Michael Bachelard – Newborn babies are being traded on a lucrative black market in Indonesia that could involve hundreds of children a year, some going illegally to parents offshore.

Pregnant women have been propositioned to give up their babies at pre-natal health checks and new mothers approached in the maternity ward, according to a court case due to start on Tuesday that exposes the trade.

The country's child protection commission says thousands of children have been bought and sold over the past 15 years.

In 2004 the illegal adoption issue caught out an Australian couple, who believed they were getting a baby legally but were rejected by the Australian authorities when they tried to have their child's citizenship changed. The couple exposed the agent behind that scam, lawyer Isnania Singgih, who spent four years in jail.

The country introduced strict laws in 1983 to stop adoption agencies operating as so-called "baby farms" for foreign customers but according to the Commission for Child Protection, it has driven the practice underground.

In January, West Jakarta police arrested a syndicate of six women accused of buying babies, arranging identity documents and selling them at a huge mark-up, some apparently bound for overseas.

On Tuesday, Lindawati Suhandojo, 35, an alleged document forger for the group, will face court. But police say the mastermind is a 62-year-old former midwife called Hastuti Singgih, aka Linda, who had been plying her highly profitable trade for more than 20 years.

It's unclear who her customers were, whether Linda screened for their suitability or asked what they planned to do with the babies.

According to police, she and her co-conspirators trawled the maternity wards and health clinics of Jakarta hunting out poor or unmarried women, or those with too many mouths to feed.

"They are booked in advance before the baby is even born," said the head of West Jakarta Police Criminal Investigation, Hengki Hariadi. "There was no downpayment."

The price to the mother, according to police, was between 1.6 million and 2.5 million rupiah – $160 to $250 – enough in a country where many struggle to earn a few hundred thousand rupiah a month.

Once the syndicate had checked the baby's health, police say corrupt public servants from Jakarta's population and civil registry office "made birth certificate and family cards".

The syndicate sold the babies for prices starting at 70 million rupiah – around $7000 – a 3500 per cent mark-up.

The operation was on an industrial scale – police say that 12 babies were bought and sold in November and December 2012. They found 40 more baby pictures on a mobile phone belonging to Linda. For one baby, a passport had been made and a $US500 Tiger Airways ticket to Singapore was found.

But in another tragic case the baby was unhealthy, so Linda refused to accept him. She tried to hand him back to the mother who also knocked him back.

Arrests began in January and by March, five babies had been recovered. Two were hospitalised and others taken to orphanages. The conspirators face up to 15 years' imprisonment.

It's not the first baby-selling racket uncovered in Indonesia, but Linda's impunity over 20 years suggests it's widespread in a country where it's very difficult for non-Indonesians to legitimately adopt a child.

It's also a place where the supply of poor, undocumented children is plentiful. Economic growth rates of 7 per cent per year do not mask the grinding poverty of millions, and 60 per cent of the 76 million children born since 2005 have no birth certificate.

Arist Merdeka Sirait, the chairman of Komnas Perlindungan Anak, the National Commission for Child Protection, says he has come across many cases of child trafficking in the past 15 years. He reports them to police, but few prosecutions result.

He says babies are smuggled out by boat to Malaysia through the notorious Batam Island – the closest port to Singapore.

Strict rules on overseas adoptions were imposed in Indonesia in 1983 when private adoption agencies were discovered running what was described as a "cash and carry" business for Western families.

But the growth of syndicates, such as Linda's, show the baby farming continues. It's just become harder to spot.

7-Eleven, Indomaret raided over alcoholic beverages

Jakarta Globe - May 11, 2013

Dozens of members of the Tangjungduren Islamic People's Association raided two minimarts in Grogol Petamburan, West Jakarta, on Friday for selling alcoholic beverages.

The mob, who failed to meet the owners of the two establishments, a 7- Eleven and an Indomaret, decided to enter and confiscate all of the minimarts' alcoholic beverages from their refrigerators.

"We have since March warned them not to sell alcoholic drinks. But these stores kept on selling the beverages freely," Khalid, the coordinator of the mob, said as quoted by Beritajakarta.com.

Members of the Jakarta Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) were on location, but they remained on the sidelines during the incident, which caused a traffic jam along Jalan Tanjung Duren Raya.

Representatives from the stores promised the group that they would stop selling alcohol.

Khalid demanded that Satpol PP and the police take strict action against minimarts that openly offer alcoholic beverages. Grogol Petamburan subdistrict head Denny Ramdhani said that out of the 12 minimarts operating in his area, only the 7-Eleven and the Indomaret continue to deal booze.

"If in the future they still sell alchol, we will... revoke the permits of the two stores," Denny said.

Tanjung Duren Police chief of prevention Adj. Comr. Purnomo said that the police would facilitate a dialogue between the owners of the minimarts and residents of the area at the subdistrict chief office.

West Papua

4 dead, 10 rescued in Freeport mine tunnel collapse

Jakarta Globe - May 15, 2013

A police emergency response unit found four bodies and rescued 10 workers trapped in a collapsed tunnel in Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold's Grasberg complex in Tembagapura, Papua, on Wednesday.

Tembagapura Police Chief Adj. Comr. Sudirman told Antara news agency on Wednesday that the 10 rescued workers suffered wounds and bruises from the collapse that occurred at about 7:30 a.m. local time on Tuesday.

"The search effort was carried out from [Tuesday] night to this morning," Sudirman said as quoted by Antara. "It's been temporarily stopped because the [rescue] crew is resting. We're waiting for new crew."

Sudirman said that based on the list of workers given by Freeport, there were more than 40 workers trapped in the tunnel. They were participating in a Quality Management System (QMS) Annual Refresher class, a work safety training, when the tunnel collapsed.

"A tunnel in the underground training area collapsed, trapping a number of employees," the company said in a statement. "The rescue process is difficult and will take some time to complete." Government authorities had been informed, the company said.

The accident happened outside of areas being mined, about 500 meters from the entrance to the Big Gossan underground mine, Bloomberg reported. It is the biggest incident with the highest number of fatalities in recent years. The mine tunnel previously collapsed in 2003 and killed at least nine workers.

Grasberg in Papua province includes open-pit and underground operations and is the world's third-biggest copper mine ranked by production capacity, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. It also produces gold. Output was disrupted in 2011 and 2012 after labor unrest and violence at the site.

Indonesia accounted for $3.92 billion of revenue last year, or 16 percent of Freeport's sales.

[With additional reporting from Bloomberg and Reuters.]

Officials downplay Papua separatist's overseas appeals

Jakarta Globe - May 15, 2013

Ezra Sihite – Military chief of staff Agus Suhartono has sought to downplay Papuan separatist Benny Wenda's activities overseas, saying he is not worried because the firebrand activist is getting little support from Papuans at home.

The Papuan independence leader recently roused the ire of Indonesian politicians following a talk he gave at a TEDx conference in Sydney in which he advocated freeing Papua's people from Indonesian control. TEDx conferences are independently organized, volunteer-driven local events designed to stimulate dialogue. Its forums are devoted to the mission of "spreading ideas," according to the website of TED, which licenses its brand.

Speaking at the Presidential Office in Jakarta on Tuesday, Agus urged domestic media to not "blow up" news about Wenda's activities. He said the military receives frequent intelligence reports about separatist movements and shares them with the Foreign Affairs Ministry. "The Foreign Affairs Ministry has to handle this really well," he added.

Agus said Wenda's accusations of human rights violations in Papua were misleading. Agus said he would prepare accurate data to counter the accusations.

Wenda has accused the Indonesian government of human rights violations against the people of Papua.

"The facts are not like that," Agus said. "[Wenda and others] presented the wrong data. We will prepare the real data to help the Foreign Ministry. Let the Foreign Ministry explain everything."

Not worried, but still watching

Indonesian Ambassador to Australia Nadjib Riphat Kesoema said the embassy in Canberra monitored the activities of Wenda and his lawyer Jennifer Robinson when they appeared at the May 4 TEDx forum in Sydney.

"I don't think we should worry about it. They didn't get wide public attention," Nadjib was quoted as saying by detik.com on Monday. Nadjib said that the Australian government has firmly stated its support for Papua as part of Indonesian territory.

Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro also played down Wenda's efforts to attract foreign support on Tuesday. "They have asked neighboring countries to take a stance against Indonesia, but they haven't been effective," Purnomo said.

Purnomo said Indonesian embassies around the world continue to monitor Wenda's movements. He added that recent events may serve as a wake-up call for the government, which he said should start intensifying diplomacy overseas.

"We have also tried to keep this issue from creating a stir on the international scene to prevent it from becoming a triggering factor for international intervention," Purnomo said.

Strategic surprise

Jonah Weyah, a spokesman for the Free Papua Organization (OPM) Military Council of National Defense, said he was unaware of Wenda's activities overseas. Jonah added that OPM was likewise unaware of Wenda's recent Sydney appearance that upset Jakarta officials.

"That's Benny Wenda's diplomatic affairs. We, from the Military Council, are more focused on the domestic West Papua [freedom] movement," he said on Monday.

Jonah believes Wenda's appeals in Sydney are a strategic step toward the movement's long-term goal of gaining broad support. "It was planned. There's no way he would have attended it without planning it. But to be honest, we don't know what his next move will be," Jonah said.

West Papua National Parliament chairman Buchtar Tabuni said that their struggle will continue both overseas and at home. "Yes, that's right. The struggle overseas continues to go on and our activities in Papua will also continue," he said. Buchtar declined to elaborate on details of OPM's overseas plans.

Measuring their response

Marzuki Alie, speaker of the House of Representatives, urged the Foreign Ministry on Monday to take a stronger stand against domestic separatist groups operating overseas, arguing that the country's reputation and sovereignty are at stake.

Marzuki said the ministry should lodge a formal protest with the government of Australia. "The Foreign Ministry, as the spearhead of diplomacy overseas, has to improve its performance," Marzuki said.

Tjahjo Kumolo, a member of House Commission I, which oversees foreign and defense affairs, agreed that the government should raise the issue with the Australian government.

"I think the Foreign Ministry needs to lodge a protest with Australia if Australia acted to protect Wenda and the speech," he said on Monday.

Allowing Benny into Australia was inconsistent with Canberra's stated aim of nurturing close ties with Jakarta, Tjahjo said. He warned that bilateral relations could be undermined by the incident.

"Australia and Indonesia have stated their commitment to forge stronger ties," the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) legislator said.

According to his website, Wenda, who lives in Oxford, England, was granted political asylum by the British government following his escape from custody while on trial for murder and arson in Abepura, West Papua.

In August 2012, Wenda celebrated the removal of an Interpol red notice issued in 2011 at the Indonesian government's request, seeking his arrest and extradition.

Wenda's organization operates from offices in Oxford and in Germany, and lobbies internationally for Papuan independence.

Despite Indonesia's insistence that the move was purely a legal matter, legal campaigners labeled the move as political. "They must think that this is the only way to stop me, because I am telling the truth," Wenda said at the time.

The recent opening of the Oxford office was a source of diplomatic friction.

Marzuki urges Australia protest over Benny Wenda speech

Jakarta Globe - May 14, 2013

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – Marzuki Alie, the speaker of the House of Representatives, has urged the Foreign Ministry to take a stronger stand against domestic separatist groups operating overseas, arguing that the country's reputation and sovereignty are at stake.

Marzuki said on Monday that the ministry should lodge a formal protest with the government of Australia after dissident Benny Wenda, the founder of the Free West Papua campaign, gave a speech at a recent nonprofit TED conference in Sydney in which he called for independence for Indonesia's easternmost province.

"The Foreign Ministry as the spearhead of diplomacy overseas has to improve its performance," Marzuki said.

Tjahjo Kumolo, a member of House Commission I, which oversees foreign and defense affairs, agreed that the government should raise the issue with the Australian government. "I think the Foreign Ministry needs to lodge a protest with Australia if Australia acted to protect Wenda and the speech," he said on Monday.

Allowing Benny into Australia was inconsistent with Canberra's stated aim of nurturing close ties with Jakarta, Tjahjo said. He warned that bilateral relations could be undermined by the incident. "Australia and Indonesia have stated their commitment to forge stronger ties," said the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) legislator.

Benny's organization operates from offices in Oxford in the UK and in Germany.

"The integrity of the Indonesia is in our own hands," Hajriyanto Thohari, a Golkar Party legislator and deputy speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), said last week.

"We can't leave it up to other nations. The government must remain vigilant. We often hear that officially, international leaders, including from the big Western governments, say they're supportive, that Papua is a part of Indonesia," he added.

"But look at the case of the exit of East Timor from Indonesia in the old days. Western nations said they supported our sovereignty. But along the way, due to the interference of foreign nations, the province was lost," Hajriyanto said. "The West is always like that, you can't trust them completely."

The Free West Papua campaign is comprised mainly of British citizens aiming to highlight human rights abuses in Papua and to campaign for a referendum on the future of the region.

The movement has gained traction in some countries. The opening of the group's campaign office in Britain last month was attended by the local member of the British House of Commons for Oxford East, Andrew Smith.

Wenda was granted political asylum by the British government following his escape from custody while on trial for what his supporters say were trumped-up charges. The group maintains that West Papua is the site of an ongoing genocide where more than 500,000 people have been killed.

Police arrest KNPB leader in Jayapura

Jakarta Post - May 14, 2013

Jayapura – The Jayapura City Police detained West Papua National Committee (KNPB) leader Viktor Weimo during a rally in Jayapura on Monday.

The rally was held in relation to an incident in Aimas district on May 1 that left three people dead; two were killed at the location and one died in hospital. The rally was organized by the Human Rights Enforcer (SPP HAM) and other elements including the KNPB.

The protesters had intended to march to the Papua People's Council (MRP) office, but were dispersed by security personnel as they left the Perumnas III Waena residential area, some five kilometers from the MRP office.

Papua Police chief spokesman Sr. Comr. I Gede Sumerta Jaya said police detained Yeimo because he was the person responsible for the rally.

"In an earlier agreement with the police, the protesters would travel by truck from Perumnas III to the MRP office, but they rode on motorcycles. It had been agreed that some 500 people would join the rally, but the organizers also called on the public to join," said Sumerta.

He added that Law No. 9/1998 on freedom of expression stipulates that while opinion is free to be expressed, public order must be maintained.

"A concentrated crowd could commit anarchy at a demonstration. If a procession is held, it can lead to accidents and road blockages could cause traffic congestion," Sumerta said. "The same group vandalized facilities at the MRP office several years ago."

When dispersing the crowd, two police officers were injured by rocks thrown by protestors. Yeimo succeed Mako Tabuni at the KNPB after Tabuni was killed by security personnel in Jayapura on June 14, 2012.

West Papuan leader held by police

Sydney Morning Herald - May 14, 2013

Michael Bachelard – West Papuan independence movement leader Victor Yeimo was detained and allegedly beaten by police on Monday as another prominent Indonesian national politician warned Western countries against supporting separatists in the troubled province.

But police spokesman Senior Commissioner I Gede Sumerta Jaya denied that Mr Yeimo and three other protesters had been harmed, saying they were simply detained for up to 24 hours because they had failed to secure a proper permit for a rally.

The rally was held to protest against the fatal police shooting of three protesters in demonstrations on May 1.

Mr Yeimo, the leader of the unarmed KNPB separatist movement, was detained after police said the rally was disturbing traffic, and that its organisers had failed to nominate how large it would be.

About 200 protesters were outnumbered by 700 police and 22 police trucks, the province's Baptist Church leader, Socratez Yoman, said.

But, asked if the four protesters were beaten, Commander Gede said: "The police now are different. We don't do that. Because their violations carry a penalty of less than one month, we cannot arrest them, but we have the right to question them for 24 hours," he said.

In Jakarta, Ramadhan Pohan, the deputy secretary-general of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party, again reinforced how sensitive Indonesian politicians are about West Papua and its 50-year-old separatist movement.

Mr Ramadhan, who is also the deputy chairman of the national parliament's House Commission I, which oversees foreign relations, referred to the appearance of exiled independence leader Benny Wenda at the TEDx conference in Sydney in early May and called for Australia to be more sensitive.

"Australia or any friendly countries must be sensitive about Indonesia's problem [of separatism]," he said. "If later [it is proved] that Australia does support [Benny Wenda] the Government must be firm in cutting off diplomatic ties. The unitary state of the Republic of Indonesia is a non- negotiable situation."

A spokesperson for Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs said: "As is widely recognised by the Indonesian government, the Australian government does not support independence for Indonesia's Papuan provinces".

'Drunk' Papuan killed by soldier

Jakarta Post - May 13, 2013

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – A Papuan, allegedly under the influence of alcohol, was killed after a soldier in Wamena, Papua, opened fire to defend himself after being chased by a group of allegedly drunk local residents, according to a military spokesman.

Anton Kogoya, 27, was killed on Saturday evening at 10:43 p.m. local time (8:43 p.m. Jakarta time).

"He [the soldier] was already cornered and he had issued a warning shot but the residents kept chasing him with machetes. He had no other choice but to shoot at them, and he hit the victim," the Cenderawasih Military Command chief spokesman, Col. Jansen Simanjuntak, told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

He said the incident started when three off-duty soldiers, Second Pvt. Haryono, First Pvt. Sitanggang and Second Sgt. Agung, left their Napua post and headed downtown on motorcycles to play futsal (indoor soccer).

The soldiers, members of the 756th Infantry Battalion Winame Sili, were unarmed and were not wearing uniforms. After playing futsal, they stopped at the Wonogiri 3 food stall to buy some food before being approached by five drunken residents who asked for money.

The three soldiers refused, which led to a quarrel. One of the residents was carrying a machete and tried to stab Second Pvt. Haryono, who fled the scene and took refuge at the Wamena Military District Command (Kodim).

Simultaneously, Second Sgt. Agung called Chief Pvt. Simanjuntak and requested reinforcements from the Napua post. The post then sent seven soldiers to the scene.

Upon the arrival of the reinforcements on Jl. Yos Sudarso, the drunken residents were still chasing the plainclothes, off-duty soldiers, while wielding machetes. The reinforcements were also then pursued.

A soldier fired warning shots but to no avail, as the residents kept on giving chase to the soldiers. "Feeling threatened, the soldier then shot the victim and the victim died at the scene," Jansen said.

Although the shooting was carried out in self defense, the soldier would still be brought to a military tribunal, Jansen went on.

"Cenderawasih Military Command chief Maj. Gen. Christian Sebua has issued a clear order to bring the case to justice," he said. "Self defense does not have to kill or hurt other people. There are many other ways."

After the incident, members of the public gathered in front of the Wamena Kodim headquarters demanding justice, with the authorities calling on the public to remain calm and not resort to violent acts as the soldier would face the law.

Earlier on May 1, two people were killed and five others injured during a clash between security personnel with supporters of the separatist Free Papua Movement (OPM) in Aimas district, Sorong regency, in neighboring West Papua province. A third rebel, Selomina Kalaibin, died on May 6 after being treated for her injuries.

A local OPM leader, Isak Kalaibin, has surrendered to the Sorong Police for instigating the clash.

Recent violence in Papua

Feb. 22: Eight soldiers are killed in two separate incidents in Puncak Jaya regency. Unknown gunmen shoot at a helicopter trying to evacuate the dead soldiers.

March 26: Unidentified gunmen fire shots at a helicopter carrying two missionaries in Puncak Senyum, Puncak Jaya, Papua. There were no fatalities in the incident, but two bullet holes were found in a window near the cockpit.

April 27: One police officer is killed and two of his relatives are injured when unknown assailants attack their home in Yapen, Papua, at 1:30 a.m. local time. Chief Brig. Jefri Sesa dies from a stab wound to the stomach in the attack, which occurred when he was asleep at his residence in the Angkaisera police substation housing complex.

May 1: Demonstrators and police clash in Aimas district, Sorong regency, West Papua. Two people are killed and five others are injured. A third OPM rebel dies on May 6 after being treated for her injuries.

May 4: A 19-year-old fisherman, La Bila, is reportedly killed on a fishing boat after being shot by local sea patrol officers in Raja Ampat waters in Sorong, West Papua, at around 3 p.m. local time. Local sea patrol officers spotted the fishermen and approached them as they were suspicious that the men were fishing illegally.

Australian academics, researchers voice concerns over deadly Papua shooting

Jakarta Post - May 13, 2013

Jakarta – Australian academics and researchers have raised concerns, in a letter sent to Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr, about a recent fatal shooting in Sorong, Papua.

They said the shooting, perpetrated by the Indonesian security forces, of a group of Papuans marking the 50th anniversary of the transition of power in Papua from the United Nations to Indonesia highlighted continuous conflict in the region.

"It is our responsibility to protect civilians, particularly in our region, against any state brutality. West Papua is not far away from us. They are literally at our doorstep," they said in the letter made available to The Jakarta Post on Monday.

Therefore, they said, they urged Minister Carr to request the Indonesian authorities to hold accountable all those who were involved in the attack.

"We appeal you to publicly support President Yudhoyono's willingness for peace dialogue with Papuans as a way to find a peaceful solution for West Papua in the long term," it said.

The letter's signatories include Camellia Webb-Gannon, a visiting scholar at Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, University of Sydney; Francesca Merlan, a professor from Australian National University (ANU)'s School of Archaeology and Anthropology; Rebecca Monson, a lecturer at College of Law, ANU; Budi Hernawan OFM, a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at ANU's Regulatory Institutions Network; and Peter King, a professor at West Papua Project, Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, University of Sydney.

The incident occurred on April 30 when a joint patrol of the Indonesian police and military fired shots at a group of Papuans who were gathered to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the transition of power from the UN Temporary Executive Administration (UNTEA) to Indonesia on May 1, 1963.

Two locals – Abner Malagawak, 22, and Thomas Blesia, 22 – were killed in the incident while Salomina Klaibin, 42, died later in hospital. Two others – Herman Lokmen, 18, and Andreas Safisa, 24 – suffered serious injuries but survived. (ebf)

Beatings, arrests as KNPB rally forcibly broken up by police

West Papua Media - May 13, 2013

Indonesian police in Jayapura have this morning violently dispersed a pro- independence rally being held by the West Papua National Committee (KNPB), arresting its leader Victor Yeimo, media worker Marthen Manggaprouw and two KNPB activists, according to early reports.

The rally was being held to commemorate the shootings and violent crackdown by Indonesian security forces on peaceful demonstrations across Papua on May 1, which left four people dead and drew international condemnation up to the UN Human Rights Commissioner, Navi Pillay.

Reports from witnesses at the scene have confirmed that police conducted several rounds of baton charges against rally participants who arrived on motorbikes, and then joined by over 1000 other participants who continued to resist the police charges outside the gates of Cenderawasih University in Abepura. Injuries have been reported by but no particulars are yet available. More arrests are expected according to witnesses.

Jayapura police chief Alfred Papare ordered the arrests of Yeimo, Manggaprouw, Yongky Ulimpa (23), Ely Kobak (17) after intense negotiations from 9am local time between police and the activists to allow the rally failed. In this time, thousand's of frontline Papuan civilians and activists had gathered ready to march from Lingkaran Abepura (outside the Post office) near the National Housing Complex 3 (the site of late KNPB Chairman Mako Tabuni's assassination by Australian-trained Detachment 88 officers) to the People's Assembly Council (MRP) office.

At 10.50am local time, the mass gathering was attacked and the activists were arrested, beaten by Police, and media activist Manggaprouw had his camera equipment seized by Police. They were taken to Polda Papua headquarters in Jayapura, where grave concerns are held by human rights workers for their safety and freedom from torture.

KNPB Spokesman Wim Medlama told suarapapua.com, "True, officers had arrested four people on Housing III, near the taxi round. Police officers came down with their trucks, crashing into and damaging several motorbikes as well, and then arrested them. Currently they are being brought to the Papua Police. We beg for advocacy."

"We want to MRP to hold accountable the government and security apparatus- related deaths in all the land of Papua, especially those occurring in Aimas, Sorong, at the time of Papua's integration demo day on May 1, 2013 and now," said Medlama.

The rally had been banned by notorious former Detachment 88 chief, now Papua Police chief, Tito Karnavian, in a move that had been widely criticised by Papuan civil society leaders, including Baptist Church leader Socretez Yoman and Kingmi Church leader Benny Giay.

KNPB Chairman Victor Yeimo yesterday told SuaraPapua.com that the ban would not deter Papuan people from peacefully voicing their aspirations. The Papua Police banning peaceful demonstrations is very unnatural, as well as it being illegal, because freedom of public expression is guaranteed by law in the country of Indonesia.

"The Police Chief's ban is part of the continued suppression of expression was silenced in Papua. In principle, we will continue to go down, " Yeimo told SuaraPapua.com.

Journalists with SuaraPapua.com and stringers from West Papua Media reported that hundreds of fully armed police and military were at present "securing" Jayapura with 6 truckloads of police, 4 barracudas armoured cars and water cannons, and "police motorcycles continue to keep all the corners of the city of Jayapura to cancel the action plan undertaken by Papuan people.". Unconfirmed reports from witnesses have also claimed that Indonesian Army (TNI) soldiers have been mobilised.

The situation in Jayapura is currently highly tense, with more reaction expected from both Papuan civilians and security forces.

A half century on, Papua still poisons neighbourly ties

Sydney Morning Herald - May 11, 2013

Michael Bachelard – West Papua marked its 50-year anniversary under Indonesian rule last week and three events amply reminded us why it is a festering sore within the country and a serious inhibitor of good relations between Indonesia and the rest of the world.

The news that three people were shot dead at banned commemoration ceremonies was not the most prominent of these events. The shootings barely raised a ripple in the media in Indonesia or in the West. A few deaths here or there sadly have become unremarkable.

"The shooting was according to procedure," Papua Police spokesman Senior Commander I Gede Sumerta Jaya said later. The police had acted in self- defence, he said.

Indonesians outside Papua know political independence is a big issue in their easternmost province, but they view the problems there as largely economic. They believe a lot of money has been spent to achieve little. It weighs vaguely on their conscience, but they do not want to know the details, and their media lacks either the resources or the courage to spell them out.

The second event was a story in last weekend's Good Weekend magazine that West Papuan children were being trafficked out of the Christian-majority province to Java to be educated in Islamic boarding schools.

That news is potentially explosive in a country rife with religious suspicion and a growing undertow of bullying Islam, but it came as news to most Indonesians. Some, Christian and Muslim alike, reacted with alarm online, but the official reaction has been to try to avoid reacting at all.

The event that really made a splash was when exiled independence leader Benny Wenda opened a new campaign office in Britain. He rented a space, held an opening ceremony and invited the lord mayor of Oxford to attend.

However, for that event the full might of the Indonesian state swung into action. The British ambassador was "called in" to explain himself to the Indonesian Foreign Minister, Marty Natalegawa. Comments were made by MPs. Protesters held placards saying, "UK support [free Papua] Indonesian support IRA".

An earnest opinion piece discussed the best way to "isolate Benny Wenda", a man who has already been chased from his country under threat of death and had a bogus Interpol arrest warrant – since overturned – issued against him by Indonesia.

The explanation to Natalegawa by British Foreign Secretary William Hague followed the form that we're familiar with from politicians around the western world, including Australia: "We respect the territorial integrity of Indonesia... We regard Papua as being part of Indonesia."

That, though, did not wash with one influential politician, Hajriyanto Thohari. It's worth quoting him at length, because rarely has the elite view of this subject been expressed so baldly.

"We often hear that, officially, international leaders... say they're supportive, that Papua is part of Indonesia. But look at the case of the exit of East Timor from Indonesia in the old days, how much the western nations said they supported our sovereignty. But along the way, due to the interference of foreign nations, the province was lost.

"The West is always like that; you can't trust them completely."

Hajriyanto is the deputy speaker of the national parliament and from the Golkar party, which is part of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's governing coalition and the former vehicle for president Suharto.

With views like that, it's clear Papua will not be an easy subject for Australia any time soon.

Amnesty urges probe into Papua activist deaths

Agence France Presse - May 10, 2013

Jayapura – Amnesty International has urged Indonesia to probe the deaths of three Papua independence activists who were gunned down as they protested 50 years of Jakarta's control over the restive region.

Two men were killed last week at an anti-government rally in Sorong, western Papua, and a woman died in hospital on Tuesday from gunshot wounds sustained at the protest, according to Amnesty and witnesses.

Those in attendance said police had opened fire on the peaceful demonstration. However, police deny shooting the activists and say they fired over protesters' heads in retaliation for being attacked. Indonesian authorities must "set up a comprehensive and independent investigation into allegations of unnecessary use of firearms by security forces during the protests," said Isabelle Arradon, Amnesty's Asia-Pacific deputy director.

"Failure to take action will send a message that the security forces in Papua operate above the law," she added in a statement late Thursday.

United Nations human rights chief Navi Pillay also expressed concern over the deaths.

The shootings happened on April 30 as protesters gathered to mark 50 years since Papua was placed under Indonesian control by the UN, witnesses told an AFP journalist.

Isak Klaibin, the brother of the female victim Salomina Klaibin, 37, who was also at the demonstration, said protesters were gathering peacefully when police opened fire.

He told AFP at the scene: "There was going to be no raising of the [separatist] flag, nor reading of documents about the [rebel] movement" at the service. "But as we were gathering, we were surprised to suddenly hear gunshots."

Abner Malagawak, 22, and Thomas Blesia, 28, died at the scene. However, Papua police spokesman Gede Sumerta Jaya denied police had shot the activists, saying: "The shots were aimed upwards, it was self-defence because (we were) attacked."

Jaya said Salomina Klaibin was a lieutenant in the separatist Free Papua Movement (OPM), and her brother was part of a local separatist group. He said police confiscated rifles and ammunition from the scene of the protest.

Violence occasionally erupts in Papua – the western half of New Guinea island in Indonesia's extreme east – where separatists have for decades fought a low-level insurgency on behalf of the mostly ethnic Melanesian population.

Papua peace journalist tries to drum up NZ support amid crackdown

Pacific Media Centre - May 10, 2013

Jamie Small – A prominent West Papuan journalist and activist has visited New Zealand to gather support for West Papua's inclusion in the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) while an Indonesian government crackdown was killing and arresting Papuan demonstrators.

A former Papua regional editor of Kompas newspaper, Octovianus Mote visited in his role as chair of the five elected "peace negotiator" representatives of West Papua. He says his visit has raised support among a solidarity group in New Zealand, but he doesn't think the government is supportive of the cause.

West Papua marked the 50th anniversary of Indonesian occupation last week on May 1.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay issued a statement condemning the actions of Indonesian police and military forces which reportedly killed at least two pro-independence protesters.

The authorities also arrested at least 20 on April 30 and May 1. Navi says that over the last year her office has received 26 reports of alleged human rights violations in West Papua, many of which are linked to law enforcement officials.

Peaceful negotiations

"I think that peaceful negotiations are possible, but on the other hand, Indonesian troops continue to act against civilians in West Papua," says Mote.

He says West Papuans have asked permission to exercise peaceful freedom of expression and gathering, but the [Indonesian] government would not allow it.

Previously a Netherlands colony, control of West Papua was handed over to Indonesian dictator Sukarno by a UN authority in 1963 in disputed circumstances. This was part of a broader, militarised struggle by Sukarno to force Western colonial rule out of the area.

In 2001, the region was granted a special autonomy by the Indonesian government. But Mote says the special autonomy status has failed. The predominantly Melanesian people of West Papua do not identify – ethnically or culturally – with their Javanese colonisers.

Mote says Indonesia is making a concerted effort to fully colonialise West Papua. There is a constant influx of Asian Indonesians to the region, accompanied by oppression and killing of the indigenous people of West Papuan.

Of the 3.5 million people living in West Papua, Mote says currently only 48 percent are West Papuans. He believes that in 10 years' time, this number could be as low as 20 percent. 'Genocide process' "This is a crime against humanity. This is a genocide process," he says.

On top of this, Indonesia is supporting widespread environmental destruction in West Papua. The island of Western New Guinea is covered in dense rainforest and Mote says it is a "lung of the world".

In the southern regency of Merauke, a multi-million dollar joint government and corporate project called the Merauke Integrated Food and Energy Estate (MIFEE) is being initiated. According to Mote, MIFEE could cut down four million hectares of rainforest, and bring in up to six million Indonesian people.

Mote says in the regency of Merauke, only 30 percent of MPs are West Papuan. And even if the local government opposes the project, the central government in Jakarta would go ahead regardless. "There is nothing we can do," he says.

Political divisions

The Indonesian government is increasingly building infrastructure at the cost of the environment. One reason for this is the manipulation of local political divisions.

In 1999, there were nine regencies in West Papua. Now there are 31. The Indonesian government has plans to divide the two provinces of West Papua into seven.

The creation of each new province or regency requires the construction of infrastructure. This means cutting down forest and bringing in Indonesian public servants, military and workers. Mote says this is a driving factor in the "extinction" of West Papuans.

"In 10 years, the number of West Papuans [in West Papua] will be 20 percent. This is not a political statement, it is fact."

Each regency is allowed to build its own military district, and Mote says that two or three regencies together will command "a couple of battalions of Indonesian troops".

The government has appointed Bambang Darmono to accelerate development in West Papua.

Military roads

Darmono is an ex-military major, and was notoriously in command of Indonesian occupying forces in the northern Indonesian autonomous region of Aceh from 2002 to 2005 when waging war against the GAM rebels.

He is calling publicly for all new roadway constructions in West Papua to be completed by the military, creating a reason to bring in more troops.

Mote says standard practice in Indonesia is for a captain to be in charge of provincial troops. "But to control just three and a half million people, we have a couple of generals and an amazing amount of military in West Papua."

Former Green Party MP Keith Locke says New Zealand should be supportive of all Pacific people, and it should back West Papua's entry into the MSG, and hopefully its inclusion in the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF).

"If New Zealand doesn't support its neighbours consistently, it undermines its own reputation for human rights," he says.

Mote says that once the West Papuan population is suppressed, Papua New Guinea will be the next target for Indonesia. Colonisation of Papua New Guinea would force refugees into Australia, New Zealand and other surrounding nations.

Environmental destruction

Also, environmental destruction in West Papua could be affecting global warming, which is a big issue for island nations such as Nauru.

Mote says West Papua is willing to do whatever it takes to get international support in negotiations. He says the nation is willing to give land and sovereignty to people from Nauru displaced by global warming, and can offer an island for American and allied military bases.

Hone Harawira, leader of the Mana Party, says there is a "cultural and actual genocide" happening in West Papua. "I am involved [in the West Papua issue] for no other reason than that I see indigenous people being injured by someone else," he says.

Harawira says the issues facing West Papuan people are similar to Maori issues around the Treaty of Waitangi. "But the difference there is that Indonesia is a highly militaristic nation."

He says Indonesia needs to be challenged wherever they are, especially places that are not really Indonesia, like West Papua.

Harawira says that New Zealand needs to "support a call for West Papua to be raised to a clarity status with the PIF so UN Secretary General Ban Ki- Moon can take up their cause".

Community policing

Green Party MP Catherine Delahunty says: "The New Zealand government never wants to annoy Indonesia, and that's why we're doing really inappropriate things involving community policing [in West Papua]."

She says that during the visit of West Papuan activist Benny Wenda earlier in the year, parliament's speaker David Carter would not allow a forum on West Papua because he had received information from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) that it was a politically sensitive topic.

Mote says the United States were given early mining rights in West Papua by the Indonesian government. Even today, the US is getting gold and copper from West Papua, and the United Kingdom is getting oil.

Mote also says Indonesia is using the war on terror as a tool to gain support to crack down on peaceful movements in West Papua. The International Crisis Group (ICG) has drawn comparisons between West Papuan student activists and Islamic extremists.

A common fundraising exercise was reently condemned as "terrorising civilians". He says this is empowering the Indonesian government to crack down on West Papuan freedom of expression with international support.

Mote adds: "Indonesia is putting through legislation to enact terrorism law in West Papua."

Oxford 'Free West Papua' office furore smolders on in Indonesia

Jakarta Post - May 8, 2013

Ezra Sihite & Carlos Paath – Noises of fury over the launching of a Free West Papua Campaign office in Britain continued to emerge from the Indonesian government on Tuesday, although one lawmaker was more philosophical.

Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said he could not understand why the British government was unwilling to take steps against the Free West Papua office, opened in Oxford last month.

"We see this as completely at odds with the enthusiastic friendship between our two nations, and hope they can understand why we feel so upset," Marty said at the State Palace on Tuesday.

The minister said he assumed that the office had been established in accordance with Oxford local regulations, but asked that the British government nevertheless step in.

"One more time, we're asking the British government to try to understand why this cannot be tolerated, what they're doing," Marty said.

But a prominent Indonesian lawmaker said that government should not be surprised by the development.

"The integrity of the Unitary State of Indonesia is in our own hands," People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Deputy Speaker Hajriyanto Thohari said in Senayan on Tuesday.

"We can't leave it up to other nations. Of course the government has to stay on guard," the senior Golkar Party figure added.

"We often hear that officially, international leaders, including from the big Western governments, say they're supportive, that Papua is a part of Indonesia," he said.

"But look at the case of the exit of East Timor from Indonesia in the old days. How much the Western nations said they supported our sovereignty. But along the way, due to the interference of foreign nations, the province was lost," Hajriyanto said. "The West is always like that, you can't trust them completely."

Indonesian media has reported that the campaign office belongs to the Free Papua Movement (OPM), an armed paramilitary organization operating from various hotspots of dissent across Papua and West Papua provinces.

The Free West Papua Campaign, however, is an organization comprised predominantly of British citizens with the stated aim of highlighting the human rights situation in Papua and campaigning for a referendum on the future of the region.

The launching of the campaign office was attended by the local member of the British House of Commons for Oxford East, Andrew Smith, and an Indonesian-born Papuan, Benny Wenda.

Benny was granted political asylum by the British government following his escape from custody while on trial for what his supporters say were trumped-up charges designed to silence the Papuan leader.

Benny's arrest came shortly after four Indonesian Special Forces (Kopassus) soldiers abducted and murdered popular pro-independence figure Theys Eluay.

During his 2002 trial on charges carrying a possible 25 year prison sentence, Benny escaped from detention with the help of sympathizers and made it across Indonesia's border with Papua New Guinea. With the help of human rights activists, he made his way to Britain.

In 2011 the Indonesian government sought Interpol's help by issuing a red notice requesting Benny's arrest and extradition to Indonesia. The red notice was however rejected by the international police organization in 2012 after an investigation concluded that the allegations against Benny were "politically motivated and an abuse of the system."

After he was summoned on Monday by the Indonesian government, British ambassador Mark Canning issued a statement intended to defuse the tension.

"The position of [the] British government on this matter is quite clear. We respect the territorial integrity of Indonesia and do not support calls for Papuan independence. We regard Papua as being part of Indonesia."

Activists condemn Papua killings

Jakarta Post - May 8, 2013

Jakarta – West Papua Students in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and Forum SeTARA criticized the killing of Papuans marking the 50th anniversary of the transfer of West New Guinea (now Papua)'s administration from the United Nations Temporary Executive Authority (UNTEA) to Indonesia on May 1, 1963.

"We condemn the brutal act of the Indonesian security services against Papuan civilians who joined the commemoration in several cities," said a statement made available to The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

They urged authorities to pursue those responsible, including the police chief, Army commander, and governor, as well as demanding apologies and compensation for victims' families.

"The National Commission on Human Rights should investigate the incident and make its results public," the statement read.

A joint police-military operation, endorsed by the Papua governor, had banned commemoration of the transfer of administration.

Different interpretations surround the transfer of Papua from the Dutch to UNTEA and later to Indonesia under the 1962 New York Agreement. "These different interpretations must be resolved through dialogue, not through violence," the statement said. (ebf)

Aceh

Aceh singled out as the worst province for press freedom

Jakarta Post - May 15, 2013

Jakarta – The Institute for the Free Flow of Information (ISAI) announced on Tuesday that Aceh is the least likely province to allow press freedom and the most dangerous for journalists in Indonesia's 34 provinces.

Throughout 2012, ISAI cooperated with the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) and the Southeast Asia Press Alliance (SEAPA). ISAI launched a project to assess press freedom throughout Indonesia through eight indicators, including violence against journalists, vandalism of editorial offices, threats against editorial staff, pressure to print favorable reports, lawsuits against media outlets budget, restriction of information, allocations for gratuities to influence journalists, external and internal censorship.

Aceh came at the very bottom of the list of Indonesia's 34 provinces for quality of press freedom, partially because of the murder of journalist Darma S. in February last year. "The murder of journalists carries extra weight in our assessment system," Irawan Saptono, ISAI's executive director, said.

Because of this, ISAI also classified Aceh as the most dangerous place for journalists in 2012.

"Although the Indonesian government already signed a memorandum of understanding with the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) concerning peace in 2005, political friction is very much alive there and this has caused violence against journalists," Irawan said.

Additionally, according to ISAI, Aceh journalists responding to the survey mentioned the prevalence of "envelope journalism", with news sources actively attempting to influence reports with bribes.

In contrast, the index ranking saw Central Kalimantan and South Kalimantan at the top of the list, making them the best places for press freedom in Indonesia.

"Public officials in Central and South Kalimantan are very open to reporters. ISAI researchers also haven't heard any reports from these areas concerning the intimidation of journalists," Irawan said.

Gayathry Venkiteswaran, the executive director of Southeast Asia Press Alliance, said, "This research can be applied to further the effort to advance press freedom in Indonesia."

The 2012 survey, which adapted the measurement instruments used by Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF), an NGO based in France, to assess press freedom throughout the globe, had been preceded by a trial run in 2011, the results of which were not released to the public. The instrument was modified to fit Indonesia's social context.

"We conducted a trial survey in 2011 to validate the instrument. Because it was just a trial survey, we didn't disseminate the results," Helena Rea, an ISAI researcher, said.

"Throughout 2012, we collected reports from AJI and the Press Council about press freedom in all [the] provinces of Indonesia. We have based our ranking on these reports," Helena said.

According to Irawan Saptono, ISAI's executive director, the survey may require further refining to determine the factors that influence press freedom in the various provinces.

Irawan cited the example that, "We might not have received many reports concerning press freedom in certain regions because there are simply not a lot of media outlets present there. We also have not included this as a moderating variable in our research."

"The 2012 survey can't answer the question of why some provinces are better or worse than others in terms of press freedom. To answer that question, we need to do another survey," Irawan said.

In a survey from the RSF called World Press Freedom Index 2013, Indonesia ranked only 139th position with a score of 41.05, four positions behind Thailand, which had a score of 38.60. Indonesia did improve its ranking by seven positions from 146th position in 2012.

Indonesia's former province Timor Leste earned the respectable rank of 90 with its score of 28.72. Indonesia's neighbor Papua New Guinea fared much better in 41st position with a 22.97 score.

Convicted rapists face tough sentences under proposed Shariah bylaws

Jakarta Globe - May 12, 2013

Nurdin Hasan, Banda Aceh – The Aceh Legislative Council (DPRA) is mulling a Shariah bylaw that would mandate tougher sentences for convicted rapists than those doled out under the Indonesian Criminal Code.

Convicted rapists would be lashed up to 200 times with a rattan cane before facing up to 200 months in jail, according to a copy of Aceh's proposed "Qanun Jinayat" obtained by the Jakarta Globe. Under Indonesia's current Criminal Code, rapists face a maximum of 12 years – or 144 months – in prison.

The Qanun Jinayat also included stricter protections for children and victims of sexual harassment. Those found guilty of statutory rape face the same penalty as convicted rapists. The sentence is doubled – a maximum of 400 lashes and 400 months in prison – for those convicted of forcibly raping a child.

Sexual harassment would carry a maximum sentence of 60 lashes and either 600 grams of pure gold – the equivalent of $27,930 on today's market – or 60 months in prison. Penalties would be doubled if the victim is a child.

The Aceh chapter of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) supported the draft bylaws, explaining that rapists deserved harsh sentences because of the seriousness of their crime.

"With heavy punishment in the Qanun Jinayat we hope there will be no more violations of Islamic Shariah in Aceh because people will think thoroughly if they want to commit something that is forbidden by the religion," NU Aceh chair Teungku Faisal Ali said.

The strictly conservative province adopted Shariah Law in 2001 as part of a special autonomy agreement with the central government. Aceh's Shariah Police currently enforce four Islamic bylaws, including laws barring close contact between unmarried couples, alcoholic beverages and gambling. Women are also required to wear a headscarf. The bylaws have also been used by Shariah Police to crack down on tight jeans and punks.

The legislative council is currently debating the issuance of additional bylaws, including one that criminalizes same-sex relationships. Under the proposed bylaw, same-sex couples would be publicly lashed 100 times. The regulation has gained traction among some of Aceh's political leaders, including Banda Aceh Deputy Mayor Illiza Sa'aduddin Djamal.

NU chair Teungku pushed for swift deliberation on the proposed bylaws, arguing that Aceh needed stricter Islamic regulations to curb "immorality."

"The violations toward Islamic Shariah and immorality have spread and are becoming worse in Aceh," Teungku said. "Therefore, the two qanuns are strongly needed... to save all the Aceh people."

Legislative council head Abdullah Saleh said the DPRA was currently in discussions with local ulemas and other people of note.

"The discussion will... involve related stakeholders, like ulemas and prominent figures in society, so that the two qanuns [bylaws]... could be accepted by all Aceh people,"Abdullah said. "The more people involved in the discussion, the better."

Aceh flag deadline passed, talks go on

Jakarta Post - May 8, 2013

Ina Parlina, National – The two-week deadline has passed but the central government and the Aceh provincial administration are no closer to resolving the controversial plan to change the province's official flag, which resembles the flag of the now-defunct separatist group, the Free Aceh Movement (GAM).

The Home Ministry set the deadline for clarification of the plan late last month but a meeting between Home Minister Gamawan Fauzi and Aceh Governor Zaini Abdullah reached deadlock last week. The only agreement made between the two sides is that they would form a team of seven members each to settle the problem. Both teams are set to meet on Tuesday in Batam.

"Although we [the central government] are still encouraging a change in the format and design of the Aceh flag as it does not comply with Government Regulation No. 77/2007 on regional symbols, we are trying to find common ground between the two sides," Home Ministry spokesman Reydonnyzar Moenek said on Tuesday.

The central government team comprises representatives from the Home Ministry, Office of the Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister, the Law and Human Rights Ministry and the Administrative Reforms Ministry, while the Aceh team consists of members of the Aceh Legislative Council (DPRA) and the provincial administration.

The Aceh provincial administration had approved the use of the crescent-and-star flag and the Bouraq divine bird as the flag and symbol of the province through Bylaw No. 3/2013 which took effect on March 25.

The Aceh administration based its position on the Helsinki memorandum of understanding (MoU), which states that the province may have its own flag and coat-of-arms due to its special status.

However, article 4.2 of the MoU stipulates that GAM members should no longer wear uniforms or display the emblem or military symbol in public, although the GAM flag is not regarded as a sovereign flag.

The central government rejects the flag as it violates Government Regulation No. 77/2007 on regional symbols, which stipulates that the design of a regional symbol and flag must not be in part, or as a whole, the same as the symbol or flag of any banned organizations or separatist movements within the Republic.

The central government reacted by sending a letter to the provincial administration that gave it two weeks for clarification of the ordinance.

Several regencies, especially in the south, rejected the GAM flag and symbol, threatening the formation of a new province should the Aceh administration insist on using them. However, it appeared that both parties seemed to be calm and patient, waiting for the best peaceful solution.

Last week, Zaini came to the Constitutional Court to discuss the matter with chief justice Akil Mochtar.

Zaini said that the GAM flag was not meant to replace the Republic's red and white flag and that they "had no intention of seceding from Indonesia".

Crisis Group warns of pitfalls of one-party domination in Aceh

Jakarta Globe - May 8, 2013

A dispute over a flag in Aceh is testing the limits of autonomy, provoking Indonesia's central government and could pave the way for separatist factions to emerge, the International Crisis Group said.

The Brussels-based group said that the flag dispute was also heightening ethnic tensions, reviving a campaign for the division of the province and raising fears of violence as the 2014 national elections approach.

The Aceh provincial legislature on March 25 adopted a regulation that made the banner of the now disbanded Free Aceh Movement (Gerakan Aceh Merdeka) the province's official flag.

The central government says the regulation violates a law banning separatist symbols and must be changed.

However, Partai Aceh, the political party set up by the former rebels and which now dominates the political landscape in Aceh, says the flag cannot be separatist since GAM leaders signed a 2005 peace agreement with the Indonesian government in Helsinki in which it acknowledged Indonesian sovereignty.

"This dispute is about much more than whether the flag constitutes a separatist symbol. It is about where Aceh is headed and what its relations with Jakarta will be", says Sidney Jones, ICG's senior Asia advisor, said in a statement on Wednesday.

"It is also about what the implications are for other areas, such as Papua, where rising a pro-independence flag has been the iconic act of political resistance."

ICG said that Partai Aceh sees no need to compromise because its leaders believe Jakarta will capitulate, as it has in the past. It also wants to use the enormous emotive power of the flag to mobilize voters in 2014.

The group said that if Jakarta rejects the flag, the party can score points with its supporters, because defying the central government is a vote- getter. If it accepts the flag, Partai Aceh will be convinced that obstinacy pays, and its leaders are likely to press for more authority.

"Aceh looks increasingly like a one-party state", says Jim Della-Giacoma, an ICG director. "The question is whether Partai Aceh uses its power to improve the welfare of its poorest constituents or to entrench another elite".

Partai Aceh, the group said, is systematically entrenching its control over political institutions in the province, making it less likely that any democratic challenge to its control will succeed.

It already controls the executive and legislative branches in the provincial government, as well as most of the most populous districts.

It is exerting influence over the civil service and local election commission. It is also in control of a new bureaucracy set up to safeguard Acehnese culture and values, known as the Wali Nanggroe (Guardian of the State).

Human rights & justice

US State Department points to human rights problems in Indonesia

Jakarta Globe - May 15, 2013

Despite undergoing a dramatic democratic transformation over the last decade, a new report released on Tuesday by the United States Department of State maintains that Indonesia is still struggling with certain human rights matters.

In its 2012 Human Rights Report on Indonesia, the state department highlighted several worrying issues, including the treatment of ethnic and religious minorities, abuses by security forces, people trafficking and child labor, that are still taking place in the country.

"The suppression or abridgement of the rights of religious and ethnic minorities was a problem. The government applied treason and blasphemy laws to limit freedom of expression by peaceful independence advocates in the provinces of Papua, West Papua and Maluku and by religious minority groups," the executive resume of the report said.

The report said that minority religious groups such as Ahmadis, Shiites, other non-Sunni Muslims and Christians were occasionally victims of societal discrimination and violence.

It also pointed out that under the Blasphemy Law, "spreading religious hatred, heresy, and blasphemy" is punishable by up to five years in prison. On July 12, the Sampang District Court sentenced Shiite cleric Tajul Muluk to two years in prison for blasphemy following the issuance of a fatwa (Islamic edict) by a local Islamic clerical council that called his teaching deviant. On September 21, the court extended the sentence to four years.

Official corruption, including within the judiciary, was also a major problem for Indonesia, according to the report.

"On some occasions, the government punished officials who committed abuses, but judicial sentencing often was not commensurate with the severity of offenses, as was true in other types of crimes," the report said.

Additionally, the report stated that there were accounts of the government and its agents committing arbitrary or unlawful killings during the year. It cited the shooting of Mako Tabuni, a leader of the National Committee for West Papua, under unclear circumstances on June 14.

On July 27, members of the National Police Mobile Brigade (Brimob) dispersed a demonstration over land problems by villagers in Limbang Jaya village, Ogan Ilir district in South Sumatra, leaving a 12-year-old boy dead of a gunshot wound. Investigators interviewed 120 Brimob members who took part in the clash, but none were arrested or charged.

Furthermore, a number of violent incidents, including killings by unknown parties in Papua and West Papua, were recorded.

Unknown attackers, whom government officials and human rights contacts suspected to be Papuan separatists, killed a small number of non-Papuan migrants.

Local NGOs reported that torture continues to be commonplace in police detention facilities throughout the country. The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) reported that between July 2011 and June 2012, it received 86 reports of torture involving a total of 243 victims. Eleven of the cases occurred in Papua.

The report also said that conditions in Indonesia's 428 prisons and detention centers were sometimes harsh or life threatening, and that overcrowding was widespread.

New Order rebel's poems to hit print

Jakarta Globe - May 14, 2013

Wiji Thukul disappeared 15 years ago this month, along with many others lost in the upheaval of the student-led protests that forced Suharto out of power.

But even before the tumultuous events of 1998, he was already an elusive figure, having been on the run from government forces since 1996 for his political activism with a wing of the People's Democratic Party (PRD), a socialist-leaning party whose criticism of the New Order regime saw its leaders jailed and its members persecuted.

What made Wiji particularly dangerous to the authorities was the fact that he was a popular poet whose works were considered subversive.

His poems supplied two of the enduring rallying cries for the student protesters: "Satu Mimpi, Satu Barisan" ("One Dream, One Front") and "Hanya Ada Satu Kata: Lawan!" ("Just One Word: Oppose!").

As the country marks the 15th anniversary of the fall of Suharto's New Order and the advent of the reform era, Wiji's legacy is being revived with Tempo's publication of an anthology of poems written by the poet during his two years on the run from authorities.

The 49 poems – never before published – were given by Wiji to fellow activist Yosep Adi Prasetyo, also known as Stanley, now a deputy chairman of the National Commission for Human Rights (Komnas HAM). The anthology will be published this week with the title "The Angry Generals."

The events of 1998 that led to Suharto's resignation on May 21 were fueled by widespread social unrest and economic turmoil as a result of the Asian financial crisis.

On May 12, security forces shot at student demonstrators in Jakarta, killing four. Over the next three days, mobs burned and looted Chinese- owned homes and businesses, killing more than 1,000 people and raping nearly 500.

On May 16, thousands of student activists stormed the House of Representatives and called for Suharto to step down.

The strongman, however, issued a decree on May 18 giving himself the power to take all measures to restore security. But Gen. Wiranto, head of the military at the time, refused to enforce the decree to prevent further conflict.

Suharto was later compelled to announce his resignation in a televised address on May 21 and B.J. Habibie, who had just been named vice president in March, was subsequently named Indonesia's new president.

In another event to mark the anniversary, the Muara Foundation, a group that advocates humanitarian values in education and culture, plans to hold a series of events under the theme "Literature and Art for Freedom" at the Taman Ismail Marzuki cultural center in Central Jakarta on Wednesday.

They will include readings and art exhibitions focusing on freedom and tackling injustice.

"Through this event, we hope to make the society at large aware that literature and art, as cultural products, have to speak for freedom and against injustice," Okky Madasari, the founder of the Muara Foundation, said on Monday.

"Through the literature and the works of art that we will present, we also hope to raise awareness about the condition of our society."

The series of events will culminate with the official launch of Okky's latest book, "Pasung Jiwa" ("Soul Shackles"), which, like her three previous novels, addresses issues of humanity and social injustice. A theatrical version of "Pasung Jiwa" will also be performed at TIM's Teater Kecil performance hall.

"'Pasung Jiwa' looks at the question of individual freedom in the period before and after the start of the reform era. It talks about the discrimination and injustice faced by citizens from all backgrounds," said Okky, a winner of the 2012 Khatulistiwa Literary Award for her book "Maryam," which is focused on the persecution of the Ahmadiyah sect.

Wiji Thukul and the angry generals

Detik.com - May 13, 2013

Is Mujiarso, Jakarta – Even when he was a political fugitive, Wiji Thukul could still joke. When it was raining, he once wrote in a poem: The rain falls tonight/to protect me/the secret police with such small wages/must be really annoyed...

There is of course a note of bitterness behind these seemly humorous lyrics. Wiji continued: This dark night is for me/this dark night is my blanket/good night my homeland/good night my child and wife/a time will come/for freedom/for all.

This is from one of the poem that has been compiled into a bonus booklet titled "The Angry Generals", which has been published in a special edition of Tempo Magazine to commemorate 15 years of reformasi [the reform process that began in 1998] with the cover title, "The Puzzle of Wiji Thukul". The compilation includes 49 poems, including poems by Wiji in Javanese.

Most of the poems in the 37-page booklet were written by Wiji while he was on the run, a political fugitive from the New Order government of former President Suharto. Wiji was a poet who threw himself into practical politics through the People's Cultural Network (JAKER), which was affiliated with the People's Democratic Party (PRD) that emerged in 1996. His poems articulate the suffering of the ordinary people, and contain slogans of struggle that made the generals in Jakarta at that time tremble with fear.

The title of the booklet was taken from one of Wiji's poems of the same name. Like many of Wiji's works, although the poem contains much poignancy it is still written in a relaxed style, wrapped in the routine affairs of daily life in a household of the common people. The following is an excerpt from the poem "The Angry Generals":

That morning their anger was broadcast
by the television. But I was asleep. It was my wife
who watched it. My wife was shocked. Because
a lieutenant general implicated
me by name. My blanket
was hastily pulled off. With
eyes still sickly from sleep I asked:
why? Only a few broken words
came from her mouth: "Your name was on
television..."

Wiji's poems were never long-winded in their use of metaphor. Yet one of the poems included in the compilation clearly reveals that he did not need metaphors to expresses his thoughts and what was in his heart. As is apparent from the poem titled, "Do we Still Need Imagery?".

When I was a political fugitive
because I joined the People's Democratic Party
my name was published in the newspapers
my house was searched – my wife terrorised
summoned by the local military interrogated and intimidated
(my child –4 th– saw it all!)
do you still need imagery
to say: I AM NOT FREE.

[Translated by James Balowski.]

Labour & migrant workers

Activist: Laws open slavery's door

Jakarta Globe - May 11, 2013

Markus Junianto Sihaloho & Edi Hardum – Indonesia's labor system opens the door to worker exploitation and slavery, as evidenced by a recent case in Tangerang that has gripped the nation, an activist said.

Anis Hidayah of Migrant Care said that slavery in Tangerang was not shocking given Indonesian law is unsympathetic to the plight of workers. "The legal system opened such an opportunity," Anis told a forum in Jakarta on Friday.

Anis said that human rights is not the top priority for Indonesian policy makers, saying the labor laws reflect that fact. She added that Migrant Care often found similar cases of Indonesian migrant workers being exploited at home before they were sent overseas.

Payaman Simanjuntak, a labor analyst, said that the Tangerang incident, in which dozens of workers at a factory were allegedly held in slave-like conditions for months, reflected a lack of supervision by the Banten provincial manpower agency.

"This is a slap in the face for [Manpower Minister] Muhaimin [Iskandar] and labor supervisors," Payaman said on Friday.

Payaman said labor supervisors in district, provincial and national government and had been too focused on large companies at the expense of smaller ones like that operating in Tangerang. "Small companies should have also been supervised... [and this] should become a priority now," he said.

Payaman called on Muhaimin to train manpower agencies at the district and provincial level to prevent such cases from repeating. "The case was embarrassing and it reflected poorly on all of us," he said.

Payaman said the manpower agencies at all levels of government should have data on all companies, both big and small. "Supervision would be easy if data on all were available," he said.

The Tangerang case was uncovered when two workers, Andi Gunawan, 20, and Junaidi, 22, escaped from a kitchenware factory after working for four months in captivity and without pay.

After escaping, the workers and their families filed a report with the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM). The human rights agency, Tangerang Police and the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) on May 3 raided the factory, located in Lebak Wangi village.

Six workers, several of whom were minors, were found locked in a room. A total of 46 workers forced to work in poor conditions were released from the factory.

"We have detained five suspects, while two others remain at large because they resigned from their job two weeks before we busted the factory," Tangerang Police detective unit chief Comr. Shinto Silitonga told the Jakarta Globe last weekend.

Police arrested Yuki Irawan, the owner of the kitchenware factory, who allegedly held his workers in captivity while forcing them to work without pay.

Women's groups in Jakarta mark 20 since Marsinah's murder

Tempo.co - May 9, 2013

Ali Akhmad, Jakarta – As many as 29 women's community groups from the Indonesian Women's Action Committee (KAPI) commemorated 20 years since the murder of Marsinah by holding a candlelight vigil at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Central Jakarta on the evening of May 8.

"We want to recall human rights problems that have been left hanging in the air", said KAPI action coordinator Dina Ardiyanti.

Marsinah was born on April 10, 1969. She was a labour activist at the watch factory PT Catur Putra Surya in Porong, Sidoarjo, who was found dead in a shack on the edge of a rice field in the Wilangan sub-district of Nganjuk in East Java on May 8, 1993. To this day, Marsinah's death remains a mystery because the killers have never been caught. She was found dead three days after being abducted.

The only defendants tried for her murder, the owner of PT Catur Putra, Yudi Susanto and several of his staff, were eventually declared not guilty by the Supreme Court. There are strong indications that the case involved members of the military during the New Order dictatorship of former President Suharto, although until this day, the case has never been fully resolved.

Prior to her death, Marsinah and other PT Catur Putra Surya workers went on strike making 12 demands of the factory. One of the demands that they company increase the daily wage from 1,700 to 2,250 rupiah. They were also fighting for an allowance of 550 rupiah per day.

These demands were in accordance with East Java Governor Circular Number 50/1992, which contained an appeal to employers to increase East Java workers' basic wage by 20 percent.

In addition to lighting candles, the protesters also read out poems, gave cultural speeches and held a musical presentation. The event, said Ardiyanti, was held as a reminder that Indonesian nation still remembers Marsinah and are still seeking justice. "Marsinah's death was a huge tragedy", said Ardiyanti.

Thanks to her courage in fighting for workers rights during the New Order period, Marsinah received the Yap Thiam Hien human rights award in 1993. The Marsinah case has been given a special note by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and is known as case number 1713. The ILO has urged the Indonesian government to make a genuine effort to fully resolve the case. To this day however, the murder of this courageous worker remains a mystery.

[Translated by James Balowski.]

Women workers in East Java commemorate 20 years since Marsinah's murder

Kompas.com - May 8, 2013

Achmad Faizal, Surabaya – Scores of women workers from various different groups in East Java held an action on Wednesday May 8 in the provincial capital of Surabaya to commemorate 20 years since the death of Marsinah, a women worker who was murdered on May 8, 1993.

The protesters scattered flowers in front of the office of the PT Catur Putra Surya (CPS) offices in the Rungkut Sier factory complex area of Surabaya, the company where Marsinah used to work.

In addition to scattering flowers, the workers also handed out flowers to pedestrians and held a prayer procession and a moment of silence for Marsinah. At the end of the action, the workers placed a wreath of flowers with Marsinah's photograph at the PT CPS office door.

Action coordinator Tiolina Dameria said that they hoped that the action would trigger enthusiasm among workers, particularly women workers, to continue fighting to realise the normative rights for workers in their workplace.

"Marsinah is indeed dead, but I am sure that there other Marsinahs who have an even stronger spirit of struggle to [fight for] workers' welfare", she said.

During the action the workers also read out several demands to related parties such as the company, the government and security forces. The demands included a call to fully resolve Marsinah's murder, an end to all forms of workers' slavery, protection for women workers and an end to the involvement of the TNI (Indonesian military) and police in industrial disputes.

"We are also urging the government to make May 8 an annual holiday for Marsinah", said the East Java Indonesian Metal Trade Workers Federation (FSPMI) activist.

Marsinah, a labour activist with the watch company PT CPS, was found dead having suffered terrible injuries in a farmers' shack near the Wilangan Nganjuk forest after being declared missing three days earlier. To this day, the identity of Marsinah's killers remains a mystery.

[Translated by James Balowski.]

Political parties & elections

Indonesia's main Islamist party faces moral litmus test

Jakarta Post - May 13, 2013

Endy Bayuni, Jakarta – Corruption scandals may be hurting every major political party in Indonesia, but when such allegations hit the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), they have the potential to destroy the main Islamist party, which has grown since its founding 15 years ago chiefly on a strong morality campaign platform including a clean government.

Media reports suggesting that attractive women celebrities may have been involved in the beef import scandal has not helped the reputation of the PKS, which in 2008 led the successful campaign in the legislature to push for a tougher Pornography Law.

With the general election less than a year away, how the PKS handles this crisis could make or break the party's fortunes at the polls. Time is not on its side.

The controversy over the confiscation of the PKS' operational cars by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) as part of its investigation gave the party a reprieve this past week to momentarily divert public attention to issues of legal procedures and away from the more haphazard moral issues.

The party quickly distanced itself when its chairman Luthfi Hasan Ishaaq, was arrested by the KPK in February on charges of corruption in beef import trade. Instead of helping him defend his honor, party elders replaced him and left him to fight the allegations alone.

Since then, the PKS has struggled to clear its name as the investigation constantly reveals that there may be more than initially meets the eye. There were suggestions of complicity involving Agriculture Minister Suswono, a PKS member, who apportioned the beef import quotas. The KPK is also looking into the role of the son of Hilmi Aminuddin, the most senior and revered PKS leader, in the beef import trade.

While Luthfi remains in detention, the corruption court has started to try two executives of the trading company that received the quota.

The central figure of the scandal,however, is a political broker who goes by the name of Ahmad Fathanah. He was arrested shortly after allegedly accepting a Rp 1 billion (US$100,000) bribe from the beef importing company. The KPK believes Fathanah had planned to deliver the money to Luthfi.

But it was the presence of attractive women answering KPK questions in the investigation of Fathanah that could cause the most damage to the party's reputation.

There was Ayu Azhari, an actress and singer, who went to the KPK office to deny that she had accepted large sums of money from Fathanah only to go back the next day to return all the money and gifts she received from him.

There was also Vitalia Shesya, an adult magazine model, who returned a car, a luxury watch and cash that she said were given to her by Fathanah. And there was Tri Kurnia Puspita, a dangdut singer, who also returned a car and items of jewelry to the KPK.

It doesn't help the PKS' cause that these women were obscure about what they gave in return for all the generous gifts. This only fueled public imagination.

The consistent link to the PKS in these media stories has only infuriated the party's elders. The party insists that Fathanah is not a member and that the KPK evidence against Luthfi is circumstantial.

The PKS believes that the allegations are part of a vicious campaign to destroy the party ahead of the 2014 election. It points to discriminatory practices by the KPK, noting that Anas Urbaningrum, the ousted chairman of the ruling Democratic Party, remains free even though he, too, has been named a suspect in a separate corruption scandal.

Other big parties have been hurt by corruption scandals, including the main opposition Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and Golkar, which like the PKS is a member of the coalition government. With all parties hard- pressed for cash, it is left to the creativity of their leaders or treasurers to raise funds. Some of them may have broken the law in the process, intentionally or not.

But the public, and possibly voters too at the polls, judge the PKS by a higher standard because of the constant moral message that it has conveyed. When it comes to hypocrisy, the public is much less forgiving.

In only its third participation in a general election, the party pooled 7.5 percent of the national vote, coming in fourth, and again joined the coalition government of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. At its congress in 2010, the PKS declared its target to move into the top three in the 2014 election. To broaden its appeal, it has tried to shed its Islamic image and started to campaign using more secular issues, albeit with moral overtones.

The actions of its executives, however, may defy its ambitions. Last year, a PKS member of the House of Representatives was caught on camera watching porn videoclips on his tablet while the House was in session. A disgruntled PKS founder has submitted documents to the KPK that he said was evidence of corruption within the party. The KPK has yet to act on these documents.

It's too early, however, to dismiss the PKS' chances in the 2014 election.

Only a few weeks after the corruption scandal involving its chairman came to light, the PKS saw its candidates winning gubernatorial elections in West Java and North Sumatra in February and March,respectively. But local elections have their own dynamics from the wider national election next year.

A not guilty verdict for their former chairman just before the elections, as the party certainly hopes for, could be a boon and reaffirm its claim of a national conspiracy. A guilty verdict, however, would almost surely destroy the party.

'Indonesia political parties are colossal disappointment'

Jakarta Post - May 10, 2013

In his work Indonesia's Accountability Trap: Party Cartels and Presidential Power after Democratic Transition, Dan Slater, an observer of Indonesian politics at the University of Chicago, said that the nation's political parties had created a "cartel" dependent on state resources to maintain their positions. Slater said that politicians who joined the cartel would work to share power among themselves at the expense of constituents and that the cartel would grow entrenched and impossible to replace. In a recent interview with The Jakarta Post's Margareth S. Aritonang, Slater answered questions about party politics in the run-up to the 2014 general elections.

Question: What do you think of the state of the nation's political system as the next round of presidential and legislative elections approaches?

Answer: It's hard to avoid the conclusion that Indonesia's major political parties are anything but a colossal and continuing disappointment. Indonesian voters deserve much better. But the leading parties are mostly just getting older, not better. This is despite the fact that all of them, except the Democratic Party, experienced disappointing results in 2009 – and the Democratic Party is on the verge of a similar setback in 2014. Voter de-alignment seems sure to continue, because parties aren't doing what is necessary to maintain their supporters.

Do the nation's political parties live up to democratic principles or are they becoming less democratic?

I'm less concerned about how parties run themselves than about how they run the country. Parties can either be run in a highly disciplined and top-down manner or in a more loose and bottom-up manner, but still play a positive role in representing voters. I don't think parties have ever been where the main democratic impulses in Indonesia have come from. From the anti- Soeharto protests until now, those impulses have been strongest in civil society and in the independent media. Indonesian voters thankfully seem to be maintaining their democratic vigor, despite the fact that leading parties keep proving to be such disappointments.

How will these problems, especially internal party problems, affect democracy in Indonesia?

I've long argued that Indonesian parties undermine democracy most severely by sharing power indiscriminately after elections – especially because this threatens to eliminate all serious political opposition, just like what happened when Megawati [Sukarnoputri] was president. No opposition means no choice. How parties run their internal affairs worries me less.

Do we need to nurture an opposition voice within individual political parties for a better balance of power?

Unlike the country as a whole, a particular party doesn't need openly vocal internal opposition to be an effective agent for democracy. But parties do need to be able to absorb energies from their rank and file and produce new talent for leadership positions. It's on that score where Indonesian parties are faring quite badly. Plus, the lack of transparency is troubling. When party leaders like SBY [President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono] and [former Democratic Party chairman] Anas [Urbaningrum] have a falling out, voters shouldn't just be left guessing what's going on.

What are your projections for 2014?

The legislative elections seem unlikely to produce a decisive winner, so once again we'll see party elites deciding how to divvy up power among themselves. As ever, voters will propose but elites will dispose. As for the presidential election, my worry has long been that Indonesian voters would be confronted with a choice between an irresponsible populist and a traditional, aloof oligarch. A match-up between someone like [Gerindra chief] Prabowo [Subianto] and someone like [Golkar chief Aburizal] Bakrie is what I have long envisaged and what still worries me most. My main hope is that some kind of reformist candidate will bubble up from a party that has active ties to the grassroots, such as the PDI-P or the PKS. For now it looks like [Jakarta Governor] Jokowi [Widodo] is the best hope in that regard, if the PDI-P put him forward. If nobody like Jokowi channels reformist energies, I'm afraid someone like Prabowo will.

How do you see the competition among the parties next year?

The biggest problem with Indonesian parties isn't that they're non- ideological, but that they're non-responsive. I think the vast majority of voters would be very pleased to have representatives who actually see it as their daily job to fight for their voters' interests. SBY has been no more ideological than Megawati, but he has been modestly more responsive to popular pressure, and that has been a change for the better. All in all I think Indonesian democracy looks stronger heading into 2014 than it looked heading into 2004.

KPU returns applications of most legislative candidates

Jakarta Post - May 8, 2013

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – Only a small minority of candidates aspiring to run in the 2014 legislative election managed to pass the verification process at the General Elections Commission (KPU).

Three parties – the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the United Development Party (PPP) and the Indonesian Justice and Unity Party (PKPI) – had all their candidates rejected by the KPK due to administrative problems.

KPU chairman Husni Kamil Malik said on Tuesday that the parties would have 14 days until May 22 to complete the requirements for their legislative candidates.

The poll body said that of 6,576 aspiring legislators, only 1,327 had submitted complete documents to show they were administratively and legally eligible to run in the elections.

Most of them came from President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party (PD), Coordinating Economic Minister Hatta Rajasa's National Mandate Party (PAN), the Golkar Party and the National Awakening Party (PKB).

Of the party members nominated by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) to contest the 560 legislative seats, only three met the administrative and legal requirements, the KPU said.

The NasDem Party, which will take part in election for the first time next year, had only seven of its candidates verified by the KPU. The People's Conscience Party (Hanura) and the Star Crescent Party (PBB) only had eight and 15 candidates verified, respectively.

The administrative and legal requirements include copies of identification cards, high school diplomas and documents stating that the candidates upheld the state ideology of Pancasila and the Constitution, were physically and mentally sound, and that they would not take other jobs if elected as House of Representatives members.

Hadar N. Gumay, a poll commissioner, vowed the commission would conduct the verification openly to ensure the public knew the parties and their candidates.

"The poll body will work on the principle of transparency, and political parties contending the legislative election have been given 14 days to make the necessary amendments to their members' applications."

Political parties may remove or replace the names on their provisional lists of legislative candidates should they receive input from the public over the candidates' track records.

They would not be able to make changes after June 13, Hadar said. He called on the public to assess all the legislative hopefuls before their candidacies are verified by the KPU on August 13.

Boni Hargens, a political analyst at the University of Indonesia, highlighted the fact that nepotism remained rampant in the legislative nomination process. He criticized the PD, the PDI-P and PAN for creating political dynasties by nominating relatives and close friends of party officials.

At least six relatives of President Yudhoyono and four relatives of former president Megawati Soekarnoputri have been nominated to run in the upcoming election.

Boni said the quality of legislators and the House's performance would be unlikely to improve next year because most incumbent legislators were seeking reelection.

Mass organisations & NGOs

DPR resumes session with contentious bill

Jakarta Post - May 14, 2013

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – The House of Representatives kicked off a new sitting session on Monday with a plan to continue deliberating the mass organization bill in spite of massive protests from civil society groups.

The House had halted the deliberation of the mass organization bill in late April, a move taken to bow to mounting public pressure, especially from the country's second largest Islamic group Muhammadiyah, which threatened to blacklist any parties that supported the endorsement of the bill.

After a month of recess, 327 of the total 560 lawmakers assembled for a plenary session on Monday, during which they agreed to endorse at least 19 bills in the next 61 days, which include the bill on mass organizations, as well as one on combating deforestation.

In his speech to open the Monday plenary meeting, House Speaker Marzuki Alie said the bill on mass organization and the bill on combating deforestation were among those to be prioritized in the current sitting session.

Other topics to be discussed include the bills on halal certification, on the financial system safety net (JPSK), on local elections, on regional administration and on the accelerated development of underdevelopment regions.

"We hereby call on the public to give us constructive input for each bill so that we can produce comprehensive and good quality laws," Marzuki said.

Marzuki, a Democratic Party politician also reminded his fellow lawmakers of their poor attendance, calling on all lawmakers to better use their time to achieve the legislative target.

Separately, House deputy speaker from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Pramono Anung Wibowo, said that the House was aware of concerns over several "contentious" bills, including the one on mass organization. He said the House could not remove the contentious bills from the legislation program without consent from the government.

"We can only permanently halt the discussion of bill and remove it from the legislation program if it has been approved both by the House and the government. Earlier we decided to suspend talks [on the bill on mass organization and on combating deforestation] because we agreed to get more input from the public," Pramono said.

The bill on mass organization, which has been discussed by the House over the past two years, has raised oppositions from civil organizations, secular and Islamic, over the concern that it will bring back repressive government control on mass organizations as experienced in the New Order era.

In an attempt to get support from critics of the bill, a House special committee on the bill and the Home Ministry previously agreed to revise the draft in order to ensure that it would not be considered a threat to Islam.

In spite of the change, Muslim groups, including Muhammadiyah, remained adamant they would reject the bill.

Home Minister Gamawan Fauzi earlier warned that the existing laws on mass organizations are outdated. He warned that the current law, which is deemed more repressive, could be enacted unless the House passes the bill.

On Monday, Malik Haramain, who chairs the House special committee on the bill, expressed his optimism that the bill could be endorsed in the current session. He said that members of the committee had clarified contentious provisions in the bill during the recess.

"Some groups have obviously misunderstood the bill. We explained everything and cleared up any confusion. I'm confident that we can finally endorse this bill by the end of this session," Haramain said.

Media & journalism

Indonesian media needs to cover religion, not radicals: IARJ

Jakarta Globe - May 9, 2013

Camelia Pasandaran – Indonesian media need to work together to ensure that religious extremists don't have a voice in print, the International Association of Religion Journalists said on Wednesday.

"Don't give any room to the hard-liners," said Endy Bayuni, of the steering committee of IARJ. "Please cover them when they're violating the law, but don't give space to small group of people when they rally against something absurd. They used the media effectively and deceive the media to suit their own means."

Journalists' objectivity – which is usually present in business and political news – often gets forgotten when covering religion, Endy said before listing off examples of bias in coverage of religious conflicts with Shiites and Ahmadiyah.

"Islamophobia in the West in the past could not be set aside from the media," Endy said. "The growing hatred among Muslims toward people of different religions is also influenced by the media. When Indonesian media covered attacks against Ahmadiyah and Shia, many in the media called them heretics."

The media should staff a religion beat with reporters committed to providing balanced and objective coverage, Endy said. Senior staffers need to remind young journalists of their responsibility to pluralism, he said.

"In most of [Indonesian] media, religion is not a prioritized beat," he said. "There's rarely news about religion on the front page or at the top of the news on TV unless it is a scandal or it involves violence. Even if the media does cover religion, they fail to do it according to good journalism standard."

Bike gangs attack 2 journalists in Makassar

Jakarta Post - May 9, 2013

Makassar – Two journalists have been attacked by a motorcycle gang in Makassar, South Sulawesi, in an incident that is likely to draw further attention to the unsafe conditions journalists face.

Endi, a contributor to TransTV, and Harun, a Fajar TV journalist, became victims of a brutal attack allegedly by a motorcycle gang when they were returning to their offices after covering their beat early Thursday.

"I was stabbed twice by several members of a motorcycle gang on Jl. Urip Sumoharjo. They also stole my camera and cell phone," said Endi at Bhayangkara Hospital, Makassar, on Thursday, as quoted by Antara news agency. He was stabbed in the thigh.

The incident happened when the two journalists were on Jl. Urip Sumoharjo at around 3:40 a.m. local time Thursday, after visiting a number of police stations to collect news.

Endi said he and Harun were returning to their offices when they were confronted by men on motorcycles at the three-way intersection of Urip Sumoharjo and Masjid Raya.

"They blocked our way and attacked both of us. Harun escaped by abandoning his motorcycle and running away while I was stabbed twice in the thigh," said Endi, adding that they could do nothing as the gang members were armed with various sharp weapons such as badik (traditional knife from South Sulawesi), arrows and slingshots, as well as makeshift firearms.

The South Sulawesi branch of the Alliance of Independent Journalists' (AJI) head, Jumadi Mappanganro, deplored the assault. "The police must investigate and arrest the perpetrators because they not only cause public unrest but also endanger lives," he said. (asw/ebf)

Environment & natural disasters

Papua officer tied to trillions from fuel smuggling and illegal logging

Jakarta Globe - May 15, 2013

Banjir Ambarita, Jayapura – Police in Papua have made a shocking revelation linking bank transactions totaling Rp 1.5 trillion ($154 million) to a low-ranking police officer suspected of massive fuel smuggling and illegal logging.

Insp. Gen. Tito Karnavian, the provincial police chief, said on Tuesday that the figure was based on a report from the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK), the government's anti-money-laundering watchdog.

He was quick to add that the Rp 1.5 trillion was not the amount of money in the account belonging to the officer, identified as Adj. First Insp.

Labora Sitorus, but that it was the accumulated value of transactions through the account from 2007 to 2012.

"Some of the transactions amounted to hundreds of millions of rupiah or even billions of rupiah at a time," Tito said. "As for the current balance in the account, that's still beinginvestigated."

He added that police were investigating Labora, whose rank would entitle him to a monthly salary of no more than Rp 4 million, and that they had linked him to the smuggling of massive quantities of fuel.

"We're looking into the alleged misuse of the fuel, which we suspect is the source of the money," the police chief said. "Our investigators have already seized 1,000 tons of fuel in Sorong district belonging to the officer."

However, he said that Labora – based in West Papua's Sorong district, which falls under the Papua Police's jurisdiction – had not been charged with any crime yet and was still being treated as a witness.

Speculation is rife that Labora oversaw a syndicate that siphoned fuel from tankers out at sea and brought it to shore to sell. Tito did not deny the possibility and said that investigators were still trying to confirm where the fuel came from.

Police have also seized an undisclosed quantity of timber linked to the officer, prompting suspicion that he was also involved in illegal logging. "We're still looking into that, but the initial data suggests that the timber was bought from local people," Tito said.

Police have identified two companies linked to the fuel and the timber, but have yet to confirm that Labora was involved with either of them. "If we can make that connection, then his legal status will be changed from witness to suspect," Tito said.

A police source, who declined to be named, told the Jakarta Globe that police had identified 15 containers of timber that had arrived at Surabaya's Tanjung Perak Port last week as belonging to Labora.

The source also claimed that Labora kicked most of the money up the provincial police's chain of command, and was considered the biggest earner in the force for high-ranking officers before Tito took over as the provincial police chief last September from the now-retired Insp. Gen. Bigman Lumban Tobing.

Tempo.co quoted another police source saying that senior officers had been aware of Labora's illegal activities for years and that he wielded control over the lush forested islands in the Raja Ampat archipelago, the alleged source of the timber.

This is not the first allegation of a police officer handling huge sums of money from illegal activity, but it is the first leveled against a low- ranking officer.

In June 2010, Tempo Magazine carried an in-depth report based on PPATK data indicating that 23 police generals and high-ranking officers were in possession of suspiciously large bank accounts.

Days after the story broke, unknown perpetrators threw Molotov cocktails at the Tempo office, and a group of assailants attacked an Indonesia Corruption Watch researcher who was involved in breaking the story. No arrests were made in either case, while the National Police cleared all the top officers of any wrongdoing.

Two police generals, Djoko Susilo and Didik Purnomo, the former head and deputy head, respectively, of the National Police's traffic division, are currently in custody for massive bribery linked to the procurement of driving simulators.

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has to date seized 41 assets linked to Djoko, including land, more than a dozen homes, four cars and six buses.

Djoko had reportedly registered the assets under the names of multiple family members and had amassed Rp 100 billion – a substantial amounnt for an official with a monthly salary of Rp 30 million.

Sumatran tigers in Jambi may face extinction within 10 years

Jakarta Globe - May 11, 2013

The critically endangered Sumatran tiger could soon be extinct in the province of Jambi because of the rapid loss of its forest habitat, conservationists warn.

Rakhmad Hidayat, director of the Jambi chapter of the environmental group Warsi, said the remaining wild population of the big cat was estimated at between 250 and 300.

"Of that number, around 125 are found inside Kerinci Seblat National Park, which covers parts of Jambi, South Sumatra and Bengkulu provinces," he said as quoted by Antaranews.com.

The remaining tigers are scattered in other national parks throughout Sumatra, but the population in Jambi is estimated at only about 30 or 40 individuals.

Rakhmad said that even inside the national parks, their safety was not guaranteed. He said there has been an increase in the number of incidents in recent years in which villagers living in unprotected forest areas came into conflict with wildlife, including tigers.

Many of those cases could be attributed to tigers being driven out of Jambi's Berbak National Park because of illegal forest clearing activities there.

He said the cases of human-tiger conflict, including two attacks on villagers this year, one of them fatal, and the deaths of two tigers caught in electric fences, should compel provincial authorities and the central government to do more to protect the animals' habitat.

"The current arbitrary management of the region's natural resources has not only sparked conflict among communities, but also poses a serious threat to the local wildlife," Rakhmad said.

"If the situation continues as it is with no concrete measures to address the problems, then we predict that in 10 years' time, the Sumatran tiger population in Jambi will be extinct."

A zoologist warned earlier this year that increased human-tiger interaction was having an effect on the animals' behavior.

Wisnu Whardana of the Bogor Institute of Agriculture said in March that tigers normally avoid human settlements and plantations, but recent cases in Jambi showed tigers were becoming more accustomed to human habitats.

Palm oil planters bid to end deforestation moratorium

Jakarta Globe - May 10, 2013

Tunggadewa Mattangkilang, Balikpapan – Palm oil planters have denounced a two-year forest-clearing moratorium that ends this month, saying it has throttled palm oil production and are urging the government against its extension.

Topan, a spokesman for the Association of Indonesian Palm Oil Producers (Gapsi), said in Balikpapan that the freeze on permits to clear primary and peat forests had impacted the producers' operations and resulted in Indonesia being overtaken by Malaysia as the world's biggest producer of crude palm oil.

"We firmly reject any proposal to extend this moratorium because we stand to lose more than we gain from it," he said.

The moratorium, which went into force in May 2011, was imposed as part of a deal with the Norwegian government in which the latter would provide $1 billion to Indonesia for programs to reduce carbon emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, or REDD.

But Topan said Indonesia had nothing to show in this regard after two years, while the lost economic potential from restricting the expansion of oil palm plantations continued to mount.

"The moratorium ends this May, but already environmental groups such as Greenpeace are running an anti-palm oil campaign near Cikeas," he said, referring to the area in Bogor where President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono lives.

"They've put up banners saying that extending the moratorium will guarantee the future of the young generation."

Topan said in response, Gapsi had made clear its objection to extending the moratorium, including a submission of its grievances to the House of Representatives. He added that the association was also considering possible legal steps if the moratorium was extended.

"Our hope is that there's no extension and that the moratorium is allowed to end on May 20," he said.

Mansuetus Darto, coordinator of the Palm Oil Farmers Union (SPKS), an association of smallholders, said separately that his organization was lobbying the government to extend the moratorium and also to expand its scope to include land that was disputed by both local communities and plantation companies.

"Over the past two years, permits for some 700,000 hectares of new oil palm plantations have been put on hold. So we support the moratorium and we urge the government to continue it and to broaden its reach that it may also cover lands with conflicting claims," Mansuetus said.

He acknowledged that Indonesia's total crude palm oil production had declined from 28 million metric tons a year to 26 million during the moratorium period, but said this should prompt growers to improve their efficiency and productivity.

UNDP report shows Indonesia is struggling to combat deforestation

Jakarta Post - May 8, 2013

Nadya Natahadibrata, Jakarta – A study by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) shows that Indonesia, the country with the third largest tropical forest coverage in the world, is not doing enough to protect its forests.

The study assessed and indexed the Indonesian government's effort to protect its forests and showed the country had only achieved a score of 2.33 on a scale of one to five.

UNDP Indonesia country director Beate Trankmann said the result indicated there was room for improvement on the part of the government. "Our hope is that the result of the assessment can be used together as a key reference for Indonesian stakeholders to help develop a road map on how to address government issues and challenges requiring attention during the REDD+ [Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation] readiness and implementation phase in Indonesia," Trankmann said during the launching of the report on Monday night in Jakarta.

Trankmann pointed out four main areas that required priority attention: the need to provide certainty to regulate access to forest areas in order to resolve ownership and land rights disputes, to clarify and determine the rights to forest resources, an improvement in law enforcement in the forest sector and decrease the high cost and payment and informal fees for forest permits and licenses for the creation of an efficient, transparent, and accountable procurement mechanism for the acquisition of licenses, which also allowed for public monitoring.

Trankmann said Indonesia was the first of four countries assessed.

Responding to the study, Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan said the government needed to make an extra effort to protect the forest. However, he said that the central government practically only held 15 percent of the authority to protect the forests, with the other 85 percent in the hands of local administrations, due to regional autonomy.

"The Forestry Ministry is always under the spotlight for not protecting forests enough, when in fact the biggest authority lies with the local administration," Zulkifli said.

The ministry recently met mounting protests due to its approval of Aceh's provincial government's proposal to convert protected forests into non- forest zones through its spatial planning bylaws.

Data from the Coalition of Aceh Rainforest Movements shows that the new spatial planning legislation would allow the conversion of around 1.2 million hectares of Aceh's existing 3.78 million hectares of protected forest into non-forest areas.

"Only an idiot would approve that conversion. We only approved a conversion of 80,000 hectares of forest into other utilization areas [APL], and that was not including the protected forest areas. The provincial government was initially proposing 150,000 hectares of conversion," Zulkifli told reporters.

The head of the National REDD+ task force, Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, said the index and UNDP's recommendation would be discussed with all forest stakeholders, including the local administration.

The index also reveals that Aceh is the worst performer when it comes to protecting the country's remaining forests, compared to the rest of the country's nine provinces with the largest forest areas.

"We needed to explain the result with regents and governors, as they hold the biggest responsibility should there be any change with the forestry map in the country," Kuntoro said.

Under the REDD+ scheme, Norway allocated US$1 billion to finance Indonesia's emission reduction programs, which was later followed by Presidential Instruction No. 10/2011, prohibiting the issuance of new licenses for the conversion of primary forests and peatlands in protected and productive forests.

Health & education

Official takes the fall for education Minister

Jakarta Post - May 13, 2013

Jakarta – The head of research and development at the Education and Culture Ministry, Khairil Anwar Notodiputro, has resigned from his position, a move which many view as a face-saving plot from his superior, education minister Muhammad Nuh.

Reports about Khairil's resignation circulated last week, but Khairil only confirmed the news over the weekend. "I chose to resign from my position and in doing so, I am showing my responsibility to the public for the mess over the national exams," Khairil said on Saturday.

Due to logistical problems, the national exams for high school students in April were postponed in 11 provinces. Khairil said he already considered resigning in mid-April after he discovered that printing firm PT Ghalia Indonesia had failed to distribute the exam materials on time.

Khairil finally tendered his resignation letter to Nuh on May 3. "I had spoken to minister Muhammad Nuh about my plan to resign before I handed him my resignation letter," Khairil said as quoted by tribunnews.com.

The research and development department at the ministry is responsible for the procurement of examination materials.

The department also plays a supervisory role in the work of the Educational Evaluation Center (Puspendik), which is responsible for developing educational evaluations and scoring tools, including the national exams.

Nuh said he did not object to Khairil's decision to resign. "We guarantee the right of every staff member to resign from his or her post. We also admire officials who resign," Nuh said as quoted by tribunnews.com.

Following the national exam fiasco, education watchdogs called for Nuh to resign. Nuh responded to the demand by saying that only President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had the authority to fire him.

Dedi Suwandi Gumelar, a lawmaker on the House of Representatives' Commission X overseeing education, said he applauded Khairil's decision to resign. "This shows that he has a good conscience," Dedi said. The lawmaker added, however, that the buck should not stop with Khairil.

"I demand that minister Nuh resign from his position. Based on the organizational hierarchy, he is the chief at the ministry; if only Khairil resigns, then there's a problem with the ministry's hierarchy," Dedi added.

Uchok Sky Khadafy from the Indonesian Forum for Budget Transparency (FITRA) has urged the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to launch a probe into the exam fiasco.

"KPK investigators should not be distracted by Khairil's resignation. They need to investigate possible misconduct or graft within the ministry," Uchok said. (ogi)

Indonesia saving infants but losing mothers, report says

Jakarta Globe - May 11, 2013

Dessy Sagita – Though Indonesia has made significant progress in saving the lives of newborns over the past two decades, the country has been struggling to rescue mothers during childbirth, a report said this week.

The annual report, released by Save the Children, stated that Indonesia managed to reduce its infant mortality rate by 48 percent between 1990 and 2011.

Also contained in the report is the first ever Birth Day Risk Index, which includes the death rate for newborns during their first day of life in 186 countries. About 23,000 Indonesian babies die during their first day outside the womb, accounting for more than one-third of all newborn deaths.

The three major causes of death for newborns – premature birth, severe infection and complications during birth – were identified in the report. These causes were responsible for roughly 80 percent of all infant mortalities.

"Indonesia has made dramatic cuts in the rate of newborn deaths over the past two decades. However, it is still one of 10 countries accounting for nearly two-thirds of the three million newborn deaths that happen globally every year, partly due to its large population," Ricardo Caivano, the country director for Save the Children in Indonesia, noted.

Still, Indonesia ranks 106th out of 176 countries as the best place to be a mother.

Based on the United Nations Development Program's Gender Development Index, Indonesia's current maternal mortality rate of 228 per 100,000 live births remains one of the highest in Southeast Asia.

The country's maternal mortality rate must decrease to 102 per 100,000 by 2015, as stipulated by its Millennium Development Goals. However, experts have predicted Indonesia will not be able to meet its MDG target.

Furthermore, a source familiar with the yet-to-be-released 2012 Demographic Health Survey, conducted by the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) with assistance from Macro International, revealed that Indonesia's maternal mortality rate has actually risen to 313 per 100,000.

"The minister of health has spent months trying to suppress the spike in maternal mortality," the source, who asked not to be named for fear of retaliation, said on Friday.

"Indonesian women are very progressive in saving their children's lives, which is why the newborn mortality rate has declined rapidly over the past two decades. However, unfortunately, [women] are completely powerless in saving their own lives, especially during childbirth," Kartono Muhammad, a health expert and former chairman of the Indonesian Doctors Association, told the Jakarta Globe on Thursday.

While Indonesian parents are generally well-informed about their children's health, there are still many cultural barriers that prevent women from making their own decisions to save their own lives, Kartono said.

"Women will be blamed if their children get sick, which is why they are extra careful in attending to their children's needs. But women do not have enough power to make decisions about their own health," he said.

For instance, a woman needs approval from her husband, father or even father-in-law to have a pregnancy checkup, he said. "A woman must consult her family on where she should have the delivery," he remarked.

Kartono added that misguided interpretations of religious values sometimes also put women's lives in jeopardy. "It's not the religion that puts women in danger, it's the people misconstruing the values. They think women should rely on men for making every decision, including childbirth," he said.

Following the report, Save the Children called on Indonesian leaders to invest in low-cost solutions that can dramatically reduce newborn mortality, like proper umbilical cord care and newborn/pediatric doses of antibiotics.

The organization also encouraged exclusive breastfeeding and "kangaroo mother care." Such parenting methods cost nothing, but they can save hundreds of thousands of babies' lives each year.

A 2007 study found that only 32 percent of Indonesian mothers breast-fed their babies exclusively for six months. In 2011, the figure rose to 42 percent, but it is still lower than the rate recorded in neighboring countries like Singapore and Malaysia.

Kartono suggested that Indonesia should intensify its family planning program to slow down the country's birth rate, as well. Previously, Health Minister Nafsiah Mboi admitted that Indonesia's family planning program was a failure for its inability to control the country's fertility rate.

As mentioned in the country's MDGs, Indonesia aims to reduce its fertility rate to 2.1 by 2014. The rate indicates the average amount of births per Indonesian woman. However, in 2012, the fertility rate in Indonesia was still stuck at 2.6.

Ministry retreats from new curriculum

Jakarta Post - May 10, 2013

Nadya Natahadibrata, Jakarta – The Education and Culture Ministry says it will further reduce the number of schools slated to introduce its new curriculum this year.

Only 6,401 schools would implement the new curriculum on a trial basis when the new school year started on July 15, Education and Culture Ministry spokesperson Ibnu Hamad said on Wednesday.

The number is less than the target of 32,000 schools that was set after an initial target of 102,053 elementary, junior high and senior high schools was deemed unfeasible due to a lack of classrooms and practice time for teachers.

Ibnu said that the pilot program would only involve students in the first, fourth, seventh and 10th grades in schools adhering to high standards or with superior performance.

"The ministry decided to implement the curriculum only at former RSBI [international-standard pilot project] schools and schools with good accreditation," Ibnu told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday. "They are schools that have a sufficient number of teachers and good infrastructure and facilities."

Ibnu said that despite scaling back the pilot program, the ministry would continue plans to introduce the curriculum to all schools by 2015. "We will improve facilities and fill in teacher shortages while continuing to implement the curriculum in schools that are ready," Ibnu said.

One observer has said that the scaled-back pilot program showed that the ministry had already effectively failed to implement the curriculum.

"The ministry has a reverse way of thinking," Retno Listyarti, the secretary-general of the Indonesian Teachers Union Federation (FSGI), said. "What should be done first is ensuring that all provinces have an even distribution of good quality teachers and facilities and not changing the curriculum."

Retno said that the ministry had again discriminated against schools in remote areas and failed to give priority to schools that lacked a sufficient number of teachers and acceptable infrastructure.

"The ministry should have just admitted that they have failed to implement the curriculum and that this was just a trial run," Retno said. "However, even if this is just a trial run, it will be an unfair one, as they have excluded schools in remote areas."

The revised curriculum has been a target of criticism, as it integrates science with civic education and religion.

Teachers' representatives have demanded that the ministry conduct a trial before implementing the new curriculum, saying that teachers were still in the dark over the details of the initiative.

Activists have also expressed concerns on the Rp 2.49 trillion (US$255.9 million) allocated to implement the new curriculum.

Education and Culture Minister Mohammad Nuh said that the budget allocated for the curriculum this year would be reduced to Rp 800 billion. "The number of targeted students and teachers is decreased, so the budget allocation will also be reduced," he said.

Graft & corruption

Ex-lawmakers, graft convicts still on government payroll

Jakarta Globe - May 15, 2013

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – A number of former lawmakers, including those convicted of graft and serving out their sentences, are apparently still receiving their salaries, a member of the House of Representatives said on Wednesday.

Former Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) chairman Luthfi Hasan Ishaaq resigned from the House in February 2013 to "focus on his legal case" but is still receiving his salary, according to House Ethics Council member Siswono Yudohusodo.

"Mr. Luthfi has already resigned as House member and, if not mistaken, his faction has already replaced him, but there has not been any transfer of power yet," Siswono said.

Siswono said regulations state that a former legislator will continue to receive a salary until a decree on this replacement is issued. "We are still waiting as it is still in process," he said.

Luthfi is now charged with demanding kickbacks from a local company to help it win a lucrative government contract to import beef. Since then, the antigraft body known as the KPK has identified billions of rupiah worth of assets collected by Luthfi and an aide, Ahmad Fathanah, and highlighted the possible laundering of the bribes through the PKS coffers.

Two former female legislators, Angelina Sondakh and Wa Ode Nurhayati, are also still receiving their salaries as lawmakers because they have not yet been officially discharged from the legislative body, Siswono said.

Lawmakers receive a basic salary of about Rp 4.2 million a month but can receive as much as Rp 60 million a month when allowances are included.

Angelina was sentenced in January to 4.5 years in jail for corruption linked to the construction of the athletes' village for the 2011 SEA Games in Palembang, while Wa Ode was in October served with a six-year jail sentence for accepting bribes in relations to budget allocations. Both female legislators are currently in detention.

"Angie [Angelina] is under a temporary suspension status and therefore she still gets her principal salary. Wa Ode was is also under temporary suspension," Siswono said. He repeated that as long as a decree to discharge them has not been issued, the lawmakers were still eligible to receive their salary.

The National Mandate Party (PAN) faction at the House of Representatives has not yet settled Wa Ode's replacement, the faction's deputy chairman Viva Yoga Mauladi said.

Viva said the letter had already been sent to the House leadership, but there was no response yet. "It may be that the letter is already with the leadership of the House because it has actually already been processed by the PAN executive board," he said.

Beef scandal money trail leads to more women

Jakarta Post - May 15, 2013

Ina Parlina, Jakarta – When the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) summoned lingerie model Vitalia Sesha last week, many expected she would be the last woman connected to the high profile beef scandal.

However, the money laundering charges against Ahmad Fathanah, an aide to former Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) chairman Luthfi Hasan Ishaaq has implicated a bevy of beauties.

Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) head Muhammad Yusuf made the shocking announcement on Tuesday that at least 20 women had suspicious financial transactions with Fathanah between 2003 and 2013. Yusuf said individual transactions ranged between Rp 40 million (US$4,120) to Rp 1 billion.

The agency gave the findings to the KPK before the anti-graft body arrested Fathanah. Yusuf declined to share the names of the women involved in the transaction or elaborate on the likely motives.

"We only know who was responsible and who received the money," he told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

The prosecution of Fathanah grabbed the attention of the public after it was made public that he was arrested in a raid by the KPK in a hotel room with a college student in January. Ahmad allegedly paid her Rp 10 million to be an escort.

Earlier this month, the KPK summoned 43-year-old swimsuit model, singer and actress Khadijah "Ayu" Azhari, for her alleged ties to Fathanah.

Ayu initially denied she had accepted large sums of money from Fathanah but returned the next day to hand over all the money and gifts she received from him. Later, the KPK also questioned Vitalia, an adult magazine model, who later showed up at the KPK headquarters to return a car, a luxury watch and money she said Fathanah had given to her.

Not to mention Tri Kurnia Puspita, the dangdut singer, who returned a car and items of jewelry to the KPK.

Just recently, KPK seized Fathanah's Depok, West Java, home, worth Rp 5.8 billion. The house belonged to Fathanah third wife, Sefti Sanustika, who said that the house was built for her and her baby. KPK investigators also seized jewelry from the retired dangdut singer.

The anti-graft body also summoned Dewi Kirana, another dangdut singer, for a questioning on Monday. Dewi, failed to show up at the KPK building claiming that she had not received the subpoena.

Media reports also said that men's magazine model Kiki Amalia and soap opera actress Novia Wardhana also received cash from Fathanah. The two have denied the allegations.

PPATK deputy chairman Agus Santoso said that transactions involving Fathanah were typical among graft suspects. "They use relatives and members of their close circle to cover up the [illegal source of] money," he told the Post on Tuesday.

In a money laundering case implicating former National Traffic Police Corps chief Insp. Gen. Djoko Susilo, the KPK found indications that his polygamous relationships used as a cover for his ill-gotten gains.

Agus said that women in money laundering cases should be aware that they could also be prosecuted. "They could face five year prison term for accepting illicit assets as stipulated in Article 5 of the 2010 Money Laundering Law," he said.

Agus said that the punishment could be much harsher; those who helped hide illicit money could face a maximum 20-year prison term under Article 4 of the law.

PKS and KPK ready to rumble

Jakarta Post - May 14, 2013

Yuliasri Perdani and Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – The Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) fired its first salved in its legal battle against the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) on Monday when the party's secretary general, Muhammad Taufik Ridho, filed a police report against 10 of the antigraft body's officials.

"We filed a report against the 10 individuals from the KPK as they entered our headquarters without consent," Taufik said before filing the complaints at the National Police's Criminal Investigation Unit's headquarters in South Jakarta.

Taufik accused the antigraft officials of attempting to seize five cars parked at the PKS headquarters last week without a warrant. The vehicles were believed to be connected with the beef import scandal in which former PKS chairman Luthfi Hasan Ishaaq has been named a suspect.

Taufik declined to disclose details on the 10 officials, but confirmed that none of them were KPK leaders. Taufik shrugged off allegations that the party was defying the KPK's probe to protect its senior members, who could be implicated in graft.

"We are not engaged in a fight with the KPK, just some individuals inside it. If [KPK investigators] had a warrant, we would have given them Luthfi's cars. [Filing a report to the police] is our way of fighting for democracy," he said. Beef imports are overseen by the Agriculture Ministry, which is led by Minister Suswono, a senior PKS politician.

The KPK also named Luthfi's aide, Ahmad Fathanah, a suspect in the case for allegedly accepting Rp 1 billion (US$102,965) in bribes from two executives of beef importing firm PT Indoguna Utama in exchange for an import slot. Fathanah is said to have close ties with PKS top brass.

When filing the complaint, Taufik was joined by his lawyer, Fauzan Muslim, and PKS politicians Al Muzammil Yusuf, Aboe Bakar Al-Habsy and Indra, members the of House of Representatives' Commission III overseeing legal and human rights. "I come here as a PKS politician and not as lawmaker," Al Muzammil said.

Elsewhere on Monday, KPK investigators questioned PKS chairman Anis Matta as witness in a money laundering case implicating Fathanah. "Yes, I know him [Fathanah]. Fathanah is not a PKS member. He is Pak Luthfi's [former PKS president] friend," Anis said after the questioning session.

On Tuesday last week, Anis' younger brother, Saldi Matta, told KPK investigators that Fathanah had once owed him Rp 50 million ($5,132).

Anis said he knew nothing about the debt and also declined to provide an explanation regarding copies of a property certificate under his first wife's name found inside Fathanah's bag when KPK investigators arrested him in January. Anis has two wives.

Meanwhile, Democratic Party politicians warned the PKS against implicating the ruling party in its feud with the KPK.

PKS deputy secretary general Fahri Hamzah said last week that the KPK should have dealt with the Democratic Party first as some of its members had already received bribes that they used to finance the party. He also said that the move against the PKS has been orchestrated by certain parties.

"It's understandable that PKS members attempted to compare what they have experienced with other parties, but I must emphasize that it's wrong and misleading to say that there is a flow of funds to the Democratic Party [from those that have been implicated]," Max said Monday.

Graft in forestry sector to worsen ahead of 2014

Jakarta Post - May 13, 2013

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – Graft watchdogs and environmental groups have warned about increasing levels of graft in the forestry sector ahead of the 2014 election.

The groups suspect that contentious revisions of spatial planning bylaws and forestry bills could be used by politicians and businesspeople as a means to reap personal benefits.

Activist Pius Ginting from the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) said that past cases showed that the government, in the run-up to general elections, rushed to pass regulations that benefited private companies at the expense of environmental protection.

He said that in 2004, then president Megawati Soekarnoputri signed a decree allowing for the operation of 13 open-pit mines in protected forests. Then, in 2009, the government of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono issued a regulation allowing another 13 mining companies to set up operations in protected forests.

"Such practices will likely be repeated this year. We now have several regions that are set to revise their spatial planning bylaws ahead of the 2014 elections, which will pave the way for mining and plantation companies to further reduce forest areas," Pius told The Jakarta Post recently.

Data from Walhi shows that the regions due to conclude revisions on the bylaws by the end of this year include, among others, Aceh, Bangka Belitung, North Sulawesi and Southeast Sulawesi.

Pius added that the controversial bill aimed at combating deforestation, which has been suspended by the House of Representatives due to mounting protests, and a bill on plantations, were examples of regulations that could further destroy the country's forests.

The bill on combating deforestation, for example, will grant the Forestry Ministry the authority to determine forest areas, issue permits for exploitation of the forests and bring criminal charges against those carrying out illegal activities in forest areas, including illegal logging.

"On the surface, such a regulation appears good, but it can potentially be abused by officials and business groups. Corrupt practices may include shares offers or even bribes," Pius said.

The antigraft watchdog, Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW), said that corruption in the forestry sector centered on the issuance of permits for plantations, miners and change of land use.

The ICW has recorded that irregularities in the clearance of 8 million hectares of land for oil palm plantations between 2004 and 2007 resulted in Rp 169.797 trillion (US$17.5 billion) in state losses.

"The motives for corruption in the forestry sector remain the same; politics and business are closely related. Each use the other for personal benefits, especially ahead of elections, whether regional or national. This is what we need to anticipate as the legislative and presidential elections approach," ICW employee Tama S. Langkun said.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian Forum for Budget Transparency (FITRA) recorded 278 irregularities involving the Forestry Ministry in 2011, which caused the state to lose up to Rp 7.1 trillion ($733 million).

A survey carried out by FITRA showed that the ministry ranked as the most corrupt of the 15 ministries led by party-affiliated politicians.

Based on the survey's findings, FITRA urged Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan, who is a member of the National Mandate Party (PAN), to drop his bid to become a legislator in South Sumatra.

Lawmaker M. Romahurmuziy, who chairs House Commission IV overseeing agriculture and plantations, denied that the bills currently under discussion would be used to win support from the business community.

"We are discussing those bills because we believe they are necessary to protect our forestry sector. It is wholly untrue that we politicians will raise so-called funds for our campaigns from any regulations we introduce," Romahurmuziy, a United Development Party (PPP) politician, said.

PKS bigwigs wage Beefgate war on KPK

Jakarta Post - May 13, 2013

Bagus BT Saragh, Jakarta – Following a two-day high level meeting, the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) has devised a strategy to strike back against the Corruption Eradication Commission's (KPK) attempts to prosecute many of its senior members for graft.

In the meeting at the party's headquarters in South Jakarta over the weekend, the central executive board and the board of patrons agreed to support the complaint against the KPK to the National Police.

"We have just collected new evidence proving that the KPK's attempt to seize the cars was not in line with proper procedure," PKS deputy secretary general Fahri Hamzah said.

Fahri was referring to an incident last week when the KPK tried to seize five cars parked outside party headquarters and were obstructed by PKS officials.

The KPK believe the cars were purchased with money illegally obtained by former PKS chairman Luthfi Hasan Ishaaq. Luthfi is under investigation for corruption during the procurement of beef and livestock.

Fahri has obtained a copy of the KPK's standard operation procedure for assets seizure. "We will take the document when we file the report with the National Police on Monday," he said.

Fahri also challenged the KPK to broadcast live the questioning of party chairman Anis Matta on Monday. "We want it to be open. Put a camera up front because we want to watch it. They use the public law and we want to see this," he said.

The PKS will also file a complaint against KPK spokesman Johan Budi for defamation, especially for saying that the PKS has been uncooperative. Commenting on the plan, Johan only said, "Go ahead, they have the right to do it."

The meeting was attended by dozens of the PKS great and good. Hilmi Aminuddin, the party's chief patron, led the meeting despite being implicated in the graft case himself. Hilmi refused to be questioned by the KPK on Friday. Ahmad Fathanah, an aide to Luthfi, is also a suspect in the case.

Speaking after the meeting on Sunday evening, PKS chairman Anis Matta said that he would meet the KPK's summons on Monday.

"We will also welcome KPK investigators on Monday if they want to return here to seize the cars. I have told the staff here to have a bouquet ready to welcome them," Anis told a press conference after the meeting.

PKS spokesman Mardani Ali Sera said the two-day meeting also discussed other issues including the plan to increase the price of subsidized fuel. The government has been criticized for its planned assistance program that would be modelled on the controversial direct cash assistance (BLT) policy of 2009.

"The BLT-like policy is not a sustainable solution. It won't help people cope with the increased prices of staple foods. It is merely a political device ahead of the 2014 elections," Mardani said.

Fahri said that his party would reject the plan if the proposal was tabled at the House of the Representatives. Although the PKS is a member of the governing coalition, the party has on many occasions opposed government proposals that did not meet its approval.

Fahri denied that the weekend meeting also discussed the fate of the agriculture minister. As the Beefgate investigation unfolds, senior PKS member Suswono is said to be in danger of losing his place in the Cabinet.

Indonesia Corruption Watch analyst Emerson Yuntho said the PKS had undermined its own image with its plan to sue the KPK. "Their attempts to counter the KPK's investigation will make people think the party supports graft. They will certainly lose a lot of votes in the 2014 elections," he said.

PKS chief too busy to attend KPK probe

Jakarta Post - May 11, 2013

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – The Islam-based Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), which prides itself as being an ostensibly antigraft party, continues to resist attempts by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to investigate its top leaders.

PKS chief patron and paramount leader Hilmi Aminuddin, 67, refused to attend on Friday KPK questioning in connection with a graft case revolving around beef import licensing that implicated the party's former chairman, Luthfi Hasan Ishaaq.

Hilmi's lawyer, Zainuddin Paru, said that Hilmi could not meet the summons because he had to attend an event, that was scheduled long before the summoning on Friday.

"I don't know what kind of event it is or whether it was related to the PKS or not," he said after submitting a letter to the KPK headquarters in South Jakarta notifying the antigraft body of Hilmi's absence.

Zainuddin denied that Hilmi was trying to avoid the probe, saying that Hilmi had requested that the KPK not interrupt his schedule on Friday as it was considered a "holy day".

PKS spokesman Mardani Ali Sera said that Hilmi could not attend the questioning as he had to attend a regular "Friday sermon".

Hilmi's refusal to cooperate with the KPK added to a multitude of attempts by the party to undermine the investigation. The KPK, since Monday, has tried and failed to confiscate five luxurious cars parked at the party's headquarters.

Attempts to seize the cars, which are believed to be evidence in the beef graft scandal, were met with resistance by the party's security staff and supporters. The cars include a VW Carravelle, a Mazda CX9, a Toyota Fortuner, a Mitsubishi Pajero Sport and a Nissan Navara.

It was later revealed that some of the cars were registered under the names of individuals related to Luthfi.

The VW Carravelle was registered to Ali Imron – Luthfi's driver – while the Toyota Fortuner was registered to Ahmad Zaky – one of Luthfi's personal assistants. The Nissan Navara had been purchased using the name Rantala Sikayo, Luthfi's assistant at the House of Representatives.

Rantala, who was questioned by the KPK regarding the cars on Friday, said that a PKS member asked for his identity card (KTP) to purchase the car. "I was called by someone, whose name I can no longer recall, to bring my ID card to the PKS headquarters," he said, adding that the car was purchased last year.

The beef import scandal permeated into the very core of the party when the KPK dragged Hilmi's fourth child, Ridwan Hakim, into the mix.

The questioning of Hilmi was related to Ridwan's role in the scandal. Ridwan made headlines last month after he fled to Turkey a day before the KPK was due to issue him a travel ban.

The KPK alleged Ridwan had the role of broker in the scheme, which was overseen by Agriculture Ministry Suswono, a senior PKS politician.

KPK chairman Abraham Samad previously said Ridwan and Hilmi were believed to have known Ahmad Fathanah, the key suspect in the case and a close aide of Luthfi's. The KPK alleged Fathanah brokered the illicit money from beef importer PT Indoguna to PKS officials.

The KPK charged Luthfi and Fathanah with corruption and money laundering for their roles in the scandal, with the antigraft body confiscating assets from both suspects.

Both Luthfi and Fathanah are known to be in Hilmi's inner-circle. Hilmi played a vital role in directing the PKS' political course, as a patron he is granted numerous authorities, including the selection of party officials.

Hilmi also decides the party's stance regarding certain issues and selects the party's candidate for president, ministers, state company executives, legislators, councilors and local administration leaders. Such authority allowed him to install "favorable" members, thus, preserving his leadership.

Although his contribution to the PKS was rooted long before the party was even established, Hilmi was a relatively unknown cleric before he took the helm of the PKS' Majelis Syuro, or board of patrons, in 2005.

His name was not listed among the party's 52 "official" founding fathers, who signed the party's declaration of establishment on Aug. 9, 1998, as the then Justice Party (PK).

Women, gifts linked to suspect in PKS beef import scandal

Jakarta Globe - May 10, 2013

ID/Aris Cahyadi – Ahmad Fathanah, a suspect in the beef import quota scandal, seems to have been involved with a number of women who were receiving money and gifts.

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) recently confiscated several cars, other luxury goods and money believed to be linked to the graft case from at least four women, including a model and an actress.

Fathanah's driver Syahruddin in his testimony against Arya Abdi Effendi and Juard Effendi, who were being tried at the Jakarta Corruption Court for the same case, said that he was once asked by his boss to pick up a woman to be taken to a hotel.

"At the time he asked me to pick up a woman from Hotel Kaisar. If I'm not mistaken, the woman was wearing a blue dress. After that we went to a hotel in Cikini," Syahruddin said on Wednesday.

Syahruddin said that his boss and the woman entered the hotel and told him to wait in the car.

"I don't know [the woman]," he said, adding that Fathanah told him to lie to his wife if she called. "He called me up and said that if [Fathanah's wife] called I should tell her that we were at the PKS [Prosperous Justice Party] central executive board office."

Syahruddin said that he had to later drive the woman to Rawamangun in East Jakarta and then drive Fathanah, who is a close aide of former PKS chairman Luthfi Hasan Ishaaq, to Depok.

Fathanah was arrested for allegedly receiving a Rp 1 billion ($103,000) bribe on behalf of Luthfi to steer government beef import contracts. During a bust in late January, Fathanah was caught naked in a hotel room with Maharani Suciyono, a female university student. Maharani admitted to receiving Rp 10 million from Fathanah.

The KPK confiscated a Honda Jazz hatchback and a luxury Chopard watch from Vitalia Shesya, an adult magazine model on Monday.

"The KPK has confiscated goods believed to be linked to the money laundering activity of suspect A.F. [Ahmad Fathanah] from someone by the name of Vitalia Shesya," KPK spokesman Johan Budi said. "Based on her confession, A.F. gave Vitalia [the goods] because they were friends."

KPK investigators have questioned Vitalia twice.

KPK prevented from seizing cars at PKS complex

Jakarta Post - May 8, 2013

Jakarta – Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) investigators have failed in their attempts to confiscate five cars parked at the Prosperous Justice Party's (PKS) headquarters.

Investigators attempted to seize the cars, which they believe are linked to the beef graft scandal, on Monday night, to no avail due to resistance by security staff at the party's headquarters on Jl. TB Simatupang in South Jakarta, KPK spokesman Johan Budi said. "We only managed to seal them and put up KPK lines," he said.

On Tuesday, they made another attempt to seize the cars, but were again blocked by security officials and a group of people who denied the investigators entry to the building.

The KPK believes the cars could have been purchased by Luthfi Hasan Ishaaq, the former PKS chairman at the center of the scandal, using illegally obtained money, though PKS officials claimed that some of the cars belonged to the party or other party members.

The cars are a VW Carravelle, a Mazda CX9, a Toyota Fortuner, a Mitsubishi Pajero Sport and a Nissan Navara. PKS legislator Refrizal said Luthfi only owned the Mazda.

"Luthfi has clarified that he bought the car through installments. He was a member of the [House of Representatives] Commission I and traveled a lot. Maybe the balance of [his allowances] was used to buy a car," Refrizal told reporters.

PKS spokesman Mardani Ali Sera, however, said the cars did actually belong to Luthfi. He stressed that the party was not trying to obstruct the KPK's work, merely that the KPK should show a warrant for the seizure.

"As long as it is done in a proper manner, we will not get in their way. The procedure is actually very simple, before attempting to confiscate [the cars], the KPK should first present a notification letter, which they have failed to show," Mardani said. Johan said that the investigators did bring a warrant.

The KPK has charged Luthfi and his close aide, Ahmad Fathanah, with corruption and money laundering for their roles in the scandal, which centers on the issuance of beef import permits through the Agriculture Ministry, which is led by PKS politician Suswono.

New details in the case show that the Islamic party might have benefited from illegal acts allegedly committed by Luthfi and Fathanah. It has been alleged that Fathanah channeled funds to the party to finance the election campaign of Makassar Mayor Ilham Arif Sirajudin when he ran for governor of South Sulawesi.

Ilham, who was backed by the PKS, said after his questioning in Jakarta on Monday that Fathanah was the person who introduced him to the party. "It is said that the money transferred from the party's provincial chapter is part of [Fathanah's] laundered money," he said.

Previously, the KPK investigators said that Luthfi might have used bribe money to finance the party's election campaign in North Sumatra. Luthfi, through Fathanah, allegedly asked Maria Elizabeth Liman, president director of meat import company PT Indoguna Utama, to finance his trip to the province.

Maria, who has been named a suspect in the case, allegedly promised to fund the party's campaigns if it helped her secure a higher import quota from the Agriculture Ministry.

The KPK on Tuesday questioned PKS chairman Anis Matta's brother, Saldi Matta, as a witness for Fathanah and Luthfi. Johan said the KPK also planned to summon PKS consultative council chairman Hilmi Aminuddin for questioning. Hilmi is believed to be the most powerful man in the Islamic- based party.

The party has distanced itself from Fathanah. "He is nobody. He is neither a member nor a party official. He claimed to know PKS members, we are outraged. Ahmad Fathanah is a criminal, a broker."

Terrorism & religious extremism

Antiterror measures miss mark

Jakarta Post - May 11, 2013

Oyos Saroso H.N., Jakarta/Bandar Lampung – The arrest of more than a dozen terror suspects in a series of raids conducted by the National Police's antiterror squad, Densus 88, in four provinces highlights the government's failure to curb the spread of terrorist ideology.

In their latest raid in Lampung on Friday, the police arrested four men believed to be part of the terror group led by Abu Roban, who was killed in a shoot out with Densus 88 officers in Batang, Central Java, on Wednesday. The four men were allegedly involved in the robbery of jewelry stores and other criminal activities in the province.

"The four suspects were believed to be the perpetrators of a BRI [Bank Rakyat Indonesia] heist in Pringsewu recently," Lampung Police spokesperson Adj. Sr. Corm. Sulistyaningsih said.

Their arrests have increased the number of suspects in police custody to 17. Previously, police announced that they had arrested 13 suspected terrorists and killed seven in raids in Kebumen, Batang and Kendal in Central Java, Bandung in West Java and Pondok Aren in Banten.

While they are still linked to the old terror leaders such as Abu Omar and Santoso, police alleged that the arrested suspects were planning to set up a new network. Autad Rawa, one of the suspects who remains at large, is a new name, National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Boy Rafli Amar said.

Autad is believed to have taken military training in Poso with Santoso and is now leading the East Indonesia Mujahideen.

Terrorism expert Noor Huda Ismail of the Institute for International Peace Building questioned the extent to which deradicalization programs reached appropriate targets.

"The deradicalization program might not have targeted communities that are considered high risk for influence by radicalism. The government does not pay much attention to preventive methods of deradicalization," he said.

"The government does not create a sufficient outreach program to help poor and marginalized people, those with the highest risk of getting involved with terrorism, to voice their political aspirations," he added.

Noor Huda, one of the main proponents of deradicalization programs for terror convicts, said that people who were prone to being radicalized were those who were looked down on. "When they join terrorist groups, they might become leaders who have obedient followers. The group will elevate them to a higher social position. That is a huge reward for them," he said.

"These people can easily fall victim to these groups' radical ideologies, because they don't have sufficient understanding of religious teachings."

Abdul Mu'ti, the secretary of the Jakarta headquarters of moderate Muslim organization Muhammadiyah, said that the government's deradicalization program failed to reach the grassroots.

"The program is more ceremonial in its nature. When they conduct workshops in hotels and offices, they will obviously fail to reach a wider audience," Abdul said. Noor Huda said that Indonesia's prison systems had also failed to accomplish deradicalization. "Terrorists placed behind bars can still spread their radical ideologies to people outside the prison," he said.

"In the prison, the main perpetrators of terrorist attacks are placed in the same cell as the ones who merely act as supporters. This way, the main perpetrators can transfer their staunch radicalism to supporters that might not share the same extent of radicalism," he argued.

Critics have also voiced concerns over the police's repression in dealing with suspected terrorists, saying that it could trigger retaliation against the state apparatus.

Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-majority nation, has waged a campaign against radicalism and terrorism since the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people, including foreign tourists. The authorities have detained more than 700 suspected terrorists and accomplices, and killed more than 65.

People Consultative Assembly (MPR) deputy chairman Hajroyanto Y. Thohari said that the country's antiterror strategy was still focusing on eradication rather than prevention. "They just keep coming. You shoot one of them and a thousand more emerge," he said.

Last year, the government launched what it called a comprehensive, multi- institutional deradicalization program to combat terrorism. The program, which was initiated by the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT), includes the making of the "National Radical Terrorism Counter Programs" blueprint. It remains unclear how the program really works.

This year, the BNPT has only allocated Rp 36 billion (US$3.7 million) on a program to tackle the proliferation of radical groups at educational institutions. (ogi)

Indonesia anti-terror squad kills 7 militants

Associated Press - May 9, 2013

Adi Marsiela, Bandung, Indonesia – Indonesia's elite anti-terrorism unit went on a busy 24-hour spree to root out suspected Islamic militants, killing seven and arresting six others in three separate operations that may have links to a foiled plot to bomb the Burma Embassy.

In the latest raid, police shot and killed three suspected militants early Thursday after an all-night standoff at a house in the Central Java town of Kebumen. Four others were arrested, said National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Boy Rafli Amar.

He said the three dead suspects refused to surrender and resisted by firing guns and lobbing homemade bombs at security forces. A similar showdown occurred hours earlier in the West Java village of Cigondewah, where three suspected terrorists were fatally shot after holing up for hours inside a house, said National Police chief Gen. Timur Pradopo. They also engaged in a shootout and hurled bombs, but no officers were hurt in either incident.

One other suspect was taken into custody in that raid, he said. However, earlier Pradopo said two were arrested there.

Police also confiscated three pistols and four pipe bombs at the house located about 120 kilometers southeast of the capital, Jakarta, where the men had been living for the past four months, Pradopo said. They were believed to have been involved in several robberies.

"We have tried everything to prevent fatalities," Pradopo told reporters at the scene. "But during three and a half hours of negotiations, they resisted using gunshots and explosions."

Police were tipped about their whereabouts after interrogating an alleged gun maker arrested Tuesday in the West Java village of Cipacing. Intelligence gathered from subsequent arrests allowed police to quickly move in and storm hideouts in the three separate areas, Amar said.

In the third operation, police in Central Java's Batang town fatally shot another suspected militant and arrested one more Wednesday for their alleged connection to a March jewelry shop robbery in Jakarta, Amar said in a text message. A semi-automatic pistol and ammunition were also seized.

They were suspected of being part of a larger group involved in robberies to fund terrorist activities, mainly aimed at police.

Investigators are trying to whether any of the three groups were connected to an alleged plot to bomb the Burma Embassy in Jakarta to retaliate against that country for recent attacks on Muslims. Last week, two suspects were arrested in the capital with five homemade bombs in a backpack. Other explosive materials were later recovered from a house they rented in the city.

Sectarian violence in Buddhist-majority Burma has killed scores of people, and tens of thousands of Muslims have been driven from their homes. Angry hard-line Muslims protested outside the embassy last week, calling for jihad to fight against the persecution.

Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, has been battling terrorists since bombings on the resort island of Bali in 2002 killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists.

Terrorist attacks aimed at foreigners have been largely replaced in recent years by smaller, less deadly strikes targeting the government, mainly police and anti-terrorism forces.

[Associated Press writer Niniek Karmini in Jakarta contributed to this report.]

Freedom of religion & worship

Shia clerics call on House to end Sampang persecution

Jakarta Post - May 15, 2013

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – Members of the country's Shia community met with leaders of the House of Representatives on Tuesday to air their grievances over the plight of Shiites in Sampang, East Java, who have been in limbo for nearly a year after being evicted by the majority Sunni community there.

While members of the Shia community staged a peaceful rally in front of the House compound on Tuesday, 30 Shiite clerics held a meeting with House Speaker Marzuki Alie and lawmakers from House Commission III overseeing law and human rights, and Commission VIII overseeing religion, to persuade the lawmakers to throw their weight behind a move to oppose the government's plan for relocating the Shiites to areas outside Sampang.

"There have been obvious, systematic efforts to evict Shiites [from Sampang]. However, we would like to emphasize that we all are against the planned relocation for whatever reason because we think it is unconstitutional and inhumane," said Umar Shihab from the Shia organization Ahlul Bait Indonesia. Umar said this was not the first time they had made a plea to government officials and politicians.

"We earlier discussed the issue with several lawmakers from Commission III and from Commission VIII but we got no response. Therefore, we came here [again] to beg for your support because we still believe that you, the lawmakers, will uphold the law," he added.

Abdullah Beikh from the Madura Shia community called on lawmakers to take immediate action to support the Shia community, especially now that the local government in Sampang had made a move to evict them from the area.

The Sampang administration claimed that its plan to evict the local Shiites was to bow to the demands from the majority Sunni community.

Abdullah said he spoke with members of the local Sunni majority and none supported the eviction. "These people actually opposed the violence brought on us," he said.

He also claimed the perpetrators of the violence against Shiites were mostly outsiders who were transported to Sampang to create unrest.

The first attack against the Shia community occurred in late December 2011, when a group of people claiming to represent the Sunni majority torched a Shia Islamic boarding school in Karang Gayam village.

Around 300 Shiites were forced to seek refuge at an indoor tennis court, which was located some 20 kilometers from their home village.

The government's inaction toward the first attack apparently encouraged another attack in August 2012, when a mob of around 1,000 Sunni Muslims razed the predominantly Shia villages Blu'uran and Karang Gayam.

The attack claimed two lives, destroyed 37 homes and forced around 270 Shiites to take refuge in a local sports stadium until today.

The refugees have been struggling to survive since early this month as the local administration has stopped supplies of food and clean water, citing budget constraints.

Marzuki said the House would oppose the relocation plan. "Relocating them now will only trigger discrimination against other religious minorities in the future. Besides, there is also no guarantee that the Shiites will live peacefully in the new place," he said.

Marzuki said the House planned to summon East Java Governor Soekarwo and Sampang Regent Fannan Hasib later this month to discuss the eviction plan.

Lawmaker Eva Kusuma Sundari of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) said the Sampang government and central government should resort to the 2012 law on the management of social conflicts, which mandates reconciliation for any social conflicts. "We must remember that the law certainly precludes relocation," Eva said.

Bekasi mayor, MUI petition SBY to ban Ahmadiyah

Jakarta Globe - May 14, 2013

Bekasi Mayor Rahmat Effendi and local Islamic leaders will petition President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to institute a nationwide ban on the oppressed Ahmadiyah Muslim sect.

"The request is part of an agreement between Bekasi ulema and the [local] government who met to discuss the Ahmadiyah today," Rahmat told the state- run Antara News Agency on Monday.

The mayor met with the Bekasi chapter of the Indonesian Council of Ulema (MUI) to hash out a solution to the city's strained relationship with its Ahmadiyah community on Monday. The solution, according to Rahmat, is a complete ban on the religious sect.

The Bekasi MUI threw its support behind the city's ban on the Ahmadiyah, demanding that followers renounce their beliefs and convert to mainstream Islam.

Local MUI head Mursyid Kamil urged the central government to either shut down all Ahmadiyah places of worship or strip them of Islamic symbols. All Ahmadiyah members should convert to mainstream Islam, Mursyid said. The Bekasi MUI plans to convert the sect's Al Misbah mosque, in Pondok Gede, to mainstream Islam as a way to promote interfaith harmony, he said.

The Bekasi Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) shuttered the Al Misbah mosque on April 5, locking at least 20 followers inside the mosque. The congregation said they planned to remain in the mosque in protest of the local government's actions. But the Ahmadiyah, sealed behind a metal wall erected around the mosque, have struggled with occasional police interference as officers attempted to prevent community members from delivering the protestors food.

Rahmat said he didn't want to hear accusations that the police or local government had violated the community's rights.

"We banned Ahmadiyah activities, but it was violated," he said. "The 20 members who decided to stay inside the mosque, it's of their own will, so don't blame the Bekasi government by saying that it's a human rights violation."

Jemaah Ahmadiyah Indonesia accused Rahmat of only presenting one side of the meeting. Monday's discussion was attended by several ulemas from the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) and Indonesian Islamic Preaching Council (DDII), who pushed for harsh sanctions against the Ahmadiyah, JAI spokesman Firdaus said.

But representatives from both Nahdlatul Ulama and the Muhammadiyah – the two largest Islamic organizations in Indonesia – were present at the meeting and offered more moderate solutions.

Firdaus refused to meet the Bekasi mayor and MUI's demands. "If the mayor wants us to return the true Islamic teaching, please ask him what kind of true Islam that he was referring to," Firdaus said. "If he means true Islam like the FPI, it's better for us not to be Muslim."

He urged the mayor to sit with the Ahmadiyah community, instead of hard- line groups, to work out a solution to the issue. "He wants to ask the president?" Firdaus said. "This is a Democratic nation. He should sit together and have a discussion with us, to let people know the real problem. [This is] something he has never done."

Religious intolerance is a serious issue in West Java, where hard-line Islamists stage regular assaults on the institutions of religious minorities. The groups operate without fear of mass arrests and, seemingly, with tacit support from the local government, critics alleged. The Wahid Institute recorded 102 cases of intolerance and violations against religious minorities in 2012. Forty occurred in West Java.

The province's Islamist governor Ahmad Heryawan, who won the recent election by a narrow margin, previously told the Indonesian newspaper Kompas that the Ahmadiyah's "deviant belief" will stop causing problems when "the belief disappears." He told the Jakarta Globe in an interview that claims of religious intolerance in West Java were exaggerated.

"In my opinion this is the most tolerant province. There is no problem, except in the corners of West Java. The corner of a small area is where the problems occur, and the situation cannot be characterized as intolerant," Ahmad said.

Ahmadis in Kuningan stay calm despite Tasik attack

Jakarta Post - May 13, 2013

Nana Rukmana, Cirebon – The Ahmadiyah community in Manislor village, Jalaksana district, Kuningan regency, West Java, are going about their business as usual and remaining calm despite the recent attack at an Ahmadiyah hamlet in Tasikmalaya, also in West Java.

The Ahamdiyah settlement in Manislor is one of the biggest Ahmadiyah complexes in Indonesia. Manislor is inhabited by 4,500 people and 3,000 of them are Ahmadis.

On May 5, hundreds attacked an Ahmadiyah community in Wanasigra hamlet in Tenjowaringin, Tasikmalaya, the population of which is 80 percent Ahmadi, after the local branch of the Indonesian Ahmadiyah Congregation (JAI) had held a meeting on the two previous days.

The attack damaged 29 buildings, including a mosque, a mushola (small mosque) and an elementary school. No fatalities were reported in the incident.

According to a spokesman for the Ahmadiyah community in Tenjowaringin, police officers were on the scene, but they did nothing to stop the attack and no one had been evacuated after the incident.

West Java Police has arrested two suspects for the attack and they could face five years in prison for violating articles 170 and 406

An Ahmadiyah elder in Manislor, Kulman Tisnaprawira, expressed his concern over the attack against Ahmadis in Tasikmalaya, urging authorities to react quickly to restore security following the attack.

"Thank God, the Ahmadis in Manislor are not affected by the attack in Tasikmalaya, as everyone is carrying out their daily and religious activities as usual," Kulman said.

According to Kulman, the peaceful situation in Manislor is attributed to the role of security personnel who are conducting intensive security around the clock.

"Security personnel always coordinate well with the community. They play a crucial role in maintaining the peace here. We are very grateful to them," he went on.

Ahmadiyah elders in Manislor, Kulman added, also coordinate with residents in responding to various cases related with the presence of Ahmadiyah, or inter-religious tolerance.

"With this level of security we can remain calm and not get provoked by acts of violence by particular parties, including the recent acts in Tasikmalaya," he said.

Violence directed at Ahmadiyah followers has been more frequent since the issuance of a joint ministerial decree in 2008 banning followers of the sect from publicly performing their faith.

Ahmadis across West Java suffered further after the West Java administration issued a provincial regulation banning Ahmadiyah activities across the province in 2011.

Separately, the youth wing of the country's largest Muslim organization Nahdlatul Ulama, Gerakan Pemuda (GP) Ansor, deems the government is slow in responding to violence in the name of religion, or other social conflicts, including the attack and vandalism on houses of worship and homes of Ahmadiyah followers in Tasikmalaya, West Java.

"The attack on Ahmadis cannot be justified in the name of anything, including religion," said GP Ansor central executive board's Organizational and Members Affairs head H.M. Nuruzzaman over the weekend. He said the attack and vandalism on the mosque and homes was testament that the government had failed to respond quickly to the issue in resolving social conflicts, or violence in the name of religion.

"The attack against Ahmadis in Tasikmalaya and other religious violence in Indonesia is proof the government has lost its ideological vision and failed to execute its constitutional mandate in protecting the rights of citizens. This has given room for practices of human rights violations to continue," added Nuruzzaman.

SBY must do more: Activists

Jakarta Globe - May 11, 2013

Ezra Sihite – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono must show that he deserves an award for upholding religious freedom by doing more for victims of persecution in his own country, rights activists said on Friday.

Representatives from the Solidarity for Victims of Religious Freedom Violations (Sobat KBB) made the call during a visit to the presidential advisory council in Jakarta to deliver an open letter to Yudhoyono.

Reverend Palti Panjaitan, whose congregation in Bekasi has for years been fighting for the right to worship at its own church, said the coalition wanted to remind Yudhoyono that he had failed to protect the rights of minority groups to worship peacefully, despite the fact that he was due to be conferred the World Statesman Award from the Appeal of Conscience Foundation, an interfaith group, later this month.

"We're here as victims and there are bound to be more victims. We came to say that he has never resolved the religious conflicts in the country and has focused more on foreign issues," Palti said.

The representatives, including members of the Shiite and Ahmadiyah Muslim communities, met with Albert Hasibuan, Yudhoyono's adviser on justice and human rights.

In their open letter to the president, they called for him to "immediately afford us protection and end all forms of discrimination that we continue to face to this day."

"If the Appeal of Conscience Foundation plans to give you an award at the end of May for your contribution to upholding religious freedom, then our wish is that before you accept it, you should act quickly and firmly, and in line with the Constitution and prevailing laws, to uphold freedom of religion, of belief and of worship in Indonesia," the letter read. "Only a move like that would prove that you are worthy of the award."

The ACF hands out the World Statesman Award annually to "heads of state who have exemplified their commitment to freedom, human rights, peace and respect for religious and ethnic diversity, and endeavor to advance these essential democratic values on the international scene."

The Human Rights Working Group, an Indonesian watchdog that is part of Sobat KBB, was among the first to criticize the ACF's decision to honor Yudhoyono. It said in a statement on Monday that there were "several reasons why SBY doesn't deserve the award."

"On cases of [religious-based] violence and intolerance, the president has failed to uphold the law in a fair manner, both in preventing violence committed in the name of religion and in ensuring that the victims receive justice," Muhammad Choirul Anam, the HRWG deputy director, said in the statement.

He also accused officials in the Yudhoyono administration of being involved in acts of intolerance and even persecuting victims. "Another reason that SBY doesn't deserve the award is because he has far too often remained silent on the rights abuses suffered by members of minority faiths in Indonesia," Choirul said.

"In many cases, like that of the Ahmadiyah since 2005, the president has to date never called on his officials to take firm action against perpetrators of intolerance who have clearly violated the Constitution."

He said this was also the case for the Taman Yasmin and HKBP Filadelfia Protestant churches in West Java, which continue to be sealed off by local authorities in direct violation of Supreme Court rulings ordering them to be reopened.

Teuku Faizasyah, a presidential spokesman, said that the cases of intolerance in Indonesia did not nullify Yudhoyono's efforts to defend human rights.

"The intolerance cases should not blind the eyes of the commentators from seeing the many progresses in building Indonesian values under President SBY," he said on Monday.

Minority groups ask Yudhoyono to turn down religious freedom award

Jakarta Post - May 11, 2013

Ina Parlina, Jakarta – A coalition of minority groups, who have long suffered persecution, are calling on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to end their plight before accepting an award from a US-based group for upholding religious freedom.

A New York-based interfaith organization, Appeal of Conscience Foundation (ACF), is planning to present Yudhoyono with the World Statesman Award on May 30 in New York, when the President will be on a working visit, in recognition of his work in supporting human rights and religious freedom.

The coalition, which includes followers of the Shia and Ahmadiyah minority sects, members of indigenous faith Sunda Wiwitan, as well as congregations from the Yasmin Indonesian Christian Church (GKI) and the Filadelfia Batak Christian Protestant Church, met with Albert Hasibuan, the presidential advisor on human rights, on Friday to convey their message to the President.

The coalition also staged a rally in front of the United States Embassy in Jakarta on Monday to protest the ACF's choice of Yudhoyono for the 2013 award. The coalition requested that the US Embassy relay their message to President Barack Obama and the ACF.

"Before you are given the award, you should be able to act decisively to uphold religious freedom in Indonesia as stipulated in the 1945 Constitution," Bona Sigalingging of GKI Yasmin said as he read a statement to Albert in front of his office on Friday.

Local rights groups, including the National Alliance of Unity in Diversity (ANBTI), the Setara Institute and the Wahid Institute, also joined the move, saying the award was an insult to victims of religious persecution.

ANBTI coordinator Nia Sjarifudin called on Yudhoyono to be honest on the international stage. "We would appreciate it if the President no longer turned a blind eye to our plight. The world has acknowledged the religious persecution in Indonesia. Settle the matter with dignity, not by accepting some international award," she said.

The President, critics have said, has yet to be effective in addressing the growing intolerance in the country.

In his closing speech during a Cabinet meeting at the Presidential Office on Wednesday, Yudhoyono repeated his statement that the government wanted to intensify measures to handle such conflicts and he admitted that "there are still social conflicts [in the country]". However, he also said he wanted regional administrations "to be at the forefront in handling such issues" and "not to deny such responsibility".

On Tuesday, Yudhoyono said he had instructed administrations to settle such incidents swiftly. "Don't create an impression of omission; everyone must be responsible and take action until the problems are solved."

The Wahid Institute, which promotes pluralism and peaceful Islam, revealed that religious intolerance in the country had grown steadily in the last four years. Its report shows that religious intolerance cases in 2012 stood at 274, up from 267 in 2011. In 2010, the institute recorded 184 cases and 121 cases in 2009.

In a separate report released in late February, New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Yudhoyono had been inconsistent in defending religious freedom, and that the government had been complicit in the persecution of religious minorities by failing to enforce laws and issuing regulations that breached minority rights.

Building permit issues have been the most cited reasons to justify discrimination against religious minorities, while blasphemy has often been used against Islamic minorities, such as Shiites and the Ahmadis.

The Bogor administration ignored a Supreme Court ruling that stipulated that the building permit for GKI Yasmin's church was legal and ordered the Bogor administration to reopen the building.

Followers of nondenominational faiths have also said they could not obtain identity cards due to their faith and, therefore, could not apply for work. "I will convey the message to the President soon," Albert said.

Shia community seeks protection from East Java administration

Jakarta Post - May 10, 2013

Indra Harsaputra, Surabaya – Displaced Shia followers from Karanggayam and Bluuran villages in Sampang, Madura regency, have demanded East Java Governor Timur Soekarwo protect their rights after the Sampang regent approved their relocation out of Madura Island.

Accompanied by the Surabaya branch of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), Shia representatives converged on the gubernatorial office in Surabaya on Wednesday, but Governor Soekarwo failed to meet them as he had a meeting with the House of Representatives members on a working visit. The Shia delegates were met by a people's welfare official.

"We wished to meet the governor to express our desire to return to our villages and our refusal to be relocated away from Madura," Sampang Shiite refugee leader Iklil Al Milal told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

Iklil denied that most residents of their villages were opposed to their presence, as has been claimed by a number of figures and clerics who have demanded they be relocated away from Madura because they are regarded as troublemakers.

As reported earlier, Sampang Regent Fannan Hasib agreed on May 7 to the demand by protesters to relocate the Shiites outside Madura.

In the meeting between the regent and protesters from religious and community circles, it was disclosed that the demand was in line with Fannan's promise to the protesters during the regency leadership election several weeks ago.

After being appointed in February this year, Fannan, who replaced Noer Tjahja as regent, asked the central government to approve the planned relocation of 300 Shiites in Madura to bring an end to the conflict in Sampang.

The conflict began on Dec. 29, 2011, when mobs set fire to a Shia boarding school in Nangkernang hamlet. Another incident took place on Aug. 12, 2012, when around 200 people stormed a Shia settlement. At least two people were killed and 10 homes razed in the incident.

Ever since then, the Shiites have taken refuge at the Sampang sports complex. A suspect in the attack on Nangkernang hamlet, Rois al-Hukama, was acquitted by the Surabaya District Court on April 16.

The Shia leader in Madura, Tajul Muluk, is still in prison after the East Java High Court sentenced him to four years. Earlier, the Sampang District Court had found Tajul guilty of blasphemy.

Iklil said several groups were opposed to the Shiites and had made efforts to expel them from Madura. The groups had also pressured the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) to issue an edict on heretical teachings against the Shia movement.

"We are being forced to leave Madura. Since May 1, food and clean water aid has stopped. As many as 166 Shiites are suffering in the shelter as of now," said Iklil.

Coordinator of the Surabaya branch of Kontras Andy Irfan said his commission urged the government to immediately call on religious leaders to respect human rights.

"The state must not bow down to the wishes of a small group of self- righteous people who fail to heed human rights principles stipulated in the Constitution," said Andy.

Contacted separately, Sunni community coordinator in Sampang Faturozi said the rejection of the Shiites issued by local clerics was irreversible and they continued to urge the regent to evict the Shiites.

Another Ahmadiyah mosque sealed in West Java

Jakarta Globe - May 8, 2013

Farouk Arnaz & Vento Saudale – West Java's persecuted Ahmadiyah Muslim sect suffered another blow on Tuesday as Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) officers shuttered a mosque in Depok amid complaints from community members.

The mosque, located in Sawangan, Depok, was first sealed two years ago, Depok Satpol PP secretary Slamet A. R. said. The agency resealed the building after local residents complained to Depok administration that Ahmadiyah members began holding prayers at the mosque, which also served as a headquarters for the local Ahmadi community.

"The seal was probably removed by members of the Ahmadiyah," Slamet said. "We're currently sealing [the mosque] again to prevent public outcry, which will lead to anarchic acts."

The province's Ahmadiyah community have been barred from teaching others their beliefs in West Java. The group, which has been labeled a "deviant" sect by Islamic officials, have long been the target of mob violence and attacks by Islamic hard-line organizations.

In Tasikmalaya, a mob of 400 hard-line Islamists stormed Sukamaju village, overpowering local police and attacking the homes of Ahmadiyah members early Saturday morning. Dozens of homes were damaged in the rampage, prompting calls from National Police chief Gen. Timur Pradopo to arrest those responsible.

West Java Police detained two men who were allegedly involved in the violence, charging both with destroying property while participating in a riot. The charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

"Both of them are local residents living in a village near the crime scene," National Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Agus Rianto said on Tuesday. "Our investigators are still trying to find out the motive."

The men will be questioned as police search for others involved in the attacks, Agus said. "They threw things at [Ahmadiyah] houses and an Islamic school in the Ahmadiyah village," Agus said. "This case will be developed [to find other suspects] for the sake of law enforcement."

West Java Governor Ahmad Heryawan, who has been accused of supporting hard-line organizations, spoke out against the beleaguered Muslim sect on Tuesday, telling the Indonesian newspaper Kompas that life would be better if the Ahmadiyah disappeared.

"Of course we want religious tolerance to go properly but the Ahmadiyah have committed a violation by spreading a deviant belief," Ahmad said. "The problem will disappear if the belief disappears."

Amnesty International called on the Indonesian government and the Ministry of Home Affairs to reopen at least four of the mosques sealed by West Java authorities in the past month. The human rights watchdog urged the central government to repeal local bylaws that threaten the freedom of religion, stating that these regulations "have been used by local authorities and radical Islamist groups to justify discrimination, intimidation and attacks against them [Ahmadiyah] in many parts of the country."

The Indonesian government has failed to protect the rights of religious minorities, the statement said. Amnesty International urged the government to push police and the military to protect the rights of all Indonesians.

"The closures of four other Ahmadiyah places of worship in a month come amid ongoing attacks, intimidation and state discrimination against religious minorities in Indonesia," the statement read. "Despite commitments to tackle religious intolerance, the Indonesian authorities are failing to protect religious minority groups and to revoke laws and regulations which are discriminatory and violate the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion."

Religious intolerance is on the rise in Indonesia, where increasingly vocal hard-line groups seemingly operate with tacit support in regions like West Java, according to rights groups.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has come under fire for failing to address the surge in religiously motivated attacks. Incidents like Saturday's rampage occur with alarming frequency in Indonesia and the majority of perpetrators are rarely brought to justice.

The president continues to be championed as a crusader for tolerance abroad, where he recently received an award from the New York-based Appeal of Conscience Foundation for his work promoting tolerance in the world's largest Muslim-majority country.

The Human Rights Working Group and the Setara Institute blasted the interfaith organization for failing to investigate government officials' claims of tolerance.

"This award seems to be based in ignorance about the conditions in Indonesia, where in the last few years discrimination and violations in the name of religion against minority groups such as the Ahmadiyah, Christians, Shiite and Bahai and their followers have taken place," read a letter issued by the Setara Institute.

"As an institution of a high reputation, we do not understand how Appeal of Conscience could award it without any detailed verification of the reality [in Indonesia]," the statement continued. "We demand that the Appeal of Conscience review and cancel the awarding of the 'World Statesman Award' to Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono."

Yudhoyono's presidential team denied the criticism, explaining that the president was actively involved in promoting interfaith dialogue abroad.

"The intolerance cases should not blind the eyes of the commentators from seeing the many progresses in building Indonesian values under President SBY," Teuku Faizasyah, a member of Yudhoyono's international relations staff, said on Monday.

Meanwhile, in Depok, Ahmadiyah community leader Mubalig Saefuloh told the press that he would abide by a local ban on holding prayer services. "I accept this and in the future will no longer perform activities together," Mubalig said after Satpol PP resealed his mosque.

Sampang Shia in peril

Jakarta Post - May 8, 2013

Indra Harsaputra and Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – After a year spent living in a refugee camp, members of the Shia community in Sampang, Madura, East Java, will soon become pariahs in their own land after the local administration decided to evict them permanently from the area.

Sampang Regent Fannan Hasib said on Tuesday that the local administration would only need the go-ahead from East Java Governor Soekarwo to relocate members of the Shia community to locations outside of Sampang, despite the minority group's rejections.

"We can do nothing about it because the majority of the people demand the Shia community be kicked out of Sampang. Local religious leaders have also supported the demand. I will soon file a request to Governor Soekarwo to issue an ordinance to make it legal for us to relocate them," Fannan told The Jakarta Post.

Fannan said the local administration had to make the decision as the central government had been silent on the issue.

"I've asked the Presidential Advisory Council and Komnas HAM [the National Commission on Human Rights] to discuss this issue in a transparent manner with the House of Representatives but unfortunately we've heard nothing back from them," he said.

Last year, during his reelection campaign, he told residents of Sampang and local religious leaders that he supported the relocation of members of the Shia community. He even agreed to sign a pact to implement the plan at a later date.

Soon after being reelected for a second term in February this year, Fannan declined to allow members of the Shia community – who were seeking refuge in a sports stadium following unrest in August 2012 – to return to their village in Nangkernang, saying that his administration could not guarantee their safety, and instead asked for their consent regarding the relocation.

Members of the Shia minority have been living in the sports stadium for nearly two years following violence that killed two Shiites. At the height of the violence, the mob also set fire to dozens of houses belonging to Shiites in Nangkernang hamlet.

In recent weeks, members of the Sunni majority have staged rallies demanding that Fannan fulfill his campaign promise to not allow members of the Shia community to return to their home village.

The Sampang administration's firm decision to evict the Shia will further plunge their lives into uncertainty following the Witness and Victim Protection Agency's (LPSK) decision to stop its protection program for witnesses and victims of attacks against the community. The LPSK officially terminated the program on Tuesday.

LPSK member Teguh Soedarsono said the decision to finally discontinue the protection program for 44 members of the community, who had testified about the attacks in courts and who had been subject to intimidation, was made after Governor Soekarwo agreed to allow the Shia refugees to return to their villages.

Teguh said the provincial government had also agreed to deploy security personnel to ensure that members of the Shia community would safely resettle in their homes.

"The LPSK has no authority over what appears to be a disconnect between the Sampang administration and the provincial government. We can't change our decision abruptly," Teguh told the Post.

Komnas HAM commissioner Imdadun Rahmat, who is in charge of an investigation team into the aftermath of the August 26 riot in Sampang, said the rights body would continue its efforts to persuade the majority Sunni community to welcome back its Shia neighbors.

"No one should be forced to leave their land of origin. We will send a reprimand to the local administrations to demand that it provide equal protection to people regardless of their differences in religious interpretation," Imdadun said.

Meanwhile, earlier on Tuesday, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono held a Cabinet meeting to discuss efforts to mitigate rampant religious conflicts.

The meeting wrapped up with Yudhoyono ordering ministers and local government leaders to uphold the controversial joint-ministerial decrees on the construction of places of worship and on the Ahmadiyah.

"Ensuring the enforcement of the joint ministerial decrees is one of the most important measures for handling religious conflicts. This kind of approach is the most moderate option we have today and it can accommodate views of all different groups so conflicts and acts of intolerance can be prevented," said Coordinating People's Welfare Minister Agung Laksono.

In his opening remarks at the meeting, Yudhoyono said it was local administrations that were at the forefront of preventing religious conflicts.

"The government, of course, does not stay silent. We work together to resolve the problems as thoroughly as possible, to prevent a repeat of the conflicts in the future," he said.

Shia persecution

Dec. 29, 201: A Shia Islamic boarding school (pesantren) in Karang Gayam village on Madura Island in Sampang, East Java, is set ablaze as a mob attacks the home of a Shia Muslum in nearby Gadhing Laok. Three-hundred Shiites take refuge at the regency's indoor tennis court, some 20 kilometers from their home villages.

August 26, 2012: Two die as a mob of a 1,000 Sunni Muslims raze the predominantly Shiite villages Blu'uran and Karang Gayam, destroying 37 homes and displacing 270.

Sept. 21, 2012: The East Java High Court sentences Madurese Shia leader Tajul Muluk to four years' imprisonment for blasphemy. Nov. 1, 2012: Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) reports that 26 of the Shia tennis court refugees were forced to sign statements saying that they were willing to convert to Sunni Islam.

Nov. 25, 2012: Shiite leader Iklil Al Milal says the local administration offered no reason for stopping to supply refugees from Karang Gayam village with food and clean water.

April 4, 2013: Prosecutors ask the Surabaya District Court for a two-year sentence for Rois Al-Hukama for his role in attacking the Shiites.

April 16, 2013: Surabaya District Court acquits Rois Al-Hukama.

May 1, 2013: The Shiite tennis court refuges struggle to survive after the local administration stopped supplying their daily needs as May 1 citing "budget constraints".

Minister points to decree 'moderate' as way to solve Ahmadiyah conflicts

Jakarta Globe - May 8, 2013

Ezra Sihite – A government official says people should refer to a five- year-old joint decree to find solutions to the recent spate of violence between hard-line groups and the Ahmadiyah Muslim community.

"One of the most important things [that can solve the conflict] is returning to the agreement as written in SKB [joint ministerial decree] about the duty of regional government heads and their deputies, interfaith religious forum [FKUB] and house of worship building. This is the most moderate way," Agung Laksono, coordinating minister for people's welfare, said on Tuesday.

The decree, which was issued by the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Ministry of Home Affairs and the Attorney General's Office in 2008, banned Ahmadiyah from spreading their beliefs to other people, but legitimized the group as a legal organization.

Agung's statement came after State Palace meeting about religious intolerance, which was conducted in the wake of the recent attacks on houses, a mosque and facilities on an Ahmadiyah community in Tasikmalaya, West Java, earlier this week.

This most recent attack follows a string of incidents against the minority Muslim group this year – an Ahmadiyah mosque in Bekasi was sealed with members still inside in April by the local government and another mosque in Depok was closed on Tuesday.

Agung said that the decree had also urged people not to take justice in their own hands, in an effort to reduce conflict between hard-line groups and the Ahmadiyah.

"The effort that should be done is to solve the problem to its root. Whenever there is conflict potential, all should refrain themselves, such as the cases in Tasikmalaya, Mataram and Bekasi," Agung said.

In the SKB, the government said the Ahmadiyah community is a legitimate mass organization and registered with the Ministry of Home Affairs. But if Ahmadiyah people declare themselves as Muslims, they should refer to the mainstream Islamic teachings, it said.

Governance & policy

Consumer group calls for audit into Indonesian identity card glitch

Jakarta Globe - May 8, 2013

Dessy Sagita – The Indonesian Consumer Protection Foundation has demanded an audit into a recent discovery that the memory chips in the new Indonesian identity cards, or e-KTP, are destroyed if photocopied too many times.

"The Minister of Domestic Affairs must be seriously reprimanded and the e- KTP project must be re-audited," Tulus Abadi, the manager of the foundation known as the YLKI, told the Jakarta Globe on Wednesday.

Tulus said the Domestic Affairs Ministry has made a serious error in issuing electronic products which could be compromised by photocopiers.

"It is just ridiculous and non-sensible to ask public to not photocopy their e-KTP. Other banking products like credit cards and ATM cards got photocopied all the time and they were fine," he said.

Tulus also criticized the government for not notifying the public about the glitch before the cards were distributed.

"Their announcement came way too late. They should have told us before that the e-KTP should not be photocopied more than once, not after millions of the cards were distributed, and I'm sure there are many people who have photocopied their e-KTP more than once because they didn't know that it would destroy the chip," he said.

The Ministry previously said that government offices and related institutions should use a card reader or ask for the single identity number (NIK) on the card in order to obtain the information provided in the e-KTP.

Tulus said the plan was not plausible because it would only add a burden to the public. "Procuring card readers means more projects, more unnecessary bureaucracy and bigger chances of embezzlement," he said.

Home Affairs Minister Gamawan Fauzi previously said that the e-KTP should not be photocopied, stapled or treated in certain ways that could damage the chip.

However, people often need copies of their identity cards when dealing with banks, police stations, obtaining drivers' licenses and vehicle registration documents (STNK) or accessing other services. When renewing the STNK, police officers often staple the card with some other documents.

The electronic IDs are markedly different from the old KTPs in that they include the holder's biodata, such as fingerprints and a retinal scan, in addition to the standard information of place and date of birth and address. It will also be valid for life, unlike the regular KTP that must be renewed every five years.

Armed forces & defense

Germany confirms tank and APC sales to Indonesia

Reuters - May 8, 2013

Sabine Siebold & Gareth Jones, Berlin – The German government confirmed on Wednesday the sale of 104 used Leopard 2 tanks and 50 armored personnel carriers by industrial group Rheinmetall to Indonesia.

Arms sales are a sensitive issue in Germany, given its Nazi past and the role of arms makers like Krupp in fuelling 19th and 20th century wars, and the political opposition is critical of deals with countries with a poor human rights record.

A defense source told Reuters last week of the sale to Indonesia. The government has a practice of not commenting on such decisions but Wednesday's confirmation came in the form of a written reply to a request from the opposition Greens party.

Indonesia, southeast Asia's largest economy, had previously indicated it would buy 130 Leopard tanks from Rheinmetall as part of a $15 billion five-year drive to modernize its military.

The German government did not say how much the deal was worth but Indonesia said last year the value of the initial agreement to buy 130 tanks was $280 million.

Indonesia, which has economic growth of above 6 percent, is wary of being left behind as China, Vietnam, Thailand and other Asian nations ramp up defense spending.

This year it announced plans to buy more than a dozen Russian Sukhoi fighter jets as well as domestically made, missile-equipped patrol ships.

Judicial & legal system

Indonesia told to open new court to protect women, children

Jakarta Post - May 8, 2013

Ina Parlina, Jakarta – Activists say that the government must establish a family court system to accommodate the rights of women and children that have been ignored by existing religious courts.

Special family courts should be established at the district and appellate level to hear civil proceedings, such as divorce hearings, and criminal cases, such as domestic violence, according to a proposal from the Legal Aid Foundation of the Indonesian Women's Association for Justice (LBH APIK) and the Network of Pro-Women's National Legislation Program (JKP3).

Divorce cases are currently handled by district religious courts, while domestic violence cases are tried by district courts.

"Unlike the existing religious courts, the family court must be a 'problem solving court'," Ratna Batara Munti of the JKP3 recently said. "Not only just by delivering rulings, the court should also be able to give concrete solutions and deliver positive outcomes for all parties involved in the domestic disputes."

Ratna said that patriarchal views still dominate judges on district religious courts in handling divorce cases, which she said had compromised the rights of the women and children.

Meanwhile, Nursyahbani Katjasungkana, national coordinator for the LBH APIK, said the 1974 Marriage Law, has also damaged the rights of women and children. "The law construes marriage based on a patriarchal view, instead of gender equality. The religious courts also adopt similar approach."

Ratna said that it was essential to open family courts to hear divorce and domestic violence case, given the predilection for the victims of domestic violence to avoid criminal court.

"Most of the victims, in this case, the wives, prefer to settle their problems through divorce hearings at the religious court, instead of filing their cases with a criminal court," Ratna said. "They have no energy to go through two procedures. So, we later have some kind of impunity for the violence."

According to the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan), 95 percent of 110,468 cases of violence against wives in 2011 ended in divorce hearings in religious court.

Constitutional Court chief justice Akil Mochtar said he would support the proposal, as reforming family law was essential and the new courts would improve access to justice for women and children.

"Our Constitution clearly guarantees the rights of women; therefore, all parties must support the efforts to uphold those rights," Akil said.

Separately, Andi Syamsu Alam, the religious courts chief for the Supreme Court, said he would consider the plan.

"Just give us time, as we are still studying the plan. We are aware that there is a demand to combine the civil and criminal matters here," Andi said.

Mining & energy

Government's next fuel ploy? Limit buying to three liters a day

Jakarta Globe - May 11, 2013

Tito Summa Siahaan – As consumers await a rise in the subsidized fuel price next month, the national government on Friday announced limits in the size of daily purchases in a move seen as a sign of indecisiveness on the issue.

Deputy Minister for Energy and Mineral Resources Susilo Siswoutomo said on Friday that the government planned to cap the daily purchase of subsidized fuel for private vehicles at 3 liters a day.

Susilo said the figure came from the estimated average daily consumption of subsidized fuel by private car owners – around 2.7 liters a day. "[So the cap] will be around 3 liters a day," Susilo said on Friday.

He said the government will cap the purchase as soon as a new IT system to monitor consumption is in place. Susilo said state energy firm Pertamina is currently testing the system, called the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) system, in several gas stations in Jakarta.

Susilo said the system will be installed in all 5,027 gas stations owned by Pertamina by July. "Then after that, we will start distributing chips to private vehicles, starting from Greater Jakarta area," he added. The minister, however, did not say whether vehicle owners would need to pay for the chip.

Pertamina has allocated at least Rp 800 billion ($82 million) to deploy the system, which is being set up by state-controlled electronics firm Industri Telekomunikasi (INTI). Susilo said the government had no plan to introduce such a system for motorcycle users.

With many motorists at present filling up the tank on a weekly basis, the new policy is likely to prompt a massive rise in the number of times drivers will need to visit fuel stations.

Susilo said the consumption of subsidized fuel by motorcycle was about 0.7 liter a day, meaning that there was little benefit in imposing the cap on motorcyclists.

"Should it be applied, the system will force private car owners to use motorcycles to travel to and from work instead of cars," one Jakarta resident said.

Hari Poernomo, an oil and gas analyst, said the government was wrong in its approach to fuel. "Subsidized fuel is our primary source of energy, so any move to curb its consumption will have an impact on the economy," he said.

He said the government must first find a way to increase revenue in order to cover the cost of subsidized fuel. "The government must double or triple the tax on private vehicles. The tax is currently too low," said Hari, a former director at Pertamina.

Hari said the government should introduce tougher taxes for high-income earners. "Collect more revenue, spend it on infrastructure to stimulate economic growth. Then after the people have better income, raise the price of fuel," Hari said.

In addition to measures to limit consumption, the government plans to raise the price from Rp 4,500 a liter, and has proposed setting the new price at Rp 6,000 per liter.

The government can increase the price without seeking fresh approval from the House of Representatives under the terms of a legislative agreement struck after last year's failed attempt to increase the price, under which a sustained increase in the global price could be passed onto consumers.

Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Jero Wacik, a senior member of the ruling Democratic Party, said the government would provide cash handouts to the poor.

"It will be provided for around five or six months [in an effort] to keep things calm," Jero said on Friday. Hari said political motives were a key factor in the government's decision to provide cash handouts.

The Democratic Party is under pressure after several of its senior politicians were implicated in graft cases. Polls have put the Democrats behind Golkar and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) ahead of national elections next year.

Hari questioned the logic behind the government 2009 decision to cut the price of subsidized fuel in from Rp 6,000 per liter. "This is all just a game for them, and the poor are the ones who fall victim," he said.

Spending on fuel subsidies is set to reach Rp 193 trillion this year, compared with Rp 212 trillion in 2012, a substantial proportion of the national budget in both years. The reliance on imported fuel has also crippled the trade balance and weakened the rupiah.

Students want local government to take over Siak block operations

Jakarta Post - May 8, 2013

Amahl S. Azwar, Jakarta – Students from Riau University on Tuesday rallied before US-based oil and gas giant Chevron Pacific Indonesia's headquarters in Pekanbaru, Riau, demanding the central government hand over operation of the Siak oil block to the local administration.

The protest escalated as the students burned tires and broke the five-meter high metal gate at Chevron's Rumbai camp, however, the Antara news agency reported the rally remained under control.

Rally coordinator Yopi Pranato, a member of Riau University's Students Executive Board, said the protest was intended to push the government to "nationalize" the Siak block.

"This foreign domination of our natural resources has increased in recent years thanks to our regulations, which support free competition. As a consequence, local companies must become 'the step-children' when it comes to exploiting the resources," Yopi said as quoted by Antara.

By letting the Riau administration handle the exploitation of the Siak block, he added, the government would start the country on the road to rule its own resources.

Located in four Riau regencies: Kampar, Rokan Hulu, Rokan Hilir and Bengkalis. Siak is just one of the blocks run by Chevron.

Chevron Indonesia is the largest crude oil producer in the country, beating Indonesia's state-owned PT Pertamina and French giant Total SA's local subsidiary, Total E&P Indonesie.

The 2,480-square kilometer Siak block contract will expire on Nov. 27. It currently produces 2,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil or equal to 0.6 percent of Chevron's total average production of 330,000 bpd, which is 40 percent of Indonesia's total oil output.

It was earlier reported that Chevron, which operates mostly in Sumatra, proposed a contract extension in 2010. Meanwhile, the Riau provincial administration expressed its willingness to take over operations through PT Riau Petroleum, which is owned by the local government.

The Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry's oil and gas chief Edy Hermantoro told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday the government was still evaluating the block's economic and technical aspects.

"Loads of aspects need to be discussed," he said in a text-message without revealing when the government would announce the decision about Siak.

Separately, Chevron's communications manager Tiva Permata said the firm's operations at the block were based on the production-sharing contract between the contractor and the Indonesian government. As for the future of the Siak block the corporation would let the central government decide its final fate.

The Siak block is among 29 concessions due to expire between 2013 and 2021. Other blocks include Mahakam in East Kalimantan, currently operated by Total E&P Indonesie, which is set to expire in 2017.

Petitioners behind the dissolution of the now-defunct upstream watchdog BPMigas late last year also used the "nationalism" card over the gas-rich Mahakam block, demanding the government let PT Pertamina handle the block.

Analysis & opinion

Forgive, but do not forget

Jakarta Post Editorial - May 11, 2013

It was not as heroic as the country's Independence Day of Aug. 17, 1945, nor as dramatic and horrific as the Sept. 30, 1965, abortive coup blamed on the now defunct Indonesian Communist Party (PKI); but May 12, 1998, was also a significant day in Indonesian history as it saw the transfer of power in the country, as had the two former days mentioned above.

While Aug. 17, 1945, marked the transfer of power from Dutch colonial rule to the fledgling government of the Republic of Indonesia and the failed coup on Sept. 30, 1965 triggered the transfer of power from the Old Order government of president Sukarno to the succeeding New Order government of president Soeharto, the tragedy that occurred on May 12, 1998, marked the downfall of Soeharto and the subsequent emergence of reformasi.

On May 12, 1998, four students from Trisakti University in West Jakarta – Elang Mulia Lesmana, Hafidin Royan, Heri Hartanto and Hendriawan Sie – were shot dead by unknown assailants while they were participating in a protest to demand the resignation of then president Soeharto.

The so-called Trisakti incident was followed on May 13 and 14 by killings, rapes, arson, looting and anti-Chinese riots, which claimed a total of 1,217 lives, according to data from the Volunteers' Team for Humanity; 1,190 of the victims were reportedly burned alive, trapped inside blazing buildings in Greater Jakarta.

The Trisakti incident has been regularly commemorated each year, and tomorrow (Sunday) marks the 15th anniversary of the tragedy. But until today, it remains unclear who was responsible for the deaths of the four students.

The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) submitted the results of its investigation into the tragedy to the Attorney General's Office (AGO) back in 2004, but no prominent persons have been named suspects for their alleged complicity in the incident.

So far, two National Police lieutenants have been held responsible for ordering the shootings. The two – First Lt. Agus Tri Heryanto and Second Lt. Pariyo – were respectively sentenced to 10 months and four months in jail by a military tribunal in Jakarta in August 1998.

The Trisakti incident, like Independence Day on Aug. 17, 1945, and the Sept. 30, 1965 failed coup before it, resulted in martyrs. While the martyrs in the chronologically first two events have been named heroes, the four slain university students died in vain. Determining who was really responsible for the Trisakti incident would help to compensate their sacrifice – and, more importantly, prevent the repetition of similar incidents in the future.

Do Indonesia women want sharia, too?

Jakarta Post - May 8, 2013

Fitri Bintang Timur, Jakarta – The Pew Research Center's research World's Muslims: Religion, Politics and Society published last month caused controversy in Indonesia, particularly the result that found 72 percent of Indonesian Muslims wanted sharia law.

Surely, Pew has much to explain about how 1,880 participants can represent over 200 million Muslims. Further explanation is needed about the questions posed to participants, including the chapter dedicated specifically to "Women in Society".

First, regarding sharia law, the report tried to accommodate various interpretations of the law "in its broadest definition, [sharia] refers to the ethical principles set down in Islam's holy book [the Koran] and examples of actions by the Prophet Muhammad".

Muslims have different definition of sharia and this varies depending on the country, participants' social-economic status or their proximity to powerful ulema, who decide how the law is implemented. This is because sharia is loosely defined as a set of guidelines that regulate many things from prayers to family inheritance to personal hygiene.

Sharia does not always mean implementing harsh punishment such as stoning or honor killing; or having an authoritarian ruler because that person has the only say on how the Koran is interpreted. Those who think the law is ruthless are clearly mistaken between sharia and authoritarian law. Those that apply sharia principles but act despotically are only utilizing Islam as pretext to misuse power. Amaney Jamal, special adviser for Pew research from Princeton University, noted that Muslims in poor and repressive countries tend to define sharia with equality and social justice.

As the law is very much open to interpretation, the high statistic of Indonesian Muslims wanting to instill sharia law should not set off alarms. The percentage of Indonesian Muslims that support a single interpretation of sharia law is not too far off those who would prefer multiple interpretations (45 percent to 44 percent, subsequently). Furthermore, not every Indonesian Muslim in the survey demands sharia to be implemented to all-citizen (only 50 percent) and even less agree with corporal punishment, stoning, the death penalty for leaving Islam and honor killing (under 50 percent).

The research actually shows Indonesian sharia law is lenient rather than stringent. It is worth noting that 92 percent of Indonesian Muslims do not agree with suicide bombings and there is high demand for a review on how religious judges should have power to decide family law and property disputes (66 percent), which is already included in Indonesia's Islamic Law (Kompilasi Hukum Islam), Articles 58, 197 and 229.

Second, regarding the section about women in society. This research is flawed because of its one-sided research questions, particularly in regard to obedience. Pew only asked whether a wife should always obey her husband and failed to ask husband's responsibility to his wife. This limits Muslim men's opportunity to show how they treat women with respect and that women's obedience cannot be simply requested without fair return.

While the topic of the hijab was approached, men's dress was not although in Islam an apparel guide is imposed on men, but this is less controversial for the western world. With this in mind, it can be said that the research was undertaken with a limited knowledge of Islam and bias toward how Muslim women and men act. According to Edward Said there is a tendency in western literature to depict the East in derogatory ways (Orientalism, 1978). In this case the East refers to Islam and the fairness of the Islamic population is already regarded non-existent.

Islam has often been accused of assigning women a secondary role, as Kathryn Robinson mentioned in Gender, Islam and Democracy in Indonesia (2009). However, this perception is not right as women in Islam minority areas are also subjugated, such as in Bali and Papua. Islam is not the problem and not quite the solution, especially for citizens with different beliefs. The attitude of perceiving women as second class citizen whose roles are attached to their men (fathers, husbands, brothers and sons) is, and it needs to be revisited. Fairness is the key.

According to Pew's research, 76 percent of Indonesian Muslims agreed that sons and daughters should have equal inheritance rights there are demands for fairness. Almost 80 percent of Indonesian Muslims agree that women themselves should decide whether they use a hijab (and 77 percent of men). This large number demonstrates that Indonesian Muslims sees women as able to make rational choices without the need for imposed regulation.

Admittedly bylaws exist that force women to wear hijab, such as in Tasikmalaya and West Sumatra. Arguably, the regulation was made to garner votes – as the legislators and political parties supporting the regulation would be perceived to be more pious, clean from corruption and able to be trusted. However, this image must be reconsidered as in court there is trend of female suspects attending trial using hijab.

Is this the sign of Indonesian women want sharia? It might. But what is happening is that religion is used in politics as identity symbol, including hijab and peci (male headwear).

Let us remember that it is what is inside that is difficult to calculate and it cannot be seen simply by using survey.

[The writer is an associate research fellow at S. Rajaratnam school of international relations, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.]

Marsinah's unfulfilled dream

Jakarta Post Editorial - May 8, 2013

Over the weekend 34 young workers finally regained their freedom, after being forced to work for two years at a factory in Tangerang, Banten. Police are still investigating the treatment of the men as it is alleged they were forced to work without pay, were crammed into a single bedroom and were subjected to torture.

This appears to be one isolated case that the police will hopefully resolve. Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Rikwanto said investigators would probe allegations that military and police personnel were involved in the case. The perpetrators may be charged under the Criminal Code for the abuse.

A thorough investigation and trial to hold perpetrators accountable would be an achievement in this nation. Though it is just one case in one of the country's major industrial areas, resolving it would at least symbolize a gesture to end impunity, at least on the factory floor.

Today Indonesia remembers another unresolved case, hidden deep in the closet – the death of activist Marsinah on May 8, 1993. This case, in Sidoardjo, East Java, is now 20 years old and, thus, the case has expired. Two managers from her watch factory were convicted but alleged perpetrators from the Sidoarjo military command never reached court.

Marsinah was among the workers who led a protest against the management and the military command for abusing workers, following their demands for better pay and work conditions.

Activists today are demanding an official Marsinah Day while others earlier suggested moving International Workers Day, in Indonesia, to May 8 to honor her struggle.

The protest was held at the height of the New Order's power, where close collaboration between the management and the local military were the rule. As a woman Marsinah suffered even more – an autopsy revealed she was sexually assaulted and her inner organs were severely damaged. Subsequent leaders promised to reopen the case but with the passing of today this is no longer possible.

Sweeping cases like Marsinah under the carpet maintains the legacy of impunity and continued abuse against vulnerable citizens because no one gets punished.

The Tangerang case also opens our eyes to the unmentioned practice of slavery-like treatment within the safe borders of our country. To improve the condition of servants, for many years activists have pushed for the domestic workers law, unfortunately, so far, it has been unsuccessful.

An anti-slavery law is needed for Indonesian employers, who think nothing of having lowly paid maids at their beck and call.

Marsinah, at 24 years old, demanded the recognition of workers as humans. The least Indonesians owe to her is to ensure the end of slavery in the country.