Raids on pirated VCDs

Raids on pirated VCDs

Although the network of the pirated VCD trade must be
abolished to protect copyrights, the mastermind behind the raid
on illegal VCDs which resulted in riots in the Glodok area on May
13, 2000 needs to be investigated.

The raid took place exactly two years to the date after the
May 1998 riots. It is rather odd and invites suspicion of the
person behind the raid, especially because the target of the raid
was limited to small traders while the suppliers of pirated VCDs
remain totally untouched.

It was not precluded that the idea of the raid was meant to
provoke a riot. Apparently the plan was part of a greater
political design. It was, moreover, not clear where the rioters
came from. There was seemingly an effort to make a scapegoat of
the illegal VCD traders.

The chief of the National Police and the chief of the Jakarta
Police must launch a thorough clean-up of their ranks in order
that the police of the Republic of Indonesia become better and
more professional.

It is interesting to note that on that May 13, 2000 the
Committee for the Two-Year Commemoration of the May 1998 Tragedy
-- consisting of the Movement of the Struggle for Anti-
Discrimination (GANDI), the Catholic Youths of the Toasebio
Parish, the Association of the Families of Indonesian Buddhist
Students (HIKMAHBUDHI), the Solidarity of Chinese Indonesian
Youths for Justice (SIMPATIK) and the Solidarity of Indonesian
Buddhist Youths (SPBI) -- was planning to hold a "Mourning Rally"
(3 p.m. to 6 p.m.) and "Reflections after Two Years of the May
1998 Tragedy" amid the ruins of City Hotel in Glodok (6 p.m. to 7
p.m.).

They planned to voice a number of demands, among them:

1. Bring to justice the mastermind behind the May 1998 riots,

2. Reinstate the victims rights,

3. Dissolve the Coordination Board for Chinese Affairs (BKMC)
and abolish the Certificate of RI Citizenship (SBKRI),

4. Revoke discriminatory decrees of the People's Consultative
Assembly, laws and regulations,

5. Dissolve regional military commands (Kodam), district
military commands (Kodim) and military headquarters at district
level (Koramil).

It certainly needs to be studied if the raid was an effort to
foil the two-year commemoration of the May 1998 tragedy.

AMIR SIDHARTA

Jakarta