11 PRD activists begin hunger strike on Int'l Labor Day
11 PRD activists begin hunger strike on Int'l Labor Day
JAKARTA (JP): Eleven members of the Democratic People's Party
(PRD) began a hunger strike on International Labor Day Thursday,
the PRD said.
The PRD, a small unrecognized organization, said the hunger
strike was to protest the verdict against nine of them Monday and
the ousting from the general election lists of the Indonesian
Democratic Party's former chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri.
Nine of the 11 were jailed Monday, the other two, Wilson Bin
Nurtias and I Gusti Agung Anom Astika are still being tried in
the South Jakarta District Court.
The sentences were read out in two separate hearings Monday at
the Central and South Jakarta Districts Courts.
The young men, all in their 20's, were given prison sentences
of between 1.5 years to 13 years for defaming the state ideology
Pancasila and causing labor strikes.
The PRD announced the hunger strike in a statement dated May
1, sent to The Jakarta Post yesterday. It was signed by PRD's
chairman Budiman Sujatmiko and secretary-general Petrus Hari
Hariyanto.
Their statement was sent a day after Gusti walked out of his
trial.
It said, "the verdicts show there is no democracy in
Indonesia. The verdicts suppress the workers, intellectuals, and
poor of Indonesia."
It said the government not only did not observe Labor Day but
"jailed activists who struggled for the poor".
In another statement also dated May 1, the PRD said their
party would send letters to the National Commission for Human
Rights and the House of Representatives.
The PRD said it would demand the two institutions promote
their right to justice and truth as Indonesian citizens.
"We believe the principles of justice were ignored in our
trial and the rights body and the House are our means of
justice," it said.
The Central Jakarta District Court sentenced Budiman, 27, to
13 years, Suroso, to seven years, Yakobus Eko Kurniawan, eight
years, Ignatius Damianus Pranowo, nine years, and Garda
Sembiring, 12 years.
The other four tried in South Jakarta were Ken Budha
Kusumandaru, who got four years, Victor da Costa, 1.5 years, Ign.
Putut Arintoko, 1.5 years and Petrus Hari Hariyanto, to six
years.
They all said they would appeal their sentences. (12/05)