Megawati camp refused July 27 meeting permit<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): National Police chief Lt. Gen. Roesmanhadi said
\nyesterday he would not allow the Indonesian Democratic Party
\naffiliated to Megawati Soekarnoputri to hold a meeting to
\ncommemorate the bloody incident of July 27 because the group are
\nnot officially recognized by the government.<\/p>\n
He said a permit could not be given to a group which was not
\nofficially recognized by the government.<\/p>\n
\"We received a request to hold such a meeting, but it is not
\nclear which (PDI) group submitted it,\" he said.<\/p>\n
There are currently two PDI groups, one of which is led by
\nMegawati and the other by Soerjadi. Megawati was appointed as the
\nparty's chairwoman at a congress in Surabaya, East Java, in 1993.
\nSoerjadi was subsequently appointed chairman at a government-
\nbacked congress held in Medan, North Sumatra, in 1996.<\/p>\n
\"Law No.8\/1985 states clearly which political parties are
\nlegal in this country. The government only recognizes the PDI led
\nby Soerjadi,\" Roesmanhadi told a media conference.<\/p>\n
He reiterated that commemorating the event in public would
\nonly lead to chaos.<\/p>\n
\"The commemoration, if held in the National Monument park, the
\nSenayan complex, or any other public area, would attract a mass
\ngathering. Who's going to guarantee public safety then?<\/p>\n
\"If they want to make it an indoor activity, please, go ahead.
\nBut they still need to obtain official permission to do so,\" he
\nadded.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Jacob Nuwa Wea, chairman of the pro-Megawati
\nsupporters' commemoration meeting committee, vowed yesterday that
\nhis party would press ahead with its plan despite not having
\nwritten permission from the authorities.<\/p>\n
Jacob argued the meeting could go ahead because Jakarta Police
\nchief Maj. Gen. Noegroho Djajoesman had already given his
\npermission.<\/p>\n
\"The chief personally told me during our meeting last week to
\ngo ahead with the plan. He asked participants in the meeting to
\nmaintain order before, during and after the event,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Jacob said the commemorative meeting was scheduled to be held
\non Monday between 1 p.m and 3 p.m. at Istora Senayan and was
\nexpected to be attended by around 5,000 members and sympathizers
\nof the party.<\/p>\n
He said that he and Noegroho had agreed to terms which the
\nparty and all participants at the meeting must abide by.<\/p>\n
For example, the meeting is exclusively for PDI members and
\nsympathizers from Jakarta's five mayoralties.<\/p>\n
\"It's not a party. It's supposed to commemorate the tragic
\nambush (of the PDI's headquarters on Jl. Diponegoro, 58) in 1996.
\nIt's to remember our friends and relatives who died or went
\nmissing during and after the attack,\" Jacob said.<\/p>\n
Twenty seven PDI activists reportedly went missing after the
\nincident. Seven have since reappeared, but 20 are still missing.<\/p>\n
Eyewitnesses said the July 27 incident began when stones and
\nMolotov cocktails were thrown at Megawati supporters inside the
\nbuilding. They retaliated by throwing stones back at their
\nassailants. Riot police reportedly watched the confrontation for
\na considerable time before finally storming the building.<\/p>\n
Jacob said he had also agreed that those attending the meeting
\nwould only wear the party's T-shirt bearing Megawati's image.
\nParticipants must meet at the party's branch offices to obtain
\nidentification stickers for cars and buses which they plan to use
\nto travel on to Senayan.<\/p>\n
Participants would not be allowed to chant slogans on their
\nway to and from the meeting, undertake a march, use bamboo, wood
\nor metal flag poles and not to carry non-plastic water containers
\ninto the Istora building, he added.<\/p>\n
Jacob said he had guaranteed Noegroho that participants in the
\nmeeting would observe this code of conduct.<\/p>\n
\"All of us will certainly behave ourselves and not create
\nchaos. If there is any chaos, it will have been started by those
\nwho don't like or want us to hold the meeting,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He said the party had chosen to hold the commemorative meeting
\nindoors and not at the party headquarters on Jl. Diponegoro
\nbecause the site was still officially a crime scene in the
\nauthorities investigation of the 1996 incident. (edt\/cst)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/megawati-camp-refused-july-27-meeting-permit-1447893297",
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