Newsbriefs

Resolving the conflict in Aceh through war will only increase the number of civilian casualties. For this reason, around 200 students from the Peace Committee for Humanity (Komite Perdamian untuk Kemanusiaan, KPK) held a demonstration calling for the war between the Indonesian armed forces (TNI) and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) to be stopped.

This call was presented by students during an action at the regional parliament on Jl Malioboro in Yogyakarta [Central Java] on Monday. The action began at 10am with a long march from the Yogyakarta Monument to the parliament. From the parliament the demonstrators then went to the Gedung Agung Palace on Jl Ahmad Yani.

The students called on the government to restart the dialogue to resolve the Aceh conflict. For students [they said], violence and war is not a solution, but rather it will only add to the Acehnese people’s burden of suffering.

‘Immediately end the war between the TNI and GAM in Aceh. Resolve the problems of the Acehnese people peacefully and through a democratic national dialogue which involves civil society’, said the coordinator of the action, Nur Hambalis.

KPK also called for an immediate trial for [those who have committed] crimes against humanity in Aceh. They also called on the government to provide protection to civilians. Finally, the students called for access to objective information for civil society though proportional reporting.

During the action, the students also carried posters which among other things read ‘War No, Dialogue Yes’, ‘Continue the Aceh dialogue and protect the rights of civilians’.

Detik.com
16 June 2003
Reports from Indonesian news sources translated by James Balowski.

The presidential decree authorising a military emergency in Aceh is being challenged by the People’s Lawyers Union (Serikat Pengacara Rakyat, SPR). The class action against President Megawati, the speaker of the People’s Consultative Assembly, Akbar Tanjung, and TNI [armed forces] chief, General Endriartono Sutarto, is to be held at the Central Jakarta state court on Jl. Gajah Mada.

According to the schedule, the session will open at 11am on Monday (4/8/2003). SPR’s spokesperson Habiburokhman said that what has been perpetrated by these government officials in issuing Presidential Decree Number 28/2003 on the Military Emergency in Aceh was an illegal act.

‘We want to demonstrate our rejection of the military emergency in Aceh’, said Habib to Detik.com via telephone.

‘Many victims have already fallen, TNI soldiers and our police, as well as ordinary civilians. They should not fall victim just because this bankrupt government is incapable of finding a peaceful solution to resolve the problem in Aceh, the war must be stopped’, added Habib.

Habib predicted that there was a possibility that this session would be the first and also the last. ‘If the judge refuses to [allow] the trial to continue, we will ask the judge to give advice [on what steps we can take next], that is what we will request’, he said.

Habib’s pessimism was because in the class action against BBM [the recent price increases to fuel] suffered the same fate. It failed mid-way because it was rejected by the judge. (nrl)

Detik.com
4 August 2003

Two thousand people jam packed the main theatre auditorium of the Taman Ismail Marzuki Jakarta Centre on 11 July. There were all sorts of people old and young, but especially young, and especially the fans of the hard rock group Boomerang and the pop group Element. But there were others too: those coming to hear Rendra or Ratna Sarumpaet read poems, or Doddy Katams sing classic rock or to hear recitals of Acehnese or Indonesian ballads. And sitting a few rows from the back was M.M. Millah head of the Aceh desk of the National Human Rights Commission.

The event was in fact Jakarta’s first Aceh Peace Concert. It was organised by a coalition of more than a score of groups, the core ones being the environmental group WALHI, women from the Women’s April Cultural Festival, the street art group, JAKER and the Peoples Democratic Party. The ‘rainbow coalition’ of music on stage and among the fans in the audience was being matched by a rainbow coalition of organisations concerned about the suffering of the Acehnese people.

Billah later went up on to the stage to read a resolution on peace. It’s sentiment was summed up in the opening paragraph: ‘The people of Aceh must be able to enjoy peace and justice after reformasi ... This is what must be the right of the Acehnese people if reformasi is indeed the struggle to free people from repression and achieve democracy. The resolution of conflict using repression and through creating a war must be abandoned.’

IRIP News Service
15 July 2003

Jakarta — Scores of mass organisations, workers, farmers and pro-reformasi students have formed the People’s United Opposition Party (Partai Persatuan Oposisi Rakyat, Popor). The driving force behind the party, labour activist Dita Indah Sari, launched [the party] in Jakarta on Sunday afternoon (27/7) saying that they are ready to participate in the 2004 general elections.

In a speech before supporters, the [recently elected] general chairperson of Popor, Dita Indah Sari made the assessment that the politicians who are currently in power are no different from the politicians [who were in power] during the period of the New Order [regime of former President Suharto]. They have failed to wholeheartedly implement the spirit of reformasi, so that the people are still suffering even though it has been four years since the New Order fell. Dita therefore hopes that the party they have established can become an alternative choice for [people in] society who want reformasi to be implemented sincerely.

The [new] party, which has the aim of uniting the pro-people’s opposition, claims that it already has leadership bodies in 20 provinces and 106 regencies. Dita admitted that with these numbers their party has not yet fulfilled the [official] requirements to be able to take part in the 2004 elections. However, she was optimistic that in the lead up to the close of party verification next August, the party will be able to fulfil the requirements to participate in the elections.

PIN/Tim Liputan 6 SCTV
28 July 2003