'Pecalang' thwart NGO rally in Bali<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Nusa Dua, Bali<\/p>\n
As government delegates were negotiating an action document on
\nsustainable development in Nusa Dua, Bali, on Saturday morning,
\nhundreds of activists from non-governmental organizations and
\ncivil society groups staged a peaceful rally nearby.<\/p>\n
During the rally, the activists criticized developed
\ncountries' delegations to the ongoing preparatory committee
\nmeeting for the World Summit on Sustainable Development. The
\nactivists accused these delegations of siding with multinational
\ncorporations at the expense of sustainable development.<\/p>\n
\"We see that governments, when legislating and preparing
\nagreements, think more about the benefits to international
\ncorporations, and they don't care about the social and
\nenvironmental problems in the world,\" said Ricardo Navarro, the
\npresident of Friends of the Earth International, in his speech at
\nthe Chandra Loka Amphitheater.<\/p>\n
The speech was followed by a number of performances, including
\nthe traditional kuda lumping (prancing horse) dance and a gamelan
\nperformance.<\/p>\n
The rally, however, soon lost steam with the arrival of
\nBalinese traditional security guards, or pecalang.<\/p>\n
Dozens of pecalang, with their black attire with signs of the
\nIndonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), blocked
\nthe exits of the amphitheater when activists from various
\ncountries attempted to march to the complex in Nusa Dua where the
\nUN meeting was being held.<\/p>\n
There was no violence reported, but a number of the activists
\nsat down in the amphitheater and refused to leave.<\/p>\n
The chairwoman of the Indonesian People's Forum (IPF), Emmy
\nHafild, was extremely angry that the pecalang interrupted the
\nrally.<\/p>\n
Emmy met with representatives of the Bali Police and the
\npecalang, during which she accused the police of deliberately
\ntrying to pit the traditional security guards against the
\nprotesters.<\/p>\n
\"They (pecalang) said so themselves. They said that they had
\nreceived instructions from Bali Police Headquarters,\" she charged
\nangrily.<\/p>\n
In response to the charge, the chief of Bali's riot police,
\nSr. Comr. Ismail, replied: \"It was just a misunderstanding.\"<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, the police agreed that they would not interfere
\nin the activities of the activists during the UN meeting, as long
\nas they conducted themselves according to the law.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, security has been tightened around the venue for
\nthe UN meeting ahead of the ministerial meeting on June 5 that
\nwill be opened by Indonesian President Megawati Soekarnoputri.<\/p>\n
The police were checking cars and screening visitors to the
\nBali International Convention Center. Only those with UN-issued
\nID cards were being allowed into the complex.<\/p>\n
Mounted police were seen patrolling the complex, and K-9 units
\nwere also checking the venue.<\/p>\n
The number of police officers and security personnel in Nusa
\nDusa has also been increased.<\/p>\n
Security personnel are also screening people arriving in Bali.
\nAt least 12 people attempting to attend the IPF rally were
\narrested in Kuta and another IPF participant was arrested in
\nDenpasar on Saturday, all for carrying sharp weapons.<\/p>\n
They were brought to Denpasar Police Headquarters on
\nSaturday for questioning, according to Kuta Police chief Adj.
\nCom. M. Anwar.<\/p>\n
\"They are not being formally detained or arrested. I must make
\nthe point clear that we just brought them in for questioning.<\/p>\n
\"They said that the weapons were for a cultural exhibition to
\nbe held by the IPF in Nusa Dua. We are waiting for a letter from
\nthe IPF that will verify their claim,\" Anwar told The Jakarta
\nPost.<\/p>\n
Thousands of security personnel, including police officers,
\nmilitary soldiers and hundreds of pecalang, have been deployed to
\nsecure the first UN event in the country for the past 10 years.<\/p>\n
While inside the venue for the meetings, government
\ndelegations worked overtime on Saturday to deliberate the
\nnumerous contentious issues involved in the action plan for the
\nimplementation of sustainable development.<\/p>\n
Those issues that were not resolved on Saturday included what
\nif any actions to take in order to move toward renewable energy;
\nthe establishment of a world solidarity fund for poverty
\neradication; how to prevent desertification; and how to change
\nunsustainable patterns of consumption and production.<\/p>\n
The unresolved issues also included time-bound measures to
\nimplement those actions, as well as an institutional framework to
\nmonitor the implementation of sustainable development principles
\nby countries.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/pecalang-thwart-ngo-rally-in-bali-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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