Medan workers' riots provoked by 3rd party: Activists

Medan workers' riots provoked by 3rd party: Activists

JAKARTA (JP): The riots in Medan last April, which had their
origins in a workers' protest, were the result of a provocation
by a third party and not the trade union which organized the
march, according to a group of labor advocates.

"(We) found racist (anti-Chinese) leaflets which were aimed at
inciting the people," the Forum of Labor Advocates announced
yesterday, while releasing the preliminary findings of its
investigation into the April riots.

The announcement, made at the office of the Indonesian Legal
Aid Foundation (YLBHI), came as two members of the Indonesian
Prosperous Labor Union (SBSI) were being indicted in the Medan
courts on charges of inciting the workers to riot.

SBSI chairman Muchtar Pakpahan has also been arrested on
similar charges and his trial will begin soon, also in Medan.

Local SBSI officials in Medan admitted to organizing the
workers' rally but denied that they encouraged the workers to
indulge in violence.

One businessman of Chinese origin was killed and several
others were injured. In addition, a number of buildings and
factories were severely damaged during the riots which took place
on April 14 and 15 in the North Sumatra capital.

Dozens of laborers lost their jobs and some of them were sent
to court for their alleged involvement in the case.

The Forum of Labor Advocates said in its findings that, on the
morning of April 15, several people who claimed to be factory
workers came to the house of a labor activist and encouraged him
to hold a violent strike.

"What's strange is that these people were not found among the
workers arrested," the statement said. The findings will be
presented to the National Commission on Human Rights.

The advocates called on the judicial authorities who are
trying the case to explore all the possible scenario's that led
up to and caused the violent strike.

Demands

Their findings suggested that the protests were initially
intended to press various workers' demands, ranging from hikes in
the minimum wage level from Rp 3,100 to Rp 7,000, to the
reinstatement of a number of workers.

YLBHI Executive Director Mulyana W. Kusumah, commenting on
findings, said yesterday that "external provocation" was one of
the precipitating factors of the riots.

The basic factors were the country's political control
strategy which was implemented through mass restriction and
repression.

"In the case of labor, the restriction and repression patterns
have developed through various organic regulations such as the
manpower ministerial decrees, as well as the attitudes and policy
of the bureaucrats who cannot accommodate the workers' demands.
Another cause is the dissension against the official labor
organizations," he said.

Mulyana, a criminologist at the University of Indonesia, added
that the "politics of violence" was another form of restriction
and repression patterns. (sim)