In the current slave trade, Indonesia the largest exporter

Upon hearing the news of the murder of an Indonesian housemaid and of another who was severely tortured, both in Saudi Arabia, the nation went through somewhat predictable motions. The government lodged protests with the Saudi ambassador and the public went into a frenzied outrage - fueled by a barrage of media reports about the ordeal that many poor Indonesian women working overseas go through.
Typically, all of the responses demanded the same thing: better deals and better protection for these women working abroad. No one — not the government, not the politicians and not even the activists in advocacy groups that help these women — are suggesting that the practice of sending housemaids be stopped completely.
The stakes are just too high, in terms of employment opportunities and the billions of dollars of foreign exchange earnings these housemaids send home. The nation has just too much to lose from phasing out what is essentially a 21st century version of the slave trade.
Live-in housemaids — whether in Jakarta, Surabaya, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Riyadh, Dubai, Hong Kong, Taipei or anywhere else in the world — essentially work under arrangements not unlike the slavery system of old.
The contract that a maid signs is unenforceable the moment after she steps into the house. She becomes a slave and the employers become her masters. The masters can disregard contracts, international conventions and national and international laws. There is nothing that she, the slave, can do. The only law applicable inside the house is what master says. Like the old slavery system, the maid a piece of property owned by the masters.

Don’t be misled when a maid tells you that she is treated kindly, like a member of the family. That is precisely the bond that evolves between servants and masters, instead of the professional or contractual kinds of relationships found in most other areas of employment.
While most maids may work for benevolent families, some unfortunate women have violent employers, such as Sumiati, who is now nursing severe wounds in a Saudi hospital after abuses allegedly inflicted by her employers, or worse, allegedly murderous employers, such as the family who employed Kikim Komalasari.
Nobody knows for sure how many others are there like Sumiati and Kikim — not only about Saudi Arabia, the Middle East or Malaysia, but also here in Indonesia, where the bulk of the Indonesian women work as housemaids.
The few cases that do surface are just the tip of the iceberg. Out of fear stemming from the master-servant relationship, most cases of abuse in Indonesia and elsewhere go unreported.
The whole point of the slavery-like system is that there is not much that the law or the government can do to protect maids from being abused  – except to take action after the fact (and then only if maids have the courage to report their employers to the police, assuming they were still alive). There is no mechanism that can prevent the employers from abusing their maids if they want.
Another factor that makes housemaids comparable to slaves is the absence of free will. Like olden-day slaves, these women are condemned to this kind of life by abject poverty and a lack of educational opportunities. Most are destined to such work by circumstance. Being a housemaid was never their choice.
Unfortunately, the nation’s attitude is not helping them. Instead, everyone seems to want to maintain this slavery system.
Indonesian households are the biggest beneficiaries of modern day slavery, so they have no interest or incentive in phasing out the system. Just listen to the complaints that housewives make two weeks every year when their pembantu take annual leave for Idul Fitri. Some families are so dependent on housemaids that they check into five-star hotels in their absence.
Indonesians, first and foremost, need their housemaids. Those sent abroad are just a surplus that the country has decided to generously share with other countries in the world.
The government, which should take the initiative to phase out the slavery system, is instead glorifying housemaids as “heroines of foreign exchange”. But officials are only interested in the forex receipts and commissions they get from labor exporting agencies. The way these vulnerable housemaids are harassed after their return shows the contradiction between what the government says and what it does.
More than 65 years after Indonesia’s founders proclaimed independence, it is disheartening to see that the nation, with the government in the lead, is deliberately perpetuating a system which keeps part of the nation in perpetual poverty and ignorance  —  ultimately to work as slave labor for others, at home and abroad.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/11/24/in-current-slave-trade-indonesia-largest-exporter.html

[RAP: Brilliant, angry, forthright and clear commentary. More like this please. If only the Indonesian government recognized the importance of this issue.

In this comment "Don’t be misled when a maid tells you that she is treated kindly, like a member of the family. That is precisely the bond that evolves between servants and masters, instead of the professional or contractual kinds of relationships found in most other areas of employment." RAP is reminded of the "house-negro" (as opposed to the "field negro") spoken of by Malcolm X, only with Indonesian Domestic Workers they're already called "house"-maids. ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEruHQ2N9WM&feature=related )

It is irrelevant how pleasant life might be with her owner, domestic workers have rights and must be respected or brought home. No third option.]

Migrant Workers under attack in Saudi Arabia and Malaysia

Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 11/23/2010 12:21 PM | 

Mbak Sumiati's Injuries

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono should go to Saudi Arabia to directly handle the latest abuse cases involving two Indonesian migrant workers there to avoid incidents like these occurring again, the Regional Representatives Council said.

Council deputy chairman Laode Ida said in his address to the its plenary session Monday that overhauling the labor export procedure would not be enough to end abuse against Indonesian maids in Saudi Arabia.

He said the President needed to talk with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia to have the kingdom promise that the brutal torture against Indonesian maids there would not happen again. Government officials, council members and civil society groups have flown to Saudi to settle the case, but Laode said he was pessimistic about lobbying against the Saudi government to push for a thorough investigation into the two cases and taking concrete action against the perpetrators.

“Yudhoyono is the first and main official held responsible for the two cases and therefore he has to show strong commitment to protect all Indonesian citizens abroad,” he said, adding the two cases were a strong slap in the face for the government and a humiliation to the nation.

The torture of Sumiati, a migrant worker from Dompu, West Nusa Tenggara, who was in intensive care in Jeddah after being tortured by her employer and the murder of Kikim Komalasari, another domestic worker from Cianjur whose body was discovered at a rubbish spot in Abha, Saudi Arabia, recently, has sparked strong reaction from numerous sides at home, including the council and the House of Representatives.

Istibsyaroh, chairwoman of Committee III on labor, health and social affairs at the council, said that based on her committee’s report, the plenary session agreed to ask the government to temporarily suspend the labor supply to countries that had no political commitment to protecting Indonesian migrant workers while overhauling the labor export procedure.

The government’s decision to continue supplying workers to Saudi Arabia goes against the 2004 Labor Export and Protection Law, which allows labor export only to countries that have labor agreements with Indonesia, she said.

“The government must take a moratorium until the two countries make sure that both will comply with the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families and sign a labor agreement with Indonesia,” she said.

Indonesia suspended labor supply to Malaysia from July 2009 following similar cases of Indonesian migrant workers in the informal sector and the neighboring country’s reluctance to sign the bilateral labor agreement, which sets monthly minimum wages and a weekly one day off for Indonesian workers.

Saudi Arabia is home to more than 1 million migrant workers from Indonesia, while Malaysia is home to more than 2 million workers and mostly have been employed as domestic workers with a monthly wage of around Rp 1.5 million (US$160).

Domestic workers in the two countries have been prone to abuse in their work place because they are not protected under their labor law as have been treated as part of their employers’ families. The two countries have been closely monitored by the Asian Human Rights Watch for the rampant abuse of foreign workers.

Manpower and Transmigration Minister Muhaimin Iskandar said in a coordination meeting with officials from the Foreign, Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection and Home ministries, as well as the National Agency for Labor Export and Protection that the government would revise the labor contract to help provide protection for Indonesian migrant workers. “The government will review the labor contract between workers and their employers to prevent any labor abuse in the future,” he said.

( http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/11/23/dpd-calls-tougher-diplomacy-over-abuse.html )

By NINIEK KARMINI (AP)

 She arrived in Saudi Arabia a high-spirited 23-year-old, eager to start work as a maid to help support her family back home. Four months later, Sumiati was Indonesia's poster child for migrant abuse, alone and staring vacantly from a hospital bed, her face sliced and battered.
 

Mbak Sumiati in hospital

But while public anger has forced President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's government to acknowledge the problem for the first time, few expect any firm action to be taken.
Gruesome images snapped of Sumiati, now recovering in the Saudi city of Medina, have been splashed on the front pages of local newspapers and led television newscasts for more than a week.

Her employer — who has been taken in for questioning by police — is accused of cutting off part of her lips with scissors, scalding her back with an iron, fracturing her middle finger, and beating her legs until she could hardly walk.

"It's hardly the first such case," said Wahyu Susilo, a policy analyst at Indonesia's advocacy group, Migrant Care. "Again and again we hear about slavery-like conditions, torture, sexual abuse and even death, but our government has chosen to ignore it. Why? Because migrant workers generate $7.5 billion of dollars in foreign exchange every year."

Workers from Asian countries dominate service industries in the Middle East and there have been many reports of abuse — including allegations in recent days that an employer in Kuwait drove 14 metal pins into the body of a Sri Lankan maid.

"The wanton brutality alleged in these cases is shocking," said Nisha Varia, senior women's rights researcher at the New York-based Human Rights Watch, which called on authorities to investigate claims promptly and bring those responsible to justice.

She and others called cases like that of Sumiati the "tip of the iceberg. "But countries that export labor have a responsibility as well, Nisha said. Though Indonesia sends more than 6.5 million workers abroad every year, it has drawn much criticism for failing — despite repeated promises — to ratify a 1990 U.N. convention on the protection of migrant workers. It also has not signed a bilateral agreement with Saudi Arabia that would give workers a legal basis to challenge employers.

But Oon Kurniaputra, an adviser to Indonesia's Minister of Manpower and Transmigration, argued Tuesday that the problem is not the fault of governments.
It is with profit-hungry recruitment agencies that lure young men and women overseas without ensuring their safety when they get there, he said.

Sumiati's case prompted President Yudhoyono to call a Cabinet meeting late last week to discuss ways in which the government could — and would — do more. It turned out to be a public relations disaster.
It emerged during the talks that another Indonesian maid, 36-year-old Kikim Komalasari, had allegedly been tortured to death by her Saudi employer, her body found in a trash bin on Nov. 11 in the town of Abha.
"It's shocking to hear this ... it's beyond inhumane," said Yudhoyono, as the government sent a team of diplomats to the scene to investigate. "I want the law to be upheld and to see an all-out diplomatic effort."
Some lawmakers suggested a moratorium on sending domestic workers to Saudi Arabia, something that is considered unlikely given the close economic and political ties between the predominantly Muslim countries.
It also comes at a sensitive time, with hundreds of thousands of Indonesians in Saudi Arabia performing in the annual hajj pilgrimage.

Yudhoyono, meanwhile, had a proposal of his own: Give all migrant workers cell phones so they can call family members or authorities if they need help. "It just shows how little he understands the problems domestic workers abroad are facing," scoffed Rieke Dyah Pitaloka, an opposition lawmaker who is dealing with labor and domestic workers affairs. "Their employers are locking them up and taking away their passports ... they aren't going to let them keep a phone."

Most people believe little will change until girls are better educated and prepared for better jobs in Indonesia, a sprawling archipelagic nation of 237 million people, where the average wage is less than $300 a month.
Sumiati, a recent high school graduate from a fishing village on Sumbawa island, was bouncing with enthusiasm when she left for Saudi Arabia on July 18 with the help of a local recruitment agency, according to family and friends.

She saw it as a chance to be able to help her three younger siblings through school.

End Brutality Towards Domestic Workers

When the family — together with the rest of the country — first saw the cell phone picture of their little girl on television, they "went crazy."
"Her mother ... started crying hysterically and lost consciousness," Sumiati's uncle, Zulkarnain, was quoted as saying in the English-language The Jakarta Globe.

When they got Sumiati on telephone in the hospital, she said in a voice almost unrecognizable: "Please come in the form of angels and take me back home to my village."

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/feedarticle/9373991


Associated Press= JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) —

Extra Reporting: http://liranews.com/mdgs-en/2010/11/16/sadistic-housemaid-viciously-tortured/

http://news.okezone.com/read/2010/11/16/337/393881/kemenlu-juga-fasilitasi-keluarga-sumiati-ke-arab (Bahasa Indonesia)

[RAP: RAP supports the calls for strong diplomacy between Indonesia and Saudi Arabia on this issue. We have been present at the agency offices and departure points, when young women and men leave for uncertain, overseas experiences and the vulnerability that comes with it.

It is common practice for migrant workers to have their passports taken off them, to be denied access to phones and money, to be denied their right to adequate rest and reasonable work loads. The Indonesian government is negligent in allowing Indonesians to go overseas, unprepared and with no means of asking for help without cast-iron guarantees from overseas governments to protect and defend them. It is crucial for these safeguards to be put in place now, before the next murder takes place. Halt the flow of labour to the countries in which the abuse is taking place until those countries can demonstrate their determination to stop the abuse.]

Indonesia, better than Thailand?

 Panthep Klanarong, president of the National Anti-Corruption Commission, spent about 20 minutes discussing the obstacles facing his office. He defended his office's performance, saying that it has only the power to investigate and not to prosecute, and that he needs the help of other agencies and departments, and the people of Thailand, to combat corruption.

Apparently, one of the reasons corruption in Thailand is rampant and rarely checked is because not even the National Anti-Corruption Commission has the power to stop it.

Mohammad Jasin, vice-chair of Indonesia's Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), for approximately 10 minutes, explained his commission's 100% conviction rate. His commission has the power to investigate and to prosecute, and even to take over cases from the police if need be.
Sixteen members of parliament have been convicted, 26 cases are still ongoing. Six ministers and others of ministerial level have been convicted. Twenty district mayors and heads. One governor of the central bank and four deputies. And a former chief of the national police.
If there's one thing I've learned from the 14th International Anti-Corruption Conference, which finished in Bangkok yesterdayfrom Nov 10-14, it's that perhaps Thailand needs to be more like Indonesia. This is not to say that Indonesia and KPK don't have flaws, but it is to say that they are doing a lot better than we are.
The most popular, and most baffling, statistic last week was the 76.1% of Thais who believe that corruption is OK, as long as the country prospers. They were surveyed by Abac Poll.
That means that of the Thai population of 63.7 million, 76.1% of the people do not realise that such an attitude can only help corruption to prosper, not the country; 76.1% of the country who do not understand that because of such an attitude, the country can never prosper.
If this poll tells us anything, it's that the stark horror of our collective misguided existence is a genuine metaphorical reflection of the brainless, soulless and clueless zombies in a classic George Romero horror film.
Perhaps the 76.1% simply feel defeated. How can they not? Just go back to the first paragraph of this column. Talk about deflating, eh?
Not only that. To address this disconcerting find, the prime minister's spokesperson, Thepthai Senpong, announced that the government will ask the Ministry of Culture to combat such attitudes head-on by building a new culture, creating a new consciousness for the Thai people, one that would not condone corruption.
Excuse me?
Re-engineering the mindset of the entire country? It's not that I disagree, but would it not be more practical for the honourable spokesperson to just advise the prime minister to sack one or two of his corrupt ministers?
To at least make a credible stance on the Constitution Court's video-clip crisis?
To mandate the National Anti-Corruption Commission with actual, real power to combat corruption?
You know, to set an example for the people of Thailand? Call me crazy, but hey, I'm full of wacky ideas.
No wonder 76.1% believes corruption is OK. What else can you do?
Mr Jasin showed the conference a picture of televised court proceedings. Yes, the entire country gets to watch the court doing its job. How's that for transparency?
In Thailand? We have to smuggle video clips.
Mr Jasin also spoke of how ''dark forces'' are trying to limit the power of, or even do away with the KPK. On learning of this, the people of Indonesia took to the streets in droves in support of the KPK.
Why? Because the KPK has set an example, has given them hope, has shown it can be done, and so the people stood up.
This is not to say Indonesia and the KPK don't have their flaws. The KPK is still quite limited in its powers, and is no stranger to controversy itself. But it sure is doing a lot better than Thailand and the National Anti-Corruption Commission.
The Abac survey compares Thais' attitudes toward corruption from before the 2006 military coup and the present day. And here's the stinker _ 90.1% believe that there's been an increase in corruption with the present government. Four years ago, 84.9% believed there was an increase in corruption under the Thaksin government.
There you go, according to the Abac survey conducted in 17 provinces, the Abhisit government is believed to have a higher rate of corruption than the Thaksin government. To be fair, surveys are not a perfect science, but they do tell you something.
But here is the bigger stinker: The supposed purpose of the 2006 coup was to counter corruption. After the coup, four years later, Thais perceive Thailand as having a higher rate of corruption. Seriously?
If this poll tells us something else, it's that the stark horror of my beloved Kingdom's absurd existence is real life imitating an episode of Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone.
At the International Anti-Corruption Conference, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva spoke of his latest efforts to combat corruption _ the signing of an agreement with 27 leading Thai businesses in an alliance against corruption.
Putting pen to paper is all well and good. As a writer, I'm all for the belief that the pen is mightier than the sword. But as a practical, thinking human being, I also understand that there are times when we need to unsheath the sword.
Perhaps we could, like Indonesia, empower a real, actual mandate to smite corruption.
Put away the blustering and posturing. Bring out the sword. Make sure it's sharp.
And wield it justly.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/206286/an-existential-horror

Indonesian Transgender Sex Workers Escape From Kidnappers

Two Indonesian transsexuals held against their will by a prostitution syndicate were rescued by authorities in Russia, an embassy official said on Friday.

Aji Surya, a counselor at the Indonesian Embassy in Moscow, said the victims had sought work in Russia as prostitutes, but later found themselves tied up and gagged in an apartment where they were forced to perform sex acts without payment.

He said the embassy had received a tip from a female caller, identified by authorities only as S, at dawn on Monday.

A security guard at the embassy picked up the call and heard a woman whisper that Indonesians were being held.

“They have not been allowed to leave this apartment and have been forced to render services to customers without pay. Please help,” the caller reportedly said.

After being notified, Hamid Awaluddin, the Indonesian ambassador, ordered his staff to contact the police.

A team of counselors were also dispatched on Monday morning to meet with officials at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which ordered police in Moscow to conduct an investigation.

Aji said Russian police launched a sting operation on Monday evening, with undercover officers posing as clients. This led to a raid on the apartment, where the two Indonesians were found.

A third Indonesian transsexual reportedly trapped by the prostitution ring, however, remained missing, according to Aji.


Antara 

[RAP: Disappointing, sensationalized language in the report that seems to be a very positive story of cooperation between Indonesian officials and Russian authorities, leading to the rescue of two Indonesian sexworkers. This reporting would be much improved without terms like "sex slave" and if the "prostitution syndicate", which is unlikely to be involved only in prostitution, was referred to more accurately as a crime syndicate.]

Ending the human rights abuse in Papua

From The Jakarta Post:

A video with images of torture allegedly committed by members of the Indonesian military against Indigenous Papuans has now been broadcast all over the world. The images displayed are shocking and horrific.
The brutal scene shows that torture was deliberately committed by the perpetrators, and therefore cannot be regarded as mere unprofessional conduct.
It seems the government policy of isolating Papua from the rest of the world — by not allowing access to foreign journalists, international human rights workers, researchers and diplomats — has not been able to cover up the military brutality against the Papuan people. In fact, many people around the world have watched these brutal scenes.
However, this was not the first case of torture committed by the Indonesian security forces against Papuans. And it won’t likely be the last, either.
In fact, Papuans have long suffered under the human rights abuses committed by Indonesian authorities. Since Indonesia took over the territory of Papua in 1963, the Indonesian military has conducted at least 10 massive military operations against indigenous Papuans.
Papuans living in places where military operations were once conducted have horrific stories to tell about all forms of rights abuse. They will tell you, for example, about how they watched as their houses were burned down, their garden and source of livelihood destroyed, and witnessed their friends, acquaintances and family members killed during military operations.
They also have stories about how their loved ones were tortured, intimidated and killed by security forces.
Papuans know President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono ordered for an investigation of the recent torture tape, so as to uphold the rule of law. However, they have no faith in this move producing change for good.
 The President’s promise of justice will be nothing more than lip service, for the simple fact that very few military personnel have ever been held accountable for human rights abuses committed against Papuans.
Indeed, perpetrators of rights abuse are at times even recognized as national heroes by the government. Papuans have never heard any stories about the government’s success in imprisoning rights abusers.
Needless to say, impunity still prevails in Indonesia.
Even if the perpetrators being investigated are ever punished, more torture and other human rights violations will likely continue to happen in the future. Papua will not be free from human rights abuse.
The reason is that since 2001 thousands of additional troops have been added by the government in three old infantry battalions. Three new battalions have also been established in Papua.
And, along with the formation of new regencies throughout Papua, several new military district commands have been expanded. Thousands of troops have also been deployed along the border with the independent state of Papua New Guinea.
More human rights abuses are also expected to happen because Papuans are basically considered by security forces as neither human beings nor Indonesian citizens.
Every indigenous Papuan is initially suspected of being a separatist or at least a supporter of the separatist movement that supposedly poses a threat to Indonesia’s territorial integrity.
Indonesian troops deployed among the Papuans thus see themselves as assigned among enemies of the Indonesian state.
They are instructed that their main duty is to maintain the territorial integrity of Indonesian state. They are therefore in Papua to eradicate separatism.
Consequently, thousands of Papuans were believed to be victims of military operations conducted to eradicate separatism. Many Papuans suffered from maltreatment and other forms of rights abuses committed by security forces.
Papuan history has revealed that any Papuan can be killed easily by the military or police anytime and anywhere in Papua, based on the suspicion of them being separatists. And the killers are protected because they have killed Indonesia’s enemies.
With the presence of thousands of troops in Papua, it is more likely the rights abuses will happen. The very image of the Indonesian state and security forces will be destroyed again by rights abuses committed by these security forces.
Therefore, the central government should now think about what policies it can put in place that will prevent its troops from committing further human rights violations against civilians in Papua. There are four indicators that can measure the government’s commitment and political will to exercise a consistently implemented preventive policy.
First, the government should publicly admit that the torture displayed in video is undeniably a violation of human rights. Consequently, the perpetrators should be taken to neither a civilian court nor a military court, but the human rights court.
Second, the government should allow an independent team comprising internationally recognized human rights experts to conduct a comprehensive investigation of all alleged violations of human rights in Papua from 1963 until today.
Documenting past cases of human rights abuse is a necessary step so that the same abuses are not repeated in future.
Third, the government should withdraw or at least reduce the number of troops it has deployed to Papua. It should be recognized that deploying thousands of troops means creating thousands of possibilities for further violations of human rights.
Fourth, all parties should realize that more human rights violations are likely to occur in Papua unless the root causes of Papuan separatism are resolved. The government and the indigenous people of Papua should thus engage in a constructive dialogue to identify these root causes and settle them without unnecessary bloodshed.
The government should take the initiative by showing the international community its willingness and commitment to settle the Papuan separatism issue through dialogue with Papuans.


The writer, Neles Tebay,  is a lecturer at Fajar Timur School of Philosophy and Theology in Abepura, Papua.


http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/11/04/ending-human-rights-abuse-papua.html

Political ads removed from refugee shelters

A team comprising personnel from the police, military, Public Order Office and Transportation Ministry removed political advertisements from Merapi refugee shelters on Tuesday.

The recent Merapi eruption has not only forced more than 12,000 residents to take refuge at shelters lining the roads, but has also inspired political parties to post myriad banners, posters and flags informing the public of their assistance to Merapi victims.

“The advertisements and party symbols are illegal because they did not obtain permits,” Sleman Public Order Office chief Setiharno said Tuesday.

The illegal advertisements were confiscated to avoid any negative impact, Sleman Transportation Agency operational manager Imam Bajuri said.

“This is a disaster area and people are in a state of trauma and mourning. Don’t turn the area into a promotional or campaign arena!” Imam said.

The illegal ads violated a law that regulates the posting of advertisements and banners in Sleman regency, he said.

Officers were observed indiscriminately pulling down political banners at the Kepuharjo shelter and the disaster command post in Cangkringan, Sleman, including a large banner reading “Welcome to the Golkar Party, chairman Aburizal Bakrie”.

A number of signboards were also removed.

The team will continue to pull down the thousands of advertisements remaining on Wednesday.

“We are commoners, but have been commercially exploited,” said 70-year-old Wiyono of Jambu village in Kepuharjo. Wiyono is currently taking refuge at the Kepuharjo shelter.

The grandfather of five said he was pleased to see authorities removing the hundreds of party banners and advertisements. “Don’t disturb those in distress like us,” he said.

Many charity posts have also been set up following the eruption, often taking advantage of the situation to promote themselves by displaying such banners.

Dozens of charity posts near the Umbulharjo shelter and command post are now noticeably empty.

Previously there were banners reading “Merapi Charity Post” with the name of a particular group, but no charitable activities were being conducted

“Various groups have set up their own posts without coordination. After checking the posts, nothing is going on there,” Yogyakarta Governor Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X said a day before the ad removal operation.

Hamengkubuwono said political parties should not be promoting themselves or benefiting from the disaster, and that only the Indonesian flag should fly at shelters.

Slamet Susanto, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta | Wed, 11/03/2010 9:26 AM | The Archipelago

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/11/03/political-ads-removed-refugee-shelters.html

SBY warns Australia ahead of meeting

From Jakarta Post:

Just a day before talks with Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono told Australia to stay away from the Papuan torture issue, vowing to bring to justice those involved in the torture.“There’s no need to pressure Indonesia. We have conducted an investigation and are ready for a trial or anything that is required to uphold justice and discipline,” he told a press conference on Monday.
Gillard arrived in Jakarta on Monday morning, and will have lunch with the President on Tuesday before heading to Yogyakarta to visit victims of the Mount Merapi eruption.
Indonesia, which just received the ASEAN chairmanship from Vietnam last week, has long been proud of its democracy and human rights record. Under Yudhoyono, the country wants to set an example in upholding human rights and democratic principles. 
The video posted online last month by the Hong Kong-based Asian Human Rights Commission that showed Indonesian Military (TNI) members allegedly torturing Papuans has tainted Indonesia’s image, with local and international human rights organizations immediately expressing condemnation.
New York-based Human Rights Watch urged Gillard to “press for the accountability of abusive Indonesian security forces” through a letter it sent to Australia’s House of Representatives last week.
“The trial will happen soon, and it will be a just trial. If there is a mistake then we will punish the perpetrators. There will be no impunity,” Yudhoyono said.
The President, however, said the presence of the TNI in Papua was inevitable, “although the world doesn’t believe it, there are in fact separatist movements in Papua.”
The issue of the torture of Papuans suspected to be part of separatist movements, however, has overshadowed other Australian interests, such as the handling of human smuggling and the fate of its citizens on Indonesia’s death row.
Prior to Gillard’s attendance at the ASEAN Summit in Hanoi, she said she would suggest that leaders set up regional refugee centers.
“Certainly I will raise the issue of human smuggling and the movement of people,” Gillard told ABC Television. “The dialogue has been continuing.”
Gillard’s trip follows a tour by Immigration Minister Chris Bowen, who went to Indonesia, Malaysia and Timor Leste, which Australia has nominated as a potential home for the regional center.
Timor Leste has agreed to discuss the proposal, but remains cautious of the plan that would see asylum seekers held in the country while their refugee claims are assessed.
On a possible plea to let Australian citizens, including Schapelle Corby and the Bali Nine, off the hook, Gillard has said she would make it private with Yudhoyono.
Gillard told ABC News that it would be inappropriate to discuss if she would lobby Yudhoyono on behalf of the Australians.
“Clearly, Australia does not support the death penalty — that is our position as a nation,” she said.
“But when it comes to advocacy on behalf of individuals, it’s certainly in the best interests of those individuals to be doing those discussions privately, rather than publicly, and I intend to.”



http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/11/02/sby-warns-australia-ahead-meeting.html

Indonesian Mental Health Care Unshackled

A great account from New Matilda of Indonesian Health Workers working to improve the lives of mentally ill people, on one hand freeing people from shackles and on the other working to prevent more people being shackled.



"The new model reserves hospitalisation for cases of demonstrated need. Nurses trained to deal with serious disorders are made responsible for as many as twenty families in a given area. According to Dr Viora, the goal is to "empower the primary health care worker" to treat people in their own communities. Judged a success in Aceh province, the model is now being rolled in other parts of Indonesia.

Professor Achir Yani, Head of the Provincial Health Office in Aceh, is managing a provincial government programme that aims to eradicate forced restraint and confinement by the start of 2011. Yani told New Matilda that as well as being less costly, community care reduces relapse problems.


Deinstitutionalisation has been a global trend in mental healthcare. Australian health services have been going through the process for more than thirty years. Decades ago, Indonesia was the acknowledged leader in healthcare among the nations of South East Asia. Over the past decade this vast nation has been working hard to catch up. As a question of human rights as well as of quality and accessibility of care, the campaign to end confinement is a fitting yardstick of progress.


Hundreds of people have been released. The issue has been placed on the national agenda, with the Indonesian government’s recent commitment to ending forced restraint nationwide by 2014. Dr Pandu Setiawan is a leading architect of mental health reform and heads the Indonesian Mental Health Network. He describes this commitment as the culmination of a decades-long campaign to improve mental health policy. And Dr Setiawan is confident that the committed group of young mental health professionals at the heart of the anti-pasung push will be successful.


Earlier this month, a sign proclaiming "Toward an Indonesia free of pasung" was posted at the entrance of the Ministry of Health (see image above). The words are superimposed over a shattered chain. If the efforts of the professionals and activists leading the charge are matched by sustained political will, Indonesia will meet its commitment to those still in shackles."


http://newmatilda.com/2010/10/28/mental-health-patients-unshackled

Indonesian House Speaker’s ‘Senseless’ Tsunami Comments

“Anyone who is afraid of waves shouldn’t live near seashore”

West Sumatra scholar Ricky Avenzora also criticized the comments, labeling them naive and hurtful.

“Marzuki Alie’s statement about the tsunami in Mentawai did not only show the naivete of a legislative leader but it is also very very painful for the people of West Sumatra,” he said.

Ricky said the statement was insensitive and senseless because many people had lost loved ones in the disaster.

“And you can’t take people from their homes and relocate them. How much strength does Marzuki have to relocate all the islanders in Indonesia and what will he do with the islands afterwards?” he said."

In his thoughtful and considered response to the complaints regarding his earlier comment he said he was only joking. Or in his own words: "I was saying it in a joking tone". And Response is sure you will agree, that in that case, it's fine (?).



http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/outrage-after-indonesian-house-speakers-senseless-tsunami-comments/403692

Asean leaders ask Burma to let in observers

"Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said that Burma suffers from a credibility deficit, and his Filipino counterpart Alberto Romulo as been insisting that an election that is not fair, free and inclusive is little more than a farce."

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/home/2010/10/29/mekong/Asean-leaders-ask-Burma-to-let-in-observers-30141085.html

Indonesia confirms Papua torture

"... human rights groups say the Papuan villagers who were tortured were farmers.
They add that this video is evidence of the grave abuses committed by the Indonesian military in Papua, where a small group of rebels have waged a low level war for independence for decades."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11604361

Australia Jumps The Queue In East Timor

From Shona Hawkes in the newly reborn New Matilda.

"Many are against it because they think that East Timor’s first priority should be its own people’s basic needs. Few Timorese people can access clean water. Many can’t get to a doctor, or a school — half the population is illiterate. This year crazy weather has led to floods, landslides and big winds, tipping subsistence farmers over the brink. People I’ve spoken to don’t understand why a big, rich country like Australia is trying to offload its responsibilities onto its struggling half-island neighbour.

[...]

To establish a refugee processing centre, Australia would have to ensure that there were no overlapping land claims for a proposed site, or else negotiate with all legitimate claim holders. Alternatively it risks being complicit in land rights violations. Because of the lack of land laws, it’s not clear who owns land in East Timor. In numerous cases the East Timor Ministry for Justice has simply claimed properties as State land, without recognising others’ land claims or ensuring just compensation. Traditional customary landowners and vulnerable people have no means to assert and defend a land claim."

http://newmatilda.com/2010/10/22/australia-jumps-queue-east-timor
Response AP is happy indeed to see New Matilda breathing again after her near-death experience.


Have a look at:  http://fretilinmedia.blogspot.com/2010/10/fretilin-timor-leste-not-ready-to-have.html .

UN raises worries over Timor police

"UN special representative for East Timor, Ameerah Haq, praised the general stability in the southeast Asian state but raised concerns about policing and the commuting of prison terms for some involved in the unrest.
"Public confidence in the state's willingness to support the rule of law and human rights can be adversely affected if the public perceives that individuals in high profile cases are given favored treatment," she told the Security Council.

Haq said she raised the "concern" with Ramos-Horta after he lifted jail terms against those convicted for February 11, 2008 attacks against him and the prime minister, and some soldiers convicted for killing eight police officers in the 2006 troubles."

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/202212/un-raises-worries-over-timor-police

Indonesian activists reject Suharto for 'hero' gong

"The annual award goes to Indonesians who "perform acts of heroism and make extraordinary contributions" to the nation.
But anti-graft campaigner Teten Masduki, of Transparency International, said Suharto was unworthy of such an honour because he led a corrupt regime that stole billions of dollars from the country.
"He was extraordinarily corrupt to the point of bankrupting Indonesia. How could such a person be made a national hero?" he told AFP."


http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/202205/indonesian-activists-reject-suharto-for-hero-gong

Protests on SBY anniversary

JAKARTA - THOUSANDS of protesters took to the streets in Indonesia on Wednesday to mark the first anniversary of the swearing in of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
Anti-government rallies were staged in Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya, Palu and Bogor, where students reportedly clashed with police. Almost 20,000 police were on standby in the capital to deal with unrest, the Antara state news agency reported, but there were no reports of violence in the city.
About 300 protesters gathered in front of the presidential palace in Jakarta, shouting 'SBY has failed, SBY has failed'. 'He has failed to eradicate corruption,' said Rudi Daman of a group called the People's Defender Front.
Another protester, Yati Andriyani of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence, said Dr Yudhoyono had not honoured promises to protect human rights in the mainly Muslim country of 240 million people. 'They were only empty promises,' she said.
Demonstrators threw Molotov cocktails at police who responded with tear gas in Makassar, South Sulawesi province, on Tuesday as Dr Yudhoyono visited the town. The president, a centrist ex-general, warned protesters to express dissent within the limits of the law and not to try to overthrow the government, a loose coalition of nationalist secular and Islamic parties.
'The democracy we all want is not one leading to a sea of slander and anarchy, which can damage the things that we have built,' Dr Yudhoyono told Elshinta radio. 'As a country, the world will see whether a nation's democracy is ethical and civilised or not.' -- AFP

Abuses will not stop co-operation with Indonesia

"The head of the Indonesian human rights group Kontras, Haris Azhar, said: ''The video clearly shows very barbaric tortures against the Papuans.''
He urged the Indonesian government ''to find out who the victims are and who the perpetrators are''.

Response is not surprised, the historical record and this present example are consistent. Of course, human rights abuses and torture carried out by allies will be overlooked and quickly forgotten. Whereas, milder abuses carried out by those who are otherwise uncooperative or disobedient will likely be punished most severely.

http://www.smh.com.au/world/abuses-will-not-stop-cooperation-with-indonesia-20101018-16qxt.html

Govt urged to verify Papua torture video

www.yale.edu/gsp/papua/index.html

Ifdhal said the government should investigate the video and not simply deny any government involvement in the actions depicted in it.
He said a failure by the government to ascertain the truth behind the video would intensify public distrust of the government’s role in Papua.
He told The Jakarta Post that commission members in Papua had begun questioning sources in connection with the video.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/10/19/govt-urged-verify-papua-torture-video.html

Soeharto as Hero?

Human rights activists, however, have repeatedly voiced concern over Soeharto’s human right abuses.

Sumarsih from the Solidarity Network of Victim Families of Human Rights Violations said Soeharto was a corrupt and authoritarian leader whose regime was largely supported by the military.

“During his tenure, he committed many gross human rights abuses as has already proven by the investigations of the National Commission on Human Rights,” she said.

Sumarsih added that Soeharto’s role as the country’s “father of development”, a commonly cited reason behind the push to name him a national hero, must be re-examined.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/10/19/people-have-say-soeharto-hero.html

Live Ammunition for Indonesian Riot Police

Police in Indonesia are now allowed to use live ammunition for riot control, with a new regulation intended for use against uncooperative and violent protesters.

Clare Atkinson spoke with SBS' Indonesia correspondent Rebecca Henschke about the new rules.

http://www.sbs.com.au/podcasts/Podcasts/world-view/episode/117912/Live-ammunition-for-Indonesian-riot-police

Jakarta street punks not as scary as they look

“I never steal though. I do feel that I am much better than those people with neat appearances who are corrupt,” Marco said.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/10/14/jakarta-street-punks-not-scary-they-look.html