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