Activists say human rights abuses on the rise

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Human rights abuses across the country are on the rise this year, particularly in areas of conflict such as Aceh, Irian Jaya, Maluku, Poso in Central Sulawesi and Sampit in Central Kalimantan, activists said on Saturday.

They said that abuses involved the military, the police and civilians.

Albert Hasibuan of the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) said that the abuses had been aggravated by ignorance of human rights on the part of the military and the police. They thought that security and order would never prevail if they had to strictly respect human rights.

"I think what has happened in Aceh, Irian Jaya, Poso, and Sampit are clear indications of increasing human rights abuses in both quantity and quality," Albert told The Jakarta Post.

Sectarian conflict pitting Christians against Muslims has been taking place in Poso and Ambon, where over 11,000 people have been killed over the past three years, according to one estimate.

This year also saw a bloody ethnic war between indigenous Dayak and Madurese migrants in Central Kalimantan, where over 3,000 people lost their lives and over 40,000 families were displaced.

The military has been fighting separatist movements in Irian Jaya and Aceh, where hundreds of lives have been lost.

Albert said that numerous human rights abuses were committed by civilians against security officers and by civilians against civilians. But abuses by security forces were still dominant this year, he noted.

The world is observing the 63rd anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The 30-article document is a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations to human rights principles.

Albert said that although police and military officers had been provided with basic information on human rights before they were deployed in security operations, there was no significant improvement in their record.

"The government still needs to seek a better approach in teaching human rights to security officers so that they will no longer think that protecting human rights is a burden for them," Albert said.

Hendardi of the Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association (PBHI) said that failure to improve the human rights record was obvious, as exemplified by continuing torture and killings in areas of conflict.

He also saw the numerous bombings in urban areas as a serious form of human rights abuse.

"The state is considered as violating human rights if it fails to stop communal conflicts," Hendardi said.

Both Albert and Hendardi foresaw a bleak prospect next year, as law enforcement remained weak.

Hendardi said that President Megawati Soekarnoputri had the political will to improve law enforcement but it was not easy because she was elected after a compromise with New Order forces well-known for their bad human rights record.

The activists also saw improvements in legislation as Indonesia now had laws on human rights and a human rights court. Indonesia also ratified a number of international conventions.