SBSI chairman sues police for arrest

SBSI chairman sues police for arrest

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian Prosperous Labor Union (SBSI)
chairman Muchtar Pakpahan filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against
National Police chief Gen. Surojo Bimantoro and East Kalimantan
Police chief Insp. Gen. Togar M. Sianipar over the recent arrest
of the union's top executive in the province.

In the suit, filed with the South Jakarta District Court,
Pakpahan alleges the Nov. 12 arrest of Wuaya Kawilarang, the SBSI
coordinator for East Kalimantan, was illegal.

Pakpahan is seeking the immediate release of Kawilarang, Rp
2.5 billion (US$266,000) in compensation to be paid to the union
and a public apology from the officers to be printed in all
newspapers published in East Kalimantan.

According to Pakpahan, Kawilarang was detained in the
provincial capital of Samarinda when a number of SBSI members at
oil mining company PT Paiko went on strike to demand access to
facilities guaranteed in regulations issued by the Ministry of
Manpower.

"It is legal for laborers and employees to go on strike, but
the East Kalimantan Police chief prevented them from doing so,"
Pakpahan said.

Sianipar, a former National Police spokesman, said earlier his
office was prepared to face any legal action taken by Kawilarang
or his union.

"We had adequate evidence to make the arrest," he said at the
time.

Sianipar could not be reached for comment on Wednesday.

Pakpahan said the police charged Kawilarang with inciting
workers to go on strike, and attempting to resist law enforcers.
Under Article 160 of the Criminal Code, these charges are
punishable by a maximum sentence of six years in prison.

During the strike, Samarinda Police officers fired rubber
bullets at the strikers in an attempt to force them back to work,
Pakpahan alleged.

After the arrest of Kawilarang, Sianipar made a number of
statements in which he threatened to eliminate SBSI entirely from
East Kalimantan, saying he viewed the organization as having
disrupted peace and order in the province, Pakpahan said.

He also said Sianipar had asserted that SBSI had violated the
so-called SARA policy in its recruitment. SARA is the acronym for
suku (tribal affiliations), agama (religion), ras (race)
and antar golongan (societal groups). The past administration
urged the media to avoid these topics in order to prevent unrest.

He alleged that Sianipar's statements triggered East
Kalimantan youth organizations such as the Indonesian National
Youth Committee, the Youth Renewal Generation of Indonesia and
the Pemuda Pancasila youth organization to stage a rally
demanding SBSI immediately leave the province. (01)