Pramoedya may travel: Immigration authorities

JAKARTA (JP): Immigration authorities have no objection to issuing travel documents to writer Pramoedya Ananta Toer for a trip to Manila later this month to fetch his Magsaysay award, an official said yesterday.

Rahardi Suroprawiro of the directorate for immigration said Pramoedya has not done anything that would warrant his office barring the prolific writer from leaving Indonesia.

Pramoedya was an activist of LEKRA, a cultural group linked to the outlawed Indonesian Communist Party blamed for the 1965 bloody abortive coup. He was imprisoned at a hard labor camp on the Buru island, Maluku, from 1965 through 1979.

"We will not ban him from traveling abroad," Rahardi told The Jakarta Post.

Rahardi, however, declined to comment when asked if there had been any request from certain government agencies to ban the 70- year old writer from going abroad.

According to the immigration laws, there are four institutions which have the authority to propose travel bans, namely the minister of justice, the minister of finance, the attorney general, and chief of the armed forces.

The Minister of Defense and Security Gen. (ret) Edi Sudrajat has said that Pramoedya should not be allowed to go to Manila to receive the prestigious award.

When launching his new book Arus Balik, or Turning Point, last night, Pramoedya said he was not concerned about whether or not the government would let him go.

Pramoedya said he believes he had done nothing wrong when he "defended" then president Sukarno. "I did no wrong...I was kidnapped, jailed and coerced into force labor without a trial," Pramoedya said.

"If there are criminal charges against me now, bring me to court," he added.

His wife, Maemunah, said her family had not received any information from the government on whether they will be permitted to go to receive the Magsaysay award.

Maemunah, who earlier announced she would represent Pramoedya at the awards ceremony in Manila, said she and Pramoedya applied for travel documents two days ago.

The Magsaysay Foundation's decision to present the award to Pramoedya was met with mixed reactions from Indonesian intellectuals. Last week, 26 intellectuals criticized the foundation, arguing that in the past, Pramoedya suppressed freedom of expression.

In a somewhat emotional move, Muchtar Lubis has threatened to return the Magsaysay award he received in 1958. (imn/anr)