Legislator wants probe into raids in Australia<\/p>\n
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
An Indonesian legislator visiting victims of raids in Australia
\nurged the government on Sunday to request Australia to allow a
\nthorough investigation into possible human rights violations
\nagainst Indonesians living there by Australian authorities.<\/p>\n
Speaking to The Jakarta Post upon arrival from Australia,
\nlegislator Roy B.B. Janis, of the Indonesian Democratic Party of
\nStruggle (PDI Perjuangan), said he and nine other legislators
\nfrom House of Representatives Commission I on security and
\nforeign affairs had met with victims of the heavy-handed raids,
\ncarried out by Australia's security forces targeting suspected
\nterrorists.<\/p>\n
"The government should come down harder on Australia, as what
\nhappened to our citizens were totally unacceptable and inhumane,"
\nRoy said on Saturday.<\/p>\n
The House of Representatives sent the 10-member team
\ncomprising members of Commission I for security and political
\naffairs to Australia in the wake of a series of raids on
\nIndonesians by police and intelligence agents in Australia.<\/p>\n
Roy and fellow PDI Perjuangan legislator Amris Hasan joined
\nthe team's visit to Perth on Saturday and met Indonesians who
\nwere the subjects of the raids before flying back to Jakarta on
\nSunday. The rest of the team went on to Sydney and Canberra to
\nhold talks with their Australian counterparts.<\/p>\n
The House's move was in stark contrast to its cool response to
\nthe labor crisis in August, when over 300,000 unregistered
\nIndonesian migrant workers were expelled from Malaysia following
\nthe adoption of a new immigration act. The House did not send a
\nspecial team to Malaysia to address the problem.<\/p>\n
Other legislators sent to Australia include Commission I
\nchairman Ibrahim Ambong of Golkar Party and Ahmad Sumargono of
\nthe Crescent Star Party.<\/p>\n
The team, Roy said, recommended that the government be tougher
\nand request the Australian government allow Indonesia to send a
\nteam of investigators to look into the incident, citing the
\ntrauma and other losses suffered by the Indonesians because of
\nthe raids.<\/p>\n
"We must investigate the human rights abuse against our
\ncitizens that allegedly occurred during the raids," he continued.<\/p>\n
He explained that during the meeting, Indonesian victims
\nrecounted that they had been terrorized in the raids.<\/p>\n
"What happened was terrible. They were treated as if they were
\ncriminals, without any proof beforehand.<\/p>\n
"We heard that their doors were broken down by cars in the
\nmiddle of the night. Some of them were handcuffed as if they were
\ncriminals.<\/p>\n
"Even a five-year-old Indonesian boy was threatened at
\ngunpoint during the raid -- it was terrible," Roy said.<\/p>\n
Australia conducted a nationwide crackdown against members of
\nthe Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) organization. The heavy-handed raids
\ntargeted Indonesians in Sydney, Perth and Melbourne.<\/p>\n
JI, said to be operating within Southeast Asia, was
\nestablished by Indonesian citizens, the late Abdullah Sungkar,
\nAbu Bakar Ba'asyir and Hambali, in Malaysia in the 1980s.<\/p>\n
JI was added to the UN terrorist list two weeks after the Oct.
\n12 Bali bombing, which killed more than 190 foreigners, many of
\nwhom were Australians.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian government made an official protest against the
\nmistreatment of Indonesians in Australia. However, Canberra
\nreplied that the raids had been necessary to ensure security in
\nthe country.<\/p>\n
Indonesian foreign ministry spokesman Marty Natalegawa said on
\nFriday that as of Nov. 6, some 23 Indonesians had been
\ninterrogated by the Australian authorities, and one had been
\ndetained.<\/p>\n
"Of the 23 people, 11 are permanent residents in Australia.
\nOne, Jaya Basri, was detained due to a visa violation," Marty
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Roy said that except for the PDI Perjuangan members, the
\ndelegation of legislators were sent to Australia using House'
\nfunds.<\/p>",
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