Police break up activists meeting in North Jakarta
JAKARTA (JP): Police broke up a meeting of activists at a hotel in Ancol, North Jakarta, yesterday and arrested nine people, including stage actress Ratna Sarumpaet who had apparently coordinated the gathering.
Officers carrying firearms and clubs arrived at Putri Duyung Cottage just as the meeting was about to begin.
North Jakarta Police chief Lt. Col. Rismawan, who led the operation, stopped the meeting and ordered the 50 participants to leave the compound.
Rismawan said the meeting was illegal as the organizers had not asked for a police permit.
The organizers had billed the meeting as Kongres Indonesia (Indonesian Congress) to discuss the economic crisis and the steps needed to overcome it.
They said they had invited a number of prominent government critics including Amien Rais, Megawati Soekarnoputri, Arbi Sanit, Goenawan Muhamad and H.J.C. Princen.
Ratna later announced that the meeting had been canceled because the hotel management had objected to the use of its facilities.
But instead of dispersing the crowd, she gave a short speech and invited participants to join in a rendition of the national anthem Indonesia Raya followed by Padamu Negeri (To You My Country). She then led a prayer.
Police later asked Ratna to follow them, and when she resisted, she was taken by force.
A brief commotion broke out as Ratna's colleagues tried to stop the police officers from taking the stage actress, witnesses said.
She eventually succumbed but not before yelling "there's no democracy here" as she was taken to a police car, witnesses said.
The other eight arrested were Ging Ginanjar (a freelance journalist), Adi Hermawan (a participant from Lampung), Alexius S. (a lawyer from the Association of Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association or PBHI), Fathom Saulina (Ratna's daughter), Bonar Tigor Naipospos (of the Indonesian Society for Humanity), Aspar Paturisi (an artist), Wira Kusuma and Joel Thaher.
Tri Agus Siswomiharjo from the Foundation of the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute said at a media conference later that Ratna had resisted arrest because the police could not produce a warrant.
Ancol Dreamland is a public place and people do not need to have a police permit to hold a meeting there, Agus said.
Several foreign journalists, who had been invited to cover the meeting, as well as some foreign diplomats witnessed the bust.
Jakarta Police spokesman Lt. Col. E. Aritonang said the nine activists were being questioned at the Directorate of Intelligence.
"They were arrested for holding an unlawful congress. They have manipulated what they called a lunch meeting into a congress," Aritonang said.
He charged the meeting organizers with staging a publicity stunt by inviting foreign journalists to cover the incident.
"They staged the event in such a way as to give the impression that even a lunch meeting is forbidden in Indonesia."
Friends of the nine arrested activists became concerned late yesterday when the group remained incommunicado.
Executive director of PBHI Hendardi, who has been asked to represent some of those arrested, said he had been barred from meeting with his clients.
The activists were later transferred from North Jakarta precinct to Jakarta Police Headquarters.
"They (the police) said we have to have power of attorney from the activists in order to represent them. But then they would not even allow us to meet them," Hendardi said.
Solidaritas Perempuan (Women's Solidarity), a vocal non- governmental organization, criticized the police action.
In a statement, the group demanded the immediate release of the nine activists.
Roy Pakpahan, a member of the organizing committee, said the meeting would proceed one way or another, and the activists were prepared to take the risk.
"This is for the people's sovereignty," he said. (emf/cst)