Legislator wants probe into raids in Australia

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

An Indonesian legislator visiting victims of raids in Australia urged the government on Sunday to request Australia to allow a thorough investigation into possible human rights violations against Indonesians living there by Australian authorities.

Speaking to The Jakarta Post upon arrival from Australia, legislator Roy B.B. Janis, of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), said he and nine other legislators from House of Representatives Commission I on security and foreign affairs had met with victims of the heavy-handed raids, carried out by Australia's security forces targeting suspected terrorists.

"The government should come down harder on Australia, as what happened to our citizens were totally unacceptable and inhumane," Roy said on Saturday.

The House of Representatives sent the 10-member team comprising members of Commission I for security and political affairs to Australia in the wake of a series of raids on Indonesians by police and intelligence agents in Australia.

Roy and fellow PDI Perjuangan legislator Amris Hasan joined the team's visit to Perth on Saturday and met Indonesians who were the subjects of the raids before flying back to Jakarta on Sunday. The rest of the team went on to Sydney and Canberra to hold talks with their Australian counterparts.

The House's move was in stark contrast to its cool response to the labor crisis in August, when over 300,000 unregistered Indonesian migrant workers were expelled from Malaysia following the adoption of a new immigration act. The House did not send a special team to Malaysia to address the problem.

Other legislators sent to Australia include Commission I chairman Ibrahim Ambong of Golkar Party and Ahmad Sumargono of the Crescent Star Party.

The team, Roy said, recommended that the government be tougher and request the Australian government allow Indonesia to send a team of investigators to look into the incident, citing the trauma and other losses suffered by the Indonesians because of the raids.

"We must investigate the human rights abuse against our citizens that allegedly occurred during the raids," he continued.

He explained that during the meeting, Indonesian victims recounted that they had been terrorized in the raids.

"What happened was terrible. They were treated as if they were criminals, without any proof beforehand.

"We heard that their doors were broken down by cars in the middle of the night. Some of them were handcuffed as if they were criminals.

"Even a five-year-old Indonesian boy was threatened at gunpoint during the raid -- it was terrible," Roy said.

Australia conducted a nationwide crackdown against members of the Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) organization. The heavy-handed raids targeted Indonesians in Sydney, Perth and Melbourne.

JI, said to be operating within Southeast Asia, was established by Indonesian citizens, the late Abdullah Sungkar, Abu Bakar Ba'asyir and Hambali, in Malaysia in the 1980s.

JI was added to the UN terrorist list two weeks after the Oct. 12 Bali bombing, which killed more than 190 foreigners, many of whom were Australians.

The Indonesian government made an official protest against the mistreatment of Indonesians in Australia. However, Canberra replied that the raids had been necessary to ensure security in the country.

Indonesian foreign ministry spokesman Marty Natalegawa said on Friday that as of Nov. 6, some 23 Indonesians had been interrogated by the Australian authorities, and one had been detained.

"Of the 23 people, 11 are permanent residents in Australia. One, Jaya Basri, was detained due to a visa violation," Marty said.

Roy said that except for the PDI Perjuangan members, the delegation of legislators were sent to Australia using House' funds.