Court urged to drop charges against four price proterters

JAKARTA (JP): Ten lawyers asked Central Jakarta District Court yesterday to drop the charges against four activists who joined a peaceful demonstration on Jl. M.H. Thamrin on March 9.

Trimedya Panjaitan said the defendants, identified as students Kuldip Singh and Widy Wahyu, reporter Wandy Nicodamus Tuturoong and workers' activist Farah Diba Agustine, who participated in a protest demanding price reductions, could not be charged under Article 5 of the Law No. 5/1963 on political activities.

"It's ironic that the prosecutor still uses the law, which was created under the Old Order. The law banned political activities, which opposed socialism under the late president Sukarno's government," said Trimedya from the Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association.

He said the four defendants also could not be tried under Article 218 of the Criminal Code for ignoring police orders since they were arrested in a bus shelter in front of Sarinah shopping center after the demonstration.

Police officers approached the defendants when they were still waiting for a bus and forced them to go to Menteng Police station, he said.

"Hi, you come with me to the police office. My chief was angry because I did not arrest you," Trimedya quoted one of the police officers who arrested the defendants as saying.

The four defendants who are believed to be supporters of the jailed leader of the Indonesian Prosperous Labor Union (SBSI) Muchtar Pakpahan, denied that they had participated in any political activities, saying that it was just a peaceful demonstration which protested staple food price hikes.

"The demonstration also did not disturb public order since it took place in the shopping center's compound. Many shoppers applauded us," Kuldip, 26, said.

Nicodamus, 26, a reporter of the Sinar Pagi daily, said that a traffic jam on the street only occurred after police officers started to block the street.

Widy, a 23-year-old student at the private Nasional University, said he believed the judges would free them of all charges if they themselves heard complaints from their wives about the price hikes.

Kuldip, Nicodamus and Widy have been detained since their arrest, while Farah, 21, was detained for 11 days before being temporarily released on her family's request.

Presiding judge I Nyoman Putra adjourned the trial until Wednesday to hear the prosecutor's reply. (jun)