Democratic struggle

Anti-New Order Alliance demo Demands the abolition of Golkar

Detik - February 6, 2001

Djoko Tjiptono/Hendra & GB, Jakarta -- On Tuesday, around 1000 students from several student and youth groups under the banner of the Joint Alliance Against The New Order rallied at the parliament complex in Senayan and then made their way to the head offices of the Golkar party. Their main banner depicted a banyan tree -- Golkar's party symbol -- smeared with red paint. They demanded the party be immediately disbursed.

The rally began at the University of Indonesia in Salemba where orations were held around noon Jakarta time. The speakers maintained that the people must push for the abolition of Golkar, headed by Speaker of the House of Representatives Akbar Tandjung. They brought several banners reading "Destroy the New Order", "Freedom" and "100% No New Order".

The Golkar Party dominated Indonesian politics under the authoritarian regime of former president Suharto and remains strong today -- not only because it is the second largest faction in the House but because it's networks extend through the country's infrastructure -- from the civil service, government to the military and trade.

The main groups involved in the demonstration are: the Indonesian Youth Struggle Forum (FPPI), Students' Action Front for Reform and Democracy (Famred), City Forum (Forkot), Joint Forum (Forbes), Pancasila Struggle Front, City Front and the Democratic National Students' League (LMND).

In addition, several smaller banners were hung around the Salemba campus: "Drag Suharto and Golkar to a People's Court" and "Total `Reformasi' Means Abolishing The Golkar Party". Pamphlets were also distributed: "Golkar has blocked the push for reform" and "Watch out for New Order Rats who have infiltrated everywhere".

One of the rally coordinators, Masintih from the FPPI, said they were targeting Golkar because of its actions in the past. "All the problems happening at the moment are caused by the actions of Golkar in the past," he said adding that Golkar had been `indoctrinating' other parties in the parliament. At the time of posting (3.10pm Jakarta time) the demonstration is still going ahead.

The action comes as the division between the President and the House becomes extreme. Last Thursday, the House voted to accept a report compiled by a special committee implicating the President in the misappropriation of around USD 5.8 million.

The parties are now intensely debating what to do next. Several are pushing for the convocation of a special session of the People's Consultative Assembly as a means to oust Wahid. However, the legal basis of the special committee report and the regulations governing the early convocation of the Assembly are unclear at present.

They also face another obstacle: a lively coalition of NGOs and student groups are seeking to shift the focus away from the scandals to what they say is the root of the country's problems. That is, the continuing power of the old regime in the `era reformasi'.

East Timor

Timorese to begin preparations for 1st general election

Kyodo News - February 6, 2001

Jakarta -- East Timorese are expected later this month to begin preparations for a constituent assembly election likely to be held around August 30, the first major political exercise in the post-Indonesian rule of the territory, a senior UN official said Tuesday.

Anne-Margrete Wachtmeister, director of the Office for Communication and Public Information of the UN Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET), said pro-Indonesia supporters in the territory will be allowed to vote.

On January 26, UNTAET chief Sergio Vieira de Mello told the UN Security Council that East Timor is likely to hold elections for the constituent assembly on August 30 this year. But in what he described as his last official briefing to the Security Council as the UNTAET head, de Mello said a final decision on the date would be made after the Timorese National Council, East Timor's provisional legislature, meets February 12.

In a meeting with journalists, Wachtmeister said, "People who are pro-Indonesia will certainly be allowed" to vote. Wachtmeister later told Kyodo News that East Timorese residents holding Indonesian citizenship and Indonesians are also eligible to vote as long as they live in East Timor and have "strong connections" with the territory.

"If they were born in East Timor or got married with East Timorese or Indonesians, they are eligible to vote," she said. Members of the newly formed East Timor National Defense Force and National Police will also be able to vote. But they will not be allowed to run for the constituent assembly, she said.

Wachtmeister said the first step will be holding a pilot civic registration, expected to take place February 19 on the East Timor island of Atauru, north of the East Timor capital Dili. She said there is a program that will urge East Timorese and everyone 16 years old or older to register.

Wachtmeister said a list of possible candidates for the elections will also be completed, adding that only "people who are 18 years old or older and born in East Timor" are eligible. All registration procedures will take place in East Timor.

She urged would-be voters to elect candidates individually and not along party lines, adding candidate lists will be posted to enable complaints against them to be properly investigated. A final list will be issued after a panel investigates any complaints, she said.

As to the nature of the constituent assembly, Wachtmeister said its composition and details of the general election will be decided during a meeting February 16. She said the proposal "most likely" to be adopted is the use of a system similar to Germany's, she said.

The system for East Timor will likely combine proportional representation, in which candidates who get the highest number of votes are elected, and district representation, in which 11 districts across East Timor must have a certain number of representatives.

The elected assembly will later decide whether it will elect a president or opt to have a separate election to elect the president directly. It will also be up to the assembly to decide the territory's national language and other issues related to national rebuilding.

Jose Ramos Horta, an East Timorese leader, said in January a conference should be held by May to draft a Constitution. The constituent assembly will eventually be converted into a National Legislative Assembly.

Enraged crowd made me kill militiaman, says Falintil fighter

The Age - February 7, 2001

Mark Dodd, Dili -- An East Timorese independence fighter pleaded for acquittal yesterday at the end of his trial for the killing of a pro-Indonesian militiaman in retaliation for the militia violence unleashed after the 1999 vote for independence.

Julio Fernandes, a former Falintil guerrilla, pleaded not guilty to murder in an emotionally charged case that has attracted widespread public interest.

He told the Dili District Court yesterday that an angry crowd, incensed by the militia violence after the August, 1999, vote, had pressured him into killing militiaman Americo de Jesus Martins.

"It was not my desire or my wish to conduct such a crime. In fact, it was the result of coercion by a whole sub-district of Ermera for me to commit the crime," he said. "Please consider my future and help me repair my future that has been destroyed by the cruel Indonesian army."

Mr Fernandes, 30, is accused of killing Mr Martins, a member of the Darah Merah (Red Blood) militia, in the coffee-growing town of Gleno on September 26, 1999.

Prosecutor Brenda-Sue Norton said it was a case of premeditated murder, saying Mr Fernandes had stabbed Mr Martins twice after first determining he was a militiaman.

The defence said Mr Fernandes was coerced into taking part in the killing by a frenzied mob, which had already cut off one of Mr Martins' ears.

The court heard that Mr Fernandes had arrived in Gleno looking for his parents when a crowd of 2000 demanded that he kill the militiaman for his alleged involvement in post-ballot violence.

"The people wanted him killed. He [Fernandes] could not walk away -- the crowd would not allow it," said public defender Siho Malunga. He said the mob was incensed at Falintil's failure to prevent the violence that followed the independence vote.

The courtroom was packed for yesterday's hearing. Peter Birro, spokesman for the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor, admitted the case was sensitive and public support for Mr Fernandes was high.

In contrast, there is little sympathy for the militia responsible for hundreds of murders and the destruction of the territory after the vote. The court will deliver its verdict on February 27.

Indonesian officer on multiple rape charges

Sydney Morning Herald - February 7, 2001

Joanna Jolly, Dili -- In a legal first for East Timor, United Nations prosecutors yesterday filed multiple rape charges against an Indonesian army officer and two militia leaders. The men allegedly committed the attacks during a wave of violence before and after the 1999 independence referendum.

"This is the first time we have filed indictments for sexual crimes," said the UN chief prosecutor, Mr Mohamed Othman, after the indictments were filed at the Dili District Court.

Those accused are 2nd Lieutenant Bambang Indra and militia fighters Jose Cardoso Fereira and Francisco Noronha. The three allegedly detained and repeatedly raped three women between May and July 1999 in the town of Lolatoi, 100 kilometres south-west of Dili.

Prosecutors say the suspects later took the women to Indonesian- controlled West Timor, where they were forcibly injected with contraceptives.

The three, plus two other militia members, Jhoni France and Sabino Leite, were also charged with other crimes against humanity, including murder, torture and kidnapping.

The five are accused of beating and killing independence supporters. In one incident, the suspects cut off the ear of a victim and forced him to eat it, the prosecutors allege.

Indra and Noronha are believed to be at large in Indonesia. The three others are in custody in Dili. "Arrest warrants for the suspects still at large will be issued shortly," said Mr Oyvind Olsen, head of the UN serious crimes unit in East Timor.

Under a memorandum of understanding signed by Indonesia and the UN administration in East Timor, suspects can be transferred between the two jurisdictions to face charges. This has not happened yet.

East Timor: Foreign policy heads west

Green Left Weekly - February 7, 2001

Jon Land -- Imagine someone referring to prime minister John Howard and his foreign minister, Alexander Downer, as "more generous than Mother Theresa". You wouldn't be surprised if it came from a Coalition backbencher -- but these are the precise words of East Timorese leader Jose Ramos Horta.

Horta, who is the representative for foreign affairs in East Timor's transitional cabinet, made the remark in reference to Australia's position on the disputed Timor Gap Treaty. Reporting the comments, an article in the January 26 Financial Times also claimed "Mr Ramos Horta is confident that Australia would be sympathetic to East Timor's requests".

While rumour has it that the Howard government may be ready to compromise on the division of royalties from oil and gas exploration in the Timor Gap, there seems little cause for confidence that it will retreat from its opposition to UN and Timorese requests for the maritime boundary to be set along the median line between East Timor and Australia.

Horta's likening of Howard and Downer to a charitable nun is the latest of a series of public comments by him which indicate a new, pro-Western foreign policy is being developed which will whitewash the past betrayals of the major imperialist powers, including the US and Australia.

The most serious such indication was Horta's call, during a January 22-24 goodwill visit to Jakarta, for Washington to improve its military ties with the Indonesian armed forces.

"Because of the sanctions in the past two years, [the Indonesian armed forces] are stretched and [facing] enormous difficulties in logistics and in the delivery of troops and police", Horta told journalists.

According to a report by Lusa news service on January 24, Horta said he would urge the US to partially lift sanctions on military cooperation with Indonesia.

In the wake of Horta's visit, Indonesia's foreign minister Alwi Shihab told journalists on January 29, "I am optimistic that the military sanctions will be lifted because the Bush government is more pragmatic and realistic".

Echoing comments made by Horta, Shihab claimed that the lifting of the sanctions was "necessary for the ongoing process of democracy".

Shihab plans to meet with the new US secretary of state, Colin Powell, in March to discuss the prospect of normalising military ties between Jakarta and Washington. Both Horta and Shihab heaped praise on the Gulf War "hero" when his nomination for the post was announced in December.

Scrapping military aid to Indonesia was a central demand of the East Timorese resistance movement during its long struggle for independence -- the military occupation of East Timor was only possible through the billions of dollars worth of arms and training that the armed forces received from the US and other allies.

Any move to improve the level of military aid or assistance that the Indonesian military currently receives from the US, the European Union, Australia or other states would be a major set- back for the progressive and democratic forces in Indonesia and, especially, for the movements for self-determination in Aceh and West Papua, which both face heavy military repression. If anything, Horta's call for the resumption of military ties will help legitimise the Indonesian military's moves to reassert its role in domestic politics.

Commenting on Horta's proposal that the US improve military ties with the Indonesian military, the British-based solidarity and human rights group, TAPOL, summed up the feeling of many solidarity groups and activists world-wide: "If this is a correct report of what Jose Ramos-Horta said, it represents an extraordinary and highly damaging reversal of CNRT [National Council of Timorese Resistance] policy on military aid to Indonesia ... We all need to re-double our efforts to ensure that the new US administration does not decide to resume military aid to Jakarta".

Tightening the noose

Sydney Morning Herald - February 5, 2001

Jill Jolliffe -- The house in East Timor's second city, Baucau, stands derelict, its windows boarded up and a tap running endlessly inside. The family which lived there fled with the Indonesian forces and their militia allies after the 1999 vote for independence. The single word "Hunter" is painted on one wall, and on the front of the house are the Indonesian words Rakyat Timor Siaplah Melarat ("East Timorese People: Prepare for Misery"). It is repeated on the back door -- in what appears to be blood.

This was the home of the seemingly respectable Christoforus da Silva, who could be seen attending Mass each day with his three daughters and who had become a member of the local parliament in 1985. The same Christoforus da Silva is now being sought for the murders of five Australian-based journalists in East Timor more than 25 years ago. United Nations investigators have sought international warrants to arrest da Silva and two others, including a former Indonesian government minister. They believe they have enough evidence to prosecute the three for the murders at Balibo on October 16, 1975.

The investigation was carried out by the national investigation unit of the UN Civilian Police (Civpol) in East Timor. A source close to the UN administration in East Timor said the police had asked the UN's Prosecutor-General in Dili, Mohamed Othman, to authorise the arrest of Mohammad Yunus Yosfiah, the former Cabinet minister; Domingos Bere, an East Timorese; and da Silva, an Indonesian.

At the time of the killings, Yunus was an Indonesian army captain commanding an elite RPKAD (commando-special forces) unit called Team Susi, involved in the covert invasion of what was then Portuguese Timor. Da Silva and Bere were members of the unit.

The source said the UN investigators had recommended the men be charged with crimes against humanity under the 1949 Geneva Convention. Othman said the review would determine if further evidence was needed and under which law the accused, whom he did not name, should be charged. "Indications are that this will proceed as a war crimes charge. There we have jurisdiction." He said a decision on the request for warrants would be made in Dili in "about a week".

If the warrants are granted, Yunus, who rose to lieutenant- general, will be the first senior Indonesian official charged with war crimes since UN forces moved into East Timor in 1999.

The international investigation team obtained evidence that Yunus, Bere and da Silva murdered the five television reporters as they were filming a dawn attack on Balibo. Those killed were Greg Shackleton, Tony Stewart and Gary Cunningham of Channel 7, and Brian Peters and Malcolm Rennie of Channel 9. Peters and Rennie were British citizens; Cunningham was a New Zealander.

The evidence disputes claims that the men were killed in crossfire in the heat of battle. Three witnesses taken to the crime scene to re-enact events have positively identified the wanted men. The UN police team had a breakthrough last October when it found a faded photograph of da Silva which enabled them to confirm his identity.

The UN's Balibo dossier has not been closed, and other Indonesian soldiers are still being investigated. Little information is available about Bere, except that he is a native of Balibo who has served in the police guard of various Indonesian-installed governors of East Timor.

In 1999 he was a member of the Aitarak militia. All three men are in Indonesia. The investigators want Indonesia to hand them over for trial by an international court in Dili, under an agreement signed with Jakarta last April.

The international police team that investigated the Balibo killings was formed last July under John Skeffington, a retired West Australian police superintendent, with case officer Tom Hanlon of the Australian Federal Police. Skeffington and Hanlon completed their six-month secondment to the UN in November. The team has since been headed by James Osborne, of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

The Australian Government, which has conducted four inconclusive investigations into the killings since 1975, has not had access to the inquiry.

The families of the dead men allege that a cover-up remains in place over the deaths, stemming from acquiescence in the annexation of the Portuguese colony in 1975 by the then Labor government.

Accusations that Yunus was involved in the murders date from 1979 when an anonymous East Timorese witness testified in Portugal that he had seen him command the Balibo attack. In 1998 the ABC's Foreign Correspondent screened a program with Olandino Guterres, another witness, who also accused Yunus. This evidence was reinforced in June, 1999, by former militia leader Tomas Gonalves, who commanded Timorese auxiliary forces in Balibo. He said he saw Yunus fire on the men and that the commander later warned Timorese soldiers against revealing what they had seen.

After the Balibo killings, Yunus, a native of Sulawesi, attended two military training courses in the United States in 1979, and in Britain in 1989. In 1998 Suharto's successor, B.J. Habibie, appointed him Minister of Information, a post he held until the government of Abdurrahman Wahid was formed in October, 1999.

Yunus has consistently denied involvement in the deaths. In an interview with the Herald in June, 1999, he admitted for the first time that he led the Balibo attack, but denied any knowledge of the journalists' deaths.

Da Silva is a native of Flores island, close to Timor. Alberto Carvalho, who testified to the UN, participated in a separate, filmed re-enactment of the deaths in Balibo with this correspondent last August. He alleged that da Silva fired on three of the journalists from close range inside the Balibo house where they had taken sanctuary.

Carvalho said that, from the veranda of the house, he saw da Silva, accompanied by another Indonesian whom he could not identify, with one of the journalists standing with his hands up in surrender.

Two other journalists were huddling on the floor just inside the door frame. He said the man standing shouted that he was an Australian: "[Chris] fired a round. He fell, on top of the other two." He said da Silva then fired on the other two. At the same time, the Indonesian with da Silva fired on the two journalists on the floor. Carvalho made no mention of the other two reporters in the house.

In a similar filmed re-enactment, Guterres, the Foreign Correspondent witness, showed where he saw da Silva kill the last journalist to die after he had barricaded himself in a bathroom. He had earlier seen Yunus fire on the journalists at the front of the house, in the first moments of the attack.

The accused man was known only as Chris (or Kris) to the Timorese irregulars in those days. He had a reputation for cruelty. Few had heard of him since.

Despite the respectability da Silva found in Baucau, he was feared by the locals, who knew nothing about Balibo but whispered about his activities in the 1980s when he was attached to Indonesian territorial Battalion 745.

In the closing days of their investigation, UN police received a tip-off that da Silva had been involved in the 1983 mass killings in the Kraras district near Viqueque, 50 kilometres south of Baucau.

On August 8 of that year an Indonesian engineering battalion at Kraras was attacked and 15 Indonesian soldiers were killed. Seventy East Timorese serving with the Indonesian army then defected to the resistance.

Indonesian troops were rushed to the area, among them Prabowo Subianto, former Prisident Soeharto's son-in-law, then a captain. Da Silva was already there as an RPKAD officer attached to C Company of Battalion 745.

What is known is the Kraras massacre was a series of reprisal killings beginning on September 7, 1983, and culminating 10 days later in the machine-gunning of 184 unarmed villagers at a river bank called Tahu Bein where villagers were lured on the pretext of receiving food supplies and then executed en masse by firing squad. Three hid under the pile of corpses and survived.

It had been carried out with precise planning. Joao Caetano was then working with Prabowo as an intelligence agent, said Prabowo was overall commander, co-ordinating operations. He also knew "Chris" in this period: "I worked in Indonesian intelligence, for the red berets. I never spoke to Chris but I saw him regularly; he worked in the secret service of the red-beret [RPKAD] command, and worked with Prabowo Subianto."

Those who fear him in Baucau believe "Chris" was one of the killers at the river bank. UN investigators hope to interview Timorese who served in Battalion 745, as well as those in the militia units as part of a fresh inquiry into the Kraras killings.

[Jill Jolliffe is a Darwin-based journalist who has reported in East Timor since 1975. Research for this article was carried out in the past year in Dili, Aileu, Kraras and Balibo.]

Labour struggle

Strike results in fuel shortage, blackouts in Aceh

Jakarta Post - February 7, 2001

Banda Aceh -- A massive solidarity strike involving truck drivers and state oil company Pertamina workers has resulted in fuel supply shortages and power outages in restive Aceh.

Banda Aceh capital, along with Aceh Besar, Pidie and West Aceh regencies, has had power outages from Monday night up to Tuesday due to a lack of fuel supplies.

"In West Aceh the state electricity company PLN has introduced rotating blackouts in several areas," a local resident said. The strike has paralyzed fuel deliveries from Malahayati Port in Krueng Raya to Banda Aceh, about 32 kilometers from the port.

Long lines of vehicles queuing at several gas stations were seen in Banda Aceh and Aceh Besar on Tuesday afternoon. Premium, usually sold for Rp 1,150 per liter, cost between Rp 2,500 and Rp 3,000 per liter at kiosks, while in remote areas it can sell for Rp 5,000.

"The truckers say they want to show solidarity with fellow drivers plying the Banda Aceh-Medan route who are victims of rampant illegal levies charged by some police and military officers," a local journalist said.

But some of the drivers at Malahayati Port said that they were not on strike. "What's the point of driving to Malahayati Port if we can't deliver the fuel? It is the Pertamina workers who refuse to load the fuel to be transported," a truck driver said.

It is not clear why Pertamina workers are refusing to load the fuel, but Pertamina has reported that it has enough stock to supply Aceh, which is about 30,000 tons. Aceh only needs about 135 tons fuel per day.

A deputy spokesman for operation Cinta Meunasah, which is aimed to restore peace and order in Aceh, Adj. Sr. Comr. Yatim Suyatmo, said that both the police and the military were ready to deploy trucks and escort the fuel trucks.

"If necessary, police/military personnel will help drive the trucks," he said. "We believe that Free Aceh Movement (GAM) rebels are behind this action since there are reports that the drivers and the workers have been threatened by certain parties to strike," Yatim said on Tuesday.

The officer urged the drivers to work as usual as the Aceh Police chief had stated that stern action would be taken against all police/military personnel who collect illegal levies along the Banda Aceh-Medan route.

After a meeting between Aceh Deputy Governor Azwar Abubakar and Pertamina representatives in Banda Aceh later in the day, the transportation of fuel gradually resumed to normal late on Tuesday.

"We hope the situation will return to normal on Wednesday. People are suffering since all activities related to electricity are halted. We also lack water," a local resident said. A truck driver who asked not to be named said that on every trip, a truck driver paid Rp 1 million in illegal levies at dozens of posts along the Banda Aceh-Medan route.

"Truck owners don't want to know about our problems, but many times we have to pay the levies ourselves ... not to mention sometimes we get hit by officers if we refuse to give them money," he said.

Aceh Police chief Brig. Gen. Chaerul Rasyid has threatened to fire police personnel found guilty of collecting illegal fees. It has been reported that most of the defiant officers come from outside Aceh and are stationed along the restive regencies along the Banda Aceh-Medan route.

Stricken by strikes

Straits Times - February 5, 2001

Robert Go, Jakarta -- Labour unrest and strikes cost the Indonesian economy up to US$2 billion (S$3.5 billion) last year, analysts estimate.

Hundreds of unions sponsored 250 strikes involving some 100,000 workers last year. They hit hundreds of domestic companies, including kretek cigarette-maker HM Sampoerna, household- appliance manufacturer Maspion, and footwear and apparel producer Universal Utama.

Foreign businesses have also been targeted. British/Australian mining firm Kaltim Prima Coal reported US$50 million in lost sales after a strike at their site dragged on for months.

More recently, strikers have hit Indonesia's important tourism industry, with thousands walking off their jobs at the five-star Kartika Plaza Hotel in Bali on December 18 to demand better transportation allowances.

Hundreds of discontented service workers shut down the five-star Shangri-La in Jakarta on December 22, costing the hotel more than US$5 million so far.

Japan's Sony Electronics moved some of its operations to Thailand and Malaysia after 900 of its technicians walked off in May.

Conglomerate owner Sofyan Wanandi told The Straits Times that the full bill to the country -- including lost productivity and the cost of replacing damaged property -- is probably around US$2 billion.

He said: "There are conflicting regulations on labour issues. But anarchy is the big problem. Law-enforcement agencies are also slow to react when workers cross the line separating peaceful strikes from criminal behaviour."

Economist M. Sadli, a former Mines Minister under former President Suharto, noted that Indonesia's unions have become more aggressive since the end of the Suharto era. He blames the change on the unions' need to compete for members, dues and financial assistance from international labour groups.

Union leaders like Ms Dita Indah Sari, who spent a few years in jail during the Suharto regime for inciting demonstrations and strikes, insist that worker militancy is justified. "Workers are just beginning to realise that if organised, they can be a formidable political and economic force," she said.

The government is concerned that the labour situation, coupled with political infighting in Jakarta and sporadic social unrest throughout the archipelago, is not only keeping new investors away, but also contributing to the flight of companies from Indonesia.

Said Trade and Industry Minister Luhut Pandjaitan recently: "Some investors have perhaps shifted production capacity -- especially in the low-skilled, labour-intensive sectors of garment and apparel manufacturing -- to other countries."

Added conglomerate owner Mr Sofyan: "The situation is reaching boiling point. It is still manageable now, but without conscious effort from all sides, conflicts between workers and business interests will rise."

Aceh/West Papua

Separatist rebels ambush troops in Aceh

Agance France-Presse - February 9, 2001

Banda Aceh -- Separatist rebels on Friday shot dead an Acehnese army trooper and wounded 13 others in a pre-dawn ambush on the village prayer house where they were resting in Indonesia's restive Aceh province, military sources said.

The sources said the attack on 30 army personnel in the village of Mukojurong, in Pidie district triggered a 15 minute firefight, in which the rebels used automtaic weapons and rocket launchers.

One of the soldiers, Sergent Syamsul Bachrie, was killed and 13 others injured, seven of them seriously, before the rebels disengaged, the sources said.

The injured were flown to hospitals in Lhokseumawe and in the North Sumatra city of Medan. There were no reports of rebel casualties.

Earlier Friday police said an Indonesian policeman had been shot dead and two people seriously wounded in renewed violence in the province.

Police sergent Ibrahim was shot at point-blank range by unknown men outside his home in the Sungai Pauh Langsa area of East Aceh on Thursday, police spokesman Chief Commissioner Kusbini Imbar said.

"I'm sure the attackers were GAM [Free Aceh Movement] members," Imbar said. GAM spokesman Ishak Duad denied the charges.

Meanwhile, a soldier was shot and wounded by unknown assailants when riding a motorcycle in the Bambi area of Pidie on Thursday, local military police chief Lieutenant Colonel Samsuar, told AFP.

In a separate incident, villagers on Friday found the tortured bodies of two unidenified under a bridge across the Lansar River in Beurandeh village, East Aceh, local journalists said. The bodies were taken to the local hospital.

More than 120 people have been killed this year in the armed conflict between government forces and GAM guerrillas, who have been fighting for a free Islamic state in the resource-rich province since the mid-1970s.

The killings have continued despite a month-long moratorium on violence in Aceh effective January 15, agreed between representatives of the government and the GAM in Switzerland earlier in the month. Last year's violence in the province claimed more than 1,000 lives.

Pressure for a vote on self-rule in Aceh has intensified since East Timor's breakaway from Indonesia after a UN-conducted ballot on self determination in 1999. Jakarta has ruled out independence for Aceh but pledged broad autonomy.

Last three hostages freed by leader of Free Papua Movement

Jakarta Post - February 8, 2001

Jayapura -- Willem Onde, the leader of the Free Papua Movement (OPM), released on Wednesday afternoon three hostages, including two Koreans, who had been held for 23 days.

"Three PT Korindo Merauke employees, including two Korean nationals, were released this afternoon at about 2:45 p.m. local time after being held hostage since January 16," Chung Mulia Wijaya, vice president of PT Korindo logging and plywood company, told The Jakarta Post in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Chung said the three released hostages, identified as Lee Jong Myung, Kuon O Deok and Emerikue Kamelius, "were in good condition and only lost few kilograms". "Thank God the two Koreans are surveyors who have been living in Indonesia for 20 years ... so they are used to mosquito bites and raw food," he said.

The kidnappers, who are from a faction of OPM, seized 16 employees of the South Korean-owned plywood firm based in Asiki district, some 360 kilometers from Merauke.

Thirteen of the hostages were released on January 28 following negotiations with the rebels at their camp in Asiki district. The rebels then demanded a US$1 million ransom, a halt to logging in the area and the withdrawal of police from the timber-cutting area for the release of the remaining three hostages.

"I met with Onde during the previous negotiations. Onde released the hostages on the grounds that President Abdurrahman Wahid agreed to meet with him in Jakarta. Basically he [Onde] was only trying to channel his aspirations for Papua freedom and it had nothing to do with Korindo," Chung said.

Merauke Regent Johanes Gluba Gebse was in Jakarta on Wednesday reportedly to confirm the planned meeting between the President and Onde. Presidential spokesman Wimar Witoelar said earlier that the President had agreed to meet with Onde.

Both Chung and Korindo director Eugenius Simon Lestuny said no ransom had been paid for the release of the hostages. "No ransom was paid. Logging is continuing as usual and as for the withdrawal of troops, that is up to the government," Lestuny said.

The three hostages left Onde's camp in the Asiki district near Digul River with negotiators, who included Merauke Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Yohanis Agus Mulyono, the chief of the Army's Special Force (Kopassus) in Tribuana, Lt. Col. Nus Rasia, and two Koreans officials from PT Korindo.

"We are glad that all hostages are safe and sound and no rescue operation was necessary," Trikora Military Commander Maj. Gen. Mahidin Simbolon and Irian Jaya Police chief Insp. Gen. Made Mangku Pastika said.

"We thank Mgr. J. Duivenvoorde, Rev. Kees de Roy, [local residents] Marius Marip, Vitalis and Linus, and Nor Bertha [Onde's sister], who played wonderful roles as negotiators, along with the government, the security forces and all related parties that have helped us in peacefully securing the release of the hostages," Kim Dong Hwan, the vice chairman of PT Korindo, said in a statement.

The company, however, urged the government to be more sensitive in understanding the situation in the regions. PT Korindo has been operating in Indonesia for 30 years. The company has 4,000 employees in Irian Jaya.

Dossier on SIRA chief handed over to the court in Medan

Jakarta Post - February 6, 2001

Banda Aceh -- The dossier on the detained chief of the Aceh Referendum Information Center (SIRA), Muhammad Nazar, has been handed over to the court in Medan to be processed for trial, an official said on Monday.

"The dossier was received on Friday," an official at the court was quoted by Antara as saying. The date of Nazar's trial, however, has not been set.

In Banda Aceh, the chief of the local court, Farida Hanoum, stated on Monday that Nazar's trial was moved to Medan based on a decree from the Ministry of Justice. "The decree clearly states that the trial be moved to Medan due to a lack of judges and because of the unstable security [in Aceh]," she said.

Nazar, along with several other activists, have renounced the decision to hold the trial in Medan. "I want to be tried here," Nazar said.

Nazar has been detained since November 20 for organizing a mass congress to demand a referendum in Aceh. He is being charged under articles 154 and 155 of the Criminal Code for harboring hostile intentions/treason against the state, which carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison.

Separately, Irham Buana Nasution, a lawyer at the Medan-based Legal Aid Foundation, stated his readiness to defend Nazar. "If the trial is moved here [to Medan] we will prepare his defense with 20 other lawyers," Irham said.

Meanwhile, violence continued to shake Aceh on Monday. The body of Marzuki, 45, was found in Lamreng, Darul Imarah district, Aceh Besar regency. The victim's throat had been slit.

In Pidie regency, an alleged member of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), identified as Tengku Nasrul, died in a gunfight with security officers who were on patrol on Sunday morning in Beriweueh village, Meurudu district, Pidie Police spokesman Comr. Restu M. Budianto said. "Nasrul had planted a bomb on the road to intercept the patrolling officers. The bomb went off and a gunfight between the rebel and the officers was unavoidable.

"He died on the scene while a police officer was injured," Restu said. Shortly after the fray at least 11 houses burned down when a fire broke out in a nearby village.

In a separate development, 584 personnel from the police's Mobile Brigade left Aceh on Monday aboard the KRI Teluk Parigi battleship. They departed from Malahayati Port in Krueng Raya, Banda Aceh, the spokesman for the police's Operation Cinta Meunasah, Sr. Comr. Kusbini Imbar, said. "The troops have served their tour of about 10 months in Pidie, Aceh Besar and West Aceh, respectively. They will be returned to their bases in Java, Sumatra and Jakarta," Kusbini said.

Five killed in Indonesia's Irian Jaya

Associated Press - February 5, 2001

Jakarta -- Fighting in Indonesia's restive Irian Jaya province killed four soldiers from the country's elite special forces and a separatist rebel, media reports said Sunday. The death toll was the highest since a series of skirmishes in December that killed at least 20 people.

The state Antara news agency said the latest clash occurred on Saturday when rebels launched a surprise attack on a military outpost in Betaf, a town near the border with Papua New Guinea, about 2,500 miles northeast of Jakarta.

The news agency said the guerrillas tortured and then killed the four members of Kopassus, the US-trained special forces brigade accused of numerous human rights abuses in Irian Jaya and other violence-wracked regions.

Irian Jaya, also known as West Papua, is located on the western half of New Guinea island. Rebels of the Free Papua Movement have been waging a war of independence since Indonesia occupied the former Dutch colony in 1963.

Indonesia formally annexed the region in 1969 after a UN- sanctioned "Act of Free Choice" in which about 1,000 tribal leaders supposedly expressed their desire for integration. Critics have dismissed the process as a sham.

Since then, repeated offensives by heavily armed government forces have failed to eliminate the insurgents but have resulted in thousands of civilian deaths. The rebels, armed with bows, arrows and spears, have managed to evade troops by hiding in Irian Jaya's jungle-covered mountain ranges.

Last month, a group of the rebels abducted 16 people, including three South Korean employees of a logging company, also near border area. They have since released 13 captives and demanded direct talks with President Abdurrahman Wahid.

Meanwhile, violence in Indonesia's strife-torn province of Aceh has killed at least six people in the last two days, police said Sunday.

The deaths bring to at least 34 the number of political deaths in the province since rebel representatives and government officials agreed to extend a cease-fire earlier last month. More than 6,000 people have been killed in the past decade.

Aceh, 1,100 miles northwest of Jakarta, is an oil- and gas-rich province on the northern tip of Sumatra, where separatist rebels have been fighting for independence since 1975.

Land disputes/peasant struggle

Families flee after attack by pulp paper company

Detik - February 5, 2001

Chaidir Anwar Tanjung/Fitri & GB, Pekanbaru -- Tens of families from Betung village, Pangkalankuras subdistrict, Belelawan regency, Riau province, have fled to the shelter of a neighbouring village following an attack by 700 `employees' of PT Arara Abadi -- a subsidiary of PT Kiat Pulp and Paper -- on Saturday afternoon.

The attack on the villagers was revealed by prominent Riau leader Tabrani Rab to Detik during a telephone interview Monday. Tabrani said that up to 20 trucks loaded with `employees' of PT AA arrived at the village brandishing wooden batons.

Several villagers were injured in the attack. They have been identified as Sulin (42), Muchtar (21), Rasyid (30) and Jasa (43). Unfortunately, no information is available at present about if and where they received medical treatment.

Meanwhile, the Public Relations officer of PT AA, Budi, said he could not yet comment on the incident although he confirmed it did take place. "We will provide a press release later. We don't have complete data now," said Budi.

The relationship between the villagers and the company has been deteriorating for sometime. The villagers, mostly indigenous Sakai tribes people, have been disappointed in PT AA because the company has robbed and ransacked their traditional land.

As a sign of their disappointment and frustration, villagers blocked the road leading to the forest concession area of PT AA. Their action angered the company and resulted in the attack on Saturday.

Tabrani said the attack was not only carried out by employees of the company but received the backing of the local Mobile Brigade- the elite police unit. He condemned the attack and lamented that the Riau police had become partisan in the conflict.

Tabrani, also a prominent figure of the Sakai tribe, questioned why the Riau provincial government had turned a blind eye to the conflict and Saturday's incident. "I most dislike the Riau Governor who doesn't care about the people. I think Saleh Djasit should resign as Governor," said Tabrani.

The outspoken Tabrani rose to national prominence as a leader of Riau's independence movement. He currently serves as Head of the Riau Regional Autonomy Board.

Elite power struggle

The powder keg of Indonesian politics

Straits Times - February 10, 2001

Marianne Kearney, Jakarta -- As embattled President Abdurrahman Wahid fights off moves to impeach him, analysts fear this week's unrest throughout Java could easily spin out of control as Mr Abdurrahman's allies and opponents use mass movements to oppose each other.

The scores of burnt buildings and injured people, along with the thousands of outraged East Javanese threatening to wage a holy war show that the President's supporters will not easily allow the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) to impeach him.

Pro-Abdurrahman Nadhlatul Ulama (NU) supporters have upped the stakes, having proved that they could bring East Java to it's knees. NU is the 40 million-strong Muslim group that Mr Abdurrahman used to chair. The President's opponents appear equally willing to use mass demonstrations to strike back, as the thousand-strong student demonstrations in both Surabaya and Jakarta yesterday showed.

Further clashes are unlikely to occur in East Java, where demonstrations were relatively controlled, said analysts. However, they could break out in other parts of the country where rival Muslim groups, backed by MPR Speaker Amien Rais, could seek revenge for the damage done in Surabaya.

Said political analyst Goh Sam Qan: "The real danger is in places like Yogyakarta, or Jakarta where fundamental Muslim groups, linked to Amien Rais, are stronger. If they clash with NU it could be explosive."

The usually silent Vice-President Megawati Sukarnoputri yesterday condemned the violence. "I do not accept the continuation of these demonstrations [which] should not happen in a modern democratic state,"she said.

By waiting until yesterday to restrain the demonstrators, Mr Abdurrahman is showing that if Jakarta's elite want to play dirty -- trying to impeach him over corruption charges when they have no proof -- then he too can play dirty by moving slowly to calm his emotional supporters.

"The political parties are using the lower classes as their political tools," said Mr Goh, adding that it was easy for the parties to exploit a historical rivalry between the President's rural Muslim followers, and Golkar's and Amien Rais's predominantly urban Muslim followers from Muhammadiyah.

Local leaders from the President's PKB admitted as much when they suggested demonstrators would calm down if Mr Abdurrahman's opponents stopped pushing for his impeachment.

The politicians in Jakarta are also trying to use mass demonstrations to their advantage, exploiting the impression that the country is out of control to demand faster impeachment proceedings.

However, political analysts from East Java say that the pro- Abdurrahman violence is genuine, and could be easily re-ignited with more dire results.

Political scientist Dede Oetomo said: "I think it was thugs who burnt down the offices this time. If the violence was really spontaneous, then it would have been worse and people would have been killed."

The President and his NU supporters in East Java are to be feared, said Mr Dede Oetomo, because a large percentage of them are the fierce Madurese, whose culture includes fighting and even dying.

He added: "They're expressing pure religious loyalty to their leader [the President]. Every Madurese extended family has someone who has killed or been executed. Killing is justified in their culture."

Looking for answers that will kill

Addressing some 2,000 fanatical followers in East Java yesterday, President Abdurrahman Wahid slammed his critics and gently admonished his cheering supporters for attacking and burning the offices of the Golkar party in East Java. Here are some of his remarks:

"If you go on burning everything, how can we have elections? I'm happy you are ready to die bravely, but I prefer that you live bravely." The status [of the parliamentary committee which reported on the scandals] is not legitimate. Its work is tardy and its decision unacceptable.

"I am now preparing the best answer, an answer that will kill. Pasuruan is full of angry people. If you feel that you are not appreciated by Golkar, as I also feel unappreciated, let them be, let us be the ones upholding the laws. We'll see, that in the next election Golkar will lose."

"You can be hot in your heart, but you must stay cool in your head. Those who want to topple me will be toppled themselves."

PRD behind East Java destruction: Mahfud

Detik - February 9, 2001

Kompas Cyber Media/Fitri & GB, Jakarta -- Few people were surprised when Chairman of the Golkar Party Akbar Tandjung and Head of the party's Central Leaders' Council Mahadi Sinambela accused the People's Democratic Party (PRD) of being behind the anarchy which erupted during a massive demonstration of pro- President Abdurrahman Wahid supporters in East Java on Wednesday.

Now, they have been joined by no other than the controversial Minister of Defense Mahfud MD who has taken their accusations to the next level: that the group plans to cause the disintegration of Indonesia.

As reported previously, hundreds of thousands of pro-Wahid demonstrators rallied Wednesday at the East Java Provincial Legislative Council. They were unhappy the House last week accepted a report compiled by the House special committee on the Buloggate-Bruneigate financial scandals which implicate the President. In the demonstration, orators demanded Golkar be disbursed. The party dominated Indonesian politics under the authoritarian regime of Suharto.

Thousands later moved from the Council to the Golkar provincial headquarters and set it alight. Other party headquarters have also been attacked this week across the province.

Tanjung, who is also Speaker of the House of Representatives, met with Golkar Party leaders on Wednesday night to discuss the situation. They apparently decided to accuse the PRD and other "pro-reformasi" student groups of being communist and the PRD in particular of provoking the attack on the Golkar Party offices.

While the Golkar leaders did not cite any evidence to back up their claims, the Minister said he had obtained information from leaders of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) -- the 30 million strong Muslim organisation headed by Wahid before becoming President.

"I met several leaders of the Nahdlatul Ulama branch offices in East Java last night. They explained the demonstration had been infiltrated by PRD so that what started as a peaceful action suddenly turned into anarchy," said Mahfud at the Wolter Monginsidi airport, Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi, Friday as quoted by Kompas Cyber Media.

Leaders of NU branch offices in East Java, said Mahfud, had repeatedly warned demonstrators to contain themselves in an orderly manner and without anarchy. "When I spoke to them [NU leaders] why they were destroying, rather embarrassed, they explained that each NU branch had warned their members not to destroy. And, that indeed occurred before finally they [the demonstrators] were infiltrated," said Mahfud.

But Mahfud went even further in his claims. He said the group had infiltrated both pro- and anti-Wahid demonstrations in Jakarta and that they had also provoked reformist groups in order to divide the nation. "I have always said, `watch out for the passenger' in pro- and anti-Gus Dur demonstrations. Both have massive numbers of members. The `passenger' tried to turn reformist groups against each other, but they are waiting for the results, that is, the disintegration of this nation," said Mahfud referring to the President by his nickname.

'The `passenger' according to Mahfud has received funds from NGOs in 14 countries. Each person was assigned to mobilise as many people as possible to demonstrate in Jakarta. Mahfud said each person was paid Rp 10 million for the job. "The payment was paid on 13 January 2001," Mahfud claimed.

He said he had already approached Akbar Tanjung with a list of the people involved complete with the date of payment and the account number.

"I went to Akbar on 16 January. I gave him intelligence data on these people. And indeed most people know, people who I have mentioned have been involved in demonstrations that lead to anarchy," said Mahfud.

Despite the strength of their allegation that some PRD members were involved in anarchic action in East Java, Mahfud stressed that the government would not take action against the party led by young activist Budiman Sudjatmiko.

However, the government would take legal action against members. "As long as they implement democracy according to our rule, we will not reprimand them. We will only bring the people to legal process. Not because they are PRD but because of their actions. Even if they are NU or from the Association of Islamic Students (HMI), we will do the same, we will reprimand them," added Mahfud.

The government may not take action against the PRD, but the PRD may take action against Mahfud. Earlier today, Budiman Sudjatmiko and PRD legal representatives went to the national police headquarters to file a complaint against the Golkar Party's slanderous allegations. Budiman said the party was trapped in the old paradigms where the "communists" were always the easy scapegoats. How does one then explain the actions of Mahfud, considered to be close to the President, when the PRD have throughout recent weeks appeared to support the President provided he take decisive action against the remnant of the old regime.

Wahid raises spectre of `third hand' in political violence

Agance France-Presse - February 9, 2001

Pasuruan -- Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid on Friday suggested that a "third hand" had been inciting his followers to excessive violence in East Java, and urged his people to conduct vigilante-style arrests to stop them

"If you see these people playing up, catch them immediately, don't wait for the police, because the police have to gather legal evidence first," Wahid told a gathering of religious leader in the East Java capital of Surabaya. "If you already know they are going to act, we must act first," he added.

Wahid's comments came as criticism mounted against almost a week of violent attacks by thousands of his followers in East Java -- in which journalists have been attacked and the offices of the opposition Golkar party trashed and burned.

His supporters, from the 40-million-strong Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) that he once led, have been retaliating against moves by the parliament in Jakarta to unseat Wahid, and call a national assembly session to impeach him.

The NU was deeply involved in the mass killing of communists and leftists in Indonesia in 1965 and 1966.

Wahid said he thought that the "third hand ... leading the way" in the riots by his NU supporters were the same group blamed for the 1996 riots against the Indonesian Democracy Party (PDI) party of his vice-president Megawati Sukarnoputri.

He also said police reports had indicated they might have links to non-governmental organizations with foreign links. "I have seen reports from police and others, that there were elements, we could call them the third party. They [police] named these people, but I don't want to name them without strong evidence."

"They're the same group which caused confrontation when the attack occurred on PDI headquarters in 1996," he said, referring to a small leftist party [People's Democratic Party, PRD - JB] which police blamed for the attacks on the party of Megawati, at the time a popular opposition figure pitted against then- president Suharto.

"This group stirred up ABRI [the armed forces] as they did in 1996," he said. "I got a report from the East Java military commander, that the same group held a meeting in East Java.

"According to that report they were funded by foreign NGOs ... to finish off the role of TNI [the new initials for the armed forces] in this region. These people led the way ... and showed the way to the people who were already angry ... and that's how it [the burning of the Golkar offices] happened."

PRD accuses Akbar of defamation

Jakarta Post - February 10, 2001

Jakarta -- The Democratic People's Party (PRD) filed a police complaint on Friday against chairman of the Golkar Party, Akbar Tandjung, and its deputy chairman, Mahadi Sinambela, for accusing PRD of being behind the vandalism of Golkar offices in East Java.

PRD chief Budiman Sudjatmiko, accompanied by lawyers Summa Miharja, Paulus Mahulete and Noni Tri Purwaningsih, challenged the Golkar Party to come up with material evidence to support their charges against PRD.

"Golkar has accused PRD of burning their offices in East Java, but they have no material evidence. If they have any, show it to us. Do not just accuse us without proof," Budiman told reporters at the National Police Headquarters.

"PRD has never instructed anyone, or been a part of the burning and destruction of Golkar offices anywhere." Budiman also challenged Akbar and Mahadi to hold an open public debate with him on the matter of the accusations.

"I am sure that they will not be able to do it, since they have nobody intelligent enough in their party to hold a debate in which proof is needed to support whatever statement you make," Budiman said.

Akbar had accused PRD, City Forum (Forkot), Student Action Forum for Reform and Democracy (Famred) and the City Network (Jarkot) of being the orchestrators of the vandalism on Thursday.

Golkar officially filed a report with the National Police over the vandalization and torching of the party's offices in East Java, saying that it had caused the party losses of more than Rp 20 billion (US$2 million).

The party also filed a complaint with the police alleging libel against Hasyim Muzadi, the chairman of the country's largest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul Ulama, who reportedly said that Golkar was behind the student rally which demand Gus Dur's resignation.

City Forum (Forkot) on Friday demanded Akbar to apologize to the student groups for his statement about their role in the vandalism in East Java. Forkot spokesman Muri Sabu said that Akbar should make the apology in the next 48 hours.

"Otherwise, we will find justice in our own way," Muri said at the office of the Indonesian Legal Aid Association (PBHI), as quoted by Antara.

Separately, National Police Spokesman Brig. Gen. Saleh Saaf said on Friday that the memorandum by the House of Representatives to censure President Abdurrahman Wahid is lacking in legal facts, "The testimonies handed over by the House's special committee is just preliminary information that needs to be clarified further. It is not sufficient as legally acceptable evidence," Saleh said. Police, in cooperation with the Attorney General's Office, are still studying the memorandum, he said.

He said the police would also consult with several legal experts to study the results of the House's special committee which is investigating two scandals linked to President. "We will soon decide our stance on the matter," Saleh said.

Separately the Bishops's Council of Indonesia (KWI) in a statement on Thursday called all sides, both that the support and reject the House's special committee report to remain calm and maintain a democratic conduct towards the whole affair.

They also urged the political elites to be mindful of their conduct as it could permeate and aggravate the situation in the grassroots level.

President did toy with martial law idea

Straits Times - February 9, 2001

Jakarta -- Defence Minister Muhammad Mahfud has confirmed rumours that President Abdurrahman Wahid proposed to impose martial law prior to parliament's decision to censure him last Thursday.

The Indonesian Observer yesterday quoted Mr Muhammad as saying that the President had sought support from his aides to impose martial law during a meeting with the Rectors' Forum at the presidential palace on Jan 27.

"President Abdurrahman said that if the state's condition worsened, he would propose the decree in an attempt to stabilise the situation," said Mr Muhammad.

He added that Mr Abdurrahman had claimed that martial law would be a warning to the five provinces that have pledged to secede from Indonesia.

Mr Muhammad said that the proposal consisted of three points: imposition of martial law, freezing parliament, and holding a snap general election.

Indonesia's Wahid playing with fire, analysts warn

Agence France-Presse - February 8, 2001

Jakarta -- Threatened with impeachment, Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid is playing a dangerous game by mobilising thousands of supporters in his stronghold of East Java, diplomats said Thursday.

For six days running his supporters have taken to the streets in East Java, the stronghold of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the country's leading Muslim organisation which Wahid headed for 15 years.

The protests have spilled over into violence with the protestors torching the offices of the opposition Golkar party, which has backed moves to impeach Wahid over two alleged financial scandals.

Wahid, the country's first democratically elected president, is due to visit the area on Friday officially in a bid to calm the tensions, but his motives remain ambiguous.

Although he has urged his supporters not to resort to violence, he has failed to bow to his opponents' demands and call for a halt to the demonstrations, which Thursday left 23 people injured.

In fact he may even have fanned the flames, by saying the situation was "the price to be paid" for the ongoing process of democratisation launched with the fall of former strongman Suharto in 1998.

"Wahid is playing his last card, the people -- and in fact the NU -- against the parliament. It's a warning to scare the MPs. He wants to be seen as the only one capable of mobilising, the only one able to then show that he can control the situation and calm his troops," said one diplomat.

Wahid has gained some time on the political front after being censured by parliament for his alleged role in the two scandals, after the military and the country's two main parties refused to back calls to impeach him immediately.

But diplomats fear an increasing period of instability with Wahid given four months to mend his ways or face a special impeachment session. One diplomat warned the situation could slide out of control as the NU steps up its warnings of a "bloodbath" and a "civil war" if Wahid is stripped of the presidency.

The NU played a major role in the massacres of hundreds of thousands of members of the Communist Party PKI and their sympathisers in 1965-66 in the bloodletting surrounding Suharto's rise to power.

"Until now, Wahid has taken care to dissociate his political action through his party, the PKB, from the NU," said one diplomat. "This time, the NU and its self-defence forces the 'Banser,' is in the frontline with the risk of clashes taking on religious overtones."

Diplomats fear the troubles could migrate into central Java, where the NU is not so strong, and the capital Jakarta where the Islamic parties and the head of the national assembly Amien Rais, the former head of the rival Muslim group, the Muhammadyia, have led calls for Wahid to resign.

For the time being the violence has mainly affected East Java, and has been effectively channelled.

Protestors have only attacked the offices of Suharto's former political vehicle, Golkar, "which doesn't have the means to confront the NU on the streets," said a diplomat. Another factor which will determine Wahid's future is what stand the army with its 38 seats in 500-seat lower house of parliament chooses to adopt.

Although the military faction approved the report implicating Wahid in the financial scandals, it has since played a moderating role by reaffirming its loyalty to the "constitutionally elected" president and refusing to echo the calls for him to go.

"The army is today taking an extremely legalistic line. It's primary concern is the unity of the country," said a military expert. "To throw itself behind Wahid's immediate impeachment, as the radical MPs want, is a leap into the unknown for the military risking fire and bloodshed in Java or the division of the island."

Wahid, now politically weakened, could also be tempted to try to shore up the military's support and bow to its demands to declare a state of emergency in the troubled provinces of Aceh and Irian Jaya, giving it carte blanche to act, another diplomat said.

Attack on Golkar office continues

Jakarta Post - February 9, 2001 (abridged)

Surabaya -- The supporters of President Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid continued on Thursday to vent their rage against what they see as a conspiracy to unseat the President by vandalizing another Golkar Party office, this time in Lamongan, situated some 40 kilometers northwest of here.

Thousands of people marched to the Golkar office while yelling anti-Golkar slogans and started pelting the building with stones. The building's windows were shattered and some of its roof tiles were dislodged.

The protesters also vandalized the Lamongan regency offices in an effort to force the regency secretary Ena Sumarna to sign a statement acknowledging that the Golkar building belonged to the people. Police managed to disperse the crowd before further violence took place.

In Yogyakarta, at least 350 protesters sealed the Yogyakarta Golkar offices on Jl. Jenderal Sudirman here on Thursday. Braving a downpour, they urged the police officers guarding the building to let them "quarantine" the offices.

After long negotiation, the protesters managed to approach the building and posted up a piece of black paper which read, "This office is sealed off by the people".

Similar actions were reportedly also conducted by Abdurrahman's supporters in the town of Nganjuk and in Sampang, Madura Island, both in East Java. The mobs also threw stones at the Golkar offices in both towns before being brought under control by the police.

Thursday's actions reflected the anger felt by Abdurrahman's supporters in East Java. They had earlier vandalized the Golkar offices in Gresik and torched the Golkar offices in Surabaya, Malang and Mojokerto.

Meanwhile, Surabaya City Police chief Sr. Comr. Suharto said that eight people had been arrested for the looting and torching of Golkar's East Java headquarters in Surabaya on Wednesday.

According to Suharto, seven of the suspects were being detained by the Surabaya City Police, while another suspect was being held by the South Surabaya police precinct. "They were all caught in the act."

Reports from Bandung said that some 800 police officers had been sent to East Java on Wednesday to help the East Java Police deal with the demonstrations. Deputy National Police chief Sr. Comr. Panji Atmasudirdja admitted that the officers should have been sent days before the Golkar offices in Surabaya were burned down.

Enraged by the spate of attacks on Golkar offices, a deputy chairman of Golkar, Mahadi Sinambela, accused President Abdurrahman and the People's Democratic Party (PRD) of being involved in a conspiracy to destroy Golkar offices.

Mahadi, accompanied by East Jakarta Golkar chairman Ridwan Isyam, said that several kyai (ulemas) were also involved in the acts of vandalism. Golkar chairman Akbar Tandjung, who is also House Speaker, said on Thursday that the President should have condemned his supporters' actions.

He further said that the anarchic actions perpetrated against Golkar offices were similar to those orchestrated by the Communists in 1965. "Physically, we can point to the People's Democratic Party [PRD], City Forum [Forkot], Student Action Forumn for Reform and Democracy [Famred] and City Network [Jarkot] as being the movements conspiring against us," he asserted.

In Makassar, South Sulawesi, a clash erupted between Golkar supporters and anti-Golkar students from the Makassar Students Forum and led to the arrest of two anti-Golkar protesters and five Golkar supporters.

In Semarang, some 40 women grouped in the Semarang Women's Forum took the streets demanding that President Abdurrahman and Amien Rais, the Speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), join forces for the sake of the people.

Separately, 500 Abdurrahman supporters staged a protest at the gate of the Krapyak-Jatingaleh toll road, causing traffic congestion for four hours. They branded the politicians who wanted to topple Gus Dur as cowards.

Cracks appear in Indonesian Cabinet

Straits Times - February 8, 2001

Marianne Kearney, Jakarta -- Cracks have appeared in President Abdurrahman Wahid's Cabinet, as his firing yesterday of an outspoken minister led other parties to call on their ministers to resign.

Justice Minister Yusril Mahendra, who on Saturday asked the President to step down, told reporters after being summoned to the palace: "Wahid said that I am not loyal to the government. 'So I replace you'."

Assembly Speaker Amien Rais, who leads the National Mandate Party (PAN), immediately called on his two party members in the Cabinet to also resign or leave his party. The Cabinet was "like a sinking ship, so it's better for you to leave it", he told the two, PAN sources said.

Another two ministers from the Islamic coalition at the forefront of an early impeachment drive are also understood to be under similar pressure to quit.

Including Mr Yusril, the leader of a small rightwing Islamic party, Mr Abdurrahman put five members of the Islamic coalition in his 26-member Cabinet last November. If the remaining four quit now, "it will be the beginning of the end of the government", said political analyst Andi Mallarangeng.

Anti-Golkar and anti-Wahid demonstrations

Detik - February 7, 2001

MMI Ahyani/Hendra & GB, Bandung -- Mass actions to support President Abdurrahman Wahid not only occurred in East Java today. Around 300 people gathered at the Bandung Municipal Legislative Council building in West Java demanding the Golkar Party be disbursed.

Meanwhile, in Medan, North Sumatra, three student groups urged Wahid to resign and go back to East Java to become President there.

Demonstrators began arriving at the Bandung Municipal Legislative Council building on Jl Aceh, Bandung, West Java, around 10.30 local time Wednesday. They blockaded Jl Aceh which then meant traffic was diverted from Jl Wastukencana and Jl Merdeka to Jl RE Martadinata.

Interestingly, most of the demonstrators were students from Junior and Senior High Schools in the area. The students wore their white-blue and white-gray school uniforms and called themselves the `Forum for Total Reformasi' (Fortal) and `Forum of Reformasi Upholders' (FPR).

After noisy protests and negotiations, Fortal and FPR representatives were eventually allowed inside the Bandung Municipal Legislative Council building. Meanwhile, the masses gathered at the Bandung Municipal Legislative Council II hall. They were waiting to be allowed to enter the main building. Security officers were on alert but watched from a distance.

The demonstrations was very lively. Orators condemned Speaker of the House of Representatives Akbar Tandjung and demanded his party, Golkar, be disbursed. They also targeted Speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly Amien Rais.

There was also humour in the students' orations. Names were changed: Amien Rais became Amien Bais (Biased), Akbar Tandjung became Akbar Djantungan (Heart attack) and Fuad Bawazier became Fuad Mubazier (Useless). Mubazier is a National Mandate Party (PAN) leader along with Rais and they are perhaps the President's most vocal opponents in the House.

Meanwhile in North Sumatra, around 500 students arrived at the North Sumatra Provincial Legislative Council around 12.00 local time presenting demands at the other extreme of the political spectrum.

They urged President Wahid, better known as Gus Dur, to resign immediately. "Gus Dur resign, just go back to East Java and be the president there," the demonstrators shouted.

The groups involved were, amongst others: the Indonesian Muslim Students' Action Front (KAMMI), Students Nation Safety Concern (MPKB) and the Khadijah Women's Muslim Movement.

This demonstration was also supported and followed by a number of members of the North Sumatra Provincial Legislative Council.

Speaker of the Council, Ahmad Azhari, directly expressed their support for the students. "We support completely the students' wish and will follow it up according to existing mechanisms in the Legislative Council," Ahmad said. He is also Deputy of the Provincial Leaders' Council of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP).

Besides urging President Wahid to resign and just be President in his home province, the students also demanded the immediate convocation of the People's Consultative Assembly to remove Wahid. "At the latest, the Assembly must convene a special session of the Assembly by the end of March 2001," shouted one of the orators.

In addition, anti-Gus Dur students also `long marched' to the state-owned television station in the provincial capital Medan located around one kilometer from the Council. During the long march they sang, "Go home! go home! take Gus Dur home, take Gus Dur to East Java!"

These students also changed the President's name and several posters read `change Gus Dur's name into Gusur Durjana' (get rid of the sinner). Shortly after the anti-Wahid students arrived, another 200 students arrived at the grounds of the North Sumatra Legislative Council with the same demands as the others in East Java and Bandung. "Abolish Golkar and New-Order followers," they shouted.

These students originated from the Indonesian Nationalist Students Movement (GMNI), Indonesian Christian Students Movement (GMKI), Association of Catholic Students (PMKRI) and Indonesian Association of Muslim Students (PMII). Representatives were also allowed inside the Council chambers.

East Java riots spur call for civil emergency

Straits Times - February 8, 2001

Marianne Kearney, Jakarta -- As 50,000 supporters of President Abdurrahman Wahid ran amok in Surabaya, burning Golkar buildings and the houses of rival Muslim leaders, their alarmed followers in the Indonesian Parliament last night called unexpectedly on the President to declare a civil emergency in the province.

In response, the President told them that the riots were the price they had to pay for democracy. At a press conference at the Merdeka Palace last night, he told: "All of this actually serves as a bitter lesson for all of us, and it should not continue. "This is the price we have to pay for the continuing process of democracy."

The attacks on Golkar officers led party chief Akbar Tanjung to seek some accommodation with the President. Both of them announced last night that Golkar would not support any moves for an earlier impeachment trial.

Chief Security Minister Susilo Bambang Yudhuyuno had earlier ruled out imposing emergency law in East Java. The President, he said, had promised to "do something to put order into the political expression in East Java".

The minister also chastised the legislators for trying to speed up an impeachment process without giving the President time to defend himself, leading to "excessive political expressions" by his supporters.

The call from the politicians for emergency law in East Java as they found themselves under physical attack is an ironic twist, coming just days after Mr Abdurrahman was condemned for trying to declare martial law before last week's crucial Parliament meeting to censure him over two corruption scandals.

Leading yesterday's charge for tougher police action in East Java was National Mandate Party (PAN) legislator Djoko Susilo, whose party boss Amien Rais is spearheading moves to oust Mr Abdurrahman speedily.

Mr Djoko told The Straits Times that a parliamentary commission had called on Defence Minister Mohammad Mahfud to seek emergency law in East Java. "If they can't prevent the mob from spreading out all over East Java, and spreading to central Java, then this country is in a terrible situation," he warned.

A civil emergency would place security for East Java in the hands of the governor and regional police chief, suspending civil rights, such as freedom of assembly.

According to local news reports, police were forced yesterday to fire warning shots and teargas to calm 50,000 frenzied demonstrators in Surabaya, Indonesia's second-largest city. The President's supporters took over the local parliament building, burnt the Golkar office and threatened Golkar cadres with knives and sickles.

Mr Djoko said he was concerned with reports that the mob was attacking not just Golkar buildings, but also buildings owned by Muhammadiyah, with two Muhammadiyah universities destroyed and the home of the East Java Muhammadiyah leader attacked.

Muhammadiyah is the second-largest Muslim organisation, after Nadhlatul Ulama (NU), and was headed by Mr Amien Rais before he became People's Consultative Assembly Speaker.

However, Mr Choirul Anam, a local leader of Mr Abdurrahman's Nation Awakening Party (PKB), rejected the legislators' claims that the mobs were out of control, threatening to spread anarchy.

"It's not a mob. This is people power. The people are not stupid. They know the leaders are out of control," he said, pointing out that the violence was directed against Golkar.

"If the elite can compromise, can meet and can think, then I think, it can be controlled. Especially if Mr Amien doesn't gossip any more," Mr Choirul said. "These demonstrations are the fault of Parliament, not Gus Dur," he added.

Minister's departure hurts Wahid

South China Morning Post - February 8, 2001

Vaudine England, Surabaya and agencies in Jakarta -- In a sign that President Abdurrahman Wahid's Government may be cracking under the pressure of a parliamentary censure, his justice minister angrily left the cabinet yesterday accused of disloyalty after urging the head of state to quit.

The dramatic departure of Yusril Mahendra came as 50,000 people in Indonesia's second largest city of Surabaya staged violent protests against attempts to impeach Mr Wahid for alleged corruption.

Later Mr Wahid called for calm, but said the reasons for the demonstrations in his home province of East Java were understandable. "It shows that the anger of the people is very big," Mr Wahid said. He predicted the protests had climaxed and would not be repeated. "This is a bitter lesson. This is the price of democracy," he added.

Mr Wahid's comments capped a day of confusion and disarray at the state palace in Jakarta. Hours earlier, Mr Mahendra claimed that the embattled President had fired him for suggesting in public that Mr Wahid step down.

But Mr Wahid denied that and instead said the minister had quit voluntarily after being told that his colleagues wanted him to leave the cabinet because of his disloyalty.

Whatever the case, the departure of Mr Mahendra, the second minister to leave the cabinet in a month, is a further blow to Mr Wahid's chances of riding out a political storm amid threats by Parliament to impeach him over two corruption scandals.

Until now, Mr Wahid had boasted that he enjoyed the full support of his cabinet and would be able to serve until his term expires in 2004. He has denied any wrongdoing in the scandals.

"Things are getting very serious for the President," Salim Said, a prominent Jakarta political analyst, said. "Sacking Mahendra shows his support base is getting smaller and smaller."

Although Mr Wahid has repeatedly called on his supporters to stay calm, protests have snowballed in his home province of East Java during the past five days.

In Surabaya, protesters called for the deaths of Mr Wahid's opponents and burnt a provincial office of the Golkar political party.

Security forces failed to stop the mobs, although warning shots and tear-gas were fired. Their restraint reflected the blanket support for Mr Wahid and a growing hatred of the Suharto-era Golkar across East Java.

"Anyone against us deserves to die!" screamed one young man in the pro-Wahid mob. "If Wahid falls, the country will be destroyed," read one banner. "If anyone tries to topple Wahid, we will revolt," said protest organiser Mohamad Sujadi.

Protesters later massed at the provincial parliament, carrying fake coffins bearing the names of Parliament leaders Amien Rais and Akbar Tandjung. They are blamed for pushing through the censure of Mr Wahid in a parliamentary memorandum a week ago.

"We will kill them!" shouted one demonstrator, supporting fears that East Java's backing for their native son, Mr Wahid, could spark wider conflict.

In Jakarta, the armed forces committed themselves to upholding the constitutional process, which gives Mr Wahid three months to appease a Parliament set on deposing him.

Non-NU elements involved in attacks on Golkar office

Jakarta Post - February 8, 2001

Jakarta -- Chairman of the East Java chapter of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) organization Ali Maschan Moesa supports police efforts to arrest those involved in the burning of the East Java provincial office of the Golkar party in Surabaya.

"I have asked NU followers to not resort to anarchy and I'm convinced they will not do such a thing. However, there were non-NU elements in the attack, including PRD and FRT," Ali said as quoted by Antara. PRD is the People's Democratic Party while FRT stands for the Front for Total Reform.

Separately, chairman of the East Java Ansor youth organization, a youth wing of NU, HM Rofiq, asserted that NU followers could not have launched the attack, saying the presence of NU leaders among the protesters prevented such a thing. "In fact, I received reports of non-NU people who provoked the attack and burning of the Golkar office. The provocateurs were reported to have watched the building since the past three days," said Rofiq.

Gus Dur supporters burn Golkar offices

Jakarta Post - February 8, 2001

Surabaya -- The anger of President Abdurrahman Wahid's supporters boiled over on Wednesday when they torched Golkar Party offices in Surabaya, Mojokerto and Malang, all in East Java.

In protest at the censuring of the President by the House of Representatives (DPR) over the Bulog and Brunei financial scandals, tens of thousands of the President's supporters continued to vent their anger publicly.

Arriving from Pasuruan, Situbondo, Gresik, Mojokerto and towns on the island of Madura, the President's supporters marched to the Surabaya Golkar office on Jl. Kertamanunggal at about 2:30 p.m. Some of them started to pelt the building with stones before hundreds of them stormed onto the grounds and started to ransack the building under the gaze of the security forces. The security forces fired warning shots but these failed to deter the attackers.

They set the building ablaze as well as two Toyota Kijang vans parked in the grounds. The building was reduced to a charred ruin within the space of two hours as two fire engines were prevented by the mobs from approaching the scene.

At the same time, other Golkar Party offices in Mojokerto and in the regency of Dau, Malang, were also set ablaze by mobs.

Six people, including two policemen and four reporters, were injured in Wednesday's disturbances in Surabaya. The Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) condemned the attacks on the journalists, saying that such actions were unacceptable.

East Java is the home to Abdurrahman's supporters. The anarchy brought Surabaya, Indonesia's second largest city, to a halt. The streets were mostly deserted as shops closed for the day.

The city's main thoroughfares, such as Jl. Urip Sumohardjo, Jl. Pahlawan, Jl. Raya Darmo, Jl. Sudirman and Jl. Basuki Rachmat were quiet. However, residents, including housewives and children, enjoyed watching the demonstrators' from the sidewalks.

Responding to the escalating anger of his supporters in East Java, the President reiterated later on Wednesday his calls for restraint among his supporters. "I truly call on the people to exercise restraint," Abdurrahman told a snap press briefing at the Merdeka Palace.

He said, however, that the attack on Golkar's office in Surabaya earlier in the day was "understandable" and was "the price everybody has to pay for democracy".

"It [the attack] has shown that the people are really outraged by what has been perpetrated by the House," said the President, referring to attempts being made in the House to bring forward a special session of the People's Consultative Assembly. "The incident is actually a sad lesson for all of us and this should not be allowed to continue," Abdurrahman added.

He then called on the media not to publish provocative statements that would only exacerbate the tension between his supporters and their political opponents.

Golkar Party chairman Akbar Tandjung, after a late night meeting in Jakarta with party regional chapter representatives, said the party "regrets and condemns" the attacks.

"We call on the security forces to take resolute action and prevent the destruction of Golkar property. Since the attackers claim to be supporters of the President, we call on President Abdurrahman Wahid to make a statement to calm the situation in East Java," Akbar said, adding that it was the constitutional duty of the President to ensure order and security across the country.

Akbar said that the party would file an action against the government, the police and the "anarchists", stressing that Golkar was an officially registered and legal party.

Separately on Wednesday night, Coordinating Minister for Political, Social and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono when asked stated that at this current juncture the central government could not declare a state of emergency in the affected areas.

"It will be up to the administrations in those areas to decide," he remarked after chairing a ministerial meeting on political and security affairs.

Also in Jakarta, chairman of the Jakarta chapter of Golkar, Yasril Ananta Baharudin, urged the police to take firm measures against those attacking Golkar offices. "If this happens again and the East Java Police chief is unable to handle it, we will consider him to have failed in the performance of his duty and will thus ask the government to replace him," Yasril warned.

During Wednesday's meeting with the House of Representatives defense and information commission, National Police chief Gen. Surojo Bimantoro, said that the police lacked sufficient personnel to handle the situation in East Java.

Meanwhile, thousands of students flocked to the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Jakarta, repeating their demands that the President step down. Braving the rain, the students marched to Merdeka Palace to voice their aspirations.

In Yogyakarta, some 7,000 supporters of Gus Dur took over Jl. Malioboro to call for the dissolution of the Golkar Party, which they said had masterminded the recent political chaos. They also demanded that Akbar quit his post as House speaker. Police said, however, that everything remained under control.

In Bandung, hundreds of Gus Dur supporters attacked the Islamic Students' Association (HMI) secretariat on Jl. Sabang. The demonstrators broke windows in the building, but no clashes were reported.

In the South Sulawesi capital of Makassar, anti-Abdurrahman feeling was still evident on Wednesday when a group of students condemned the vandalism conducted by Gus Dur's supporters.

In Semarang, some 50 students from the Indonesian Muslim Students' Association took to the streets, shouting that Gus Dur, Megawati Soekarnoputri (the Vice President), Amien Rais and Akbar Tandjung were all traitors to the nation.

In Kendal, thousands of Gus Dur supporters blocked the roads, causing traffic jams on the northern coastal route that lasted for three hours. They demanded that Gus Dur stay in office until 2004 and that the Golkar Party be disbanded.

Wahid fights off early impeachment

South China Morning Post - February 7, 2001

Vaudine England in Surabaya and Agencies in Jakarta -- Floundering President Abdurrahman Wahid yesterday appeared to stave off a push to bring forward an impeachment hearing after the country's two main parties rejected the move.

Vice-President Megawati Sukarnoputri's Indonesian Democratic Party-Struggle (PDI-P) and the former ruling Golkar party opposed calls for the top legislature to sit within eight weeks to consider impeachment instead of the four months mandated by the constitution. The two control a majority of the Parliament and the 700-member People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), which consists of 500 members of Parliament and 200 regional representatives.

"It is unnecessary to take moves outside the constitutional corridor, such as the attempt to hasten the MPR session," PDI-P deputy secretary-general Pramono Anung quoted Ms Megawati as telling party members.

Earlier, parliamentary Speaker and chief of the former ruling party Golkar, Akbar Tandjung, said Mr Wahid's legitimacy had been eroded by a parliamentary censure over two graft scandals, but any move to call a special MPR session to impeach him must follow the normal, constitutional process.

Mr Wahid has denied any wrongdoing over the two scandals -- one involving the theft of US$4.1 million from the state commodities regulator Bulog, the other his acceptance of a US$2 million aid donation from the Sultan of Brunei. Fears of bloodshed in Mr Wahid's heartland of East Java -- the scene of clashes between supporters of rival Muslim organisations since the censure -- have added weight to calls for the President to resign.

Unrest continued for a fourth day in towns east of Indonesia's second largest city, Surabaya, and supporters in the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Muslim organisation say they plan further demonstrations in the city today.

Thousands of pro-Wahid demonstrators blocked the main road from Surabaya to Banyuwangi and Bali, and a crowd occupied Ketapang port.

Protesters prevented ferries travelling between Java and Bali. Police at Banyuwangi said hundreds of Wahid supporters carrying knives and sickles were at the port and about 2,000 more were on their way. A crowd of 500 later ransacked an office of the opposition Golkar party there, smashing windows and burning furniture.

A protest leader in Banyuwangi, Ali Maschan, said there would be bloodshed if the President was forced from office. "There will be revenge and civil war," he said. Another crowd marched to the district legislature in Boyolali, carrying banners reading, "Don't trigger us to revolt!"

In a sign of further conflict, yesterday's protests included an attack on a Muslim college run by the rival Muhammadiyah organisation, a power base of Amien Rais, chairman of the MPR.

Muhammadiyah chairman Professor Ahmad Syafii Maarif said several buildings, including the foundations of a future mosque in Lamongan, were destroyed by NU supporters.

Mr Rais' frequent calls for Mr Wahid to resign have intensified since last week's parliamentary censure of the President. In comments published yesterday, Mr Rais said: "We cannot have a President who is inconsistent and lacks a vision for the country. The longer he stays in power, the more damage he will do."

Mr Rais said a long lead-up to impeachment would result in uncertainties and social and political upheaval. If rules are followed as the leading parties suggested yesterday, Mr Wahid has up to four months to improve his administration before facing a special session of the MPR that could vote him out of office.

Mr Wahid's position has weakened in recent weeks as public frustration with perceived government drift has increased.

This sentiment is being manipulated by politicians eager to take Mr Wahid's job, even though the person first in line to replace him, Ms Megawati, refuses to sully her hands in a process that could later be deemed unconstitutional.

Right moves against Wahid

Green Left Weekly - February 7, 2001

Max Lane -- In an escalation of tensions between President Abdurrahman Wahid and right-wing forces in the country's parliament, a full session of the DPR, the Indonesian house of representatives, voted almost unanimously on February 2 to accept a special committee report concluding that the president was "involved" in two financial scandals.

The report said Wahid was involved in the release and use of funds from the national food agency, BULOG, and in the receipt, outside official channels, of monies from the Sultan of Brunei for humanitarian use in Aceh. The report did not accuse Wahid of personal receipt or use of any of the funds but rather of using improper administrative methods, thereby allowing close associates to improperly use some of the money, amounting to thousands of dollars.

The National Awakening Party (PKB), which is linked to Wahid, walked out of the DPR during the vote, claiming that the special committee had violated several parliamentary rules.

The same evening the parliament voted to send a memorandum to the president warning him over his transgressions. The decision came despite statements from prominent Wahid opponent Amien Rais calling for tougher action, including a special session of the MPR, the People's Consultative Assembly, the only body with the power to withdraw Wahid's mandate as president.

The special committee to investigate Wahid was established by an alliance of the Muslim right-wing Central Axis, which includes MPR chairperson Rais, and Golkar, the party of former dictator Suharto, as part of a concerted campaign to undermine Wahid and prepare the ground for his removal by the MPR.

At the same time as pursuing the president, Golkar and the Central Axis have blocked investigations into the billion dollar scandals at the Bank Bali and the improper release and use of bank recapitalisation funds, scandals which have implicated their members and supporters in Indonesia's elite.

Within the parliament, this campaign has received the tacit support of vice-president Megawati Sukarnoputri's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) and the Armed Forces/Police Fraction. Both the PDIP and the military fraction voted for the memorandum to be sent to Wahid.

Sukarnoputri's short-term intentions remain unclear, however -- it seems that it was her continued public support for Wahid that blocked any moves towards a special session being called.

While a special session is now unlikely to be called any time soon, the assembly's regular annual session is scheduled for November. It appears likely that Golkar and the Central Axis are preparing for a move against Wahid at that time.

Student right mobilises

While parliamentarians deliberated on the special committee report, anti-Wahid groups staged demonstrations outside the parliament and the presidential palace.

Protester numbers peaked at 15,000 on January 29 and 10,000 on February 2.

These demonstrations were organised by the Student Executive Bodies, the BEMs, from several universities in Java and Sumatra. These formal student representative bodies have been dominated by the Muslim right wing since before the fall of Suharto.

Most of the student groups which mobilised are connected to the Islamic Student Associations, the HMI, or to organisations connected to the small but well-organised Islamic fundamentalist Justice Party.

Both these networks are part of the Central Axis. There have also been consistent reports that these student groups have received funds from individuals linked to Golkar.

These are not the same students whose demonstrations forced Suharto's resignation in May 1998, but are rather those who mobilised in support of Suharto's chosen successor, BJ Habibie, in May and November 1998.

Wahid has been constrained in responding to the manoeuvres against him.

Although there is so far no evidence of corrupt personal enrichment by Wahid, his willingness to wheel and deal with all kinds of shady characters, as well as to appoint his relatives to various troubleshooting jobs in government, leaves him open to attack.

Wahid has also consistently opposed any initiatives by his own supporters to mobilise in his defence and is relying solely on his ability to outmanoeuvre and trick his right-wing opponents. As a result, he has continually retreated on promises of greater political reform, thereby undermining the possibilities of building a democratic coalition.

During the last week, even the president's room to manoeuvre has been restricted, as PDIP members in the parliament have lined up with Golkar, the Central Axis parties and the military fraction. His chief ploy has been to call a cabinet meeting, including Sukarnoputri, to provide a display of unity.

The DPR, through its speaker, Golkar chairperson Akbar Tanjung, will send the reprimand memorandum to Wahid in the next few weeks. Wahid will be expected to respond.

At the same time, the DPR will send the attorney-general, former Golkar head Marzuki Darusman, its assessment of where Wahid has broken the law, on the expectation that he will be prosecuted in court.

Both these processes will provide opportunities for more mainstream media attacks on Wahid, as well as for mobilisations by the student right.

Democratic forces disunited Actions called by forces opposed to Golkar, the military and the Central Axis on January 29 and February 2 were smaller overall than those of the student right, partly because of a lack of the common platform needed for them to call on wider public support.

The anti-rightist forces comprised three main blocs. The largest was direct supporters of Wahid, members of organisations directly affiliated with the PKB or with Nahdlatual Ulama, the religious organisation Wahid headed before he assumed the presidency. They mostly come from East Java, Nahdlatul Ulama's heartland.

One of these groups, the semi-militia group Banser, had said it would take 85,000 members to Jakarta -- but was told by Wahid to back off. These groups have no platform other than defending Wahid and his presidency and mobilised between 1000 and 2000 people separately from other anti-rightist forces.

The second major anti-rightist bloc includes the several student collectives which trace their origins to groups such as Forkot, which played a major part in the anti-Suharto student movement of 1998. These students have organised major actions demanding Suharto and other Golkar leaders be brought to trial and that the military's role in politics be brought to an end. These different collective networks mobilised separately, each with slightly different demands, some concentrating on Suharto, others on Golkar.

The third component was a contingent comprising the PRD, the Peoples Democratic Party, and drawing on supporters from its associated mass organisations, such as the Indonesian National Front for Workers Struggle (FNPBI) and the National Student League for Democracy (LMND), as well as from other groups, some associated with the Indonesian Islamic Student Association (PMII).

These are part of the Anti-New Order People's Front, FRAROB, a national network of city-based coalitions whose platform rests on four basic demands: the establishment of a commission to investigate all human rights violations and corruption since the 1965 establishment of the New Order regime; the trial of all human rights violators before either a people's court or an international tribunal; the nationalisation of the assets of Suharto and his cronies; and the abolition of the political role of the armed forces.

While the radical forces were smaller in number than the anti- Wahid students, some of the latter briefly took up anti-Golkar slogans. In Indonesia, it is difficult to maintain any public credibility on the corruption issue while remaining silent on the massive corruption of Golkar and the Suharto regime.

Golkar chairperson Akbar Tanjung responded to criticism by threatening to take to court anybody who attacked Golkar.

Loyalists riot as MPs act against Wahid

Sydney Morning Herald - February 6, 2001

Lindsay Murdoch, Jakarta -- Scores of MPs backed a petition calling for the immediate convening of a special session of Parliament to force the resignation of President Abdurrahman Wahid, as riot police fired warning shots to disperse thousands of rampaging Wahid loyalists in East Java.

However, Vice-President Megawati Sukarnoputri, whose support is crucial to Mr Wahid, made it clear she has no intention of backing moves to topple him before his term ends in 2004.

Yesterday, thousands of Wahid supporters set fire to the headquarters of the former ruling Golkar party in the East Java town of Situbondo, 800 kilometres east of Jakarta.

"There were thousands of them and they just went on a rampage ... half of the building is burnt," one police officer said.

Late on Sunday mobs attacked and burnt down Golkar offices in two neighbouring towns in Mr Wahid's home province, stoking fears of violence between rival political groups.

Leaders of the 30-million strong Nahdlatul Ulama, the country's largest Islamic group which Mr Wahid chaired for 15 years, warned they could not stop their members venting anger over Parliament's treatment of the President.

Sources said though Ms Megawati was deeply unhappy with Mr Wahid's leadership, she believed she would be politically damaged if she took office amid the upheaval of his downfall.

Ms Megawati's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), which controls the largest bloc of seats in parliament, last week backed a parliamentary censure motion against Mr Wahid, prompting speculation she was prepared to bring him down.

But the head of the party's political bureau, Mr Cornelius Lay, was quoted by the Jakarta Post yesterday as saying Ms Megawati would not take part in what he called a "political conspiracy" against Mr Wahid.

"Mega doesn't want to see the president unseated before his or her term ends," Mr Cornelius said. "If she joins the political drive to topple Gus Dur from the presidency, a similar thing can occur to her if she becomes president in the future."

Influential people close to Ms Megawati, the country's most popular politician at 1999 polls, are advising her to bide her time and either stand for election in 2004 or wait to see if Mr Wahid succumbs to the growing political pressure and resigns.

But MPs from Ms Megawati's party are among more than 100 who have signed a petition calling for Mr Wahid to resign. Many are also backing another petition calling for the urgent convening of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), the top legislature, to try to force his removal.

The deputy chief of the party's parliamentary faction, Mr Meilono Soewondo, said MPs were signing the petition in their personal capacity, not as party representatives. "No matter whether the PDI-P supports the petition or not, Gus Dur should have the will to resign for the nation's sake," he said.

Mr Ahmad Hafiz Zawawi, an MP from Golkar, the party that kept the former president Soeharto in power for 32 years, said the petition involved MPs from all parties exercising their right to "find a way to accelerate the special session".

Mr Wahid received a memorandum from parliament at the weekend, rebuking him over the scandals involving $US4 million stolen from the state food agency Bulog and a $US2 million donation from the Sultan of Brunei. He has denied any wrongdoing.

Demonstrations by Gus Dur supporters turn violent

Jakarta Post - February 6, 2001

Surabaya -- Disgruntled supporters of the incumbent President Abdurrahman Wahid continued venting their anger in East Java on Monday by vandalizing the National Awakening Party (PAN) and Golkar Party offices in the town of Gresik, some 30 kilometers northwest of Surabaya.

No fatalities were reported, but the police said that they had failed to curb the violent actions committed by at least 2,000 people.

Walking and riding vehicles, the people, declaring themselves as Abdurrahman's supporters converged at the gate of the Bunder- Surabaya toll road in the morning before moving down town.

The enraged people, who arrived from various districts, then proceeded to Jl. Pahlawan, where the Golkar Party office is located. They simultaneously threw stones at the building, and smashed the windows with clubs. Eyewitnesses said that two policemen in charge of guarding the office could not stop the action.

The attackers, declaring themselves supporters of Gus Dur, then crossed Jl. Kartini, and started to vandalize the PAN office, which is located in the Kartini building shop/house. They also smashed the windows, broke into the building, damaging all documents and set ablaze a motorbike belonging to the PAN office.

Abdurrahman's supporters had earlier accused Golkar, PAN, chaired by speaker of People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Amien Rais, and the National Development Party (PPP) of engineering the anti-Abdurrahman protests nationwide.

Gresik Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Usman Nasution confirmed the violence, admitting that his men were outnumbered by the attackers. "Police officers had tried to do their best. But what they could do was just minimize the damage. The damaged motorbike has been confiscated as evidence."

The protesters finally headed for the provincial capital of Surabaya to join around 3,000 Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) supporters from Surabaya, Mojokerto, Sidoarjo and Pasuruan who had gathered at the provincial legislative council office since 8am.

They made provocative speeches, condemning and threatening Amien Rais and House of Representatives (DPR) Speaker Akbar Tandjung. "If Gus Dur is really toppled, Akbar and Amien must die for that," said Gus Shamud, a demonstrator from Pasuruan. His colleague Gus Suadi said he would use supernatural powers "to attack" Amien, Akbar, Fuad Bawazier and Bachtiar Chamsyah.

For NU supporters Fuad, former minister in Habibie's administration, is notorious for "his hidden role" in provoking anti-Gus Dur movements, while Bachtiar is infamous for being the chairman of the DPR's special committee on the Bulog and Brunei scandals which led to the issuance of DPR's memorandum for the President.

The protesters, mostly students of pesantren (Islamic boarding schools) in East Java, finally met with speaker of East Java legislature Bisri Abdul Djalil of the National Awakening Party (PKB) and other legislators.

During the meeting the legislators agreed to convey the protesters demand for the cancellation of the memorandum (for Gus Dur), the trial of Soeharto and his cronies, as well as the dissolution of Golkar.

Meanwhile, the blocking of roads by Gus Dur's supporters in Malang, Probolinggo and Situbondo continued.

Amid the clamorous rallies which turned violent in some places, President Abdurrahman called on his supporters to exercise restraint and avoid destructive behavior.

National Awakening Party (PKB) chairman Matori Abdul Djalil told reporters after a meeting with Abdurrahman at the State Palace on Monday that Gus Dur was referring to supporters of PKB and the country's largest Muslim organization NU.

"Both NU and PKB supporters have to maintain peace and order and refrain themselves from any move that will only cost the national unity," Gus Dur said as quoted by Matori. Abdurrahman denounced on Sunday efforts to dissolve Golkar, saying that the former ruling party had changed.

Waves of people also appeared in Demak regency in Central Java, when around 25,000 NU supporters, claiming to be from the Truth and Justice Defender Front crowded the square, demonstrating their support of the incumbent President. They declared their readiness to defend Gus Dur to the end.

Abdurrahman supporters were also in Semarang on Monday when a large number of students of the Walisongo Islamic Institute, the 17 Agustus University, Wahid Hasyim University, Semarang state University, Diponegoro University, Sultan Agung Islamic University, Soegiyopranoto Catholic University and some other Christian higher institutions took to the streets.

In Purwokerto, some 1,000 people took to the streets expressing their support of Abdurrahman and Megawati Soekarnoputri. They said if the MPR held a special session to impeach Gus Dur, people power [to defend Gus Dur] would reach from Banyumas to Jakarta.

In Jakarta, the Muhammadyah Youth Movement protested on Monday several cases of attacks on educational institutions it runs in the East Java towns of Gresik and Situbondo, allegedly by Abdurrahman's supporters from the NU and the PKB.

The movement's chairman Nadjamuddin Ramly claimed that the attacks had caused damage to signboards of a university in Gresik, and junior and senior high schools in Situbondo.

He said the vandalism took place around 10am on Monday, when hundreds of people turned up for a rally in support of Abdurrahman. Nadjamuddin also criticized the sluggish response of security apparatus to the violence.

The group's deputy chairman, Djoko Susilo, warned that if the vandalism continued, there would be no other way for Muhammadiyah youths than to take revenge. "If they cut our ears, then we will cut theirs too," Djoko told the press briefing.

During the press meeting, Nadjamuddin declared the Muhammadiyah youths' support for the House in its decision to rebuke the President over his alleged involvement in two financial scandals.

The group also urged the People's Consultative Assembly to revoke its mandate given to Abdurrahman for his failure to uphold the reform movement. "Gus Dur himself is part of the problem in our reform agenda. Instead of fighting corruption, collusion and nepotism, he has practised them and failed to uphold the supremacy of law," Nadjamuddin said.

Separately, National Police chief Gen. Surojo Bimantoro said police are hunting people who masterminded the cutting down of trees and blocking off traffic between Situbondo and Banyuwangi in East Java.

"The action itself violates existing regulations on public order. We'll hunt the people behind the action and take necessary measures against them," Bimantoro told reporters at the National Police Headquarters.

Muslim parties defend Wahid, condemn Golkar

Indonesian Observer - February 5, 2001

Jakarta -- An association of minor Islamic political parties yesterday called on embattled president Abdurrahman Wahid to exercise greater wisdom, but rejected calls for him to resign.

The association, which is chaired by Islamic Peoples Party (PUI) Chairman Deliar Noer, said the president should conduct a cabinet reshuffle to remove ministers with links to the regime of ex- president Soeharto. He also demanded that Golkar Party, the former political vehicle of Soeharto, be abolished.

Calls for Wahid to quit or stand aside pending corruption investigations have increased after parliament last week censured him over two multi-million-dollar graft scandals.

The president has been given a censure memorandum, which gives him three months to improve his performance and answer the charges against him. If he fails to do so, he will be given another month to answer a second memorandum. After that, impeachment proceedings can begin.

Peoples Consultative Assembly (MPR) Speaker Amien Rais has called for the nations top legislative body to convene and impeach Wahid as soon as possible. But Noer said the president must not resign or be sacked. He was speaking at a gathering of thousands of Muslims at Al-Azhar Mosque in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta.

He told the huge crowd that Wahid needs to reflect on his style of leadership and statesmanship. Noer said the House of Representatives, which showed considerable vigor in its investigation of the two graft cases linked to Wahid, should also investigate some of the many scandals that took place under former presidents Soeharto and B.J. Habibie.

He said cases that warrant investigation include the central bank liquidity assistance (BLBI), corruption within the Armys Strategic Reserve Command (Kostrad), and the allocation of land for senior military personnel in various locations.

Noer condemned the parties that have been calling for Wahids resignation. If he resigns, how would the running of the state be organized? We are supposed to closely monitor President Wahid over the next three months, following the issuance of the memorandum. In the meantime, we are waiting for the president do to remedy the misconduct that was practiced during his governance.

Noer said Golkar is responsible for plunging the nation into its current crisis and should therefore be dissolved. It should dissolve itself, because no matter what happens, Golkar will be the party that halts the reform movement.

The Muslim parties grouped in the association led by Noer include: the Islamic Peoples Party, Abul Yatama Party, New Indonesia Party (PIB), Nahdlatul Ummat Party (PNU), New Masyumi Party (PMI), 1905 Indonesia Islamic Union Party (PSII-1905) and Islamic Democrat Party (PID). None fared well enough in the 1999 general election to get any seats in parliament.

Rally in support of Gus Dur turns violent

Jakarta Post - February 5, 2001

Jakarta -- A Golkar Party branch office in Pasuruan, East Java was attacked as rallies in support for President Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid continued on Sunday.

Riding vehicles and yelling support for the embattled President, some 75 angry people stoned the glass windows of the Golkar office in Paci district on their way back home from a mass rally in Bangil square. No casualties were reported in the attack, Antara reported.

A witness, Ismail, told the news agency the incident happened suddenly so that nobody could stop it. He said another group of Gus Dur supporters arrived later in the day, but this time police were already in place to prevent further destruction.

The mass rally in Pasuruan was part of mass gatherings held almost simultaneously across East Java by people who pledged to keep Gus Dur in his current post until his term ends in 2004. East Java is the main stronghold of Gus Dur supporters.

On Saturday, the protesters blockaded the road linking Situbondo and Banyuwangi with logs of wood placed in the streets, causing massive a traffic jam in the area.

A similar rally also took place in the Central Java capital of Semarang, when thousands of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) supporters converged at the local legislature to warn people of remnants of the New Order regime whom they accused of masterminding the move to topple Abdurrahman.

The foreseeable tension escalated after the House of Representatives censured Abdurrahman on Thursday over his alleged involvement in two financial scandals, dubbed Buloggate and Bruneigate. Many Gus Dur supporters believe the investigation into Gus Dur's role in the scandals is part of constitutional attempts to oust the controversial President.

Pressures for Abdurrahman to resign have mounted since then, including from People's Consultative Assembly Amien Rais and other parties who catapulted him to presidency last year.

After overnight rallies, thousands of Abdurrahman's supporters took to streets on Sunday in the East Java towns of Pasuruan, Malang, Mojokerto, Probolinggo and Sidoarjo.

A group of activists claiming to represent the Alliance Forum of People and Students in Pasuruan held a speech forum at the cross road of the highway linking Malang and Surabaya, causing traffic congestion for four hours. Among their demands was the dissolution of Golkar, which they accused of representing the interests of the old regime.

In Malang, Abdurrahman supporters grouped as the Anti-New Order Committee (KRAOB) took to streets in a motorcade. They criticized the result of the House investigation into the Bulog and Brunei scandals and accused Golkar and the loose coalition of Muslim- based parties called Axis Force of conspiring to oust the President through the House special committee.

In response to the rallies, chief of East Java's National Awakening Party (PKB) Choirul Anam said he had called on the party supporters not to take to the streets. "We can only persuade, but we were unable to stop them. This was a spontaneous move to express their disagreement with the political elite in the House," Choirul said.

Meanwhile, calls for Golkar's dissolution were also aired by 11 Muslim-based political parties that are unrepresented in the House.

"Golkar should be held responsible for the country's hardships over the past years, so it should be dissolved as its presence hampers the reform movement," chairman of the alliance of parties Deliar Noer said in Jakarta on Sunday.

Rallies against Abdurrahman also continued on Sunday. Speaking before around 10,000 supporters of the United Development Party (PPP) at the Alun-alun Utara square in front of Yogyakarta Palace, chief of the party's provincial chapter Fauzi A.R. said PPP followers in the town were fully behind the House in connection with its showdown with the President.

"PPP continues to urge the House to adopt follow-up measures as a political consequence of its censure against President Abdurrahman Wahid," Fauzi said. "Gus Dur has failed in carrying out the reform mandate," he added.

Held under heavy rain, the gathering coincided with the party's 28th anniversary celebration. Besides the PPP's local executives, also present at the celebration were deputy chairman of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Husni Thamrin and party activist Moedrick S. Sangidoe from Surakarta, Central Java.

PPP Yogyakarta also asked Yogyakarta governor Sultan Hamengkubuwono X, to clearly state his stance towards Gus Dur's government. "He once invited national figures including Gus Dur, Megawati, Amien Rais, and Akbar Tandjung to meet at his palace. He should not keep silent right now," Moedrick said. Husni Thamrin further said that Gus Dur was only "buying time."

'Empire-building' Amien Rais at work in the wings

South China Morning Post - February 5, 2001

Vaudine England, Jakarta -- Since becoming chairman of the Peoples' Consultative Assembly, Amien Rais' hair has gone grey. An impish-looking straight-talker, Mr Rais, 56, last week suggested constitutional processes could be speeded up to depose President Abdurrahman Wahid.

"It's obvious that our President has committed fatal mistakes, he has violated the presidential oath, the decree of the assembly and engaged in the abuse of power. Wahid's credibility has dropped to nearly zero," he said. "It's better if we choose a quick process."

Mr Rais also chairs the National Mandate Party (PAN), which, along with several other Islamic parties in the Central Axis coalition, helped vote Mr Wahid into the presidency in October 1999. But in one of many apparent turnarounds from his days as an open-minded student leader, Mr Rais now wants Mr Wahid out. "The bleeding must be stopped," he said last week. "Otherwise it will get worse."

Mr Rais' job at the assembly suggests he can wield great power, perhaps by accelerating constitutional procedures to pursue his goal of toppling Mr Wahid.

But holding him back from exercising such power are accusations he is an opportunist pursuing his own presidential ambitions, and the public's desire for a legitimate political process. Also, Mr Rais' party is divided and his standing among Western diplomats is low, a change from the pre-election days when his stand against Suharto was much admired.

In 1998, Mr Rais was the man many liberals and members of minority groups looked to for pluralist, democratic leadership. He led many of the demonstrations that helped topple Suharto, only calling off the largest when his one-time mentor in the Muslim world, Bacharuddin Habibie, gained the presidency.

Opinion remains divided on whether his aim was to save student lives or defuse opposition to the Suharto-era ruling clique. "Amien is an empire-building person," academic Arief Budiman said.

In the June 1999 polls, Chinese Indonesians, Christians, democrats and student activists all chose PAN, hoping it represented a new era of inclusiveness that Mr Rais had repeatedly promised.

But those hopes dissipated as he moved his party into the Islamist political fold. Observers who recall his fiery anti- Chinese and anti-Jewish rhetoric say he's again taking that tack. Despite his denials, he is also seen as encouraging the militant Muslims who have gone to kill Christians in the Maluku Islands the Laskar Jihad.

Few minorities now look to Mr Rais as their champion. Mr Wahid and Mr Rais have never got along. Mr Wahid chaired the 30-million strong Nahdlatul Ulama Muslim organisation while Mr Rais chaired its biggest competitor, the 20-million strong Muhammadiyah, before each entered national politics.

In October 1999, when Mr Wahid was surprising everybody by making deals to win the presidency, he offered Mr Rais the assembly job in return for Central Axis support. Mr Rais has since apologised to the nation for "choosing" Mr Wahid.

Wahid supporters protest his innocence

South China Morning Post - February 5, 2001

Vaudine England, Jakarta -- Thousands of members of Indonesia's largest Muslim group rallied in Jakarta in support of President Abdurrahman Wahid yesterday, while in the President's heartland of East Java security forces guarded offices of the Golkar and United Development parties amid continuing protests.

About 3,000 Muslim student supporters of the embattled leader, whose nickname is Gus Dur, took to the streets to proclaim his innocence in two corruption scandals that may lead to his impeachment. One banner read: "Forcing Gus Dur to resign is preparing coffins." Another: "If Gus Dur is ousted, East Java will be a country of its own."

The emotional support comes from members of the 30-million strong Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), which Mr Wahid chaired for 15 years. NU chief Hasyim Muzadi warned supporters could get out of control. "We will try, and try and try to prevent any clash with other parties. But our power is limited," he reportedly said.

Supporters of Mr Wahid in East Java blame Golkar and the United Development Party (UDP) for supporting Parliament's decision last Thursday to censure the President, a step towards impeachment proceedings.

Calls in Jakarta for the dissolution of Golkar the election- winning machine created to serve the interests of former president Suharto have provoked angry responses from its leaders and threats of legal action. Golkar remains associated with Suharto's authoritarian rule, despite offering apologies for its past behaviour.

The angry mood is another indication that the gloves are off in Indonesia's power struggle. After decades in which foreign analysts portrayed politics here as a mysterious shadow-play akin to the traditional wayang kulit puppetry, the reality now is an open play for power.

While Mr Wahid's parliamentary opponents portray the political battle as a crusade against corruption, Mr Wahid's supporters argue the future of the country's nascent democracy is at stake.

More stridently than ever, Mr Wahid's message is that this is a battle against the lingering evils of the Suharto era and its supporters in Government and business. One pamphlet circulated by his supporters is entitled Awas Orde Baru (Beware the New Order) and names those allegedly behind a Suharto-backed plot to subvert open society and protect the former leader's ill-gotten gains. New Order is the label Suharto gave to his 32-year rule.

Mr Wahid's National Awakening Party is preparing paperwork to try to force the resignation of People's Consultative Assembly chairman Amien Rais, who insists Mr Wahid must quit. The National Awakening Party also says it will sue members of Parliament over a range of alleged procedural violations in the parliamentary censure process.

More roughly, groups of Wahid supporters have attacked news offices if they deemed the coverage of their hero was overly critical.

Mr Wahid heightened tension by regularly warning that up to 85,000 of his supporters were coming to Jakarta to defend him. Hundreds of these were at last Thursday's mass demonstration outside Parliament, saying they had paid their own fares to the capital from homes in Madura, Surabaya and Cirebon.

Thousands of youths in the East Javanese cities of Surabaya, Bondowoso and Situbondo took to the streets as soon as Parliament voted against Mr Wahid. One group in Situbondo felled trees along a main road and paralysed traffic for a day and night, newspapers reported. Other youths rioted and vandalised shops.

A group calling itself the Anti-New Order People and Students' Action Front, based between West and Central Java, vandalised Golkar party offices and burned Golkar's yellow flags at state buildings.

Separately, about 400 people staged a rally in Surabaya. "At first, they wanted to visit the United Development Party's office and the Golkar Party's office, but they changed their minds after seeing security personnel from the East Java police guarding the offices," said one Internet news site.

Regional conflicts

Human Rights Commission release report on Maluku conflict

Detik - February 6, 2001

Yogi Arief Nugraha/Fitri & GB, Jakarta -- The National Commission for Human Rights (Komnas HAM) has released its report on the causes of two years of sectarian conflict in the Moluccus, Indonesia's famous spice islands. The report was produced by the Investigation Commission for Human Rights Violations and Mediation in Maluku (KPMM) led by Bambang W. Suharto who researched from 19 January to 18 December 2000.

"It is concluded that the conflict in Maluku and North Maluku [provinces] have caused human rights violations, vertically, this has been done by both individuals and the state apparatus, both the police and military," said Djoko Sugianto, head of Komnas HAM, to reporters after meeting President Abdurrahman Wahid at the Bina Graha presidential offices in Jakarta, Tuesday.

Djoko then listed a number of factors which inflamed the conflict after it first broke out on 19 January 1999: social jealousy, provocation by outside agents, the non-neutral attitude displayed by the security apparatus and local government, religious sentiment, vendetta, elite political rifts. Djoko also said the Ketapang incident was a factor in triggering the conflict. On November 22, 1998, Ambonese Muslim and Christians thugs clashed violently in Jakarta's Ketapang district.

"In the case of North Maluku, the conflict was triggered by Government Regulation No. 42/1999 on the establishment and regulation of sub districts in North Maluku," said Djoko. After 10 months of conflict in Maluku province, the government divided the province into two: Maluku (with an equal balance of Muslims and Christians) and North Maluku province (predominantly Muslim).

Djoko said the fact that the conflict is still ongoing proves that the state has failed to guarantee the security of each citizen.

According to data recorded by KPMM, at least 3,080 people were killed between January 1999 -- October 2000. As many as 4,024 were injured. The conflict has also created 281,365 displaced people. These figures exclude the 425 people whose ship sunk on its way to Manado. Other sources have claimed that as many as 8,000 people have died in the conflict which reaches into remote areas of the territory.

"Therefore, we ask the government to follow up this matter. The President will immediately do that and contact related parties," said Djoko.

Apart from unveiling their report on Maluku, Djoko Soegianto and Komnas HAM recommended the government form a task force in the form of a national peace mission. The task force's duties would included preventing and ending violence and creating the right conditions for carrying out law enforcement and mediation.

"The task force would consist of National Police and Military [TNI] personnel. They would be provided with training on conflict prevention and carrying out definite actions," said Djoko. "Members of the task force would have special uniforms and would not be permitted to wear their unit's insignia," said Djoko.

Multi-religious group stages peace march in Bali

Indonesian Observer - February 5, 2001

Denpasar -- Nearly 200 followers of different religions yesterday staged a rally in Denpasar, capital city of the resort island of Bali, calling for an end to religious violence and ethnic unrest that has hit several parts of the country over the past year.

Calling their rally the Holy Road to Peace, the crowd marched down the main streets of Denpasar and stopped at the Jagatnata Shrine. Dressed in traditional garments, the followers of Islam, Christianity, Hinduism and Confucianism joined together for a mass prayer led by Hindu preacher Gedong Bagoes Oka. The rally also featured a traditional Chinese dragon dance, which was performed outside the residence of Bali Governor Dewa Beratha.

We invite followers of all religions to campaign for peace, so there will be no more violence. This is not a demonstration, but a holy journey to overcome religious and ethnic exclusivism, said Gus Indra, coordinator of the rally.

He urged all politicians and legislators to heed the peoples aspirations and stop promoting their personal interests, as such action tends to provoke conflict. There must be love of the homeland and its people for the sake of peace in this country, he said.

Gedong Bagus Oka said the rally aimed to remind the public that the essence of life is not material things, but the human spirit. We must keep this spirit burning. With the current condition of the nation, many people who want to see peace are desperate. We remind them not to be desperate, said Gedong.

Indonesia has been hit by communal violence and religious unrest over recent years, resulting in more than 5,000 deaths.

Human rights/law

Several generals to be grilled over Trisakti tragedy

Jakarta Post - February 9, 2001

Jakarta -- A House of Representatives' special committee will question on Tuesday a number of active and retired senior army and police officers in connection with the May 12, 1998 shooting of Trisakti University students, the committee chairman announced on Thursday.

Panda Nababan, who heads the committee of around 40, said former Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Gen. (ret.) Wiranto, former National Police chief Gen. (ret.) Dibyo Widodo, former Jakarta Military Commander Maj. Gen. Sjafrie Sjamsuddin and former Jakarta Police chief Maj. Gen. Hamami Nata were among the high- ranking officers being summoned to testify about the incident.

Other lower-ranking officers to face questioning included Col. Arthur Damanik from the Jakarta Police, Maj. Herman, former deputy chief of the West Jakarta Police precinct, Lt. Col. Timur Pradopo, former chief of the West Jakarta Police precinct and Lt. Col. A. Amirul, former chief of the West Jakarta Military Command. The officers were in charge of security in the city when the incident, which left four Trisakti students dead, took place.

Panda said that both TNI and National Police Headquarters have approved the questioning, which is aimed at ascertaining the facts surrounding the killings.

"Their testimony is needed to resolve the mystery which still surrounds the shootings. We want to know who ordered the security forces to open fire on protesting students inside the Trisakti campus.

"In line with the chain of command in both the military and the National Police, there must be somebody who gave the order," Panda said at a hearing with the new City Military Commander Maj. Gen. Bibit Waluyo on Thursday.

The special committee is probing the use of violence by the security forces in dealing with student demonstrations in May and November 1998, events now known as the Trisakti and Semanggi tragedies.

The military tribunal established to investigate the Trisakti incident sentenced on August 12, 1998 First Lt. Agus Tri Heryanto, 29, and Second Lt. Pariyo, 38, both from the police's Mobile Brigade, to 10 months and 4 months in jail respectively for ordering their men to shoot into a crowd of demonstrating students, killing Heri Hartanto, Elang Mulya Lesmana, Hafidin Royan and Hendriawan Sie. Another eight police officers were named suspects in the case, but their fate remains unclear up to the present time.

Panda said it was unfair to punish only those who opened fire on the students while those who were in command of the operation were not prosecuted. "The most important thing is that the special committee is committed to carrying out a thorough investigation into the incident," he said.

Meanwhile, Col. Yoestiono, chief of the Jakarta Military Police, said the Military Police would prosecute First Private B. Sastro from the Army's Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad) on charges of shooting Yun Hap, a University of Indonesia student, in the Semanggi tragedy.

"But, Sastro's case has yet to be brought to trial because of the absence of witnesses to the killing," he said. He said an assistant to the rector of the Catholic University of Atma Jaya was to have testified in the case but he withdrew because he said he did not actually witness the incident.

Panda questioned the military tribunal's rejection of the case, saying the tribunal should be able to try the case as had happened with the Trisakti case, despite the absence of witnesses.

He said the students who participated in the demonstration had forwarded the necessary facts and information to the city military but these had disappeared for unclear reasons.

Respected judge for justice post

South China Morning Post - February 9, 2001

Vaudine England -- President Abdurrahman Wahid has chosen a renowned supporter of human rights and anti-corruption efforts, Baharudin Lopa, as his justice minister, following the sacking of Jusril Ihza Mahendra.

Mr Lopa has most recently been Indonesia's ambassador to Saudi Arabia, but is regarded as one of the country's few judges free of corruption. He has also been secretary-general of the National Human Rights Commission. His appointment to the Ministry for Law, Justice and Human Rights is in line with Mr Wahid's commitment to step up prosecution efforts against members of the former Suharto regime.

Mr Wahid fired Mr Jusril after he openly backed calls for the President to step down over financial scandals that triggered a censure from Parliament last week. He was the second cabinet member to leave in the past month.

Appeal to try Suharto turned down

South China Morning Post - February 6, 2001

Vaudine England, Jakarta -- A Supreme Court ruling in Jakarta has staved off the prospect of former president Suharto facing corruption charges in court again soon but leaves open the possibility of a trial if and when he regains his health.

"The Supreme Court has declared that an appeal by the prosecutors [to restart Suharto's trial] cannot be accepted," said Sayfuddin Kartasasmita, head of general crime matters at the Supreme Court.

The court's decision was mixed. It prohibited a further trial while Suharto remained ill, but allowed the Government closer scrutiny of his health through appointment of a new medical team, with the purpose of restarting proceedings if he ever recovers. It also lifted Suharto's house arrest.

Justice Artidjo Alkostar said the decision left prosecutors free to retry Suharto whenever his health improved. "After that they can bring him to court. This decision was based on humanitarian reason," he said.

Suharto's lawyers hailed the decision, saying their client would never stand trial for corruption. "In my opinion, Suharto will never recover sufficiently to stand trial," lawyer Mohamad Assegaf said.

The ruling is an example of the Government's continuing efforts to pursue corruption charges against its enemies from the former regime. It shows how such efforts will continue to fail in a legal system that is easily bought.

Each attempt at prosecution or imprisonment seems to fail. Police say they cannot find Suharto's son "Tommy" Hutomo Mandala Putra, who has been on the run from a corruption conviction since November.

Last September the South Jakarta District Court ruled that proceedings against the senior Suharto could not continue on the grounds of his ill health. That decision sparked protests and spurred prosecutors into appealing.

It is that appeal which was thrown out by the Supreme Court yesterday, ending fresh efforts to put Suharto back in the dock. The former president is reported to be seriously ill. Only last week, his confidantes had to deny another rumour that he had died.

The Government had wanted to proceed with a case in which Suharto would not need to appear. But the latest ruling is not entirely negative, according to Attorney-General Marzuki Darusman.

"No one can be really happy with the decision," he said. "But then again we are justified in our stance that the former president has to stand trial and have this case settled, and not just be acquitted as a matter of an administrative ruling.

"It's a balanced decision, allowing for a trial to proceed at some point, while taking into account the circumstances of his condition."

But lawyer Todung Mulya Lubis said: "The court's verdict does not support the nation's efforts to eradicate corruption and is against, and hurts, any sense of justice."

The English-language Jakarta Post said in an editorial that it feared for the success of broader government claims to be fighting corruption.

"President Abdurrahman Wahid's promise that he will pursue the cause of total reform without leniency to offenders could flounder if the public perceives that injustice and compromise with [Suharto-era] New Order elements are continuing," the newspaper said.

News & issues

Bangka-Belitung officially declared 31st province

Jakarta Post - February 10, 2001

Jakarta -- Minister of Home Affairs and Regional Autonomy Surjadi Soedirdja officially inaugurated Bangka-Belitung as the country's 31st province on Friday, and installed Amur Muchasim as the province's acting governor.

In a traditional and modest ceremony in the new province's capital Pangkal Pinang, Surjadi officially assigned Amur to establish an organization and structure for the province within the next six months.

"Six months is the maximum period to establish the whole structure of the province. I hope it can be finished by that time," Surjadi said after the ceremony as quoted by Antara. "I am sure with proper preparation, residents of the province can elect a governor as soon as possible," he said.

The new province was previously a part of the South Sumatra province, and is known for its tin and pepper production. The House of Representatives passed a bill establishing the province on November 21, 2000, after months of intensive lobbying. The bill was passed less than two months after Banten was established as the country's 30th province.

The new province consists of two islands -- Bangka and Belitung -- and has about 800,000 residents. Almost 30 percent of the people in the province are ethnic Chinese, while the rest are Malays and Javanese.

The acting governor's main tasks will be to head the temporary provincial administration and facilitate the development of a provincial legislative council, which will be expected to elect a permanent governor.

Amur, along with the provincial legislative council, will be called on to draw up the new province's draft budget for the 2001 fiscal year, which is hoped will allow for the development of the new province to be completed next year.

Antara also reported that South Sumatra Governor Rosihan Arsjad handed over some Rp 65 billion (US$6.8 million) of the province's budget and Rp 29 billion of its tax revenue to the Bangka- Belitung acting governor. He said that with the establishment of the new province, South Sumatra lost one-sixth of its assets.

Police find 1,400 bombs in warehouse

South China Morning Post - February 8, 2001

Police said they had found 1,400 bombs in a warehouse in the Indonesian capital. Two people, a guard and the owner of the warehouse in north Jakarta, were being questioned but the owner of the bombs was still on the run, Jakarta police detective chief Harry Montolalu said.

He said the bombs were packed in 150 cardboard boxes, but did not elaborate, saying further details would be released later.

Jakarta has been hit by a spate of unsolved bomb attacks in the past 12 months, one of which killed 10 people in the basement of the Jakarta Stock Exchange building in September. The latest bombings, on Christmas Eve, targeted churches and the homes of Christian ministers.

Jakarta government hires thugs to control sidewalk traders

Detik - February 5, 2001

Hestiana Dharmastuti/Hendra & GB, Jakarta -- To keep sidewalk traders under control, the Jakarta special province government has reportedly sought out petty criminals and gang hooligans, or "preman" as they're known in Indonesia. Each day, each "preman" can earn Rp 50,000 while their bosses receive Rp 100,000 for intimidating traders.

Jakarta's premans are notorious for controlling much of public life, that is, for their involvement in various kinds of rackets and stand-over tactics. Their employment by the Jakarta government is a concern for the petty traders who ply their trade down the main roads and small gangs of the capital. The brutal tactics of the preman have compelled them to report the matter to the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) located on Jl. Latuharhary, Central Jakarta, Monday (5/2/2001).

"I don't agree with the thugs' involvement in maintaining law and order," said Maman from the Traders' Union of CSW in the Blok M area of south central Jakarta. This group was also accompanied by members of the sidewalk traders' union from the Sudirman-Thamrin and Sudirman-Cawang areas along Jakarta's main thoroughfare.

Maman said they suspected the preman were being recruited and paid by the Jakarta government after obtaining a copy of a letter from the head of the CSW area signed by his boss, Rosidi, the district head. The letter outlines the ban on the traders' activities after 8pm Jakarta time.

"When the thugs came, 10 people, they came with sickles in their hands. Now they've exchanged their weapons and bring cudgels and full helmets taken from the security and order units," he said.

"They beat us," he said firmly. "What I know, they get 50,000- 100,000 from the South Jakarta government," he reiterated.

The police had ignored pleas to protect the traders. "Every time we report it, the police don't seem to care. The police say it's not their duty anymore," he said with a puzzled expression.

Tubagus Haryo Kardianto from the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta) accompanied the sidewalk traders. He said the Jakarta government was clearly promoting horizontal conflict in the broader society and employing shady characters to terrorize honest traders. "We demand this be stopped. The police must taken firm action against thuggery," said Tubagus Haryo.

The tens of sidewalk traders who approached the National Commission were welcomed by Sugiri and BN Marbun. They demanded the Commission look into their plight and the two Komnas HAM representatives promised they would bring the matter to their next plenary meeting.

Economy & investment

IMF in warning to Indonesia on bank reforms

Financial Times - February 8, 2001

Stephen Fidler, Washington -- The International Monetary Fund has warned Indonesia its proposed central bank reforms could jeopardise release of new IMF loans. The IMF fears the reforms could threaten the central bank's independence.

This is one of three principal areas where the Indonesian government needs to take action before the Fund goes ahead with $400m in new credit under the $5bn programme it agreed last year. Some $1.1bn has already been released.

A rescheduling by the Paris Club of creditor governments of Indonesian debts also hangs on agreement between the IMF and Jakarta.

The IMF has been under increasing pressure to explain why the latest part of the agreement has been held up. Amid political turmoil in the country, the institution is trying to walk a fine line between not contributing further to market uncertainty and pressing for what it sees as essential reform.

According to senior fund officials, the fund is urging the Indonesian government to undertake a review of central bank practices in other countries before moving ahead with its legislation.

They said the IMF was also seeking safeguards to prevent government decentralisation worsening public finances and guidelines for the Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency, which holds some $40bn in bank assets taken over during the country's 1997-98 financial crisis.

With evidence of past corruption at the central bank, the government and parliament are working on legislation that could make it easier to remove its governor and board, and requiring it to report directly to the government and legislature.

"An independent central bank is crucial to a credible macroeconomic framework," Anoop Singh, deputy director of the Fund's Asia and Pacific department, said in an interview. "The process that might be under way -- if pursued and implemented - could in a lasting way damage the independence of Bank Indonesia," he said.

Jakarta shares ride the impeachment effect

Financial Times - February 6, 2001

Joe Leahy, Hong Kong -- The Jakarta stock market has a reputation for defying gravity and the first few weeks of this year have been no exception.

The benchmark Jakarta composite index has risen nearly 11 per cent since end-December even as efforts to impeach the country's leader, President Abdurrahman Wahid, for corruption have gathered speed.

"The main reason for the strong buying is because of what I call the 'impeachment effect'," said Lin Che Wei, research director at SG Securities Indonesia in Jakarta. "Whenever there is a government change in this part of the world you see the market rebound strongly."

Mr Wahid faces rising calls for his resignation after a parliamentary inquiry last week accused him of playing a role in two corruption scandals valued at about US$6m.

Parliament voted to send him a warning letter giving him three months to respond. If the house was still unsatisfied, a second letter would follow and it could begin to call a special session that would have the power to impeach him.

The prospect of Mr Wahid's removal has been greeted positively in markets -- mirroring the reaction in the Philippines ahead of last month's removal of its former president, Joseph Estrada on corruption charges.

However, whether the rally can be sustained indefinitely was called into question on Tuesday. The Jakarta composite index fell 8.842 points, or 1.93 per cent, to end at 450.110 following a mass demonstration by Mr Wahid's supporters over the weekend.

"The picture is becoming clearer that President Wahid is unlikely to be removed in at least the next three or four months," SG's Mr Lin said.

A popular Muslim cleric, Mr Wahid was swept to power in 1999 in the country's first democratic process in more than 40 years. However, his popularity has since plummetted. Critics accuse him of economic mismanagement and failing to keep a promise to clean up Indonesia's notoriously corrupt political and business environment.

His government's slow progress on much-needed economic and corporate restructuring has also led it into conflict with its major creditors, particularly the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

"Every additional quarter of inactivity on corporate debt restructuring and asset recovery further weakens Indonesia's external position and mires the economy in the vicious circle of currency weakness, higher inflation and higher interest rates," warned Goldman Sachs in a recent report.

The investment bank predicted gross domestic product growth in 2001 would slip to 1.5 per cent from an estimated 3.7 per cent last year while inflation would nearly double to 7.0 per cent from 3.8 per cent a year earlier.

Attempts to prosecute for corruption the friends and family of Indonesia's former president Suharto, who fell from power in 1998, have also slowed, putting further pressure on Mr Wahid. "The political situation is likely to become less stable in first quarter 2001," Goldman Sachs said.

"Watch for more pressure to build on President Wahid to resign and for a political counter offensive. This should remain a major negative overhang on rupiah assets."

Mr Lin said the government is also facing another potential banking and corporate crisis with the country's second largest conglomerate, the Sinar Mas Group, teetering on the edge of bankruptcy.

One of the group's subsidiaries, Tjiwi Kimia, last week missed interest payments of US$43.3m on two senior debt issues. The Sinar Mas Group owes US$1.3bn to one of the country's major banks, Bank Internasional Indonesia, which is majority-owned by the government.

Mr Lin said the problem illustrates the ongoing danger of investing in Indonesian securities with or without the windfall of the "impeachment effect". "Fundamentally most Indonesian companies are very cheap on a bottom-up basis but on a top-down basis, the risks are still there."