Indonesian officers arrested for breaching peace

By Meidyatama Suryodiningrat

VANCOUVER, Canada (JP): Two security officers from the Indonesian delegation attending the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum here were arrested and stripped of their APEC accreditation Tuesday for breach of the peace.

"Two members of the Indonesian delegation were arrested for breach of the peace at the University of British Columbia earlier this morning," said Cpl. J.A. Buis of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

"It was determined that these two individuals were Indonesian security officers," he told The Jakarta Post Tuesday evening.

"They were immediately stripped of their APEC accreditation and they have been turned over to the head of security of the Indonesian delegation," Buis said, adding that they were found to be carrying walkie-talkies when arrested.

AFP quoted Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas, just before joining President Soeharto's entourage departing for Saudi Arabia, as saying: "I deny any knowledge of this and I think it is impossible for any Indonesian delegation members to be involved in this kind of activity."

The incident occurred at the university campus where APEC leaders, including President Soeharto, were convening a closed- door meeting.

About 1,500 protesters gathered on the campus grounds to express their concern on various matters including alleged human rights abuses in Indonesia.

Protesters were kept at least 300 meters away from the venue of the leaders meeting.

Witnesses said police stepped in as several of the protesters tried to confront the two men whom they suspected were Indonesian security agents.

Buis said that those detained for breach of the peace must be released as soon as the situation returns to normal. "We cannot hold a person in jail for any length of time."

Buis could not say how long the two men were detained, saying only that they were held until identified.

News of the incident quickly spread and Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien admitted that he had been informed of it.

"I heard that there were some people from Indonesia who had problems with the police," he said.

Protesters at the University of British Columbia did their best to make an impact on the summit being held at the Museum of Anthropology on campus grounds.

But police had cordoned-off the area and attempts to break through the police line were fended off, sometimes with the use of pepper spray.

Dozens of protesters were arrested by police.

Unheard

But the protest itself had little impact on the leaders. Cries of "shame, shame" by the protesters was also, according to one U.S. delegate, inaudible in the meeting.

"On the way to the university one could see demonstrators on either side, but at that time there was nothing particularly remarkable about them," said Mike Tarullo, assistant to the U.S. president on international economic policy.

Throughout the week activists and non-governmental organizations have lamented that APEC neglects to put human rights on its agenda.

Prime Minister Chretien said the demonstrations were acceptable.

"For me, in a democracy, people protest. I've been protested a few times in my life," he said. "I did that myself too when I was a student."

Chretien reiterated that APEC was a forum for trade and not human rights.

"I don't think that APEC will ever have human rights on its agenda," he said.