces".

"The Australian-Indonesian relationship needs to become mature enough to handle two-way criticisms about human rights problems," Mr Clarke said.

"Our Prime Minister has said that he and his colleagues are "custodians of free speech". If this is the case, he must take this opportunity to take a strong stance in support of the basic democratic rights and freedoms which are severely restricted in Papua," he said.

Mr Abbott will travel to Jakarta on Monday, but issues over Australia's asylum seeker policies are widely expected to dominate discussions.

Church-backed consultation urges defence of human rights in Papua

Ekklesia - September 28, 2013

A consultation in Geneva has proposed political dialogue as the only way towards peace and stability in Tanah Papua, a province of Indonesia.

The region has remained the focus of tensions between the Indonesian authorities and the Papuan indigenous people for years – resulting in grave human rights violations.

Hosted by the World Council of Churches (WCC), the consultation titled "Human Rights and Peace for Papua" was organised by the International Coalition for Papua (ICP), a group of faith-based and civil society organisations.

The event brought together a number of faith-based and civil society organisations, church leaders from Tanah Papua, peace activists and United Nations officials, from 23 to 24 September in Geneva, Switzerland.

Participants in the consultation discussed various aspects of the crisis in Tanah Papua, stressing the need for institutional reforms to protect civil, political, socio-economic and cultural rights of the people. They noted the need to promote freedom of expression to avoid Papua becoming isolated from international support.

The Rev Socratez Sofyan Yoman from the Communion of Baptist Churches in Papua and a keynote speaker at the consultation, expressed deep distress over state violence in Tanah Papua. "Papuans want peace and have always respected other human beings throughout the ages."

"A lengthy struggle will be needed to change the government policies which have been implemented for the last five decades," said Yoman referring to on-going violence in the province.

He added that finding a political solution also needs "patience and total commitment to achieve lasting justice, reform and final victory".

Tanah Papua has a prominent Christian presence, with more than 45 diverse denominations.

Leonard Imbiri, General Secretary of the Papua Customary Council, shared concern over the silencing of human right activists in Tanah Papua. Explaining the situation in the province, he called exploitation of natural resources, military interests in the region and demographic changes as only some of the sources of the problem.

"Extra-judicial killings, torture, arbitrary arrests, poor health and education infrastructure, child mortality and high HIV/AIDS rates, land grabbing and deforestation are a few examples of human rights violation, indicating inability of the national government to deliver," Imbiri added.

WCC's programme executive for human rights and global advocacy, Christina Papazoglou, referred to the long-standing support of the WCC to the struggle of the indigenous people of Tanah Papua and for an end to the on- going violence and impunity. She highlighted the need for a Jakarta-Papua dialogue as a means to address the root causes of the present problems, leading to peace with justice in the region.

"It is sad and worrisome to see that after all these years, nothing has really changed," added Papazoglou.

Mentioning the WCC Executive Committee statement issued in February 2012, Papazoglou said that the Indonesian authorities were requested to take necessary steps to release political prisoners, to lift the ban on peaceful assembly of Papuans and to demilitarise Tanah Papua.

"The WCC Executive Committee urged the Indonesian government to initiate necessary steps to enter into dialogue with indigenous Papuan people and to take adequate measures to protect their rights," she said.

The international consultation was followed by a side-event on "Human Rights and Indigenous Peoples in Asia: Cases in West Papua" organised jointly by the Asia Human Rights Commission, the WCC's Commission of Churches on International Affairs, Franciscans International, Geneva for Human Rights, the International Coalition for Papua, Tapol and the World Organisation against Torture.

The consultation took place on 25 September 2013 at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.

Safety concerns for Papuans deported by Australia

Radio New Zealand International - September 27, 2013

There are fears for the safety of a group of West Papuans held by Australia's Immigration Department after fleeing from Indonesia.

The group of seven – including a 10 year old boy – fled Merauke earlier this week and after reaching Boigu Island were sent by Immigration to Papua New Guinea's capital, Port Moresby.

They reportedly fled persecution by security forces since their involvement in the West Papua Freedom Flotilla campaign this month.

A West Papuan activist Ronny Kareni says the group has been denied access to a lawyer. He says it's unclear whether they will be flown to Manus Island for processing with other asylum seekers, or left in Port Moresby where they could be in danger of repatriation.

"That's the biggest fear of them being taken there. And given the current climate with the political situation, and these guys have already been exposed through the campaign with the freedom flotilla and then seeking protection and then the Australian government just takes them and secretly dumps them there. It's really shocking."

An academic says that the arrival of the West Papuans has added acutely to an uneasy dynamic in Canberra's relationship with Indonesia. Jim Elmslie of Sydney University's West Papua Project says the situation is sensitive.

"Because of the various policies they're trying to bring in with the boat people and this idea of turning back refugee boats which Indonesia's clearly not very keen on and is perhaps an unworkable policy, and to throw the West Papuan refugees into the mix will only add to the tensions and the dilemmas and the pressure on all sides really."

West Papuans deported to PNG after Australian asylum bid

The Guardian - September 27, 2013

Marni Cordell – A group of West Papuans who went into hiding in fear for their lives after taking part in the West Papua Freedom Flotilla have been deported to Papua New Guinea after seeking asylum in Australia.

Seven West Papuans, including a woman and a 10-year-old child, landed on Boigu Island in the Torres Strait, just 6km from PNG a on Tuesday night. On Thursday night they were deported to PNG, according to Ronny Kareni, a West Papuan refugee living in Melbourne who spoke to the group on Friday morning. "They are very distressed and scared," he told Guardian Australia on Friday morning.

Yacob Mechrian Mandabayan, one of the men on board the boat, told Guardian Australia from a safe house last week that he feared for his life after receiving threats from the Indonesian military and police. "We've become refugees in our own country and we ask your help to expose our situation here," he said. "We need your help. Please."

Kareni outlined the journey the asylum seekers took after landing on Boigu. He said they were taken on a boat from Boigu to Horn Island, and then a helicopter came and picked them up. He said they were told they were going to be processed on the mainland, but that later, when they were in the air, one of the immigration or customs officers told them they were actually heading to Port Moresby.

The group stayed in a hotel in Port Moresby on Thursday night and had an interview with immigration officials on Friday morning, where they would be told whether they were being sent to Manus Island detention centre, Kareni said.

"They are claiming asylum from Australia and they asked if they could contact a lawyer but they were denied access to a lawyer or to [any other] contact," he said.

"We're still trying to find a lawyer for them in PNG so they can claim their asylum. We are demanding there's a lawyer present, in case they are rejected without any appeal."

The Abbott government's tight information control on boat arrivals has made any information about the group difficult to verify.

Guardian Australia spoke with customs on Thursday Island, customs media in Canberra, Department of Immigration and Border Protection media and a spokesperson for the immigration and border protection minister, Scott Morrison. All declined to confirm the names or location of the seven West Papuans.

"Those questions will have to be directed to the Operation Sovereign Borders press conference on Monday," Guardian Australia was repeatedly told.

The West Papuan Freedom Flotilla was a collaboration between Indigenous Australian and West Papuan activists, designed to raise awareness of human rights abuses in West Papua under Indonesian rule.

It was planned that a flotilla of boats would sail from Cairns to the Indonesian port of Merauke in West Papua, but the activists changed their plans when the Indonesian military would not rule out using lethal force against them.

Instead, a group of West Papuans crossed the Indonesian sea border in a small boat to meet the flotilla earlier this month. Mandabayan was on board.

"The military threatened me," he told Guardian Australia last week after returning from the journey, adding there was "ongoing surveillance around the house at night and during the day".

"They are trying to identify [whether] me and other cousins were involved directly with the flotilla or not."

Several other West Papuans have also been arrested and intimidated for their involvement with the flotilla – including a group of four in Sorong, in West Papua's west, who face long jail terms after being charged with treason for attending a church meeting to pray for the flotilla, and after they told police they wanted independence from Indonesia.

West Papuans have agitated for independence from Indonesia since the province was acquired by Indonesia in a sham ballot in 1969.

Joe Collins of the Australia West Papua Association said of the seven West Papuan asylum seekers: "Anybody who knows the situation in West Papua would have no doubt that they are genuine asylum seekers fleeing persecution by the Indonesian security forces and should be granted refuge in Australia."

Daughter pleads for the release of West Papuan political prisoner father

Pacific Scoop - September 26, 2013

Daniel Drageset – The daughter of a political prisoner in West Papua has sent a letter to the Indonesian president appealing for the release of all political prisoners in the Indonesian-ruled region.

Audryne Karma's father Filep Karma was arrested on December 1, 2004, after participating in a peaceful ceremony to commemorate the 1962 declaration of West Papuan independence, where the participants raised the Morning Star flag.

In her letter addressed to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono Audryne told the president what happened the day her father was arrested.

"The police responded by beating and shooting the people who came. Approximately four people were injured, including my father. For this case, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison on charges of 'treason'."

In the letter she told the president the last words her father told her before leaving for the ceremony almost nine years ago.

Beaten and stomped

According to the NGO Amnesty International, the police forced an end to the ceremony, arrested Filep Karma and beat and stomped on him during the transport to the police station.

The NGO considers Filep Karma to be a prisoner of conscience "who has been imprisoned solely for the peaceful and legitimate exercise of his right to freedom of expression".

Several reports from human rights organisations have pointed to the presence of political prisoners in West Papua, but Indonesia has denied the existence of such prisoners in the region.

In 2011, a United Nations delegation concluded Filep Karma had not received a fair trial and called on the Indonesian government to release him.

According to Audryne Karma's letter to the Indonesian president, her father has suffered "severe health problems" because of malnutrition and poor sanitation in the Abepura prison in Jayapura, West Papua.

The political prisoner has had severe prostate pain and chronic inflammation of the colon, according to his daughter.

'Saddened and disappointed'

Audryne Karma said she was "disappointed" the Indonesian authorities had not acted, even after international pressure from various organisations.

"As the daughter of Filep Karma, I am saddened and disappointed at the government for the severe punishment imposed on my father. Our family suffers psychological pain caused by his imprisonment."

In the letter, Audryne Karma not only called for the release of her father, but for all political prisoners in West Papua.

An online petition supporting Audryne Karma's call to release her father and all other political prisoners in West Papua was recently started.

Torres Strait asylum bid by West Papuan activists a test for Abbott

The Australian - September 26, 2013

Joel Magarey And Lauren Wilson – Up to seven West Papuan independence activists are believed to have fled across the Torres Strait to northern Queensland in search of asylum after supporting Australian "Freedom Flotilla" members who sailed close to Indonesian waters earlier this month.

West Papuan and Australian sources have told The Australian the group eluded Indonesian police and military searchers by travelling to Papua New Guinea by speedboat on Sunday, before crossing the Torres Strait on Monday night to Australia's Boigu Island, just 4km south of the PNG mainland.

Authorities are understood to be searching the Torres Strait for the vessel used by the asylum-seekers, who are now in the custody of the Department of Immigration and who face transfer to Manus island or Nauru for processing.

While it was believed there were six activists in the group, it's understood seven people made the crossing of the Torres Strait – the first since Tony Abbott launched his hardline border protection policy, Operation Sovereign Borders, last week.

During the election, the Prime Minister warned of the need for a 'Torres Strait Solution' to prevent the region becoming a new route for asylum- seekers. More patrol resources were pledged but no announcements have been made.

It is believed the group will seek refugee status in Australia, claiming they face persecution in West Papua for peaceful political expression after participating in or acting in support of the flotilla venture.

The flight of the West Papuans has the potential to cause a serious row with Jakarta, just when the Abbott government is already under fire from Indonesia over its controversial plan to turn back asylum-seeker boats.

The decision of the Howard government to provide protection to a group of 43 West Papuan refugees in 2006 caused what was seen as the biggest crisis in bilateral relations since Australia's intervention in favour of East Timorese independence in 1998-99.

One West Papuan believed to be in the group, Yacob Mandabayan, contacted The Australian from West Papua last Wednesday, saying he and five others had gone into hiding and were "not safe", after threats were made against them by Indonesian military and police.

Mr Mandabayan had days earlier participated in a covert ceremony involving the handover of ceremonial gifts to West Papuan leaders by the members of the Freedom Flotilla protest mission.

The Freedom Flotilla included two groups of Australians travelling towards West Papua, one by yacht and one across land through Papua New Guinea, to support the West Papuan independence struggle.

Reports subsequently emerged from Merauke in West Papua – the planned destination for the Freedom Flotilla's flagship yacht – of police and military "sweeping" operations in search of local activists who had supported the protest.

West Papuan online news site tabloidubi.com featured a photograph of police searching passengers arriving in Merauke by plane and quoting police officials confirming that search and other coastal search operations were related to the flotilla.

Mr Mandabayan told The Australian: "The military threaten me with ongoing surveillance around the house at night times and during the day.

"They trying to identify me and other cousins whether we involve directly with flotilla or not. They say that the border is closed and they will do sweeping and find out about who involved with the cultural ceremony. Now we become refugees in our own country."

Four West Papuans have already been arrested and charged with "treason" after organising a prayer gathering in support of the flotilla.

The treason charge carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Amnesty International says the four were "arrested and charged solely for their peaceful political activism, which remains highly restricted in Papua".

Australian-based West Papuans say another five activists have also been arrested for organising celebratory functions as the ceremonial gifts brought by flotilla members were taken on a tour of the disputed territory.

News of the asylum seekers' flight also follows a report by Guardian Australia of the shooting of civilians by Indonesian paramilitary police on Monday, in disputed circumstances.

West Papua was claimed by Indonesia after a 1969 referendum widely regarded as a sham. Human rights monitors say thousands of West Papuans have been killed by the Indonesian military in the decades since.

[Additional reporting Sarah Elks.]

Indonesian police open fire on civilians in West Papua

The Guardian - September 25, 2013

One person is said to have been killed and at least two others injured on Monday when Indonesian riot police opened fire on civilians in Waghete, West Papua. Spokesperson for the Papuan provincial police Sulistyo Pudjo told Guardian Australia that the shooting occurred when police tried to disperse a mob that was attacking them.

"There were provocateurs who were throwing rocks at the police and military. One military person was wounded," he said.

However, according to Father Santon Tekege, a Catholic brother who lives in the capital Jayapura but hails from the remote village in West Papua's Deiyai regency, the victims were targeted because they refused to cut their long hair and beards during a random police search operation.

Tekege told Guardian Australia that the Indonesian police's mobile brigade (Brimob) was carrying out a "sweeping" operation at the local market on Monday when the incident occurred.

"Brimob had scissors to cut people's long hair and beards," Tekege said. "The police always stigmatise those with long hair, dreadlocks and long beards as being separatists."

West Papuans have been agitating for independence from Indonesiasince the province was acquired with a sham ballot in 1969.

"[The police] were also sweeping for nukens (traditional dillybags) that had designs of the Morning Star flag or had 'Papua' written on them," Tekege said. "Mobile phones were confiscated and Brimob was checking the songs on people's mobile phones." When locals refused to comply with police they were shot, he said.

Alpius Mote, 20, was killed, another was seriously injured, and a third person shot in the arm, according to Tekege. He said police also arrested two people, one of whom had since been released.

Pudjo confirmed a shooting had occurred and that people were arrested, but denied the unrest began as an argument over long hair.

"Market day must have security and it just so happened there were lots of drunken people there and people gambling. Our officers reminded them not to get drunk at the market or they would disturb the traders. The people besieged the police and army," he said.

After the incident, Tekege said the regional government "put out a letter to the citizens urging them to be calm and not to carry out actions in retaliation".

When Guardian Australia spoke to him on Tuesday, he said: "Today things are still tense. Community members are at their offices as usual but civilians are scared to go out from their homes because Brimob, soldiers and police are still on number one [maximum] alert. All activities at the local community markets have stopped. They are still guarding the area."

Benny Giay, the moderator of West Papua's Kingmi Church who has family in Waghete, told Guardian Australia from Jayapura: "[The Indonesian authorities] think that Papuans who have long hair are uncivilised so they go around and try to cut their hair. They did this in the 1980s as well.

"The man who was killed [on Monday] tried to raise his objections and he got shot. It was the actions of the police [that started the unrest] - they were going around with big scissors and cutting hair. If there was [a riot] it was a response to what the police were doing," he said.

One dead, 3 shot in Paniai by Brimob for refusing to shave dreadlocks

West Papua Media - September 25, 2013

West Papua Media (WPM) stringers have received credible disturbing reports of a major escalation in Indonesian police operations against civilians in the Waghete, outside Enarotali in Paniai, resulting in the shooting of three civilians and the death of one.

Three men were shot by Brimob paramilitary police on September 23 after refusing to cut their hair or beards, and another two were arrested. Alpius Mote (20) was shot dead by Brimob in the chest and died on the spot. Fransiskus Dogopia (30) is in a critical condition after being shot with automatic fire by Brimob in his stomach and in the right side of his neck. The third shooting victim, Alex Mote (29), has unknown gunshot injuries and his condition is also unknown at time of writing.

Police also arrested Frans Bukeja (21) and Yance Pekei (22), also for refusing to cut their hair, according to human rights workers. Bukeja has been since released by Police, however Pekei is still being detained at the Enarotali District Police Command Post, and his family is gravely concerned for his safety, according to WPM sources.

According to local witnesses, speaking to WPM by telephone on condition of anonymity, the operations in Waghete occurred on Monday, September 23, with house to house sweeps by hundreds of heavily armed Brimob, looking for any supporters of Papuan independence, and confiscating mobile phones searching for Papuan pro-independence songs and music, and searching for nukens (dillybags) with any image of the banned Morning Star Flag.

During Monday night's raids, all Papuan men with long hair, long beards or dreadlocks were allegedly ordered at gunpoint by Brimob officers to cut their hair or beards on the spot or they would be shot dead. Long hair or beards are stigmatised by Indonesian occupation forces as an indicator of pro-independence activities, and "offenders" are summarily punished regularly in Paniai for their hairstyles, according to local human rights workers, and previous investigations by WPM.

These sweeps have been a weekly occurrence since Operation Matoa began in late 2011, putting the Paniai regency in a unofficial war zone in a bid to wipe out armed and then nonviolent civilian resistance to Indonesian occupation. West Papua Media reported in December 2011 on the ruthless Operation Matoa which was launched across the region to destroy the TPN forces of Jhon Yogi - resulting in the displacement of over 14,000 people, almost 150 villages burnt down and the failure of basic services that is still ongoing.

These latest sweeps, local human rights workers who visited Enarotali told WPM, are an extension of Operation Matoa, but Indonesian security forces have openly told sweep targets that nothing less than total loyalty to Indonesian security forces will be tolerated. Extreme state violence is justified by security forces, to make an example of anyone who questions Indonesian rule, according to the human rights sources.

Local sources have also reported to WPM that a large number of security forces have amassed around Enaratoli together with several companies of the notorious 753 Battalion of Indonesian army (TNI). Local residents are preparing to survive another arbitrary military offensive against civilians, according to the sources.

Several attempts to contact Police in Enaratoli or Paniai in the last 24 hours have been rebuffed.

Papua police chief denies receiving money from Labora

Tempo.co - September 23, 2013

Jerry Omona, Jayapura – Papua Police Chief, Insp. Gen. Tito Karnavian, denied having received money from Adj. First Insp. Labora Sitorus – the former member of the Raja Ampat resort Police implicated in illegal logging, illegal fuel distribution and money laundering.

Labora's note, which was submitted to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), stated that a Papua police chief received Rp200 million in February 2013.

"Let me clarify, if [Labora] said that the Papua police chief accepted [the money] – check [the story] first. Is it really my name that is written there? Because I never received money from [Labora]," Tito told Tempo on Sunday, September 22.

Tito added that – corresponding with the secret telegram of the Indonesian National Police (Polri) Chief dated September 3, 2012 – he was appointed as Papua Police Chief in September 2012, replacing Insp. Gen. Bigman Lumban Tobing.

"The ceremony was done at the Polri Headquarters on September 21, 2012. Whereas my welcoming ceremony in Jayapura took place on September 25, 2012," said Tito.

Tito asked for verification on the information about him being transferred money on February 2013. According to the statement, the money was given via the Raja Ampat Sectoral Police Chief Raja Ampat. "I have called the resort police chief, he said that he never received money from Labora to be given to me," said Tito.

According to the notes Tempo received, the Papua Police chief was transferred money for four times in 2012 – in addition to the Rp200 million money-transfer made in February this year. In January 2012 the transfer amounted to Rp629.75 million, in June it was Rp225 million, In August it was Rp300 million and in September the transfer amounted to Rp150 million.

Allegations of collusion between Labora Sitorus and a number of police officials are not without grounds. Labora claimed that he had paid up to Rp10 billion to make sure that his illicit businesses run smooth. "There are allegations of gratification," Labora Sitorus' family spokesman Wolter Sitanggang said.

The case came to surface after the Center for Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis (PPATK) found a number of suspicious transactions in Labora's accounts throughout 2007-2012. During the period, Labora's total transactions reached an astounding amount of Rp1.5 trillion. Among the suspicious transactions, the PPATK found a number of fund transfers to high-ranking police officers.

Aceh

Aceh police foil prison break, shariah officer arrested for hash smuggling

Jakarta Post - September 23, 2013

Nurdin Hasan, Banda Aceh – A Shariah Police officer was arrested Saturday night for allegedly attempting to supply hashish to a prisoner at West Aceh's Meulaboh penitentiary while officers caught another prisoner attempting to saw through the jail's bars in a failed escape attempt.

Achar, 41, was reportedly seen by police passing a package of hash through the prison's walls, West Aceh District Police chief Adj. Sr. Cmr. Faisal Rivai said. Officers, tipped off by a prisoner, conducted a stakeout of the Paya Peunaga prison and at 6:30 p.m. they allegedly caught the Shariah Police member handing off the drugs.

"Prior to Maghrib prayers [dusk], when the day was getting darker, police officers saw someone approaching the prison walls and throwing something in through the concrete walls," he said. "When we wanted to catch him, he tried to escape. Police fired two warning shots in the air. We eventually captured him."

Achar attempted to escape on a motorbike but was eventually caught. He told police that he was a member of the West Aceh Shariah Police and had been supplying hash to a prison inmate.

"During questioning he admitted that this was the third time he supplied hashish to a prisoner inside the prison," Faisal said.

Police then arrested Andika Fika Rahmat, an inmate jailed on narcotics charges, and detained both men in the precinct's cells. The investigation was still ongoing on Sunday, Faisal said.

A failed prison break

On Friday, jail staff reportedly caught another prisoner attempting to saw through the penitentiary's metal bars. The attempt came about a month after nine prisoners escaped using a similar method, sawing through the bars and leaping eight-meters to the ground.

Six of those prisoners were re-arrested in the jungle surrounding the jail. Three remained at large.

Prison staff was questioning Rahmat, the latest attempted escapee, to determine the source of the saw. "He is still being questioned by us to find out who supplied the saw to the prisoners," Faisal said. "There have been numerous cases like this."

Human rights & justice

New lease on life for probe into 1965 anti-communist purge

Jakarta Post - September 30, 2013

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – Survivors of the 1965 anti-communist purge could finally receive justice with the settling of differences, after years of deadlock, between the Attorney General's Office (AGO) and the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM).

Komnas HAM commissioner Roichatul Aswidah, who leads the commission's team probing past human rights abuses, said that the rights body and the AGO recently agreed to set up a joint investigation team to review and follow up on Komnas HAM's findings on the 1965 purge, which declared it a gross human rights violation.

"There is hope. It's clear now that both Komnas HAM and the AGO aim to resolve the problem. It's major progress after years of deadlock because of disagreements between us on technicalities," Roichatul told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

Roichatul said the joint investigative team would comprise members of Komnas HAM and the AGO as well as independent figures endorsed by both institutions.

"We are still thoroughly discussing it. But, either way, the most important issue is that we are moving forward to follow up a recommendation by the UNHRC [United Nations Human Rights Council]," she said. Roichatul was referring to UNHRC's recommendation made during the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) meeting in its headquarters in Geneva last July.

The UN agency urged the Indonesian government to resolve deadlock between Komnas HAM and the AGO within a year so that the government could follow up on Komnas HAM's findings on alleged past gross human rights violations, including the anti-communist purge of 1965.

The AGO's spokesperson Setia Untung Arimuladi did not return a call from the Post seeking a response on Sunday.

Separately, member of the House of Representatives Commission III overseeing law and human rights Eva Kusuma Sundari encouraged President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to immediately issue a presidential decree to rehabilitate the rights of survivors of the 1965 purge, some of whom are already extremely old.

"The issuance of such a decree could be a win-win solution because I believe that the survivors are willing to forgive mistakes from the past because they only want their rights rehabilitated, and their descendants officially cleared of stigma," Eva, a politician from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) said.

After comprehensively investigating the incident for nearly four years, Komnas HAM officially announced in July last year that the state-sponsored purge that followed the 1965 aborted coup met all the criteria of a gross violation of human rights.

According to the investigation by Komnas HAM, officials from the Operational Command for the Restoration of Security and Order (Kopkamtib), at the time the country's highest security authority and which was first led by then Gen. Soeharto, were involved in the systematic and widespread killing of members of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) and countless other civilians suspected of having political ties to the party.

The investigation also concluded that government officials committed crimes against humanity including murder, annihilation, slavery, forced disappearances, limits on physical freedom, torture, rape, persecution and forced prostitution.

There was no official response after Komnas HAM submitted its findings to the AGO, but the AGO repeatedly called on the rights body to provide more conclusive evidence from the purge and provide details on those responsible for the crimes.

Labour & migrant workers

Court rules against wage hike suspension

Jakarta Post - September 28, 2013

The Bandung State Administrative Court has ruled in favor of a lawsuit filed by four trade unions against the suspension of the 2013 minimum wage plan on 257 companies by West Java Governor Ahmad Heryawan.

The plaintiffs are the Indonesian Workers Confederation, Indonesia Labor Union, Indonesian Prosperous Labor Confederation (KSBSI) and Independent Labor Federation (FGSBI).

In the verdict, the judges stated that the wage hike suspension permit for 209 of the 257 companies approved by Heryawan should be revoked for the sake of justice.

Workers demand wage of Rp 2.1 million per month

Jakarta Post - September 26, 2013

Suherdjoko, Semarang – Hundreds of workers from Central Java staged a rally on Wednesday, in front of the governor's office in Semarang, demanding monthly wages of Rp 2.1 million (US$187) in 2014.

The rally was held in response to the figure of Rp 1.92 million per month proposed by the Semarang Municipal Wage Council.

Rally coordinator M. Buhron said the council's proposal that wages be set at less than Rp 2 million per month violated the mandate that the workers had given the council.

"The proposed wage would not offer adequate living standards. We ask Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo to side with the workers and reject the proposed minimum wage," Buhron said on the sidelines of the rally on Wednesday.

Earlier on Tuesday, Ganjar had hosted a coordination meeting to discuss the minimum wage for 2014. After the meeting, a member of Semarang's wage council, Slamet Kaswanto, said that councilors had proposed a minimum wage of Rp 1.92 million per month.

He explained the figure was reached after taking into account the estimated standard cost of living (KHL) as of December 2013 and estimated inflation in 2014 of 6 percent.

Slamet said the KHL for December 2013 was expected to be Rp 1.82 million. Adding on the predicted 6 percent inflation, the proposed monthly wage totaled Rp 1.92 million.

Acting head of the Central Java Manpower, Transmigration and Population Agency, Wika Bintang, said that companies operating in the 35 regencies/cities across Central Java had different capacities in terms of paying wages to their respective employees. Therefore, he added, each company would conduct their own calculations on the matter.

Separately, Ganjar said he was seeking a new formula in determining wages, as everything depended on the capabilities of the companies in the province. "I have asked the manpower agency and the wage council to conduct a survey on the 2014 wage formula," Ganjar said.

He added that he would review the methodology used for the survey and monitor how the survey was conducted in reaching a particular figure. "I have also asked that both workers and employers participate in the process," he said, adding that the survey was expected to be completed by Nov. 20.

Outsourced PLN workers threaten to turn off Jakarta's lights

Jakarta Post - September 24, 2013

Jakarta – Electricity company PT PLN's outsourced workers, who recently threatened to strike if they were not promoted as permanent employees, are increasing the pressure on PLN by threatening to switch off Jakarta's electricity, an action that could see them face legal prosecution.

"If PLN doesn't fulfill our demand by the end of October, we will turn off Jakarta's electricity," field coordinator of the Joint Movement of State- Owned Enterprises' Outsourced Workers, Yudi Winarno, told reporters at the Legal Aid Institute (LBH) office in Central Jakarta on Monday.

A member of the Indonesian Muslim Workers Union, Mas'ud, was quoted by tribunnews.com as saying outsourced workers could switch off the electricity because one of them was holding the key to Jakarta's relay station.

However, PLN's senior corporate communications manager, Bambang Dwiyatno, downplayed the workers' threat. "They will not be able to switch off Jakarta's electricity. It's not easy to obtain the key to the central electrical relay station."

He claimed he had no idea about the threat. "I've just learned they are making such a threat. Purposefully switching off electricity is an illegal act," he told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Rikwanto said the outsourced workers would be subject to the law if they carried out their blackout threat.

"Anyone who purposefully harms public facilities by, for example, switching off electricity will be charged under Article 51 of Law No. 30/2009 on electricity, which carries a maximum penalty of five-years' imprisonment and a fine of Rp 2.5 billion [US$218,627]," he said.

Jakarta Deputy Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama called on the outsourced workers to convey their demands in ways that would not harm the public interest. "They should write a petition or stage a rally, not make threats. If they keep on escalating their threats, they could threaten to bomb Jakarta."

He said the State-Owned Enterprises Ministry, PLN as well as the Manpower and Transmigration Ministry should take responsibility and solve the outsourced workers' grievances.

Yudi alleged that PLN was violating Law No. 13/2003 on manpower by outsourcing its core business and not providing health allowances for its outsourced workers. "One outsourced worker who died recently of electric shock, for example, never had any allowances from PLN," he said.

Bambang said the company was always willing to conduct negotiations and dialogue with the outsourced workers. He claimed, however, that there was little PLN could do about the workers' employment status because the firm only signed contracts with their respective outsourcing agencies.

"We have signed contracts with the agencies, not with the workers. We are only using workers provided by them. The agencies are responsible for the workers' salaries and allowances," he said.

PLN labor union members from its Central Java and Yogyakarta branches threatened to shut down electricity simultaneously on Oct. 27, the company's anniversary, if the company went ahead with its plans to fire all its outsourced workers on Oct. 31. (ogi)

Freedom of speech & expression

Ministry to revise draconian ITE Law

Jakarta Post - September 25, 2013

Jakarta – The Communications and Information Ministry has decided to revise the libel articles in the 2008 Information and Electronic Transactions (ITE) Law to make it less severe on the country's budding online communities.

"We have sent the draft revisions on the ITE Law to the House of Representatives and the draft has been included in the 2014 national legislation program," the ministry's director general for informatics applications, Ashwin Sasongko, said on Monday.

He added that the government would revise Article 27 of the ITE Law, which provides for a maximum penalty of six years' imprisonment for defamation. "We will adjust Article 27 and also Article 45 of the ITE Law to bring it into line with Article 310 of the Criminal Code [KUHP] on defamation," he said.

He said that in the draft revisions, the maximum punishment for people convicted of defamation would be reduced from six years to nine months' imprisonment.

Ministry spokesman Gatot Dewa Broto said the government would also amend Article 27 of the ITE Law so that not every person who expressed his or her opinion on the Internet could be easily subjected to legal sanctions.

Articles 27 and 45 of the ITE Law stipulate that anyone found guilty of using electronic media, including social networks, to intimidate or defame others could be liable to six years in prison and a fine of up to Rp 1 billion (US$105,000).

Meanwhile, Article 310 of the KUHP on defamation stipulates that anyone deliberately attacking the dignity or good name of another by accusing them of certain actions, with the intention to publicize the allegations, can be subject to a maximum of nine months' imprisonment and a maximum fine of Rp 4,500.

Law enforcers have used the ITE Law to charge people accused of defaming others on the web, including on social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter. Netizens thus facing harsh legal sanctions for their online activities.

According to data from the Southeast Asia Freedom of Expression Network, 11 people have been subjected to punitive measures since the implementation of the ITE Law in 2008.

In September 2013, editor-in-chief of online media site Nias-Bangkit.com, Donny Iswandono, was slapped with a defamation charge after writing an article on corruption on South Nias, North Sumatra. Donny explained that he had asked the governor of South Nias for confirmation but got no response.

In August 2013, a 45-year-old notary, Johan Yan, who is a Facebook user, was also charged with libel for commenting on Facebook about the indication of corruption at the Bethany Church in Surabaya, East Java.

In 2010, a former doctor at the Tangerang General Hospital, Ira Simatupang, was sentenced to five months in prison for libel by the Tangerang District Court. Ira had tried to report sexual abuse by one of her colleagues at the hospital, but she did not have enough evidence.

A year later, in 2010, she wrote emails on the abuse to her colleagues and superiors at the hospital. The doctor, whom she accused of sexual abuse, reported her for defamation. Ira was then dismissed from her job. (tam)

Expelled blogger student receives support from fellow students

Jakarta Post - September 25, 2013

Jakarta – Support for a blogger student who was expelled from Dian Nuswantoro University for criticizing campus management has grown with dozens of students from several campus publications holding a rally in Semarang.

"Expelling a student for being critical is not appropriate," Devy Firman Al Hakim, secretary-general of the Indonesian Student Press Association (PPMI) said on the sidelines of the rally. Tempo.co reported on Wednesday. The demonstrators said that they would also deliver their protest to Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo.

Devy said the university's management should provide clarification as to whether Wahyu's articles were inaccurate.

During the rally, several protesters sealed their mouths with tape as a symbol of what they regard as an attack on freedom of expression.

Wahyu Dwi Pranata had criticized Dian Nuswantoro University's management over various issues, including tuition fees, existing facilities and a lack of transparency in financial management.

The university's management decided that it had had enough when Wahyu published a provocative poem critical of the university coinciding with the inauguration of new students. The management offered Wahyu two options: to leave the college or stay and face charges of defamation. (hrl/dic)

Political parties & elections

Criticism of Joko may boost his popularity

Jakarta Globe - September 30, 2013

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – Criticism by state officials and political figures towards Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo will only serve to further boost his popularity, an analyst said.

"The criticism against Joko Widodo will not weaken him, but instead increase his popularity ahead of the 2014 presidential election," said Jeffry Geovanie, a board of advisers member of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

He said Joko's ability to keep his cool despite the political attacks has given him the moral high ground and the public has become very active in coming to the governor's defense.

Joko has continued to top various polls, showing him ahead of more senior politicians such as Prabowo Subianto, founder of the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) and Megawati Soekarnoputri, chairwoman of the Indonesia Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP), of which Joko is a member.

Speaking to the press on Saturday, Prabowo responded to the poll results, claiming certain entities had paid the survey institutions to endorse Joko.

"It depends on those funding the survey. I, too, can pay 10 surveys and appear as No. 1 in all of them," Prabowo said on Saturday as quoted by Kompas.com. He claimed such practices had become very common. "We are all Indonesians, we are familiar with these tricks."

Prabowo was not alone in his claim that Joko's popularity may have been manufactured.

Earlier this month Amien Rais, the chief patron of the National Mandate Party (PAN), also launched a series of attacks against the Jakarta governor, saying it was not Joko, but his former deputy F.X. Hadi Rudyatmo who had contributed to the improvements in Solo during Joko's stint as mayor of the Central Java city.

Last week, during a lecture at the Diponegoro University in Semarang, Central Java, Amien also likened Joko with the former president of the Philippines Joseph Estrada, saying they were both elected merely on popularity.

"All Estrada did was get drunk every night, and he was elected only because of his popularity," Amien said. "Joko may not be as bad as Estrada, but we should not elect him for the same reason." But Jeffry of the CSIS said it was wrong to claim Joko's popularity was manufactured, adding that the "Jokowi for President in 2014" was a serious movement that grew naturally from the public.

Media must focus on me: Prabowo

Jakarta Post - September 30, 2013

Jakarta – Greater Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party chief patron Lt. Gen. Prabowo Subianto has said the media should focus on him rather than popular Jakarta Governor Joko "Jokowi" Widodo.

"Don't just write about Jokowi, I need coverage too," Prabowo said on Saturday as quoted by tribunnews.com.

Prabowo said members of the media should all be present when he announces his presidential candidacy. He said Gerindra had yet to publicly announce his candidacy because the party was waiting for the right moment.

The former commander of the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus) said Gerindra was currently working to meet the 20 percent parliamentary threshold so that it could go solo in nominating him as president.

Heavy metal-loving governor tipped for Indonesian presidency

Agence France Presse - September 29, 2013

Olivia Rondonuwu – Wearing a black T-shirt and leather jacket, the governor of Jakarta thrusts his fist into the air among a sweat-soaked, headbanging crowd at a concert by rock band Metallica.

If being among the people is unusual for an Indonesian politician, doing so at a heavy metal gig is one of the reasons 52 year-old Joko Widodo has quickly risen to the top of opinion polls as a figure regarded as outside the establishment.

"I listen to loud metal songs, from Metallica to Led Zeppelin, to Napalm Death... because rock is my passion," the skinny governor of the Indonesian, told AFP ahead of the concert.

The city chief's laid-back demeanor hides a potent political force and is part of the down-to-earth charm that has captivated the nation and shaken up a political arena dominated by aloof figures from the era of dictator Suharto.

Just one year after being elected, the man who was born in a riverbank slum is favorite to become Indonesia's next president at elections in 2014, despite not having declared his candidacy.

"He is different from other powerful figures who don't care about ordinary people," 32-year old Metallica concert-goer Rizqi Widyasari told AFP, echoing the sentiments of many who are delighted to have a leader with the common touch.

But despite the euphoria, some question whether a man who has never worked in national politics is ready to take on the challenge of running a sprawling archipelago of 17,000 islands with a population of more than 240 million.

He will not be drawn on whether he will run for president, insisting that the decision is up to his party and his focus remains on sorting out traffic-clogged, flood-prone Jakarta's problems.

However pressure is mounting on Joko, who rose to prominence during a successful stint as mayor of Solo in Central Java province and whose hands-on approach has endeared him to a nation weary of corrupt political elites.

When traveling through Jakarta recently he had no qualms about jumping out of his car and onto a motorbike taxi to beat the traffic, unlike the majority of Indonesia's elite political establishment who opt for motorcades.

During his regular visits to the city's teeming slums and rat-infested alleyways, he listens to people's complaints and checks whether government officials are doing their jobs properly with surprise inspections accompanied by journalists.

He inaugurated the new mayor of an east Jakarta district on a rubbish dump, to highlight that local leaders were not afraid of getting their hands dirty as they seek to clean up the capital.

"The problems are obvious – we just need to get on with it and to implement the policies we have laid out," he said during an interview at his office, where screens monitoring the city's traffic hang on the walls and files are stacked up on desks.

He has made a start on tackling Jakarta's problems, from regulating Southeast Asia's biggest textile market that is controlled by shadowy groups to starting public transport projects and seeking to improve health and education services.

With his humble upbringing – he is the son of a carpenter – and clean image, Joko is a stark contrast to most leading politicians in Indonesia.

They tend to be moneyed tycoons, former army generals – like current President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono – or scions of wealthy political dynasties. Many have roots in the deeply corrupt three-decade rule of Suharto, who was forced out in 1998.

The two men seen as the most likely challengers have been on the political scene for years.

Prabowo Subianto is a former head of Indonesia's special forces who was accused of rights abuses in East Timor, while Aburizal Bakrie is a businessman who has been embroiled in numerous controversies. However, they don't appear to stand a chance in the face of the "Jokowimania" sweeping the country, according to recent polls.

A survey by the respected Kompas newspaper conducted in May and June showed him winning the presidential election with 32.5 percent of the vote, up from 17.7 percent in December. In recent surveys, he has scored at least 10 percentage points more than his nearest challenger.

The groundswell of support for Joko is "so strong that it would be difficult for anyone to stop him becoming president," said Syamsuddin Haris, a political expert from Indonesia's Institute of Sciences.

His party, the opposition Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), has yet to nominate him as their candidate – although analysts say the party simply does not want to show its hand so soon before the July 2014 elections.

But while Joko has generated a lot of publicity, there are signs that his efforts to sort out Jakarta are already hitting trouble.

He has faced criticism over plans to evict residents living in slums around a dam in north Jakarta, and the city's traffic problems seem as bad as ever despite a flurry of public transport projects.

There are also serious concerns over a potential Joko presidency, with some unconvinced that a year running a city of 10 million is enough preparation. Winning fights with veteran political heavyweights could be tough for an outsider, as could battling endemic corruption in one of the world's most graft-ridden nations, some analysts say.

There are also signs that Joko does not really want to become president and spend his days surrounded by the country's most powerful people.

At the Metallica concert last month in Jakarta, he looked distinctly uncomfortable mingling with the rich and powerful in the VIP area – and insisted he would prefer to be among the crowd.

Expect low number of absentee voters if Jokowi runs

Antara News - September 27, 2013

Bengkulu – A researcher from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), Prof Ikrar Nusa Bhakti, said voter turnout would be higher if Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo (Jokowi) runs for president in 2014.

"If Jokowi runs, it is sure that the number of absentee voters would be low," he said during a discussion entitled "2014 General Elections and Consolidation of Democracy in Indonesia" here on Friday.

The high number of absentee voters in several regional elections have occurred because of the public assumption that those candidates on the ballot would not be able to significantly improve the public's standard of living.

"The presence of a new figure like Jokowi, however, will give hope to the people of Indonesia and so the number of absentee voters would be low," he said.

Before Joko Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, emerged, Prabowo Subianto had been one of the presidential candidates expected to run in the 2014 election, Ikrar said. The situation, however, changed after Jokowi was elected governor of Jakarta, he noted.

Jokowi is now expected to run for president in 2014 and the belief that he could win has surpassed that of other candidates, according to various surveys, Ikrar said. "The assumption that a soldier will again lead Indonesia has been discarded due to Jokowi's emergence," he added.

Ikrar said Jokowi's candidacy from the opposition Indonesia Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) would certainly affect the number of absentee ballots in 2014.

According to data from the General Elections Commission (KPU), in the 1999 general elections voter participation reached 93.33 percent, though in 2004 it dropped to 84.9 percent, and further declined to 70.99 percent in 2009. Further, the Lingkaran Survey Indonesia (LSI) predicts participation in 2014 might only reach some 60 percent of voters.

Meanwhile, Syamsudin Haris, another researcher from LIPI, said that voter data would be one of the problems hindering conclusions about the number of absentee ballots.

Citing an example, he said, there was a 300,000 difference between the number of voters available during recent regional elections in North Sumatra and that estimated by the KPU. "The figure contributed to the high number of absentees," he said. Syamsudin added that the number of eligible voters for the 2014 general elections must be clarified to prevent their misuse by various parties.

(Reporting by Helti Marini Sipayung/Uu.H-YH/INE/KR-BSR/S012)

Coalition in tatters as general election nears

Jakarta Post - September 26, 2013

Bagus BT Saragih and Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – As six political parties, all members of the ruling coalition, gear up for the 2014 general election, the fate of the alliance remains uncertain, despite an agreement that it would survive until the current administration's tenure ended in October, next year.

Hasrul Azwar, deputy chairman of the United Development Party (PPP), one of the six coalition parties, said all the parties were now preoccupied with their plans for 2014.

"The coalition is no longer what it used to be. It is like a ghost. You can't really tell whether it exists or not. It seems to appear or disappear whenever it wishes, without our knowledge," Hasrul said.

The six parties, the Democratic Party, the National Mandate Party (PAN), the Golkar Party, the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the National Awakening Party (PKB) and the PPP joined the coalition to support President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's administration in 2009.

Contacted separately, Golkar deputy chairman Fadel Muhammad said the coalition's secretariat had been inactive for "quite a long time".

Fadel said the last time party chairman Aburizal Bakrie joined a coalition secretariat meeting was in May, when the government and the House of Representatives deliberated the plan to hike subsidized-fuel prices. "We are in an alliance but, at the same time, we are also rivals in the upcoming election," Fadel said.

Leader of the PKS faction at the House, Hidayat Nur Wahid, said the PKS had long been neglected by the secretariat. "The PKS is no longer invited for coalition meetings. But still, I think, transparency is always the best option," he said.

With two ministers in the Cabinet, the PKS is still formally a coalition member. But many Democratic Party executives consider otherwise, particularly since the PKS rejected the government's proposal to cut fuel subsidies.

Democratic Party lawmaker Sutan Bhatoegana said the coalition was no longer effective in defending the government's interests in the House.

"With or without the secretariat, [the Democratic Party] had always struggled. Now with the general election approaching, do the parties in the coalition still stick together? I don't think so," he said.

The first signs of dysfunction within the coalition appeared when the Democratic Party publicly introduced its presidential convention participants earlier this month. The leaders of all the coalition parties were invited for the occasion, but none of them showed up.

Yudhoyono was forced to cancel his appearance at the event at the last minute, opting instead to watch a live broadcast of the event by state- owned television station TVRI.

"It's alright [for them not to come]. We just hope their prayers for the convention will be successful," said Democratic Party executive chairman Syariefuddin Hassan, who is also the cooperatives and small and medium enterprises minister.

Earlier this week, the office from which the coalition officially runs its operations was converted into a command center for Gen. (ret) Pramono Edhie Wibowo's presidential campaign. Pramono, who is First Lady Ani Yudhoyono's brother, denied that he was being given special treatment, however.

"The coalition secretariat fails to use this building effectively. They decided to empty it and Djan offered it to me for my campaign. I hope this building brings me good luck," Pramono said, referring to Public Housing Minister Djan Faridz, the building's owner.

A man at peace, Prabowo makes his case on economy, Jokowi

Jakarta Globe - September 26, 2013

Rebecca Lake – Presidential hopeful Prabowo Subianto has outlined his commitment to stabilize the nation's faltering economy, but as his popularity rises analysts question whether the former military leader is capable of distancing himself from his nationalistic aspirations and allegations of grave human rights abuses.

Speaking to a packed meeting with foreign correspondents in Jakarta on Wednesday, the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) founder outlined his plan to "face Indonesia's problems."

Through a series of measures including proposed subsidy cuts in the oil and gas sector, an increase in the tax ratio and budget tightening, Prabowo proposed state savings of $116 billion dollars. "We are wasting $100 billion of our money every year. So, if we can improve, Indonesia will be an attractive place to invest," he said.

Known for his nationalistic approach to economic policy Prabowo emphasized his commitment to "uphold Indonesia's national interests" but made it clear that this does not necessarily translate into protectionist policies.

"Nationalization can be detrimental to Indonesian national interests," he said, acknowledging the importance of foreign investment. "We must compete. But how can we compete if the starting level is so lopsided?" Prabowo said, outlining his plan to create a stable and attractive investment environment through clean governance and good management.

"Unless we achieve effective governance than I think Indonesia is in danger of becoming a failed state," the 61-year-old former army general said.

Revrisond Baswir, an economist at Gadjah Mada University, said it is possible Prabowo could achieve his $116 billion goal but said "there is no guarantee."

The government has set aside about Rp 300 trillion ($26 billion) in fuel and electricity subsidies for this year's state budget – not taking into account June's subsidized fuel price increases, which were meant to help reduce the strain on expenses.

"It's not about the numbers, it's about his vision on what kind of economy he will develop," Revrisond said, questioning the amount of indirect costs needed to achieve such a target.

The economist also pointed to concerns of Prabowo's notoriously nationalistic mantra, warning that, as with previous candidates, promises do not always amount to concrete policies. "His promises could be forgotten and were simply developed as ideas for the purpose of campaigning," he said.

Aleksius Jemadu, dean of Pelita Harapan University's School of Government and Global Affairs, highlighted Indonesia's reliance on foreign investment, saying that "Prabowo must be careful" about the tone on nationalism.

"We live in an increasingly interdependent world, so if you are too strong on your nationalistic view, you will prevent investment," he said. However, Prabowo's patriotism is clearly also working in his favor, Aleksius said, at least when it comes to generating votes.

"It's the way he wants to make his campaign unique and appear different to other candidates," Aleksius said. He labeled Prabowo's approach as a "populist strategy" by playing on the increasing discrepancy of wealth within the population of more than 240 million people.

Yet even as Prabowo's clout begins to rise – to date he has 3.1 million followers on Facebook, many of them below the age of 35 – he faces a serious threat to his "unique" populist campaign.

"His main rival will be Jokowi because he is also going to introduce a policy that benefits the grassroots levels," Aleksius said, referring to the nickname of Joko Widodo who Prabowo supported as Jakarta governor.

Recent polls indicate that the two are the most likely to win the battle for the top job. According to the Alvara Research Center's survey conducted in July, Joko holds the strategic position over Prabowo as the candidate most eligible and electable among the public, earning 24.8 percent in eligibility and 22.1 percent in electability. Meanwhile, Prabowo had 18.8 percent in eligibility and 17 percent in electability.

Speaking of his likely rival, Prabowo admitted to being surprised by the Joko phenomenon and the governor's popular backing. "Politics is very dynamic. A friend two weeks ago could suddenly be a friend on the other side of the spectrum," he said.

One obvious competitive advantage Joko has over his competitor is a clean human rights record.

Prabowo has long dismissed the extent of his involvement in the 1998 forced disappearance of pro-democracy activists. He has also been accused of human rights abuses in East Timor and violence against student protesters during his time in the military. Due to these allegations, which has seen the presidential candidate barred from entering the United States, many commentators and rights groups have questioned his commitment to human rights if he were to take office.

Bonar Tigor Naipospos, the deputy chairman of the Setara Institute, a Jakarta-based human rights group, said it would be ideal if Prabowo could clear the air by clarifying his role in the 1998 riots.

However, Bonar doubted that Prabowo's lingering legacy of human rights accusations will affect his campaign and popularity, at least not in Indonesia. "It gives Indonesia a bad international image, but domestically it's different. Indonesian people have short memories," Bonar said.

As for Prabowo's commitment to human rights, Bonar said that circumstances now are different and whoever is elected will need to contend with stronger law enforcement organizations and civil society groups as well as the media.

Speaking at the press conference Prabowo responded to questions of his past, saying that "accusations are part of the political game" and that there are always going to be certain groups who will "demonize" his character. "I'm at peace with myself and proud of my record... I come from a long line of Indonesian patriots, so I am confident that the Indonesian people will decide," he said.

Muslim parties reject coalition proposal, but leave door open

Jakarta Post - September 24, 2013

Bagus BT Saragih, Jakarta – Islam-based parties have balked at a proposal from a veteran politician urging them to form a coalition modeled after the so-called "central axis", which successfully defeated a major nationalist political coalition in 1999.

Amien Rais, a senior member of the National Mandate Party (PAN), had earlier said that smaller Islam-based political parties could unite to form a coalition and nominate a presidential candidate to contend with the Democratic Party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the Golkar Party and other major players.

Amien was the mastermind behind the central axis scheme in 1999. He convinced leaders of several small and medium-sized parties – including PAN, the United Development Party (PPP), the National Awakening Party (PKB), the Justice Party (which is now the Prosperous Justice Party or PKS) and the Crescent and Star Party (PBB) – to join forces and nominate the late Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid for president.

Gus Dur won a majority of the votes in the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), which used to elect the president, and defeated Megawati Soekarnoputri, even though her party, the PDI-P, controlled 35 percent of seats in the legislative body.

Leaders of the Muslim parties have rebuffed Amien's proposition. "The PAN has never formally discussed the proposal to form a so-called central axis," said PAN chairman Hatta Rajasa. "It was an old idea. Today, we don't have a central axis, side axis, left axis, right axis or any other axis."

Many have speculated that if such a coalition were established, Hatta, who is also the current coordinating economic minister, would likely be its presidential candidate.

PPP chairman Suryadharma Ali said he had never been formally invited to discuss the idea. He said his party was open to any form of cooperation with other political parties. He also said, however, that any proposal to form a central axis was off the table.

"I don't want to use the term 'central axis' because it could be perceived as limited to what we had in the past. The PPP's door is open to any kind of alliance with other parties, as long as we share similar goals, thoughts and ideas," said Suryadharma, who is also the religious affairs minister.

PKB chairman Muhaimin Iskandar said a coalition should be formed only "when parties' ideologies and interests meet."

Manpower and Transmigration Minister Muhaimin said a coalition for the 2014 presidential election would be inevitable because, according to polling, no party would be able to win 25 percent of legislative votes.

The 2009 Presidential Election Law stipulates that only political parties or coalitions of political parties with 25 percent of the national legislative vote are eligible to nominate a presidential candidate.

The talk on reviving the central axis has also been fueled by the popularity of former Constitutional Court chief justice Mahfud MD. Mahfud, who is expected to run for president on the PKB's ticket, said that a series of meetings organized by Amien had taken place, but he denied that they were to discuss efforts to revive the central axis.

"We discussed a number of important issues that have to be dealt with by this country's next leader, and I think it was a positive gathering," said Mahfud, who recently declined to join the Democratic Party's presidential convention.

Mahfud said that a new central axis coalition could boost his chances in the 2014 presidential election.

"[Reviving the central axis] is not my idea, but it would be another option [for me]," he said. "I have been keeping in touch with many political parties, including Golkar, the Democratic Party, PDI-P and PPP, but more decisive moves will be made after the legislative election [in April]."

Late last year, the Indonesian Survey Circle (LSI) found that if the general election were to take place today, major Islam-based political parties – namely PKS, PKB, PAN and PPP – would all get less than 5 percent of the vote each and collectively would only garner 21.1 percent of the popular vote.

Input 'glitch' may leave 65 million voters ineligible

Jakarta Post - September 23, 2013

Jakarta – The General Elections Commission (KPU) said it had uncovered inaccuracies in it's voter data that would affect more than 65 million people nationwide.

KPU chairman Husni Kamil Malik said the commission discovered the problem after comparing its voters list to data provided by the Home Ministry.

"We found that the identity numbers of 65 million eligible voters [in our online system] consisted of fewer or more than 16 digits [the official number of digits]," Husni said as quoted by republika.com.

Husni said the situation was the result of a data entry "glitch" due to the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet application, which limited entered numbers to 15-digits. "When they entered an identity number over 15-digits long, the system automatically changed any digit after the 15th number to zero," he said.

Based on data submitted to the commission in February by the Home Ministry, there are 190,463,184 eligible voters for the 2014 general election. Meanwhile, the KPU has 181,149,282 voters listed on its current provisional voters list.

Husni also said that after matching the KPU data with that of the Home Ministry, the agency found that the data of around 115 million eligible voters could be deemed as valid.

He said the problem only affected the 65 million voters. "We are now working on validating the identity numbers," he said.

Earlier, election experts had warned that the ongoing transition from paper to electronic identification (e-ID) could wreak havoc with the 2014 election registration process.

The Institute of Economic and Social Studies and Development (LP3ES) said that based on the Home Ministry's data, only 134 million of a potential 184 million voters had received their e-ID cards.

The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) said the KPU could delay the 2014 election due to the technical problem.

"The problem could be exploited by certain political parties for their advantage," PDI-P deputy secretary general Andreas Pareira said, adding that the current problem could be a repeat of the voter list fraud fiasco in 2009.

Ahead of the 2009 general election an investigation found that out of a list of 1.2 million voters in East Java 345,000 (27 percent) were ineligible or fictitious voters.

Election watchdogs said the current glitch would likely cause a serious problem. Titi Anggraini, Association for Elections and Democracy (Perludem) executive director said there would be no issue should manual data, gathered by regional general elections committees, be deemed valid.

"According to the Law on the general elections, the validity of voters' data would be based on the manual database. So, if the problem lies with the online system, it will not affect the participation of the 65 million voters. The KPU [must] rectify them all," she said.

Titi said the problem could have been solved if the KPU and the Home Ministry had compared their data earlier.

Based on Law No. 8/2012 (32) on the general elections, the Home Ministry should inform the KPU about the population data of each sub-district before submitting their eligible voters list to the commission. (koi)

Media & journalism

Wary of media moguls, House to amend Broadcasting Law

Jakarta Post - September 24, 2013

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – The House of Representatives has started working on amending Law No. 32/2002 on broadcasting in an effort to prevent media moguls from influencing editorial decisions in the run-up to the 2014 presidential and legislative elections.

House Commission I overseeing information proposed an amendment to the broadcasting law aimed at guaranteeing "diversity of content and ownership as well as imposing stricter punishments for broadcasting violations",

Commission I chairman Mahfudz Siddiq commented on the issue on the sidelines of a hearing to discuss the amendment on Monday.

"The fact today is that broadcasting companies are owned by politicians who apparently use their corporations to promote the interests of their parties. This is possible because we lack strict regulations. This revision will promote objectivity and neutrality in reporting," he said.

Mahfudz said that the amendment under discussion would also allow the government to revoke the broadcasting license of any company that abused its media outlets for personal, financial or political interests.

He said that an amendment to the Broadcasting Law was urgently needed, especially after the controversy over the decision from state-owned television station TVRI to broadcast live the presidential convention of the ruling Democratic Party.

The current 2002 law on broadcasting has many flaws that experts have said had been exploited by media conglomerates to further their interests. One of the most dubious provisions is contained in Article 18, which sets vague limitations to private broadcasting company ownership. The provision has been blamed for allowing monopoly in the media.

On Monday, Commission I and the Communications and Information Ministry officially agreed to draft an amendment to the law. The House and the ministry agreed that the draft amendment would contain 14 chapters and 99 articles. Commission I expected to endorse the amendment by January next year.

To hammer out the amendment, the commission has set up a special working committee with 27 members, including the commission's four leaders – Prosperous Justice Party's (PKS) Mahfudz, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle's (PDI-P) Tubagus Hasanuddin, the Golkar Partys Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita and the Democratic Party's Ramadhan Pohan.

The working committee has also been charged with monitoring for potential violations of the broadcasting law, especially ahead of the 2014 elections.

Communications and Information Minister Tiffatul Sembiring said that the amendment would also have provisions that would deal with foreign ownership of media companies and regulations on cigarettes advertisements.

Tifatul said that some of the provisions would be aimed at breaking up the media monopoly. "The public interests should be put above all. No group is allowed to monopolize the business," he said.

Tifatul, a PKS politician, also supported the House's move to block owners of broadcasting companies from interfering in editorial policies. Major broadcasting companies in the country are controlled by politically wired businessmen.

Media tycoon and Golkar party chairman and presidential candidate, Aburizal Bakrie, controls news channels TVOne and ANTV, as well as the online news portal Vivanews.

People's Conscience Party (Hanura) chief patron Hary Tanoesoedibjo, who is the Party's vice presidential candidate for the party, now controls PT Media Nusantara Citra (MNC), one of the largest media networks in Southeast Asia.

TVRI in hot water over Dems on TV issue

Jakarta Post - September 23, 2013

Jakarta – The Democratic Party leadership has called on the General Elections Monitoring Body (Bawaslu) to be lenient on the party for forcing state-owned television station TVRI to air its convention.

"Let us first hear what TVRI has to say," said Democratic Party deputy chairman Max Sopacua, a former TVRI anchor. Bawaslu said it would launch a probe to find out if the Democratic Party had breached any election regulations.

The Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI) has reprimanded state-owned television station TVRI for broadcasting the Democratic Party's (PD) convention, which was held to choose the party's 2014 presidential candidate.

During a plenary meeting on Friday, the KPI said TVRI had violated Law No.32/2002 on broadcasting for broadcasting the event without going through the editing process.

"The violation is for broadcasting material without upholding journalistic principles, which is the principal of balanced [coverage]," KPI commissioner S. Rahmat Arifin told a press conference at the KPI building in Jakarta.

TVRI also failed to adhere to the notion that state media should protect public interest by broadcasting neutral and unbiased content. "Therefore, the KPI has asked TVRI give equal opportunity to any political party [in receiving TVRI coverage]," Rahmat said.

TVRI aired a re-run of the convention on Sunday from 10:30 p.m. until 12:30 a.m., which drew further public criticism.

Health & education

Government to keep national exams as criticism falls on deaf ears

Jakarta Post - September 28, 2013

Nadya Natahadibrata, Jakarta – The Education and Culture Ministry decided to retain the national examinations, defying criticism from education experts who said the educational policy was a waste of money and would not improve the quality of education.

The ministry on Friday wrapped up a two-day convention attended by teachers and education experts to evaluate the implementation of the national examinations. The meeting, it claimed, concluded that the national examinations should be taken into consideration when determining students' graduation.

Education and Culture Deputy Minister Musliar Kasim said on Friday that the convention had decided that student' final grades would continue to be determined using both the national exam results and final school tests, weighted 60 percent and 40 percent respectively.

"All participants have agreed on the continuity and the importance of the national examination. Some people said that the exam had taken away teacher's rights and caused stress among students. However, we must conclude that the exam measures a student's capability," Musliar told reporters.

The government's decision raised the ire of several education activists who have voiced their strong objection of the national examinations and were not given the opportunity to make their case during the convention.

Elin Driana, educator observer from the Education Forum said that the Education and Culture Ministry had never intended to start a discussion on the importance of the national exam existence, as they limited the forum to the discussion of the exam's technical problems.

"I was very disappointed with the convention because it has failed to discuss the importance of the exams, which had long been called into question. The discussion was limited to technical issues," Elin told The Jakarta Post. "The participants who were invited were mostly come from education agencies. Nobody present wanted to hear criticisms," she continued.

Elin, who is also a lecturer at Jakarta-based HAMKA University said that the government had failed to present a clear argument about the importance of the national exam. "For the last 10 years since the national exam was initiated, the ministry had never published a thorough analysis regarding the exam and how did they measure its importance," she said.

On Thursday, several convention participants decided to walk out of the forum, including the secretary-general of the Indonesian teachers Unions Federation Retno Listyarti, who said that the federation would file a judicial review request with the Supreme Court to annul the 2013 government regulation on the national examinations.

Separately, member of House of Representatives Commission X overseeing education, youth and sport Zulfadli said that the ministry should have given schools greater authority to determine what students graduated

"The government should gradually give the school the full authority to determine its student's final grades," Zulfadli said, adding that the result of the convention would be further discussed at the House.

The convention had also decided that the government should hand over the task to print and distribute the exam materials to regional administrations, to avoid distribution delays to remote areas.

"Our main concern is the increasing possibility of the exams materials being leaked should the government give the authority to the regional administrations," said Zulfadli.

Healthcare preparation in chaos

Jakarta Post - September 23, 2013

Mariel Grazella, Jakarta – The government's universal healthcare coverage program is only three months away from its effective implementation scheduled for Jan. 1, 2014, the same year the country will hold its general election.

However, the government has yet to finalize key parts of the far-reaching program, which will also impact companies and their businesses.

Okky Asokawati, a member of the House of Representatives' Commission IX overseeing health, said the government had to pass at least eight decrees on the implementation of the 2011 Social Security Providers (BPJS) Law, which mandates two forms of social coverage.

The first, universal health coverage, aims to provide basic healthcare to all citizens, and the second, labor coverage, seeks to provide insurance for work-related accidents, old-age, pensions and death.

"The government has only passed two decrees on health coverage, one of them was related to government aid recipients," the United Development Party (PPP) lawmaker said recently, adding that all employers from both the public and private sectors must comply with the universal healthcare coverage program once it was launched.

The healthcare program will cover all citizens, including around 63 percent of 240 million Indonesians who, according to Health Ministry data, already receive aid from various social protection programs.

While universal health coverage will go live in 2014, labor coverage will be implemented on July 1, 2015.

"We cannot afford any extensions," Social Affairs Ministry secretary- general Kasali Situmorang told The Jakarta Post. "Not passing all decrees before Jan. 1, 2014, would cause PT Jamsostek and PT Askes to lose their legal status."

State-owned enterprises Jamsostek, an insurance provider for non-civil servants, and Askes, which provides coverage to civil servants, will be molded into one to carry out the BPJS program. Kasali added that the government had also prepared other necessary decrees.

For example, the decree on the universal healthcare premium amount had been submitted to the Law and Human Rights Ministry for review, he said. Another decree in progress would regulate the investment of premiums considered assets, as well the ledger system of these assets.

In regard to the decree on premiums, the government has proposed that it deduct 4.5 percent of a worker's monthly income as payment. "Out of this amount, employers will be responsible for covering 4 percent and workers are liable for the remaining 0.5 percent," Kasali noted, adding that this amount and its formula would be applicable only between Jan. 1, 2014, and the end of June 2015, when labor coverages comes into effect.

The self-employed, meanwhile, would pay fixed premiums, based on the class of healthcare services they wanted, instead of having their wages or salaries deducted, he said.

However, the lack of fixed guidelines nearing the deadline worries businesses. Indonesian Employer's Association (APINDO) chairman Sofjan Wanandi said businesses needed to know the "rules of the game" to review the BPJS's impact on businesses, including extra costs they would incur to cover each of their employees.

PT Asuransi Jiwa Manulife Indonesia vice president director and head of employee benefits Nelly Husnayati said that those in the private sector "need clarity on the shape of BPJS" benefits from the program by offering add-on benefits to those covered by the universal health coverage, as it did not insure certain services such as orthodontics.

World Bank Indonesia senior social protection specialist Mitchell Wiener reminded that the program, while protecting workers, "should allow Indonesian companies to be competitive and not impede labor market growth".

Refugees & asylum seekers

A call on Australia for asylum-seekers' human rights

Jakarta Globe - September 30, 2013

Rebecca Lake & Sandra Siagian – Indonesian leaders and rights groups have criticized Australia's policy on asylum-seekers, citing its disregard for human rights and ineffective unilateral approach ahead of Prime Minister Tony Abbott's meeting with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono today.

"I, for one, would like to focus more on the humanitarian dimension," Dewi Fortuna Anwar, the deputy of political affairs for Vice President Boediono, told the Jakarta Globe.

"Just saying that we are going to put a fortress around Australia, and say that it's just Indonesia's problem is not going to be helpful," said Dewi, who outlined Australia's hard-line approach as "callous" especially when, compared to Indonesia, it has the capacity to host more migrants.

Abbott's first official visit to Indonesia as prime minister comes as yet another Australia-bound boat, carrying Middle Eastern asylum-seekers, tragically sank off the coast of West Java on Friday. At least 28 people, many of them women and children, drowned.

After being elected as Australia's new prime minister earlier this month, Abbott made it clear that he would honor his commitment to implement Operation Sovereign Borders – which sees a boost in border security. Under the $10 million joint task force, the Australian Navy will turn asylum- seeker boats back to Indonesia when it is deemed safe. The Australian government will also pay Indonesians to act as informants on people- smuggling operations.

"The Australian government needs to be careful that one does not infringe territorial integrity," said Dewi, adding that it would be "totally unacceptable" for an Australian vessel to enter Indonesia's sovereign territory without permission.

"What we have to avoid is low-level conflicts because political leaders can make statements, but if it is translated at the technical level into something that is quite dangerous – for example, naval ships getting into skirmishes – that would be very dangerous."

A lack of protection

"Indonesia is doing everything it can," said Atika Yuanita, a public interest lawyer at the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH), one of the few nongovernmental organizations providing support and advice to Indonesia's growing refugee community.

"We have no control over Australia's asylum-seeker policy, so what can we do?" she asked, emphasizing the group's priority to provide the refugees and asylum-seekers residing in Indonesia with access to basic human rights.

To date Indonesia is not a signatory to the UN refugee convention and therefore lacks the legal framework needed to provide these people with the most basic human rights and does not recognize them as having any legal right to be in the country.

Additionally, asylum-seekers and refugees cannot legally work or move freely around Indonesia and children have few prospects for gaining an education. This legal void has also resulted in grave human rights abuses endured by a group of already vulnerable and traumatized people.

In June, Human Rights Watch released a report titled "Barely Surviving: Detention, Abuse, Neglect of Migrant Children in Indonesia," which details Indonesia's poor treatment of migrant and asylum-seeking children – many of whom are orphaned. Both adults and children surveyed for the report described guards kicking, punching, and slapping them or other detainees.

"Unfortunately, many people in Indonesia complain that the government cannot prioritize asylum-seekers here when many of our own people do not have access to basic human needs," Atika said of the archipelagic nation, home to a population of almost 250 million and where an estimated 12 percent of people still live below the poverty line.

Shifting responsibility

When asked by the Globe whether he was hopeful for a proactive outcome in today's discussion between Yudhoyono and Abbott, Paul Power, chief executive of Sydney-based Refugee Council of Australia, was pessimistic.

"There is a contrast between what we can hope for and what we can reasonably expect," Power said in a telephone interview, adding that "we are seeing a greater militarization on what is significantly a humanitarian issue."

According to the refugee advocate, the situation will only manifest until the region properly understands the motivations of asylum-seekers going by boat to Australia.

"As one of the wealthiest countries in the world and a country with a significant annual migration program, the idea that Australia can attempt to completely turn its back on asylum-seekers is viewed very dimly by many countries all around the world," Power continued.

Australia has long experienced intense political debate over the arrival of asylum-seekers by boat. It's an issue that has polarized the nation's voters and dominated the recent federal election campaign.

It's estimated around 400 boats carrying asylum-seekers arrived in Australia in the past 12 months. About 45,000 asylum-seekers have arrived since late 2007, as a result of seemingly relaxed border policies by the Labor government at the time. This policy led to a voter backlash and the re-implementation of new policies in which boat arrivals are sent to Nauru and Papua New Guinea.

"There are millions of Australians who are very uncomfortable with the direction that our government has taken and there are many people, as the recent national elections approached, who felt they had nowhere to turn when both major parties where pushing hard-line policies in relation to asylum seekers," Power explained.

"I think very much a valid question for Indonesia to ask of Australia is what it plans to do to support the neighboring countries it is shifting the responsibility to... the difference in economic capacity between the countries is enormous."

A dangerous precedent

In the wake of Friday's tragedy, HRW responded with a statement urging the Australian prime minister to prioritize human rights issues in today's meeting with Yudhoyono.

"Prime Minister Abbott should use his first foreign trip as head of state to put human rights at the heart of Australia's foreign policy," said Elaine Pearson, HRW's Australia director. "He should engage with Indonesian President Yudhoyono so that Australia can help improve, not impede, respect for human rights in Indonesia."

As a signatory to the United Nations' 1951 refugee convention Australia has international obligations to protect the human rights of all asylum seekers and refugees who arrive in Australia, regardless of how or where they arrive and whether they arrive without a visa.

But Andreas Harsono, the head researcher for HRW Indonesia, says Australia's current policies contradict its obligations under the UN treaty. "The Australian government is taking a step which I think is quite dangerous," he said.

Andreas acknowledged the concern within Australia on the increasing numbers of refugees wanting to seek asylum within the country. However, he said that the nation has no choice but to abide by the refugee convention.

At the very least, Andreas said Australia could pose as a second transit country in order to take the pressure off Indonesia and ensure that basic human rights are met in the interim.

At a time when Australia has just assumed the Presidency of the UN Security Council, a position that calls for the nation's leadership on the world stage, its disregard toward its obligations "sends a very dangerous message to other countries that respecting human rights is optional," said Daniel Webb, the director of legal advocacy at the Australian based Human Rights Law Centre.

"Some Australian politicians label asylum-seekers on boats as 'illegals,' but it's actually Australia's treatment of them that breaks the law," said Webb, who is part of HRLC's team that has issued a statement to the current session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva expressing deep concern about Australia's "unlawful" and "increasingly punitive treatment" of people seeking its protection.

The advocacy group is hopeful that member states of the council will urge Australia to reconsider its self proclaimed "single-minded focus on deterrence" as well as plans to drastically cut its humanitarian intake. Upon becoming prime minister, Abbott announced his plan to reduce Australia's humanitarian intake by 6,250 places a year to 13,750.

"Ensuring refugees get the protection they need is a regional challenge," said Webb. "It requires collaborative efforts to develop safe protection pathways, not unilateral efforts to close existing ones."

Basarnas accused of receiving illegal funding from Australia

Jakarta Post - September 29, 2013

Jakarta – The National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) has allegedly been receiving illegal funds from the Australian government with regard to the handling of refugees and asylum seekers from the Middle East.

"It is presumed that Basarnas has received illegal funds from and worked for the Australian government to bring asylum seekers and refugees from the Middle East ashore in Indonesia," said Hikmahanto Juwana, a professor of international law from the University of Indonesia's School of Law, in Jakarta on Sunday, as quoted by Antara news agency.

Earlier, 21 undocumented immigrants from Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and several African countries died after their vessel sank off Cikole beach in Kampung Genggong, Agrabinta district, Cianjur, on Friday, apparently while en route to Australia. Twenty four migrants who survived the sinking are currently being accommodated at the Hotel Sarah in Sukabumi.

Hikmahanto alleged that Basarnas as a government institution had become "a paid agent" tasked with handling Australian problems. He said the entire process starting from the discovery of the Middle Eastern migrants to their handover by the Australian Navy to Basarnas was very questionable.

"What a stupid thing for Basarnas to accept the refugees and asylum seekers from the Australian Navy under the pretext that they were found in Indonesian waters. It reflects stupidity, not hospitality," said Hikmahanto.

He said the agency's decision to accept the migrants would be understandable only if the people concerned were Indonesians.

Hikmahanto said President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono should seek clarification from Basarnas on the issue and the House of Representatives had to summon the agency for an explanation.

"The Corruption Eradication Commission should investigate the possible transfer of illegal funds from the Australian government to Basarnas if necessary," he said. (ebf)

TNI implicated asylum seeker deaths as Morrison rejects survivors' claims

ABC Radio Australia - September 29, 2013

George Roberts, Indonesia – Members of the Indonesian military have been implicated in a fatal people-smuggling operation that may have killed up to 30 children.

The asylum seeker boat got into trouble last week and broke into pieces just off the south Java coast. As many as 50 people are either dead or still missing, most of them children. The official death toll is now 28.

Those who did survive are helping Indonesian and Australian investigators to identify the people responsible. The names of two key smugglers have emerged: Abu Saleh and another man called Abu Ali.

And embarrassingly, local authorities have again been implicated as playing a key role in getting the passengers to the boat.

Survivors said Indonesian soldiers helped ferry them to the coast where the doomed boat was waiting. "The army took us," one survivor said. "The army was driving the cars." Passengers recall doomed voyage

The passengers said engine trouble began on Thursday and the boat started taking water, forcing them to turn back to Indonesia. Eventually, the motor pumping water off the boat ran out of petrol and the boat started taking on water. The boat then hit rough seas and capsized only 50 metres from the shore.

Survivors said they rang Australian authorities for help on Thursday when both the boat's engines broke.

"I called the Australian Government like 12 times. I told them we have 35 children," one survivor said. "We don't want to go to Australia, just take us out of the water. We don't want to die. It's our mistake, not the children's mistake."

He said help was promised but in 24 hours nobody came. "The boat just flipped and we start to swim, and [those] who can swim survived," he said.

Morrison rejects claims response took more than 24 hours

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison has issued two statements rejecting survivors' claims that Australian authorities took more than 24 hours to respond. He said authorities received the first call on Friday and co- ordinated the initial search and rescue operation.

Labor frontbencher Tony Burke said rather than issuing statements, Mr Morrison should front the media. "It's not just a challenge to the confidence of the public," he said.

"It's also a direct affront to those people and those officials who are out there working on behalf of the Australian people, and who for the first time in decades have discovered there are no frontbenchers willing to come out and publicly defend them."

Java tragedy survivors claim Australian authorities ignored plight

Australian Associated Press - September 28, 2013

Survivors of a boat that sank off Java claim the Australian embassy ignored a distress call. Twenty-two asylum seekers have been confirmed as drowned but authorities in Indonesia fear that number may rise to more than 70.

"I called the Australian embassy; for 24 hours we were calling them. They told us just send us the position on GPS, where are you," one survivor, Abdullah, a man from Jordan, was reported as saying by Fairfax media. "We did, and they told us, 'OK, we know... where you are'. And they said, 'We'll come for you in two hours'.

"And we wait two hours; we wait 24 hours, and we kept calling them, 'we don't have food, we don't have water for three days, we have children, just rescue us'. And nobody come. Sixty person dead now because of Australian government."

One of the passengers, a Lebanese man, had reportedly lost his pregnant wife and eight children in the disaster.

Just 25 of those aboard had been rescued before efforts to locate survivors were postponed on Friday evening due to failing light.

It's believed to be the first fatal attempted asylum-seeker crossing under the Abbott government, and comes after another group of 44 asylum seekers were rescued by an Australian navy vessel in the Sunda Strait on Thursday.

The boat that sank on Friday had departed from the fishing village of Pelabuhan Ratu, in the Sukabumi regency, on the south coast of western Java. It first got into trouble about 10 hours into its journey and efforts were made to return to Indonesia before it sank.

A police official from the district of Cianjur in Java said authorities were alerted to the incident after bodies were discovered floating in an estuary on Friday morning.

"We have now found 22 dead bodies, most of them are children as they cannot swim," the official said, according to news agency AFP. He said the boat had broken into several pieces.

A spokesman for the Indonesian search and rescue agency, Basarnas, said his office was not advised of an incident involving an asylum seeker boat until 3pm local time on Friday. He said the Australian Maritime and Safety Authority had contacted Basarnas about the boat.

The latest tragedy in waters between Indonesia and Australia comes amid a ramping up in tensions between Canberra and Jakarta over the asylum seeker issue, and days ahead of talks in Jakarta between Tony Abbott, and the Indonesian president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Abbott and Yudhoyno will meet on Monday, with asylum seeker policy expected to be at the top of the agenda.

Strong waves are preventing Indonesian rescuers from continuing the search for survivors on Saturday morning. "The waves are just too high for our speed boats to go out yet. They're four to six metres. We hope conditions improve soon," Warsono, a police official in Cianjur district on Java, told AFP, adding no helicopter had been deployed.

Australian authorities send asylum seekers back after interception at sea

ABC Radio Australia - September 27, 2013

George Roberts, staff – For the second time in 24 hours, Australian authorities are attempting to return asylum seekers to Indonesia after rescuing them at sea.

The Australian Customs ship, ACV Triton, is attempting to get permission to enter Indonesian waters to offload 31 asylum seekers rescued overnight. If permission is granted it will be the second time since yesterday that Australian rescue authorities have returned asylum seekers to Indonesia.

The latest group was rescued from a broken boat early this morning. The ABC has been told that the Triton is now sitting off Timor waiting for permission to enter Indonesian territory.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) told its Indonesian equivalent Basarnas the "preference is for a transfer at sea" to Indonesian authorities.

Overnight the Australian Navy made a mid-ocean transfer of more than 40 asylum seekers to Basarnas. The 44 asylum seekers and two crew members were on a boat which issued a distress call 40 nautical miles off Java on Thursday morning.

Suyatno, the head of operations at the Jakarta office of Indonesia's rescue agency Basarnas, says his agency did not have the capability to reach the boat. The Australian Navy intercepted the vessel and then advised Basarnas that it would drop the asylum seekers off.

In the early hours of Friday morning an Indonesian rescue crew met a Navy ship off the coast of Java and the asylum seekers were handed over. It is understood the handover took place just outside the 12 nautical mile limit of Indonesian territorial waters.

Suyatno says he does not know why Australia did not take the asylum seekers to Christmas Island.

One of the boat's crew members, Azam, says the boat was not broken, despite passengers calling Australia to be rescued. He says the Navy set fire to the boat at sea. The passengers and crew have been returned to the Indonesian mainland.

Asylum seekers only handed back to Indonesia once before

An interception of this kind, where the Australian Navy hands asylum seekers back to Indonesian authorities after being asked to assist in their rescue, only happened once during the six years of the last Labor government.

On that occasion, last year, a boat sank near the mouth of the Sunda Strait off west Java. The asylum seekers said the Navy told them they would be taken to Darwin for medical treatment.

But in the middle of the night, the Australian Navy forced the sick and sunburnt Afghan asylum seekers onto a Basarnas boat to be returned to Indonesia. At the time the Labor government claimed that was an operational decision made by the Navy.

On all other occasions when asylum seekers have been intercepted by Australian authorities, they have been taken to Christmas Island.

Analysis: Operation hints at new tougher approach

The ABC's Parliament House bureau chief Greg Jennett says that while this rescue does not strictly qualify as a boat "turnback", it hints at a new and tougher approach by Australia.

He says it could also establish a precedent with Indonesia whereby any call for Australian help with rescues or intercepts comes with a condition that the passengers will be handed back.

But the public may never know if such protocols exist. The Government is sticking by its policy of not commenting on the operational details of any intercepts at sea under Operation Sovereign Borders.

The next opportunity to question the Immigration Minister and his Commander will be at their scheduled briefing, due next Monday.

Boat was carrying asylum seekers from Iran, Iraq and Pakistan

It is understood the passengers on the asylum vessel picked up by the Navy were from Iran, Iraq, and Pakistan. Crew member Azam has told ABC News that he was tricked into skippering the boat to Australia.

"I was offered work in a tourist boat by a man called Adi. He recruited me in Lombok and and flew me to Jakarta airport," he said. "Then I was taken to an unknown beach with a car and met these passengers and the boat."

He said there was nothing wrong with the boat when the Australian Navy "intercepted" it, and the engine was working. It appears the asylum seekers called the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, hoping to get rescued and taken to Australia.

The transfer of the people back to west Java has caused a minor dispute with local immigration authorities, who did not want responsibility for the asylum seekers.

Unless they have UNHCR asylum seeker or refugee papers they will be treated as illegal immigrants, but Indonesia's immigration detention network is over capacity.

Indonesia now says briefing note sent by mistake

The interception came as a diplomatic row continued to simmer between Australia and Indonesia ahead of Prime Minister Tony Abbott's trip to Jakarta on Monday.

A war of words broke out yesterday when the office of Indonesian foreign minister Marty Natalegawa sent out a detailed summary of a private meeting the minister held with his Australian counterpart Julie Bishop in New York earlier this week.

The email said the foreign ministers discussed the Coalition's plans to turn back asylum boats and noted that Australia wanted to work on the issue "behind the scenes" and "quietly". It also warned Australia's plans to turn back asylum seeker boats could jeopardise trust and cooperation between the two countries.

That prompted former Liberal foreign minister Alexander Downer to use an appearance on ABC TV to issue a pointed rebuke to Dr Natalegawa, saying Indonesian crews are breaching Australian sovereignty and he should not be "taking shots" at the Coalition.

But today Indonesia's foreign ministry issued a "correction", saying the information in the briefing note was not intended for the media, that the meeting was private, and there was no official press release.

"Information [from that meeting] is now being quoted in several media outlets to create the impression of discord among Indonesian and Australian officials on matters of mutual interest, " it said.

"The Indonesian government... stands ready to work with the Australian Government... to ensure the interests of both our people are fulfilled." Tony Abbott says friction over boats is 'passing irritant'

Earlier today, Prime Minister Tony Abbott described tensions between the two countries over the Coalition's border protection policy as a "passing irritant".

"The last thing I would ever want to do is anything that doesn't show the fullest possible respect for Indonesia's sovereignty," he said.

"We are already at this very moment cooperating closely with the Indonesians... I don't believe that the incoming government will do anything that will put that cooperation at risk. We want to build on that."

Tony Abbott asylum boat plan puts co-operation at risk, Indonesia warns

The Guardian - September 26, 2013

The Indonesian foreign ministry has warned that the Australian government's plan to turn back asylum seeker boats would endanger co-operation and trust in joint efforts aimed at combating people-smuggling.

The warning, contained in a statement issued on Thursday, came as the Indonesian navy joined in criticism of Tony Abbott's plan to turn boats back, saying the policy was "too risky" and could cost lives at sea.

In the latest of a string of objections coming out of Jakarta, and just days before talks between Abbott and the Indonesian president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, a senior officer from the Indonesian navy has called for the turnback plan to be abandoned.

"What they need to do is to revise their own policy," Major Andy Apriyanto, a senior officer with the Maritime Security Coordinating Board said. "Casualties may happen with this, and if they are in open sea, first of all it's too risky with boats commonly in poor condition and over capacity."

He said Indonesia had co-operated in attempting to disrupt people smuggling operations, but that "it's impossible for us to stop all of the boats from entering Australia". "We could've just let them sail to Australia, but no, we respect Australia's wishes," he said.

"This is a dilemma. If we don't save them, then everyone will be blaming us for not respecting human rights, not saving them. But if we let them [sail to Australia] then Australia would be yelling at us why we let them go."

The comments from the senior officer, who had been directed by Indonesian navy headquarters to speak on the issue, appear to be part of a ramping up in criticism coming out of Jakarta in recent days over Abbott's asylum seeker policies, more specifically his plan to turn boats around.

Further details of the rebuke of the policy delivered by the Indonesian foreign minister, Marty Natalegawa, in New York earlier this week also emerged on Thursday, revealing he told the Australian foreign minister, Julie Bishop, the turnback plan put at risk future co-operation in tackling people-smuggling.

The Indonesian foreign minister conveyed that "unilateral measures which are about to be taken by Australia are worrying... [and] risk close co- operation and trust which has been gained under the framework of Bali process and with that, should be avoided", according to a statement from the Indonesian foreign ministry.

The statement was prepared as a summary of the discussions between Natalegawa and Bishop in New York, but also included a broader Indonesian assessment of the Coalition government's asylum seeker policies.

"Australia is expecting support from Indonesian government to prevent fishing boats with Indonesian flags to be used for people smuggling," the statement said.

"Australia also conveyed that they are ready to co-operate fully with Indonesian government on this issue 'behind the scenes' and 'quietly' to avoid excessive publicity that would have a negative impact on such efforts."

The Coalition has repeatedly said its new set of border protection measures, including the turnback plan and paying Indonesian villagers for information on people smuggling operations, was non-negotiable.

Bishop has said that the Coalition would not be "seeking permission" to implement its asylum seeker policies despite Jakarta labelling some of the measures as an attack on Indonesian sovereignty.

The statement from the Indonesian foreign ministry confirmed the Coalition's boat policies would be discussed during talks between Abbott and Yudhoyono in Jakarta next week, but also said Australia was "stressing that this issue will not dominate the whole agenda".

Abbott said on Thursday that his policy would respect Indonesia's sovereignty. The prime minister said he wanted to work "co-operatively and constructively with our neighbours" to stop asylum seeker boats travelling to Australia.

"We have in the past worked very constructively together to stop this problem," he said in Melbourne. "We are even now working very well together with the Indonesians, but we can do better in the future and we absolutely respect Indonesia's sovereignty and we would never do or propose anything which is contrary to that."

Indonesia issues warning against Australia's boat people policy

Antara News - September 24, 2013

New York – Indonesia has issued a warning against Australia's plan to implement its policy on boat people, which violates Indonesia's sovereignty.

Foreign minister Marty Natalegawa reiterated the country's stance at a bilateral meeting with his Australian counterpart Julie Bishop at the UN Headquarters here on Monday. Natalegawa and Bishop met a day before the opening of the 68th UN General Assembly.

"We have reiterated that Indonesia cannot accept any Australian policy that would, in nature, violate Indonesia's sovereignty," he told reporters after holding a series of multilateral and bilateral meetings. "I think, the message has been conveyed loud and clear and has been understood well," he added.

The two countries' foreign ministers had met to discuss preparations for the planned visit of new Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbot to Jakarta on September 30.

Natalegawa further revealed that during the meeting Bishop had explained again the efforts that Australia would take to prevent the arrival of boat people to Indonesia. "He also emphasized that measures should be adopted so that Indonesia's sovereignty is not violated," the minister stated.

Meanwhile, Natalegawa also reminded that Indonesia and Australia were jointly chairing the Bali Process – a vehicle set up for countering human trafficking. "There are steps that we can take, but they should be orderly and respect the two countries' sovereignty," he said.

He added that the boat people issue would be part of the agenda during talks between Abbot and President Yudhoyono.

Efforts to prevent the arrival of the boat people and human trafficking are one of the priorities spelt out by the new Australian prime minister at the beginning of his leadership.

As has been reported by the media, Operation Sovereign Borders Australia will carry out various action plans, including sending back boats ferrying asylum seekers to Indonesia before they reach Australia's shores. Abbot has said Australia will respect Indonesia's sovereignty with regards to the implementation of the policy.

On Monday, Natalegawa also met with his counterparts from various other countries, such as Frans Timmersmans from the Netherlands and William Hague from Britain.

He also attended a "Foreign Policy and Global Health" meeting, based on the theme of "Partnership for Global Health for the post-2015 Development Agenda." Indonesia has been appointed to head the forum in 2013, which will discuss the linkages between foreign policy and health.

Marty said that as the head of the forum, Indonesia would make sure that health issues continue to be raised within the framework of the post-2015 development agenda.

Graft & corruption

PKS chairman plays dumb in court

Jakarta Post - September 27, 2013

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) chairman Anis Matta played it safe during a graft trial at the Jakarta Corruption Court on Thursday when he testified for corruption suspect Ahmad Fathanah.

During the trial session, the court's panel of judges pressed him on allegations that the PKS demanded Rp 10 billion (US$870,000) from Makassar Major Ilham Arief Sirajuddin, before settling in for Rp 8 billion, to help him get elected in the 2012 South Sulawesi gubernatorial election.

Anis, who served as the party's secretary-general at the time of the election, claimed that he knew nothing about the cash payment, arguing that the party's central executive board (DPP) did not deal directly with issues at the local level.

"Usually if the process [of giving the party's support in regional elections] is still underway, we don't follow the detail. The party's support to Ilham's candidacy was conveyed to us but not in a written statement, but if [we're talking] about the number then I don't remember," he told the panel of judges at the court in Kuningan, South Jakarta.

He maintained that Ilham's candidacy was handled by the party's provincial branch in South Sulawesi (DPW), and that the central board only issued a letter declaring the party's support for Ilham. "The letter was issued by the DPP based on the recommendation from the DPW," Anis said.

According to him, there are lots of considerations taken by the party before declaring its support behind certain election candidates, but money is not one of the issues handled by the DPP.

Ilham, who lost the election despite being supported by several political parties, including the PKS, testified last week that it was Anis who assured him of Fathanah's ability to handle the whole deal.

Ilham said that, Fathanah served as a middleman, seeking an endorsement for his bid including from PKS leaders such as then PKS chairman Luthfi Hasan Ishaaq and Anis. Ilham added that it was Anis who proposed the figure of Rp 10 billion.

While Anis claimed that he played little part in Ilham's candidacy, the court revealed that Anis had a talk with Fathanah regarding the party's strategy in ensuring Ilham's victory by conducting a quick count.

"Fathanah once asked me for advice to hold a quick count for the gubernatorial election. I advised him that it was better for him to work with a survey institute," Anis said. Ilham turned down the quick count proposal as he would foot the bill for the project.

The court also revealed that the relationship between Anis and Fathanah had run deeper than previously thought with the two talking about a business opportunity with a British businessman.

Also testifying in the graft trial was swimsuit model and actress, Ayu Azhari, who revealed that she received US$1,800 from Fathanah. "The money was a down payment," Ayu said. Ayu said that she got the money for her service as an entertainer in local election campaigns at nine locations.

The award-winning actress however denied she had an affair with Fathanah. To disprove her claim, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK)'s prosecutors demanded the judges to play a wiretapped conversation between Ayu and Fathanah.

The judges, however, turned down the request, saying it had nothing to do with the money laundering charges brought against Fathanah.

Ayu, having listened to the wiretapped conversation in private, said that she was being professional with Fathanah. "As an artist, it is normal for me to talk in an intimate way. I spoke to him in a hushed tone or called him 'my dear' that's nothing unusual." Ayu told the court.

Freedom of religion & worship

Shiites in Madura still cannot go home

Jakarta Post - September 28, 2013

Indra Harsaputra, Surabaya – The fate of displaced Shia Muslims is in the dark as government officials and ulema on Madura Island, East Java, question the validity of the peace treaty reached on Tuesday, and urge the Shiites to convert to Sunni teachings if they want to return to their home villages in Sampang.

Sampang Legislative Council member Aksan Jamal said that no islah (reconciliation) had been made between the Shiites and the local Sunni community regarding the long-term conflict between the two sides. A meeting between concerned parties, namely the local government, ulema and police, had confirmed this, he said.

"The people and ulema here still want the Shiites to return to the Ahlusunnah wal Jamaah [Sunni] teachings. After that, we can welcome them back to Sampang," Aksan said on Friday.

"We will keep on trying to persuade them [the Shiites] to return to the teachings, although we are facing resistance from them. The reconciliation process in Sampang can work if they return to the right teachings," Aksan said.

A local influential ulema, Ali Karrar, said the islah that was claimed by particular people was engineered. "It is obvious that the peace agreement was engineered because many of those present did not come from Bluuran and Karang Gayam villages. There were only five people from those villages," Ali said.

He also claimed that those five people were unaware that any peace treaty was going to be signed, as they had merely been asked to attend a friendship meeting. Ali was referring to a meeting held on Monday at the displaced Shiites' shelter at the Jemundo Market in Sidoarjo.

One of the initiators of the peace agreement, Saningwar from Pamekasan in Madura, said that after the meeting, 73 participating Sunnis signed a peace agreement with 35 Shiites.

Saningwar said the Sunni community was eager to initiate the reconciliation, supported as it was by moderate clerics in Madura. He declined, however, to reveal the clerics' names in order to maintain harmony among Madura's Muslims.

Saningwar said that, for years, the Madurese had been unaware of any tensions between the Shiite and Sunni communities, until the conflict between the two sects erupted violently last year, which resulted in Shia followers being driven out of their home villages in Sampang.

"We are not intimidated by the local administration, police or ulema, who oppose the islah. We are fine and remain confident that the islah will work," he said.

He accused those against the peace talks of deliberate intimidation in a bid to provoke the grass-roots community into blocking the return of Shia followers to Sampang.

"It is the responsibility of the government to meet the demands of the Shia followers who want to return home," he said, adding that the Sunni community was ready to escort the displaced Shiites back to their homes to show their commitment to the peace deal.

The Sampang Sunni-Shiite conflict reached its peak on Aug. 27, 2012, when dozens of homes belonging to Shiites were set alight by a mob. The arson attacks claimed two lives and displaced hundreds of Shiites.

Previously, Shiite cleric Tajul Muluk was sentenced to two years in prison for spreading religious teachings perceived by the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) to be deviant, such as conducting prayers three times a day, using an "invalid" Koran and opposition to the haj pilgrimage to Mecca.

Religious figures in Sampang have repeatedly urged the Shia community and Tajul Muluk followers to return to Sunni teachings, to end the conflict.

Activists question decision to honor Suryadharma for religious tolerance

Jakarta Globe - September 26, 2013

Dessy Sagita – Activists have lashed out at a Thai university's decision to honor Indonesia's minister of religious affairs, Suryadharma Ali, with a Doctor Honoris Causa title for his efforts to maintain religious tolerance in the country.

"I cannot believe the Thai government would allow one of its universities to honor him for religious tolerance in Indonesia when we know as a minister instead of promoting religious tolerance he has often made counter-productive statements that have triggered religious violence," Haris Azhar, the coordinator of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) told the Jakarta Globe on Wednesday.

Haris said that during his tenure as the religious affairs minister, Suryadharma had disrupted religious harmony in the country with his regulations and his reluctance to take a stand against discrimination, especially for minority groups such as the beleaguered Ahmadiyah.

"Prior to his appointment religious harmony was actually quite good because it has been deeply ingrained in our culture, but now the number of examples of intolerance is growing," he said. "The multi-cultural and religious harmony in Indonesia has been a given, it was there before Suryadharma Ali was appointed the minister, but now it's getting worse by the day."

Indonesian news portal Tribunes.com reported on Wednesday that Suryadharma was given the title by Princess of Naradhiwas University for his role in creating religious tolerance in Indonesia.

During the ceremony Suryadharma delivered a speech titled "Islam and the State: The Indonesia Experience," where he explained that in Indonesia, religion and good governance could go side by side in harmony.

The secretary general of the United Development Party (PPP)'s central executive board, M. Romahurmuziy, said Naradhiwas University decided to give Suryadharma the award because he is seen as an important figure who has upheld religious harmony.

Bonar Tigor Naipospos, deputy director of the Setara Institute for Democracy and Peace, told the Jakarta Globe the award was likely given for political gain. "These titles usually have hidden agendas, which makes the credibility of both the awardee and the awarder questionable," he said.

The Princess of Naradhiwas University is based in the southern Thai province of Narathiwat, one of a number of southern provinces with a Muslim majority which have been the center of an ongoing insurgency against the Thai Buddhist majority. More than 3,000 people have been killed in the region since 2004.

"This award makes me believe that this university has absolutely no idea about what is really happening in Indonesia. Minority groups have been prosecuted, churches are facing closure, where's the tolerance?" he said.

Bonar said during his tenure as minister Suryadhama has not had any significant impact in maintaining the religious tolerance in Indonesia. "Over the past few years religious narrow-mindedness has been growing, a lot of people think their religion is better than the others," he said.

Indonesia has come under fire from human rights groups and international observers in recent years over the government's reluctance to temper intolerance or address the oppression of religious minorities.

Human Rights Watch, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom and the Setara Institute have all issued recent reports detailing instances of faith-based violence and criticizing local government officials of cowing to pressure from hard-line Islamists. The Setara Institute cited 264 instances of violence directed at religious minorities last year alone.

The Princess of Naradhiwas University did not respond immediately to requests for a comment.

Peace secured in Sampang

Jakarta Post - September 25, 2013

Sidoarjo, East Java – Displaced Shia Muslims from Sampang regency in Madura, East Java, who for months had taken refuge in Sidoarjo, broke down in tears as they hugged members of the Sunni community after signing a peace treaty on Monday evening.

It was a rare moment; indeed it was a sight that few thought they would ever see, following a string of clashes between the two communities during the past few years.

"We want to mutually apologize. We are tired of the conflict and want it to end. We cannot bear to see our brothers and sisters suffering at the shelter. God willing, all the villagers will accept their [Shiites'] return," Saningwar, a Sunni community member from Bluuran village in Sampang, told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

Saningar was one among dozens of people from Bluuran and Karanggayam villages who traveled to the shelter to sign the peace accord. To show their seriousness in making peace, they said they were ready to escort the displaced Shia followers back to their homes.

Saningwar said that what the villagers had done was purely on their own initiative and without duress. He added that virtually all the villagers had wanted to attend the signing ceremony, but transportation was insufficient.

"Many parties support our efforts, including clerics and community leaders. They also came with us to attend several meetings with the displaced Shiites in Sidoarjo. We also contacted state officials, but they did not come," Saningwar said.

Coordinator of the displaced Shiites, Iklil Al Milal, who is the elder brother of Tajul Muluk, shared the same feelings. "We have decided to bury the hatchet. There will be no hatred or revenge over the past riot. If such rioting recurs, we are ready to be responsible, including an agreement not to question the differences in faith because to us, brotherhood is above everything," said Iklil.

The Shia followers said they would maintain religious tolerance by respecting one another's faiths. "We will not ask other people to follow our ways," Iklil said.

The Sunni-Shiite conflict in Sampang peaked on Aug. 27, 2012, when dozens of homes belonging to Shia followers led by Tajul Muluk were set alight and gutted by a mob. Two people were killed in the rioting. The government evacuated hundreds of Shia followers to the Sampang Sport Stadium, and eventually to the Puspa Agro apartments in Sidoarjo.

Tajul was sentenced to two years' imprisonment for spreading religious teachings perceived by the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) to be deviant, such as conducting prayers three times a day, using an "invalid" Koran, regarding the Prophet Muhammad's companions to be infidels, allowing siri or unregistered marriages and the denial of the haj pilgrimage to Mecca.

Religious figures in Sampang, however, have urged the Shia community and Tajul Muluk followers to return to Sunni teachings, to end the conflict.

The situation in Sampang, Iklil said, was already calm, as all the villages expected the immediate return of their displaced neighbors. They claimed they were ready to live side-by-side in harmony, despite the differences in their faiths.

Separately, the working committee coordinator with the East Java chapter of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), Andy Irfan, said peace had been achieved due to the aspirations of people on both sides of the conflict.

"This was an initiative taken directly by the local residents. Perhaps they wanted to reconcile after wondering why they should remain enemies; especially when, in fact, they had for so long lived together in peace and harmony," Andy said.

Reconciliation efforts, he went on, had begun during the past six weeks. Around two weeks ago, both sides agreed that their discussions should be strengthened and put down in a written pledge.

Key points from the peace treaty

(Signed by the Shia followers and 16 representatives from Karanggayam and Bluuran villages):

Residents from Karanggayam and Bluuran villages (Sunni community) say they will eradicate the enmity of the past, given the bond of brotherhood among Muslims.
The Sunni community is ready to make peace and live side-by-side with the Shiites in mutual respect.
If in the future an issue arises, the Sunni community is ready to resolve it amicably through consultation.
The Shiites are ready to return to their villages.
The Shiites intend to put behind them the differences and misunderstandings of the past.
The Shiites eagerly wish to maintain religious tolerance by respecting one another's faiths and they will abandon any attempt to spread their faith to those who already have a faith.
The Shia community will not file a lawsuit concerning the past violence, aiming instead to focus on reconciliation.

Tangerang church site shuttered by protesters

Jakarta Globe - September 23, 2013

Camelia Pasandaran – It had taken 23 years for the parishioners of Saint Bernadet to be granted a permit to build a church in Ciledug, South Tangerang.

They may have to wait another 23 before the building is actually able to open, after a group of Islamic hard-liners shuttered the proposed site on Sunday before even a stone had been laid.

"A group of people, calling themselves 'residents,' rallied against the church construction," Paulus Dalu Lubur, a community priest, told the Jakarta Globe on Monday

Hundreds of people, wearing white shirts and thawbs (traditional Arab religious garments), rallied in front of the land where the Catholic community, which has 11,000 members, had long hoped to build a church. Congregants currently meet at six different locations and have no permanent place of worship.

"I believe the majority of the protestors... are not local residents," Paulus said. "We're supported by some religious figures in our environment."

Before the protest, leaflets were spread among residents of Sudimara Pinang urban ward, Ciledug, asking them to join in.

The leaflets said that the church construction would violate some articles of the Joint Ministerial Decree on Houses of Worship, that the construction of religious buildings should reflect the demographics of the region and that the parish should obtain 60 signatures from local residents, validated by the urban ward chief.

The leaflets also argued that the parish's temporary usage of a hall in the Tarakanita complex, in absence of a proper church, was a violation of the decree; that church construction is forbidden by the Koran; and that the church's activities could result in conversions to Christianity.

Antonius Benny Susetyo, secretary of the interfaith commission of the Indonesian Bishop Council, told the Jakarta Globe that the parish had obtained a building permit for the church on Sept. 11, 2013, and that construction had been about to commence. "The residents have approved it," Benny said. "We hope the security officers will provide security."

The parish has faced intolerance before. In 2004, protestors forced the church to relocate from the Sang Timur school in Ciledug. Protestors built a wall across a road, blocking access to the school. The wall still stands.

Paulus said that the objections were baseless because the majority of residents in the area were Catholic. However, he said he would keep trying to forge strong relationships with the local community. "We're maintaining good relations," he said.

Bonar Tigor Naipospos, deputy director of the Setara Institute for Democracy and Peace, told the Jakarta Globe that those promoting intolerance were a mobile, opportunist group that had traveled to the site and were not drawn from the local community.

"They always use the issue of 'Christinization' to influence residents with the argument that if there's a church nearby, it will later convert people because of the church's social activities," Bonar said.

"This group moves from one place to another, actively seeking information on churches in the process of trying to get a permit or those that don't have a permit. They usually rally in the name of the residents, even if only one or two residents is involved."

Bonar said the problem was the result of local governments' failures to take action against intolerant groups. "Moreover, the central government often washes its hands by saying that local governments should be the ones to find solutions," Bonar said.

Jakarta & urban life

Fauzi criticised for siding with protestors against Christian ward chief

Suara Pembaruan - September 28, 2013

The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) condemned on Saturday Home Affairs Minister Gamawan Fauzi's suggestion that the city administration should bow to the demands of hard-liners and transfer a Christian ward chief to a different position because of her religion.

Natalius Pigai, commissioner of Komnas HAM, told Indonesian news portal Suara Pembaruan that the Jakarta government made the right decision in defending ward chief Susan Jasmine Zulkifli's from her detractors.

"We want the Home Affairs Minister to support consistently the policy of placing urban ward chiefs [who have been appointed] in a constitutional way," Natalius said. "The Home Affairs Minister should not bow down to the intolerant group."

Gamawan told the Jakarta Globe on Thursday that Jakarta governor Joko Widodo should place "the right man in the right place" and the "right person in the right job." In an interview with SCTV the day prior, Gamawan said that Susan should be placed in a non-Muslim area, instead of in Lenteng Agung, her current ward.

Some residents have been staging protests against Susan's appointment, hopping to have her replaced by a Muslim chief. One protestor, named Ruslan, told Indonesian news portal Detik.com that Susan had violated Islamic teachings by greeting her constituents with the words "good morning, selamat pagi, bonjour," rather than with an Arabic greeting.

Susan told Indonesian news portal Kompas.com that she would not step down, Governor Joko Widodo has expressed his unequivocal support for her and Deputy Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama said that Gamawan should "learn the constitution."

Joko appointed Susan to the office of ward chief in July after she passed a series of tests, including a written exam, a psychological examination and an interview.

Natalius said that if the Home Affairs Minister or any other member of the government gives in to pressure from intolerant groups, it might provoke more demands, which could disturb the harmony of the Indonesian people.

"A non-Muslim working in a leadership position in a majority Muslim society is the consequence of a pluralist nation like Indonesia," Natalius said.

Gamawan Fauzi 'needs to learn the constitution,' says Basuki

Jakarta Globe - September 27, 2013

SP/Hotman Siregar – Deputy Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama condemned Home Affairs minister Gamawan Fauzi's suggestion that the city administration should transfer a Christian ward chief to a different post due to protests organized by Muslim hard-liners.

"I think the minister needs to learn the constitution," Basuki said. "This is a country [that upholds the state ideology of] Pancasila. Public officers are not appointed based on who rejects or accepts them."

Gamawan said that Governor Joko Widodo should transfer ward chief Susan to a non-Muslim area because of dissent in her current community.

"The governor didn't do anything wrong or violate any law" by appointing Susan as the ward chief of Lenteng Agung, South Jakarta, Gamawan told Liputan 6 News on Wednesday.

"But it would be wiser if Susan were placed in a non-Muslim [community], so people's aspirations could be fulfilled and the governor could still have Susan as an urban ward chief."

Basuki said Susan's position should not be revoked just because there are protests, especially since the protests are not related to her job performance.

"The people that reject Susan do not make up half of the total population of Lenteng Agung residents," Basuki said. "The religious differences reason is unreasonable."

Susan was appointed ward chief in July after passing a series of tests, including a written exam, a psychological examination and an interview.

Some 60 residents rallied against Susan on Wednesday, rejecting her on the claim that 99 percent of the population in Lenteng Agung was Muslim. They claimed to have gathered around 2,300 residents to support their demand that the Jakarta administration replace her with someone Muslim.

Joko said he had no intention of removing Susan from her post. "I evaluate public officials based on their integrity and their ability to complete the tasks assigned to them," he said. "We only care about their achievements – whether or not they can serve the public." The Setara Institute, a Jakarta-based human rights group, supported Joko and Basuki 's position.

"Just ignore [Gamawan's suggestion], because the city administration's decision [to appoint Susan] is legal and constitutional and it has also fulfilled good-governance principles," said Bonar Tigor Naipospos, deputy chairman of Setara Institute.

Bonar urged Joko and Basuki to hold their ground, lest similar demands become common across the country. "Jakarta is a tolerance barometer and also a microcosm of Indonesia's diversity," he said.

On Wednesday, Susan asked ward residents to give her a chance. "I hope the residents can see my performance," she told Indonesian news portal Kompas.com. "The governor is actually conducting performance evaluations within six months."

After meeting with the protestors, she said she thought it was normal for her constituents to speak their minds and that she would consider to serve the public regardless of the protests.

Armed forces & defense

Indonesia, US deepen defense ties amid exercises and arms deals

Defense News - September 30, 2013

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – US and Indonesian military ties are growing as evidenced by US participation in the recent US-Indonesian joint-funded Counterterrorism Exercise (CTX) held Sept. 5-13 at Indonesia's peace- keeping forces training center in Sentul, West Java.

Invited participants included all special operations forces of the 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations member countries, plus eight counterpart states: the US, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, China, India and Russia.

However, Indonesia's best special operations force, the infamous Kopassus, was excluded from participating in the CTX due to past US complaints about human rights abuses by the unit during the 1999 East Timor crisis in which civilians were murdered, kidnapped and tortured.

The Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) is implementing military modernization efforts, but excluding Kopassus remains a problem, experts say. The TNI suffered from the US arms embargo after the 1999 crisis. The Kopassus are the best trained and disciplined unit within TNI and exclusion from training opportunities by the US will be difficult.

The US allowed the Kopassus to attend the CTX, but only as observers. The CTX was divided into several programs, including a table top exercise, practical exercise, discussions, information sharing and special simulation.

"Kopassus, just like US special operations, operates according to rule of law and under the direct control by civilian authorities," said Col. Mike Lwin, US Army, Special Operations Command – Pacific, who led the US team to the CTX.

"We know there are some problems in the past, and there are some processes that we are working through on both sides, but I think in general, we look forward to increase engagement over the future in accordance with our political direction with Kopassus. We see the need for increased relationships, and we are moving there. But we take guidance, of course, from our civilian leaders."

Though planning for the CTX began in April 2012, a Kopassus source said the decision to exclude the elite unit from the table top exercise was made only days before the event officially kicked off. The table top exercise was fully funded by the US military.

In the wake of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations that followed the tsunami in Indonesia's Aceh in 2004, the US reviewed its restriction on arms sales and military cooperation with Indonesia. The US imposed the restriction after the Indonesian government failed to stop violence from taking place in East Timor amid the 1999 ballot for referendum.

The revision was implemented in stages, first by lifting the embargo on US sales of non-lethal equipment. Contemporary threats – including terrorism and the rise in tension in the South China Sea – were part of the US motivation for change.

"Respecting the rule of law is a must, and countering terrorism should not be left alone to the hand of legal enforcers as it requires total response from all elements of the nation," Indonesian Deputy Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin told Defense News.

"We could achieve success in countering terrorism if we are able to deeply understand the philosophic and universal principle of terrorism, which has now been able to develop its modus operandi, ranging from the low-level to the high-level intensity."

During his recent visit to Indonesia, US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced the US plan to sell a fleet of AH-64E Apache attack helicopters to the Indonesian Army for $500 million. As part of the package, the US also offers training to Indonesian pilots on tactics, techniques and procedures for operating the Apache. The TNI expects to receive the first two Apaches by 2014, with final delivery by 2019.

In 2011, the US agreed to sell 24 used F-16 Block 25 fighter aircraft for US $700 million. As part of the deal, the US will upgrade the fighters to Block 52, to include supplying 18 air-to-ground missiles and 36 captive air training missiles.

The two squadrons of F-16s will join 16 Russian-made Sukhoi fighters – eight Su-27s and eight Su-30s – for the Indonesian Air Force. Another squadron of Korean-made T-50 Golden Eagle trainers is scheduled to arrive in 2014.

The Indonesian Navy is also undergoing modernization. Next year, the Indonesian Marine Corps will receive light patrol vessels, amphibious tanks and rockets. Two Korean-made Chang Bongo-class submarines are also slated to arrive next year, followed by a joint project with Indonesia's stateowned PT Penataran Angkatan Laut (PT PAL) to produce a similar type of submarine as part of technology transfer agreement with Korea. The submarines' technology is an upgrade from the German-designed HDW 209 and 214 types.

Indonesia requires more than just three submarines to safeguard its maritime coasts and exclusive economic zone. The Malacca Strait is one of the busiest waterways in the world. An ideal number of submarines for Indonesia would be 18 to 24 vessels.

On Sept. 24, the Indonesian Army began receiving German-made Leopard main battle tanks. The Indonesian Army has purchased 104 Leopard tanks and 50 Marder infantry fighting vehicles and other assorted vehicles from Germany.

The Indonesian government has decided to modernize its weaponry systems by allocating a budget of no less than 57 trillion rupiahs (US $5 billion) during the 2010-2014 fiscal period out 156 trillion rupiahs allocated for the defense sector during the period.

Indonesia has pursued two mechanisms for procurement – imports and domestic development. Apart from PT PAL, Indonesia also has PT Pindad, a state-owned arms producer, and PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PT DI), which produces military aircraft. A number of aircraft for the Indonesian Air Force has come through the cooperation with PT DI, such as the Bell 412, Bolcow 105 and Cassa 212.

For the Army's weapons system, PT Pindad has supplied handguns and rifles. The company also provides ammunition for small-caliber weapons as well as an armor vehicle, the Panser APS 6X6.

Indonesia reveals plan to boost defense

Jakarta Globe - September 27, 2013

SP/Yeremia Sukoyo & SP/Robertus Wardi, Makassar – The Indonesian Defense Force is set to receive an upgrade with plans to train more pilots and add eight new squadrons of fighter jets.

"We hope that by 2024 we will have eight squadrons of fighter aircraft," Air Chief Marshal Ida Bagus Putu Dunia said on Wednesday after receiving six Russian-made Sukhoi SU-30 MK2 fighter aircraft. Each squadron is expected to consist of 16 Sukhoi jets.

Ida said the Sukhoi jets were sophisticated fighter aircraft that offered a high deterrent power, which will strengthen the Indonesian Air Force. The deal on the Sukhois also came with an agreement to train pilots for Squadron 11 at Hasanuddin air base.

Sukhoi technology will also be upgraded regularly to keep up with the rapid technological development, Ida said. "[We] have a sufficient number of pilots to operate them. But we are also preparing pilots for new fighter aircraft," he said.

Ida added that the military also hopes to replace its old F-5 Tiger fighter aircraft with aircraft that are more advanced both in terms of technology and weaponry. "We are looking at our options as it is important to find a more sophisticated replacement," he said.

The Hasanuddin airbase in Makassar will also be fully equipped with new weaponry, including munitions, the air marshal confirmed.

Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro confirmed the government's plan to replace its F-5 Tigers. He said that aside from the Sukhoi jets, the military had also received the delivery of one squadron of T-50s (Baby F- 16s) from South Korea at the Iswahyudi military airbase in Madiun, East Java.

Meanwhile human rights activists have raised concerns over the government's purchase of sophisticated spying equipment from United Kingdom-based company Gamma TSE, which has a history of supplying oppressive regimes.

But Defense Ministry spokesman Brig. Gen. Sisriadi said the procurement of new intelligence devices was part of the government's efforts to modernize its primary weaponry defense systems and that the devices were needed for exchanging information with Indonesia's defense attaches across the world and to prevent them from being intercepted by irresponsible parties.

"We will use it only for strategic intelligence, not intelligence related to crimes, bank robberies or other [threats]," the defense minister said.

'New intelligence devices not for surveillance'

Jakarta Post - September 27, 2013

Yuliasri Perdani, Jakarta – The government defended the controversial purchase of US$5.6 million worth of intelligence equipment from a UK-based company, saying the devices were not intended for spying.

Defense Ministry spokesman Brig. Gen. Sisriadi Iskandar said on Thursday that the Indonesian Military (TNI) would use the equipment, which was purchased from UK-based Gamma TSE Ltd., to communicate with Indonesian defense attaches around the globe.

"The devices are not for spying, but to protect communication between attaches and the TNI's Strategic Intelligence Agency [BAIS]," he said in a telephone interview.

Sisriadi, who declined to specify the purchased equipment, said that the devices' hardware and software were being installed at the attaches' offices and in Indonesia. "Individuals, who will operate the equipment, have received training overseas," he continued.

The purchase sparked concern that the TNI would abuse the savvy devices, which were procured with loans from the UK government. Politicians suspect the TNI is planning to wiretap political parties' communications during the run-up to the 2014 general election.

Meanwhile, five NGOs grouped under the Indonesian Civil Society warned against the bugging of activist and civilians' e-mails and phone.

"Gamma TSE Ltd. supplied surveillance equipment for ruling regimes, such as Bahrain, Bangladesh and Mexico. The devices have been used to spy on the public," Erwin Maulana from Imparsial, a member of the Indonesian Civil Society.

The latest case in Malaysia back in March, saw documents relating to the country's elections infected by Gamma's malicious software (malware). Erwin also suspected that the Defense Ministry purchased a complete package of intelligence equipment and not only counter surveillance, as the ministry claimed.

"According to our sources, the company usually sells a whole package on surveillance, recovery, digital forensics and other savvy monitoring products," he said.

In a statement released on Thursday, the Indonesian Civil Society called on the government and the House of Representatives to supervise the use of the equipment.

"The House should form a supervising team on the use of Gamma's technology. The team must listen to the public's complaints regarding damages inflicted by the technology," the group says.

The procurement project was approved by the House's Commission I on defense and foreign affairs last year.

Tubagus Hasanuddin, commission deputy chairman and retired two-star Army general, previously said that had planned to set up a special team to monitor how the military used the wiretapping devices in the months leading up to the 2014 elections.

Indonesia holds air interception simulation in Papua

Antara News - September 25, 2013

Timika, Papua – The National Air Defence Command (Kohanudnas) held an unidentified aircraft interception simulation with two F 16 combat jets of Indonesia Air Force (TNI AU) at Mozes Kilangin Airport, Timika, Papua.

"Kohanudnas held an interception simulation with code name – 37th of Tutuka – as a climax of national air defence training operation," said Timika Airbase Commander Lieutenant Colonel Untung Suropati in an interview with Antara on Wednesday.

He added that the simulation demonstrated an unidentified aircraft without permit infiltrating Indonesian airspace, which was intercepted by two F 16s. TNI AU deployed a Boeing 737-200 Maritime Surveillance as the unidentified aircraft.

"After TNI AU received a report from Kohanudnas, they launched an F 16 combat jet to intercept the unidentified aircraft. The F 16 conducted visual identification and urged the aircraft to identify itself," said Suropati.

When interceptor jets come across suspicious cases, they will force unidentified aircrafts to land at the nearest airport.

In the exercise, Boeing 737-200 was forced to land at Mozes Kilangin Airport and TNI AU combed out the aircraft and held the plane until they received the permit license.

"The officers then interrogated the pilot and crew members of the unidentified aircraft. If they do not have a valid license, they should wait until the license is issued," said Suropati.

The simulation was operated by officers at Mozes Kilangin Airport after 12 p.m. local time when the air traffic was low. The Boeing 737-200 flew from its airbase at The Fifth Air Squadron Ujung Pandang, while the two F 16s flew from Manua Air Base of Biak, Papua.

The Kohanudnas is holding simulations from Tuesday (September 24) to Thursday (September 26) at Mozes Kilangin Airport to mitigate the impact of air strikes on national vital objects.

"We cannot conduct the simulation above the national vital object of PT Freeport Indonesia and simulate the air exercise above Mozes Kilangin Airport," Suropati said.

Kohanudnas deployed at least 100 Army (TNI AD) soldiers and several officers from Mozes Kilangin Airport as well as PT Freeport Indonesia.

TNI surveillance purchase triggers concern in Indonesia

Jakarta Globe - September 25, 2013

Jonathan Vit – A leading human rights group has called for increased monitoring of Indonesian Military (TNI) surveillance activities after the defense ministry admitted to purchasing sophisticated spying equipment from a company with a history of supplying oppressive regimes.

The Ministry of Defense signed a 4.2 million pound ($6.7 million) deal with the United Kingdom-based Gamma TSE for unspecified "wiretapping" equipment to be used by the TNI's Strategic Intelligence Agency (Bais) – one of five organizations with surveillance capabilities in Indonesia.

"We will use it only for 'strategic' intelligence, not intelligence services related to crimes, bank robberies or other [threats]," Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro said. "We won't just wiretap anyone we want."

Defense officials held up the deal as the latest step in a push to modernize the nation's aging military hardware, but critics in Indonesia and abroad raised concerns on Tuesday over the intended use of advanced spying equipment by the Indonesian military.

Gamma TSE produces a variety of surveillance equipment, from mobile wiretapping vans to monitoring software like FinFisher (FinSpy) – a controversial malware program detected on servers in 36 countries, including Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. The company's products have reportedly turned up in several authoritarian regimes, including Bahrain, Libya and Turkmenistan.

Surveillance software, like FinFisher, was allegedly in-use in the lead-up to this year's Malaysian national elections, with several political activists targeted in Malay-language phishing attempts by unknown groups. The program can intercept emails, Skype calls and activate a computer's microphone and webcam for remote monitoring, according to Gamma brochures posted online by WikiLeaks's SpyFiles.

It is unknown what equipment the TNI purchased from Gamma, but a source familiar with the industry said the sale of the surveillance company's equipment to military organizations was rare. But the sale of any advanced spy equipment to Indonesian armed forces caused concern among the nation's human rights activists.

"I'm afraid there's not enough mechanisms and self-control to ensure that this technology is not abused," Andreas Harsono, Indonesia researcher with Human Rights Watch, said. "Indonesia has no third-party intelligence gathering mechanism – be [it] a court or a legislative mechanism – to approve wiretapping. The Gamma equipment is a nightmare."

The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) called the defense ministry's initial silence on the purchase "shameful" and warned of a return to New Order-like military surveillance of rights groups and political activists under the nation's contested intelligence law.

"The big question is what [the TNI] plans to use [the equipment] for," Haris Azar, a coordinator with Kontras, said on Tuesday.

Within their rights?

Rights groups lambasted the nation's updated Intelligence Law when it was passed in 2011, calling the regulation "draconian" in its reach and challenging the law in a failed Constitutional Court appeal. The vague wording of the law allows agencies significant latitude in intelligence gathering aimed at "opponents" of "national stability."

The House of Representatives argued that the Intelligence Law was necessary for national security, citing terrorism concerns, but activists warned that the law could be used to silence political groups and muzzle the nation's vibrant and, at times, combative media.

The groups were concerned that the Intelligence Law, and its subsequent use, would herald a return to the harsh crackdowns common under Gen. Suharto's 32 year rule. More than 1,200 people, mostly political activists, disappeared during the New Order, according to Kontras.

Military officials claim that more than a decade of post-Suharto reforms have laid these fears to rest, but groups like Kontras, Elsham and Imparsial are not lacking reason for pause. In 2006, top military officials referred to the human rights groups as "radicals" in a closed-door security meeting later leaked to the press.

Imparsial was one of the rights groups to file a report against the Indonesian Military over the allegations, stating that the military, in its capacity, should not be investigating Indonesian citizens.

"We went to court to make an appeal to Bais, but they justified that they have the authority to look at the internal threats," Imparsial program director Al-Araf said. "This is an abuse of power, I think."

Election implications

As the nation's political sphere gears up for Indonesia's third direct presidential election, the sale of advanced spying hardware to the military set off alarms over its possible use against political opponents. More than a dozen presidential hopefuls have expressed interest in running, including four potential candidates with military ties.

The House commission on defense and information warned the military not to overstep its bounds on Tuesday.

"Commission I of the DPR is warning the TNI not to use the state-of-the-art wiretapping equipment for purposes outside the TNI's duties and functions, especially not for any political interests ahead of the 2014 elections," commission head Mahfudz Siddik said.

Deputy chairman Tubagus Hasanuddin said the commission would ensure the technology wasn't misused. "The military's purchase should only be used for defense purposes, not to target civilians," Tubagus said.

British accents The UK-based surveillance watchdog Privacy International called the defense ministry's Gamma deal "deeply troubling," in light of the military's checkered human rights record and Gamma's alleged track record of dealing with authoritarian regimes in Bahrain, Egypt and Turkmenistan.

"When you combine these two truths, we have serious concerns that this technology will be abused to violate the rights of the Indonesian people," said Edin Omanovic, a research officer at Privacy International. "Whether this happens from the outset or down the line as a result of function creep, we cannot say for sure.

"But with the Indonesian presidential elections taking place in six months, the timing and scale of this purchase should be publicly scrutinized as this surveillance technology can easily be used to invade the privacy of peaceful protestors, target political opponents and stifle democratic debate ahead of the elections."

The 4.2 million pound deal garnered criticism in the UK over the government's backing of a loan to supply the TNI with monitoring equipment. The bank only conducts studies on three percent of the loans backed by the UK government, according to Tim Jones, a policy officer at the watchdog group Jubilee Debt Campaign.

UK Export Finance declined to conduct an investigation into the possible uses of Gamma spying equipment by the TNI, according to records obtained by the Jakarta Globe.

"The UK government has admitted that it conducted no assessment of the impact on human rights or funding the purchase of this equipment, or the ability of the Indonesian government to repay," Jones said. "It is appalling that the UK government is backing loans for military spying equipment, without caring how it might be used."

New orders

The sale is relatively insignificant in the world of arms sales. The Ministry of Defense signed a $500 million deal with US planemaker Boeing for the purchase of eight Apache helicopters – a sale that nearly exceeded Indonesia's current defense debt to the UK government.

Indonesia is currently on the hook for 350 million pounds in Suharto-era arms purchases, Jones said. The campaign urged the British government to forgive all debts accrued under the New Order regime.

"Britain has an outrageous record of supporting loans to General Suharto for Hawk aircraft and Scorpion tanks," Jones said. "These unjust debts should be audited and cancelled, rather than new immoral loans being given."

British Prime Minister David Cameron announced plans to restart arms sales to Indonesia during a visit with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono last year. The UK government had banned the sale of arms more than a decade ago on reports that BAE-made aircraft were used against civilians in East Timor.

The two nations have since entered into talks for the 2 billion pound purchase of 24 Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft. The sale is still in discussion, Ministry of Defense spokesman Brig. Gen. Sisriadi Iskandar said.

Indonesia has increased its defense spending annually, boosting the budget some 6.6 percent to Rp 77 trillion ($6.6 billion) this year, amid a regional boom in military purchasing.

The nation's proposed budget is still less than the S$12.2 billion ($9.7 billion) spent by Singapore in 2012, but significantly more than the Rp 14.3 trillion Indonesia allocated to defense spending in 2002, according to figures tracked by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

The spending spree is set to continue as Yudhoyono pushed for another increase in the proposed 2014 budget. The Ministry of Defense will spend some Rp 83.4 trillion in 2014, according to IHS Jane's Defense Weekly.

While the country's defense ministry is on the record saying the technology will be used only for military matters, observers and rights groups remain skeptical that the TNI is an organization that can be entrusted with this kind of equipment.

"The government should make sure that these tools are not used against the Indonesian people," Al-Araf said. "But the problem is the Indonesian intelligence has failed to reform."

[Markus Junianto Sihaloho contributed to this report.]

TNI to step up surveillance

Jakarta Post - September 23, 2013

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – The Indonesian Military (TNI) expects to boost its eavesdropping capability with the purchase of millions of dollars of new intelligence equipment, including sophisticated wiretapping devices, by its Strategic Intelligence Agency (BAIS).

The equipment, which was purchased from UK-based Gamma TSE Ltd., is worth #4.2 million (US$5.6 million) and was procured with loans from the UK government. Shipment will be completed by the end of this year.

The House of Representatives has expressed concern that the equipment, especially the wiretapping devices, could easily be abused during the run- up to the 2014 general election.

"The procurement is part of efforts to modernize the Indonesian Military's primary weapons defense system [Alutsista]," Commission I chairman Mahfudz Siddiq said on Sunday.

"BAIS' existing intelligence equipment is definitely out-of-date and inadequate. However, we must warn the military not to misuse this stuff for activities beyond its mandate, especially now that we are moving closer to the elections,"

Mahfudz urged the TNI to remain neutral in the election. "Pak Moeldoko has promised us that the military will take a neutral stance [regarding the elections]," said Mahfudz, referring to newly installed TNI commander Gen. Moeldoko.

Commission I deputy chairman Tubagus Hasanuddin from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) had earlier expressed similar concerns about the equipment. "Commission I will closely monitor the use of the new intelligence equipment," he said.

Hasanuddin, a retired two-star Army general, said Commission I, which oversees defense and foreign affairs, would set up a special team to monitor how BAIS would use the wiretapping devices in the months leading up to the 2014 elections. Despite concerns, the procurement project won approval from the commission last year.

Defense Ministry Spokesman Brig. Gen. Sisriadi Iskandar confirmed that the new intelligence equipment was scheduled to arrive in the country by the end of this year. Sisriadi, however, declined to comment on whether the shipment would include wiretapping devices.

"Intelligence equipment can be many things. It could be unethical for me to elaborate because Law No. 14/008 forbids the release of information on intelligence activities to the public," Sisriadi said.

He gave assurances that the equipment would not be abused for political purposes. "I do appreciate the concerns expressed by Commission I, which remind us to use the intelligence equipment with discretion. As our commander has stated, the military will be neutral in using what has been entrusted to us," he said.

The revelation of the intelligence equipment purchase came in UK Export Finance's annual report released on June 20 this year.

The move drew criticism from the UK-based Jubilee Debt Campaign, a non- profit organization that promotes freedom from the slavery of unjust debts, stating on its website that the UK government had forced Indonesia, as well as other countries that received the loans, into greater debt without assessing the impact or the ability of the countries to repay.

According to the organization, Indonesia still owed the UK government #350 million ($560 million), mainly from arms sales to the regime of former president Soeharto.

Police & law enforcement

Little enthusiasm for SBY's choice of police chief

Jakarta Globe - September 30, 2013

Farouk Arnaz, Markus Junianto Sihaloho & SP/Novianti Setuningsih – Being considered the most harmless among a rotten bunch is hardly a ringing endorsement for the man the president has nominated to take over the National Police, rated the nation's most corrupt body in a 2013 survey.

Comr. Gen. Sutarman hasn't distinguished himself in his time as top detective, according to antigraft campaigners, and has shown a degree of animosity towards the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

"What is supposed to make me optimistic? By not offering full support for the KPK, don't expect the police to solve big cases," Indonesia Corruption Watch coordinator Danang Widoyoko said on Friday, as quoted by Tempo.co.

Danang added that he did not have any reason to believe in Sutarman's ability to reform the law-enforcement institution, which received the nation's worst ranking in this year's Global Corruption Barometer conducted by Transparency International.

In short, Danang said there was nothing special about Sutarman, whom he doubted would actively tackle corrupt officers within the force.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Friday submitted a letter to the House of Representatives nominating Sutarman to replace Gen. Timur Pradopo as National Police Chief. The letter is scheduled to be officially read at the House's plenary session on Tuesday.

Sutarman has previously gone head-to-head with the KPK over the handling of the driving simulator procurement scandal.

Following the KPK's move to name Insp. Gen. Djoko Susilo as a suspect in the case in July, Sutarman claimed the antigraft institution had bypassed the police, who he said had been the first to investigate the case. He further added that the KPK had violated a memorandum of agreement on joint investigations and could be charged under the corruption law for hampering the investigation process.

Asked for comments on Sutarman's appointment, KPK chairman Abraham Samad refused to comment.

"The KPK is not in a position to support or not support an individual or others positioned as the National Police chief because that is the president's authority," Abraham said on Friday.

On Sunday, Bambang Soesatyo of House Commission III, which oversees legal affairs, said a fit and proper test for the national police chief nominee would be scheduled soon.

"After that, everything will depend on the president," Bambang said.

On his part, Sutarman has said little about his nomination. "Please pray and support me," he said on Sunday, without mentioning any plans for reform or other programs.

Police chief candidate's antigraft commitment doubted

Jakarta Post - September 29, 2013

Ina Parlina, Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono seems to have made a safe decision by nominating Comr. Gen. Sutarman as the sole National Police chief candidate, with the majority of lawmakers throwing their support behind his choice even before they interviewed him.

But antigraft watchdogs have questioned whether the top police general has the capability or willingness to take on rampant corruption within the force.

Emerson Yuntho of the Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW) said people should not forget that Sutarman, currently the police's criminal investigations division chief, was among the top police officials who opposed the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) investigation into Insp. Gen. Djoko Susilo, who was convicted of graft and money laundering and sentenced to 10 years in prison for his role in the Rp 144 billion (US$12.4 million) vehicle simulator graft case.

Djoko was the first top police general to be charged by the antigraft body, in a move analysts said would open the doors to more graft investigations involving other top police officials. His downfall is widely seen as a major victory against systemic corruption in the police force, which only a few years ago was seen as above the law.

"[Sutarman] often opposed the KPK, so I doubt he will be able to root out corruption in the police," Emerson told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.

The police's animosity toward the KPK became evident in a series of incidents, in particular one relating to the latter's attempt to investigate corruption implicating top members of the police.

When the simulator graft case first emerged in October last year, the two institutions were involved in a series of showdowns resulting in dozens of police officers trying to enter the antigraft body's headquarters to arrest a KPK investigator in the case, Novel Baswedan, for allegedly shooting robbery suspects in 2004. Sutarman reportedly gave the nod to the Bengkulu Police to press charges against Novel.

The police also ordered 20 officers seconded to the KPK, most of whom were also investigating the case, to immediately return to the force in protest against the KPK's decision to investigate Djoko, who was then National Police Traffic Corps (Korlantas) chief. Sutarman insisted the force should take over the high-profile graft case from the KPK.

Uchok Sky Khadafi of the Indonesian Forum for Budget Transparency (FITRA) accused the President of appointing Sutarman to contain the KPK, which has taken bold moves to combat corruption. He said the police general would easily be endorsed by the House of Representatives as they shared a dislike of the KPK.

However, the National Police Commission (Kompolnas), which was tasked with conducting background checks of police chief candidates including Sutarman, dismissed the activists' concerns, saying he was "clean" and was committed to corruption eradication.

Kompolnas member Edi Hasibuan, who admitted that tackling corruption would be his biggest challenge in restoring the image of the police, said: "Sutarman has enough experience regardless of his seniority. He will be able to take reform forward."

Police observer Bambang Widodo Umar was confident about Sutarman, saying the man would be able to prove his critics wrong.

"Given that he is a calm person, he can nurture and unite his men in attempt to improve the institution. I hope he is serious about fixing the internal monitoring mechanism, as well as tackling corruption within the force," he said.

Sutarman to become new police chief

Jakarta Post - September 28, 2013

Ina Parlina and Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has nominated Comr. Gen. Sutarman as the sole candidate for the top post at the National Police in one of the most crucial decisions ahead of the 2014 election.

The House of Representatives confirmed Sutarman's sole candidacy on Friday just after they received the President's recommendation letter. Sutarman will undergo a fit-and-proper-test at the House to receive its endorsement before being inaugurated as the new police chief, replacing Gen. Timur Pradopo.

Sutarman, who is the current National Police criminal investigations division chief, is widely seen as a neutral figure who would remain impartial in the lead up to the upcoming legislative and presidential elections.

"The President only considered one name: Sutarman," House deputy speaker Priyo Budi Santoso said, adding that the House's Commission III overseeing legal affairs would later hold a fit-and-proper test for him.

Presidential spokesman Julian Aldrin Pasha refused to confirm whether Sutarman was the sole candidate, but hinted that the proposed candidate "still had enough time before retirement."

The 55-year-old former West Java Police chief was appointed as Jakarta Police chief in October 2010, replacing Timur. Sutarman started his current post as chief detective in July 2011.

Julian also declined to elaborate on the reason behind the President's choice, which many criticized as premature, only saying that the decision was in line with the 2002 Police Law and that Yudhoyono "had considered candidates selected by the National Police Commission [Kompolnas] and Timur."

Timur is set to retire next year, but Yudhoyono said that he wanted the police to be fully prepared to safeguard the upcoming elections and that it would not be the best decision to have a new police chief immediately beforehand.

It appeared that the lawmakers also felt secure about the neutrality of Sutarman, whom they deemed as having progressive ideas, ahead of the polls.

"His track record is clear. He was never associated with politics, or at least no indication of political ties," Priyo said. "Safeguarding the election processes will be his main task."

Antigraft watchdogs, however, are skeptical that Sutarman can root out the corruption culture in the force, given the fact that he openly opposed the KPK investigation into Insp. Gen. Djoko Susilo, a defendant in a graft case surrounding the Rp 144 billion vehicle simulator procurement project.

His 2012 wealth report shows that Sutarman had Rp 5.34 billion worth of assets and savings totaling US$24,194, a slight increase from Rp 5.31 billion in 2011. He also recorded $24,175 savings in 2011.

Several other potential candidates for the National Police chief are Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Putut Eko Bayuseno, a former adjutant to Yudhoyono, National Narcotics Agency (BNN) chief Comr. Gen. Anang Iskandar and the force's education division chief Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan.

Police observer Bambang Widodo Umar said a police chief should not side with any political parties. "Sutarman is a calm person; I hope he can be independent," he said.

Illegal activities thriving on weak law enforcement

Jakarta Globe - September 25, 2013

Farouk Arnaz – Weak law enforcement by the police has become one of the main reasons why militant groups, thugs and gangsters have dared to take the law in their own hands while at the same time illegal guns can circulate freely across the country, activists and analysts have said.

They said that such failure to take tough action, has led people to believe that the police have been condoning acts of violence and intolerance.

On Sunday, hundreds of people wearing white shirts and thawbs (traditional Muslim wardrobe), rallied in front of property where Saint Bernadet parishioners in Ciledug, South Tangerang plan to build a Catholic church.

It had taken 23 years for the Catholic community to be granted a permit to build. They may have to wait another 23 years before services resume, after a group of hardline Muslim protesters shuttered the proposed site on Sunday before even a stone had been laid.

While threats to commit violence against the congregation members were made, police officers arrived late to the site. The police admitted that the protesters had not informed local officers of the action.

Under law, all protesters must inform the police, and by failing to do that the police could charge them with disrupting public order, which punishable by a jail term. The police later disbanded the group but no one was arrested.

"A group of people, calling themselves 'residents,' rallied against the church construction," Paulus Dalu Lubur, a community priest, told the Jakarta Globe on Monday. "I believe the majority of the protesters... are not local residents," Paulus said. "We're supported by some religious figures in our area."

Antonius Benny Susetyo, secretary of the interfaith commission of the Indonesian Bishop Council, told the Globe that the parish had obtained a building permit for the church on Sept. 11 and that construction had been about to commence.

Bonar Tigor Naipospos, deputy director of the Setara Institute for Democracy and Peace, told the Globe that those promoting intolerance were mobile, opportunist groups that in this instance had traveled to the site and were not drawn from the local community.

Bonar said the problem was the result of the failures of police and local government to take action against such intolerant groups. The number of churches that face disruption continue to rise from year to year.

"Disruptions rose in 2011 to 64 cases, in 2012 to 76 cases, or an increase of 8 percent," said Theophilus Bela, chairman of the Jakarta Christian Communication Forum (FKKJ) on Sunday.

He said that the disruptions come in various forms such as intimidation and forced closure of churches and mosques. "The police have never jailed members of the groups. So, they will keep coming," he said.

The National Police have denied claims that the police condone acts of intolerance.

Thugs and hostage takers

Thuggery also remains remains a serious issue, with two recent examples of lack of police intervention, criminologist Yogo Tri Hendarto said.

In one instance two people were recently held hostage and tortured in a shop in West Jakarta by a security company after they failed to pay their debts.

In another incident, the building of the Depok District Court in West Java was attacked by members of a mass organization. Hundreds of members of Pemuda Pancasila, an organization notorious for its thuggery, attacked the site last week, threatening the chairman of the court over a disputed land case.

The members, dressed in the organization's military-style uniforms, rammed motorbikes into the court's glass entry door, smashing their way into the building as they headed to chairman Prim Haryadi's office. The police were again late to arrive to prevent the vandalism.

Yogo said that the police must begin to get tough on these gangsters, and bring them to justice to create a deterrent effect and prevent similar action in the future.

However, he agreed that thuggery was not just the police's concern, but everyone's. "Everyone must get involved [to overcome the problem], from the government to the public," he said.

Yogo attributed the rampant thuggery practice to a lack of job opportunities. He said that there were barriers in Indonesia in which only educated people can get jobs. "If you are not an undergraduate you have difficulties to finding a job," he said.

The police's weak management of thuggery was also to blame, he said. Yogo said that the police tend to take actions after an event instead of taking a preventive measure. He added that the shooting of police officers demonstrated that criminals no longer consider the police a threat.

Yogo also called on the police to supervise companies that provide security services, saying that they could be a mask or a modus to extort or to support certain institutions.

Illegal weapons

The Indonesia Police Watch (IPW) blames the police and government for their lack of seriousness in tackling illegal weapons distribution. That contributed to the rising number of civilians possessing illegal guns and threatening others over small matters, thus leading to an increase in armed robberies and terrorist attacks.

IPW chairman Neta S. Pane attributed the condition to the government's policy to easily allow civilians to own weapons by paying non-tax state income.

He said that police must quickly stop the circulation of illegal guns, and when they could arrest those involved in the making and distribution of the guns, they must be tough on them.

Many civilians who buy guns illegally tend to show them off and threaten other people, while a number of police officers have been shot to death using illegal guns in the past several months.

Economy & investment

Indonesia long way off rerun of 1997-1998 crisis

Jakarta Post - September 30, 2013

Linda Yulisman, Jakarta – Despite exchange rate depreciation, high inflation and slower growth, the country is not likely to slip into another 1997-1998 crisis, says the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The statement refutes concerns expressed recently by foreign banks such as Singapore-based DBS Bank and Bank of America Merrill Lynch, who reminded Indonesia of its vulnerability to return to the financial crisis of almost two decades ago.

IMF Deputy Managing Director Naoyuki Shinohara said that one of the indicators was the low proportion of debt – both government and private – to the gross domestic product (GDP), while the dependency on short-term private borrowing was also moderate.

Apart from this, external factors, such as the policy taken by authorities in Asian countries that allowed for the flexible movement of their currencies, also contributed to a more positive outlook, Shinohara added.

"Looking at the situation, we are not worried about an Asian crisis-type problem appearing in the future," Shinohara told The Jakarta Post in a recent interview.

"We don't think it's a likely event at the moment, but that doesn't mean Indonesia doesn't have to do anything," he went on, referring to structural reforms needed to strengthen the capacity of the public sector outside of maintaining macroeconomic prudence.

Indonesia's debt-to-GDP ratio at present has settled at around 24 percent, which is one of the lowest in the world, and also quite lower compared to its Southeast Asian neighbors such as Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand, which range between 30 percent and 60 percent.

The rupiah has depreciated against the US dollar considerably in the past few months due to external developments as well as shrinking market confidence triggered by record trade and current-account deficits.

The currency declined 1.6 percent last week to 11,538 per US dollar as of 4:05 p.m. on Friday in Jakarta, the biggest drop after Malaysia's ringgit among the 10 most-traded Asian currencies, according to prices from local banks compiled by Bloomberg. It has tumbled 14 percent this quarter, the most since the final three months of 2008.

During the 1997-1998 Asian financial crisis, the rupiah drastically slumped from around 2,000 per dollar to more than 16,000 per dollar, which prompted corporate debt defaults, resulting in extra burdens on the state budget as government debt repayments were highly impacted.

Shinohara further said that Indonesia should remain flexible to be able to respond to external developments, particularly the planned US monetary policy, which might cause a lot of movement in financial markets, especially in emerging economies.

"The right set of macroeconomic policies as well as the right messages to the market are important and will continue to be important to the country," he said.

In the past four years, emerging economies have enjoyed strong growth, in part driven by large-scale monetary easing in advanced economies. The measure has allowed, among others things, faster foreign capital inflows, higher commodity prices and lower interest rates.

However, the situation has changed and these economies should now accept new norms – lower economic growth, declining equity prices, lower exchange rates and higher interest rates, according to the IMF.

The new norms will also apply to Indonesia, according to Shinohara. In its recent economic outlook, the IMF cut its growth projection for Indonesia this year to 5.3 percent from the 6.3 percent estimated earlier. The Inflation rate is expected to rise to 9.5 percent and current account deficit to reach 3.5 percent of the GDP, it says.

IMF senior resident representative for Indonesia, Benedict Bingham, said that Indonesia's growth next year would be strongly helped by improvements in the global economy, which could increase net exports – the value of total exports minus the value of overall imports. From January to July, Indonesia booked a trade gap of US$5.65 billion, particularly due to ballooning fuel imports.

In addition to this, domestic consumption would continue to boost growth, picking up on the back of potential higher spending ahead of the general election next year.

"Consumption and net exports will make positive contributions to Indonesia's growth," he said.

Swelling subsidy fear haunts Indonesia

Jakarta Post - September 26, 2013

Satria Sambijantoro, Jakarta – The government says it is becoming more concerned that the weakening rupiah will unexpectedly cause soaring energy subsidies despite its commitment not to further raise fuel prices.

An increase in fuel prices is necessary, according to analysts, to ease the burden of subsidy spending by the government. But the issue of fuel prices is a politically sensitive issue given the approaching 2014 general election.

Finance Ministry fiscal head Bambang Brodjonegoro said on Wednesday that the government would focus on "pushing down" the volume for subsidized fuel, rather than raising prices to cope with the surge in subsidies.

"We need to get serious on enforcing the quota. Our subsidized fuel consumption supposedly won't exceed 48 [million kiloliters] with existing fuel prices," he said after a House of Representatives' budget committee meeting.

Next year, Indonesia is expected to spend Rp 328 trillion (US$29 billion) on energy subsidies, which comprises Rp 230 trillion for fuel and Rp 98 trillion for electricity.

The spending on energy subsidies next year is Rp 44 trillion or about 15 percent higher than the President's initial proposal because of the sharp depreciation of the rupiah that will drive up oil imports.

This is because the earlier budget assumed the rupiah would trade at Rp 9,750 per US dollar, while the government now planned to revise up the currency assumption to Rp 10,500 against the greenback.

Although insisting a fuel-price hike was unlikely, the government acknowledged it "is now becoming more concerned about the sharp depreciation of the currency and whether it would eventually lead to an increase in the government's fuel spending".

"Moreover, if our currency becomes weaker, people who initially used non- subsidized Pertamax gasoline might switch to subsidized Premium again, because of the widening price discrepancy between the two," Bambang told lawmakers.

For comparison, the additional Rp 44 trillion that the government must spend on energy subsidies is higher than the combined budget allocated to the Agriculture Ministry (Rp 15.5 trillion), the Law and Human Rights Ministry (Rp 7.3 trillion), the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry (Rp 5.6 trillion), the Forestry Ministry (Rp 5.2 trillion), the Foreign Ministry (Rp 5 trillion) and the Manpower and Transmigration Ministry (Rp 3.9 trillion).

Riski Sadig, a House budget committee lawmaker from the National Mandate Party (PAN), said the swelling energy subsidies were worrisome. To prevent the state budget from being pressured by the fluctuation in currency and global oil price, he suggested the government implement fixed energy subsidies.

The idea of fixed energy subsidies was once raised by Finance Minister Chatib Basri, who suggested the government impose a limit on fuel subsidies, for instance Rp 2,000 per liter, so the price of subsidized Premium gasoline would be adjusted up automatically at times when the oil price soared too high, or when the rupiah became too weak.

"If we can have a law limiting the state budget deficit at 3 percent [of gross domestic product], then why can't we have the same thing on subsidies?" said Riski, suggesting a "huge revolution" in Indonesia's law so energy subsidies would not exceed a certain threshold.

The government has estimated that the bigger-than-expected energy subsidies will drive the deficit in the 2014 state budget to top 2 percent, higher than the 1.5 percent in its initial forecast.

A higher budget deficit means the government must issue an additional Rp 57.1 trillion of bonds to plug the shortfall, according to government estimates.

However, the idea the government would have to issue additional bonds to pay for unproductive spending, such as energy subsidies, might not bode well among foreign investors, according to JP Morgan Chase's senior country officer for Indonesia, Haryanto T. Budiman.

"Having an energy subsidy that is too big makes a lot of people nervous," he said. "They [foreign investors] would rather buy Indonesian bonds that are used to finance infrastructure, because it's productive - if they are buying bonds and the bonds are used to pay for subsidies, it's a different story."

Analysis & opinion

Resolving '65

Jakarta Post Editorial - September 30, 2013

An American director working in Indonesia with survivors of the bloodshed relating to the 1965 purge gained trust and stories from first hand sources – killers of thousands of fellow Indonesians during the 1960s upheaval.

They opened up easily, even boasting about their acts. One even danced on the site where he murdered suspected communists, and he became the central actor of the chilling documentary titled The Act of Killing, a recipient of numerous awards.

The producer recently announced that the film directed by Joshua Oppenheimer can be downloaded for free as of Sept. 30, the date when we fly the national flag half-mast to commemorate the failed 1965 coup by the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) and their victims, as the official version goes.

The next day, Oct. 1, is still Sacred Pancasila Day, when the red-and-white flutters at full-mast, symbolizing how good triumphed against evil through the crushing of the coup and all the unmentioned measures to purge that evil – while more survivors and their descendants demand their rehabilitation from links with the PKI.

Even while other accounts are exposed apart from the New Order version, the annual flag rituals continue – while President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the son-in-law of an officer known for his heroic role in the 1965 purge, will unlikely meet demands of a state apology to former political prisoners detained for years without trial, the descendants and those victims of forced disappearances and killings.

Today's more painful fact, following new documentaries and reports highlighting the testimonies of the perpetrators, is that not many seem moved over the boasting and justifying of the killings. This also reflects general apathy over 1965, as attempts to expose other experiences beyond official history have been met with resistance.

This is unsurprising as those linked to the 1960s witch-hunt are still influential. When the National Commission on Human Rights issued its report last year over the bloodshed, they protested its recommendation of state apology and further investigation, saying that many of the killings were retaliation against terror and murder by communists – who had targeted "capitalist bureaucrats", among others.

The period before and after September 1965 became known for one of the world's worst killings against at least 500,000 people, which historians have shown to involve the military, civilians, and foreign parties eager to curb communist power. It took the Dutch 60 years to officially apologize to families over a single incident of the killing of their colonial subjects. If Indonesians want the best for the new generation, we should accept that hundreds of thousands of citizens and their descendants were subject to injustice that remains largely unaddressed.

Dismissing the 1965 issue has contributed to repeated violence, similarly justified by causes that whip up public sympathy, retaining impunity among the perpetrators. Thanks to creative and concerned people, and technology which forces open untold stories, more Indonesians question decades-old propaganda. But without state action to face our past, our legacy is our silence which protects murderers for life.

Rewriting the story of 1965 tragedy

Jakarta Post - September 30, 2013

Jess Melvin, Melbourne – Forty-eight years ago on Oct. 1, 1965, the Indonesian military under the leadership of Soeharto launched its long anticipated attack against the now defunct Indonesian Communist Party (PKI).

This attack was aimed at seizing state power and sparked one of the 20th century's worst genocides. To this day the perpetrators of this violence continue to enjoy complete impunity for their actions.

This, however, is not the story that has been told for the last 48 years. We are instead told the story of the Sept. 30 Movement's coup attempt and of a people driven wild by blood lust. We are not told the story of Soeharto's own effective seizure of state power and the manner in which the military meticulously orchestrated and implemented the genocide that followed.

One of the big problems in breaking through official stories surrounding Oct. 1 has been proving the military's intention to launch a coordinated campaign of murder and the lack of hard evidence pinning the military to the killings. The discovery of a "death map" and detailed chronology of the killings prepared by the Indonesian military, along with over 3,000 pages of classified documents relating to the role of the Indonesian military in initiating and implementing the killings in Aceh province provides us with this evidence.

Until now, the only announcement known to have been transmitted by the military leadership on Oct. 1 was a national radio broadcast made by Soeharto at 9 p.m. on Oct. 1. Through this broadcast Soeharto announced that he had "temporarily seized the leadership of the Armed Forces" and was working together with "the Armed Forces, Indonesian Navy and Police Force" to "annihilate the counter revolutionary actions that have been carried out by that which calls itself the 'Sept. 30 Movement'".

The foolhardy actions of the Sept. 30 Movement were used, as Canadian academic John Roosa has masterfully explained, as the "pretext" for the military's attack against the PKI. The story of the Sept. 30 Movement has also been used as a cover for the military's own actions on Oct. 1. "We have the situation both in the capital and in the regions under our control," Soeharto explained through the same radio broadcast, though it is only now that the significance of this statement is becoming apparent.

Soeharto's coordination of the national military leadership on Oct. 1 began long before his 9 p.m. announcement and was much more extensive than it has previously been possible to demonstrate. During the morning of Oct. 1, the official military chronology records, newly self-appointed military commander Soeharto sent a telegram through internal military wires to declare; "There has been a coup under the leadership of Lt. Col. Untung", leader of the Sept. 30 Movement.

This announcement was proceeded by the Sept. 30 Movement's own announcement, and was intended to establish the now infamous Indonesian Revolution Council, the first point at which the Sept. 30 Movement could be considered to be a "coup movement", and demonstrates the offensive nature of the military's campaign. Soeharto's announcement was received by the Inter-Regional Military Commander for Sumatra, Mokoginta, who dutifully passed it on to those under his command. "Remain calm and at your positions...", Mokoginta explained, "and await [my] orders and instructions".

These instructions would come at midnight on Oct. 1, when Mokoginta issued a public speech in Medan where he declared; "it is ordered that all members of the Armed Forces resolutely and completely annihilate this counter- revolution and all acts of treason to the roots..." All members of the armed forces where meanwhile ordered to "adhere only to the Decree, Command, instructions and message of Sukarno, as channelled via the temporary leader of the Armed Forces, Maj. Gen. Soeharto." These instructions were explicitly insubordinate since Sukarno had issued an order at 1.30 p.m. demanding that Soeharto stand down as temporary Commander of the Armed Forces; an order that Sukarno repeated moments before Mokoginta's midnight announcement.

Soeharto and Mokoginta's directive to "annihilate" the Sept. 30 Movement was not hyperbolic rhetoric. The military leadership was establishing an "aspiration program" to perpetrate mass harm against its political rival the PKI and intended to mobilize the state and society to this end.

Over the next couple of days, meetings were held throughout the country to coordinate and consolidate this intention and to subordinate civilian government to the military's own command structures. On Oct. 4 this intention was made explicit when a document signed by the Aceh military commander announced; "It is mandatory for the people to assist in every attempt to completely annihilate the counter-revolutionary Sept. 30 Movement." The military was ordering civilians to kill other civilians.

Two days later on Oct. 7 the violence began. Beginning as military sponsored demonstrations before progressing to the burning down of offices, people "disappearing" associated with the PKI and dumping of corpses in the street, the first phase of the genocide is best understood as a pogrom perpetrated in a context in which civilians were explicitly being ordered to assist the military to "annihilate" anyone associated with the PKI. During this time many PKI members or those associated with the organization were "arrested" by civilians or death squads before being "handed over" to be held in military jails. Many PKI members and their families willingly surrendered themselves to the military during this period in order to escape the violence on the streets in the hope that they would at least be protected by the force of the law once they were in prison.

Approximately 10 days later the military intensified its attack, and the full-scale systematic murder of anyone associated with the PKI began. During this second phase the military openly participated in the violence, beginning by releasing small groups of prisoners into the arms of waiting death squads, before directly transporting truckloads of prisoners to killing sites, where prisoners were often forced to dig their own graves before having their throats slit or being shot, either directly by the military or by executioners brought in for this purpose.

It is in this manner that approximately one million Indonesians were murdered by the Indonesian military as the international community looked on. This violence was not spontaneous, rather highly organized and documented. Over 2,000 public killings are recorded by the military's "death map" and chronology for Aceh province alone.

Government documents record the establishment of death squads and pledge the state's "full support" and material assistance for their activities. A death list from North Sumatra records the transfer of prisoners from military run jails to members of the Komando Aksi death squad, who proceeded to transport the prisoners to killing sites to be murdered. It is this story that must now be told.

Momentum is currently growing around the need for an historical reckoning of the Indonesian genocide. The release on Sept. 30 of Joshua Oppenheimer's groundbreaking film The Act of Killing for free download in Indonesia can only continue and accelerate this process.

An official apology by the Indonesian government will be important step toward demonstrating the Indonesian state's seriousness about drawing a line under the dark legacy of the New Order era. True reconciliation must be accompanied by a rewriting of official narratives surrounding the killings. We can begin by rewriting the story of Oct. 1.

[The writer is a PhD student of the School of Historical and Philosophical Studies at the University of Melbourne.]

It's time for some straight talking about human rights in Papua

Brisbane Times - September 29, 2013

Tom Clarke – The Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, should use his visit to Indonesia on Monday to cast aside the wilful blindness previous Australian governments have had about the human rights violations occurring just a stone's throw away in Indonesia's Papua provinces.

The arrival and then hasty removal of seven West Papuan asylum seekers this week highlights the need to ensure our relationship with Indonesia is mature enough to handle two-way exchanges of fair criticisms when it comes to human rights.

Obviously, any human rights advocacy on Australia's behalf risks being diminished when we are perceived to be turning our back on our own obligations or passing the buck, as is the case with the government's asylum seeker policies. Despite this, there are simple steps Australia could take to provide leadership in this area in our region.

Australia just assumed the presidency of the UN Security Council and was appointed to the council on the promise that it would be a "principled advocate of human rights for all". If Australia is to live up to this pledge, Abbott should not be shy in raising concerns about the serious human rights violations committed by Indonesian authorities.

The Prime Minister has said that he and his Coalition colleagues are the "custodians of free speech". If this is the case, they cannot be comfortable with the severe and harshly enforced restrictions on free speech and political expression that occurs routinely in West Papua.

Despite the progress of the democratic reforms in Indonesia after the fall of General Suharto in 1998, many of these reforms have simply not made their way to Indonesia's eastern-most provinces. Reports of political assassinations, torture and the violent repression of peaceful political gatherings are all too common. This month saw Papuan community leaders arrested for simply raising the banned "Morning Star" flag after a prayer meeting and, according to one Catholic brother, three Papuan men were shot for refusing to have their hair cut.

A proactive stance in support of democratic rights and freedoms would be in keeping with long-standing support among the Australian public for democracy within Indonesia.

After World War II, many within the Australian community supported the Indonesians' struggle for independence. For example, a boycott led by the Australian Waterside Workers Federation and supported by 30 other Australian trade unions, immobilised 559 ships that were meant to supply the Dutch effort to retain their former colony.

Indonesia's then foreign minister, Dr Subandrio, would later describe Australia as the "midwife" of the Indonesian republic, after such popular support for the Indonesian cause translated into belated political support and the Chifley government took up the matter at the UN.

Prime Minister Abbott has a prime opportunity to rekindle this shared goodwill. His promise of a more Jakarta-centric approach to foreign policy should be matched with an appetite for frank and forthright dialogue between friends.

Indonesia has rightly and respectfully raised its concerns about Australia's asylum seeker policies. And, as should be possible in a mature relationship, Australia should also be putting issues of concern, such as strengthening democracy in our region, on the agenda. First, the PM should urge Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to lift the effective ban on international journalists reporting from West Papua so the world can get a clearer picture of the human rights crisis that is occurring.

Second, he should highlight Indonesia's commitment to uphold the rights of all persons to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association as outlined in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which Indonesia ratified in 2006.

And third, the PM should announce a complete review of Australia's relationship with Indonesia's military and security forces to ensure we are in no way aiding or abetting human rights abuses, directly or indirectly, through our support of Indonesia's elite counter-terrorism unit, Detachment 88.

Both Indonesia and Australia stand to benefit from some straight talking about human rights concerns. This week's visit is the PM's chance to highlight his support for fundamental human rights such as the rights of all persons to freedom of expression, association and assembly.

[Tom Clarke is the director of Communications at the Human Rights Law Centre.]

The silence of the state

Jakarta Post Editorial - September 26, 2013

The recent signing of a peace deal between the Sunni and Shia Muslim communities in Sampang on the island of Madura in East Java was surely more than just typical ceremony.

It was a rare moment, in which warring communities took their own initiative to bury the hatchet and vowed to rebuild their lives anew as good neighbors, or even brothers and sisters. They had coexisted in harmony before outsiders provoked them to fight each other anyway.

The outsiders could be people with certain political or economic gains in mind, narrow-minded, intolerant ulema or clerics who resist different interpretations of religious teachings and beliefs and even government officials who think they have the authority to decide what is right or wrong.

The role of outsiders was evident in the religious conflict in Sampang, which peaked on Aug. 27, 2012, when dozens of homes belonging to Shia followers led by Tajul Muluk were burned down. The arson attack followed speeches by local clerics and the Indonesian Ulema Council, which accused Tajuk of blaspheming Islam.

Tajuk was jailed, essentially for his beliefs, a move human rights defenders at home and overseas have lamented considering the Indonesian Constitution protects freedom of religion. Rights activists have particularly blamed blatant discrimination against minorities on the state.

The state even appeared to justify the discrimination when it asked the displaced Shia followers to relocate to Sampang Sports Stadium and eventually to the Puspa Agro apartments in Sidoarjo on the mainland.

It comes as no surprise, therefore, that the state contributed almost nothing to the peace process in Sampang. Coordinator of the displaced Shias, Iklil Al Milal, said government officials were invited to witness the signing of the peace accord by Shia followers and 16 village representatives but failed to turn up.

The state's reluctance to facilitate peace talks between the Sunni and Shia communities in Sampang is understandable, considering its propensity to play it safe by acting in favor of the majority. This also explains why it has failed to enforce a legally binding Supreme Court verdict that upholds a Christian community's right to build its own church in Bogor, West Java.

We have reason to celebrate community-based action to settle disputes, as in the case of Sampang, but on the other hand our faith in the state continues to erode. The Sunni-Shia reconciliation treaty itself is fair, as in it the majority Sunni community agrees to allow the Shia followers to return to Sampang and that both sides will show mutual respect toward each other and forget the past violence.

But given the silence, if not absence, of the state, there is no guarantee the peace will last long, let alone forever. The least the state can contribute to peace is protecting citizens' constitutional rights in Sampang and anywhere else.