`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.