Police eye outspoken activists

Police eye outspoken activists

Tiarma Siboro and Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta

Authorities are closely monitoring activists of 20 local and
foreign non-governmental organizations (NGO), a move that could
herald a crackdown on outspoken government critics.

National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar said on Wednesday
that his office took as a warning a report that 20 local and
foreign NGOs were issuing reports that could trigger security
disturbances in the July 5 presidential election.

"We are handling this by reminding them (that their reports)
should not disturb national security, but we are also prepared to
take other moves (to deal with) possible provocation," Da'i said
after a ministerial meeting.

Arrests of activists and individuals critical to government
policies were commonplace during the autocratic leadership of
president Soeharto.

Da'i did not specify the 20 NGOs but earlier reports suggested
that the Brussel-based International Crisis Group (ICG) and the
Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (Elsam) were among
those on the watch list.

The general said that the law would take its full course once
police obtained sufficient evidence against those activists.

Separately, ICG Indonesia director Sidney Jones said that
authorities had threatened to expel her because of the group's
reports on Indonesia.

The government, according to Jones, has forced the group to
stop operating in the country on May 10 and refused to extend
work permits for its foreign staff.

"The manpower ministry informed me about the policy, but it
remains unclear why the authorities took the decision. I recently
met officials at the ministry, asking for a clarification about
the closing of ICG.

"They did not clearly elaborate, but merely claimed that the
decision was due to complaints from various parties. The
officials, however, refused to specify the complaints," Jones
told The Jakarta Post.

ICG has issued a number of critical reports on a wide variety
of issues, including the war in Aceh, the religious violence in
Ambon and Poso, Central Sulawesi, and the activities of regional
terrorist network Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) in Indonesia.

The National Intelligence Agency (BIN) told the House of
Representatives on Tuesday that 20 local and foreign NGOs were
working to disturb security during the country's first direct
presidential election on July 5.

Jones, in a statement sent to the Post, quoted foreign
minister Hassan Wirayuda as saying that ICG's reports were biased
and that the government had the right to expel whoever it chose.

But, foreign ministry spokesman Marty Natalegawa said that the
government was not in the business of removing people from the
country but added that the foreign ministry has nothing to do
with Jones' work permit.

"This is a classic case of someone trying to make a martyr of
oneself. They are creating a crisis which is non-existent between
the Indonesian government and the ICG," Marty was quoted by
Agence France-Presse as saying.

Jones said the authorities have monitored ICG's reports
cautiously and "they fear that they may affect the upcoming
election".

She said she had been trying unsuccessfully for two months to
meet BIN director Hendropriyono to discuss her group's work.

ICG president Gareth Evans, a former Australian foreign
minister, said in a statement he had total confidence in Jones
and the Jakarta team.

"I think the Indonesian government should take into account
that if we are expelled from Indonesia, this will do far more
damage to Indonesia's reputation than the ICG's," he said.