Police forbid workers' play

Police forbid workers' play

JAKARTA (JP): Teater Sanggar Pabrik, a theater run by workers,
failed to obtain a permit to perform its play entitled Surat
Cinta untuk Marsinah (A love letter for Marsinah) at the Bulungan
Studio in South Jakarta on Saturday.

"We received a letter of notification, signed by chief of the
Kebon Baru Police precinct Capt. Hadi Sutedjo, on Friday night,"
M. Lutfi Hakim, one of the actors, was quoted by the Kompas daily
as saying.

He said that they were working on the set inside the studio
when police officers came in and delivered the notification.

"The police said that we have to obtain a permit from the City
police headquarters since the play would take place in South
Jakarta, while our office is in Utan Kayu, East Jakarta," he
said.

Lutfi said that the theater would lose some Rp 2 million
(US$883.00) because of its failure to stage the play.

He said that the theater had earlier obtained a permit, dated
Aug. 22, signed by deputy chief of the Kebon Baru police precinct
Capt. D.J. Situmorang.

Chief spokesman of the City Police Lt. Col. Bambang Permantoro
declined to comment when reporters asked him for confirmation
yesterday.

"I still have to study the case," he said.

Hendardi, director for Communication and Special Programs of
the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation, criticized the police in
banning the performance.

"It is against the spirit of abolishing the permit policy,
which has been declared by the government," he said in a press
release yesterday, a copy of which was made available to The
Jakarta Post.

Minister of Justice Oetojo Oesman declared last month that the
government would abolish the permit requirements for virtually
all kinds of gatherings by the end of the year.

He said essentially non-political gatherings, such as
religious, social and cultural meetings, will be freed from the
requirement that organizers of such events need to obtain permits
from the authorities, while for demonstrations and other
activities in the streets, which could disturb public order,
official permits will still be required.

Under the current policy, organizers have to go through at
least three different government agencies in order to obtain
permission to hold a gathering.

The policy, which has been applied to all kinds of activities,
is based on Article 510 of the Criminal Code, which stipulates
that people holding a public party or a parade on a public street
must seek permission from the police.(imn/01)