Police break up hunger strike, arrest 41

JAKARTA (JP): Police broke up a hunger strike at the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) compound yesterday and arrested 41 activists protesting the recent ban of three major weekly magazines.

Among the detainees are two activists who intended to go on a hunger strike and five women. The strike was meant to push the government into reversing the ban against the DeTIK, Tempo and Editor magazines, which were closed down late last month.

Witnesses said the police entered the foundation's Central Jakarta compound late in the afternoon when the activists were beginning their strike.

Two truckloads of police officers, led by chief of the Central Jakarta Police Precinct Lt. Col. Dadang Garnida, arrived on the scene and asked the protesters to disperse in order to avoid "creating public unrest", according to eyewitnesses. A truck laden with troops later joined the police.

YLBHI officials rejected the police's request on the grounds that the activity was being held inside the foundation's own compound.

The activists defied the order and then ignored the 20-minute grace period they were given to disband. Instead they held a silent protest by sitting on the ground and holding hands until the police forcefully dispersed them. One activist was reportedly beaten by police officers for pointing at them and shouting "long live the police."

A source at the Central Jakarta Police Precinct confirmed the arrests and told The Jakarta Post last night that 25 of the detainees had been sent to City Police Headquarters.

Meanwhile, a group calling itself the Women's Group for Press Freedom, together with DeTIK's editor-in-chief Eros Djarot and noted poet W.S. Rendra separately visited factions in the House to deplore the ban and the use of force by the military against a group of demonstrators on June 27.

The factions representing the ruling Golkar grouping, the Armed Forces (ABRI) and the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) pledged to study their demands in order to formulate follow-up actions.

Oversight

Eros told members of the Golkar faction, which supports the June 21 ban, that the government never responded to his request regarding the changes required in the terms of the magazine's publishing license -- an "oversight" which led to the publication's closure. Instead of banning the magazine, Eros said, the government should have invited the magazine in for a dialog.

He also asked the faction to support calls for a judicial review of regulations considered harmful to the press.

Tempo lost its publishing license for its editorial content while DeTIK and Editor lost theirs because their operations violated the terms of their publishing licenses. The government said that the magazines had ignored its repeated warnings.

In the meeting with the ABRI faction, the women's group, which included prominent figures such as Zumrotin K, Julia Suryakusuma and Wardah Hafidz, reached an agreement with the legislators who promised to mediate in order to allow the women to meet with the City Military Commander Maj. Gen. Hendropriyono.

It was revealed during the meeting that officers from the City Military Command had been deployed to quell the June 27 protest.

The women, who urged the faction to investigate the beatings that reportedly occurred during the incident, claimed that at least five protesters were badly injured by officers who used batons to attack them.

In the meeting with the ABRI and PDI factions, Rendra expressed his disappointment with the implementation of several regulations which restrict the freedom of speech.

Noted lawyer and human rights activist Adnan Buyung Nasution, who also attended the meeting, questioned the government's statement which said that any person not satisfied with the ban could file suit at the Administrative Court.

"Why should the government 'kill' them (the magazines) and then tell them they can file suit?" he asked.

Another noted lawyer and human rights advocate, Luhut M.P. Pangaribuan, challenged both factions to hand the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute, of which he and Buyung Nasution are executives, a letter of attorney to file a request for a judicial review.

Both factions said they would think it over. Two legislators of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI), however, said they would sign such a letter in their private capacities. (par/rah/jsk)