Zara Amelia and Adam Prireza, Jakarta – Six people were injured with several windows damaged following a violent riot that attacked the Home Affairs Ministry Headquarters on Wednesday, October 11. Instigators of the riot were a group of people from Papua that originally planned to stage a protest.

The group of Papuans joined in a group dubbed "Spontanitas Masyarakat Kabupaten Yapen, Intan Jaya, dan Tolikara Provinsi Papua" was initially there to protest against the results of the 2017 Papua Regional Head election in Tolikara, which elected Usman Wanimbo and Dinus Wanimbo as Regent and Deputy Regent.

The protesters demanded the Home Affairs Minister Tjahjo Kumolo and Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Wiranto to revoke the inaugural letter of the future 2017-2022 Regent and Deputy Regent of Yapen Islands that elected Tony Tesar and Frans Sanadi.

The protesters also voiced their support for President Joko Widodo or Jokowi, Minister Tjahjo, and Minister Wiranto, in establishing an investigative team to solve problems of violations at the regional head election from 2010-2015 and 2017-2022.

The riot sparked after the group of people felt that they waited too long to let their delegates meet with Home Affairs Ministry Officials. Around 15:00 PM, demonstrators started to act violent and forced their way into the Ministry office and started the string of vandalism and attacks on the Ministry's employees.

Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/news/2017/10/12/057912231/violent-protest-at-home-ministry-linked-to-papua-regent-election

Police arrest 15 allegedly involved in violence outside Home Ministry

Jakarta Post - October 11, 2017

Jakarta – The Jakarta Police have arrested 15 people for their alleged involvement in a protest that turned violent initiated by the Tolikara Red-and-White Squad outside the Home Ministry in Gambir, Central Jakarta, on Wednesday afternoon.

Protesters reportedly threw rocks at the building, causing damage to facilities and vehicles.

"After monitoring the scene, police arrested 15 people. We are still looking for another alleged perpetrator," Jakarta Police general crimes director Nico Afinta said as quoted by wartakota.tribunnews.com.

The suspects will be charged under Article 170 of the Criminal Code (KUHP) on attacking and injuring others, he said.

Separately, Home Minister Tjahjo Kumolo said the protest was over an election dispute in Tolikara, Papua. The protesters demanded the ministry not inaugurate Usman Wanimbo and Dinus Wanimbo as regent and deputy regent.

"We can't postpone the inauguration for too long as doing so would disrupt the administration and public service. The Constitutional Court has made a decision concerning the elected pair," Tjahjo said. (cal)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/11/police-arrest-15-allegedly-involved-in-violence-outside-home-ministry.html

Criminalisation & political violence

Gold mine protester tried for spreading communism as red scare sweeps Indonesia

Sydney Morning Herald - October 12, 2017

Jewel Topsfield and Amilia Rosa, Banyuwangi, East Java – An anti-gold mine protester has become the latest person to be tried under draconian anti-communist laws in Indonesia.

The case comes as the spectre of a resurgent red peril has once again inflamed the country more than 50 years after the leftist movement was brutally crushed.

In circumstances that local media have described as reminiscent of Suharto's authoritarian New Order regime, Heri Budiawan could face up to 12 years in jail for spreading communism.

Prosecutor Budhi Cahyono said banners made by protesters against a gold mine in Banyuwangi in East Java on April 4 contained a hammer and sickle drawing in red spray paint like that used by the defunct Indonesian Communist Party, the PKI.

"The defendant led the activities of the people protesting and did not stop or prevent the placement of the banner with the hammer and sickle symbol identical to the PKI symbol, knowing that communism is forbidden in Indonesia," Mr Budhi said in the indictment in the Banyuwangi District Court.

"The defendant's act was against the law... in regards to crimes against the security of the nation."

But environmental groups claim the gold mine, PT Bumi Suksesindo, is using the communism allegations as a tactic to shut down protests against alleged environmental damage caused by the mine.

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/world/gold-mine-protester-tried-for-spreading-communism-as-red-scare-sweeps-indonesia-20171012-gyzqad.html

Women's rights & gender

Indonesia's Islamisation: Swipe right for polygamy, left for women's rights

South China Morning Post - October 14, 2017

Resty Woro Yuniar – Creeping Islamisation in Southeast Asia's Muslim-majority countries is threatening to undo recent progress in gender equality, say women's rights advocates who are stepping up campaigns for greater legal protections.

They say recent controversies, including the launch of a mobile dating app for polygamists in Indonesia, have highlighted how cultural and religious views are increasingly impeding efforts towards gender equality in the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation.

The app, called AyoPoligami, lets men and women scroll through users' profiles, much like the popular dating app Tinder – in which members swipe right to indicate a romantic interest, left to reject. The maker of AyoPoligami claims to have registered 10,000 users since it launched in April, mostly men looking to engage in polygamous marriages.

Polygamy is legal in Indonesia; men are allowed to marry up to four women at once. The practice was once frowned upon, but now seems to be on the rise as religious leaders openly parade their wives in public and endorse the practice to followers, activists say.

A society that allows polygamy "is male-centred and insensitive towards women," says Yuniyanti Chuzaifah, deputy chairwoman at state agency National Commission on Violence Against Women. "In reality, many women who are involved in polygamy reported to us that they were being treated unfairly. It is clear that polygamy is a type of violence against women that's rendered possible by culture and religion."

Polygamy is just one of many manifestations of gender inequality in the region. In Malaysia, civil and sharia law at times conflict, especially in family law. Brunei will soon fully implement sharia law, leaving women's rights up in the air – interpretation of religious doctrines is usually from a male perspective, activists say.

Women in Southeast Asia fare better than counterparts in the Middle East and South Asia when it comes to human development. Saudi Arabia only recently decided to lift its ban on women driving, which will take effect in June 2018.

Women in Muslim-majority nations in Southeast Asia have long enjoyed more freedom of mobility than their counterparts in the Gulf and other Muslim countries. Brunei and Malaysia churn out more female graduates than males, while the rate is almost equal in Indonesia.

Gender-based violence, discrimination and low female political participation, however, remain prevalent. Nearly 260,000 cases of violence against women were reported to Indonesia's state agency in 2016, mostly incidents of domestic abuse. Activists say the true number could be higher, since many victims – particularly those in remote areas – hesitate or face difficulties in reporting such crimes.

In Malaysia, the number of reported domestic violence cases jumped from 3,173 in 2010 to 5,796 in 2016, according to Selangor-based Women's Aid Organisation (WAO).

In Brunei, domestic abuse is a taboo issue, as women and children often withdraw reports against their abusers due to fear, activists say.

In Indonesia, there are 421 gender-based discriminative policies implemented by local officials, all derived from religious and cultural biases, according to the women's commission.

These include requiring women to undergo virginity tests before joining the armed forces and enforcing night curfews for women in Aceh, the only province in Indonesia that has adopted sharia law.

"Indonesia has made headway in attaining gender equality. Women here have freedom of mobility, freedom of expression and we also have many female Muslim scholars," Chuzaifah says. "Radical conservative groups disrupt all that."

In Malaysia, "about 40 per cent of pregnant women were discriminated against by employers; this includes making their positions redundant, denying them promotions, placing them on prolonged probation, demoting them and terminating their jobs," says Tan Heang-Lee, WAO's communications officer. "Malaysia also lacks legal protections against gender discrimination, especially in the private sector."

In Brunei, women are not allowed to participate in sports such as football, among other prohibitions.

"Why can't we play football? Because our body parts moving is considered promiscuous. Why can't women take up leadership roles? Because we won't be able to take care of our children at home. Why can't we be opinionated and independent? Because we won't get a husband," says Nur, a local activist.

Women are rarely leaders in Malaysia and Brunei, and thus have little say over laws and policies that affect their lives. In Malaysia, women account for only 10 per cent of parliamentarians and 9 per cent of cabinet ministers, while in Brunei women cannot hold ministerial positions, though debates about allowing them to do so crop up occasionally. This is in stark contrast to the Philippines, a Catholic-majority nation, where last year nearly 30 per cent of the seats in the country's Lower House were occupied by women and more than 40 per cent of civil servants are female.

Gender disparity is also noticeable at the corporate level; the gender wage gap ranges from 30 per cent to 40 per cent in favour of men. Of 144 countries, Indonesia, Brunei, and Malaysia were ranked 88th, 103rd, and 106th in last year's World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap report. This is no doubt costly for their economies; the Asian Development Bank estimated income per capita in Asia could grow 30 per cent if female participation in the workforce jumped from its current 57.7 per cent to 66.2 per cent.

Although all members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have ratified or acceded the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women, a treaty on women's rights, they have yet to incorporate it into domestic laws, depriving women of legal protections in discrimination and sexual harassment cases.

Despite these challenges, women's rights groups are committed to continuing the fight. Indonesia's women's commission is campaigning for better legal protections for, among others, domestic workers and victims of sexual harassment. It also wants to have the practice of female genital mutilation criminalised. In Malaysia, WAO and other women's groups are seeking a Gender Equality Act to protect women from discrimination.

In the meantime, these campaigns would be more effective if male policymakers addressed the cultural and religious biases that are deeply rooted within the systems, the biggest stumbling block for gender equity, rights activists say.

"The rate women are breaking barriers in Brunei is not in line with how fast we can shift cultural expectations," Nur in Brunei says. "I think we've gender mainstreamed our policies quite well in some relevant areas such as education, workplace, and health, but since Brunei is such a small country that functions so much like a community, our culture dictates our actions more than the law."

Source: http://www.scmp.com/week-asia/society/article/2115077/indonesias-islamisation-swipe-right-polygamy-left-womens-rights

Freedom of information & the press

Criminal Code revision draft may 'incriminate press'

Jakarta Post - October 10, 2017

Nurul Fitri Ramadhani, Jakarta – Activists and journalists have urged the government and the House of Representatives to scrap articles in the amendment draft of the Law on the Criminal Code (KUHP) that may violate press freedom and incriminate journalists.

Article 329 of the amendment bill stipulates that "a maximum of five years' imprisonment can be given as punishment to anyone who publishes or allows the publication of anything that could affect the impartiality of judges in a court hearing."

"The article could threaten the freedom of press and expression guaranteed by the Constitution," Nawawi Bahrudin, the executive director of the Legal Aid Institute for Press (LBH Pers), said on Monday.

"This article also implies that judges can be influenced by the public or the media, while ideally judges and the court must be able to remain independent and not be influenced by anything," he added.

He said the article contradicts Article 4 of the 1999 Press Law, which stipulates that press freedom is guaranteed as a human right and that the national press should not be subject to censorship or broadcasting bans.

The Press Law article also emphasizes that the press has the right to seek, obtain and disseminate ideas and information. The House has deliberated over the KUHP revision bill for two years. (foy/bbs)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/10/criminal-code-revision-draft-may-incriminate-press.html

Political parties & elections

Golkar takes former generals on board

Jakarta Post - October 12, 2017

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – Golkar Party chairman Setya Novanto has recruited two "outsiders" as new members of its executive board: former military general Eko Wiratmoko and former head of the National Police's Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim), Anang Iskandar.

Eko now serves as leader of the party's political, legal and security affairs desk, replacing Setya's stern critic, Yorrys Raweyai. Anang, meanwhile, will lead Golkar's newly established research and development unit.

As head of his division, Eko – who once served as the secretary to Golkar senior politician Luhut Binsar Panjaitan when the latter was coordinating political, legal and security affairs minister – will be involved in selecting candidates for the 2019 legislative election.

Anang will work closely with Golkar secretary-general Idrus Marham and head of the party's internal affairs department to improve the party's image ahead of the election.

Golkar made the announcement during a closed-door plenary meeting led by Setya himself at the party's headquarters in Slipi, West Java, on Wednesday. "We hope all party members will comply with the decision and work together," Idrus told reporters after the meeting.

Wednesday's meeting marked the first time Setya was seen in public after reportedly being treated for a medical condition.

The Golkar chairman, who recently won a pretrial motion that lifted his status as a corruption suspect, remained tight-lipped on the matter. (ipa)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/11/golkar-takes-former-generals-on-board.html

PPP eyes Gatot as Jokowi's 2019 running mate

Jakarta Post - October 11, 2017

Nurul Fitri Ramadhani, Jakarta – The United Development Party (PPP) has revealed on Monday that aspirations had been growing among party cadres to nominate Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo as a vice presidential candidate in the 2019 presidential election.

PPP secretary-general Arsul Sani said that, during the party's national working meeting earlier this year, many cadres suggested naming Gatot as running mate for President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo.

"Many suggestions and aspirations [have been raised] that Gatot be Jokowi's running mate," Arsul confirmed on Monday.

The PPP has stated it will back Jokowi for a reelection bid in 2019. However, Arsul said the party was in no hurry to decide who it would nominate as Jokowi's running mate.

However, he acknowledged that Gatot would be suitable for pairing with Jokowi, citing reasons such as Gatot's military background and the fact that the TNI commander had a close relationship with Islamic groups.

"They're suited to each other, aren't they? Jokowi is civilian, while Gatot is from the military," Arsul said, adding that no cadre had objected to the suggested pairing. However, he said, Jokowi had the final say in the matter.

According to several pollsters' surveys, Gatot is one of the potential candidates for the 2019 presidential election. Gatot is currently at the center of the ongoing controversy surrounding the police's "irregular" munitions procurement. (foy/bbs)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/11/ppp-eyes-gatot-as-jokowis-2019-running-mate.html

Environment & natural disasters

Dignity in chains: stark macaque portrait shines light on animals' plight in

The Guardian (Australia) - October 15, 2017

Robin McKie – Nona is a Sulawesi crested black macaque. Photographed here by Stefano Unterthiner, she is seen chained to a chair outside the house where she is kept as a pet. The scene is made particularly poignant because Unterthiner has included in his image the shadow of Nona, her chain and a tree, thus underlining the freedom that the little animal has lost. At the same time, the owner of Nona – which means "miss" – stands relaxing in the early morning sun.

It is illegal to keep this critically endangered animal in captivity. Yet the law is rarely enforced, particularly in remote areas. Hence the grim picture – though far worse was taken by Unterthiner, an Italian wildlife photographer, during his visit to the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. Hunting, the live-animal trade and forest clearance have caused the animal's population on the island to crash by 90% in the past 30 years. Only a few thousand are left there.

"Things are become desperate for the macaque," said Unterthiner. "They are being killed for bushmeat, hunted as pets and having their forests ripped down around them."

Local people like to keep these macaques – which they call yaki – because they look particularly cute as babies. Often they are adopted when their mothers are shot by bushmeat hunters. However, as they get older, kept in cramped conditions and poorly fed, they become less manageable and are themselves sold as bushmeat.

It is a deeply disturbing situation, captured by Unterthiner in a series of images that have earned him a place as a finalist in the wildlife photojournalist category in the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards, which will be announced on 17 October at the Natural History Museum in London.

"I first became aware of the crisis facing the Sulawesi macaque when I visited the island seven years ago," he told the Observer. He has made several more trips and returned last year for a two?month investigation into the relationship between macaques and local people. He found the bushmeat market – the main cause of the macaques' plight – had become a "nightmare of blood and burnt animals".

Another of his set of disturbing images shows a local bushmeat dealer called Nofi Raranta. He is seen wheeling the carcass of a Sulawesi warty pig, another threatened animal, across his yard; propped against a wall is the body of a Gorontalo macaque, closely related to the crested black species.

Macaque meat is popular at weddings and festivals in Sulawesi, although trade in it is also illegal. Again, there is little fear of prosecution and little police activity. "I feel sympathy for Nofi but he needs to sell something else," said Unterthiner.

The crested black macaque is noted for its fascination with its own image. Often they will sit on scooters, the main form of transport in Sulawesi, and peer at their own reflections in handlebar mirrors – as Unterthiner highlights in another shot from his portfolio.

Several years ago this self-absorption led one female macaque to take an unattended camera from another photographer in order to stare at her own reflection in the lens. She then accidently pressed the shutter and took the first macaque selfie. It made headlines around the world and led to a bizarre court case, launched by animal rights activists, over the copyright of the picture, that was settled only last month.

Sulawesi was once covered in rich forests but these have been stripped away to provide land for farming. Plantations of coconuts and mangoes have replaced them. And as the forest shrinks, so does the macaques' feeding area, forcing them to venture further from cover and into villages and plantations, where their risk of being killed – either by villagers who want to protect their plantations, or by bushmeat hunters – increases dangerously.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/oct/14/portrait-of-nona-macaques-wildlife-photographer-of-the-year-awards

Gov't to solve environmental issues over new Yogyakarta airport

Jakarta Post - October 13, 2017

Jakarta – The Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs will accelerate resolution of land acquisition and environmental impact assessment problems faced by the New Yogyakarta International Airport, or NYIA, it said in a statement on Thursday (12/10).

The new airport near Temon Beach in Kulon Progo, southwest of the city of Yogyakarta, is currently developed by state-owned airport operator Angkasa Pura I. Its construction has been marred by endless problems that started even before its inception this year.

"The Amdal [environmental impact assessment] document issues have not been solved yet, we will discuss it soon with related parties," Ridwan Djamaludin, deputy for infrastructure coordination at the ministry, said in the statement.

Since NYIA location is prone to natural disasters such as earthquakes and tsunamis, the government has prepared a series of mitigation measures, including the use of sand dunes, cultivation of she-oaks and mangroves on the coast, as well as training local residents in disaster response.

"For the land acquisition, we're still in the process to complete it... We will help Angkasa Pura in solving the issues," Ridwan said.

State-owned Antara news agency reported that 96.9 percent of 569,09 hectares needed has already been acquired, with the rest to be finalized by Oct. 31.

The new airport is expected to begin operations in 2019, replacing the old and overcrowded Adisutjipto International Airport.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.id/news/govt-solve-environmental-issues-new-yogyakarta-airport/

LGBT & same-sex marriage

House considers ban on 'destructive' LGBT-related TV content

Reuters - October 16, 2017

Jakarta – Days after a long-running Indonesian television comedy aired last month, its producers got a letter from the broadcast commission warning that a male character in the show was "dressed and behaving like a woman" and could violate broadcasting standards.

"We evaluated the show... We immediately reminded our staff to be careful because we are minimizing LGBT content on our network," said Anita Wulandari Prasojo, head of marketing and public relations at Trans7, the private television station that aired the show "Opera van Java" last month.

She may have to do more than that in the future. Indonesia's legislature is considering national legislation that would ban lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) content from TV screens by the end of the year.

The draft bill, which Reuters reviewed, would revise the broadcasting law to scrub content with "LGBT behavior". Broadcasts and advertisements that show "lesbian, homosexual, bisexual and transgender behavior" would be banned. It does not explicitly define "LGBT behavior."

Lawmakers told Reuters the ban could include dramas with gay characters, traditional folk or comedic performances with cross-dressing or "effeminate" men and broadcasts advocating LGBT rights.

It would be the latest measure targeting the LGBT community in a rising tide of hostility in the world's third-largest democracy.

Indonesian police last week briefly detained 51 people, including eight foreigners, at a "gay spa" in Jakarta, one of several raids targeting the LGBT community.

'An abnormality'

"LGBT is not criminal, but if it enters the public sphere, if it's broadcast to the public, then of course it must be regulated," said Bobby Rizaldi, a lawmaker involved in drafting the law.

Another lawmaker, Hanafi Rais, said "LGBT is an abnormality." "It is destructive for our younger generations. If the content has no educational qualities, and is only for commercial or advertising purposes, then we must reject it," Hanafi said.

If the content was aimed at "fixing the abnormality," then it would be allowed, he added.

The United Nations human rights office on Friday (13/10) condemned anti-gay crackdowns in Indonesia, Egypt and Azerbaijan.

"Arresting or detaining people based on their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity is by definition arbitrary and violates international law," UN human rights spokesperson Rupert Colville told a news briefing.

In May, police detained 141 men at another gay sauna, and reportedly strip-searched them before marching them almost naked from the venue into police vehicles. Photos were then shared on social media in what activists considered an abuse of power and violation of privacy.

Police have used a controversial antipornography law that outlaws any physical display of sexual relations to justify the raids. Activists say the law is too sweeping and can be abused to target the LGBT minority.

Homosexuality is not a crime in Indonesia, which has the world's largest Muslim population, except in the ultra-conservative Aceh province which enforces Islamic law.

Cultural tradition

Programs like "Opera van Java," are a regular fixture on Indonesian TV. Drawing on Indonesia's traditional performance arts and folk tales, they often depict transgender and transvestite characters.

The transgender community, known locally as "waria" – a contraction of the Indonesian words for woman and man – is largely accepted in most parts of the country.

The entertainment industry fears the proposed broadcasting restrictions could end up further discriminating against the LGBT community.

"This is a serious issue that can impact our industry because it will stifle creativity," said Nanda Persada, head of the Indonesian Association of Managers for Artists.

"LGBT artists have had to adjust their behavior to avoid sanction. They can't be as expressive," he said. Artists have been told in programming meetings at private TV stations not to be "over the top" and scripts have had to be rewritten, Nanda said.

Prominent gay rights activist Dede Oetomo said the draft law was misinformed. It did not take into account local cultures where transgender people are an accepted part of society in which traditional performances, based on ancient myths, can feature transgender characters.

"It just shows the ruling elite has lost touch with our traditions," Dede said. "It's already difficult to be LGBT here... but in the long run, we will continue to protest and fight," he said.

The draft legislation, put forward by the commission on information, is pending approval from a plenary session of the House of Representatives later this year.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.id/news/house-considers-ban-destructive-lgbt-related-tv-content/

Suspected gay spa does not employ sex workers: Police

Jakarta Post - October 10, 2017

Jakarta – Following an investigation into an alleged gay spa raided in Harmoni, Central Jakarta, last Friday, the Jakarta Police have said that the venue, called T1, did not provide sex workers.

"They didn't provide [sex] therapists. They [customers] engaged with each other on the premises," Jakarta Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Argo Yuwono said as quoted by kompas.com, adding that the entrance fee was Rp 165,000 (US$12.2) per person. "They can come with their couple or find them there and set the price based on an agreement," Argo said, adding that the spa was also equipped with a swimming pool.

Argo said the police suspected that a website was used to promote sexual activities and investigators were scrutinizing it, without revealing the address of the website.

On Friday night, the police raided the spa and arrested 56 men, seven of whom were foreigners. The police have charged five individuals – employees and the owner of the spa – under the 2008 Pornography Law and the Criminal Code. (fac)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/10/suspected-gay-spa-does-not-employ-sex-workers-police.html

Gay men in Jakarta fearful amid growing police crackdown on LGBTI community

ABC Radio Australia - October 10, 2017

Samantha Hawley, Indonesia – Earlier this week, 58 men, including some foreigners, were arrested after police raided the gym and sauna in the country's capital.

Rights groups say the men committed no crime and were released after intense questioning. The sauna's owner and workers have been charged under draconian pornography laws.

But one 27-year-old Indonesian man, who spoke under condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal, said his immediate thoughts were of his family.

Living as trans in Indonesia

The Indonesian transgender community regularly faces verbal assaults from government and religious figures. While they are under pressure to change, some are living their lives undeterred.

"At the time on the raid, what went on in my head was mostly fear of embarrassing my big family," the man said. "Even though I already came out to my main family, the big family doesn't know that I'm gay yet. So at the time I thought of that."

The man said he hopes LGBT people as a minority to one day share the same basic rights as other Indonesians. "We have feelings too. We need people who understand us. We need to love and be loved. But what happens in Indonesia is discrimination against minority," he said.

"My experience as a gay man so far is that generally I feel a great deal of fear. Especially lately I've heard that there's going to be an anti-LGBT law."

The man believes the actions of police compromised a foundational Indonesian philosophical doctrine known as the Pancasila. "In Indonesia we have human rights institutions. We have Pancasila that guarantees social justice for all citizens," he said.

Police unable to distinguish faith and duty

In Indonesia this year, gay men were arrested in a hotel room in Surabaya, there was a forced eviction of men from a house in Medan, and more than 100 men were detained by police after a raid on a Jakarta club, to name a few.

Homosexuality is not illegal in Indonesia apart from in the semi-autonomous province of Aceh. Andreas Harsono from Human Rights Watch said the fear among the LGBTI community is real and justified.

"I am concerned because these police raids against LGBT gatherings, houses and clubs are increasing. It is a rise of discrimination. It is growing conservatism in the country," Mr Harsono said.

"[On Friday], more than 50 gay men were arrested, and then they were questioned and then checked. Their passports and ID cards were also checked by the police. "They were screened by the police one-by-one. Of course the question is, 'What is their crime?'"

Mr Harsono said the police crackdown is more driven by religion than the law, with individual police motivated by their personal views. "The police officers cannot differentiate between their faith and their duty," he said.

Source: http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/2017-10-10/gay-men-in-jakarta-fearful-amid-growing-police-crackdown-on-lgbti-community/1707994

Indonesia: 51 men arrested in alleged gay sex party in spa

Asian Correspondent - October 9, 2017

Activists say police targeting of consensual gay sex has shone a light on discrimination and harassment in the world's third-largest democracy.

Police in Indonesia said 51 men were arrested on Friday night for their alleged involvement with a gay sex party in Central Jakarta.

The Jakarta Post quoted Jakarta Police spokesman Argo Yuwono as saying that some of the arrested men, included foreigners from China, Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia.

"For the spa visitors, we will conduct an identification process. They will be taken in as witnesses, and after that, we will release them," Argo said on Saturday.

Police also seized 13 sex toys and condoms during the raid. "By paying IDR165,000 (US$12.23), people get access to the spa's facilities and also are given condoms and lubricants," Argo said.

Argo said seven suspects have been identified in the case, of which six have been arrested while one remained at large.

The suspects, he said, would be charged under the 2008 Pornography Law and the Criminal Code (KUHP) which carries a maximum sentence of six years' imprisonment.

The arrests are the latest in a spate of high-profile police actions against gay clubs and parties in Indonesia this year that have called the country's reputation for tolerance into question.

With the exception of the ultra-conservative Aceh province in northern Sumatra, where Islamic law is enforced and two men were publicly flogged in May for gay sex, homosexuality is not criminalised in Indonesia, home to the world's largest Muslim population.

# LGBTIQ... This is a human's rights issue not #SSM #voteNO https://t.co/RJDTEcDFl8 – Riette de Klerk (@RiettedeKlerk) October 8, 2017

When asked about what the people in the spa were doing at the time of the raid, Argo noted that it was dark at the time.

"LGBT is clearly between men and men or same-sex relationships. Male prostitution," Yuwono said, without clarifying further. "There's a cashier, the manager there and also those providing facilities like towels and other things," he said.

Activists say police targeting of consensual gay sex has shone a light on discrimination and harassment in the world's third-largest democracy.

Jakarta-based researcher for Human Rights Watch Andreas Harsono referred to a pattern of discriminatory police action against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Indonesia.

"If they raided (this club) because they are gay, it is abusive, it is abuse of power," he said, adding that there is no law against homosexuality as long as relationships are consensual. He said: "If there is no victim, there is no crime."

Police often used to the pornography law to "criminalise" such cases, but that law itself is also problematic, Andreas said, noting that people could be charged if they had pornographic material on a cell phone.

"Just imagine if every person in Indonesia had their cell phones checked, how many hundred million people would go to jail?"

In May, officers detained 141 men in a raid on the Atlantis sauna, accusing them of involvement in a gay prostitution ring in a part of Jakarta that is also home to many heterosexual "spas".

Source: https://asiancorrespondent.com/2017/10/alleged-gay-sex-party-indonesia-leads-scores-arrests/

Corruption & abuse of power

Police to examine House request on forced summons of KPK officials

Jakarta Post - October 13, 2017

Jakarta – The National Police will collect expert opinions and hold internal discussions to review the House of Representatives request for assistance in summoning antigraft officials, in relation to its right of inquiry into the Corruption Eradication Commission, or KPK, top police official said on Thursday (12/10).

Since the legislature launched its right of inquiry into the KPK in April, it has summoned the antigraft agency's officials several times, but they did not show up.

"The police will discuss the request internally, with regard to what steps should be taken, and will also invite experts [to express their opinions]," National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian said during a House hearing.

Tito said the police will ask experts in constitutional and criminal law, whether they are obligated to assist the House in its inquiry into the KPK.

The police chief said that any forceful summons must be regulated by the Code of Criminal Procedures (Kuhap), while the recent attempts by the House are not under it. "Don't let it backfire, we don't want to be blamed by many parties," Tito said.

According to Hendardi, executive director at rights group Setara Institute, the legislature's demand is "irrelevant."

"Forced summons are only justified in the context of individuals who have committed crimes," he said, adding that police have been right in helping the KPK in arresting graft suspects and bringing them for hearings, as the agency is part of the country's criminal justice system.

He also said that the validity of the House's right of inquiry is currently investigated by the Constitutional Court. "The police should ignore the request of the House and respect the ongoing judicial process at the Constitutional Court."

Source: http://jakartaglobe.id/news/police-examine-house-request-forced-summons-KPK-officials/

Antigraft agency promises closure to ongoing e-KTP investigation despite Setya's

Jakarta Globe - October 12, 2017

Jakarta – The country's antigraft agency on Wednesday (11/10) said that it will continue investigating all parties related to the illegal procurement of funds surrounding electronic identity cards, known as e-KTP, despite a recent pretrial court ruling that saw House of Representatives Speaker Setya Novanto dropped as a suspect in the case.

Setya, who many believe to be the main perpetrator in the case, was accused of receiving as much as Rp 574 billion from the project, which reportedly cost the state more than Rp 2.3 trillion, or $170 million, in losses since its inception in 2011. He was named a suspect in a Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) investigation earlier this year.

Setya's suspect status was dropped late last month after filing a pretrial motion at the South Jakarta District Court, where he argued that the KPK employed flawed or manipulative measures in their case against him.

However, the Constitutional Court on Tuesday said that despite winning a pretrial motion, former suspects in any KPK investigation are still eligible for further investigation if the agency deems it fit.

"Pretrial [results] won't stop the subject of the e-KTP case. We respect the pretrial decision [over Setya], but the case will still go on. And with the latest [Constitutional Court] verdict, our willpower to finish it has become stronger," KPK spokesman Febri Diansyah said in Jakarta.

Febri did not disclose whether the agency will again name Setya as a suspect in the e-KTP case in the future.

"We're not yet talking about the legal status [of Setya], because we are also concerned about the case as a whole. But, everyone who is involved in stealing money from the project will be processed," he said.

"It's useless if there are efforts to prevent KPK from doing its job, as we'll still carry on to finish the e-KTP graft case," he concluded.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.id/news/antigraft-agency-promises-closure-ongoing-e-ktp-investigation-despite-setyas-pretrial-win/

House's inquiry perceived as tool to weaken KPK: Survey

Jakarta Post - October 12, 2017

Safrin La Batu and Gemma Holliani Cahya, Jakarta – A recent survey has shown that the public views the House of Representatives' ongoing controversial inquiry into the performance of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) as an attempt to weaken the antigraft body.

The survey was commissioned by pollster Indikator Politik Indonesia from Sept. 17-24. The survey first asked 1,220 respondents across Indonesia whether they had heard about the House's inquiry, and found that 67 percent of respondents said they knew nothing about it.

However, among the 33 percent who were aware of the issue, 55 percent believed the inquiry would undermine the KPK's power, while only 28 percent believed it would instead strengthen the KPK and the remaining 17 percent were undecided.

The survey also found that around 52 percent of respondents said the House's inquiry team would hinder the KPK's ongoing investigation into the high-profile electronic identity (e-ID) cards graft case that has implicated dozens of politicians.

"They believe the inquiry will likely hamper the efforts [of the KPK] to investigate the case," Indikator's executive director Burhanuddin Muhtadi said on Wednesday.

Previously, numerous anticorruption activists have voiced opposition to the House's inquiry, accusing lawmakers of trying to meddle with the KPK's investigation into the e-ID case. (ipa)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/12/houses-inquiry-perceived-as-tool-to-weaken-KPK-survey.html

Indonesia's anti-corruption measures under review by United Nations

Jakarta Globe - October 9, 2017

Jakarta – Indonesia on Monday (09/10) began the country visit phase of the second round of an implementation review by the United Nations Convention Against Corruption, or UNCAC, as part of an effort to identify challenges and employ best practices to eradicate corruption in the archipelago.

"A single government cannot deal with [the challenges of corruption] on its own, they must be tackled comprehensively by involving all members of the international community," Febrian A. Ruddyard, director of multilateral cooperation at Indonesia's Foreign Affairs Ministry, said at a press conference.

Indonesia ratified UNCAC in 2006, after signing the international agreement in 2003. The country's first implementation review was conducted by government experts from Uzbekistan and the United Kingdom, covering criminalization and law enforcement, as well as international cooperation within the Convention.

Indonesia received 32 recommendations after the first review, with 25 of those concerning the country's legislations – including those on corruption, extradition and asset recovery. According to Indonesia's Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), only eight recommendations have so far been implemented.

The second review will be conducted by two government experts, Charles Ayamdoo from Ghana and Ebtihag Al-Kamal from Yemen, along with Tanja Santucci and Mohamed Cherbal, representatives from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). It will cover preventive measures and asset recovery, with participation from 25 ministries and institutions.

KPK deputy chairman Laode Muhammad Syarif said the review "seeks to discover Indonesia's strengths and weaknesses" in the fight against corruption, and to identify aspects of the convention that the country has yet to fulfill.

"We are not here to find fault, our main aim is to exchange views, best practices and knowledge to contribute to the global fight against corruption," Ayamdoo said.

Syarif emphasized the importance of coordinating with other institutions, such as with the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK), to maximize early warning and detection, and to fully implement UNCAC.

Santucci said the review, which will look at existing legal institutional framework and overall effectiveness of current measures, is an "important opportunity to improve systems and mechanisms that are in place and to enhance domestic coordination."

She added that "active participation" in platforms such as the Conference of the States Parties – a platform for "practitioners to come together to discuss challenges and issues," and identify common challenges to international cooperation and asset recovery – is key for countries seeking to comply to the convention.

"Active participation can effectively enhance your efforts to strengthen the fight against corruption," Santucci told reporters.

Results of the review will be handed to the Indonesian government, which will be responsible in coordinating with the legislative bodies to ensure that national legislations accord to the provisions of the convention.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.id/news/indonesias-anti-corruption-measures-review-united-nations/

Setya fails to appear as witness at Monday's hearing

Jakarta Post - October 9, 2017

Kharishar Kahfi, Jakarta – House of Representatives Speaker and Golkar Party chairman Setya Novanto has failed to fulfill a summons to testify as a witness at the hearing of e-ID graft defendant Andi Agustinus aka Andi Narogong, scheduled for Monday at the Jakarta Corruption Court on.

Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) prosecutor Abdul Basir did not provide any details on the politician's absence.

The hearing would have been Setya's first public appearance since the South Jakarta District Court ruled in his favor on Sept. 29 in his pretrial hearing, which resulted in the voiding of his suspect status in the case.

Setya and Andi were suspected of embezzling a part of the Rp 5.9 trillion (US$437 million) allocated to procure e-ID cards. The politician was serving as the House's Golkar faction chairman when the embezzlement took place between 2009 and 2012.

Meanwhile, Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo also failed to appear as witness at Monday's hearing, as he was reportedly accompanying President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo on a working visit to the provincial capital of Semarang.

Ganjar, who served on House Commission II overseeing home affairs, is alleged to have received $1.2 million in bribes in connection with the e-ID procurement project. (ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/09/another-no-show-at-court-for-setya-in-e-id-case.html

Islam & religion

Government ends MUI's authority to issue halal certificates

Jakarta Post - October 13, 2017

Jakarta – The government has revoked the authority of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) to certify halal products, following the inauguration of the Halal Certification Agency by Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Halim Saifuddin on Thursday.

The establishment of the agency was based on Law No. 33/2014 on halal product guarantee.

Lukman said the agency was not allowed to collect fees from businesses for issuing certificates. "We will make it as simple as possible. There will be no certification fee at all. It is an online service," he said as reported by kontan.co.id.

The inauguration of the agency ends the MUI's authority to issue halal certificates. MUI deputy chairman Zainut Tauhid Sa'adi welcomed the government's decision, saying that the MUI was behind the drafting of the Halal Product Guarantee Law and the establishment of the agency.

"Anything that relates to the protection and guarantee of halal products is now the responsibility of the government," Zainut added in a statement on Friday.

He expressed the hope that there would be more legal certainty regarding the requirements for halal certification with the establishment of the agency. "We have to support it and law enforcement has to start applying the law," Zainut said, adding that obtaining halal certification was not compulsory. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/13/government-ends-muis-authority-to-issue-halal-certificates.html

Farming & agriculture

Landless farmers can now utilize degraded forests

Jakarta Globe - October 11, 2017

Jakarta – Landless local farmers and natural disasters victims who live in the operations areas of state-owned forestry firm Perhutani have been permitted to utilize degraded forests by a decree issued by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, officials confirmed on Tuesday (10/10).

A social forestry scheme, or IPHPS, under the ministerial decree allows landless farmers organized in associations to gain profit from the forests degraded by Perhutani.

The so-called degraded forests are lands that have been either logged or destroyed by natural disasters like fires.

The IPHPS implementation started in July. Until Sept. 13, the ministry issued seven permits – covering in total 4,969 hectares – to 2,518 households in Bekasi and Bandung (West Java), Pemalang (Central Java) and Probolinggo (East Java).

According to Hadi Daryanto, the ministry's director general for social forestry and environmental partnerships, three state-owned companies will absorb the production from the degraded forests.

Plantation firm PTPN will take tobacco and sugar cane produce, the State Logistics Agency (Bulog) will take rice and corn, while state-run fishery company Perum Perindo will absorb the production from shrimp farms. Several private companies will also be involved.

"Off-takers will be tied up in an agreement with the permit holders," Hadi said, adding that the government's target is to expand the permits coverage to at least 450,000 hectares.

The ministry's senior adviser, San Afri Awang, said the decree will relieve the economic problems faced by local communities. "In eastern Indonesia, there is no problem. In Java, on the contrary, many communities near forests are still poor," he said.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.id/news/landless-farmers-can-now-utilize-degraded-forests/

Government launches farmer insurance

Jakarta Post - October 10, 2017

Jakarta – The government has launched a farmer insurance program to help farmers avoid losses from their agricultural activities, Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman said in Ciamis, West Java on Monday.

"This is historic because this is the country's first farmer insurance program. We have prepared the insurance for cows and agricultural fields to prevent farmers suffering losses if their fields are affected by floods or pests," said Amran during the launch of the insurance program.

The farmer insurance, managed by PT Asuransi Jasa Indonesia (Jasindo), was part of the government's commitment to improving the welfare of farmers, said Amran, adding that it would also help increase the production of the agriculture sector.

State-owned Enterprises Minister Rini Soemarno said the farmer insurance was part of several government programs aimed at improving farmers' welfare, and involved three ministries: the Agriculture Ministry, the State-owned Enterprises Ministry and the Villages, Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration Ministry.

Rini said the other programs included farmer cards that helped farmers obtain subsidized fertilizers, seeds and pesticide and the farmer entrepreneurship program.

The entrepreneurship program, which involved several state-owned enterprises, had been introduced in Ciamis for 14 farmer groups, she said, adding that a similar program would also be introduced in nine other regencies in West Java.

"Through the program, farmers will not only rely on their agricultural products, but are expected to earn money from other businesses as well," she said as reported by Antara. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/10/government-launches-farmer-insurance.html

Indigenous culture & rights

Indigenous advocacy group calls on Jokowi to revoke forests decree

Asia Pacific Report - October 16, 2017

Dames Alexander Sinaga, Jakarta – A civil society group has urged the Indonesian government to revoke a presidential decree on the indigenous resettlement schemes in forest areas, which was issued about a month ago.

The forest areas in the decree signed by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo on September 6 are classified as conservation forests, protected forests and production forests.

Muhammad Arman, head of legal and advocacy division of the Indigenous Peoples Alliance of the Archipelago (AMAN), said the resettlement programme under the decree could threaten and potentially criminalise indigenous communities that for years have been living in the areas.

"[Indigenous communities that live on] 1.6 million hectares of conservation forests are in threat of resettlement," Arman told reporters.

The lands constitute 20 percent of 8.2 million hectares registered by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry and the Ministry of Spatial Planning as indigenous.

Association for Community and Ecology-Based Law Reform (Perkumpulan HuMa) researcher Erwin Dwi Kristianto said in a statement that the decree "creates uncertainty" and damages social forestry and communal rights.

While the decree, of which implementation started on September 11, obliges local governments to provide legal protection for the communities living in the forest areas, it also permits their resettlement.

[Dames Alexander Sinaga is a Jakarta Globe journalist.]

Source: https://asiapacificreport.nz/2017/10/16/indigenous-advocacy-group-calls-on-jokowi-to-revoke-forests-decree/

Indigenous communities face expulsion from traditional lands

Jakarta Globe - October 12, 2017

Jakarta – A civil society group on Wednesday (11/10) urged the government to revoke a presidential decree on the resettlement schemes in forest areas, which was issued about a month ago.

The forest areas in the decree signed by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo on Sept. 6 are classified as conservation forests, protected forests and production forests.

Muhammad Arman, head of legal and advocacy division of the Indigenous Peoples Alliance of the Archipelago (AMAN), said the resettlement program under the decree could threaten and potentially criminalize indigenous communities that for years have been living in the areas.

"[Indigenous communities that live on] 1.6 million hectares of conservation forests are in threat of resettlement," Arman told reporters.

The lands constitute 20 percent of 8.2 million hectares registered by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry and the Ministry of Spatial Planning as indigenous.

While the decree, of which implementation started on Sept. 11, obliges local governments to provide legal protection for the communities living in the forest areas, it also permits their resettlement.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.id/news/indigenous-communities-face-expulsion-traditional-lands/

Jakarta & urban life

Indonesia's Supreme Court upholds water rights

Human Rights Watch Dispatches - October 12, 2017

Andreas Harsono – In a landmark ruling, Indonesia's Supreme Court this week ordered the government to restore public water services to residents in Jakarta after finding private companies "failed to protect" their right to water.

Inadequate water supply service caused by privatization of Jakarta's water supply has forced residents of low-income areas to buy expensive drinking water from street vendors and bathe in polluted public wells.

The court ordered the government to immediately revoke its contracts with two private water utilities and hand responsibility for public water supply services back to a public water utility.

The Supreme Court decision quoted residents of low-income areas in North Jakarta who blamed limited access to clean water and sanitation services on the failure of the private companies to adequately service their neighborhoods.

Those residents described how the firms, PT PAM Lyonnaise Jaya and PT Aetra Air Jakarta, provided only sporadic water service, mostly limited to evening hours. The two companies were also implicated in denying water access services to residents unable to pay their bills. These residents were forced to buy expensive drinking water from street vendors and bathe in polluted public wells.

"Disconnection of water services because of failure to pay due to lack of means constitutes a violation of the human right to water and other international human rights," concluded three United Nations water experts in 2014.

Water privatization in Jakarta began in 1997 under then-President Suharto, who ordered the privatization in 1995, arguing it would improve service. Suharto ordered Jakarta's public water utility to be divided into two operations, giving one half to a joint venture between British firm Thames Water and an Indonesian firm owned by his son. The government awarded the other privatized water operation to a joint venture between French firm Suez and Indonesia's Salim Group, a company chaired by longtime Suharto friend Liem Sioe Liong.

The privatization contracts included guarantees that lower-income consumers would pay lower water tariffs. However, 12 residents and organizations that filed the class action lawsuit that led to the Supreme Court ruling argued that the companies deliberately underserviced lower-income consumers to prioritize higher-revenue service to wealthier consumers.

The onus is now on the government of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to implement the court's decision and ensure lower-income residents are no longer deprived of their rights to water and sanitation. The government should also scrutinize similar water privatization contracts in other areas including Batam, Palembang, and Banten to determine if similar discriminatory abuses are occurring there.

Source: https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/10/12/indonesias-supreme-court-upholds-water-rights

More flower boards for Ahok, Djarot delivered to City Hall

Jakarta Post - October 11, 2017

Jakarta – Flower boards with appreciative messages dedicated to former Jakarta governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama and incumbent Governor Djarot Saiful Hidayat keep being delivered to City Hall as the latter is set to end his term on Oct. 15.

Governor-elect Anies Baswedan, who attended a meeting at City Council, which is in the same compound as City Hall, on Wednesday refused to discuss the flower boards. "Let it be a decent [celebration]," he simply said.

While previously flower boards graced only City Hall's parking lot, as of Wednesday, they have reached the office's garden. The flowers boards have various messages, mostly expressing appreciation for Ahok and Djarot's leadership.

A long flower board praised Ahok and Djarot's performance: "Ali Sadikin, Jakarta governor for the period of 1966 to 1977, was a good governor. Thirty-five years after his term [2012], other good leaders came along, Jokowi-Ahok. We may not see good governors again even in another 35 years. Cry4JKT."

Meanwhile, there was only one floral arrangement for Jakarta governor- elect Anies Baswedan and deputy governor-elect Sandiaga Uno, who are set to be inaugurated on Oct. 16.

"Thank you Bpk. Djarot S. Hidayat. Congratulations to Bpk. Anies Baswedan and Bpk. Sandiaga Uno," a message on a flower board sent by Riza Willano SP read. (cal)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/11/more-flower-boards-for-ahok-djarot-delivered-to-city-hall.html

Coalition opposing Jakarta water privatization wins appeal

Jakarta Post - October 10, 2017

Winda A. Charmila, Jakarta – The Supreme Court on Tuesday approved a cassation appeal filed by the Coalition of Jakarta Residents Opposing Water Privatization (KMMSAJ) and annulled a verdict issued by the Jakarta High Court relating to cooperation between city-owned water operator PAM Jaya and two private companies.

"Yes, we won the cassation after we filed the appeal last year," said the coalition's lawyer, Matthew Michele Lenggu, on Tuesday.

In 2013, the coalition filed a lawsuit against the city administration demanding that the court annul a 1997 agreement between PAM Jaya and PT PAM Lyonnaise Jaya (Palyja) and PT Aetra Air Jakarta (Aetra). The deal will end in 2023.

The coalition claimed that the agreement had failed to guarantee an adequate supply of clean, potable water in Jakarta.

In 2015, a panel of judges at the Central Jakarta District Court approved the lawsuit, saying that the defendants had been negligent in fulfilling the Jakarta residents' rights to water and they also breached the law by handing over the water operation in Jakarta to private firms.

However, a year later, the private firms filed an appeal against the Central Jakarta District Court's decision and won.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/10/coalition-opposing-jakarta-water-privatization-wins-appeal.html

Anies-Sandiaga must continue reclamation project: Luhut

Jakarta Post - October 10, 2017

Jakarta – Maritime Affairs Coordinating Minister Luhut Binsar Panjaitan has said Jakarta Governor-elect Anies Baswedan and his deputy, Sandiaga Uno, cannot cancel the reclamation project in Jakarta Bay, stressing that the project is under the central government's control.

"Don't be noisy in front of the public. If you don't agree, just tell us because we are the ones who conducted the research," said Luhut on Monday as reported by kompas.com.

Last Thursday, Luhut issued a letter to revoke a moratorium on the reclamation project imposed by his predecessor, Rizal Ramli, last year. The letter was issued only days before the inauguration of Anies and Sandiaga, scheduled to be held on Oct. 16.

Sandiaga had met Luhut at the latter's office to question the decision to revoke the moratorium.

Sandiaga stressed that Anies and himself, who had promised to stop the reclamation during the election campaign, would maintain their stance. "We have decided that the reclamation should be stopped," he said.

Sandiaga said the islets that had already been constructed should be used as tourism areas so that all Jakarta people could benefit from the reclamation.

Luhut argued that the research on the reclamation project had been carried out by related ministries, state-owned electricity company PT PLN, and two state owned energy firms: PT Nusantara Regas and PT Pertamina Hulu Energi (PHE).

Regarding islet G, Luhut said he had demanded the developer find a solution for the undersea cable network of coal-based power plants (PLTU) in Muara Karang, which were affected by the project. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/10/anies-sandiaga-cannot-cancel-reclamation-project-luhut.html

Jakarta third most polluted city – and its air quality is getting worse

Asia Pacific Report - October 10, 2017

Pacific Media Centre Newsdesk – Anyone who wants to live a healthy life may have to consider moving out of Jakarta, as the city continues to climb up the rankings for the world's worst air quality.

Based on a real-time air quality index uploaded to the Airvisual application at a recent survey, Jakarta ranked third as the most polluted city in the world, after Beijing and Dhaka, among 70 cities measured across the globe.

In mid-August, the application showed that Jakarta was at the top of the list, followed by Ankara, Turkey, and Lahore in Pakistan.

Residents in the Indonesian capital may have experienced the worsening air quality due to hazy air and the sharp smell of exhaust fumes from vehicles.

Filani Olyvia, 25, a resident of Mampang Prapatan, in South Jakarta, said she was worried about her health because she rides an ojek (motorcycle taxi) to work every day.

Greenpeace Indonesia revealed that air pollution in Greater Jakarta, with its high exposure to a carcinogenic pollutant called PM2.5, was three times higher than the maximum "safe" level recommended by the World Health Organisation of 25 micrograms per cubic metre.

According to research conducted by Greenpeace from January to June, the air in Greater Jakarta was considered "unhealthy" and hazardous for residents, especially children, pregnant women and the elderly.

Premature deaths rise

"In general, there has been a significant increase in premature deaths resulting from strokes, heart disease, respiratory infections (or what the local authorities call ISPA) in children, lung cancer and chronic lung diseases," said Bondan Andriyanu, Greenpeace campaign spokesman for climate and energy.

Using the risk analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Project conducted by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, Greenpeace found that the great increase of people who suffered from pollution-related diseases occurred in areas highly exposed to the pollutant.

To protect themselves against emissions of PM2.5, residents have been advised by Greenpeace to wear N95 surgical masks, instead of regular disposable masks. "We also urge the government to establish a proper, publicly accessible air quality monitoring system for residents," he said.

Source: https://asiapacificreport.nz/2017/10/10/jakarta-third-most-polluted-city-and-its-air-quality-is-getting-worse/

Transport & communication

Consumer group warns potential data breaches govt forces users re register phone

Jakarta Globe - October 14, 2017

Jakarta – The Indonesian Consumer Protection Foundation, or YLKI, has warned the government about potential data breaches if the latter follows through on its plan to force mobile phone users to re-register their prepaid numbers in an effort to prevent fraud.

"The government should guarantee that personal data that belong to consumers will not be misused for commercial use or otherwise without their consent," Tulus Abadi, the managing director of YLKI, said in a statement to the Jakarta Globe of Friday (13/10).

An announcement from the Ministry of Communication and Information came a couple of days earlier and unveiled a plan that would force both new and long-time mobile phone users to re-register their numbers with identification on Oct. 31 and no later than Feb. 28, 2018.

Indonesian citizens will be required to use their ID cards and family registered numbers when registering their phone numbers, but foreigners will be able to use their passports at customer centers.

If an individual fails to register, according to the ministry's statement, their numbers will be blocked. Service providers will start blocking outgoing calls and short message services, followed by incoming calls and all messages, as well as internet services.

Phone users, however, will be able to register their numbers during the message-blocking period. Users only need to send a message to 4444 with the format "ID number#Family Registration number#" or "ULANG#ID number#Family Registration number#" for long-time users.

"Re-registration should have a thorough communication and dissemination process until it reaches consumers," Tulus said.

Tulus, however, is skeptical about whether the new database will be able to curb the number of unused and misused mobile phone cards as consumers are still allowed to have three numbers from each of Indonesia's six mobile operators.

Indonesia is known as a "mobile-first country." According to the World Bank, total mobile subscriptions in Indonesia last year numbered about 385 million, 100 million more than the country's population of 250 million.

Tulus said the towering number was a result of a tariff war between providers, so the government needs to address this issue to stop users from carrying multiple mobile phone cards.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.id/business/consumer-group-warns-potential-data-breaches-govt-forces-users-re-register-phone-numbers/

Retail & service industry

Motorcycle sales drop in September, but manufacturers remain upbeat

Jakarta Globe - October 11, 2017

Jakarta – Motorcycle sales in Indonesia dropped 1.6 percent in September compared to the same month a year ago, ending a two-month run of sale increases. The drop is nevertheless unlikely to derail manufacturers' sales target for this year.

According to the Indonesian Motorcycle Industry Association (AISI), 546,607 motorcycles were sold last month, compared to 555,820 in September last year.

This brought total sales of motorcycles in the country for the first nine months of this year to 4,340,252 units, down 0.2 percent from 4,351,397 units within the same period last year.

Sigit Kumala, AISI's deputy chairman for commercial affairs, said the September sales figure was still in line with the association's estimation.

Sigit said the "momentum to boost sales is narrowing," but remained optimistic manufacturers can sell at least 500,000 motorcycles each month until the end of this year.

He said unfavorable government policies released in the first half of 2017 – including fuel price and electricity fee increases as well as higher fees for vehicle permit and license (STNK and BPKB) – made many reconsider their plan to buy a motorcycle.

"We hope there will be no more of these [unfavorable] policies, since they will decrease purchasing power even further. In the first semester, consumers were shocked and held off on motorcycle purchases," Sigit said.

AISI targets motorcycle sales to reach 5.75 million units by December, down 3 percent from 5.9 million units last year.

Honda still dominates Indonesia's motorcycle market by the end of September, with sales of 3.2 million units and a market share of 74.5 percent. Yamaha is in second place with 983,483 units, followed by Kawasaki (60,252 units), Suzuki (59,104 units) and TVS (935 units).

On the brighter side, export of motorcycles keeps increasing, with 309,325 units shipped by the end of last month – a 36 percent increase from 228,229 units within the same period last year.

Sigit said Indonesia's large domestic market continues to allow manufacturers to mass-produce scooters.

"So, even if the destination country [for export] produces them too, our prices are still cheaper. We just need maintain the quality of our products, and the competitive price, to ensure repeat orders," he said.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.id/business/motorcycle-sales-drop-september-manufacturers-remain-upbeat/

Armed forces & defense

Government to issue integrated weapons regulation after TNI vs. police quarrel

Jakarta Globe - October 15, 2017

Jakarta – The government will soon issue an integrated regulation on the purchase and use of weapons, a senior minister said on Friday (13/10), after a shipment of weapons for Indonesia's police force was held up at customs since the Indonesian military refused to issue a clearance for it, triggering a public controversy.

The police said the purchase of 280 stand-alone grenade launchers and nearly 6,000 ammunition late last month had followed proper procedures, a claim dismissed by the military.

Chief Security Minister Wiranto, who was quick to issue a statement saying the incident was only a matter of miscommunication, said the whole controversy was a result of many crisscrossing regulations on weapons that have been in place for decades.

He said the government has now agreed to simplify the regulations into a "sole, comprehensive regulation on the safe, fair and clear use of weapons" by all institutions involved in national security and defense.

"There will be no more misunderstanding," Wiranto told reporters at his office in Jakarta.

Indonesia currently has four weapon laws: one government regulation in lieu of law, one presidential instruction and four ministerial regulations on the purchase and use of weapons, Wiranto explained.

"If every institution follows a different law, there will always be confusion," Wiranto said.

The military (TNI) said the 6,000 ammunition that arrived with the grenade launchers – apparently purchased for the police's Mobile Brigade (Brimob) – are "lethal," countering police claims.

The ammunition is currently being kept at a military warehouse, while the launchers will soon be handed over to the police.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.id/news/govt-issue-integrated-weapons-regulation-tni-vs-police-quarrel/

Soldiers fight over trash

Jakarta Post - October 13, 2017

Jakarta – A quarrel reportedly involving an Indonesian Military (TNI) member occurred on Jl. Pemuda in Rawamangun, East Jakarta, on Friday afternoon.

In a video that has since gone viral, the member of the military is seen fighting with the driver of a car. The fight reportedly ensued after the car driver was seen throwing trash on the street.

The trash hit the TNI member's wife, who was riding a motorcycle with him. After the TNI member stopped the car, he and the driver began fighting.

Jakarta Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Argo Yuwono confirmed the incident. "We are coordinating with the military police [to settle the case]," he said as quoted by kompas.com.

Separately, Navy spokesman Col. Gig Jonias Mozes Sipasulta said that both men involved in the fighting were Navy personnel. "The case has been resolved because they are part of military family," he said. (ecn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/13/soldiers-fight-over-trash.html

Military ambitions shake Indonesia's politics

Asia Times - October 9, 2017

John McBeth, Jakarta – During former president Suharto's New Order reign, political analysts were breathless followers of the Indonesian military's regular changes in command, a measure of who was in favor, who was not, and, more importantly, who might be rising as a possible successor to the president himself.

But with a few notable holdovers, the days when a bemedaled uniform smoothed passage to national leadership effectively died with Suharto's downfall in May 1998 and the birth of a new democratic era that ended the Indonesian Armed Forces' (TNI) self-serving dual function (dual-fungsi) role in domestic politics.

Even before, Suharto showed by belatedly reaching out to Muslim leaders that he never had the same trust in the TNI after his own generation of generals was replaced by a stream of newcomers he knew little about and had even less confidence in.

Nearly 20 years later, it would be interesting to speculate on what Suharto would have made of TNI commander General Gatot Nurmantyo, who clearly feels a glittering political career awaits him beyond his mandatory retirement in March next year.

The general view suggests otherwise, as President Joko Widodo prepares to make a bid for a second term in April 2019, when presidential and legislative elections will be held on the same day.

But Nurmantyo is one of a kind. Not since the birth of the democratic era has an Indonesian military commander so blatantly displayed his political ambitions while still in office. And never before has one so openly courted religious groups in the hope of burnishing his electability.

"He doesn't have much in the way of personal charisma and he doesn't have much political acumen," says one Western military analyst. "He would be no competition for Widodo, so I can't see any other party picking him as a presidential or vice-presidential candidate."

Predecessor TNI chief General Moeldoko had the same ambitions before he retired in July 2015. So far, he has only landed the job of deputy chairman of the People's Conscience Party (Hanura), led by political coordinating minister Wiranto, another former armed forces' chief.

Wiranto, Suharto's one-time adjutant who often boasts he saved democracy after the authoritarian leader resigned in 1998, had higher political office ambitions in mind, too, running unsuccessfully for the presidency in 2004 and the vice-presidency in 2009.

But he and Moeldoko never made the same waves as Nurmantyo, who recently stirred controversy again by claiming the National Intelligence Agency (BIN) had sought to illegally import 5,000 weapons, using President Joko Widodo's name to do so.

In a leaked audio recording of remarks he made to retired military officers on September 22, Wiranto among them, Nurmantyo also warned he would "attack" the police if they were supplied with military-grade weapons, apparently a reference to recent arms purchases.

That threatened to reignite inter-service antagonism, never far below the surface since the police separated from the military chain of command in 1999 and assumed control over many of its illegal business activities.

Nurmantyo was accused of playing politics and received sharp public rebukes from Wiranto, defense minister Ryamizard Ryacudu and TB Hasanuddin, a former army general and deputy chairman of Parliament's defense commission.

Widodo later met with Nurmantyo and while he did not disclose what was said, he insisted that only 500 "short-barreled" weapons were involved and they were to be acquired from state-owned arms manufacturer PT Pindad, not from overseas.

Both BIN and the police, which is in the market for 15,000 pistols to replace the revolvers still carried by many patrolmen, had already discussed their procurements with the House of Representatives as part of the 2018 budgetary process.

What didn't help was the arrival in the middle of all the controversy of a Ukrainian Air Force cargo plane carrying 280 Bulgarian-made SAGL grenade launchers and 6,000 grenades destined for the paramilitary Police Mobile Brigade.

Although the 43-millimeter launcher can fire different types of ordnance, the police had to hastily explain that the new shipment of grenades contained teargas and smoke for legitimate crowd-control operations, not high explosive.

Insiders say Nurmantyo's attack on BIN stems from a long-simmering conflict with its director, Budi Gunawan, a former deputy police chief and a close associate of ruling Indonesian Democrat Party for Struggle chairperson Megawati Sukarnoputri.

Gunawan was given the intelligence post as consolation after Widodo went over his and the heads of several other more senior officers to choose the youthful Gen Tito Karnavian, a former Detachment 88 commander, as national police chief in mid-2016.

The president thought long and hard about sacking Nurmantyo last year after the maverick general unilaterally suspended ties with the Australia Defense Force (ADF) over perceived as derogatory materials about Indonesia included in ADF training manuals.

He has said in the past he believes US Marines training in northern Australia are there for the eventual takeover of Papua. In public speeches, he often espouses his pet theory that foreigners are engaged in a proxy war to undermine Indonesia.

In the end, Widodo kept his cool, but at the time he was rattled by two mass rallies against ethnic-Chinese Jakarta Governor Basuki Purnama, whose blasphemy trial, he suspected, had become a tool to weaken him ahead of the 2019 elections.

Worrying for him are Nurmantyo's ties to the conservative Muslim alliance at the forefront of the protests that led to Purnama's defeat in the April gubernatorial election and his subsequent conviction and imprisonment for blasphemy.

He also used the recent anniversary of the September 30, 1965, coup, blamed on the long-defunct Communist Party of Indonesia (PKI), to bang the drum about the threat of a supposed communist revival, despite the absence of any evidence to support such a notion.

The communist specter is something military and religious diehards continue to raise as a way of defending the subsequent purge of the PKI in 1965-66 that claimed as many as 500,000 lives and left an indelible stain on the country's psyche.

A recent poll showed 86% of Indonesians don't believe there are still "Reds Under the Bed," but Widodo has had to deal before with rumors spread by his political rivals that his parents were PKI members – something that could still badly damage him among easily led, uneducated voters.

Certainly, any loyalty serving officers have towards Nurmantyo will quickly disappear on his retirement, and while he will retain a measure of influence due any former commander, he will likely find only a limited number of parties willing to support his political ambitions.

One exception may be opposition leader and prospective presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto, who has his own Islamist allies, including the Sharia-based Justice and Prosperity Party (PKS) which Nurmantyo recently praised for its "consistency" in maintaining national unity.

In openly brandishing his Muslim credentials, the TNI chief may see himself as a running mate to Prabowo, an ex-special forces commander who, with few political allies to call on, reportedly has him on a short list of retired generals he is considering for 2019.

Nurmantyo's successor in the military's top post is likely to be air force chief of staff Hadi Tjahjanto, 53, a transport pilot well known to Widodo after serving as commander of the air base in the president's hometown of Solo, Central Java, in 2010-2011, and also as his military secretary in his first year in office.

Tjahjanto's age means he would hold the post for four years, longer than any of the previous eight commanders stretching back to 1998, and matching the tenure of trusted police chief Karnavian, who doesn't retire until 2022.

If appointed to TNI chief, he would also be the second air force officer to fill a position which remained in the hands of the army from the birth of the republic until 1999 – a year after Suharto's fall – when a navy admiral finally broke the mold.

His junior service background will raise questions about Tjahjanto's level of authority, but that will depend in part on whether Widodo is able to find a trusted candidate to succeed low-profile army chief General Mulyono when he retires in January 2019.

That could turn out to be Major General Andika Perkasa, 52, the current West Kalimantan regional commander who previously served as head of the presidential security force and is now in line for promotion to a third star, one step removed from army chief rank.

Educated at Washington's National War College and Harvard University, Perkasa is the son of former intelligence guru Gen Hendropriyono, another influential member of Megawati's inner circle.

Either way, it would still leave Widodo with a trusted support base in the police and military well into his second term, something he may need as a comfort blanket if he must fend off future political challenges from the far right.

Source: http://www.atimes.com/article/military-ambitions-shake-indonesias-politics/

Suspicion mounts over $1.4 billion transfer

Jakarta Post - October 9, 2017

Safrin La Batu, Jakarta – Two days after holding a high-profile party for its 72nd anniversary, the Indonesian Military (TNI) is back in the spotlight, this time over a report that individuals linked to the institution have carried out a money transfer of around US$1.4 billion through multiple accounts managed by United Kingdom-based bank Standard Chartered.

Bloomberg first reported that regulators in Europe and Asia were investigating Standard Chartered over the role staff may have played in transferring $1.4 billion of private bank client assets from Guernsey to Singapore before new tax transparency rules were introduced in 2015.

The assets – held in its Guernsey trust unit for mainly Indonesian clients, some of whom had links to the military – were moved in late-2015 before the Channel Island adopted the Common Reporting Standard, a global framework for the exchange of tax data, at the start of 2016, the people said. Standard Chartered shuttered its operations on the island last year.

The New York Times quoted a person with knowledge of the investigation who said that the links to the TNI also raised flags.

Contacted on Sunday, the Financial Transaction Report and Analysis Centre (PPATK) said that it was investigating the report. "We are communicating with relevant agencies in our investigation into the case," PPATK chairman Kiagus Ahmad Badaruddin told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

Kiagus also said the PPATK already had details of individuals involved in the reported transactions and that the agency had gotten a hold of records of the transactions in question.

"[We'll have to see] if, for example, the amount being transferred was also reflected in their tax forms. The Directorate General of Taxation can surely track them down," Kiagus said.

Kiagus said the funds could have been saved overseas to avoid taxes, an activity that could be categorized as money laundering. He also added that the ongoing investigations could also look into possibilities that the funds could be the result of corrupt activities.

Bloomberg's sources in Guernsey highlighted that there were disparities between the earnings of some customers and the balances in their accounts, with clients, in the most egregious cases, having a stated annual income of tens of thousands of dollars yet held tens of millions in their accounts.

Employees of the trust in Guernsey and relationship bankers in Singapore flagged the $1.4 billion of asset transfers, when they were first proposed in 2015, noting a sudden flurry of requests in what was previously a static series of accounts, people familiar with the timeline said. The transfers were approved by Standard Chartered's financial crime compliance team after a review, the employees said.

Those with links to the military were considered politically exposed persons and should have been subject to a higher level of scrutiny, one Guernsey employee said, as quoted by Bloomberg.

Yustinus Prastowo, executive director of the Center of Indonesia Taxation Analysis (CITA), said it was possible the funds in question were dirty money attained from corruption, given the huge amount of money kept in the account.

Yustinus suspected that the discrepancy between the amount of funds in the account and the stated annual income of their owners could be an indication that it was an effort to avoid money generated from corruption being traced by law enforcement agencies.

"Normally, there are three reasons for funds being stashed in tax havens; government officials hiding money from corruption, businesspeople avoiding taxes and drug dealers keeping their money safe," Yustinus said.

Even if the funds came from legal sources, transferring to overseas accounts could indicate their owners tried to dodge tax," Yustinus said.

TNI spokesman Maj. Gen. Wuryanto did not return multiple phone calls made by The Jakarta Post on Sunday. Standard Chartered Indonesia External Communications and Public Affairs head Mita Sampaguita Lamiran also declined to comment.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/09/suspicion-mounts-over-14-billion-transfer.html

Criminal justice & legal system

Indonesia endorses killing drug suspects to cut costs

Human Rights Watch October 16, 2017

Phelim Kine – Indonesia's National Narcotics Agency (BNN) head has an innovative approach to reducing incarceration costs: killing drug suspects so that they never get to prison.

Last week Comr. Gen. Budi Waseso told the media he had instructed his agency's drug enforcement personnel "not to hesitate to shoot to kill if they have to [because] if drug offenders go to jail they get free meals, which are paid for by the state."

That was no was no slip of the tongue. In September 2016, Waseso called for Indonesian police to adopt Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte-style "drug war" methods. Using language reminiscent of Duterte, Waseso declared that, "The life of a [drug] dealer is meaningless." In July he praised Duterte's drug war – in which nongovernmental organizations and media outlets estimate more than 12,000 people have been killed over the past 15 months – as proof that "he is taking care of his citizens."

Waseso is not alone in holding such views. On July 20, Indonesia's National Police chief, Gen. Tito Karnavian, referenced Duterte's campaign when unveiling a new approach to combating drugs in Indonesia: "shooting drug dealers." The next day, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo issued the equivalent of a "shoot to kill" order by instructing police who encounter foreign drug dealers who resist arrest to "Gun them down. Give no mercy." And on August 9, Jakarta Police Inspector General Idham Azis announced that when dealing with suspected drug dealers, "sending them to God" would take priority over arrest and prosecution.

There are already indications that these statements are having a deadly impact. A recent University of Melbourne analysis estimated that Indonesian police killed 49 suspected drug dealers in the first six months of 2017. That is a sharp rise from 14 such killings in all of 2016 and 10 in 2015. Ominously, more than one-third of the killings by police from January to June 2017 occurred after suspects had surrendered to police.

President Jokowi should publicly declare the primacy of rule of law and the rights of due process for all criminal suspects – and remove officials who believe otherwise. As long as senior police officials such as Waseso are allowed to advocate extrajudicial executions as an acceptable crime control solution, there is a serious risk that police will interpret those exhortations as a license to kill.

Source: https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/10/16/indonesia-endorses-killing-drug-suspects-cut-costs

Judges, court officials sanctioned after arrest

Jakarta Post - October 16, 2017

Jakarta – As many as 18 judges were given disciplinary sanctions between June and September this year following arrests made by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and illegal levy eradication central task force (Saber Pungli), according to data from the Supreme Court's supervisory division.

The 18 judges are among 40 court officials who were punished by the Supreme Court for their alleged involvement in graft cases. The remaining officials included court clerks, court secretaries, substitute court clerks and bailiffs.

A list uploaded on the court's official website, bawas.mahkamahagung.go.id, revealed that 15 of the 18 judges were given light sanctions, while the remaining three received mild sentences, including verbal warnings, written warnings and delays in promotions. None were dismissed from their position.

Meanwhile, other officials were given heavier sanctions, such as substitute court clerk Tarmizi from the South Jakarta District Court, who was arrested in a KPK operation on Aug. 21. He was suspended from his post.

Another substitute court clerk, Hendra Kurniawan from the Bengkulu District Court who was arrested by the KPK on Sept. 6, was also temporarily dismissed.

Bailiff Edi Saputra from the North Sumatera District Court, who was arrested by Saber Pungli in an operation on Aug. 29, has also been suspended. (dra)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/16/judges-court-officials-sanctioned-after-arrest.html

Indonesia recruits 14,000 new prison guards

Jakarta Globe - October 15, 2017

Jakarta – The Ministry of Justice and Human Rights is in the process of recruiting 14,000 new prison guards as part of its efforts to hire a total of 17,586 new employees this year, more than the combined number of new hires by 61 other ministries and state agencies, Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly said on Friday (13/10).

"The Justice and Human Rights Ministry has been trusted by the president and the government to add a huge number of employees – 17,586 – of whom 14,000 will be prison guards," Yasonna said.

The ministry currently suffers from a severe lack of prison guards, where the ratio of prison guards to inmates is 1:60, according to data from the penitentiary department's public affairs unit.

The country has seen a rise in prison escapes in recent years due to a lack of guards and an overpopulated prison system. In May, about 450 inmates escaped from a prison in Pekanbaru, Riau, resulting in one of the largest mass prison escapes in the country's history.

"We have a teleconference with all province representatives [...] to make sure that the implementation of the recruitment process can be done correctly, transparently and free of extortion," the minister said.

Applicants must pass the Computer Assisted Test (CAT) and a competency test, which will test hopeful prison guards on their intellectual and physical prowess.

Indonesia currently operates 477 prisons with a maximum capacity of housing 120,000 people, however, almost 160,000 inmates are incarcerated in the country and around 70,000 detainees live at those facilities at this moment, data from the penitentiary department in October showed.

Besides recruiting new prison guards, the ministry will also hire new employees to be placed at three border posts in Papua, West Kalimantan and East Kalimantan.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.id/news/indonesia-recruits-14000-new-prison-guards/

Indonesia's contradictory death penalty rhetoric

Human Rights Watch Dispatches - October 11, 2017

Phelim Kine – Indonesia's government on Tuesday marked World Day Against the Death Penalty by issuing a self-serving and contradictory statement on its death penalty policy. Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly reaffirmed the government won't seek to abolish the death penalty, but would pursue a "win-win solution" designed to appease both death penalty supporters and opponents. That might include mandatory judicial reviews of death penalty judgments and possible sentence commutation for death row prisoners.

Indonesia ended a four-year unofficial moratorium on the death penalty in March 2013, and President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has made the execution of convicted drug traffickers a signature policy issue.

Since Jokowi took office in 2014, 18 convicted drug traffickers were executed in 2015 and 2016 – the majority citizens of other countries. Jokowi has routinely rejected their governments' calls for clemency, citing national sovereignty.

The government's apparent newfound flexibility on its death penalty policy, including a temporary suspension of executions in 2017, was linked by the attorney general to its ambitions to secure United Nations member support to become a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.

Recent evidence uncovered by the ombudsman of "maladministration" by the Indonesian government in denying the legal rights of a Nigerian citizen executed for drug trafficking in July 2016 underscore the need for the death penalty's abolition.

But Laoly's claims of a more flexible death penalty policy are contradicted by Indonesia's performance last month during the UN Universal Periodic Review of Indonesia's rights record. Jakarta rejected recommendations by UN member countries that the government enhance safeguards on the use of the death penalty, including adequate and early legal representation for defendants and not executing people with mental illness. It also rejected a recommendation to review all cases with a view to commuting death sentences or at least ensuring "fair trials that fully comply with international standards."

Jokowi's government should stop its cynical efforts to use the cruel and irreversible punishment of the death penalty as a bargaining chip for a Security Council seat. Instead it should publicly recognize that the death penalty has no place in a right-respecting country and immediately move toward abolition.

Source: https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/10/11/indonesias-contradictory-death-penalty-rhetoric

Government seeks 'win-win solution' on death penalty

Jakarta Post - October 10, 2017

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – The government is to retain the death penalty, but intends to seek a "middle way" to accommodate those critics who opposed capital punishment as a violation of human rights, Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly said on Tuesday.

"There are two opposing views on the death penalty, agreeing [and] disagreeing [...] We're seeking a win-win solution," Yasonna said at the House of Representatives on Tuesday. He added that an alternative sentencing scheme was under consideration, including legal provisions to review a death sentence.

For example, a death sentence could be commuted into life imprisonment, "if death-row convicts have spent ten years in prison and have shown good behavior," the minister said.

Yasonna insisted the death penalty was still necessary and maintained that providing such "alternative" sentencing schemes was a "win-win solution".

Monday marked the 15th World Day Against the Death Penalty. Indonesia is one country that still applies death sentence, particularly for drug-related crimes.

Indonesia executed 14 drug convicts in 2015 and four in 2016. This year, the Attorney General's Office (AGO) plans to execute 134 death row convicts, according to the Institute for Criminal Justice Reform (ICJR).

The UN has called on Indonesia to abolish the death penalty and adopt the 75 United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) recommendations that were issued during May's Universal Periodic Review (UPR). The government has rejected the call from the world body. (foy/bbs)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/10/govt-seeks-win-win-solution-on-death-penalty.html

Police & law enforcement

Three elite police officers killed in shooting at Central Java oil site

Jakarta Globe - October 12, 2017

Jakarta – Three officers with the National Police's Mobile Brigade, or Brimob, were found shot dead at their post guarding an oil exploration site of mining firm Sarana Gas Trembul in Blora, Central Java, a police official said on Wednesday (11/10).

"They are all members of the Brimob unit of six officers tasked to guard [the location of] the national project," Central Java Police chief Insp. Gen. Condro Kirono said during a press conference at the Police Academy in Semarang, Central Java, as quoted by Antara news agency.

The incident occurred on Tuesday evening, when Chief Brig. Bambang Tejo, 36, reportedly shot Brig. Ahmad Supriyanto (35) and Brig. Budi Wibowo (30) with an AK-101 assault rifle, and killed himself with a bullet in the head.

An investigation is ongoing to determine Bambang's motives. "Initial findings suggest that it was a personal issue," Condro said.

Similar shooting incidents have happened before. Last May, Chief Brig. Teguh Dwiyanto allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself in the head at his battalion dorm in Tangerang, West Java. In 2016, Brig. Aris Chandra reportedly shot his wife at his house in Bekasi, West Java, and then killed himself with a bullet.

According to watchdog Indonesia Police Watch, the number of suicides within the National Police forces has increased from five in 2015 to seven last year.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.id/news/three-elite-police-officers-killed-in-shooting-at-central-java-oil-site/

Police's new sharp projectiles 'better' than TNI ammunition

Jakarta Post - October 11, 2017

Marguerite Afra Sapiie, Jakarta – The Indonesian Military (TNI) has claimed that the projectiles procured by the National Police's Mobile Brigade (Brimob) have extraordinary capabilities that exceeded those of TNI's ammunition.

The ammunition, which was recently shipped with 280 stand-alone grenade launchers (SAGL), results in a lethal wound within a distance of 9 meters and a blast radius of 400 meters, TNI spokesperson Maj. Gen. Wuryanto said.

After being fired, the projectile explodes twice. In the second blast, the projectile emits dozens of small metal fragments that can also be lethal, he added. "The grenades explode without impact after 14 to 19 seconds," Wuryanto said on Tuesday.

"To date, the TNI does not have munitions with such capability," he said, adding that the SAGL and other munitions that fire smoke and tear gas had been handed to the police.

Wuryanto made the statement following the controversy surrounding weapon procurement by the police, including 5,932 rounds of ammunition.

The grenades are being held by the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport's customs and excise authorities, reportedly as a result of the polemics surrounding type of the munitions.

Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto said the munitions would be released to the police but the grenades must be kept at TNI headquarters.

The ongoing controversy highlighted the old rivalry between the National Police and the TNI, TNI Commander Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo previously made a controversial statement that observers said had political purposes and could jeopardize the military's political neutrality. (bbs)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/11/polices-new-sharp-projectiles-better-than-tni-ammunition.html

Free trade & neoliberalism

Push for Australia to open its doors to Indonesian workers under free trade deal

Melbourne Age - October 11, 2017

Jewel Topsfield and Karuni Rompies, Jakarta – Indonesia is pushing for Australia to open its doors to more Indonesian workers – such as nurses and cooks – as well as removing tariffs on textiles as free trade negotiations between the two countries enter the final month.

Meanwhile Australia wants reduced tariffs on products such as skim milk powder and cold rolled steel and majority ownership of investments in education, tourism and healthcare in Indonesia.

Australia and Indonesia agreed to restore defence co-operation following a bilateral meeting between Malcolm Turnbull and Joko Widodo.

Australia and Indonesia have set a November deadline for a conclusion to the negotiations, which began in 2012 but stalled a year later amid diplomatic tensions between the two countries and did not resume again until last year.

Chief negotiator Deddy Saleh told Fairfax Media that Indonesia wanted tariffs removed on its textile exports to allow its textile and clothing producers to compete with products from Malaysia and China, which already had free trade agreements with Australia.

Although Australia has eliminated tariffs on most agricultural products, tariffs on textiles remain and will not be phased out completely until 2020. A controversial issue is the movement of workers between the two countries.

"We requested that Indonesians be able to work in Australia," Mr Deddy said. He said Indonesian hospitality workers reported having their visas rejected despite having experience, training and meeting required standards.

"Based on our study, Australia needs nurses, people working in the health sector, cooks, and hotel staff," Mr Deddy said after the ninth round of negotiations in Jakarta last week. "If they are still in need why were we rejected?"

The Indonesia Australia Business Partnership Group last year called for a "relaxed and novel visa scheme" that allowed Indonesian and Australian skilled workers to easily move across the border.

Mr Deddy said Indonesia would consider Australia's request to lower tariffs on products such as skim milk powder, which Trade Minister Steve Ciobo singled out as being on Australia's wish list when he visited Jakarta last month.

"We have requested related ministries to consider it but it's up to them to grant it or not. So it will be decided in the last meeting," Mr Deddy said.

We really want to make sure this agreement is seen to be balanced and doesn't favour one particular country.

"I think objectively and commercially it can benefit both parties but it should be balanced, meaning if we request something of Australia it should also be granted."

Mr Deddy said Indonesia was also considering Australia request for majority ownership of investments in education, healthcare and tourism: "At the moment we can only grant 49 per cent ownership."

However he warned that Indonesia wanted to see a commitment from Australia to invest in the archipelago, saying that sometimes what the private sector wanted was different to what governments negotiated.

For example, Mr Deddy said, the private sector indicated they were more interested in investing in vocational education – such as an animation course for example – than universities.

Australia Indonesia Business Council president Phillip Turtle said he was hopeful the deal would make it easier for Australia to provide vocational education to meet Indonesia's need for skills training.

"There has been frustration on both sides that there hasn't been the capacity to better bring together Australian and Indonesian VET (Vocational Education and Training) sectors," he said.

"We don't expect that this agreement will be the solution to all problems but we hope it will unlock a number of opportunities for people to take advantage of," Mr Turtle said.

"We really want to make sure this agreement is seen to be balanced and doesn't favour one particular country."

Mr Deddy also said Australia wanted no geographical restrictions on where it could invest in healthcare in Indonesia, whereas Indonesia wanted to ensure a balance of services and facilities in the east and west of the country.

Despite the proximity of the two countries, Indonesia is only Australia's 14th largest trading partner, with 2 per cent of total trade. Meanwhile, Australia is Indonesia's ninth largest partner, representing 2.8 per cent of total trade.

"It is difficult to find two G20 neighbours that trade and invest in each other as little as Australia and Indonesia do," Kyle Springer, a program manager from the Perth USAsia Centre wrote recently.

In July the Centre organised for a group of Indonesian and Australian experts to examine the causes behind the "limping economic relations" and what might be done to fix them.

In a report outlining their findings, they said that as two economies heavily dependent on natural resources Australia and Indonesia were actually competitors rather than collaborators and Australian companies found it difficult to navigate Indonesia's business climate.

The report said the free trade deal – known as the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement – should be completed by the end of the year as planned.

"While negotiators should seek the highest quality agreement possible, they should not make the perfect the enemy of the good," it said.

Source: http://www.theage.com.au/business/push-for-australia-to-open-its-doors-to-indonesian-workers-under-free-trade-deal-20171011-gyyjdo.html

Mining & energy

PLN still struggling to boost electricity sales

Jakarta Post - October 15, 2017

Viriya P. Singgih, Jakarta – State electricity firm PLN is still struggling to boost its electricity sales volume amid mounting financial burdens it has to face to support the government's 35,000-megawatt (MW) program.

PLN's electricity sales only climbed by 3.1 percent year-on-year to 163.6 terawatt hours (TWh) within the first nine months of 2017, still below the annual growth of 5.94 percent in the same period last year.

"As of September, PLN's sales volume had reached 163.6 TWh compared to 158.6 TWh in the same month last year," the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry's spokesman Dadan Kusdiana said recently.

In its latest electricity procurement business plan (RUPTL), PLN has factored in the construction of the new power plants based on the assumption that the electricity sales volume would grow by 8.3 percent annually.

The RUPTL includes the plan to generate 35,000 MW of electricity by 2019, 10,000 MW of which to be built by PLN, while the rest will be developed by independent power producers.

In addition to the 10,000 MW, PLN also plans to build 46,760 kilometers worth of transmission circuits and 1,375 substation units equivalent to 108,789 mega volt amperes (MVA) by 2019.

It is estimated that PLN must disburse Rp 585 trillion for the development of these infrastructures. However, as of August, PLN had only been able to seal financing commitments worth Rp 117 trillion

As of June, PLN's liabilities reached Rp 420.5 trillion, a 9.8 percent increase year-on-year. Meanwhile, its net profits plunged 71.7 percent to Rp 2.24 trillion.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/15/pln-still-struggling-to-boost-electricity-sales.html

Indonesia extends Freeport's divestment deadline

Jakarta Post - October 12, 2017

Prima Wirayani and Viriya P. Singgih, Jakarta – The government has extended the deadline for United States-based mining giant Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) to meet its divestment obligation to the first quarter of 2019 – three months longer than the previous time limit – following a longer-than-expected negotiation between both parties.

The current government has been involved in intense negotiations for months with FCX over the future operations of the latter's local unit PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI).

In return for PTFI's contract extension, the government is demanding that FCX, among other things, divest 51 percent of its shares in PTFI to Indonesian entities. At present, FCX controls 90.64 percent of PTFI, while 9.36 percent is owned by the government.

"The divestment process should be completed by the first quarter of 2019," State-Owned Enterprises Minister Rini Soemarno said in Jakarta on Thursday, contradicting her previous statement that the designated deadline was at the end of next year.

Rini said there should be some flexibility for both parties to conclude the whole divestment process. "We're still trying to make it happen by the end of 2018, but just in case, if we miss the deadline, it has to be completed by March 2019 at the latest," she said.

Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Ignasius Jonan previously decided to give a three-month extension for PTFI's temporary special mining license (IUPK) until Jan. 10, 2018, to give extra time for negotiations between FCX and the government to settle their contractual dispute. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/12/indonesia-extends-freeports-divestment-deadline.html

Economy & investment

Indonesia records US$1.76b trade surplus in September

Jakarta Post - October 16, 2017

Marchio Gorbiano, Jakarta – Indonesia recorded a US$1.76 billion trade surplus in September as exports reached $14.54 billion in September, a 15.6 percent increase from the same month last year, while imports stood at $12.78 billion, up 13.13 percent year-on-year (yoy).

However, on a month-on-month (mom) basis, Indonesia's imports and exports decreased 4.51 percent and 5.39 percent, respectively. Imports reached $13.51 billion in August, while exports stood at $15.23 billion in the same month.

Central Statistics Agency (BPS) head Suhariyanto attributed the monthly decrease to seasonal patterns. "[Trade] also decreased in August to September last year," he told reporters on Monday. Read also: Trade Expo seals $16m trading contracts on first day

Non-oil and gas exports, which accounted for 90.1 percent of the country's exports in September, increased 13.76 percent yoy to $13.10 billion, while oil and gas exports increased 15.6 percent yoy to $1.44 billion during the same month.

The increase in non-oil and gas exports in September from August was aided by a significant increase in the export of minerals, pulp and tin, while there were decreases in the export of vegetable and animal oils, jewelry and garments, among others.

China, Japan and the United States remain the largest export destinations for Indonesia, while China, Japan and Japan and Thailand are the top three sources of Indonesian imports.

The surplus recorded in September brought the overall surplus from January to September to $10.87 billion. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/16/indonesia-records-us-1-76b-trade-surplus-in-september.html

Ahead of election, Indonesia's GDP will improve: Schroders

Jakarta Post - October 15, 2017

Winny Tang, Jakarta – Ahead of the 2019 presidential election, Indonesia's economic growth will be better than this year as long as the commodity prices stays stable, the nation's biggest mutual fund manager, PT Schroders Investment Management Indonesia, projects.

Schroders head of intermediary business Teddy Oetomo expects the GDP growth to expand by between 5.1 to 5.5 percent in 2018, similar to Bank Indonesia's projection.

"With conservative assumption of commodity prices, we believe that next year's economic growth can be sustained by the growth in government and private consumption," he said recently.

Next year, there will be regional elections in three provinces, Central Java, East Java and West Java, which all account for 40 percent of the country's total population. Therefore, the money in circulation will be huge, and the private consumption will rise, he said.

In 2018, however, the pressure for Indonesia's economy will most likely come from global risks, such as the rise in US Federal Reserve interest rates and the forthcoming change of the US central bank's officials.

"There's not much to worry about in our country. Our debt ratio is one of the lowest compared to other countries, and Indonesia posted trade surplus, and the banking liquidity is still in check," he explained.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/15/ahead-of-election-indonesias-gdp-will-improve-schroders.html

Analysis & opinion

Lukas Enembe: another Papuan problem for Jakarta

Indonesia at Melbourne - October 16, 2017

Richard Chauvel – It is easy to over-interpret the body language of government officials in photographs, but Papua Governor Lukas Enembe (third from left) seems the least at ease in this meeting from 5 September.

The photo was taken at the residence of State Intelligence Agency (BIN) head Budi Gunawan (left). Pictured alongside Enembe are North Sumatra Police Chief Paulus Waterpauw (the former head of police in Papua) and Police Chief Tito Karnavian (right). These participants are significant. Tito has also served as police chief in Papua and Waterpauw has been mentioned as a candidate for the governorship.

At the meeting, Enembe was persuaded to sign a 16-point statement that included a declaration of loyalty to the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI) and Pancasila and a pledge to give his support to President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) in the 2019 elections. Enembe equivocated about supporting a rival party, given he is the head of the Democrat Party in Papua, but nevertheless signed the document.

It was an eventful time for the governor. The day before the meeting, Enembe had been cross-examined by police in a corruption case related to the alleged misuse of provincial budget funds for scholarships.

After Tito and Waterpauw joined the meeting, Gunawan told Enembe that the president wanted him to be nominated for the gubernatorial election next year on a joint ticket with Waterpauw as his deputy. Tito also instructed his subordinates to drop the legal investigation into Enembe.

Police spokesman Rikwanto eventually acknowledged that there had been a meeting, but said the discussion had been about the security of the 2018 regional elections and ways to prevent recurrence of the violence seen in local elections earlier this year. Rikwanto denied the meeting discussed the governor's support for President Jokowi in 2019 or involved a 16-point declaration of loyalty by Enembe.

The meeting appears to have been the initiative of BIN, whose principal concern was Enembe's loyalty and the likelihood he will be re-elected in 2018. Having a reliable and complaint figure as governor is critical in maintaining the central government's authority in the Papuan provinces. Recent independence referenda by provincial governments in Iraqi Kurdistan and Spain's Catalonia will not have gone unnoticed in Jakarta.

The governor is both the representative of the national government and the directly elected head of the provincial government. Under the 2001 Special Autonomy Law, the governor must be an ethnic Papuan, even though the electorate includes both Papuan and non-Papuan residents of the province. The direct election of governors makes the task of ensuring 'suitable' politicians are nominated and elected more complicated. The meeting at Gunawan's residence was an attempt to manage this process.

A joint ticket with Waterpauw would facilitate rather than inhibit Enembe's re-election, but Waterpauw as deputy governor would also provide a means of containing Enembe's influence and monitoring his administration through a Papuan policeman trusted by Jakarta. If Enembe continued to have legal difficulties after the election, Waterpauw would simply replace him as governor.

Jakarta's suspicions about the loyalties of governors in Papua are not new. Enembe's two immediate predecessors, Jacobus Solossa and Barnabas Suebu, were identified in a Ministry of Home Affairs intelligence document, along with well-known advocates of Papuan independence, as part of a "Papuan political conspiracy". President Megawati Soekarnoputri's instruction (Inpres 1/2003) to create a separate province of West Papua – a divide and rule strategy – reflected the intelligence community's concern that special autonomy, if properly implemented, risked empowering a Papuan political elite whose loyalty was suspect.

Some of Enembe's public statements could have raised the same suspicions in nationalist circles in Jakarta. Reflecting on the heated Jakarta gubernatorial election and the growing influence of hard-line Islam, Enembe said that the pro-independence National Committee for West Papua (KNPB) was preferable in a democracy to the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI). If Indonesia were dominated by "radical Muslims", he said, Papua would separate.

In line with the Papuan nationalist interpretation of the history of Papua's integration into Indonesia, Enembe recalled in 2016 that Papuans were promised their own independent state and the struggle for this state remains their objective. Enembe said that discriminatory policies have made Papuans feel that they are not Indonesians. Jakarta considers Papuans to be stupid, he said, and governs them in an arbitrary manner. But Papuans understand this and their history. They are very clever.

These views are common among Papuans but when they are stated publicly by the governor, they become political, resonating with the governor's supporters in Papua and raising suspicion in Jakarta.

Enembe has particular significance in the electoral politics of Papua. The former Puncak Jaya District head is the first highlander to be elected governor. He won the 2013 gubernatorial election in the first round against five other candidates, recording a majority of 52 per cent. Recent surveys have showed that Enembe is in a strong position to be re-elected governor, and is well ahead of Waterpauw. Enembe has a network of support in provincial and district governments, as well as the broader community. In June, supporters in 10 highland districts organised to support his campaign for re-election.

Waterpauw comes from FakFak district on the coast, and in light of political tensions between highland politicians and their coastal rivals, could attract support from other coastal areas. But given that the majority of ethnic Papuans are highlanders, a coastal candidate is nearly always at an electoral disadvantage.

Banners have recently appeared in sites around Papua suggesting that Waterpauw has not dropped his political ambitions and that he is distinguishing himself from Enembe and the corruption allegations surrounding the governor.

Following news of Enembe's investigation on corruption charges and the meeting with BIN and police, support for the incumbent governor quickly became apparent in Papua. Several hundred supporters gathered in Sentani, Jayapura, at the grave of assassinated pro-independence leader Theys Eluay before proceeding to the governor's office, where several thousand supporters demonstrated under the watchful eye of some 500 police and soldiers. They demanded legal action against Enembe be stopped and the "character assassination" of Papuan leaders cease.

Enembe and Waterpauw are unlikely partners as governor and deputy. Waterpauw held Governor Enembe and the local district head responsible for the electoral violence in February and March 2017. The governor, meanwhile, accused the police of being biased in some districts and demanded that Waterpauw withdraw police units from them. Enembe also called on Jokowi and Police Chief Tito to remove Waterpauw from his position as head of police in Papua. Waterpauw's transfer from Papua in April coincided with the first reports that he would be nominated by Golkar Party for the governorship.

It is unclear whether the central government will continue to push for an Enembe-Waterapauw ticket, as there is a long way to go in the nomination process before next year's election. News of the BIN and police intervention has probably enhanced Enembe's reputation as a leader prepared to stand up to Jakarta, but the demonstrations of support in Papua have done nothing to quell Jakarta's anxieties.

The BIN and police meeting with Enembe has highlighted the problem of ensuring a compliant governor in Jayapura, but it has not resolved the dilemma confronting Jakarta.

[Dr Richard Chauvel is an honorary fellow at the Asia Institute at the University of Melbourne.]

Source: http://indonesiaatmelbourne.unimelb.edu.au/lukas-enembe-another-papuan-problem-for-jakarta/

Indonesia's West Papua headache continues

The Diplomat - October 14, 2017

Luke Hunt – The problems of Indonesian President Joko Widodo are many. A revival of the communist party and politically expedient alliances between Islamic militants and opposition parties are among the latest headaches he must deal with inside the corridors of power in Jakarta.

But much further away, in West Papua, old issues continue to simmer, perhaps threateningly so unless Widodo can negotiate deftly with people who have little in common with Indonesia's central authorities and those who run the conflict-prone country.

The latest escalation in tensions between locals and Widodo's administration erupted last week when it was revealed that a secret petition had been passed around, gathering 1.8 million signatures, demanding a free vote on independence for West Papua.

The demands were presented to the United Nations in New York by exiled pro-independence leader Benny Wenda. But the bid was rejected, with doubts cast over the veracity of the petition by Jakarta.

In fact, The Jakarta Post reported that the chairman of Special Committee on Decolonization, Venezuela's Rafael Ramirez expressed "indignation with those individuals and parties who had manipulated his name for their own purposes."

"I have never received anything or anybody regarding the issue of West Papua," he apparently said in a doorstop interview at UN headquarters.

The United Nations, and the international community more generally, may not want to upset the Indonesian government. But the 1.8 million signatures figure, if correct, represents around a whopping 70 percent of the West Papuan population. Separatist agitation also has a long history there, amid sporadic crackdowns by the military that have obviously not worked.

And the petition did in fact exist. It asked the UN to appoint a special representative to investigate human rights abuses in the province and to put West Papua back on the decolonization committee agenda and ensure their right to self-determination. It was that committee which refused to accept the petition.

"In the West Papuan people's petition we hand over the bones of the people of West Papua to the United Nations and the world," Wenda said, adding the petition was banned in the provinces of Papua and West Papua, and blocked online.

"After decades of suffering, decades of genocide, decades of occupation, we open up the voice of the West Papuan people which lives inside this petition. My people want to be free."

Indonesia can ill-afford another conflict, having dealt with similar issues with respect to East Timor and Aceh that threatened the country's political and social stability.

West Papua was lumped within Indonesia's sovereign borders through a forced and controversial annexation by Indonesia that has been well-documented. Since then many reports have documented how indigenous people have been subjected to harassment, ranging from beatings to murder.

Peter Arndt of the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission compiled one report accusing the Indonesian government of staging violent incursions into the region and systematically expelling Papuans from their homes in what amounted to a "slow-motion genocide."

According to the report, the indigenous people of West Papua now account for just 40 percent of the population, compared with more than 95 percent three decades ago.

Released a year ago, the report also found that the situation in West Papua was "fast approaching a tipping point."

"In less than five years, the position of Papuans in their own land will be worse than precarious," it said.

"They are already experiencing a demographic tidal wave. Ruthless Indonesian political, economic, social and cultural domination threatens to engulf the proud people who have inhabited the land they call Tanah Papua for thousands of years."

Doubts surrounding the recent petition might be real. But the fact is there are fewer doubts surrounding human rights abuses committed by the military and the hostility felt among locals on West Papua.

This is a highly combustible mix. And it comes at a potentially troubling time for Widodo ahead of presidential elections in 2019. So far, although he has visited the area several times and focused his efforts on economic issues, resolving the harder political questions has proven elusive.

Navigating them will demand a skillful and more sensitive approach, which is a far cry from the clumsy, violent and authoritarian hand of the military we have witnessed previously.

Source: https://thediplomat.com/2017/10/indonesias-west-papua-headache-continues/

West Papua petition: Australia made a human rights promise that's about to be

ABC Radio Australia - October 9, 2017

Tom Clarke – Many Australians wouldn't think twice about putting their name to a petition to support a cause close to their hearts, but in Indonesia's Papuan provinces, where free speech is routinely and severely curtailed, "acts of treason" such as supporting calls for independence can land you in jail for 15 years.

So it is truly remarkable that 1.8 million Papuans (about 70 per cent of the population) have signed a petition – specifically banned by the Indonesian Government – calling on the United Nations to conduct a free vote about independence.

The preparation of this ambitious petition and the attempted presentation in New York to the UN's decolonisation committee marks a dramatic new chapter in West Papua's history, but it is also certain to present serious challenges for the Australian Government.

Caught in the middle

Australia's bid for a seat on the UN Human Rights Council centres on its promise to be a voice for human rights in the Pacific.

If it is to be true to this promise, it simply cannot ignore this landmark petition or the wishes of many Pacific nations to support self-determination in West Papua.

It has to break with the tradition of successive Australian governments that have simply turned a blind eye to the human rights atrocities that have occurred on our doorstep for decades, and instead take a principled stance.

In the 1950s, the Australian Government assisted the Dutch colonial government to transition West Papua towards independence. By 1961 the colony had its own flag, the "Morning Star", and Papuan government officials. However, when conflict erupted in West Papua the following year between the Netherlands and Indonesia, the UN intervened.

A UN-brokered agreement gave temporary control of the colony to Indonesia and was meant to see a referendum held to determine the views of the population. But things did not go as planned.

A sham election

Following six brutal years of Indonesian control, which involved well-documented human rights atrocities, the Indonesian military conducted a sham referendum in 1969 that it called the "Act of Free Choice". The Papuans were more or less deemed "too primitive" for democracy.

A mere 1,024 Papuans were hand-picked to vote on behalf of a population of nearly a million people. Under severe duress, including threats from military officials to cut out their tongues, they unsurprisingly voted for Papua to remain part of Indonesia.

An Australian journalist who witnessed the vote, Hugh Lunn, told a UN official about the violence and intimidation he had seen, but the concerns fell on deaf ears.

Two Papuan leaders, Clement Ronawery and Willem Zonggonau, tried to flee to New York to present the UN with evidence of the sham vote, but Australian authorities shamefully intercepted them and detained them on Manus Island.

The vote became known as the "Act of No Choice" in West Papua and in the decades that followed, an estimated 100,000 people have been killed or disappeared by the Indonesian authorities.

Just like with East Timor, Australian governments have ignored the human rights abuses that occurred in West Papua under the Suharto dictatorship, but actively provided military assistance and helped Indonesian authorities sweep such abuses under the carpet.

As the decades have passed by, not much has changed. But neither has the determination of the West Papuan people to ensure their voices are heard.

Despite the dangers, this petition has been passed village to village, from one end of Papua to the other. An overwhelming majority of Papuans have put their name to it.

It calls on the UN to right the wrongs of its past failings and to hold a free, fair and internationally supervised vote so the Papuan people can finally have a say about the future of their country.

Australia on the world stage

The people of West Papua have a right to express their desires freely – a right the Australian Government should be willing to defend. We shouldn't put trade and so-called pragmatism ahead of our values and moral duty to stand up for what is right.

Next month Australia is set to be appointed to the UN Human Rights Council for a three-year term. Now is the time for our government to decide what kind of role it's going to play on that council.

It can continue to disappoint by trying to water down human rights resolutions – as it did last month regarding the violence unfolding in Myanmar, or it could find some courage and become a consistent and principled voice for human rights in the Asia Pacific region.

These 1.8 million Papuans just risked jail and violent reprisals in an attempt to have their voices heard. Rather than help silence them, the Australian Government can and should help ensure they are now heard on the world stage.

[Tom Clarke is the director of campaigns at the Human Rights Law Centre.]

Source: http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/2017-10-09/west-papua-petition-australia-made-a-human-rights-promise-thats-about-to-be-tested/1707546

The dark side of LGBT awareness in Indonesia

Jakarta Post - October 9, 2017

Hendri Yulius, Jakarta – Since 2016, minorities of gender and sexuality – "LGBT" (lesbians, gays, bisexual and transgender people) – have become among main targets by a conservative backlash.

While in the past decade the community suffered violent attacks from religious vigilante groups, now the attack comes through criminalization efforts and greater surveillance and control. Last year, the Islamic group Family Love Alliance, AILA, demanded the Constitutional Court to include consensual homosexual relationships and practices into the Criminal Code, and lawmakers have planned to ban "LGBT-related content" through amendment of the 2002 Broadcasting Law.

Despite arguably being the most contentious bill with more than four-year-long debates, the House of Representatives has no hesitance to cleanse public space from LGBT-related contents. As The Jakarta Post reported, article 61 of the draft amendment explicitly includes "LGBT behavior" as one of the 12 criteria of broadcasting contents to be prohibited.

Further, article 140 also stipulates that all movies, dramas, and advertisements should be screened by the censorship agency to get rid of the LGBT-related contents. Despite the ambiguous definition of what constitutes "LGBT behavior", lawmakers agreed that it is dangerous to children and against the "Indonesian culture".

Such a move is clearly a violation of human rights and freedom of expression, and it also shows how the term LGBT has been politicized.

This process has led to shifts of the local gender and sexuality landscape. In the past decade, the entertainment industry was no stranger to the appearance of men with feminine mannerism – for example, the late comedian Tessy of the Srimulat group, the actor Aming, and late TV presenters Tata Dado and Olga Syahputra.

Their regular appearances did not provoke efforts to criminalize or even conflate it with the term LGBT. However, the anti-LGBT vitriol last year has relatively contributed to and changed this "unspeakable tolerance" as "LGBT behavior". In this case, comedy shows featuring men and women behaving like the opposite gender will be banned from the air.

It appears that since 2016 the term LGBT has entered common parlance through the moral panic created by conservative groups, mass media, officials, politicians and religious organizations. They conflate LGBT with "Western intervention", "pedophilia", "proxy wars", "HIV infections", "sex parties and pornography", "transactional sex" and even more surprisingly, "overconsumption of instant noodles". These extreme framings of LGBT in media reports have offered fertile ground to justify and spread fear and moral panic of sexual minorities.

The sudden popularization of the LGBT term has transformed the meaning. As such, it does not strictly refer to an acronym of a variety of gender and/or sexual identities, but instead is now being used as a single category to address a person with non-normative gender and/or sexual identity. I was quite perplexed when my friends labeled me LGBT, instead of a gay or homosexual man as before.

Given this, in addition to such a bizarre understanding, the term "LGBT behavior" mostly targets men and women with non-normative gender expressions, particularly men with feminine mannerism. Through these extreme media reports, those LGBT individuals perceivably carry moral threats.

So how has this political transformation of the "LGBT" term actually changed the local landscape?

Firstly, this LGBT-ization has increasingly pushed back the local terms, formerly in commonly use in Indonesians' everyday life. In A Coincidence of Desires, a book published in 2007, the professor Tom Boellstorff describes that the Indonesian colloquial terms banci and bencong, for instance, were used to denote "effeminate men", which distinguished them from waria (wanita-pria/female-male). The latter originates in government dictates in 1978, through the efforts of Jakarta governor Ali Sadikin to assist these groups.

Boellstorff writes as waria is difficult to be translated into English, the more appropriate translation would be "male transvestite", as they usually see themselves as men and remain as men in some way. Some waria have said they believe they were born with a female soul. Therefore, there are multiple differences between banci, bencong, and waria. An effeminate man can be called bencong, but not waria. Some waria dressed in female attire might be offended if addressed as banci. Now these complex terms and their nuances are all lumped altogether into the single LGBT category.

Secondly, globalization and popularization of LGBT rights and identities, including the push to same-sex marriage, has also significantly contributed to a new fear in Indonesia. Lawmaker Supiadin Aries Saputra of NasDem party argued, "If people personally want to have a different sexual orientation, it's up to them. But they should not make it into a formal statement or organization".

This statement highlights how the adoption of this discourse for recognition of sexual minorities by local LGBT activists has led to a conservative backlash at the local levels. Now sexuality has been made transparent and attached to citizenship rights claims, including recognition, which is deemed foreign in Indonesian society where sex is considered taboo. As the LGBT identity is increasingly visible, LGBT politicization has found its anchor.

Indonesian LGBT activism has allegedly been conflated with public homosexual propaganda and efforts to legalize same-sex marriage. Thus, it is no exaggeration that such increased visibility of identity and activism have pushed further marginalization of those identities into policies. If beforehand those non-normative genders and sexualities were not relatively popular and not perceived as threats, nowadays they have incited hostility and moral panic.

The fact that the term LGBT sounds foreign will be exploited by conservative groups to consolidate their political positions. I have just met some young Indonesian scholars in Canberra who similarly asserted that the LGBT term is easily conflated with foreign threats and hence, malleably associated with multiple negative meanings.

Is there any other way to move away from these labels and adopt a more local terminology? Is there also any other strategic way to shift from sexual identity politics, which do not work well in the Indonesian context? These are the next crucial questions that we, including Indonesian LGBT activists, must carefully reflect on and answer.

[The writer, who obtained his Master's in public policy from the National University of Singapore, is the writer of Coming Out and a lecturer of gender and sexuality studies. He is currently pursuing his Masters by Research in Gender and Cultural Studies in The University of Sydney.]

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/academia/2017/10/09/the-dark-side-of-lgbt-awareness-in-indonesia.html