Australian Labor Party's links with PRD studied<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Military authorities in East Java are
\ninvestigating possible links between the beleaguered People's
\nDemocratic Party (PRD) and foreign organizations, including
\nAustralia's Labor Party.<\/p>\n
Spokesman for the East Java's Brawijaya regional military
\ncommand Lt. Col. CHB S. Soebagio said Saturday that the
\nauthorities got the lead from Dita Indah Sari, a PRD activist
\ndetained for her involvement in massive labor protests in
\nSurabaya on July 8 and 9.<\/p>\n
Soebagio said Dita admitted to her interrogators she once
\nvisited Australia and met with Labor Party officials.<\/p>\n
"We are focusing our investigation on Dita's connections with
\nthe Australian Labor Party. We suspect that the (Labor) Party has
\nfinanced the PRD's activities (in Indonesia)," Soebagio was
\nquoted by Antara as saying.<\/p>\n
The East Java military authorities also suspects that PRD
\nlinks up with numerous international organizations, including the
\nAsian Students Association.<\/p>\n
PRD is a tiny leftist group comprising mostly student
\nactivists known for their advocacy for labor and political
\ndemonstrations. It enjoyed publicity after the military accused
\nit of masterminding the July 27-28 riots in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Dita is one of three PRD activists authorities in Surabaya
\nwill arraign to court on charges of leading the July 8-9 labor
\nstrike. The other two are Coen Husen Pontoh and Moh. Sholeh.<\/p>\n
Soebagio, who is also spokesman for the East Java office of
\nthe internal security agency (Bakorstanada), said that what the
\nthree students did was politically motivated and more than just
\nan ordinary crime.<\/p>\n
On July 8 and 9, almost 10,000 workers took to the streets and
\ndemanded an increase in their daily minimum wage from Rp 3,900
\n(US$1.6) to Rp 7,000 and change in a political system that they
\nbelieve was obstructing democracy.<\/p>\n
According to Soebagio, Dita -- who chairs a PRD labor wing,
\nthe Center for Labor Strife -- had been behind other labor
\nstrikes in Jakarta, Bogor, Tangerang, Bekasi, Semarang and
\nSurakarta.<\/p>\n
"She was present at every labor protest. She was once arrested
\nin Jakarta but released because the police had no adequate
\nevidence to detain her. Now we have enough evidence of her
\ninvolvement," he said.<\/p>\n
Of the about 60 key PRD leaders, 16 have undergone military
\ntraining in the Philippines' communist New People's Army camps,
\nhe added. They learn how to disguise their political agenda under
\nthe guise of democracy and human rights issues, he said.<\/p>\n
"Dita is not one of the 16 but she had said she once visited
\nAustralia and we are finding out if PRD has links with the Labor
\nParty there," he said.<\/p>\n
Bambang said the authorities have found out that 25 percent of
\nPDI's key activists are the offspring of people who had links
\nwith the outlawed Indonesian Communist Party. (pan)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/australian-labor-partys-links-with-prd-studied-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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