No foreign pressure in ET code removal: Armed Forced

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Armed Forces (ABRI) has denied suggestions that the government's decision to remove the notation "ET" (ex-political detainee) from the identification cards of former political prisoners had been made as a result of pressure from overseas.

ABRI Spokesman Brig. Gen. Suwarno Adiwijoyo said yesterday that the government's main consideration in scrapping the much- criticized practice was that of stability.

"It's not because of the mounting demands at home either," he told journalists. The government's decision to do away with the ET notation, widely applauded, was announced on Aug. 7.

The announcement came amid growing pressure from human rights campaigners, statesmen and politicians, who argued that the ET stamp was highly discriminatory, not only in relation to individuals, but also as regarded their immediate relatives. Discrimination was said to be most commonly felt in connection with applications for jobs.

The policy of including the ET notation on identification cards was introduced in the 1970s to allow the government to monitor the whereabouts and activities of former detainees linked with the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI).

The PKI was outlawed in 1966 after it was accused of masterminding the abortive coup a year earlier. Many of the party's members and supporters were rounded up subsequently and sentenced to hard labor on Buru Island in Maluku. They were released under a general amnesty in the late 1970s.

Suwarno denied there had been any pressure from international human rights activists and politicians. "The government was not under pressure in making the decision," he said.

He also denied reports that the policy shift was linked to the efforts towards national reconciliation initiated as part of the country's 50th anniversary, which falls on Aug. 17.

Suwarno said the main reason behind the removal of the ET stamp from former political detainees' identification cards was the government's success in disseminating the state ideology Pancasila.

Suwarno said another consideration behind the policy turnaround was the fact that the bloody abortive coup occurred 30 years ago, long enough for the nation to heal the wounds.

"Some political detainees have been in jail for almost 30 years," he said.

He stressed, however, that it was important for the government to keep a close eye on the activities of former political detainees. "We don't want another coup attempt to happen here," he said.

The authorities will not only monitor the movements of ex- political detainees but also those of their sympathizers, he said.

Suwarno called a press briefing yesterday in connection with ABRI's preparations for the Independence Day celebrations this week.

The government will invite 23 people from other countries to attend the celebrations in honor of their contributions to Indonesia's struggle for independence, he said.

The invitees are from Pakistan, Malaysia, India, Thailand and Japan. Some of those invited have previously been awarded first and second class medals for their contributions to Indonesia's independence struggle. (imn)