INFID, May 6, 2004
INFID's Short News Overview No. V/12: April 23 - May 6, 2004
INFID News
INFID at the 60th session of UN Commission on Human Rights
As promised, the documents produced for the UN Commission on Human Rights 60th
session are now available on the INFID website:
http://www.infid.be/unchr_60thsession.htm.
Election News
Final Tally
General Elections Commission on May 5 announced the final results of the April 5
general election. The former ruling Golkar Party came out on top with 21.58% of the
113,448,398 million valid votes. President Megawati Sukarnoputri's Indonesian
Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) came in second with 18.53% of the vote, a
substantial fall from its performance in the 1999 election when it won 34%.
The National Awakening Party (PKB) of former president Abdurrahman Wahid followed
with 10.57%, the United Development Party (PPP) of Vice President Hamzah Haz
with 8.15%, the Democrat Party of presidential frontrunner Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono with 7.45%, the Islam-based Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) of Hidayat
Nurwahid with 7.34%, and the National Mandate Party (PAN) of People's Consultative
Assembly speaker Amien Rais with 6.43%.
However, the breakdown of DPR seats does not entirely reflect the ranking of the
parties in the overall vote tally. For example, the PKB came third in the overall vote
count with 10.57% of the vote but will have only the fifth largest number of seats in the
DPR, whereas the Democrat Party came fifth in the vote tally with 7.45% but will
become the fourth biggest party in parliament. The discrepancies are due to the
proportional system in which seats are allocated among the nation's 69 electoral
districts. The number of districts in the 32 provinces ranges from one to ten, with each
district getting from three to eight seats.
Final Vote Tally: http://www.infid.be/election_finaltally.htm
17 Parties Win Seats in New Parliament: http://www.infid.be/election_dprseats.htm
List of DPD Members: http://www.infid.be/election_dpdlist.htm
More on election related news: http://www.infid.be/election_news.htm
Sources: LN 05/05 06/05
General News
Makassar Incident
National Police Chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar fired four top police officers following following
a brutal police attack on May 1 at the Indonesia Muslim University (UMI) that
seriously injured 65 students. They were chief of South Sulawesi Provincial Police
Insp. Gen. Jusuf Manggabarani,.Makassar Police chief Sr. Comr. Jose Rizal Effendi,
East Makassar Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Eko Suprianto and Panakukang Police
chief Adj. Comr. Namora Simanjuntak.
Police investigators named nine police personnel as suspects on May 3. The outgoing
chief of the South Sulawesi Provincial Police, Insp. Gen. Jusuf Manggabarani, said
that the police personnel were charged for assaulting the students in violation of
Articles 351 and 170 of the Criminal Code that carried a maximum punishment of 10
years imprisonment.
The campus attack was provoked by the hostage-taking of a policeman by
demonstrating students followed by the beating of another officer.The police stormed
the campus on May 1 in a bid to release a policeman who had reportedly been taken
hostage by students protesting the rearrest of Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, 66, a controversial
Muslim cleric, in Jakarta on terrorism charges.
Human rights group Imparsial condemned the brutal attack, saying that it manifested
the return of a militaristic attitude among police personnel.
Police and Civil Society: http://www.infid.be/police_civilsociety.htm.
Sources: JP 04/05 05/05 06/05
NGOs Reject the Work of the Constitutional Commission
A number of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), grouped under the Coalition for
the New Constitution, said on May 3 the constitutional commission had not upgraded
the Constitution.
"There are contradictions and inconsistencies in the academic draft proposed by the
commission," said Firmansyah Arifin from the National Consortium for Legal Reform
(KRHN).
The coalition, which consists of 32 NGOs, concluded the Constitutional Commission
had lost the momentum to create guidelines for the development of democracy in the
country.
Joining the rally were Smita Notosusanto of the Center for Electoral Reform (CETRO),
Binny Buchori of the International NGO Forum on Indonesian Development (INFID),
Usman Hamid from the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence
(Kontras), Husna of the Indonesian Women's Coalition (KPI), and Bambang
Harymurti, the chief editor of Tempo magazine.
Complete article: http://www.infid.be/constitution_ngorejects.htm.
Source: JP 05/05
Regional News
Aceh
April 27
The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Swedish prosecutors probing alleged
links between exiled rebels and violence in Aceh plan next month to question the
founder of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) and other leaders. Ministry spokesman
Marty Natalegawa said it is not clear "under what circumstances" GAM founder
Hasan Tiro and other rebel leaders will be questioned and whether or not they will be
declared suspects.
May 1
The Indonesian Military (TNI) accused separatist rebels of killing an elderly woman,
her daughter and a teacher. Local military chief Lt. Col. Abdul Rochim Siregar said A
47-year-old woman and her 74-year-old mother were shot dead at their home in Pidie
regency on April 30 after they refused to give money to members of the Free Aceh
Movement (GAM). Siregar also said that in a separate incident rebels shot dead
another high school teacher on April 31.Rebel spokesmen could not be reached for
comment.
May 3
Military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Asep Sapari said two rebels were killed on
May 2 in a clash in Peureulak, East Aceh district.
While some officials claim that, an expert said Monday there is no clear evidence of
such a trade.
Ken Conboy, a specialist in guerrilla warfare who heads a risk consultancy in Jakarta
said that there was no clear evidence that militants who raided armories in southern
Thailand were selling weapons to rebels in Aceh. Indonesian troops have captured
weapons from the Aceh rebels, but military experts have been unable to positively
identify any as coming from Thailand, he said.
May 4
GAM commander in Peurelak, East Aceh, Ishak Daud said the rebel group would
release 100 hostages, including RCTI cameraman Fery Santoro on May 13. Fery has
been held hostage for almost 10 months. GAM agreed to release the hostages after
consultation with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). He demanded
that TNI cease its military operations for two days, with the first day being used by
GAM to assemble the hostages and the second being used to release them.
May 5
TNI acknowledged that troops in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam were guilty of hundreds
of violations, including rape and selling ammunition to rebels in the province.TNI chief
Gen. Endriartono Sutarto said 511 violations had been recorded since a military
operation was launched in Aceh in mid-May 2003. Endriartono said 429 violations
involving soldiers had been brought to the military court while 82 others were being
processed. He also said that 57 soldiers had been sentenced to up to three years in
prison, while three others had been discharged from the military.
The military said in a statement that some 1,963 GAM rebels had been killed since
May 19 last year while Another 2,100 rebels had been arrested and 1,276
surrendered. It also said that 130 soldiers had been killed and 289 wounded since the
offensive began, but gave no figure for police deaths.
Sources: JP05/06 06/05, AFP 27/04 01/05 05/05
Ambon
Indonesian authorities on May 4 removed Brig. Gen. Bambang Sutrisno as police
commander in Maluku province for his failure of handling the riot in Ambon, which left
37 people dead and more than a hundred homes and churches in ruins last month.
Brig. Gen. Aditya Warman has been installed in his place.
Inter-communal clashes erupted April 25 when some 25 members of the separatist
Maluku Sovereignty Front (FKM), mostly of the Christian faith, staged a rally in
Ambon to mark the 54th self-proclaimed anniversary of the South Maluku Republic.
Muslims, who view such public displays as a provocation, assaulted the
demonstrators, touching off clashes between gangs of Muslim and Christian youths.
Clashes between Muslims and Christians subsided on May 2, but snipers continued
to sow terror in the religiously divided town.
Police have arrested more separatists blamed for triggering renewed clashes in
Ambon, but failed to explain why they could not capture snipers still roaming across
the eastern city.
A joint police and military team arrested on May 1 the wife and daughter of FKM
leader Alexander Manuputty. National police spokesman Maj. Gen. Paiman said they
will be charged with treason. At least 35 separatists have been detained on charges of
inciting the deadly battles.
Outgoing Maluku Police chief Brig. Gen. Bambang Sutrisno said the mysterious
snipers, who killed several people including two policemen in days of recent fighting,
might not belong to the South Maluku Republic (RMS) separatist group.
Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto said he would deal sternly
with any of his soldiers if they were found to have joined the conflict.
Meanwhile, Laskar Jihad commander Jafar Umar Thalib has announced that Laskar
Jihad will be deployed in Ambon if the assessment is that the government is unable to
overcome the situation. Among the Christians there are lots of rumours about the
arrival of several thousands of laskar jihad that entered the Moluccas via the small
harbours of Namlea (island of Buru) and Hitu (on the North coast of the island of
Ambon).
Laskar Jihad announces come back: http://www.infid.be/ambon_laskarjihad.htm.
Indonesia's Malukus bloodshed evokes memories of 1999:
http://www.infid.be/ambon_afp26april.htm
Hatred, Mistrust Reigns in Indonesia City: http://www.infid.be/ambon_hatred.htm
Ambons's Unrelenting Agony: http://www.infid.be/ambon_flag2004.htm
Ambon Violence Has Deep Roots: http://www.infid.be/ambon_upi26april.htm
Wiranto Denies Role in Ambon Conflict: http://www.infid.be/ambon_wiranto.htm
Sources: AFP 25/04, JP 26/04, AP 04/05, JP 02/05, CCDA 03/05
Abbreviations
AFP Agence France-Presse
AP Associated Press
CCDA Crisis Centre Diocese of Amboina
DPA Deutsche-Press Agenteur
JP The Jakarta Post
LN Laksamana.Net
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