PRD chief hospitalized after hunger strike<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Jailed leader of the Democratic People's Party
\n(PRD) Budiman Sudjatmiko was rushed to hospital on Monday after a
\nseven-day hunger strike, his lawyer said.<\/p>\n
Yan Rino Sibuea of the Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights
\nAssociation (PBHI) told The Jakarta Post that he took Budiman at
\nabout noon from the Cipinang Prison to the Police Hospital in
\nKramat Jati, East Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"He vomited blood earlier in the morning as his condition has
\nbeen deteriorating,\" Rino said.<\/p>\n
Budiman was fed intravenously at the hospital, he added, but
\nhe \"is still very weak\".<\/p>\n
He added that two other jailed PRD activists, Yakobus Eko
\nKurniawan and Ignatius Damianus Prabowo, who also were on hunger
\nstrike, were admitted to the same hospital on Sunday evening.<\/p>\n
Budiman, Yakobus and Ignatius received prison sentences of 13
\nyears, eight years and nine years respectively for subversion.<\/p>\n
Budiman and four other jailed PRD leaders started the hunger
\nstrike last Tuesday to raise awareness about their demand for a
\nfree and fair general election scheduled for June 7. They also
\ncalled for the military to end their role in politics as a
\nprerequisite for fair elections.<\/p>\n
Minister of Justice Muladi said on Monday that Budiman's
\naction and demand were inappropriate.<\/p>\n
\"His demand is weird. (The poll) has not yet happened, we are
\nall still fussing about the issue... just how could we meet such
\na demand?<\/p>\n
\"Free and fair is a sure thing. And I... am risking all to
\nmake it happen,\" he said at the House of Representatives.<\/p>\n
Instead of going on a hunger strike, Budiman should use PRD's
\nrepresentatives in the General Elections Commission to fight for
\nthe issue.<\/p>\n
\"But we'll prevent him from killing himself,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Separately, chairman of the General Elections Commission (KPU)
\nRudini suggested on Monday that the PRD member on the National
\nElections Committee either be replaced or PRD's representative on
\nthe committee be eliminated all together if the party continued
\nits campaign against holding the polls in East Timor.<\/p>\n
The issue of whether the troubled province should take part in
\nthe election has been discussed by the KPU, with the commission
\nruling the election would be held in the province. During the
\ndiscussion, the PRD issued a statement against holding the
\nelection in East Timor.<\/p>\n
However, PRD's representative on the commission, Hendri Kuok,
\nsaid the party suggested it was better to hold a referendum
\nrather than an election in East Timor. A direct ballot to
\ndetermine East Timor's future is planned after the June 7 general
\nelection. \"We never said we would boycott the polls in East
\nTimor,\" Hendri said.<\/p>\n
On Saturday, the director of public administration and
\nregional autonomy, Ryaas Rasyid, said the government could
\ndisband PRD if it was proved the party was conducting an
\n\"intensive movement\" to urge East Timorese to boycott the general
\nelection, Kompas daily reported.<\/p>\n
He said PRD was being inconsistent by rejecting the new
\nelections law and calling for a boycott of the polls in East
\nTimor while agreeing to sit on the General Elections Commission.<\/p>\n
However, Minister of Home Affairs Syarwan Hamid said on Monday
\nthat only the Supreme Court had the power to ban a party, and it
\nwas sufficient to merely \"correct\" PRD. (byg\/aan\/edt)<\/p>",
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