`TVRI' to air controversial play `Alia'

`TVRI' to air controversial play `Alia'

Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

State-owned television station TVRI has reversed itself and will
air the controversial play Alia, Luka Serambi Mekah (Alia, Wounds
on the Veranda of Mecca) on Jan. 19.

But actress and activist Ratna Sarumpaet, who directed Alia,
regretted that the station waited so long to air the play about
human rights abuses in Aceh, saying it had already lost its
momentum.

The TV station unilaterally canceled its contract with Teater
Satu Merah Panggung to air the play on Dec. 10, 2002, in
conjunction with the International Human Rights Day. The
station's decision reportedly came after a protest by the
Indonesian Military, which said the play could effect the peace
process in the country's westernmost province.

Ratna said TVRI and Teater Satu Merah Panggung, which produced
Alia, came to an agreement to air the play on Jan. 19 after a
series of meetings.

TVRI broke the contract after the military read a manuscript
of the play. However, the military denies intervening in the TV
station's internal affairs. The theater group has threatened to
sue the station over the cancellation of the contract.

The play tells the story of the injustices in Aceh that
affect the life of Alia, a daughter of Aceh freedom fighter Cut
Nyak Din.

Alia's father invites her to join the fight for the
territory's independence but she refuses to do so, saying the
Acehnese are fighting not only for independence but also for
peace.

Alia was performed live a number of times in several cities,
including Jakarta, Semarang, Surakarta, Bandung, Tasikmalaya and
Banda Aceh, in 2000 and 2001.

Despite the station's plan to air the play on Jan. 19, Ratna
again threatened to file a lawsuit against TVRI if it further
violated the contract.

"I want TVRI to air the play in its entirety. I will only sue
if the TV station censors the script," she told The Jakarta Post.