Government under fire for breaking up rights training

Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A coalition of several non-governmental organizations (NGOs) lashed out at the government on Wednesday for not supporting rights activists while carrying out their duties in war-torn Aceh.

The province has been under martial law since May in an attempt to defeat the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) rebels.

Ori Rahman of the Commission for Missing People and Victims of Violence (Kontras) criticized the local security authorities who had continued to bar rights activists from doing their jobs, calling the move more proof of their lack of understanding of human rights.

"We consider this action part of the security authorities' effort to discourage activities related to human rights protection," Ori said.

Criticism has been heaped on the government after no less than 60 armed police and civilians raided the Hotel Pavilion Seulawah in Banda Aceh, where a training session for human rights monitors was underway on Monday. The raid was apparently a response to an order issued by the martial law administration, which deemed the event illegal as it was being held without prior notification.

National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) member M. M. Billah, who organized the training session, originally tried to resist the police order but they finally made him quit.

"As a government-sanctioned body, Komnas HAM does not necessarily need to ask for approval from the martial law administrator to conduct any program here," Billah said.

Protests also came from the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute (LBH), the Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (Elsham), and Impartial.

The Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association (PBHI) sent on Wednesday a letter to President Megawati Soekarnoputri, saying the police's move was unacceptable.

"The security authorities have shown their arrogance and they do not even seem aware that they have violated the civilians' freedom," PBHI said in a statement.

Martial law administrator Maj. Gen. Endang Suwarya denied allegations that he had banned Komnas HAM from organizing a human rights training session. But he appealed to the rights body to notify him of all activities beforehand.

Foreign journalists and non-governmental organizations have been severely restricted from working in the province since martial law took effect on May 19.