NGOs sue govt over security breakdown

JAKARTA (JP): Non-governmental organizations filed a class action lawsuit against the government yesterday over lax security during the May riots.

Lawyer Ester Jusuf said the suit was filed in the Central Jakarta District Court against the Minister of Defense and Security/Armed Forces Commander, the National Police Chief, the Jakarta Police Chief and the Central Java Police Chief.

"The state neglected its responsibility to provide security and protection to its citizens," Ester told a media conference at the Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association (PBHI) in Central Jakarta.

Ester said the plaintiffs were Solidaritas Nusa Bangsa, PBHI, the Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy, the Jakarta Social Institute and the Indonesian Lawyers Union.

Ester, who is a lawyer with the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute, said the plaintiffs were demanding that Rp 2.5 trillion in compensation for material losses and Rp 50 trillion for non- material losses be paid to the people.

The plaintiffs also demanded that the government publicly apologize for failing to provide adequate protection to its citizens. The apology must be televised and carried in 10 national newspapers and 15 local or provincial newspapers.

The plaintiffs were represented by 10 lawyers including Imelda Napitupulu, Veronika Purwaningsih, Abdul Hakim Garuda Nusantara, R. Dwiyanto Prihartono, Hotma Timbul Hutapea, Azet Hutabarat, Jhonson Panjaitan and Ifdhal Kasim. (byg)