Foreign concern mounts over activists' arrests

Foreign concern mounts over activists' arrests

JAKARTA (JP): More concern was voiced overseas yesterday on
the country's political situation and the recent arrests of
activists from organizations that have been branded subversive.

Glyn Davies of the United States' state department expressed
Washington's concern at the government's crackdown on the
activists, in particular its detention of Budiman Sudjatmiko of
the Democratic People's Party (PRD) and labor activist Muchtar
Pakpahan, AFP reported yesterday.

"We are aware of the continued wide-scale arrests of political
activists," Glyn Davies said. "We have a particular concern about
the arrest and continued detention of Muchtar Pakpahan and
Budiman Sudjatmiko. There are of course others and we are
concerned about those as well."

US officials have made their concerns known to Indonesian
authorities, Davies said, noting that Assistant Secretary of
State Winston Lord summoned the Indonesian charge d'affaires for
a meeting in Washington last week.

A US official, who asked not to be named, said that Jakarta
appeared to be "taking on board what we're having to say."

In Jakarta, US Embassy spokesman Craig Strommen, when
questioned by The Jakarta Post, said that "we continue to be
deeply concerned about the violations of basic rights of freedom
of peaceful assembly, freedom of speech, freedom of association,
respect for the rule of law and the democratic process."

Strommen said his government also called on the Indonesian
government to ensure that these rights were protected in future,
that those detained simply for exercising constitutional freedoms
be released and to guarantee that any people charged in
connection with the July 27 riots were treated according to the
law.

Pakpahan, the leader of the Independent Prosperous Labor
Union, was arrested and charged with subversion following the
riots in which four people were killed. He could face the death
penalty.

Sudjatmiko was arrested with nine fellow activists on Sunday.
The military allege there are links between the PRD and the
outlawed Indonesian Communist Party.

In Manila, union leaders said yesterday they didn't believe
that Pakpahan had been detained solely for instigating the July
27 riots.

Daniel Edralin, the secretary-general of the union of hotel
and restaurant employees in Manila, and Ursula Engelen-Kefer of
the German Confederation of Trade Unions said the detention was
more likely related to Pakpahan's earlier activities in
advocating workers' rights.

They said separately that protest letters had been sent to
Jakarta along with letters from their affiliated international
unions, including the International Confederation of Free Trade
Unions, the American Federation of Labor and the Congress of
Industrial Organizations.

Edralin said more letters would be sent by a new Philippines'
umbrella union, the Alliance of Progressive Labor. Letters have
also been sent by the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines and
other unions.

Edralin also told the Post that it was Pakpahan's right as a
citizen to participate in public protests not directly related to
workers' rights, if he was in fact involved at all.

Engelen-Kefer, also the Deputy Chairwoman of the Confederation
of Trade Unions, said the confederation and the International
Confederation of Free Trade Unions had written to President
Soeharto.

The letters "protested very sharply", she said. The arrest was
a serious violation of trade union rights as recognized by the
International Labor Organization, of which Indonesia is a member,
she said. (anr)