Jakarta – Indonesian pro-democracy leader Megawati Sukarnoputri on Thursday rejected a police summons for questioning over a celebration held by supporters at her residence.

Authorities said the Jan. 10 celebration was an 'illegal political gathering.'

Megawati was ousted last year as leader of the opposition Indonesian Democratic Party in an army-led power play that made a government-backed politician, Surjadi, party leader.

The Jan. 10 gathering was held to celebrate the Democratic Party's anniversary, but police claimed that only Surjadi's faction was entitled to hold such a celebration.

Megawati's chief lawyer, R.O. Tambunan, said the summons for questioning was unsatisfactory because it named Megawati and her husband as witnesses to a crime without saying who the suspect is.

As Megawati's lawyers met with police at the South Jakarta police station, about 100 of her supporters demonstrated outside.

Judge asks Bambang Widjojanto to appear as PRD witness/PRD activists

Kompas - February 7, 1997

Jakarta – The presiding judge of Central Jakarta State Court trying the case of Budiman Sujatmiko, the chair of the PRD, Sjoffinan Sumantri has asked the public prosecutor to have Bambang Widjojanto appear as a witness. Although Widjojanto, the chairperson of the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute (YLBHI), has already received the summons, he has refused to appear as a witness on Thursday (6/2). The court has said the grounds for his refusal were not clear.

Meanwhile the trial of Garda Sembiring was stopped after Sembiring said he was ill.

In Budiman's trial, the court heard testimony from Rekson Silaban, a SBSI (Serikat Buruh Sejahtra Indonesia, Indonesian Trade Union for Prosperity) activist who said he fist met the accused in June 1996, when he attended a meeting of social organisations and NGOs at YLBHI.

In the South Jakarta State Court, PRD dependents have presented a strong protest letter on the running of the court which is trying them. It was announced during the trial of three PRD activists: Ken Budha Kusumandaru, Victor Da Costa and Ign Putut Arintoko on Thursday afternoon.

The protest letter signed by the Secretary General of the PRD Petrus Hari Hariyanto, protested the actions of the public prosecutor who only read statements by 20 witnesses without presenting them in court. The protest letter stated that "we consider that only in the court can a witness give testimony which is independent [lit: bebas, free - JB]", questioning the testimony of witnesses based on their BAP (Berita Acara Pidana, Preliminary Investigation Report) if they are not presented in court and the testimony only read to the judge.

In response, judge only accepted the protest letter and asked that it be noted adding that this was not the time for it to be read and it could be included with other statements later.

[Abridged translation from Kompas - JB]

Romo Sanyawan's case file returned by high court

Republika - 8 February, 1997

Jakarta – The Jakarta High Court has returned the case file of Romo Sandyawan SJ and his brother Benny Sumardi to the Metro Jaya police on the grounds that it is not enough to present in court.

Romo Sandyawan, who is the director of the Jakarta Social Institute and his brother are "suspects" who are being charged with hiding Budiman Sudjatmiko and his companions in August last year in Bekasi, West Java. One of the reasons for the rejection was that the "crime" was committed in Bekasi so the case must be heard by the Bekasi State Court. Sandyawan has previously received the Yap Thiam Hien human rights award from Yapusham (Human Rights Study Institute).

[Abridged translation from Republika - JB.]

US, international labor union heads demand Indonesian's release

Agence France Presse – February 5, 1997

Veronica Smith, Washington – US and international labor union chiefs led a raucous demonstration outside Indonesia's embassy Wednesday, demanding the release of a jailed Indonesian labor leader charged with subversion.

AFL-CIO President John Sweeney said the demonstration kicks off an international campaign to free Muchtar Pakpanan, general secretary of the unofficial Indonesian Prosperity Trade Union (SBSI).

Pakpanan is facing execution under subversion charges.

His case, and Indonesia's crackdown last year on dissent, have sparked harsh international criticism, including from the United States and the European Union.

"The American labor movement is united with the international labor movement," Sweeney told the crowd of about 200 labor and civil and human rights activists.

"We will not rest until they stop harassing and firing men and women for trying to organize unions, free and independent of government control...

We will not rest until they free M.P.," calling the labor leader by his initials.

Pakpanan is "one of the most remarkable leaders of our time," said the chief of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO).

The national labor union has launched a campaign seeking the release of Pakpahan and other labor activists in Indonesia.

The demonstrators, chanting "Free M.P.!" and "Justice Now!," marched up and down the sidewalk in front of the stately building on the capital's Embassy Row.

Several figures could be seen watching from inside its curtained windows.

The drum banging and whistle blowing stopped for speeches by Sweeney, Bill Jordan, general secretary of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU), and Marcello Malentacchi, general secretary of the International Metalworkers Federation and chairman of the International Trade Secretriat (ITS) General Secretariats.

The demonstration came as the ITS General Secretariats held its annual meeting this week for the first time in Washington, an AFL-CIO spokeswoman said.

The ICFTU represents free labor organizations on all five continents, with a total membership of 124 million. The ITS groups national unions concerned with a particular trade, profession or industry. The AFL-CIO was formed in a 1955 merger of the United States' two largest labor unions.

The ICFTU's Jordan said he had visited Pakpahan in his cell a few weeks ago and told him that labor activists around the world "are going to go on fighting until the Indonesian government releases him." "He was emotional," the British leader said.

Jordan blasted the Suharto government as a "regime that sets its laws to favor multinationals at the expense of its own people." He said he, Sweeney and Malentacchi were presenting Indonesian Ambassador Arifin Siregar with a message that there is no evidence that Pakpahan is guilty of inciting rioting.

Instead, he asserted, an Indonesian commission clearly indicated the government itself incited it.

Pakpahan was arrested last July and accused of inciting mass labor unrest that degenerated into anti-ethnic Chinese rioting.

Sweeney met with Pakpahan in July 1996, before the SBSI leader was jailed, to express the support of American workers for the struggle of independent unions in Indonesia.

The Indonesian government only recognizes one trade union, the state-sponsored All Indonesia Workers' Union. It considers all others illegal and has backed a harassment campaign against independent trade unionists. vs/jsr

Indonesian activist faces six years' jail over banned magazine

Agence France Presse – February 6, 1997

Jakarta – An Indonesian activist caught with copies of a banned magazine of an independent journalists' group faces six years in jail for defaming the president, a report said Thursday.

The prosecutor at the South Jakarta district court, Dachamer Munthe, accused Andi Syahputra, 31, of intentionally defaming the head of state by possessing copies of the outlawed magazine Suara Independen, the Media Indonesia daily said.

Syahputra, an activist in several pro-democracy groups including the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI), was arrested during a police raid on a printing house in October. He was carrying the master print of the magazine while police also found 3,000 copies of the magazine at the printing house, the report said.

Authorities banned Suara Independen in May saying it could discredit and spread distrust of the government. Munthe said the edition of Suara Independen carried several articles which called on political parties to nominate candidates other than President Suharto and challenged the president to a direct, democratic presidential election. Suharto, 75, has run unopposed in all five elections since he came to power in 1968. The owner of the printing house has also been detained. The court resumes on February 13.

The Indonesian press and journalists are strictly regulated by the government, which recognizes the state-sponsored Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI) as the sole organisation for journalists. The AJI was set up in August 1994 to promote press freedom in Indonesia following the banning of three leading publications in June that year.

Since then AJI members and those who signed the Sirnagalih Declaration which founded it, have been subject to government pressure through their editors. Some have been forced to resign from their jobs in leading publications, transferred out of editorial positions, or demoted. bs/jg/cf

Human rights watchdog slams trial of Indonesian activist

Agence France Presse – February 8, 1997

Jakarta – The arrest and trial of an activist caught with copies of a banned magazine was Saturday branded by a human rights watch dog as the latest assault on freedom of expression in Indonesia.

"The arrest and trial of Andi Syahputera is the latest assault on freedom of expression in Indonesia," New York-based Human Rights Watch Asia (HRWA) said in a faxed statement received here.

Syahputra, an activist in several pro-democracy groups including the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI), faces six years in jail for defaming the president after being arrested during a police raid on a printing house last October.

He was carrying the master copy of the magazine Suara Independen, which authorities banned last May saying it could discredit and spread distrust of the government.

Police also confiscated 3,000 copies of the magazine at the printing house and arrested an employee of the printing house named Dasrul.

HRWA said there were "major legal and procedural questions" surrounding the arrest of Syahputera. It said police held Syahputera after the legal detention period of one month, although they released Dasrul.

"Whether Andi Syahputera's case is part of the post-July crackdown, pre-election jitters, or the increasingly emotional response of an ageing leader to criticism, it is clear that the tolerance for dissent in Indonesia is steadily decreasing," said Sidney Jones, executive director of HRWA.

The government of President Suharto, 75 – who has run unopposed in all five elections since he came to power in 1968 – launched a widespread c rackdown on opposition activists following riots in Jakarta last July. Two former parliamentarians – Sri Bintang Pamungkas and Aberson Marle Sihaloho – are also facing jail terms for insulting the president.

The Indonesian press and journalists are strictly regulated by the government, which only recognizes the state-sponsored Indonesian Journalist Association (PWI) as the sole organisation for journalists.

AJI was et up in August 1994 to promote press freedom in Indonesia following the banning of three leading publications in June that year and the weak response by the PWI to the decision.

Since then AJI members and those who signed the Sirnagalih Declaration which founded it, have been subject to strong government pressure through their editors. Some have been forced to resign from their jobs in leading publications, transfered out of editorial positions, or demoted. Syahputera's trial resumes on February 13. jg/mdl

Indonesia wants trial for Moslem radicals to continue

Agence France Presse – February 7, 1997

Jakarta – Prosecutors have demanded that an Indonesian court ignore an appeal by defence lawyers and continue the trial of three Moslem radicals charged with sowing hatred against the government, a report said Friday.

State prosecutor Azwar Safirin urged the South Jakarta District Court to ignore the defence lawyers' appeal for acquittal of the three members of a militant Moslem group called the Indonesian Islamic State (NII), the Jakarta Post reported.

The men, from Jakarta and nearby Bogor, are charged with sowing public hatred against the government. The law is one of the colonial hate-sowing articles introduced by Dutch colonisers. The charges carry a maximum sentence of seven years in jail.

Defence lawyers for the three have called for the charges to be dropped, saying that the government has not outlawed the NII and that the colonial hate-sowing laws are out of date.

The prosecutor's indictment says NII is striving to set up an Islamic state in Indonesia. The radical NII has been active since the 1970s, especially in West Java. The court will decide on February 19 whether to try the case.

Security authorities have interrogated hundreds of people over the last few years for their alleged role in extremist Moslem groups. Around 90 percent of Indonesia's 200 million people are Moslem, but the country is not an Islamic state. The constitution guarantees freedom of religion. jg/bs/lk

US, international labor union heads to protest Indonesian's jailing

Agence France Presse – February 5, 1997

Veronica Smith, Washington – US and international labor union leaders will demonstrate Wednesday in front of Indonesia's embassy here to protest the imprisonment of an Indonesian labor leader, organizers said.

The American Federation of Labor and Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) said the demonstration would kick off an international campaign to free Muchtar Pakpanan, general secretary of the unofficial Indonesian Prosperity Trade Union (SBSI).

Pakpanan is facing execution under subversion charges.

His case, and Indonesia's crackdown last year on dissent, has sparked harsh international criticism, including from the United States and the European Union.

"Although the governments around the world have long overlooked the Suharto regime's violations of fundamental labor and human rights, the American labor movement will not turn its back on such injustices," AFL-CIO President John Sweeney said in a statement.

Sweeney was to lead the demonstration and delegation to deliver messages to Indonesian Ambassador Arifin Siregar at the embassy.

The AFL-CIO has launched a campaign on behalf of Pakpahan's release and other labor activists in Indonesia. The Indonesian government only recognizes one trade union, the state-sponsored All Indonesia Workers' Union.

It considers all others illegal and has backed a harassment campaign against independent trade unionists.

Pakpahan was arrested last July and accused of inciting mass labor unrest that degenerated into anti-ethnic Chinese rioting. Sweeney met with Pakpahan in July 1996, before the SBSI leader was jailed, to express the support of American workers for the struggle of independent unions in Indonesia.

Labor and civil and human rights activists are expected to join the demonstration in support of Muchtar Pakpanan, said AFL-CIO spokeswoman Deborah Dion.

Scheduled to address the gathering are Bill Jordan, the British head of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU), Sweeney, and Marcello Malentacchi, the Italian general secretary of the International Metalworkers Federation.

The ICFTU represent free labor organizations on all five continents, with a total membership of 127 million.

The AFL-CIO is the US national labor union formed in a 1955 merger of the country's two largest labor unions. The demonstration comes as the International Trade Secretariat, which groups national unions concerned with a particular trade, profession or industry, holds its annual meeting for the first time in Washington, Dion said. vs/cw

Riots, social unrest

Riots in Kledung Temanggung; cars burnt, police post destroyed

Suara Merdeka - 14 February, 1997

Temanggung – Over 2.5 hours security forces with help from social figures tried to calm down a riot in the Kledung village in Parakan on Wednesday and Thursday. Three people were wounded, a car set ablaze and a police post destroyed. Traffic between Temanggung and Wonosobo was halted by the authorities for 3.5 hours.

The rioting apparently began when 29 year old Slamet, from Kledung, was involved in an incident with youths from another village. When he called for help, scores of Kledung youths went looking for him. The crowd then turned on two local officials at a police post [reason is not made clear - JB] and began pelting the post with rocks. One of the official's cars was set alight.

[Abridged translation from Suara Merdeka. A February 14 article in Bisnis reported that Slamet (an NU member) was forcibly abducted by two government officials accompanied by a large number of other people. The police post came under attack when they sought safety in the post - JB]

Police hear main witness in slander charges against Gus Dur

Antara - February 14, 1997

Jakarta – Thursday questioned Andrianto, leader ofnon-governmental organisation Humanika, about the slander charges he has filed against Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) chairman Abdurrahman Wahid.

Andrianto had earlier lodged a formal complaint against Wahidfor allegedly slandering Humanika by a statement late last January depicting Humanika as the mastermind behind the Tasikmalaya (West Java) mass riot.

Two members of the Jakarta Police Department's detective unit,lieutenants B Marpaung and Ponadi, questioned Adrianto for nearly six hours as the main witness in the case.

Andrianto told the press after the questioning, the policeasked him a total of 28 questions in relation to Humanika's complaint against Abdurrahman Wahid who is more popularly called Gus Dur.

"Humanika is disturbed by Gus Dur's statement. If we do nottake him to court, I am afraid people may come to believe his statement that Humanika was behind the riot (in Tasikmalaya)," Andrianto said.

He said Gus Dur would have to prove his statement about Humanika in court.

"We really hope Gus Dur will disclose all the evidence he hasto support his statement. He claimed he has a lot of evidence such as floppy discs and documents. He also said he could call on the military resort commander, the military district commander and the local police chief to testify," Andrianto added.

Apart from Andrianto, the police also questioned Asep Rahmman, former chairman of the Jakarta chapter of the Islamic Students Association, who allegedly attended the public discusssion at which Gus Dur made the statement about Humanika's involvement in the Tasikmalaya riot.

Border post at Tebedu reopened

Unknown - February 13, 1997

Kuching – The Sarawak-West Kalimantan border post at Tebedu, 100km from here, was reopened at noon yesterday, about 10 days after the gate was closed to control the movement of people following racial riots on the Indonesian side.

An Immigration Department official at the Tebedu checkpoint said the police instructed them to reopen it.

About 50 Indonesians and a dozen Malaysians were reported to have crossed the checkpoint to Pontianak up to late yesterday afternoon.

Tension gripped the Tebedu checkpoint several days ago after nearly 90 Indonesians were reported to have jumped over the fencing around the complex at Entekong in fear of attacks by roaming armed groups since Jan 31.

However, bus companies plying between here and Pontianak have yet to resume services and are waiting for the green light from authorities concerned.

Dayaks return to headhunting in ethnic battle

Sydney Morning Herald - February 14, 1997

Louise Williams, Jakarta – Indonesian military sources have confirmed that indigenous Dayak tribespeople in the troubled province of West Kalimantan have reverted to head- hunting in their ethnic conflict with Muslim migrant settlers.

A military source said reports that the tribal Dayak people were cutting the heads off migrants from the eastern Indonesian island of Madura were true, and that about 100 people had already been killed in the conflict. He said the casualties included soldiers, but refused to say how many troops had died.

West Kalimantan, on the island of Borneo, is on red alert, with military reinforcements blockading all major roads and enforcing a ban on journalists travelling into the region since the fighting escalated over the past two weeks.

Rumours of massacres of Dayaks by troops sent in to quell the fighting have not been independently verified. The military announced yesterday that stern action would be taken against rioting Dayaks, but said troops had been ordered to shoot only in self-defence.

The National Human Rights Commission said a team had been sent to the provincial capital, Pontianak, to determine whether a taskforce was needed to monitor the violence.

Over the past two weeks, a number of sources have reported massacres of Dayaks who have attempted to run the military roadblocks, as well as attacks on Dayak organisations in Pontianak. A night curfew remains in force in the capital following rumours of a planned attack by immigrant Madura people on Dayak targets.

The human rights commission will seek to broker a truce between the warring parties, but military sources said tensions between the immigrant and native communities were so high negotiations would be difficult.

Military sources said the Dayak people had brought out the traditional "red cups", a symbol that they were now at war.

Two sources, contacted by telephone, said Dayak tribesmen had cut the heads off a number of Madurans near the northern coastal town of Singkawang, where the province-wide fighting began last Christmas Eve.

Many analysts have characterised the fighting as a sectarian battle pitting the mainly Christian Dayaks against the predominantly Muslim Madurans.

However, local people say the friction is mainly economic, and stems from the destruction of the Dayaks' traditional culture and lands by the logging of rainforests, and their lack of suitable skills or willingness to be integrated into the industrial economy.

Riot book banned

Associated Press - February 13, 1997

Jakarta – The Indonesian military has banned a book by two dissident groups about the July 27 riot in Jakarta that killed five people, the official news agency Antara said Thursday.

"The July 27 Incident," released in January, accused President Suharto's government of fueling a power struggle within an opposition party that led to the violence.

The riot erupted after security forces broke up a sit-in by demonstrators opposed to efforts to remove pro-democracy leader Megawati Sukarnoputri as leader of the Indonesian Democratic Party.

"The book is banned because it was published by institutions that the government does not recognize," Maj. Gen. Subagyo, military commander of Central Java, was quoted as saying Wednesday.

The book was released by the Agency for the Study of Information Flow and the Alliance of Independent Journalists, made up of former reporters for magazines and newspapers that were closed for criticizing the government.

Both groups are banned. Some copies of the book had been distributed, but it wasn't clear how many.

"If the institutions are banned, so are their products," Subagyo said.

Megawati, daughter of the late President Sukarno, was leader of the Indonesian Democratic Party, one of two small, powerless parties permitted in addition to the ruling Golkar party.

Indonesians are sensitive about threats to the autonomy of the non-government parties because they provide the only outlet for dissent in a tightly restricted political arena.

Megawati was voted out as party leader at a meeting organized by the military last June.

The banned book said Suharto's government supported her rival as party chief, which many Indonesians would regard as illegitimate interference in the party's affairs.

Opposition figures say the military wanted to block Megawati's political rise because her growing popularity threatened Suharto, a former army general who took power from her father in 1966.

[According to a February 12 article in Suara Merdeka, the 257 page book was being sold in Gramedia Bookshops for 15,000 Rupiah. Its popularity was such that within a few days (before it was banned) the book was already out of stock. The paper quoted a spokesperson from the intelligence body Bakorstanas as saying "if something is forbidden, there is no need to wait for a request and reminder from the Court or the related authorities to withdraw the publication. As good citizens, it is hoped that people will avoid buying it, furthermore it they own it, hand it over to the related authorities". This quote makes it clear that the it was a military initiative to ban the book and it has yet to go through the Supreme Court as required under Indonesian law - JB]

Police detain 17 for 31 Jan textile factory riot

Republika - 6 February, 1997

Bandung – Legal action has been taken against those involved in a riot at PT [Company Limited] Kahatek. "Police have arrested 17 persons," Police Major General Nana Permana, West Java Provincial Police chief, said after a rally by members of the Indonesian Association of Children of Retired Military Personnel.

According to Permana, they are being prosecuted for acts of destruction at PT Kahatek. "Only Article 170 of the Penal Code, which deals with acts of destruction, has been slapped against them," Permana confirmed. Permana said the 17 arrested persons are treated as suspects.

According to Permana, most of the suspects are PT Kahatek workers, but some are not. "Some of them are no longer working for PT Kahatek," he said. Nevertheless, Permana believes that the riot was caused mainly by the factory's internal affairs.

"It is ridiculous. The nonworkers confessed that they committed acts of destruction due to their dissatisfaction with PT Kahatek. They even took BK pills [a kind of amphetamine] before committing the acts," Permana stressed. Thus, Permana attributed the riot to cumulative problems in the factory. "There have been no indications that anyone "exploited" the riot. Anyway, let's wait for the prosecution," he said. [passage omitted]

Police hear main witness in slander charges against Gus Dur

Antara News - February 14, 1997

Jakarta – Police questioned Andrianto, leader of non-governmental organisation Humanika on Thursday, about the slander charges he has filed against Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) chairman Abdurrahman Wahid.

Andrianto had earlier lodged a formal complaint against Wahid for allegedly slandering Humanika by a statement late last January depicting Humanika as the mastermind behind the Tasikmalaya (West Java) mass riot.

Two members of the Jakarta Police Department's detective unit, lieutenants B Marpaung and Ponadi, questioned Adrianto for nearly six hours as the main witness in the case.

Andrianto told the press after the questioning, the police asked him a total of 28 questions in relation to Humanika's complaint against Abdurrahman Wahid who is more popularly called Gus Dur.

"Humanika is disturbed by Gus Dur's statement. If we do not take him to court, I am afraid people may come to believe his statement that Humanika was behind the riot (in Tasikmalaya)," Andrianto said.

He said Gus Dur would have to prove his statement about Humanika in court.

"We really hope Gus Dur will disclose all the evidence he has to support his statement. He claimed he has a lot of evidence such as floppy discs and documents. He also said he could call on the military resort commander, the military district commander and the local police chief to testify," Andrianto added.

Ethnic clashes kill hundreds in Borneo

The Guardian - 13 February, 1997

John Aglionby, Jakarta – Hundreds of people have been killed in two weeks of ethnic unrest in the Indonesian province of West Kalimantan in Borneo, a military source said yesterday.

Other reports said Indonesian soldiers had shot 17 people in quelling the violence between indigenous tribes and migrants from Madura, an island north-east of Java.

A newspaper report claimed that 2,000 people had died in the clashes. But an army spokesman said: "That's not true. Only a couple of hundred people have been killed in the violence." A reliable source said yesterday that the death toll exceeded 1,000. "Seventeen of those were Dayaks killed by soldiers while trying to break through a roadblock near the town of Sintang, 250 miles east of the provincial capital Pontianak."

The army spokesman denied this. "If soldiers had fired, it would have only have been warning shots in the air," he said.

There has been no official comment on the casualties by the army or the government. The latest unrest began at the end of January when migrants from Madura broke a truce brokered by community leaders by attacking a dormitory housing Dayak students. Two woman were allegedly beaten and raped.

TAPOL calls for international investigation in West Kalimantan

Tapol Press Release - 13 February, 1997

Following reports confirmed yesterday of the killing of at least seventeen Dayaks earlier this month at a military roadblock east of Pontianak, the capital of the Indonesian province of West Kalimantan (Borneo), TAPOL has asked the British Government to take the lead, in the European Union, in calling for an international investigation into the disturbances.

In a letter today to Foreign Secretary Malcolm Rifkind, Lord Avebury said: "In December, the British Government issued yet more licences for the export of armoured personnel carriers and other military equipment to the Indonesian army and police. You are always saying that you have assurances that British military equipment supplied to Indonesia will not be used in East Timor but what about Indonesia, and Kalimantan in particular?'

Reports from contacts in the region suggest that scores of Dayaks been shot dead or seriously wounded in the area. There have also been a number of casualties among the Madurese community. Two weeks ago, the Malaysian Government closed the border between Sarawak and West Kalimantan to prevent the ethnic conflict from spilling over.

The disturbances began last December with clashes between Dayak youths and newcomers from the island of Madura. Tens of thousands of transmigrants have flooded the area in the past few years, occupying Dayak land and marginalising the native inhabitants. Forests have been cleared by concessionaires. Following the clashes in December, thousands of Madurese transmigrants fled to Pontianak, seeking army protection.

Soon after, Dayak communities in urban areas came under attack, with hostels and Catholic centres being attacked and torched. The army flew in special troops to reinforce local troops and have set up roadblocks in an attempt to prevent Dayaks from entering Pontianak and other towns. Curfews are in force in several towns and the army is attempting to prevent news from reaching the outside, with no one being allowed into or out of the worst affected areas. Local journalists believe that the military hospital is full of casualties but they have been denied access. One local journalist is in custody over his reporting.

TAPOL has also asked UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Killings, Mr Bacre Waly Ndiaye, to seek permission from the Indonesian government to visit the area.

For further information, ring Carmel Budiardjo on 0181 771.2904 (day and evening).

President concerned about use of foreign press' thinking framework

Antara News - February 13, 1997

Jakarta – President Soeharto on Wednesday expressed concern over some Indonesian journalists' way of using the framework of the foreign press in reporting the country's events.

"I call for a deeper re-examination of the values inherent to the foreign press' way of reporting events in Indonesia, "Soeharto said in his address commemorating the National Press Day.

He expressed regret that local journalists now frequently use the foreign framework in news reporting, which the president said could be used like spectacles.

"If the spectacles are coloured, then the domestic event, however clear, becomes coloured too," he said.

"The use of foreign spectacles has of late led to the dramatization of events, hasty decision-making, and imbalanced reporting about the country's events," he said. The use of "foreign spectacles" in reporting the country's events, the president stressed, does not consider the values of the Indonesian community.

"With the use of those unsuitable spectacles, it is understandable why many of our people have become nervous and restless in facing the development of changes," he said.

Soeharto later called for a better use of the journalists' professional code of ethics.

"With the code of ethics which is based on the state ideology Pancasila, I hope Indonesian journalists will become more professional while maintaining their identity," he said.

Army chief calls for efforts to 'socialise alert posts

Antara News – February 12, 1997

Mataram – Army Chief of Staff General R Hartono has called for continued efforts to "socialize" the presence of alert posts to balance the fact that certain quarters in the country were still questioning the legality of their formation.

Speaking to the press here on Sunday, Hartono said actually there was no fundamental problem in the presence of the alert posts.

Hartono, along with Air Force Chief of Staff Vice Marshal Sutria Tubagus, Naval Chief of Staff Vice Admiral Arief Kushariadi and Chief of the Indonesian Police Lt. Gen. Dibyo Widodo, was in Mataram to accompany Armed Forces Chief General Feisal Tanjung during a visit.

During their stay, they performed Idul Fitri (end of the Ramadhan fasting month) prayers along with local Moslems.

Hartono asked whether people needed to know the legal basis if they wanted to report on something that might disrupt economic and social stability.

"If they feel something suspicious, then they must report it immediately," he said.

Without due respect to the law, Hartono said "if we give precedence to law, we will find it hard to solve any problem."

"The law will follow any problem that may arise," he said.

The creation of alert posts was first announced by President Soeharto last month at a meeting with managers of cooperatives owned by Islamic boarding schools (pesantren).

Chief of the Supreme Advisory Council (DPA) Sudomo said after meeting with President Soeharto recently the alert posts were necessary to prevent riots such as had frequenlty happened in the past two years.

The last to occur was the Rengasdengklok riot which occurred on January 30. The accident started when an ethnic Chinese woman scolded Moslem youths making noise at a nearby mosque before dawn.

During the last fasting month of Ramadhan, Moslem youths often wake up neighbors at night to make sure they take their pre-fasting meals.

The mob attacked her house and later vented their anger on places of worship and some private properties.

On Dec 26, 1996 thousands of people went on a rampage to vent their anger over the alleged mistreatment of three local Moslem teachers by some members of the police.

Four people were killed in the rampage which caused Rp 85 billion in material losses and rendered thousands of workers jobless.

BBC stumbles on 'war zone' in West Kalimantan

BBC News – February 1997

Cue – Indonesia's reputation for political stability under the firm hand of President Suharto has been shaken recently by a series of riots in which at least eleven people have died and hundreds of buildings destroyed.

There've been specific, local factors behind each incident, but they've all involved attacks by one ethnic or religious group on another. Many Indonesians now fear that their government's authoritarian approach to maintaining unity among the country's disparate people is no longer effective.

One of the areas most affected by ethnic conflict is near Pontianak, a city on the west coast of the island of Borneo, where indigenous tribes live together with settlers from other parts of Indonesia. Our Jakarta correspondent Jonathan Head has just been to the area:

The road that goes north along the coast from Pontianak presents a striking vignette of Indonesia's extraordinary ethnic diversity. Many of the inhabitants of this low, swampy region sitting astride the equator are Muslim Malays whose elegant wooden houses sit above the creeks that cut inland from the sea.

Here and there the bright red and gold paintwork of a Chinese temple flashes through the coconut plantations - the Chinese are more visible here than anywhere else in Indonesia. People have come from all over the archipelago - the seafaring Bugis who arrived in their teak-hulled schooners, and the dark-skinned farmers from the barren island of Madura. They've all been drawn to Borneo by its rich natural wealth, either its gold, its timber, or just more land for growing rice.

But move just a few kilometres inland, and everything changes. We had decided to travel out of Pontianak to investigate sketchy reports of a violent conflict between the Madurese settlers and indigenous Dayaks, the original head-hunters of the Borneo rainforest. Much of the rainforest has long been cut down, but the Dayaks continue to live as subsistence farmers, alongside the incomers.

Occasional clashes have occured in the past, but these are the worst anyone in the area can remember. Hundreds of houses are said to have been destroyed, and at least two people killed. Everone we spoke to believed that the number of dead was much higher.

The problem was that the Indonesian authorities have decided to impose what amounts to a news blackout. No-one is being allowed into or out of the worst-affected areas, and no information is being given out. The official reason for the roadblocks is to prevent large groups of Dayaks reaching the city to carry out revenge attacks, but it also means there are no reliable reports of what's happening.

Local journalists told us the military hospital was believed to be full of casualties from the fighting, but they were being denied access. When we tried to visit a refugee camp, soldiers barred our way. A heavy machine gun was propped up on the desk of the guard post ready for any further trouble.

It wasn't hard to see where the real trouble began. About fifty kilometres north of the city, the roads were suddenly deserted, and houses boarded up.

Without any warning, we had stumbled into what looked like a war zone. Soldiers were everywhere, walking alongside the ricefields or driving east in trucks or on motorbikes. They stared at our car, but made no attempt to stop us. They were all carrying automatic weapons, and all wore the uniform of Indonesia's elite combat regiment, which has been drafted in from other areas of the country to help deal with the fighting. On the walls of their homes people had painted their ethnic identities - Malay, Javanese, anything that might deter an attack by gangs from the two rival ethnic groups.

The few people who were visible were extremely tense - one Dayak shop-owner told us that soldiers had opened fire on a group of Dayaks right outside his house. It wasn't long after that that we were pulled over by a military patrol and taken into their headquarters for questioning.

Officially, there should have been no restrictions on travelling there, but as elsewhere in Indonesia, it is the army that decides where journalists can and cannot go. When the local commander politely explained that we would have to leave, there was no point in arguing. His assurance that there was nothing to see, that the area was calm, rang hollow given the level of military activity and the obvious nervousness of his troops, but there was little else we could do but go, grateful that he hadn't detained us any longer. One local journalist is still in custody over his reporting.

Indonesians are fond of acronyms, and one commonly used when trying to explain to foreign journalists why certain subjects are taboo is SARA. I'm sorry, a police officer or soldier will say as he puts his hand over your camera, that's a SARA issue. SARA stands for ethnicity, religion, race, and class, areas journalists are supposed to avoid for fear of damaging national unity. That may help explain why what appears to be a serious ethnic conflict has gone almost unreported in the Indonesian media. But some Dayaks say there's another reason. They believe the army itself has killed large numbers of people, killings it now wants to cover up. It's impossible to know how much truth there is in these allegations, but they are widely believed. That makes the task the military has given itself, as a neutral party ready to douse the flames of ethnic hatred, an almost impossible one to carry out.

Will Indonesia's turmoil have local economic ramifications?

International Examiner – October 15, 1996

Once, Indonesia's President Suharto was considered a demigod by his people; a leader whose power over his country of more than 17,000 islands extended into a near-magical realm.

But even magic, these days, cannot slow he forces of change when they are set of by the frustrations of close to 200 million people.

Now, same 30 years after he forcibly took control from his predecessor Sukarno, Pak (father) 'Harto is finding it increasingly difficult to soothe and smooth over the wrinkles of trouble within his country. Never mind the 300-plus recognized ethnic groups and more than 500 dialects within the Indonesian archipelago, nor the 2,100 kilometers of ocean that stretch between them from east to west. Today's is sues within the world's fourth most populous nation involve government and human rights, as well as the futures of the very youth whose toes are up against the current country's intangible battle lines.

The downfall began in April with the death of Suharto's wife, Tien, his companion and confidante for close to half a century. Beneath the country's surface, questions of confidence broiled like molten lava while human rights issues, such as Timor and Irian Jaya, heated the tension. Then came the Nike expose: factory workers being overused and underpaid. Suddenly, the capital of Jakarta was up in arms, stoning the U.S. embassy and rioting outside the headquarters of the Indonesian Democratic Party in June.

Incidentally, the Parti Demokrasi Indonesia (PDI) leader at the time was Megawait Sukarnoputri - the daughter of former Indonesian president Sukarno himself. But Suharto, who, as the country's military leader, aggressively took over the presidency from Sukarno in 1966, denounced her Democratic Party as a reincarnation of the Indonesian Communist Party that was banned after its 1965 coup attempt.

And so Megawati was ousted - also in June - from her position as head of the party. Thus, throughout July, the tension based in the capital spread. Hundreds of students gathered for rally outside of Gajah Mada University in Yogyakarta; five arrested. Protests surged in Surabaya, while churches were burned in the capital city. Demonstrations outside of the American embassy shut down the streets around Merdeka Square and kept non-participants huddled inside their homes.

And then, on July 27, strained threads of control snapped abruptly when two truckloads of security forces drove up to Megawati's PDI headquarters in the Jakarta suburb of Menteng. Their mission: to break up a sit-in demonstration of more than 100 supporters inside. First they hurled stones, then petrol bombs, then, finally, they stormed the building. Rumors that mass murders had been committed inside flew in whispers that seemed to hover above a street crowd of more than 5000 people. Those who emerged from the building staggered out broken and blinded from the effects out broken and blinded from the effects of tear gas, rattan canes and water cannons.

Since this terrifying event, a smooth and quick crackdown on public political actions has taken place by the government. Streets are quiet, guards outside the main political buildings seemingly bored - but always watchful beneath their relaxed stances. The country's leaders, however, are more visibly disturbed, particularly about the disappearance of foreign investors. Beneath the current claim, a sense of anger still broils, although the current regime seems reluctant to acknowledge this rage. Rather, they are poised solely for resistance - at least for the time being, Suharto himself addressed the issue recently in a speech to parliament, requesting that the country respect the national consensus rather than give in to the pro-democracy forces. "Let us not tinker with (the system) just for the sake of fulfilling the ambition of individuals, he said.

Between Suharto's health issues and the general political turmoil, though, U.S. businesses in Indonesia are concerned about the recent signs of upheaval. As one of the West Coast's strongest trading partners, these recent events are turning droplets of news into ripples of hesitancy throughout the region.

Could these events, taking place on an archipelago so seemingly distant, really influence economic and social actions in the Pacific Northwest?

Daniel Lev, a professor of Political Science at the University of Washington and an expert on Indonesian issues, offers his comments. "The country has a strong economy, and trade is strong down the whole West Coast," he says. He adds that many businesses in the U.S. tend to see problems in Indonesia as "distant", such as the labor issues with Nike, and that for the most part trade between the U.S. and Indonesia should not be affected.

However, a Seattle business owner whose major trade takes place with the country disagrees. Requesting anonymity, he remarked, "I think the events happening in Indonesia might affect the economy here. Someone would have to think twice before putting money into the country right new. I certainly couldn't urge any of my clients to (invest) there. As for Indonesia's future, my advice is: Be prepared." Youth also observe - and worry

Maroth Poeante, president of the Indonesian Student Association at the University of Washington, also brings up the fact that the country' s recent events are causing personal concerns among Seattle's Indonesian student community.

I think that [most] of the Indonesian students abroad follow the news carefully," he says. "If bad things are happening there, there can certainly be (repercussions) for us here." Whether these repercussions could occur in the attitudes or actions of those around them, Poeante explains, the Indonesian student population takes care no to set off any tension.

There is a strong Indonesian student population in the Greater Seattle are, including approximately 70 students at the UW, about 100 at Shoreline Community College and close to that number at Seattle University.

Despite the recent troubles, Poeante believes that Suharto will maintain power. He compares the country's position to a situation in School: "It's just like your grade-point average," he says. "Let's say you are a good student and you have so many credits with a 3.9 GPA and then in the summer you get a 3.3 for a course. Your overall average will drop maybe to a 3.86; not that much, because you've built up such a good average in the majority of your classes. And people think Suharto is like that; he knows so many politicians and people in the military that he has built up his points. The riots won't do anything [to hurt his chances of success]...although in 1997 [when the next election occurs], then maybe something will happen."

He also points out, "Suharto is the only leader we have known for the last 30 years. We can't afford to experiment with another one - if we don't choose him, then who do we want?" He explains that he is currently reading A Nation in Waiting by Adam Schwartz. "And that' s what we are, a 'nation in waiting," he says. "Waiting for something to happen."

But it is youth like Poeante - educated and active in politics - who will not wait any longer to force changes on a system that, after only 51 years on Aug. 17, is still too old for them. One problem: the country is not taken seriously by Western governments, the U.S. in particular, "I listen to the BBC New York Times and the Wall Street Journal," says Poeante. "[Indonesia is] waiting for an American reaction to what's going on in the country. But I just don't see it. I don' t see any reaction.

Observes Daniel Lev, "There are many [people] who don't understand Indonesia simply because they don't know that much about it. However, there is a whole subset of people who have studied this region and they do know exactly what is going on."

Lev adds that the media of recent years have concentrated on China because of its Communist control. "Since 1965 [when the Communist coup attempt on the Indonesian government occurred], the newspapers have not paid much attention to Indonesia." he remarks. "The destruction of the Communist party made [the need for news coverage] much less critical."

However, after the elections of 1997, there will be more than a ripple of an effect throughout the globe from the world's fourth most populous nation. A major supplier of oil, gemstones and timber, Indonesia is one giant that America must face with compassion and full comprehension.

But the country is a giant about which these Indonesian students can help the U.S. gain insight. While American remains a step back, whether from intimidation or ignorance, Indonesia continues to grow into a force the West cannot ignore.

[Kelinci Kecil, Will Indonesia's turmoil have local economic ramifications., International Examiner, 10-15-1996, pp PG.]

Tribal war being stoked by Freeport?

Tapol – February 5, 1997

[Introductory note by 'Kofi Tubruk': A tribal war has been going on in Banti - which a short distance from Freeport mining operations - since 25 January this year. According to Thomas Wanmang, secretary of LEMASA Council, who was contacted by phone, the war is taking place in an area where there are many security posts. Security personnel, including those from Freeport, are treating the incident as if it were a show, taking photos and filming it on video. He also said that according to reports, a vehicle transporting a person who was wounded in the conflict to hospital was stopped only in order to take a photo of the wounded man. It is even being reported that Freeport buses are being used to transport Dani people from Timika, which is quite a distance away. The men, who probably know nothing about the origins of the conflict, are being given clothes and weapons of war in order to take part in the fighting.]

On 5 February 1997, the LEMASA Council wrote to the governor of Irian Jaya, Yakob Patipi expressing concern at the way the tribal conflict in Banti and Etekini is being handled. The letter reads as follows:

We wish to convey our deep concern at the way the continuing tribal conflict 'tribal war' between Dani and Amungme tribesmen in Banti and Etekini is being handled. As yet, the government - in this case, ABRI, the armed forces - and PT Freeport which is one of the causes of the conflict, have taken no effective measures to resolve the conflict.

As stated by ABRI and reported in the mass mesia, this tribal conflict or war was triggered by the raping of three Dani women by three Amungme men all of whom are employed by Freeport Security. The rapes occurred at Freeport's Security Post IV on 25 January. This led to a tribal war in which seven Dani men and one Amungme were killed.

Since this occurrence, the LEMASA Council in Banti and Timika, along with the Catholic Church and the GKII (the Protestant Church) in Timika and Jayapura have tried to find a solution. While the war was raging in Banti, LEMASA sought the assistance of troops at ABRI 703 command post, to help separate the two sides but the request was turned down. The soldiers said that they were in the area not to protect the people but to protect Freeport. In fact, members of ABRI on duty in the region stood by doing nothing and they even used Freeport vehicles to go and photograph the event. LEMASA also sent a letter to the Vice-President for Community Affairs of Freeport in Tembagapura asking to borrow vehicles to transport LEMASA leaders to Banti and Utekini in order to hold discussions with the two warring sides and to evacuate women and children to get them out of the danger zone but this was also refused.

Out of a sense of frustration on the part of LEMASA, a group of LEMASA supporters attacked the office of the Amungkal Foundation, a creation of Freeport, on 30 January, and destroyed it. On the same day, 30 January, a team to resolve the conflict coordinated by the Mimika district secretary was set up, but since then nothing has changed. LEMASA and the two churches - Catholic and Protestant - were not permitted to take part in resolving the conflict.

According to tribal custom, a problem of this nature can only be handled according to traditional law and formal law. Therefore, LEMASA appointed the Churches - Catholic and Protestant - to act as neutral parties to handle the conflict, but this too has been turned down by ABRI and Freeport.

In view of the fact that the conflict has not been properly dealt with and those dealing with it do not under the very basis of the problem, it has been allowed to drag on. This gives the impression that the government is deliberately ignoring the problem or simply allowing Indonesian citizens in the most easterly province of the Republic to murder and attack each other. The local community is deeply disturbed by all this.

LEMASA is afraid that by allowing this conflict to go unresolved, it will be impossible to prevent the further outbreak and spread of tribal warfare. If this happens, who should be held responsible?

Timika, 5 February 1997

Signed or finger-pinted by:

Tom Beanal, Isorei Negel
Mathias Kelanangame. Isorei Negel
Yopy Magal, Deputy Director Amungin Habel Degey, traditional leade of Ekari/Me people
Murib Team, Dani traditional leader
Bartolemeu Megal, Amungme Naisorei
Yohanes Pinimet, LEMASA Director
Biru Kogoya, Dani traditional leader
Alfus Gwijangge, Nduga traditional leader
Isak Onawame, chair of Klasis of Timika GKII
Lukas Amisim, Amungme Naisorei
Beny Cenewatme,First Deputy Director
Yosefa Alomang, traditional leader
Isak Magal, Dani traditional leader
Father Nato Gobay, Tigaraja parish, Timika

Note: There may be errors in the designation of the signatories. The translator is not familiar with some of the terms used.

Three suspects of Tasikmalaya riot questioned

Antara News - February 7, 1997

Bandung – At least three persons suspected of instigating the Tasikmalaya riot on December 26 have been questioned by the provincial attorney's office.

Deputy chief of the West Java attorney's office, Armin Aribowo, told ANTARA Wednesday that his office is still searching for MH(24), another suspect who went into hiding right after the riot.

The suspects who have been questioned were AGS, AM and AI, he said.

The Tasikmalaya riot which turned into rampage killed at least four persons, injured tens of others and damaged scores of buildings and cars. Total losses was estimated to Rp 84 billion (US$36.5million).

Aribowo also said that nine witnesses testified the involvement of MH in the riot, while the involvement of the three others was supported by the testimony of a number of witnesses. The riot was sparked by a rumour that one of the three teachers of a nearby Moslem boarding school had been tortured during a police investigation and died. The rumour proved false.

The riot left 13 places of worship, 89 shops, 12 police stations, four factories, four schools, six banks and three hotels either damaged or burnt.

Aribowo added that a 43-member team are studying the evidences collected against the suspects.

Habibie: Communist International uses 'SARA' to split the nation

Unknown - February 7, 1997

Jakarta – Indonesia must be vigilant of maneuvers by the international communist network which wants to play one side off against the other with issues of tribe, religion, race and inter-group (SARA) along with human rights to split the nation, said the head of the Indonesian Islamic Scholars Association (ICMI), B.J. Habibie.

"SARA does not exist in the Indonesian nation. [We] don't want playing side off against the other which will damage national unity" said Habibie in Jakarta on Thursday night.

Moreover, Habibie said that the goal of the maneuvers of the international communist network was to undermine the Indonesian economy which has been relatively successful during the development of the New Order, such that these maneuvers will damage the continuity of national development. He also said that as well as issues of SARA, the international communist network also uses issues human rights which are relatively difficult to "quantify". "Communists you can see are using the issue of social inequality/poverty to achieve their goal" he said.

According to him [Habibie], the rise of the international communist network is one of the reasons, that is the bankruptcy of Communist and Marxist ideology in Europe. Communism and Marxism itself contains a number of contradictions so that it is incapable to answering the challenges in a period of greater complexity.

To prevent this maneuvers from splitting the nation, Habibie asked society to provide information to those in authority if they encounter "strange things" in society. "If you find a report which is true, go quickly to the those in authority. Don't [wait] until we are trapped", he said.

[Abridge translation. Original source unknown (yeh, I know its silly but I just couldn't resist it) - JB]

Indonesia's West Kalimantan calm, general says

Agence France Presse – February 5, 1997

Jakarta – The Indonesian province of West Kalimantan hit by fresh ethnic unrest since last week is now calm and under control, an Indonesian army spokesman said according to reports Wednesday.

"Everything is now secure and under control," armed forces spokesman Brigadier General Amir Syarifuddin was quoted by the official Antara news agency as saying.

His comments came as provincial government officials met with military and police leaders in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, early Wednesday, an official of the information office of the local provincial administration said, without saying what would be discussed.

Syarifuddin denied press reports that Pontianak, the main town of West Kalimantan, was tense or that additional troops were brought into the province.

However, he added: "If there was any troop movement it is within the Tanjungpura military command which came from Balikpapan." The Tanjungpura command oversees security for the four provinces in Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of Borneo island.

Two army infantry companies were flown to Pontianak from Balikpapan Saturday and Sunday, the Media Indonesia daily reported on Tuesday.

The head of the military's socio-political affairs, Lieutenant General Syarwan Hamid met Tuesday with the senior editors of the Indonesian press to discuss the recent spate of riots and the media's coverage of them, the Jakarta Post said.

Hamid was quoted by the daily as saying that the media coverage of the incidents were still within "tolerable limits" but warned of cases of "overexposure" of individual incidents without specifying.

"What is clear is that, unlike the previous days, there are a lot less rumors floating around this morning," a resident said from Pontianak by telephone.

The source said most people were back at work in Pontianak by early Wednesday but had no information on what was happening outside town.

Syarifuddin, according to the Jakarta Post daily, said no curfew had been imposed but "we just appealed to local residents not to leave their homes between 9:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m.." Residents have said a curfew was not strictly enforced and people could be seen on the streets of the town in the evening.

Indonesia, the world's largest Moslem-populated nation, has been plagued by a string of recent ethnic and religious unrests that have led to the death of 12 people since October.

Rioting in which buildings have been attacked or set ablaze has hit parts of West Kalimantan since New Year.

On New Year's day, 5,000 members of the indigenous Dayak ethnic went on a rampage in Sanggau Ledo, some 96 kilometres (60 miles) northeast of Pontianak, attacking migrants from Madura, an island off East Java.

Five people died in the riots, sources have said, while officials said 21 people were still missing.

In the past week two people have been wounded and there was one unconfirmed death in two attacks on a Catholic dormitory and private homes in Pontianak which locals say housed Dayak refugees.

The violence prompted Malaysia's timber-rich Sarawak state to close all border crossing posts with Kalimantan on Sunday, Malaysia's Bernama news agency said Tuesday.

Foreign Minister Ali Alatas said Wednesday he hoped the border closure would only be temporary. bs/be/jkb

Indonesia hopes Borneo border closure only temporary measure

Agence France Presse – February 5, 1997

Jakarta – Indonesia's foreign minister said Wednesday that Jakarta hoped Malaysia's closure of part of its border on Borneo due to ethnic violence on the Indonesian side would be quickly lifted.

"We hope that this matter is only of a temporary nature, just for some time, to prevent things we do not want to happen from happening," minister Ali Alatas told journalists at the presidential Merdeka palace.

Violence in the Indonesian province of West Kalimantan prompted Malaysia Sunday to close all border crossing posts between its timber-rich state of Sarawak and Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of the island.

But Alatas stressed the situation in the troubled province had improved.

Jakarta has sent troops to the area in a bid to restore order.

"Hopefully, in the near future it will return to normal because the situation has returned to normal," Alatas said.

Indonesia's Armed Forces Chief General Feisal Tanjung, speaking to journalists separately at the palace, said there was now "no problem" in West Kalimantan, stressing that Malaysia had the right to close its border.

"Why should we be offended when someone wants to make their territory secure? It is just like when we close the door of our homes – it is our right," Tanjung said.

The border closure came amid reports of sporadic disturbances in West Kalimantan in the wake of major trouble early in January when a mob of some 5,000 indigenous Dayak tribesmen burnt and looted scores of homes and stores.

The damaged buildings mainly belonged to settlers from the Indonesian island of Madura.

January's mass unrest in January left five people dead, according to reports, but officials have not confirmed casualty figures. They have only said that 21 people were missing following the incident. The disturbances left 1,020 houses damaged and almost 5,000 people homeless, officials said. str/bs/be/cmc

Malaysia awaits unrest to settle before reopening Indonesia border

Agence France Presse – February 5, 1997

Kuala Lumpur – Malaysia will only reopen its border post into Indonesia's Kalimantan province once the ethnic violence has calmed down on the Indonesian side, officials said Wednesday. "We are still monitoring the situation in Kalimantan.

We will only open up the roads once the situation is declared safe by the Indonesian authorities," the National Security Council in Sarawak state said in a statement. Violence in West Kalimantan province prompted Malaysia to close the Tebedu border crossing post Sunday to ensure the safety of travellers from Sarawak's capital of Kuching to Potianak in Kalimantan.

The Tebudu crossing, about 90 kilometres from Kuching, was opened five years ago and is the major entry point between Sarawak and Kalimantan. There are 11 other border posts in Sarawak state on Borneo. The closure came amid reports of disturbances in West Kalimantan after major trouble in January when a mob of some 5,000 Dayak tribesmen burned and looted scores of homes and stores.

The council said security at the Tebudu post has also been beefed up as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of immigration officers at the post. Malaysians stranded in Pontianak and some 200 Indonesians stranded in Sarawak would be flown home on special flights by Malaysia Airlines, it added.

Goverment sources told AFP they had not received much information from the Indonesian authorities on the situation in West Kalimantan. Indonesia's foreign minister Ali Alatas said Wednesday that Jakarta hoped Malaysia's closure would be quickly lifted. Alatas said the situation in the troubled province had improved as Jakarta has sent troops to restore order. jsm/en/tw

Curfew imposed in Indonesia's latest trouble town

Agence France Presse – February 5, 1997

Pontianak – An Indonesian provincial capital, where there has been unrest since the start of the year, remained tense Wednesday with reports of new violence in other towns.

"The situation is very tense with sporadic violence in the last week," a resident of Pontianak, capital of West Kalimantan, told AFP.

The authorities have tried to impose a curfew in Pontianak.

But armed forces spokesman Brigadier General Amir Syarifuddin said "everything is now secure and under control," the official Antara news agency reported.

He denied press reports that Pontianak was tense or that additional troops had been brought in.

But witnesses said troops arrived Wedenesday on transport aircraft and left the city airport on more than one dozen trucks.

Two infantry companies were flown to Pontianak from Balikpapan, also in Kalimantan, at the weekend, the Media Indonesia daily reported Tuesday.

Authorities in Pontianak and other towns have told people not to leave their homes between 9:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m.

But residents said the curfew was not strictly enforced and people were on the streets in the evening. Riots in which buildings have been attacked or set ablaze have hit parts of West Kalimantan, on the Indonesian side of Borneo, since New Year.

Malaysia's Sarawak closed all border crossing posts with Kalimantan on Sunday because of the violence, according to reports, but Indonesia's Foreign Minister Ali Alatas said Wednesday he hoped the closure would only be temporary.

On New Year's day, 5,000 ethnic Dayak tribesmen went on a rampage in Sanggau Ledo, some 96 kilometres (60 miles) northeast of Pontianak, attacking migrants from Madura, an East Java island.

Five people died in the riots, sources have said, while officials said 21 people were missing. In the past week two people have been wounded and there was one unconfirmed death in two attacks on a Catholic dormitory and private homes in Pontianak which locals say housed Dayak refugees.

Road blocks still dotted roads out of the town, practically halting traffic between Pontianak and the other main towns, residents said.

Random identity checks and weapons searches were conducted by the security in various parts of the town, residents said.

Rumors of what was taking place in the countryside abounded in town although one said they appeared to be less strong than in the previous days, residents said.

"Whatever happens in one town to one ethnic group seems to be avenged in another town...

things have been pretty crazy," one resident said.

Residents complained of a lack of food in markets because military roadblocks had virtually cut off the city since last week.

One resident said gangs had also made streets on the edge of towns unsafe, stopping vehicles and harrassing passengers.

Indonesia, the world's largest Moslem-populated nation, has been plagued by ethnic and religious unrest that has left at least 12 deaths since October. lis/bs/be

Four suspects over West Java riot, Indonesia Says

Agence France Presse – February 6, 1997

Jakarta – Indonesian authorities suspect four men of inciting a violent riot in the West Java town of Tasikmalaya last December which left four people dead, a report said Thursday.

"Based on information from witnesses and on-site evidence, the four men are suspected as being the incitors of the riot," the deputy of the West Java high attorney office, Armin Aribowo, was quoted by the Antara news agency as saying.

He identified the suspects only by their initials AGS, AM, AI and MH.

MH is currently being sought by the authorities.

Press reports have identified the four as activists of several youth and Moslem organisations.

Thousands of Moslems angered by police mistreatment of three teachers of a local Islamic school, went on a rampage in Tasikmalaya on December 26, torching and damaging over 100 buildings and vehicles.

Four people died in the riot.

Although several police stations were among the damaged buildings, most of the other targets were properties of ethnic Chinese and non-Moslems.

Four policemen suspected of having tortured the Islamic school teachers have since been dismissed from the force but will face court martial as well for their deed, the police have said.

Indonesia, the world's largest Moslem-populated nation, has been plagued by a string of recent ethnic and religious clashes that have led to the death of 12 people since October. bs/jg/cmc

Tension high after ethnic unrest in Indonesian province

Agence France Presse – February 6, 1997

Pontianak – Tension was running high Thursday in a flashpoint district of this Indonesian provincial capital amid mounting fears of a fresh outbreak of ethnic violence.

Groups of indigenous Dayak people were seen Wednesday night patrolling the city's northern Siantan district where many of them live.

Security forces were conducting random checks of identity papers.

West Kalimantan province has been tense since early January following clashes between thousands of indigenous Dayak tribesmen and Moslem migrants from Madura, an island off East Java.

Witnesses said the military and police had set up roadblocks on the main roads leading out of the town, virtually isolating this city of at least 700,000 people on the island of Borneo.

Traffic was halted by a military roadblock in the town of Anjungan, 55 kilometres (34.1 mile) north of here, barring travel into a region where clashes have been reported in the past week. In Pontianak, there was one unconfirmed death and at least two people were reported wounded in two attacks on a Catholic dormitory and private homes which housed Dayak refugees.

Dayak refugees were being housed in two military buildings, one holding about 2,000 people and the other had 741. During the day Siantan's streets were bustling with activity, but were quickly deserted as night fell, while the city centre, on the other side of the Kapuas Kecil river that divides Pontianak, appeared normal.

Indonesian military and government leaders in Jakarta said the situation in West Kalimantan, including in Pontianak, was calm and "under control." Police helicopters were dropping flyers in the region north and northwest of here where recent clashes have been reported, the Merdeka daily said. In the flyers, police and military authorities called on people "not to fall prey to incitement," promised firm action against those violating the law and stressed that the province was "safe, secure and under control," the daily said.

On New Year's day, 5,000 ethnic Dayak tribesmen went on a rampage in Sanggau Ledo, some 96 kilometres (60 miles) northeast of Pontianak, attacking migrants from Madura. Five people died in the riots, sources have said, while officials said 21 people were missing.

Authorities in Pontianak and several other towns and sub-districts in West Kalimantan have since last weekend called on people not to leave their homes between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m.. But with the exception of northern Pontianak, the call has not been strictly enforced, residents have said.

"We are still worried, especially that now the road are closed and we cannot go anywhere," said a Dayak man among some dozen people squatting in front of a house in Anjungan. The rest of the town appeared deserted but for patrolling soldiers carrying automatic firearms.

The man said he had heard gun shots during the week as mobs of Dayak men from northwest of the town were trying to pass security cordons, but he said he had been too scared to see what was happening.

In Peniraman, a town about halfway between Anjungan and Pontianak with a large Madurese community, remnants of large rocks used to block roads by the Madurese could still be seen on the side of the road.

"We are still worried, there is no Lebaran for us this year," an elderly Madurese man said referring to the festivities greeting the end of the Moslem fasting month this weekend.

Another Madurese man said he had walked for three days fleeing his village through backroads "because it was so bad there." A Dayak elder in Siantan who asked not to be identified it was "the largest conflict" to erupt between the Madurese and the Dayak adding the situation remained "unpredictable."

He said the tensions were a "purely ethnic conflict." Residents of most Dayak homes have traditional weapons, such as spears, ready in their living room."Almost all of us here have weapons in our home. We are too scared and we have no choice," said the head of a Dayak family who also declined to be named.

In the small front yard of an elder's house, a ceramic plate containing a red piece of cloth and a glass half-filled with rice lay on the ground. "This is a sign that we are at war," volunteered one of the Dayaks. Indonesia, the world's largest Moslem-populated nation, has been plagued by a string of recent ethnic and religious unrests that have led to the deaths of 12 people since October.

The violence prompted Malaysia's timber-rich Sarawak state to close all border crossing posts with Kalimantan on Sunday. On Wednesday, Indonesia's Foreign Minister Ali Alatas said he hoped the border closure would only be temporary while Malaysia said it would wait to see what happened before re-opening the border.

"We are still monitoring the situation in Kalimantan. We will only open up the roads once the situation is declared safe by the Indonesian authorities," the National Security Council in Sarawak said. bur/cf

Chinese New Year celebrated in clash-torn Indonesian city

Agence France Presse – February 7, 1997

Pontianak – The large Chinese community in the troubled Indonesian province of West Kalimantan celebrated the Lunar New Year on Friday in solemn mood.

Many of the 150,000 ethnic Chinese who make up around a third of the population of the provincial capital, Pontianak, took a lower profile because of recent clashes between indigenous Dayak people and migrant Madurese. Only sporadic firecrackers were heard as dawn rose.

"It is definitely a bit quieter this year. Many Chinese have left the city to celebrate abroad, and far fewer people have visited from out of town than usual," one of the city's Buddhist elders told AFP.

Troops and police still patrolled the streets Thursday night, including around temples where people were praying. However Pontianak was still doing its best to celebrate the Chinese new year with the city streets bustling on Thursday night and most houses owned by Chinese were open, with bright red lanterns hung.

"This is much busier than I have seen in over a week," a local resident said. The province has been hit by violent clashes between Dayaks and migrants from Madura, a small island off Java. Thousands of Dayaks and Madurese have sought shelter in military compounds following the unrest, the second outburst in a month in the province.

Military roadblocks still prevented vehicles from going to some areas northwest of Pontianak on Thursday. Anjungan, some 55 kilometres (35 miles) northwest, was deserted with armed troops on patrol. Since the second eruption of violence, sparked by an attack on a dormitory housing Dayaks last week, the authorities have tried to impose a curfew from 9:00 p.m. Security personnel carry out frequent identification checks on the streets after dark.

While the violence have not directly involved ethnic Chinese, residents said the Chinese community and some Christian churches have felt at threat. Clashing groups at times have sometimes smashed shops belonging to the Chinese, one resident said. "Many of my Chinese neighbors have left town for these holidays."

Another Catholic resident said that a number of churches have received anonymous phone calls threatening to burn Christan buildings. Most Dayaks are Christian, while Madurese are mainly Moslems.

A number of towns on Java have been hit by ethnic and religious unrest in recent months, with Chinese-owned buildings and non-Moslem buildings, including churches, often the target.

While the Chinese only make up over three percent of Indonesia's 200 million people, many observers believe the group controls over 80 percent of the nation's wealth.

West Kalimantan has one of the highest concentration of ethnic Chinese in Indonesia, making up about 11 percent of the population. A large number of Chinese migrated to Borneo in the 18th century to work in mining and have remained ever since. lis/tw

New unrest in troubled Indonesian province

Agence France Presse – February 7, 1997

Pontianak – New unrest broke out in Indonesia's West Kalimantan province despite a security clampdown, sources said Friday.

Tension eased in the West Kalimantan capital of Pontianak, but reports of clashes between local tribesmen and migrants came from a town in Sambas district to the north. Violence in the province since the start of the year is just the latest in a series of religious and ethnic disturbances to hit Indonesia, the world's most populous Moslem nation, in recent months.

At least 12 people have been killed in riots in various towns since October. West Kalimantan has been hit by mounting unrest between largely Christian ethnic Dayak people in West Kalimantan and Moslem migrants from the East Java island of Madura.

"From last night until early this morning, I have received phone calls telling of clashes in Tebas," said Mohamad Ridai, who heads the Madurese Youth Association in Pontianak.

Ridai told AFP the clashes erupted Thursday with the arrival in the town of the remains of a Dayak man who had been killed by Madurese last weekend.

Reports said at least seven houses in Tebas, about 100 kilometres (62 miles) north of Pontianak, had been burned by angry Dayaks, he said. Dayak elders in northern Pontianak said they have confirmed that two Dayak men have been killed in recent days, including the victim whose return to Tebas sparked the new clashes.

None of the reports could be confirmed with the authorities. Pontianak appeared calm Friday, but many shops were closed for the Lunar New Year holiday, which was celebrated in solemn mood by the ethnic Chinese community of some 150,000 people following the clashes.

On New Year's day, around 5,000 Dayak tribesmen went on a rampage in Sanggau Ledo, some 95 kilometres (60 miles) northeast of Pontianak, attacking migrants from Madura.

Five people died in the riots, sources said, while officials said 21 people were missing. On January 29, masked men attacked a Catholic dormitory in the West Kalimantan capital housing Dayak regugees who had fled violence in their areas, and a nearby boarding house.

In the latter attack, two Dayak women were injured while residents said that another person was killed but the death has not been confirmed. The Indonesian military and civil authorities have said the situation in West Kalimantan was calm and "under control."

Police helicopters were dropping flyers in the region where the latest clashes were reported, the Merdeka daily said Thursday. The leaflets called for calm and promised firm action against those violating the law, the daily said.

Authorities in Pontianak and several other parts of West Kalimantan have tried to impose a 9:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. curfew. But it has only been strictly enforced in northern Pontianak, residents said. Security forces carry out frequent identification checks on the streets after dark.

In Siantan, north of the provincial capital, the Dayak community has kept up their own patrols. Violence in West Kalimantan prompted Malaysia's Sarawak state to close all border crossing posts with Kalimantan on Sunday. Indonesia's Foreign Minister Ali Alatas has said he hoped the border closure would only be temporary while Malaysia said it would wait before re-opening the border. bur/tw

Indonesian province remains tense, public Moslem processions barred

Agence France Presse – February 8, 1997

Jakarta – The Indonesian province of West Kalimantan remained tense Saturday following days of ethnic unrest, with the authorities barring street processions for the Moslem Idul Fitri celebrations Sunday.

"Pontianak (West Kalimantan's capital) is calm but still tense. We continue to have neighborhood patrols at night," a resident told AFP by telephone.

Local residents have reported clashes between the indigenous Dayak people and migrants from Madura, an island north of Java, as recently as early Friday morning in the Sambas and Sanggau districts north of Pontianak.

"People from the north keep pouring into Pontianak to avoid the unrests up north," a resident said Saturday. Violence in the province since the start of the year is the latest in a series of religious and ethnic disturbances to hit Indonesia, the world's most populous Moslem nation, in recent months.

Over a dozen people have been killed in riots in several towns since October. Thousands of people in West Kalimantan have sought shelter both in military compounds and relatives' homes since a fresh bout of violence erupted last week, in the wake of mass clashes between the Dayaks and migrants a month earlier.

Violence in West Kalimantan on Borneo island prompted Malaysia's neighboring Sarawak state to close all border crossing posts with Kalimantan on Sunday.

Reports have said that five people died in the first series of unrests, with the authorities saying only that 21 people were missing. Dayak elders in Pontianak said they have confirmed that two Dayak men have been killed in the last week's unrest.

Abdul Malik, head of the religious department in West Kalimantan, called on Moslems, whose largest annual celebration of Idul Fitri falls on Sunday and Monday, to avoid street processions, which are an annual ritual. Malik was quoted by the Merdeka daily as saying the barring of the street procession is to prevent the event of being "utilized by irresponsible parties" to stir unrest.

Chinese new year celebrations Thursday evening and Friday were also quieter than usual, Pontianak's ethnic Chinese residents said. National Commission of Human Rights secretary general Baharudin Lopa told AFP Saturday that a commission team will be sent to the troubled area sometime this month, but declined to elaborate.

Authorities in Pontianak and several other parts of West Kalimantan have called on residents to remain indoors between 9:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. Security forces carry out frequent identification checks on the streets after dark. About a dozen people have been detained for carrying knives, the local Akcaya daily said. lis/lk

East Timor

Asean-EU officials agree not to include East Timor issue in declaration

Unknown – February 1997

Singapore – Senior officials of the ASEAN- European Union (EU) ended their two-day meeting where they agreed not to include the East Timor issue in the Joint Declaration draft as foreign ministry's Director General for Political Affairs Izhar Ibrahim said on Wednesday in Singapore. He added the meeting still leaves several sensitive issues to be discussed at a foreign ministerial level of the ASEAN and EU.

"There are still several matters that have not been agreed on the senior officials meeting (SOM). The discussion of the Joint Declaration draft has been completed 90 percent," Izhar after the SOM.

The foreign ministers of the ASEAN-EU who will meet in the twelfth forum of AEMM on Thursday and Friday will discuss several sensitive matters such as human rights.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas who arrived in Singapore Wednesday evening will lead the Indonesian delegation.

Izhar said the sensitive issues can not be settled yet because the ASEAN and EU officials can not find a precise formula. "We are waiting for the ministers' decision," he said.

However, the officials' meeting has had progress and they intend to increase cooperation in the future.

On the other side, he said the East Timor issue is not included in the Joint Declaration draft agreed in SOM.

This is because of the cohesiveness of the countries included in the ASEAN who have the same standing in the East Timor case. "ASEAN obviously does not approve it. It is already the decision of the head of states," Izhar said.

About Portugal, one of the EU countries in the meeting, he said the country has not shown an independent standing and the one coming forward is EU with the president this time the Netherlands.

According to him, EU might want the East Timor issue to be skirted in the Joint Declaration, but ASEAN holds on to its refusal since it is irrelevant to the meeting.

Concerning the human rights issues, the EU officials wish to add several words in line with their interests as long as it does not biasing.

While Secretary General of ASEAN Dato Ajit Singh to ANTARA admitted that the ASEAN-EU officials had completed the Joint Declaration draft.

"The ministers will discuss the issues that have not been agreed on. There has not been any guarantee that the East Timor issue will not be included in the declaration," said Ajit Singh.

Foreign minister's meeting with Jose Ramos Horta welcomed

ACFOA Statement - 6 February, 1997

[It is interesting to note that "self-determination" is not included in ACFOA's recommendations - JB]

The Australian Council for Overseas Aid today welcomed the decision of the Foreign Minister, Mr Alexander Downer, to meet with Mr Jose Ramos Horta in Adelaide on Friday 14 February, 1997.

'Too often, Australia has been seen as an apologist for Indonesoa with no time for East Timorese views', ACFOA Executive Director, Ms Janet Hunt, said today.

This meeting signals a fresh start. It shows that Mr Downer is serious in his search for a lasting solution for East Timor and that he recognises the importance of dialogue with all parties to the conflict', ACFOA Executive Director, Ms Janet Hunt, said today.

'ACFOA strongly supports Mr Horta's call for dialogue and for action to de-militarise East Timor, reduce human rights abuses and release political prisoners. We know that these objectives reflect concerns expressed in the Coalition's pre-election policy', said Ms Hunt. 'However, the reality is that East Timor remains a highly militarised, unhappy place'.

ACFOA urges the Foreign Minister to take a creative approach to the issue and not be paralysed by the fiction that the situation is beyond redemption.

'This is an opportune time for Australia to make a contribution. As the Nobel Peace Prize demonstrates, there is considerable international goodwill for East Timor to draw on. Indonesia is in transition. US President Bill Clinton plans to give more attention to foreign policy in his second term and the new Secretary-General of the UN, Kofi Annan, has admitted that past UN policies have failed and a new approach is needed. With highly competent and seasoned officials like Andrew Peacock in Washington and John McCarthy in Jakarta, Mr Downer is well-equipped to develop a new approach'.

'The alternative is continuing conflict and abuse in East Timor which is moraly unacceptable and, from a pragmatic point of view, is harmful to Australia-Indonesia relations'

Urgent Action - 137 arrested in Viqueque

East Timor Human Rights Centre - 14 February, 1997

Names:

Tomas Caiware, 35
Fransisco Ximenes, 28
Celestino Jerronimo
Armindo Soares, 30
Gaspar Pinto, 19
Agostinho Orlandor, 19
Evangel Menezes, 22
Fransisco Jesus, 18
Armando, 25
Paulo, 28
Paulo Soares, 27
Adelino, 27
Agustinho da Silva, 19
Gaspar, 18
Acacio, 20
Napoleon Amaral, 27
Luis, 27
Luis, 20
DomiNGOs Pinto, 22
Eduardo Amaral, 20
Alberto, 16
Luis Pinto, 16
Agostinho, 19
Raimundo, 23
Mau-Meta, 15
Luis Gama, 20
Paulo, 20
Egas, 20
Paulo Alves, 28
Gaspar, 18
Mateus, 23
Moises, 19
Luis, 26
Fransisco Rangal, 23
Aleixo da Carvalho, 24
Joaquim, 25

Many East Timorese people are believed to have been arbitrarily arrested, and up to four people shot, following days of unrest in the Uatulari sub-district in Viqueque. The arrests and shootings are believed to be related to civil disturbances in the area between 7 and 11 February.

A reliable source has reported to the East Timor Human Rights Centre that 137 East Timorese people have been arrested. The detainees are reported to be extremely frightened and hold grave fears for their own safety. It is believed that the detainees are at grave risk of torture and ill-treatment.

Amnesty International has already released the names of 33 East Timorese arrested in the Viqueque district who are believed to be currently in military custody. Amnesty is concerned for the safety of all of those held in military custody.

The ETHRC has received confirmation of the 33 detainees named by Amnesty. Tomas Caiware and Armindo Soares were arrested on 7 February in Darabai, Uatulari sub-district. They are now believed to be held at a military post at Darabai. During the next two days, a further 30 people were arrested in Macadique, Uatulari, and it is believed they are being detained at the KODIM (District Military Command) post in Viqueque. Luis, aged 26, was shot on 10 February by members of the Rajawali battalion then arrested, however, it is not known whether he is receiving medical treatment or where he is being held.

Francisco Rangal, 23, was shot 3 times by members of the Rajawali batallion. His whereabouts is unknown but it is believed that he may have died as a result of his injuries. It is believed Joaquim, 25, was shot on 8 February by the Indonesian military and is currently receiving medical treatment. Aleixo de Carvahlo, 24, is also believed to have been shot by the Indonesian military. He managed to escape and his whereabouts is unknown.

The names of the other 101 detainees are not yet available, however, the ETHRC is continuing to investigate the situation in Viqueque.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION One media report (AAP, Jakarta, 13 February) says that the Indonesian authorities have detained around 100 people following the unrest in Viqueque. The report quotes a local source who said that the unrest started when East Timorese youths recruited by the Indonesian military provoked the local community by pelting homes. The source is quoted as saying that "mass fighting broke out in the area" while other youths are quoted as saying that "military personnel were also involved in the unrest."

East Timor Human Rights Centre
124 Napier St Fitzroy 3065 Australia
PO BOX 1413 Collingwood 3066 Australia

Tel: 61 3 9415 8225
Fax: 61 3 9416 2746 E-mail: etchrmel@peg.apc.org
Director: Ms Maria Brett
Chair: Bishop Hilton Deakin

East Timor church sources say 100 people detained by authorities

ABC Radio Australia - 13 February, 1997

Around one-hundred people are believed to have been detained by authorities in East Timor, following more than a week of unrest. Church sources say rioting was sparked by military heavyhandedness in the Viqueque district.

Indonesia correspondent Michael Maher reports:

East Timor's Catholic Bishop and Nobel laureate, Carlos Belo, has reportedly formed a committee with the armed forces commander in charge of security in the troubled territory to look into allegations of military abuses in the Viqueque district. Tensions in Viqueque have been on the rise since the beginning of this month as a result of conflict between the local community and soldiers.

Church sources say a Catholic community centre was recently raided by the military and some 40 people arrested. There have also been unconfirmed reports that a number of youths have been wounded after being fired on by troops. Church sources also say that a number of military vehicles have been destroyed in the unrest.

Michael Maher, Jakarta.

East Timor House of Representative statement of the East Timorese people

Indonesian South African Friendship Society Newsletter Issue 02 - January 1997

We the members of the East Timor House of Representatives, on behalf of our constituents of the people of East Timor, wish to express our grave dissappointment that your prestigious Nobel Peace Prize has been used to reopen wounds that we have been trying to heal since our integration with Indonesia brought an end to a bloody civil war a beginning to a process of development never witnessed during more than 450 years of Portuguese colonial rule.

If we were convinced that your award was truly meant to honor a man of peace like Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo and reward him for his commitment to the betterment of our society, our concern would be abated. Unfortunately, the sharing of this prize with Mr Jose Ramos Horta an individual who has been a party to the extermination of his political opponents, does a great disservice to all East Timorese who value the peace for which so many have sacrificed.

In your statement, you emphasized that you are honouring efforts to bring about peace in East Timor. Mr Ramos Horta has never worked for peace and if he did bring anything to East Timor, it was strife and suffering. If there is a prize for atrocity, Mr Ramos Horta certainly deserves it. The bloodiest crimes in the sad history of East Timor were commited in 1975 by Mr Ramos Horta and his political party. Mr Ramos Horta was in fact one of the leaders of the FRETILIN who planned the mass killing in Aileu, Maubessi, and Same. Many leaders of the UDT and the APODETI, the rival political parties of FRETILIN, such as 75 years old Hermegildo Martins, Jose Fernando Osorio Soares, Casimiro de Araujo, DomiNGOs Pinto, and some 200 others were seized, tortured and killed by FRETILIN. In 1975, the chief of Timor Portuguese Red Cross, Victor Santa, who was in Dili on a mission of mercy to alleviate the suffering of civil war victims in East Timor, was arrested and killed by the FRETILIN. A Portuguese police officer, Maegolo Gouveia, in spite of the fact that he presented the white flag of surrender when the FRETILIN came upon him, was nevertheless killed in cold blood. Many of the witnesses to these atrocities are still alive and it saddens us that what they have to say about Mr Ramos Horta and what the overwhelming majority of East Timorese think of him were not taken into account when you awarded the Peace Prize to him. The award is therefore an affront not only to Mr Ramos Horta's victims and their bereaved families but also to all the people of East Timor.

The award has one unfortunate implication as if the East Timorese society has only one point of view, that which coincides with Mr Ramos Horta's. The fact is that we East Timorese have always had a diversity of political beliefs. East Timorese from across the political spectrum, therefore resent the support provided by a foreign organisation, such as the Nobel Peace Prize Selection Committee to a minority view espoused by Mr Ramos Horta. In fact, this minority view has been one of the principal causes of the problems and sufferings of the East Timorese people. For Mr Ramos Horta's FRETILIN at every opportunity raised obstacles to the referendum that would be the chief instrumentality of the democratic decolonization process in East Timor which Portugal was supposed to undertake in 1974. When the other political parties UDT, APODETI, KOTA and TRABALHISTA readily agreed to attend a conference in Macao convened by the Portuguese Government in June 1975 to discuss the referendum and the decolonization process, the FRETILIN refused to attend. Later another conference was convened in Bangkok; again the FRETILIN refused to attend. Finally the FRETILIN shattered the decolonization process by unilaterally declaring independence and seizing power through armed force with arms provided by the Portuguese colonial authorities.

Of this we are certain: if Mr Ramos Horta and his party, the FRETILIN, had been more cooperative and if they did not disrupt the decolonization process, there would have been peace in East Timor instead of a civil war. But they never gave peace a chance. For this and for his part in a massacre Mr Ramos Horta gets the Noble Prize for Peace?

Mr Ramos Horta has no right to prescribe his ideas for East Timorese society. For when it was obvious that the FRETILIN could not win the bloody conflict as its political cause was utterly rejected by the overwhelming majority of East Timorese people, Mr Ramos Horta simply took flight to Australia. Today he has made it a profession to sow further turmoil in East Timor from the safety of foreign bases of operation, using foreign resources.

Neither will we pontificates of a distant foreign committee, however well intentioned. Only those who have lived through the violence of the civil war and the attendant hunger, disease and other deprivation, and have remained contributing members of our community, can speak on the validity of our decision to integrate with Indonesia instead of languishing under oppression and neglect.

You claim that your award will now focus attention on East Timor. We welcome any attention that will assist us in our efforts to pursue the social economic and political development of East Timor. We need ideas and resources to help us improve the quality of life of our people. But please spare us from ill-advised gestures by those who will use us as pawns for their own political interests.

Chairman of the East Timorese House of Representative Signed, Antonio Freitas Parada Dili, 12 November 1996

Ramos Horta versus Ramos Horta

Observer - December 15, 1996

Charlotte Clayton – Jose Ramos-Horta is the Fretilin activist and self styled Foreign Minister of a nonexisting Republic.

On December 11, 1996 Jose was awarded The Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway. A prize that puts him in the same league as Theodore Roosevelt, Albert Schweitzer, Willy Brandt, Albert Lutuli and Martin Luther King.

The Million Dollar Peace Prize question is, does Jose Ramos-Horta really deserve the honor bestowed upon him by the Nobel Peace Prize Trustees?

As one of the leaders of the Fretilin movement tagged by Foreign Affairs Minister Ali Alatas as the "Achilles Heel for Indonesia," perhaps it is best and more effective if Jose's brother Arsenio Ramos-Horta gives the answer, as it is he who has suffered at the hands of the Fretilin.

After all, are not Jose's Fretilin based activities the main reason for the Nobel Peace Prize Trustees giving him the honor? Arsenio Ramos-Horta wrote of his experiences as a Fretilin prisoner in his book 'The Eyewitness': " I wanted to write this "memoir' about my own experience of three years in the jungles of East Timor, most of the time as a prisoner and some times just as a free man, in order to let the thousands of relatives of the prisoners who were massacred by Fretilin between the years of 1975 to 1978, know about the sufferings and hard- ships."

"Their beloved ones had endured, as far as they also suffered like myself. A few of us had survived but the majority were chopped down by Fretilin guns, and burried away in com- mon graves or in unknown spots of this beautiful island, that become bloody red sprayed during the short period of Fretilin domination."

"Violence and extortions were order of the day, until the East Timorese population re- acted against such a regime of terror and asked for the closest neighbor to assist them to get rid of Fretilin. Thus, it ended the era of terror, bloodshed and suffering. Once the critical condi- tions of East Timor had eased, the people of East Timor chose to live together with his nearest neighbor and be part of the Indonesian nation. Since then, East Timor is enjoying a steady process in the various sectors of modern life.

"In my point of view, I am sure that, in the years to come, East Timor will be out of its backwardness and stand proudly developed".

A Nobel Peace Prize for Jose Ramos-Horta and the Fretilin he stands for? Using the same criteria one may ask why not posthumous Nobel Peace Prizes for Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini? Going by what his brother Arsenio Ramos-Horta has to say about what Jose's Fretilin has done to him, one can only draw the conclusion that placing Jose Ramos-Horta and his Fretilin on the same footing as these two world war criminals would be more appropriate.

Jose Ramos-Horta has his Nobel Peace Prize. Unlike the many others before it, the ceremony was splashed all over the television screens around the world. There was no effort to conceal one bit of the presentation's political motivation. It seems peace is far from the minds of the Nobel Peace Prize Trustees when they decide to give Jose Ramos-Horta the same status as other recipients like Woodrow Wilson and Theodore Roosevelt.

Judging from Arsenio Ramos-Horta's last words in his book, it should be obvious that the Nobel Peace Prize Trustees are way off the mark with their decision to give his brother Jose a pat on the back: "Before closing these pages of my experience of Fretilin brutalities I want to leave a message to the Fretilin men who are still outside East Timor and trying to harass our Government with false accusations and propaganda.

"To all of you, who always claim to work for East Timor in order to bring its people to prosperity, stability, peace and well being, you should work shoulder-to-shoulder with the Indonesian Government, in order to gain complete recognition of the integration, as it is the wish of the whole people of East Timor.

"You claim that you are prepared to work for East Timor. You should come back to this beautiful island in order to give your participation on the great mission the Central Gov- ernment is undertaking to bring East Timor prosperity. There are many fields of work which you could participate in as a good citizen of Indonesia, and through which the development for a better Timor will be appreciated.

"You should be realistic about the facts. Your foolish adventure caused too many deaths and misery in East Timor, the people have suffered a lot and now want only peace which has been accomplished by the right decision to opt for integration.

"You are not loyal to your own people when you say you are working for them, when you keep accusing the legitimate Government of brutalities carried out by yourself. When the Government has done its best to bring peace and stability among the people; it was not an easy task for the Central Government to achieve success in bringing East Timor back to normal. You should open your eyes to the reality and receiving since the integration.

"My last word here goes to my dear brother Jose Ramos-Horta: Our mother was saved from a certain miserable death by the Security Forces and so you should think twice, before you speak against Indonesia". – Arsenio Ramos-Horta

Fear of torture/medical concern

Amnesty International - 13 February, 1997

Tomas Caiware (35), Fransisco Ximenes (28), Celestino Jerronimo, Armindo Soares (30), Gaspar Pinto (19), Agostinho Orlandor (19), Evangel Menezes (22), Fransisco Jesus (18), Armando (25), Paulo (28), Paulo Soares (27), Adelino (27), Agustinho da Silva (19), Gaspar (18), Acacio (20), Napoleon Amaral (27), Luis (27), Luis (20), DomiNGOs Pinto (22), Eduardo Amaral (20), Alberto (16), Luis Pinto (16), Agostinho (19), Raimundo (23), Mau-Meta (15), Luis Gama (20), Paulo (20), Egas (20), Paulo Alves (28), Gaspar (18), Mateus (23), Moises (19), Luis (26), Fransisco Rangal (23)

At least 33 East Timorese have been have been arrested in the Viqueque district of East Timor in the past week and are now being held in military custody where they are at serious risk of torture and ill-treatment. One of the 33 is believed to have been shot and wounded.

Two people, Tomas Caiware and Armindo Soares, were arrested on 7 February and are now believed to be held at a military post in Darabai, Uatulari in the district of Viqueque. A further 30 people were arrested the following day and are all now detained at the KODIM post (District Military Command) in Viqueque. It is not known if any of the detainees have access to independent legal representation. The detainees are believed to come mainly from the town of Macadique, Viqueque.

Up to four people are also reported to have been shot by the military. One of them, Luis, was arrested on 10 February after being shot and wounded. It is not known where he is being detained or whether he has access to medical treatment. Sources believe that one of the other three people reportedly shot, Fransisco Rangel, may have died as a result of his injuries.

The precise reason for the arrests and shootings is not known, although some reports say they are linked to recent civil disturbances in the Viqueque district. Amnesty International is seriously concerned for the safety of all of those held in military custody. In addition the organization is concerned by reports that the authorities' response to disturbances has included shootings resulting in injuries and possibly one death. There are unconfirmed reports of further arrests in the area.

Background information

The authorities have frequently responded to civil disturbances, including peaceful pro-independence demonstrations in East Timor, with force including beatings and shootings. East Timorese taken into military and police custody continue to be at risk of torture and ill-treatment, particularly during interrogation. Safeguards against the use of torture and other violations of detainees' rights, provided for under Indonesia's Code of Criminal Procedure, are frequently ignored by the military and the police. Detainees are routinely denied access to legal counsel and their families, thereby increasing the risk of ill-treatment or torture.

Malone urges government and EU to raise East Timor issue with Indonesia

Unknown – February 1997

Dublin Labour MEP, Bernie Malone, has urged Dick Spring, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, and the European Commission, to raise Human Rights abuses in East Timor by Indonesia at the forthcoming EU-ASEAN Summit in Singapore this Thursday, 13 February.

"According to information supplied to me by the East Timor Ireland Solidarity Campaign, the Human Rights situation in East Timor is steadily worsening. Contrary to beliefs that awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to two Timorese would inprove the situation, I am informed that the Indonesian Government is in fact exercising retributions on the local population since Bishop Belo returned to his native country", Mrs Malone point out.

"Indonesia, which has been illegally occupying East Timor since 1975, must be firmly confronted on this issue and must be made aware of the absolute opposition in Europe to its actions."

"I am urging Dick Spring who as a recent President of the General Affairs Council, is a still a member of the Council "Troika", to ensure that this matter is raised with the Indonesian authorities. I am also making the same request to the European Commissioners, Mr. Manuel Marin, and Sir Leon Brittan.

"As a new member of the European Parliament's ASEAN delegation, I will be also raising this issue at the next meeting of delegation at the next Plenary Session in Strasbourg."

East Timor – Andrews calls on Spring to challenge Indonesia at EU Asian summit

Press Release - Niall Andrews M.E.P.

The Fianna Fail Dublin MEP and Patron of East Timor Ireland Solidarity Campaign Niall Andrews, has called on the Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs Dick Spring to raise the deteriorating plight of the native East Timorese at the hands of the Indonesian Government, at the forthcoming EU-Asian Summit in Singapore.

Niall Andrews stated "the Asian -EU Summit on thursday February 13th next, will be attended by the EU Troika of Foreign Ministers including Dick Spring, and Foreign Ministers from South-East Asia.

The Indonesian Government the regional power in the area, has treatened to pull out of the meeting if the issue of East Timor is raised.

The Irish Government together with its European partners, must have the courage to stand up to these bullying tactics at a time when such abuses in basic Human Rights are taking place. The Human Rights situation is deteriorating daily, contrary to beliefs that the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to two Timorese has quelled abuses, In fact, since Bishop Belo returned to East Timor and Jose Ramos Horta to Australia after their International recognition as Peacemakers, the Indonesian Army has increased its number of violent attacks against the native East Timorese.

The EU/ASEAN Summit is an oppportunity to voice the concerns of the East Timorese people at their continued mistreatment by the Indonesian Government. The fact that the Indonesian Government continues to block the setting up of an U.N. Humanitarian Office in Dili, the Capital of the East Timor is a case in point."

N.B. Bernie Malone is Vice-Chairperson of the of the Committee of the European Parliament on Foreign Affairs and Security.

Indonesian rights body to probe Timor rape allegation

Kyodo - February 7, 1997

Jakarta – The government-appointed National Commission on Human Rights will investigate allegations that military personnel raped an East Timorese woman last year, an English-language newspaper said Friday.

"The investigators (from Jakarta) are due here for a two-day visit after the Muslim Eid al-Fitr holiday, possibly Feb. 11," Alex Rifialy, head of the East Timor commission branch, told the Jakarta Post.

According to the Commission for Justice and Peace, an independent Catholic group in the East Timor capital of Dili, the 23-year-old woman was raped twice by soldiers in the district of Ermera, about 70 kilometers southwest of Dili, after being arrested on suspicion of helping East Timorese independence fighters.

In a letter sent to East Timor's Wira Dharma military command Dec. 28, the commission reported the woman, along with seven of her relatives, was arrested Nov. 5 on charges of helping separatist rebels and taken to the Ermera military police, where she was beaten up and raped.

She was beaten and raped again after she had been moved to a nearby military post, the letter said.

According to Indonesian women activists in Jakarta, the woman is now in the care of the Immaculada Conceicao Catholic parish in Ermera, after a village catechist found out about the unwarranted detention and asked the military post commandant to release her.

Col. Soekotjo, an official at the Dili military command, has denied the reported rape, saying a "field check" found the rape had never happened.

Soekotjo said the woman was picked up by the authorities to help persuade separatist rebels to come down the mountain and voluntarily surrender.

Indonesia invaded East Timor in 1975 and annexed it the following year, calling the former Portuguese colony its 27th province. The U.N. Security Council has passed resolutions demanding the immediate withdrawal of all Indonesian troops from the region.

NZ Stance on Timor 'a headache' for Australia

Sydney Morning Herald - February 11, 1997

Craig Skehan – New Zealand had created a foreign policy "headache" for Australia by revealing that it did not believe Indonesia's incorporation of East Timor was irreversible, according to a confidential foreign affairs department cable.

Australia officially recognised Indonesia's post-invasion incorporation of East Timor and signed an agreement with Jakarta to jointly exploit Timor Gap oil reserves with Indonesia, despite an international legal challenge.

As a result of the row between Canberra and Wellington, Australia's Ambassador to New Zealand, Mr Geoff Miller, was directed to pass on Australia's concerns at a senior level.

A February 3 cable to the Australian High Commission in Wellington notes pointedly that the New Zealand Foreign Minister, Mr Don McKinnon, had not informed his Australian counterpart, Mr Downer, of the stand in relation the incorporation issue.

This followed media reports quoting Mr McKinnon as saying NZ would no longer use the word "irreversible" in relation to the incorporation of East Timor by military force.

"Assuming the report is true, we are surprised at the lack of consultation with us on the matter, especially as Mr McKinnon has had opportunities to discuss the issue with Mr Downer," the cable states.

"Please approach [the NZ] Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade at a senior level to seek a read-out on current NZ policy towards East Timor.

"If the thrust of press reporting is confirmed, we would like you to register our displeasure at the failure of the New Zealanders to keep us abreast of their thinking on what they know is an important issue for us."

This was a reference to political attacks on successive Australian governments for not actively standing up for the rights of East Timorese to self-determination.

The Australian High Commissioner said in a cable to Canberra last Wednesday that a senior NZ foreign ministry official, Mr Win Cochrane, had told him that the decision in relation to East Timor had been made some time ago but not publicly announced.

Mr Cochrane had said he believed the the word irreversible was too "rigid" given that Indonesia was still engaged in discussions under United Nations auspices on the future of East Timor.

"We are inclined to believe the New Zealanders when they say there has not been an intentional change of policy on East Timor," Mr Miller said.

"Unfortunately, by making known that they no longer choose to use the world "irreversible', they are unlikely to be able to play down the perception that will be encouraged by Horta and other activists that there has in fact been a change."

This was a reference to the Nobel Peace Prize winner, Mr Jose Ramos Horta, who has called on governments around the world to oppose Indonesia's incorporation of East Timor and alleged continuing human rights violations.

"As Cochrane wryly commented, they have been hoist on their petard (and given us a headache to boot)," Mr Miller said in the cable.

Ramos Horta visit: Facts turn to fiction

Canberra Times - February 10, 1997

Ian McPhedran – The Indonesian Government has been severely embarrassed by a campaign of misinformation in the wake of a visit to Canberra last week by Nobel Peace Prize winner Jose Ramos Horta.

The official Indonesian news agency, Antara, reported that Mr Ramos Horta, a leading light of the East Timorese Independence movement, had spoken to an "empty Press Club" at the National Press Club on Wednesday. In fact the club was almost full. According to the East Timorese Relief Association, that kind of reporting was an example of how far the Indonesian Government was prepared to go in fabricating news about East Timor.

Association executive director Agio Pereira said the person who claimed to be an Antara reporter was merely a "stooge" of the Indonesian embassy.

"I was told by a very reliable source that all the Indonesian 'journalists' present at the National Press Club went to the Indonesian embassy afterwards to fabricate their news," Mr Pereira said.

The Indonesian Government's campaign to distort news of the Ramos Horta visit did not stop with the Antara report, and a Government item appeared on the Internet last Friday claiming that Ramos Horta was "humiliated" by the Canberra press corps.

According to the item, The Canberra Times had asked Mr Ramos Horta questions that "shook his credibility". It went on to say that The Canberra Times also asked Mr Ramos Horta why he vilified the Indonesian Government and ignored Indonesia's achievements in East Timor.

The Internet report also said this newspaper asked why Mr Ramos Horta did not see the rapid development in East Timor as a remarkable achievement. In fact, The Canberra Times asked only one question which was: "Has Indonesia done anything positive for East Timor in the past 20 years?" He said that apart from roads and bridges for the military to use, the Indonesians had done little from East Timor.

The published reports from Antara and the official statements on the Internet will severely embarrass the Indonesian embassy in Canberra, which issued a statement last Friday attacking Mr Horta for his "misleading and inaccurate" recounting of the historical facts. The statement also said that Indonesian goodwill to accept a negociated solution to East Timor "remains", and welcomed continued dialogue.

KL police stumble over APCET fallout

The Nation – February 5, 1997

Sonny Inbaraj, Bangkok – It was a moral victory for the second Asia-Pacific Conference on East Timor, or Apcet II as it was popularly known. The 50 Apcet II participants and 10 journalists covering the conference, who were arrested in Kuala Lumpur by Malaysian police last November, had all charges against them dropped last Friday by the attorney general.

I was one of those arrested and, as I angrily recalled in this column last year, I spent three days in a police lock-up under appalling conditions. Krishnamurti tells us that our worst fear, is fear of the unknown. To disappear into political imprisonment is to undergo such a fate, bearing in mind that Malaysia still uses the draconian Internal Security Act that allows for detention without a trial for three years.

The attorney general's statement on Jan 31 read as follows:

"The police have referred the investigation papers concerning the meeting of the Asia Pacific Conference on East Timor II [Apcet] and the one concerning the unlawful assembly which disrupted the said meeting on Nov 9, 1996, to the Attorney General Chambers.

"The attorney general after perusing the investigation papers concerning the participants of Apcet, of which 60 persons had been arrested, has decided not to prefer any charge whatsoever against them.

"As for the one which involved the participants of the unlawful assembly, seven persons had been arrested by the police on the said day. Four were arrested in the meeting room on the fourth floor Asia Hotel Kuala Lumpur whilst another three were arrested outside the said hotel. There were several others identified but were not arrested. The attorney general after having carefully reviewed and assessed the evidence disclosed in the investigation conducted by the police, has decided to institute criminal prosecution against the four of them."

The four are members of the youth wing of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's United Malays National Organisation (Umno), and part of about 300 youth members of Malaysia's ruling National Front coalition, who disrupted Apcet II by breaking into the Asia Hotel, wrecking furniture and manhandling participants.

Chanting "Foreigners get out" and carrying placards with slogans like "East Timor is an internal problem of Indonesia", "We love Malaysia", "NGOs are dogs of the West", the 300-strong mobsters surrounded the participants and threatened them with the use of force if they did not leave the Asia Hotel, while screaming profanities at them through loudspeakers.

Former Malaysian MP Fan Yew Teng, a conference participant said: "It makes me think of the Red Guards of the Cultural Revolution and the invasion of the US Embassy in Tehran. It's mob rule."

Outside the hotel, in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, close to 2,000 Umno Youth members were shouting "Go away, Go away", with the police just looking on.

On Jan 31, the magistrate's court fined Nadzri Ismail, Mohamad Supardi Mohamad Noor and Abdul Hadi Mohamad Zam, M$1,500 (Bt15,000) for rioting and trespassing at the Nov 9 meeting. A fourth Umno Youth member, Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, will face similar charges on February 19 when he returns to Kuala Lumpur from a pilgrimage to Mecca.

According to Asiaweek (whose senior correspondent Roger Mitton was also arrested), Saifuddin, a political secretary to the defence minister and Umno Youth secretary, was spearheading the attack on the East Timor conference.

Now, did the Umno Youth leaders get more than what they bargained for?

It seems some strange deals were made in the attorney general's chambers. The police initially arrested the four on charges of failure to disperse after an order was given under the Malaysian Police Act. This was the same charge used against the participants and journalists at Apcet II.

However, when the investigation papers reached the attorney general, an additional charge of rioting and trespassing was added for the Umno Youth members. And what's more, the four had a choice of either pleading guilty to the charge of failing to disperse from an illegal assembly or to rioting and trespassing.

To those unfamiliar with Malaysian laws, rioting and trespassing might seem more serious to failure to disperse when a police order was given. But the crux of the matter is this. Failure to disperse comes under Section 27 of the Police Act which was amended recently to include a minimum fine of M$2,000 (Bt20,000) and/or a one-year jail term.

In Malaysia, anyone holding public office either in parliament or the state legislative assembly would be in serious trouble if he or she was fined M$2,000 or more by the courts in a criminal offence. Thus, the amendment in the Police Act is aimed primarily at opposition politicians who most of the time have to use alternative means of campaigning in Malaysia, bearing in mind that public rallies are banned in the country coupled with a press that is generally hostile to the opposition.

On the other hand, the minimum fine for a rioting and trespassing charge is M$1,500 (Bt15,000) and/or a jail sentence of one year. Also, the fine is not recorded by the police.

Little did the police realise that one of the Umno Youth leaders, Nadzri Ismail, is a state legislator and if he was fined the minimum M$2,000 under the Police Act for failure to disperse from an illegal assembly, he would have been disqualified from the state assembly.

Coming under intense international criticism for arresting participants and journalists at the East Timor conference which was not banned by the government, the police appeared to have shot themselves in the foot by charging a government Umno legislator under Section 27 of the Police Act. If he had been disqualified from public office, all hell would have broken loose with Mahathir himself making sure that heads rolled in the police force.

At the 11th hour, the mistake was realised and the alternative charge added by the police. The Umno Youth members were then advised by their lawyers and the police to plead guilty to the lesser charge of rioting and trespassing so that Nadzri could retain his state assembly seat. The wrath of Mahathir had thus been avoided.

The events of Nov 9 have grave implications for the democratic movement in Malaysia and the region. Serious questions now must be asked. What are the lessons to be learned? What strategies should now be adopted by activists to strengthen the struggle for East Timor's independence? What are the consequences for our understanding of Asean and its role in legitimising human rights abuses in the region? How should social movements in Asean respond, locally and internationally?

There are no clear-cut responses, and our struggle to answer these questions continues towards the next millennium.

Urgent Action - Arbitrary arrests, Dili, East Timor

East Timor Human Rights Centre – February 7, 1997

124 Napier St Fitzroy 3065 Australia. PO BOX 1413 Collingwood 3066 Australia Tel: 61 3 9415 8225 Fax: 61 3 9416 2746 E-mail: etchrmel@peg.apc.org

Director: Ms Maria Brett Chair: Bishop Hilton Deakin

Ref: UA 3/97 7 February 1997

Names:

Abel Fernandes, 27
Feliciano Maria Martins
Oracio Viegas
Celestino Soares
Luis Afonso, 22
Claudino Guterres
Jose do Rosario
Constancio Soares
Joao Budiono da Costa Morais, 19
Jose Maria Jeronimo, 32

OTHER NAMES:

Baltasar SH Belo
Gregorio Sequira Bento, 16
Armando C Soares, 18
Francisco Xavier
Lino Barreiros Guimaraes, 42
Isolino da Cruz, 17
Antonio dos Santos, 16
Carlito, 16
Francisco da Silva, 17
Victor Alexo
Filomeno dos Santos

The situation in Dili remains extremely tense, following the violent incidents which took place on Christmas Eve, 1996. Violence broke out when thousands of people gathered to welcome home Bishop Carlos Belo after he received the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo. The violence resulted in an East Timorese member of the Indonesian military, Alfredo de Santo Siga, being killed and at least 11 others being injured. According to Amnesty International, Siga was beaten to death by a crowd of people outside Dili's cathedral when the crowd became angry at the presence of armed security forces. According to reports received by the East Timor Human Rights Centre (ETHRC), repercussions following the Christmas Eve incidents continued throughout January, resulting in many arrests.

DETAINEES CHARGED The ETHRC has now received the names of 10 East Timorese people who have been charged in relation to their alleged involvement with the 24 December incidents. The ten have all been charged under the Criminal Code of Indonesia (KUHP) with violence against people and property (Article 170) and ill-treatment of people (in respect of the killing of Alfredo de Santo Siga and injuries to Indonesian Police, Article 351). They are currently being held in Becora prison in Dili, awaiting trial. The ten are:

1. Abel Fernandes, from Matadoru RT 16/RW 07 Vila Verde, Dili Barat
2. Feliciano Maria Martins, from RT 3/RW 1 Fatuhada, Dili Barat
3. Oracio Viegas, from RT 3/RW 1, Desa Kuluhun, Dili Timur
4. Celestino Soares, from RT Kampung Merdeka, Desa Comoro, Dili Barat
5. Luis Afonso, from RT 1/RW 10, Kampung Ailook Laran, Desa Bairo Pite, Dili Barat
6. Claudino Guterres, from RT 4/RK 10, Kampung Merdeka, Desa Comoro, Dili Barat
7. Jose do Rosario, from RT 7/RW 5, Kampung Merdeka, Desa Comoro, Dili Barat
8. Constancio Soares, RT 1/RW
9, Desa Comoro, Kecamatan Dili Barat
9. Joao Budiono da Costa Morais, from RT 12/RW 3, Desa Kuluhun, Dili Timur
10. Jose Maria Jeronimo, from RT 2/RK1, Desa Kuluhun, Dili Timur

OTHER DETAINEES REPORTED The names of four other detainees were released by Amnesty International on 8 January 1997. Amnesty reported that Baltasar SH Belo was arrested on 26 December and detained at the Police Resort (POLRES) in Dili. Gregorio Sequira Bento was arrested on 27 December and detained at Regional Police Headquarters (POLDA) in Dili. Armando C Soares was arrested on 30 December and was either detained by the Mobile Police or taken into military custody. No information is available about the reason for their arrests, however, Amnesty International believes that they are being denied access to independent legal counsel, placing them at risk of torture and ill-treatment.

Amnesty also reported that Bobby Xavier was arrested on 29 December and also detained at POLDA, however, an ETHRC source has now confirmed that it was not Bobby Xavier who was arrested but his brother Francisco Xavier.

According to recent media reports, Victor Alexo and Filomeno dos Santos were arrested on Saturday 18 January 1997 in Tibar in the district of Liquica. It is alleged by the Indonesian military that they organised the Christmas Eve "riots" and were acting as spies for the Resistance guerrillas. (South China Morning Post 21/1/97 and Kompas, Jakarta, 20/1/97).

ARBITRARY ARRESTS AT SANTA CRUZ AND QUINTAL BOT On 11 January 1997, members of the Indonesian military and groups of GARDAPAKSI stormed the Santa Cruz and Quintal Bot areas of Dili and arrested East Timorese people. The ETHRC has received the names of five of those arrested who were taken to Dili Police Resort (POLRES):

1. Lino Barreiros Guimaraes, 42, who is an employee at the Dili hospital;
2. Isolino da Cruz, 17;
3. Antonio dos Santos, 16;
4. Carlito, 16;
5. Francisco da Silva, 17;

Lawyers requested permission from the Police Commander to see them but were refused permission and the five detainees were then released. The ETHRC believes they were arbitrarily detained.

Background Information

In a recent media report (South China Morning Post 23/1/97) a member of the Indonesian Commission on Human Rights, Clementino dos Reis Amaral, said that Dili is living under a virtual self-imposed curfew nearly a month after the violent Christmas Eve incidents. "The people are now living in fear. They cannot come out of their houses after 7pm because they're scared" Amaral said.

The ETHRC has received reports from sources in East Timor that armed GARDAPAKSI (Pro-Integration Youth Action Group) and members of SGI (Indonesian Intelligence Unit) are patrolling the streets of Dili every day and night. INTEL agents (spies) also are scouring the streets, beating up and arresting youths or shooting at them if they manage to escape.

Recommended action

The ETHRC is concerned that some or all of the East Timorese people arrested in relation to the 24 December incidents may have been arrested solely for expressing their support for Bishop Belo. Grave fears are held for their safety as prisoners in East Timor are routinely tortured and ill-treated by the Indonesian authorities in order to obtain false confessions or information about the activities of others. In particular, fears are held for the safety of any prisoners who do not have access members of their families and to lawyers of their own choice as they are believed to be at heightened risk of torture and ill-treatment.

Please send faxes/telegrams/express/airmail letters in English, Bahasa Indonesia or your own language:

- seeking clarification of the whereabouts and names of all East Timorese people who have been detained since the 24 December incidents in Dili;
- calling for the immediate and unconditional release of any detainees who have not been charged with an offence under existing laws;
- calling the release of any persons who are being held solely for the non-violent expression of their political beliefs;
- seeking assurances that the detainees will not face any torture or ill-treatment in detention and that they will be treated humanely and in accordance with international standards;
- seeking assurances that they will have full and continuing access to lawyers of their own choice and to members of their families; and
- seeking assurances that the Indonesian military will cease its acts of generalized intimidation and ill-treatment of the local population.

Send appeals to:

1. MILITARY COMMANDER REGION IX/UDAYANA (includes East Timor) Maj Gen H.A. Rivai Pangdam IX/Udayana Markas Besar KODAM IX/Udayana Denpasar, Bali INDONESIA Telephone: +62 361 228 095 Telegrams: Pangdam IX/Udayana, Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia

2. CHIEF OF POLICE FOR EAST TIMOR Colonel Yusuf Mucharam Kapolda Timor Timur Dili, East Timor INDONESIA Telegrams: Kapolda, Dili, East Timor

ALSO SEND COPIES TO:

3. MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS Ali Alatas S.H. Menteri Luar Negeri Jl. Medan Taman Pejambon No. 6 Jakarta INDONESIA Faxes: +62 21 360 541/360 517/380 5511/345 7782

4. SECRETARY GENERAL, NATIONAL COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS Prof. Dr. Baharuddin Lopa Sekretaris Jenderal, Komisi Nasional Hak Azasi Manusia (Komnas HAM) Jl Pemuda No.104 Rawamangun Jakarta Timur INDONESIA Faxes: +62 21 392 5227

and to diplomatic representatives of Indonesia in your country.

PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY Check with the East Timor Human Rights Centre if sending appeals after 21 March 1997

Elections

A damper on a feast

Jakarta Post Editorial - February 7, 1997

The recent ruling announced by Waluyo, the deputy secretary general of the General Elections Institute that all campaign television speeches broadcast in the run-up to the upcoming general elections must be screened by the government before they go on air, sounds familiar. "The screening team will ensure that the speeches do not undermine (the state ideology) Pancasila slander government officials or attack other election contestants," Waluyo said.

We heard that familiar line five years ago. We also heard it ten, fifteen and twenty years ago every time a general election was to be held. In short, it is not a new rule. What is new, though, is perhaps the fact that this time the General Elections Institute is audaciously assuring the public that the screening is in no way a form of censorship 97. which is, of course, an absurd statement since to any sensible mind, screening in any manner is by definition a form of censorship.

It must be admitted that given the grave impact of the riots which have been occurring in alarming frequency recently, one can easily understand why the authorities are wary of any expressions of discontent or indignation that are made in public. The same, of course, goes for public gatherings, which in a worst-case scenario might become unmanageable and lead to public unrest.

The imposition of restrictions and censorship have somehow cast a shadow on the upcoming general election, which the government likes to dub a "festival of democracy". But surely a festival in which any of the merry-making parties-are barred from exercising their basic rights, such as the freedom of speech and expression, can hardly be called a festival of democracy, particularly if any of the parties, particularly the less influential ones, will be disadvantaged by the ruling.

But fear of possible unrest aside, the screening of the campaign broadcast speeches plus the ban on outdoor rallies is seen by many as an indication that the government is determined to ensure a "successful" general election in May and that whatever means that are necessary to ensure success must be taken. It is also within this context that the government last week issued a decree to restrict major gatherings by political and social organizations in the run-up to the May general election contrary to statements made by certain government officials last year.

These restrictions will surely disillusion many of the twenty million odd first-time voters who are looking forward to exercising their birthright as citizens of a free and democratic country by going to the polls.

Considering the present political balance in this country, there can be no doubt about the outcome of the upcoming elections. We fear, however, that the facts that have just been mentioned, plus the apathy that exists among wide sections of the public at large97any discerning observer can feel it by comparing the present mood to that prevailing during previous elections makes it doubtful whether one can truly call the upcoming national poll a "success".

Under the circumstances, as far as the minor participants in the event are concerned, the best thing that could happen is for the General Elections Institute to issue some supplemental decrees that could soften the rigor of the restrictions imposed and thereby open the door to all the participating parties to truly partake in this "festival of democracy.

KIPP to continue monitoring election stages

Jakarta Post - 20 January, 1997

Jakarta – The Independent Election Monitoring Committee (KIPP), which shot to prominence shortly after its birth last year and has since been long silent, says it has found violations in some of the preparatory stages of the May general election.

Chairman Goenawan Mohamad told a press conference here yesterday the body, as yet unrecognized by the government, would continue to monitor the next stages of the election, including the voting. "We'll continue monitoring all the proceedings, although, constitutionally, the election is no longer worthy of being continued," Goenawan said.

He cited as a violation the General Elections Institute's endorsement of the list of legislature candidates submitted by the government-backed Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) chairman Soeryadi, whose leadership is still being disputed in court.

He also cited the Central Java administration's controversial program of painting various public objects yellow, including dustbins and tree trunks, the official color of the ruling Golkar. Goenawan said the "yellowization" policy was illicit electioneering and a violation of the electoral regulations. Goenawan, former chief editor of the banned news weekly Tempo, said the committee would concentrate its resources on monitoring the election day, scheduled for May 29.

The body has networks in 47 Indonesian cities and overseas networks in Germany, Holland, France, Britain and Sweden.

The secretary-general of the independent election watch, Mulyana W. Kusumah, said the committee was planning to monitor the election day in eight cities. The cities are Jakarta, Cianjur in West Java, Semarang in Central Java, Malang in East Java, Palembang in South Sumatra, Jambi, Pematang Siantar in North Sumatra and Ujungpandang in South Sulawesi.

Mulyana said the committee had sent 26 activists to join an election monitoring training camp with POLLWATCH in Thailand, NAMFREL in the Philippines, and FEMA in Bangladesh. He said 34 foreign politicians, activists from non-governmental and labor organizations would join the KIPP activists to monitor election day.

The independent committee was established in Jakarta last March by a group of well-known activists, to monitor all stages of this year's general election.

Yesterday's press conference, attended by local and foreign media, also heard about electoral regulations violations recorded by the body's activists in the provinces. Agus Wyaya from the Bali chapter of KIPP said the ruling Golkar had "lent" Rp 7 million (US$3,000) to each Hindu temple willing to declare "a pledge of allegiance" to Golkar in the presence of worshipers.

"Religions should be free from political interference. Golkar has violated the religious independence with its political interference in Balinese Hindu temples," he accused. "What should be considered is the fact that the temple has to return the money if it fails to conduct the (pledge of allegiance) ceremony," he said.

Martin Thalib from the Ujungpandang chapter in South Sulawesi said there were thousands of student activists who still have not been registered to vote in the May election. (imn)

Contesting parties to obtain campaign note from police

Unknown – February 1997

Jakarta – Before campaigning, according to Colonel Pol. Drs. Djamaluddin Harahap, the contesting parties must first obtain a Campaign Note from the police. The instruction is stated in the Field Directives of National Police Chief number Pol: Juklap/01/I/1997 on 1997 General Elections Campaign Notice.

According to Harahap, this is intended as a guide of the implementation of the issuing of the 1997 election campaign note. This rule is also intended to create a uniformity in the issuing of the note. "This is not intended to limit the campaign activities," Harahap said at the National Police Headquarters yesterday.

According to Harahap, in order to obtain the note, each contesting party must apply a notice to the police seven days before the campaign activities take place. The police will issue the Note three days before the campaign.

"We will surely issue the notice three days before the campaign take place. If not, the parties can campaign without it," Harahap said.

Harahap explained for the campaign by the Central Leadership, the notice is to be sent to the National Police Chief and Intelpam Director Police Headquarters, campaigns by the First-level Regional Leadership is sent to the Regional Police Chief while the campaigns by the Second-level Regional Leadership is sent to the Local Police Chief/Jakarta Police Chief/Resort Police Chief.

The notice must be signed by the gnarl head and general secretary of the contesting parties.

Harahap also said the notice must include the script or example of the means if there are some, plan of usage of mass transportation, campaign schedule, committee list, permit as speaker/moderator if the person is a civil servant or state official, permit of owner or occupant of building or yard, both individual or corporate, permit of governmental institution is using governmental building.

About the usage of motorized vehicle, Head of the Traffic Headquarters Colonel Pol Drs. Mulyo Hadi said it is the parties' responsibility. The rule is stated in the announcement by the National Police Chief number Pol.: Peng/01/I/1997 in line with article 82 (2) of the Governmental Regulation (PP) number 74/1996.

It says that the committee must determine a short as possible route to and back from the location. "This is to prevent traffic-jam. There is always traffic jam even without campaigns," Hadi said.

The type of vehicles used must be in line with the purpose (passengers' vehicle, bus, special vehicle) and fulfill the requirements as arranged in the article 36 of the Traffic Law and article 2 of the Governmental Regulation number 41/1993.

If they are forced to use trucks, it must be completed with a 0.6 meter wall with the floor width of at least 0.4 m per passenger. It must also have roofs and have a notice for taking passengers as arranged in article 3 of the Governmental Regulation 41/1993.

The vehicles must also be proper. This includes construction, breaking system, lights and other requirements as determined in the article 12 of the Traffic Law and the articles 4, 13, 18, 29 and 70 of the Governmental Regulation 44/1993.

Driver and passengers of two-wheel motor must use helmet, as well as those riding non-roofed trucks. This is stipulated in the article 23 (1)e of the Traffic Law and article 70 of the Governmental Regulation 43/1993.

Besides that, the contesting parties must attach stickers or identification card on their vehicle on the proper location. "Vehicles from Tangerang may not campaign in West Jakarta. With those stickers, we can monitor them."

According to Hadi, if the participants of the campaign disobey the rules, they will take harsh actions. That include oral and written address, and also fine.

Megawati/Indonesian Pemocratic Party

Megawati fails to comply with police summons 6 Feb

Media Indonesia - 7 February, 1997

Jakarta – Megawati Sukarnoputri, a member of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia, yesterday did not comply with a summons by the South Jakarta District Police to be interrogated over the holding of a political meeting at her residence on Kebagusan Road in South Jakarta on 10 January.

She, however, sent Robert Ojahan Tambunan and 40 other legal counselors belonging to the Team for the Defense of Indonesian Democracy to meet police investigators.

"Megawati did not show up for the interrogation because she felt that the South Jakarta District Police's letter of summons did not clearly specify the name of the defendant in the case.

The police have, however, promised to specify the name of the defendant in their second letter of summons immediately," Tambunan, who represented Megawati, said after meeting a nine-member police investigation team.

About 60 Megawati supporters had waited at the South Jakarta District Police headquarters since 0900 West Indonesian Standard Time. They unfurled a number of banners, one of which read: "Megawati, Continue to Fight. We Will Not Take Part In The General Election Without You." They also sang the marching song of the Indonesian Democratic Party [PDI].

The Megawati supporters dispersed at about 1100 West Indonesian Standard Time because Megawati had failed to show up at the South Jakarta District Police headquarters. Tambunan said Megawati regarded as irrelevant the use of Article 6 in connection with Article 1 of Law No. 5/PNPS [Presidential Directive]/1963 [the Anti-Subversion Law] as a legal basis to brand the

10 January celebration of the PDI's 24th anniversary at her residence as a political meeting. "Law No. 5/PNPS/1963 was issued by the Old Order government on the basis of the Political Manifesto during the Guided Democracy era.

If the law continues to be applied, it will be a step backward in the development of democracy in Indonesia," Tambunan said. Megawati asked the president to sign a letter authorizing her interrogation. The current authorization letter was signed by Minister and State Secretary Murdiono. [passage omitted] In Surakarta, about 100 pro-Megawati PDI cadres stage a demonstration at the local police headquarters to protest a decision by the South Jakarta District Police to interrogate Megawati. The PDI cadres shouted pro-Megawati slogans.

Local police chief Police Colonel Sumardi met five representatives of the demonstrators and received a statement of the Surakarta District PDI Executive Council which essentially condemns the decision to interrogate Megawati Sukarnoputri and Taufik Kiemas [Megawati's husband].

Police: If they are called two times and don't arrive Mega can be brought

Antara News - February 7, 1997

Jakarta – The head of the Jakarta Police, Hamani Nata said that if Megawati and her husband, Taufiq Kiemas, are called twice and do not fulfill the order, both of them can be brought forcibly by the police.

Kiemes did not appear as ordered on Wednesday, February 5 and Megawati failed to appear on Thursday at 10am. Both have been ordered to answer questions in relation to a meeting at Megawati's house on January 10, 1997 which was not authorised by the authorities.

Nata said that they will send a second letter and if they do not respond, the two of them will be "met" forcibly. By 9am on Thursday morning, the South Jakarta police was full of journalists and Megawati supporters.

[Abridged translation from posting by Kabar dari Pijar - JB]

Economy and investment

The battle to mine Busang

February 13, 1997

It has all the hallmarks of a great saga: members of Indonesia's most powerful political family vying for control of a spectacular treasure, with most of the international intrigue going on behind the scenes. LOUISE WILLIAMS reports on the battle to mine Busang, the world's richest gold deposit.

Beneath the red, moist earth of the remote reaches of Borneo lies a prize so tantalising that a spectacular corporate battle is being waged behind the scenes for its control.

The main protagonists are three members of Indonesia's most powerful family. And circling around them like sharks vying for their share in the spoils are the international mining companies, and B-team players of the Indonesian politics and business.

The prize they are vying for is control of the biggest pot of gold the world has ever seen.

Business deals are never transparent in Indonesia, where political influence plays a key role in the carving up of natural resources. But what is clear is that the battle has already pulled in three of President Soeharto's children, the son of Indonesia's Mining Minister, the son of a promient general, the former US President George Bush, the former Canadian President, Brian Mulroney, four Canadian mining companies, one US and one Australian mining company, several Indonesian state-run companies and the Indonesian timber baron and presidential confidante, Bob Hasan.

"This is like claim jumping in the old Canadian gold rush, there is a real wild west feel to the corporate conflict," says one Western analyst.

Late last year details leaked out of a extraordinary deal which promised US $700 million in "consultancy fees" and profit share to be paid to Sigit Hardjojudanto, President Soeharto's eldest son, for his assistance in stitching up the final contract for the gold deposit known as Busang, in East Kalimantan, the Indonesian controlled territory on the island of Borneo.

At the time international mining industry analysts assumed that the Canadian company, Bre-X Minerals, which had originally discovered the gold and had now forged such an advantageous alliance, must have won.

Understandably, the stakes were high in the international bidding war over the Busang site, which geologists say may yield as much as 100 million ounces of gold and net at least US$30 billion in returns. Just as high was the price of influence: fees of US$1 million a month for 40 months to be paid to a company controlled by Sigit Hardjojudanto, plus a split of the profits.

It was astounding enough that the deal was publicly exposed. The wide-reaching economic empire of the Soeharto children is a public secret in Indonesia, but the discussion of the link between political power and business is actively discouraged.

Even more extraordinary is that it has since emerged that the deal was only the tip of the iceberg and that the US $700 offer may have already been left way behind.

Within weeks of the Bre-X revelation another Canadian company, Barrick Gold Corporation, emerged with President Soeharto's influential eldest daughter, Siti "Tutut" Hardiyanti Rukmana, by their side.

Tutut is one of the chairmen of the ruling Golkar political party as well as head of a business empire which controls the nation's toll roads and other big infrastructure projects. She is often seen publicly with her father and is thought to have his ear.

Tutut's influence was demonstrated in the announcement that Barrick had won approval for more than a 60 per cent share in the site, leaving Bre-X in the humiliating position of minority partner.

The deal was also seen as a victory for Tutut over Sigit, and the public nature of the family clash interpreted as a measure of the determination behind the struggle for control of Busang. Then that deal appeared to falter and a new, and increasingly complex, stampede ensued which has linked some of Indonesia's most powerful entrepreneurs and politicians to a multi-billion dollar web of international players.

"This could become the biggest gold mine anywhere in the world, it is certainly the richest gold mine in the world. This is the most spectacular battle ever for control, the situation is extraordinarily tense," says one Western mining source.

And the stakes might just go higher still. If the dispute over who actually has the rights to the gold is not resolved by the Government-set deadline of February 17, President Soeharto is expected to take control of the potential mine himself.

Already, the Busang battle has exposed the Indonesian mining sector to international criticism, raising questions about the reliability and transparency of the decision-making process in the letting of mining concessions.

"It has certainly sent worrying signals that major decisions are still fuedally based and that the Soeharto kids are being further locked into political and ecomomic power. Never think that the kids are not going to be considered for a deal, especially when there is an opening as lucrative as this one," one Jakarta-based mining executive told the Herald.

As behind-the-scenes attempts are made to resolve the situation, heads are rolling within the Indonesian political elite, which is linked directly to the business elite. At the same time critics of the mining industry have jumped in, seeing their chance to attack everything from Indonesia's percentage cut in a range of foreign-run mines to the rights of the indigenous people and potential damage to the environment the Busang mine will cause.

"It is because they are gold mines. The word "gold' has always been thought of as a treasure... (and) because it concerns a very big amount of gold, people become greedy and are not afraid to use their political influence to gain something from it," says local analyst Mohammad Sadli.

And from US Senator Alphonse D'Amato comes charges that Busang was in danger of becoming "history's largest insider circus, rampant with favouritism practices illegal by democratic standards and unacceptable to our securities laws".

THE story of Busang began in 1988 when the Perth-based Westralian Resource Projects began exploration in a joint venture with Indonesian mining entrepreneur, Jusuf Merukh.

Working deep within Borneo's dense tropical jungles proved both difficult and only marginally successful. Little gold was found and the cash-strapped Australian miner was bought out by the small Canadian company, Bre-X Minerals.

In its first year Bre-X uncovered about two million ounces of proven reserves and by mid-1996 the find had increased dramatically to 50 million ounces, making it one of the biggest known deposits in the world and fuelling the spectacular 100 fold increase in the price of Bre-X stock. The value of the company soared to US$5 billion.

The find has since been talked up further still and some mining entrepreneurs say the deposit may eventually yield 100 million ounces of gold, although the official estimate is now at 57 million ounces.

It was not, however, to be assumed that Bre-X would get the gold. Since 1994, Bre-X has failed to secure final approval for a "contract of work" for the site and holds only an exploration permit. The site has extended way beyond the boundaries of the original "contract of work" bought from the Australians, apparently leaving the richest deposit exposed to outside claims.

Then, there was the matter of Jusuf Merukh, now suing Bre-X for almost two billion dollars with the financial backing of Perth-based Golden Valley Mines (see box). By mid-1996 the Barrick Gold Corporation, an influential Canadian mining company, was making its move. On its Board sat the likes of George Bush and Brian Mulroney. Barrick pursued a blatantly political approach and was wooing Tutut and had no claim on the deposit beyond influence at the highest level.

Bre-X then found the Soeharto Government delaying on final approval for exploitation of the site. Indonesia's first family had not previously shown much interest in the mining sector but rumours soon began to circulate that this was "the deal". The mine has the potential to become one of Indonesia's biggest businesses.

In October Bre-X realised it would have to play a tougher game and moved to cut in the president's eldest son in with the US$700 million offer. By November the Soeharto Government had directed Bre-X to form a partnership with Barrick and a deal appeared to have been done: the Indonesians got 10 per cent, Barrick got 67.5 per cent and Bre-X was left with only 22.5 per cent.

Bre-X management was furious, its shareholders were furious, particularly over the overtly political way Barrick muscled in on the deal.

NOW, however, influential Indonesian economists have publicly questioned the meagre 10 per cent share the Indonesian Government would take and a wave of criticism of foreign mining companies has been unleased. Environmentalists and representatives of the indigenous people of Kalimantan have made public allegations of environmental vandalism, forced evictions and failure to pay compensation against other gold and coal mining companies working in Kalimantan, all of them Australian.

Critics are already drawing parallels between the potential size of Busang and the massive Freeport copper mine in Irian Jaya. The US mining giant Freeport has been caught in a sporadic war between Indonesian troops and the indigenous tribes whose former lands are within the mine site.

Gold mining is potentially the most environmentally damaging mining process as cyanide is used in processing frequently leaches into local water systems. Attention is already focusing on the recent bloody battles in West Kalimantan, where indigenous tribes have been displaced by mines and plantations and have been rioting against migrant labourers.

Enter another Canadian company, Placer Dome, offering the Indonesian Government a 40 per cent cut of the spoils and a US$6 billion merger deal with Bre-X. It left Tutut and Sigit looking less than nationalistic.

Placer's president, John Wilson, was quoted as saying he did not expect to be doing business with Soeharto's children.

However, timber baron and close friend of Soeharto, Mohamad "Bob" Hasan, is widely believed to have linked up with Placer Dome. Hasan is also said to have bought a controlling interest in the remaining 10 per cent share from the original contract of work as well as acquiring the rights to explore the entire area.

At the same time Newmont of the US, Teck of Canada, an Indonesian nickel mining company and a tin mining company have announced they are seeking a share. The tin mining company was reported in the Jakarta press to be seeking to team up with another Soeharto daughter, Siti Hediati Prabowo, who is married to the influential head of Special Forces, General Prabowo Subianto.

Hasan has reportedly made his move on the original 10 per cent through a company known as Nusamba, bringing the president directly into the increasingly complex tussle. Nusamba is 80 per cent owned by three foundations chaired by Soeharto, 10 per cent owned by Hasan and the remaining 10 per cent is controlled by the President's eldest son, Sigit.

"Some people would say that this latest move means the president wants a cut, but others would say that a real ruckus has broken out in the elite, and among his kids, so he is putting Bob Hasan up as a fixer," says the Western analyst.

"The question is whether this is entirely a money making venture for Hasan or is he being used to sort out a real mess when things are going badly wrong in a business sense."

There are few observers willing to pick which way the final deal will go, but it appears likely Bre-X will be forced to share its fortune and that the Soeharto family must be part of the final equation.

The Australian connection

PERTH businessman Warren Beckwith believes he should soon be a very rich man. Almost 10 years ago, his company, Westralian Resources Projects (WRP), was foraging for gold in the jungles of Borneo with limited success.

Strapped for cash in the recessionary environment of the early 1990s, WRP was bought out by maverick Canadian miners, Bre-X Minerals, who took over the Australian's 80per cent share in the "contract of work" for the area known as Busan.

Within a year, Bre-X had confirmed a phenomenal discovery now put at 57million ounces of gold, the richest known gold deposit in the world. And now Beckwith is back, financing a multi-billion dollar law suit against Bre-X as well as lobbying in Jakarta for a share of the spoils.

WRP is gone, swallowed up by Bre-X. But, the original joint venture included two 10per cent shares held by Indonesian investors, one of whom also retained an option to raise his stake to 30per cent.

Now as chairman and major shareholder of Golden Valley Mines, Beckwith, brother of the late Peter Beckwith, an associate of Alan Bond, has obtained a 95per cent "economic interest" in a company called Krueng Gasui, run by Indonesian mining entrepreneur Jusuf Merukh.

Merukh held the original 10per cent share with a further 20per cent option and has recently filed a claim for $3.5billion dollars against Bre-X in the Canadian courts. Merukh's argument is that the minority partners in the Bre-X joint venture assumed that exploration conducted by Bre-X beyond the original boundaries of the "contract of work" was being carried out on behalf of all the partners. The major gold deposit was found outside the original area, but Merukh is also arguing that Bre-X used knowledge from the initial exploratory efforts of WRP. Alternatively, Beckwith and his team have been lobbying in Jakarta for a share in the final contract through Krueng Gasui on much the same basis. The massive Busan gold deposit, they say, is not a separate find discovered outside the original exploration site but a continuation of the one deposit for which Krueng Gasui still holds a claim.

"I don't think it is a political matter; it is a mining administration matter. I have a lot of confidence in the Indonesian contract of work system," Beckwith says, dismissing the view that political influence will be the deciding factor in the Busan carve-up.

But, it politics is the deciding factor, Beckwith may be on the wrong team as far as the Soeharto Government is concerned. Merukh is one of a small handful of Indonesian businessmen linked to the opposition Partai Demokrasi Indonesia (PDI), led by Megawati Sukarnoputri, which was banned from political participation after anti-Government riots in Jakarta last year.

Australia approves massive Timor oil project

Australian Broadcasting Corporation - 11 February, 1997

The Australian government has approved a massive oil project in the Timor Sea, involving the world's biggest offshore floating oil production facility.

Federal Resources Minister, Warwick Parer, issued a production licence for the Laminaria and Corallina oil fields, which are believed to contain 200 million barrels of oil.

Australia's Woodside Petroleum and its joint-venture partners will develop the two fields.

Senator Parer says the project will improve Australia's oil self-sufficiency by 20-percent and improve the balance of payments by one-point-eight billion dollars a year.

He says Australia is under-explored for oil and the new project should change that. "It will encourage more exploration and development in Australia. One of the things I think over many many years there's been a tendency which I believe is quite incorrect to believe that Australia is really not very prospective from an oil and gas point of view. Now the thing is that compared with most other provinces around the world Australia is grossly unexplored in regards to oil & this sort of thing will give a great impetus to that exploration."

Indonesia's elite is buying up its English-language media

American Reporter Correspondent - February 6, 1997

Andreas Harsono, Jakarta – The talk about A takeover began to emerge among Jakarta journalists in September, after businessman Peter Gontha signed an agreement that let him take control of The Indonesian Observer and reportedly approached veteran journalists to edit the English-language newspaper.

Gontha even met and offered to give Vincent Lingga, the managing editor of Indonesia's leading English-language daily, The Jakarta Post, 300 million rupiahs, or around $140,000, if Lingga would leave the Post and edit the Observer.

"It's a kind of transfer fee," said an insider, adding that Gontha approached some other Post journalists about the offer, most of whom – including Lingga – declined to leave.

"No idealism there," the journalist quoted Lingga as saying.

Still, the unprecedented fee and Gontha's aggressive approach have sent a message to the management of the Post that a new competitor, with very powerful political connections and a big budget, has definitively arrived. It prompted Post management to raise the wages of its reporters 220 percent in December to guard against such poaching.

Gontha also approached Richard Borsuk of the Asian Wall Street Journal, one of its most senior foreign correspondents, who has been based in Jakarta for more than 10 years, to no avail.

He finally appointed Yanto Soegiarto, a former sub-editor of the Observer, to edit the newly-launched newspaper, which hit the streets in January. Soegiarto needed only three months to move his editorial office, set up a new team and relaunch the long-established newspaper.

Gontha is not an ordinary businessman. A partner to President Suharto's second son, business tycoon Bambang Trihatmojo, Gontha is widely seen as a man who has finally succeeded, sometimes by using political connections, to develop the potential of the media division of Bambang's business conglomerate, Bimantara.

"I love music very much. I love entertainment very much. It really came from the love of music and entertaining people," Gontha once said, referring to his media interests, which have included ownership of Indonesia's biggest private-owned television network, RCTI, radio stations, and the Indovision satellite television network, which airs 40 channels including news reports from CNN, BBC, ABN, cartoon network TNT, movie serial HBO, Discovery and the sports channel ESPN.

The Observer, first published more than 50 years ago by the family of journalist B.M. Diah, had gradually lost readers due to alleged mismanagement, financial difficulties and the launch of the well-read Post in 1983. Before being taken over by Gontha, the Observer's readership had dropped to just 3,000 in 1995.

Gontha's move into the newspaper business has raised lots of questions.

The first of those was, why should a figure as politically influential and economically powerful as Gontha want to publish an English-language newspaper whose revenues and audience is significantly smaller than his television network, and which may have fewer readers than his petrochemical business has employees?

The second most frequently asked questionby journalists at any rate, is whether an Establishment figure like Gontha can publish a respected and impartial newspaper that is sometimes critical of the government?

Observers here believe that the powerful Suhartos need an English-language newspaper to counter negative foreign reports on the First Family and government corruption in Indonesia, to put its own spin on the religious and political riots that have erupted here over the past year, and to answer foreign human rights critics who say the government encourages or turns a blind eye to child labor in factories that produce cheaply-priced clothes and other items for Western consumption. It is unlikely that the dealings of the billion-dollar Lippo Group of companies with the Clinton Administration which have produced so many headlines and so much investigative reporting in the American press will do so here.

"Politically it is a joke for a figure like Gontha to publish a quality paper," said a foreign observer, referring to the business practices of Bimantara, which did not hide its connection to Indonesia's number one power broker – President Suharto.

Since the controversial closure of Indonesia's three most important news weeklies, Tempo, DeTik and Editor in 1994, Jakartas ruling elite has altered its tactics in its efforts to control the media. Now, rather than closing them down and risk international condemnation, they buy a controlling interest in media businesses and control them from the inside.

Timber tycoon Mohammad "Bob" Hasan, a close associate of President Suharto, bought or established journals including the Gatra newsweekly that is an Indonesian equivalent of Time magazine.

Bambang's sister, Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana, also tightened her grip on the popular TPI television network. Two other private stations now belong to businessmen closely associated with Suharto. Bambang also controls the shares of the Media Indonesia media group, whose flagship include Media Indonesia, a major daily newspaper here.

Technology czar B.J. Habibie, a close aide to Suharto, controls the Muslim-based Republika newspaper, which has recently purchased another English-language newspaper, The Indonesia Times.

Media analysts believe that the ruling elite has to control the media in a more sophisticated approach to maintain their power in this, the world's fourth largest country. which is waiting for the aging Suharto to leave the political stage.

Most journalists said the Observer would be a more serious threat to the Post than the Times, despite agreement that the English-language newspaper market in Indonesia's 200-million population is still large enough for the three newspapers, or at least has potential for substantial growth.

An economist once stated that only one percent of the population here, or two million people, speak and read English.

But even one percent is more than enough for the three newspapers, whose current combined circulation is not more than 75,000 copies.

"The market is still open," said Susanto Pudjomartono, Editor-in-Chief of the Post. "Our readership constitutes the 'creme de la creme' of Indonesian society. Almost 90 percent of our Indonesian readers have had tertiary [college] education." Lingga, who declined to comment about Gontha's lucrative offer, did say that the arrival of the free trade era among ASEAN countries, which include Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Brunei and the Philippines, will boost the circulation of English-language newspapers.

"English is the official language in ASEAN. The free trade will bring together workers from all countries to cross borders, which means the usage of English will increase," he said.

Gontha shares similar optimism. "Whenever I do anything, I look five to 10 years down the road. Indonesia has 200 million people. It has billions of dollars from foreign investments. There are many expatriates living here and there are five million tourists visiting Indonesia every year."

Post editor Pudjomartono said the Post lacks a strategy for its face-off with its new competitor. "We provide news which could not be found elsewhere," he says, referring to the Bahasa Indonesia-language newspapers which reach a less educated audience and are more tightly censored by the government.

Here, as in some other developing countries, English-language newspapers tend to serve the ruling government as a sort of window dressing. They are relatively freer than colleagues publishing daily newspapers in local languages.

Pudjomartono, the Post's editor, however, doesn't deny that the Observer will put more stress than the Post does on business and economic coverage. The Observer will also expand to 16 pages on a regular basis. Until now it has varied between 12 and 16 pages.

Gontha doesn't make a secret of his effort to make the Observer a pro-government newspaper; he criticizes the Post for "just reporting, without trying to provide solutions" to the sensitive political questions, such as the growing religious tension and ethnic violence, that face Indonesia.

[Andreas Harsono reports for The American Reporter from Jakarta.]

Freeport and Sudono Salim biggest taxpayers

Indonesia Times - February 3, 1997

Jakarta – PT Freeport Indonesia is the biggest corporate taxpayer while conglomerate Soedono Salim pays the most taxes as an individual, an official says here.

"PT Freeport Indonesia is the highest taxpayer due to the increase of its taxed profit as well as the better price of gold and copper," Director Genereal of Tax Affairs Fuad Bawazier said Sunday as he announced the 200 biggest taxpayers for 1995 fiscal year. He was accompanied by Finance Minister Mar'ie Muhammad.

Bawazier said the position of PT Freeport Indonesia is "startling many people since the mining company was the 53rd highest in fiscal year 1994."

PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia (PT Telkom) dropped to 2nd position after being the highest last year.

PT Telkom is followed consecutively by PT Indosat (previously the 2nd), PT HM Sampoerna (the same as 1994), Gudang Garam (previously the 3rd). Surprisingly, PT Indocement occupies the 6th place while it was not in the top 10 in 1994.

Meanwhile, conglomerate Soedono Salim replaces Putera Sampoerna as the biggest individual taxpayer. Sampoerna only occupied the 11th position this fiscal year.

Among the names who occupied the big ten are Eka Tjipta Widjaja (2nd), Anthoni Salim (8th), Prajogo Pangestu (9th) and Bambang Trihatmodjo (10th). Hutomo Mandala Putra occupied the 13th position while conglomerate entrepreneur Sudwikatmono was the 14th highest.

Bawazier said the 20 biggest taxpayers contributed approximately Rp 67.484 billion of the total Rp 7.274 trillion or about 1% of the total 1.2 million national taxpayers.

The 200 biggest taxpayers contributed approximately Rp 194.889 billion or about 2.7% of total national taxpayers. This amount is less than the previous year which was 3.3%.

Nevertheless, Bawazier said the absolute number of taxpayers increased due to the increase of individual taxpayers.

On the other hand, the 20 biggest corporate taxpayers contributed approximately Rp 2.215 trillion or about 16.7% of total tax revenues from national corporations, he added.

The 200 biggest corporations contributed more than Rp 4.8 trillion or about 36.7% of total tax revenues of national corporations. This amount is less than previous year which was 44.2%. Bawazier said it is a consequence of company share's selling activity.

Asked about the startling position of some famous names, Bawazier said that "it is in line with the data of annual tax reports submitted by taxpayers."

During the report, the directorate general of tax affairs often found some mistakes in turnover report as well as carrying out the regulation.

According to him, the changed position may also be caused by the unreported profit or the lack of deposit they paid to the government. Concerning the fraud, Bawazier said the government has the system to inspect it.

Self-assessment

Minister Muhammad said the announcement is a way to create transparency due to the assessment of taxpayers in fulfilling their responsibility.

"This is one of the best ways to push self-assessment ahead as the tax principle," he said to the press.

He said that the taxpayers cannot do as they like though the government facilitates them with self-assessment principle. The government has its own system to inspect the taxpayers, he added.

Indon banks facing a shakeout

AsiaOne Online - 10 February, 1997

S N Vasuki – Indonesian banks are suffering a long-expected shakeout as higher capital requirements and increased competition force gut-wrenching change in the industry.

In recent weeks, several banks have announced merger plans while larger, listed entities are on a cash-raising binge to boost their capital levels.

Last week, Bank Indonesia (BI) presided over the merger of Bank Guna and Bank Sake, two small institutions with a total asset base of around 390 billion rupiah (S$232 million).

The combined bank, Bank Guna officials said, will have a healthier capital base and be better able to cope with the profound changes underway in the industry.

Signs of the squeeze

Analysts welcome the trend and say it will improve the overall health of the banking sector. They add that Indonesia has too many banks – 240 at last count – and a prolonged period of consolidation is needed.

Stockbroking firm Vickers Ballas pointed out in a recent report that the pace of mergers will accelerate over the next two years.

"With most of the reputable domestic banks already listed, the task of raising capital for the smaller non-listed banks will become increasingly difficult and expensive," the report said.

"Failing to meet the new capital requirements, as set by the central bank, will have an adverse impact on their ability to grow. These banks are likely to merge or be acquired."

In 1995, BI introduced tougher capital adequacy requirements (CAR) aimed at strengthening the banking industry. Banks have until the end of this year to boost their CAR to 10 per cent from the existing level of 8 per cent and will have to raise it further to 12 per cent by 2001.

The central bank also introduced a new ruling requiring banks to have a minimum paid-up capital of 50 billion rupiah, or 150 billion rupiah for banks wishing to conduct foreign exchange transactions.

To encourage mergers, the minimum capital requirements are less stringent for banks that join forces. "These new rules are designed to encourage bank mergers, particularly mergers involving banks currently holding foreign exchange licenses," stockbroking firm GK Goh said in a report last year.

"Obviously, Bank Indonesia does not want to issue more licences than necessary."

The new measures are forcing Indonesia's listed banks to resort to huge cash-calls in order to boost capital levels. Last year, the listed banks raised an estimated 1.6 trillion rupiah through rights issues. This is seen to grow to at least 2.5 trillion rupiah this year.

Analysts feel that the increased capital levels will protect the listed banks from problem loans, particularly to the property sector.

Indonesian stocks rise to record high

Agence France Presse - February 7, 1997

Indonesian stocks rose to a record as investors continued to warm to Indonesia's improving economic picture and the outlook for faster profit growth in the coming year.

The benchmark Jakarta Stock Market Composite index rose 7.42 points, or 1.08 per cent, to a record high 694.27. Leading the market higher were shares in large, heavily traded companies favoured by foreign investors. – Bloomberg. LONDON: British equities closed at a new high, having notched up yet another new intra-day peak around mid-morning yesterday.

The market was boosted by a fresh injection of institutional cash as traders took a positive view on the outlook for domestic and international interest rates.

The FT-SE 100 index settled 20.6 points better at a new closing high of 4281.5, after 4286.9. Volume at 4.48pm stood at 704 million, with 47686 trades executed. – AFX-UK. NEW YORK: The Dow Jones index of blue-chip stocks fell sharply on Wednesday before recovering somewhat to close 86.58 points lower at 6,746.90.

Sell-offs of high technology stocks contributed to the Dow's fall, which at one point was down 120 points from Tuesday.

Circuit breakers, which limit computerised trading when the Dow goes up or down more than 50 points, were activated about 45 minutes before the closing bell.

Trading was brisk with some 582 million shares trading hands. There were 1,611 losers compared to 908 gainers with 800 shares unchanged. – AFP. TOKYO: Japanese share prices closed 0.8 per cent lower yesterday, with the Nikkei stock average hit by futures-led selling and declines among bank stocks, brokers said.

The leading barometer of the Tokyo Stock Exchange fell 147.54 points to finish the session at 18,038.43 points. The session low was 17,875.22 points.

The broader Topix index of all issues on the first section fell 5.52 points to end at 1,349.88.

An estimated 400 million shares changed hands on the major board, up from the previous day's 381.4 million shares.

Suharto's family shoots up to 9th on list of Asia's richest

Reuters - February 7 1997

Canberra – The family of Indonesian President Suharto jumped to ninth on an annual ranking of Asia's richest people published yesterday – up from 93rd last year – with a combined wealth estimated at US$6.3 billion (S$8.9 billion).

Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, worth an estimated US$30 billion and whose tiny Borneo sultanate sits on massive oil reserves, again topped the list of Asia's 100 wealthiest families, published in the national daily newspaper, The Australian.

The paper did not list wealth estimates for last year.

Suharto's sons Sigit Harjojudanto, Bambang Trihadmodjo and Hutomo Mandala "Tommy" Putra and daughters Siti Hardiyanti "Tutut" Rukmana, Siti Hedijanti Herijadi and Siti Hutami Endang Adyningsih have extensive and diverse domestic and international business interests.

The newspaper did not explain the Suharto family's jump up the list and the reporter could not be immediately contacted.

The family's empires include telecommunications, transport, power, oil, chemicals, property development and retail. Tutut, Siti Hedijanti, Bambang and Tommy are also candidates for the ruling Golkar Party in elections due in May.

The list was compiled using a range of sources including company reports, statements to stock exchanges, broker studies and news articles.

Also, Hongkong property tycoons occupied several of the top spots.

The colony's Kwok family – Raymond, Thomas and Walter – with US$13.5 billion in wealth moved into second place on the list from third last year.

The Kwoks are in property and development through their Sun Hung Kai Properties company.

Japanese hotel and railroad tycoon Yoshiaki Tsutsumi and his family, ranked third with US$11.5 billion, down from second last year.

In fourth and fifth places were Hongkong's Henderson Land chief Lee Shau-kee, with US$11 billion (fifth last year), and Taiwanese insurance magnate Tsai Wan-lin and family with US$8.5 billion (fourth last year).

Another Hongkong property tycoon, Li Ka-shing, rated by Forbes magazine as one of the world's richest people, ranked number six, with about US$8 billion.

Indonesia's IDT program

Embassy of Indonesia - 6 February, 1997

Indonesia, with a population of 200 million in 1997, has been struggling to reduce income inequalities and social disparities among its diverse ethnic groups inhabiting the country's 13,000 islands. Chronic poverty is the worst kind of social unrest and political instability are not to disturb national development.

The proportion of people living in poverty, 60% in 1970, had declined to 40% in 1976, and now 20 years later, is now down to only 11.4% or 22.6 million. During the period 1970-96, the Indonesian population increased 82 million from 116 million to 198 million or 3.1 million a year.

Year | People Living Below | Change

Poverty Line

Million% Person% Proportion%

1970 | 70 | 60 – –
1976 | 54.2 | 40.08 | -22.57 | -33.2
1978 | 47.2 | 33.31 | -12.92 | -16.89
1980 | 42.3 | 28.56 | -10.38 | -14.26
1981 | 40.6 | 26.85 | -4.02 | -5.99
1984 | 35 | 21.64 | -13.79 | -19.4
1987 | 30 | 17.42 | -14.29 | -19.5
1990 | 27.2 | 15.08 | -9.33 | -13.43
1993 | 25.9 | 13.67 | -4.78 | -9.35
1996 | 22.6 | 11.39 | -12.74 | -16.68

The decline of the number of the poor over 17 years (1976-93), was (-) 5.15% for the period 1976-87, down to only (-)2.35% during 1976-93. In the last 3 years (1993-96) the decline of the poor has been accelerated to (-)4.23%/year.

The acceleration of poverty reduction during the last 3 years has been the result of special policies and programs of poverty alleviation, the most important being the IDT Program, based on the Presidential Decree (Inpres) No. 5/1993 dated 27 December 1993.

The IDT Program was designed to alleviate poverty in 28,223 "left behind" villages, some 44% of all Indonesian villages (64,424). The program has 3 important objectives, namely first, to trigger and accelerate the national movement of poverty alleviation, second, to reduce social and economic disparities in the community, third, to reactivate the people's economy by empowering the poor.

The program contains three basic components, first, the government grant of Rp. 20 million (US$10,000) per year to each village for 3 years, second, the provision of facilitators to help the "self help" group of the poor to develop their micro enterprise, and third, the provision of rural physical infrastructure in the form of rural roads, bridges, jetties and drinking water, to the amount of Rp. 100 - 130 million (US$40,000 - 60,000) per village.

During the period of 3 budget years (1994/95 - 1996/97) the central government has allocated a total grant of Rp. 1,39 billion (US$600 million) plus Rp. 910 billion (US$396 million) for working capital and rural infrastructure. The government special grant for the building of rural infrastructure during the next 7 years until the end of Repelita VII (1999 - 2004) will reach around Rp. 850 billion (US$370 million). Starting in 1996/97, a new program was initiated in the IDT villages in the form of food supplement for all elementary students prepared and organized by women family welfare groups (PKK) in each villages.

The IDT program has become one of the most successful poverty alleviation and poverty reduction programs, and by 2005, the year set by Micro Credit Summit 97, to reduce the number of poor families by 100 million, Indonesia is optimistic that it will be able to contribute around 7 percent of this global target.

Bappenas, Republic of Indonesia - 1997.

[Bapenas (Badan Perancang Pembangunan Nasional) is the National Planning Board - JB]

Suharto's firm plans to offer shares to public

Kyodo – February 6, 1997

Jakarta – A private company set up last year by Indonesian President Suharto to finance the country's first passenger jet project plans to go public Feb. 17 and is looking for a clear and simple way to offer its shares, the state-run news agency Antara said Thursday.

Antara quoted the company's president, Saadilah Mursjid, who is also Suharto's cabinet secretary, as saying that in conjunction with offering the shares, the company, PT Dua Satu Tiga Puluh, will publish a brief prospectus in local newspapers between Feb. 24 and 28.

"We must seek a simple way which is understandable by the public," said Saadilah.

Suharto set up the company as a private citizen last February with the support of 50 companies to finance the construction of the 100-seater N-2130 jet by state-owned aircraft manufacturer Industri Pesawat Terbang Nusantara in the West Java capital of Bandung.

The project is estimated to cost 2 billion dollars.

One month after Suharto set up the company, the president announced he would mobilize "all of Indonesia's citizens" to fund the jet because of the huge cost of designing, producing, certifying and marketing the aircraft. He said all citizens must participate.

Each of Indonesia's 200 million citizens would be required to contribute funds equal to 10 dollars over five years or 2 dollars per year.

The company, which is the first to sell shares to the public without being listed on the Jakarta or Surabaja (East Java) stock exchanges, had previously issued two million shares with a nominal value of 1,000 dollars each, meaning one share is owned by 100 people.

However, the company announced Tuesday it is to split 400,000 of the shares into smaller shares with a 2 dollar value to facilitate acquisition of the shares by common people.

The first N-2130, which will be able to fly at speeds of up to 900 kilometers per hour, is expected to roll out of a factory in March 2002.

[Industri Pesawat Terbang Nusantara, the Nusantara Aircraft Industry is headed up by B.J. Habibie - JB]

Breakeven point for national aircraft in the year 2013

Kompas – February 6, 1997

PT Dua Satu Tiga Puluh (DSTP) which will fund the engineering development and construction planning of the jet aircraft N-2130, produced by PT Industri Pesawat Terbang Nasional (IPTN) will reach the breakeven point when 326 aircraft units are produced in the year 2013.

This was disclosed by the Chief Director of PT DSTP, Saadillah Mursjid, disclosing listing of his company before officials of the Capital Market Supervisory Body (Bapepam) on Thursday (6/2) in Jakarta.

The exposure was chaired by the Chairman of Bapepam, IPG Ary Suta, and also attended by the commissioner of PT DSTP, former Vice President Soedharmono SH. The presence of the DSTP management formation was to comply with a condition for a public company intending to offer its shares to the public.

According to Saadillah, the feasibility study for this project will be finalized in 1997 and the aircraft configuration will be ready in 1999. Design of the aircraft will commence in 2001, prototype production and roll-out will be ready in 2002 including certification, while maidenflight is scheduled for 2002-2003. Commercial phase will commence in the year 2005.

Responding to questions, Saadillah Mursjid said that a formulation had to be looked for, so that the general public in the districts would clearly understand longterm investment when buying DSTP shares, compared to other public companies.

He explained that after production starts, DSTP will receive royalties from the sale of each aircraft, and these royalties will of course be owned by the shareholders.

Mutual help

For development, production and certification of the N-2130 aircraft after the feasibility study, funds amounting to 2 billion US dollars will be needed. With that large amount needed, PT DSTP offers its shares to the public as one source of funds.

It was stated that from the outset it had been explained that the project was one of mutual help in character. Because it was part of long term development strategy, DSTP was founded to support the implementation of strategic industrial transformation through a stage of mastery and application of technology in all fields of national life, by involving the whole community including those in the far reaches of the fatherland.

PT DSTP will offer 1,174,398 shares. Series B registered shares with nominal value of Rp 2,300,00 will be floated at Rp 2,400,000 per share. The remainder of 400,000 series B will have their nominal value split into 460 sight shares of Rp 5,000 floated at Rp 5,500 per split share.

This will be a continual evergreen offering until the year 2006. The company is scheduled to issue a brief prospectus in the newspapers from 24 to 28 February and will undertake public exposure on 17 February, as well as a road show to all provinces.

Saadillah said that there is no restriction on the purchase of split shares by the public. But should a buyer acquire 460 split shares, these may be exchanged with one regular share.

Meanwhile, another director, Giri Suseno Hadihardjono said that the company targets to obtain Rp 600 billion in funds this year from sales of shares. He said that 391,000 shares with a value of about Rp 900 billion have already been sold up to now.

It was explained that for the time being, selling of PT DSTP shares is done only domestically and to Indonesians. But the possibility nevertheless exists for shares to be sold to foreign investors.

Some foreign investment institutions have already expressed their interest in buying the company's shares. There are also already prospective buyers for the N-2130 aircraft.

Up to this moment the management of PT DSTP has no plans yet to list their shares at the Jakarta and Surabaia stock exchanges. But that stock buy-and-sell mechanism in the hands of the public is being thought about.

Yozua Makes of Makes & Partner, legal counsel to PT DSTP, said that they, with the emittor (PT DSTP) and the Bapepam, were thinking about that mechanism, in order not to trespass on prevailing regulations, both the laws on limited companies and the laws on the capital market.

Yozua added that this offering of shares is rather unique, because it ia an evergreen offering and its shares can be split into sight shares. Its assets are fund participation and the company has no daughter companies. Its relation to PT IPTN is in the form of a contract agreement.

The public accountant stated the opinion that the revenue of the company at present originates from clearing services and deposits interest. It has adequate equity, so no matters are present to hinder its growth. The public accountant issued an unqualified opinion regarding this company.(*)

Continued fall in non-oil exports worrying: Economists

AsiaOne Online - 6 February, 1997

S N Vasuki – Indonesia reported higher inflation and a sharply lower trade surplus yesterday in line with the expectations of most economists.

But economists cautioned that the continued fall in non-oil exports was a worrying sign of an erosion in the country's competitiveness.

Speaking after a monthly cabinet meeting presided over by President Suharto, Information Minister Harmoko announced that Indonesia's inflation in January rose by 1.03 per cent over December 1996. On an annual basis, inflation is now expanding at 5.45 per cent.

Meanwhile, the country's trade surplus shrank to US$746.6 million (S$1.05 billion) in November from the previous month's US$995.7 million.

Overall, exports in November fell to US$4.4 billion from October's US$4.46 billion while imports during the month rose to US$3.64 billion from US$3.46 billion. Non-oil exports were virtually stagnant in November, rising to US$3.34 billion from US$3.33 billion.

Economists said they were not overly concerned about the rise in inflation. The first two months of the year are the festive period and inflation has traditionally risen sharply during this period. Food prices, a major component of the Consumer Price Index, rose 1.85 per cent while housing expanded moderately by 0.25 per cent.

However, the rise in food prices this year is small compared with the first two months of 1996 when severe flooding on Java island led to a dramatic jump in inflation.

Stockbroking firm SocGen-Crosby, in a report published before the release of yesterday's data, expects Indonesia's overall inflation for 1997 to hit 8.5 per cent.

"Given the sharp pick-up in money supply growth in 1995, we expect continued upward pressure on non-food inflation in 1997 and we anticipate that it will remain above 8 per cent," it said in a recent report. "Given that food inflation is unlikely to fall much further and will probably stabilise, we expect overall average inflation for 1997 to be about 8.5 per cent." Economists expressed concern about the stagnant trend in Indonesia's non-oil exports, particularly for items like textiles and wood-based products. Jardine Fleming does not expect a significant turnaround in growth for these top three non-oil export items.

"Garment exports continued to be affected by lower cost producers in India, China and Vietnam, while volume gain in wood-based exports was eroded by weak prices," the broking firm said in a recent report. "We expect another deregulation package around mid-1997 which should provide a boost to non-oil exports other than the top three."

Last month, Indonesia's Finance Ministry forecast an 8.5 per cent rise in total exports for 1997-98.

Economists said the target was achievable because of higher oil prices but there is scepticism about the government's stated target of non-oil exports growth of between 16 and 18 per cent. Another concern is rapid import growth, which rose by 8.1 per cent in November.

Lippo moving in on retail

AsiaOne Online - 6 February, 1997

S N Vasuki – Indonesia's Lippo Group has positioned itself as a major player in the retail sector with last week's acquisition of a 50.1 per cent stake in PT Matahari Putra Prima which runs the country's largest department store chain.

Analysts said the estimated US$350 million (S$495 million) buy will give Lippo a stronger foothold in the fast-growing retail sector and address criticism that the group was cashing out of Indonesia.

The Lippo group acquired Matahari through its listed retail vehicle PT Multipolar Corporation. Under a two-tier deal, Multipolar is acquiring 45 per cent of Matahari's equity and is also making a tender offer for an additional 5.1 per cent. The acquisition price works out to around 3,200 rupiah per share. One of the major sellers is reportedly the Darmawan family, which owns 52 per cent of Matahari.

The Multipolar-Matahari alliance has been in the works for several months. Matahari's promoter Hari Darmawan – who now takes over as president-director of Multipolar – was reportedly looking for a strong partner who would bring in capital and management expertise.

The Lippo Group, which had also approached listed Hero Supermarkets with a takeover offer, was apparently keen on diversifying from its core financial services operations.

"The acquisition of Matahari shares will make Multipolar one of the leading retail companies in Indonesia," a senior Lippo Group executive said last week. Multipolar is not new to the retail sector as it is the Indonesian franchisee for several popular international department store chains like WalMart, JC Penney and TimeZone.

Established in 1986, Matahari is Indonesia's largest department store chain operating over 90 stores in 29 cities. The company operates four store formats – Matahari Department Store which caters to lower-to-middle income families, upscale retail outlets under the Galleria marquee, Super Economy stores which are established in small Indonesian towns and Mega M, a wholesale retail chain.

Stockbroking firms estimate that Matahari has a 25 per cent market share in the Jakarta area and 50 per cent outside the capital. Senior officials of Matahari-Multipolar who organised an analysts' meeting in Jakarta on Tuesday were bullish about current year prospects.

During the year ended last Dec 31, Matahari is expected to report net earnings of 15 billion rupiah (S$8.9 million), a sharp fall from the previous year's 38.6 billion rupiah. Sales in 1996 touched 1.9 trillion rupiah compared to 1.43 trillion in 1995.

Company officials told analysts on Tuesday that the lower earnings in 1996 were due to higher inventory write-offs related to the closure of a few stores last year. For 1997, broking firms in Jakarta are forecasting sales of 2.4 trillion rupiah and net earnings of 65-90 billion rupiah.

Multipolar's financial results for 1996 were not immediately available. Matahari and Multipolar shares have risen sharply since the takeover announcement.

At mid-day yesterday, Matahari was trading at a six-month high of 3,450 rupiah. Multipolar touched a record high of 2,425 rupiah on Tuesday before it fell to 2,375 rupiah at mid-day yesterday.

Human rights

Government faces legal challenge over licences for arms to Indonesia

Tapol - 13 February, 1997

[Press Release issued by TAPOL, the Indonesia Human Rights Campaign, Campaign Against Arms Trade and the World Development Movement.]

One year on from the Scott Report, three organisations are threatening to take the Government to court for arming one of the world's most repressive regimes, Indonesia. They have obtained unique photographic evidence which proves that the Government is breaching its own policies on arms exports and human rights. They have given the Government the deadIine of 21 February before they seek leave for a judicial review.

TAPOL - the Indonesia Human Rights Campaign, Campaign Against Arms Trade and the World Development Movement - maintain that the Government has continued to sign licences for more arms, despite publicly admitting that UK-made arms are being used for repressive purposes in Indonesia.

In a letter to lan Lang MP, President of the Board of Trade, they state: 'Much of this evidence was available to you when you decided to grant these licences....In the circumstances, the granting of these licences is irrational and unlawful.' Editors Footnote 1

* The Government admitted that on 24 April 1996, UK-made armoured vehicles were used in Ujungpandang against students involved in a peaceful demonstration, resulting in three deaths and many injuries

* In June 1996 UK-made water cannon were photographed when they were used against peacefu1 demonstrators commemorating the deaths in Ujungpandang.

* Photographic evidence also exists of UK equipment being used repressively in Jakarta to stop peaceful pro-democracy demonstrations.

The organisations are calling on the Government to cancel export licences signed by the President of the Board of Trade, for weapons to Indonesia, including AIvis armoured vehicles and Tactica Water cannon. (Editors Footnote 2). If the Government fails to cancel the licences by 21 February, the three organisations will seek a judicial review.

Carmel Budiardjo on behalf of the three organisations said: 'A year on from the Scott Report the Government's arms export controls remain unchanged. The Government is blatantly breaking its own arms export and human rights policies by arming Indonesia. We are determined to seek justice in the courts if the Government does not cancel the current licences for arms to Indonesia.'

Notes for editors:

1. On 9 December 1996 the DT! issued export licences to Coventry-based Alvis for an A380 million contract for 50 Scorpion armoured vehicles, plus associated equipment. Licences were also signed for the export by Procurement Services International Ltd of a variety of police vehicles including seven Tactica water canon. It was later revealed (23.1.97) that the latter licence covered over 300 armoured vehicles made by Southampton-based Glover Webb.

2. Letter to Ian Lang, President of the Board of Trade - available on request. Stephen Grosz, from the international human rights solicitors, Bindman and Partners will be acting on behalf of the organisations. Bindman and Partners acted for the WorId Development Movement on the successful Pergau Dam court case in 1994.

3. Photographs are available upon request.

Britain holds inquiry into Indonesian water cannon

The Guardian - 13 February, 1997

David Hencke – The Foreign Office is investigating allegations that the Indonesian government has broken its undertaking not to use British-made water cannon and armoured vehicles to crush peaceful dissent. The Foreign Office minister Jeremy Hanley ordered the inquiry after receiving pictures showing water cannon manufactured by a company in Southampton being used to break up a student gathering in Bandung.

The pictures sent by Indonesians through Tapol, the Indonesian Human Rights Campaign are potentially damaging to his reputation. He has defended decisions to equip the Indonesian police force and arm the military, still condemned by Britain for invading East Timor.

The Commons Public Accounts Committee is also investigating whether the overseas aid programme to Indonesia has been linked to arms deals. On October 30 Mr Hanley promised the Labour foreign affairs spokesman Derek Fatchett in Parliament: "If water cannon is used to try to stop peaceful demonstrators, that is of course totally unacceptable; if it is used to stop rioters, that may be acceptable. It is totally unacceptable to use chemicals or dyes with the water cannon."

The allegations passed to the minister say that chemicals were mixed with the water used to spray students gathered to commemorate a Muslim student killed in a previous demonstration

Mr Hanley disclosed that he was investigating the incident in a parliamentary answer to Labour MP Ann Clywd, who is seeking to end the arms trade with Indonesia.

"Our policy is not to license for export any UK defence equipment which we judge likely to be used for internal repression, " Mr Hanley told Ms Clywd.

Criticism from a friend

Jakarta Post Editorial - February 3, 1997

The latest annual report on human rights surveys by the U.S. State Department does not look too kindly on Indonesia's record for the past year. But the report does not differ all that much from those by some of our own respected human rights groups. Many, if not all, the violations the State Department cIaims were committed by Indonesian authorities, have, at one time or another, been reported by the National Commission on Human Rights, the Foundation of the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute and the Foundation for the Center for the Study of Human Rights.

That these allegations have come from a foreign government could easily invite the standard official response that it is meddling in Indonesia's domestic affairs. But these allegations exist, and with or without the State Department's reminder, they shouId still be looked at and addressed.

Although the State Department has made similar reports on the human rights situation in Indonesia over the past year, this time the situation has changed. There are signals that Washington, in its relations with other countries, will be more assertive in pressing for basic human rights to be respected. President Bill Clinton, now free from reelection worries, is expected to stand firm when it comes to human rights principles. His new Secretary of State Madeleine Albright has made it clear human rights will be a hallmark of the administration's foreign policy. Although she says overall U.S. relations with another country will not be held hostage by a single issue, we can be sure that human rights questions will be even more pronounced in the bilateral relations between Indonesia and the United States. AIready, news dispatches from Washington indicate that Assistant Secretary of State for human rights affairs John Shattuck is planning to visit Indonesia in the coming weeks.

There have also been growing pressures from the U.S. congress for a more active Washington role on the question of East Timor. It is just as well Albright has served as an ambassador at the United Nations and is therefore familiar with the current UN mediation efforts to settle the East Timor question. She has ruled out a Washington role, at least for now, but if congress pressure keeps up, Indonesia must anticipate a change in the U.S. position. Pressures also come from some states. Massachusetts' lawmakers are reportedly considering a selective purchasing bill to deny contracts to fines doing business in Indonesia.

All in all, we should take criticism from the United States as an additional inducement to step up our current efforts to improve our human rights record. After all, we are talking about universal basic rights, that cannot be deprived under any pretext, such as local cultures and conditions.

That a foreign country as powerful as the United States and also one of Indonesia's major trading partners, has expressed concern is all the more reason for us to do something. The energy and attention usually expended in denying or countering such criticism - the United States' record is not all that spotless would be more productively used acknowledging we have these problems and addressing them. The best response to the State Department's report which also acknowledges progress in some areas is to take it as criticism from a friend.

Amnesty International UK (AIUK) calls for UK to stop equipping Indonesian

Amnesty International - January 24, 1997

Amnesty International UK (AIUK) is calling on the UK Government to urgently revoke export licences granted to a UK company, Alvis, for the sale of armoured vehicles to Indonesia. This call comes in the light of mounting evidence about the use of such equipment in committing grave human rights violations in that country.

The organisation is calling upon the company's shareholders, meeting at the company's AGM today in London, to make a stand for human rights and oppose the sale of these armoured vehicles to Indonesia.

AIUK Director David Bull commented: "Armoured personnel carriers are part of the machinery used by the Government of Indonesia to crush internal dissent. This export deal places in the hands of the Indonesian Government equipment which we know has been used to commit human rights violations."

Amnesty International has documented a pattern of human rights violations committed by the Indonesian Armed Forces, including the police, during operations where members of the armed forces and the police have been transported in, or have used, armoured personnel carriers (APCs). It also has been monitoring a recent increasing pattern of repression against both violent and non-violent internal dissent since July 1996 which is anticipated to last until at least the parliamentary elections in May 1997.

In April 1996, UK-supplied APCs were used to quell demonstrations by students in Ujung Pandung in South Sulawesi in which at least three students were killed by the military. As a result of the outcry which followed the government's handling of these demonstrations, six Indonesia soldiers were court martialled for "exceeding official orders" and sentenced to terms of imprisonment. In addition APCs were also present during the quelling of riots on 27 July 1996 in Jakarta during which the security forces were filmed beating individual demonstrators.

In December 1996, the UK Government confirmed that export licences had been issued for the export of 50 armoured vehicles to the Indonesian Government. The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Jeremy Hanley, told Parliament on 15 January 1997 that human rights considerations were "a key factor"* in the decisions in granting the licences. However, in the same breath Mr Hanley stated that as the fourth most populous country in the world, Indonesia "is an important country with which to do business". Given the evidence of use of such equipment to commit human rights violations, it appears that commercial considerations may have been allowed to outweigh human rights concerns.

The United States, the biggest supplier of military equipment internationally, has banned the export of armoured vehicles to Indonesia as a result of international condemnation of the Indonesian government's handling of demonstrations in mid-1996. If the UK continues to authorise exports of such vehicles to Indonesia it will undermine the US stance. It will lay UK companies and the UK government, open to accusations of profiting from another country's stand on human rights.

Indonesian minister to probe reported Saudi prostitution

Kyodo – February 6, 1997

Jakarta – The Indonesian minister for women's affairs, Mien Sugandhi, will visit Saudi Arabia to investigate reports of Indonesian women working as prostitutes in the country, political sources said Thursday.

Mien will also go to Malaysia to inspect the working conditions of Indonesian women there, the sources said.

"Not only tens but hundreds of Indonesian women have been working as prostitutes (in Saudi Arabia)," Mien said, citing information presented in a meeting Thursday with President Suharto.

According to the reports she received, Indonesian prostitutes in Saudi Arabia come from poor villages and most of them are under 20 years old, Mien said.

During her Malaysian visit, Mien wants to follow up on reports that Indonesian Muslim women, working for ethnic Chinese employers, are experiencing discrimination for religious reasons, she said.

Some of the problems include being asked to serve pork, which is forbidden under Islamic law, or being prevented from performing daily Muslim prayer services, the minister said.

Mien told reporters there are 185,000 Indonesian female workers in Malaysia.

Land disputes/environment

Land freely given for transmigration?

Jakarta Post - 28 January, 1997

Jakarta – Three tribal chiefs in Fakfak regency, Irian Jaya have given 390,000 hectares to the Ministry of Transmigration and the Irian Jaya transmigration office for a resettlement site. "No compensation has been offered in return," said the head of the Irian Jaya transmigration office, N. Hutapea, in the provincial capital of Jayapura yesterday.

"They gave up their land because they want to see more resettlers in their areas. They believe they can boost development activities in their region with the help of resettlers," Hutapea was quoted by Antara as saying. He said the area offered was isolated and the chiefs hoped to free it from isolation with the help of the resettlers.

Hutapea said Chief Arguni gave up 200,00 hectares of land, while Chief Buruai and Chief Komoro provided 100,000 and 90,000 hectares respectively. "As a sign of goodwill on the part of the government, we provided some funds to Chief Arguni. We also assisted him when he went on a-haj pilgrimage to the Holy Land last year," Hutapea said.

Hutapea said the Komoro tribe in the regency of West Mimika appeared pleased with the progress enjoyed by their brothers in East Mimika following the resettlement program there. Hutapea said the 390,000 hectare gift would enable the ministry to save funds, usually allotted to clearing land, for when it next planned to establish new resettlement sites.

Earlier this month, Minister of Transmigration Siswono Yudohusodo insisted the sparsely populated Irian Jaya needed more settlers from Java to speed up development. However, Emmy Hailld, chief of the Indonesian Forum for Environment, argued that the influx of resettlers would threaten the less educated Irian natives.

According to government statistics, at 421,981 square kilometers Irian Jaya is Indonesia's largest province but has a population of only 2 million.

Since 1964, a year after becoming part of Indonesia, the government has made Irian Jaya a major transmigration destination. This year it is earmarked to be the second main destination after Central Kalimantan. Siswono said through the program Irian Jaya now had 3,000 kms of new roads, 103 new bridges and other facilities. The government since 1964 has moved more than 246,000 people from Java to the island and will shift another 110,000 migrants by 1999.

Emmy argued that migrants already constituted 20 percent of Irian Jaya's population and the newcomers were politically and economically dominant. "If the government really wants to improve the Irianese people's well-being, it should improve the health, status and skills of the indigenous people first," she said. (swe)

[This report was posted by Tapol. The comment preceding the article was included in the original posting - JB]

Indonesia hopes to allay public concern with nuclear power bill

Straits Times - February 14, 1997

Jakarta – Indonesia's Parliament will pass a controversial Bill on nuclear power at its plenary meeting on February 26, legislator Muhammad Buang, who has been involved in deliberations, told The Jakarta Post.

Mr Buang, from the Muslim-based United Development Party, said he hoped that passage of the Bill, which was introduced in January last year, would allay public concerns over the possibility of a nuclear accident.

"The law won't be able to eliminate all risks, but I am sure that if the law is properly implemented, the possibility of accidents will be minimised," the paper quoted him saying in a report published on Wednesday.

Mr Buang did not elaborate on how the legislators settled differences over a number of crucial issues, including the establishment of a body to monitor the operation of the planned nuclear plant.

But he said legislators managed to add several provisions relating to plant safety in the Bill. These cover, among other things, questions relating to transportation of nuclear waste and manpower.

The Bill, when it comes into effect, will require any plan to establish a nuclear power plant to be put through several stages of supervision and control. For example, if a state agency wished to construct a plant, the plan would first be scrutinised by a supervisory body that would be established by the government.

The public will also be able to oversee the performance of the supervisory body through an independent advisory board – the Nuclear Power Supervisory Council – which will be made up of experts and community leaders.

"The Council will function in ways similar to the National Commission on Human Rights. It will be established through a Presidential decree," Mr Buang said.

Plans for any changes to a nuclear plant would also have to be approved by Parliament.

Mr Buang said the Bill had placed safety as its uppermost consideration.

"The question of safety should be above any political or economic interests," he said.

He added that Parliament would have to be consulted when the government discussed the question of "sustainable storage" for the nuclear waste.

Finally, the Bill would strive to ensure that any decisions made on nuclear power plants should be in accordance with international conventions that Indonesia had ratified.

Rights violations rife in mining areas, NGOs say

Jakarta Post - 5 February, 1997

Violations of indigenous peoples basic rights are rife in the operations areas of PT Kelian Equatorial Mining in East Kalimantan and PT Freeport Indonesia in Irian Jaya, according to an influential non-governmental organization.

The Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy, which conducted an investigation into human rights issues in the mining areas, recorded eight gross human rights violations allegedly committed by the government and the companies.

The basic rights the state and the companies violated include unwarranted arrests, the loss of rights to a decent life, freedom from fear and freedom from torture and violence by public officials, the institute reported.

Other violations that the NGO found include the loss of people's source of income, children's right to protection, and adequate health standards.

"People's right to determine their destiny, for instance, has been curtailed with the establishment of the mining plants," Dianto Bachriadi, who led the field survey from October to December last year in Kelian in East Kalimantan and Timika in Irian Jaya, said.

According to Dianto, there are at least three causes of the violations: the state's denial of indigenous people's ownership of ancestral land, the state's denial of the indigenous people's social structure, and the forced takeover of the people's land to make way for mining projects.

"The first situation is what happened to Amungme and Kamoro tribespeople in Irian Jaya whose property was taken away just like that for the establishment of Freeport mining projects," Dianto, who was accompanied by the institute's chairman Abdul Hakim Garuda Nusantara, said.

"It also happened to the Bahau and Dayak people who live in Kelian and along the Mahakam river in East Kalimantan whose property was appropriated for the establishment of Kelian mining projects."

The government, he said, does not respect the traditional social structure of the Amungme and Dayak tribespeople. "They've been ignored by the state in several negotiations with both PT Freeport and Kelian Equatorial Mining, he said.

A 1967 law on mining puts natives in a weak position as far as land acquisition is concerned. This, according to Dianto, often left people with no choice but to surrender their property. "This particular law also allows the government to decide policies on land appropriation to be used in mining projects without consulting the natives," he said.

Indonesian anti-nuclear lobbyists win reprieve

Digest No. 26 (Indonesian news with comment) - 6 February, 1997

Amidst the gloom of Indonesia's authoritarian political system, a ray of light. A government bill to pave the way for the construction of an unpopular nuclear plant in Java was not approved by parliament last December. Instead of being passed into law on 12 December as planned, a deadlock in the committee stage caused it to be held over till this year. The delay represents a small but significant victory for popular participation in decision making.

Anti-nuclear lobbyists can claim much of the credit for the postponement. Fighting immense ignorance among members of parliament, as well as powerful bureaucratic interests, a coalition of non-government organisations had been lobbying in the corridors tirelessly throughout the year. Prominent among the coalition of fifteen organisations is Walhi, the Indonesian Environmental Forum.

Unlike Greenpeace, which enjoys a glamour profile on television in the West, the anti-nuclear case is not well aired in Indonesian newspapers, let alone on TV. Nor has the bill on nuclear energy itself, introduced to parliament late in January last year by the Ministry for Research and Technology, ever been explained in the press.

Yet the anti-nuclear cause is popular. A newspaper survey in June showed well over half of middle class town dwellers in Java reject the planned nuclear power station on their volcanic island.

The Minister for Research and Technology, B J Habibie, is well aware of this popular opposition. He is a good talker who has spent days lecturing parliament on his plans to build a huge complex of between seven and twelve nuclear plants in the Muria area of Central Java. But he has shown no willingness to compromise. In addition, he has enemies within the government bureaucracy. Though President Suharto appears to favour him as his next vice-president, economic technocrats say his nuclear project is expensive and unnecessary. The requirement of parliamentary approval has been the opportunity opponents have been waiting for. Much of the opposition has been aimed at prying the project out of the tight clutches of Habibie's Ministry. For example, in order to be eligible for international technology transfer, the bill provides for a Supervisory Agency to keep an eye on safety. Fearing the Agency will be mere decoration if it stays within Habibie's high-tech empire, parliamentarians pressed for it to be completely independent. They also want any commercial nuclear plant to be more closely regulated - preferably by a new and more specific law than this one.

Toughest of the four fractions in parliament on the nuclear issue has been the minority party PDI. Whilst the leadership of their party was rocked by government interference over other matters, PDI parliamentarians were quietly going about their work, with regular input from lobby groups. It was PDI insistence on clipping Habibie's wings that produced the deadlock.

But members of other parliamentary fractions have also been active, including those from the ruling party Golkar and the armed forces Abri. An Abri member raised the issue of legal liability in the event of an accident. At the moment, the bill makes only the private operator of any nuclear plant liable, and has capped liability in ways that fall below international standards. For example, the operator will not have to pay more than about US$200 million for an accident, and will not have to pay at all if the cause was a natural disaster exceeding design criteria. In other countries the State explicitly offers to pick up the difference between that payment and the real cost to society. Indonesia needs to do the same.

Habibie originally hoped the bill would be passed by mid-1996. Its postponement into 1997 has broken the record for the longest- discussed bill. Perhaps parliament is not always the rubber stamp institution it is often portrayed to be. However, it is obviously not the end of the story.

[Gerry van Klinken, editor, 'Inside Indonesia' magazine, tel +61- 7-3371 3854.]

Kalimantan group complains over Australian-RI mining

Jakarta Post – January 30, 1997

Jakarta – Kalimantan natives have urged the Nationa1 Commission on Human Rights to help them get compensation for property taken from them for mining projects. A delegation of the indigenous Kalimantan people also told commission members here Tuesday the activities of four large-scale mining companies were degrading the environment.

Accompanied by Jakarta-based environmental activists, the delegation from East, Central and South Kalimantan was met by commission members Koesparmono Irsan and Mohamad Salim.

The natives listed numerous rights allegedly violated by the companies, the Indonesia-Australia joint ventures PT Indo Muro Kencana in Central Kalimantan, PI Kelian Equatorial Mining and PT Kaltim Prima Coal in East Kalimantan, and PT Adaro Indonesia in South Kalimantan. "Those four big mining companies have denied us our basic rights by acquiring our property without giving proper compensation and taking away our sources of livelihood," they said in a joint-statement.

"They change our culture and intimidate people who stand firm to fight for their rights," they said.

Amsyah, representing people of Sanggata village in East Kalimantan, claimed that PT Kaltim Prima Coal, which controls 790,000 hectares of land, had appropriated the land without paying any compensation in 1989.

In 1990, the company claimed another 32.35 hectares of shrimp ponds for storing coal, also without compensation, Amsyah told the commission.

The same company grabbed 247 hectares of people's plantations worth about Rp 900 rnillion (US$395,000) in 1993, again without offering any compensation.

Meanwhile, another member of the delegation, Syamsuri from Hulu Sungai Utara, South Kalimantan, said that besides "relocating people without adequate compensation," coal mining company PT Adaro Indonesia had polluted a number of rivers used by locals. Syamsun also claimed the mud resulting from mining activities ruined the villagers' paddy fields.

"The company continues evicting villagers although the dispute over compensation is still far from over," he said. People refused the offered compensation because they considered it too small, he added.

He claimed he was jabbed in the eye by a village chief for questioning the government policy on the project. His eye is permanently disabled, he added.

The delegation demanded the commission help supervise mining activities in the province and pressure the companies to pay attention to the environment in their operations. They also called on the commission to urge the companies to settle the disputes with local people without involving security forces.

Koesparmono and Salim promised the delegation they would look into their complaints. (08)

Miscellaneous

Indonesian Muslims see planned liquor curb insufficient

Kyodo – February 13, 1997

Jakarta – Militant Muslim leaders in Indonesia have attacked as insufficient a planned government decree which will limit sales of alcoholic drinks, a newspaper said Thursday.

The Jakarta Post quoted Muslim preacher Dadang Hawari as saying the drafting of the decree, which will restrict sales to authorized places only, has not taken into consideration the Muslim community's aspirations.

"Medically speaking, drinking alcohol triggers violent behavior among people," Dadang told the English-language daily. "Supported by Islamic teaching that prohibits alcohol, the government should have just banned it."

The Home Affairs Ministry announced Tuesday it will issue a decree which will form the basis of a presidential decree on the control of alcohol.

It will mean alcoholic drinks may only be sold under license at places such as hotels, bars, restaurants and other places appointed by the local regent, mayor or governor.

Those other places will have to be located "far enough" from places of worship, schools and hospitals, ruling out most roadside food stalls.

Ahmad Sumargono, whose Indonesian Committee for World Muslim Solidarity organized protests against liquor sales in the past, said regulations do not matter much.

"As long as there are opportunities, consumers will still try to get it," Ahmad was quoted as saying.

He blamed the government's reluctance to ban alcohol on the fact that most regional and local administrations regard sales of liquor as a lucrative source of revenue.

"The government should allow only foreigners to buy alcohol," Ahmad suggested. "It should also restrict sales to exclusive stores that could neither be afforded nor reached by most Indonesians."

The government has come under heavy pressure from Muslim groups who want alcohol totally banned. They argue that liquor is responsible for the rising crime rate and loose morality of many people in predominantly Muslim Indonesia.

Critic of Indonesian government cooperates with leader's daughter

Agence France Presse – February 8, 1997

Jakarta – A prominent Indonesian Moslem leader known as a frequent government critic has made the surprising move of cooperating with President Suharto's oldest daughter, news reports said Saturday. Abdurrahman Wahid, head of the 30-million strong Moslem organization Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), said the cooperation had nothing to do with upcoming elections and denied he was abandoning opposition politics.

Wahid met Friday with Suharto's daughter Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana, who pledged to assist in the construction of a NU building here. "This project has nothing to do with the election but if sympathy grows for Mbak Tutut (Rukmana's popular nickname), don't blame anybody," Wahid told the Jakarta Post daily. Rukmana, who controls one of Indonesia's largest conglomerates Citra Lamtoro Gung, is one of Suharto's four children who are on the parliamentary candidates' list for the ruling Golkar party. Indonesians will go to the polls on May 29. Wahid's move came as a surprise to many as it is widely known that he has close ties with opposition leader Megawati Sukarnoputri, the Indonesian Democracy Party (PDI) chairwoman who was ousted in June by a Jakarta-backed party faction. He denied that his meeting with Suharto's daughter was a sign that he was abandoning PDI for Golkar. He did not elaborate. He has also been active in the Democracy Forum, a grouping of leading intellectuals which frequently criticize the government.

Wahid's re-election to the NU helm in 1994 was marked by rumors that the government was unhappy with his leadership and disapproved of him taking a second term. In 1995 he openly accused the powerful Research and Technology Minister Jusuf Habibie, a close ally of Suharto, of having asked him to step down as NU leader. Wahid said after his meeting with Rukmana Friday that both had agreed for Rukmana to attend some large NU gatherings in Central and East Java, NU's stronghold, possibly before the May elections, the Merdeka daily reported. University of Indonesia political scientist Arbi Sanit said Wahid's apparent closer ties with the ruling party was "quite a sharp turn as he has always been careful in keeping his distance with the rulers." Sanit told the Merdeka daily that Wahid's steps were to assure that the Moslem community and elders in particular "would not be under suspicion by the authorities."

The Javanese towns of Tasikmalaya and Situbondo, seen as NU strongholds, have been hit by mass riots involving thousands of Moslems in the last few months which left nine people dead and scores injured. Wahid has said that the Tasikmalaya riot was part of efforts to tarnish his image and that of the NU. lis/lk

Alatas on Riady-Clinton affairs

Indonesian Foreign Minister Press Release - February 7, 1997

Indonesian Foreign Minister Ali Alatas had brushed off reports that a team from the U.S. is to come in Jakarta to inves tigate alleged illegal foreign campaign donations, saying it would be better to conduct an inquiry in America rather than come all the way to Indonesia.

"The Indonesian government has no connection whatsoever with this matter," Alatas told journalists at a breaking-of-the fast dinner in Jakarta, Wednesday (February 5).

Alatas said there was no reason for the team to talk to the Indonesian government over the matter.

Recent news reports said a Senate committee had approved the formation of a team to travel to several countries to investigate the donation made to the Democratic Party.

The report in USA Today said the team would be visiting the donors' country of origin, including Indonesia. Other countries listed were China, Taiwan, Thailand, South Korea, Vietnam, Hong Kong, India, Russia and Mexico.

The report also said the team would be authorized to request meetings and talk with government officials during their investigation.

Alatas reiterated the government's position: "This whole thing about Riady is his own personal affair. So don't involve the Indonesian government."

Alatas, however, he remarked that given the very personal nature of the case there was no reason to come Jakarta and discuss it with government officials.

"In fact if they want to investigate it they should do it in America where they allow those things to take place, not Indonesia," he said. (The Jakarta Post)