Pakpahan testifies at activists' trial

Pakpahan testifies at activists' trial

JAKARTA (JP): Muchtar Pakpahan, chairman of the Indonesian
Prosperous Labor Union who was released from jail Tuesday,
testified yesterday at the trial of four union members charged of
illegally holding a rally on Jl. Thamrin, Central Jakarta, on
March 9.

He told the Central Jakarta District Court that he had ordered
the union members to hold the demonstration.

The demonstration was one of 10 union rallies held throughout
the city on March 9.

"I told my members about the plan when I was being treated at
Cikini Hospital. I'm responsible for the demonstration," Pakpahan
said.

He said the union had sent a notification letter to the
National Police chief about the rallies, asking the police to
safeguard the demonstrators.

Several protesters were arrested March 9, some of whom have
been released.

The four defendants, Kuldip Singh, Widhi Wahyu, Wandy
Nicodemus Tuturoong and Farah Diba Agustine, were the only
demonstrators to be indicted.

Farah was released earlier on her family's request, while the
other three have remained in custody.

Before hearing Pakpahan's testimony, the panel of judges led
by I.G.N. Putra, approved the defense's request for Kuldip, Widhi
and Wandy to be released from detention.

Pakpahan, who was sentenced for four years in jail on charges
that he incited a riot in Medan, North Sumatra, in 1994, said the
protesters planned to march to the House of Representatives.

The demonstrators demanded price cuts for staple foods, an end
to worker dismissals, eradication of corruption and Pakpahan's
release.

Dozens of union supporters packed the courtroom yesterday,
singing songs and showing support for the release for the four
defendants.

The judges, in a provisional decision, rejected the defense's
request that the case be dismissed.

"We do not agree with the defense's statement. We believe the
prosecution's indictment statement is clear," judge Putra said.

He said Law No. 5/1963 on political activities applied to the
case and that the law had never been revoked.

The court also said it would not declare the defendants'
detention as illegal, saying that the matter should be examined
in a pretrial hearing.

Defense lawyer Trimedya Panjaitan said the judges' decision to
continue the trial was deplorable, arguing that the court had yet
to understand the reform movement's call for political freedoms.

"The judges are behaving the same way as if this was still the
old regime. Under the new government, all political trials should
be ended," Trimedya said. (jun)