SBSI chief formally charged with inciting Medan riots

SBSI chief formally charged with inciting Medan riots

JAKARTA (JP): Muchtar Pakpahan, the chairman of the outlawed
Indonesian Prosperous Labor Union (SBSI), has been formally
charged with inciting the riots in Medan last April.

National Police Chief Spokesman Brig. Gen. IK Ratta said on
Tuesday that Muchtar, who is in the custody of the Medan Police
in North Sumatra, was formally informed of the charge on Monday.

The police investigation found that Muchtar was actively
involved in mobilizing workers to stage a strike in Medan last
April which turned into a full scale riot, Ratta said during a
"morning coffee" session with reporters at his office.

He said the Medan Police have now completed the dossier and
will soon turn it over to the local public prosecutors office.

Muchtar has been hit with Article 160 of the Criminal Code,
which deals with inciting others to commit crime or violence. If
found guilty, he faces a maximum penalty of six years
imprisonment.

Muchtar was picked up from his Jakarta home on Saturday
morning and taken to Medan where the investigation is being
carried out.

A businessman died and dozens of people were injured during
the week long workers riot in Medan which also left dozens of
factories and shops damaged.

What began initially as an SBSI-initiated protest march turned
into a riot as protesters looted and burned shops and factories
in several industrial zones in Medan's outskirts.

Some 80 people, including a number of local SBSI leaders, have
been or are being tried in connection with the violence.

Muchtar was assisting with the investigation from the
beginning, but was never put under arrest until last Saturday.

"His arrest complied with legal procedures," Ratta said.
"Police had to pick him up at his home because he had ignored the
summons."

SBSI was formed two years ago by Muchtar to challenge the
government's policy of recognizing the All Indonesian Workers
Union (SPSI) as the only organization allowed to represent
workers in disputes with management.

Although declared illegal, the government has never seriously
attempted to disband the SBSI although it has disrupted some of
its meetings, including its first congress in nearby Puncak last
year.

Concern

Meanwhile, the U.S. embassy in Jakarta expressed concern on
Tuesday over the Muchtar's arrest and said his case may come up
in dialog over a bilateral trade privilege.

"The U.S. Embassy is concerned about Mr. Pakpahan's arrest and
detention. We hope that his case can be resolved promptly and we
will continue to monitor Mr. Pakpahan's situation," it said in a
statement.

"With respect to the ongoing dialog between the U.S. and
Indonesia concerning GSP (Generalized System of Preferences),
worker rights and human resource development, the Pakpahan case
may come up during the course of that dialog.

"We do not expect any announcements on GSP to be made while
that dialog is continuing," the statement added.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas, after a meeting with
several foreign journalists here yesterday, played down the
embassy's statement saying that Muchtar's detention was necessary
in resolving the investigations on Medan riots.

"I hope they understand that this matter is strictly within
our internal jurisdiction," he said.

Washington is currently reviewing the GSP facility it granted
to Indonesia and its continuation hinges heavily on the labor
conditions in Indonesia. Some $650 million worth of Indonesian
exports to the United States qualify for the duty free treatment
under the GSP.

Commenting on the U.S's linkage of labor issues to the GSP,
Alatas said that such an act was "totally counterproductive" and
would only "increase unnecessary irritation."

He even went so far as to sneer at the value of the GSP to the
national economy, "It's not so big, we can do without it .. Did
they think we would be trembling in our shoes?"

In Tuesday's press statement, the embassy said: "The U.S.
supports the rights of workers to organize, to form free
associations, and to bargain collectively without interference
from government or military authorities.

"These are well established, internationally recognized
standards formulated by the International Labor Organization
(ILO)," the statement added. (jsk/mds/emb)