Labor rally rocks Bandung

Labor rally rocks Bandung

Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Bandung

Bandung, the provincial capital of West Java, is still tense
following a violent labor rally in which two demonstrators were
shot and a police officer was injured.

As of Monday evening, more than 500 protesters remained in
front of the provincial legislative council building, voicing
their opposition to two labor bills currently being deliberated
by the House of Representatives.

"We will remain at the legislature until the government and
the House listen to our aspirations," said one demonstrator.

The labor activist who coordinated the rally said workers
would stage a major rally in the city on Tuesday to press their
demands.

Bandung has been rocked by several violent labor rallies and
student demonstrations over the last few years. The
demonstrations were held to protest low minimum wages, increases
in the price of basic commodities, fuel price increases and hikes
in telephone and electricity rates.

The incident on Monday began when the local police deployed
hundreds of security officers to disperse more than 3,000 workers
who had marched through the city to protest the labor bills.

Traffic in the city came to a virtual standstill, as thousands
of protesters converged on Bandung's main thoroughfares.

Some 2,000 workers came from the industrial areas of
Leuigadjah, Cimahi, Cimindi, Cijerah and Padalarang. The
remaining 1,000 workers came from textile companies in Kopo,
Rancekek and Majalaya.

The clash between protesters and security personnel occurred
as officers attempted to prevent several activists from urging
workers at PT Cibaligo in Cimahi to join the rally.

Syarif Hidayat, 31, and Supardjo, 32, both employees at PT
Posulam Indoutama in Cimahi, were shot during the clash. The two
were taken to the local police hospital for gunshot wounds to the
head and leg respectively.

Priangan Police chief Sr. Comr. Tjetjep Lukman said officers
were forced to open fire when the protesters attacked them.

"We had no choice but open fire when several demonstrators
attacked security personnel and attempted to take their guns and
walkie-talkies," he said.

He cited Hotben, a police officer in command of security
personnel assigned to handle the demonstration, who was beaten by
a demonstrator with a stick and suffered back injuries.

Tjetjep said security personnel were not prepared to handle
the rally because they had not been informed of the demonstration
beforehand, as required by law.

"We would have escorted the workers to the legislative
building had we been informed beforehand," he said.

Etty Rostiawaty, the coordinator of the Action Committee for
Laborer Solidarity, which organized the rally, blamed the police
for the violence and urged a thorough investigation of the
incident.

She said she had provided the municipal police with prior
knowledge of the rally, and that the clash was evidence that the
security personnel were unprofessional.

"The main job of the police is to maintain security and to
protect the people, not to kill protesters," she said.

She said the workers opposed the two labor bills because they
would not protect their rights.

"Under the bill on the settlement of labor disputes, the
government would allow striking workers to be tried by the
courts. And under the bill on labor development and protection,
striking workers are subject to fines of Rp 400 million and four
years in prison," she said.

The bill on labor development and protection threatens a fine
of Rp 400 million or a four-year jail sentence for striking
workers found guilty of using violence during labor actions.