Bloody Attack in Jakarta Stop the killing, end all military ties! International statement of solidarity and condemnation We vigorously condemn the Indonesian military and police for the violent and bloody attack on peaceful, unarmed protesters campaigning for democracy at a rally organised on July 1 in Jakarta, by the People's Democratic Party (PRD). The 2000 demonstrators were protesting against vote rigging by the ruling Golkar party in Indonesia's June 7 election. They intended to have a sit-in inside the building of the National Election Committee (KPU). Once the protesters tried to have a peaceful sit-in, the police immediately opened fire using plastic bullets at point blank range, protesters were chased and then savagely beaten. More than 70 protesters were hospitalised, several have had to undergo surgery. More than 100 sustained injuries from police beatings. 160 are still missing. Dytha Caturani, international secretary of the PRD and a student at Gajah Mada University, was standing near the front of the demonstration and was then pulled behind the police line. There she was shot in the back and brutally beaten while lying on the ground. She is in critical condition in hospital, after surgery. * We demand the Indonesian government guarantee the safety of peaceful protesters and an end to the role of the Indonesian military in political repression. * We call on all governments to publicly condemn the Indonesian government for shooting peaceful protesters and end all military ties with Indonesia. * As immediate steps all foreign military attaches based in Indonesia should be withdrawn immediately and Indonesian military attaches in other countries should be immediately expelled. Initial endorsers: Max Lane, National Coordinator, Action in Solidarity with Indonesia and East Timor; John Percy, National Secretary, Democratic Socialist Party (Australia); Lisa Macdonald, Editor, Green Left Weekly; Allen Myers, Editor. Links; Michael Karadjis, delegate Australian services Union; Sean Healy, National Coordinator, Resistance (Australia); Dr Helen Jarvis, Asia Pacific Institute for Democratisation & Development; Neville Spencer, Editor, Venceremos; Pip Hinman, Asia Pacific Women's Solidarity Network; Stephen O'Brien, Committees in Solidarity with Central America & the Caribbean (CISLAC); Dr Kamala Emanuel, medical practitioner; Peter Boyle, New Course Publications; Dr Tuntuni Bhattacharyya, medical practitioner; Jill Hickson, film maker; Aaron Benedek, Education Officer, Sydney University Students Representative Council; Tim Gooden, Secretary, ACT Government Section, Community & Public Sector Union (CPSU); Philippa Stanford, Section Councillor, Centrelink Section, CPSU; Mark Cronin, Section Councillor, Centrelink Section, CPSU; Dr Jeremy Smith, lecturer University of Ballarat, National Tertiary Education & Industry Union national councillor; Melanie Sjoberg, organiser, Public Service Association (South Australia); Maurice Sibelle, coordinator, Victorian TAFE Students & Apprentices Network (VTSAN); Sarah Lantz, Student Research Officer, VTSAN; Dr Margaret Perrot, medical practitioner; Chris Latham, Coordinator, Australia-Indonesia Student Solidarity Brigade; Allen Jennings, CISLAC Victoria; Ertugral Titiz, Kurdish activist ; Mark Abberton, Education Officer, RMIT TAFE Students Association ; Natasha Izatt, Women's Officer, RMIT TAFE Students Association ; Vanessa Hearman, ASIET Victoria; Trisha Reimers, Women's Officer, University of Western Australia Student Guild; Peter Robson, NUS Queensland Education Committee. (Organisations and positions for identification purposes only unless indicated otherwise) Initiated by Action in Solidarity with Indonesia and East Timor. Name: _______________________________ Tel: ________________ Email:_________________________________ Organisation & Position: _________________________________________________ (For indentification purposes only) Please return your endorsement to ASIET, PO Box 458, Broadway, NSW 2007, Australia. Telephone: 61-(0)2-96901230 Fax: 61-(0)2-96901381 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Webpage: http://www.peg.apc.org/~asiet ______________________________________ Eyewitness report on the demonstration by the PRD # Dhyta Caturani operated upon 8.00pm July 1 - In critical condition; expected to survive # More than 75 wounded or injured; many still missing Thursday July 1, 1999 By Jill Hickson and Sam King (ASIET members currently in Jakarta and were at the demonstration.) A rally by the People=92s Democratic Party (PRD) that mobilised 2000 people in Jakarta was attacked by police and military. The protesters were beaten and shot, injuring more than 100, two are in critical condition. The peaceful street rally was joined by many urban poor as it weaved through Jakarta, stopping at the University of Indonesia and the PDI office, before marching to the KPU electoral commission office. At the KPU the PRD called for the disqualification of GOLKAR (Indonesia=92s ruling party) for election rigging including ballot tampering, money politics and intimidation. They also demanded the repeal of the dual function of the military in social and political life, that allows the armed forces to continue its domination of Indonesian politics. At the KPU the demonstration came face to face with 50 police (a section armoured) bearing rifles, hand guns, bamboo sticks and tear gas. The rally continued outside for more than an hour with speeches from Andy Arief, Faisal Reza, Hendri Kuok and other PRD leaders. Negotiations by PRD KPU member Hendri Kuok to allow the rally entrance to the building and make their demands proved fruitless with KPU officials only offering 50 people entrance. The leadership put this proposal to the rally and it was unanimously rejected. The rally refused to be separated and decided to enter the KPU to stage a sit- in, saying the existence of the KPU itself is the result of the struggle of the Indonesian people for democracy, therefore they should have the right to enter. When the rally as a whole moved to enter the building, the police immediately opened fire on the crowd using plastic bullets at point blank range; troops severely bashed with sticks and boot anybody they could get near. The protesters ran as soon as the shooting started with a minority returning and fighting back intermittently for a short time with stones and glass bottles. Police were then successful in forcing the protesters down the street by firing indiscriminately at those who remained. Hundreds of Brimob and Mobile military personnel loaded onto the street from eight trucks parked in the side streets blocking protesters escape. Protesters were routinely bashed after being captured and indiscriminately attacked while running away. One PRD member, Dytha Caturani standing in the front line was immediately pulled behind the police line, there she was shot in the back and brutally beaten while lying on the ground, sustaining severe injuries to the face and head from the boots of the police. She was soon hospitalised, as one of the 36 protesters who were admitted to 4 Jakarta hospitals. More than 100 sustained minor injuries from police sticks, ricocheting bullets or being beaten while trying to escape. Dytha was operated on at 8pm and remains in a weak condition but is expected to survive. Another PRD member Carles Ratna Panji Setiawan remains in critical condition after being shot in the stomach. His spleen, damaged by the bullet was removed by operation hours after the violence. At least seven people had plastic bullets enter their bodies, the majority shot in the back as they ran. One of the injured had a bullet pass completely through his body and experienced heavy bleeding from the mouth. As yet there have been no reports of fatalities although two PRD members who were among those injured were taken to a military hospital. Access to them has been denied and their condition is not known. Fifty people are reportedly in custody after being arrested and taken to a police station in south Jakarta. One of those injured badly in the head has developed amnesia. One hundred and sixty people are unaccounted for and their whereabouts is still unknown. ______________________________________ URGENT APPEAL FROM THE PRD Again, police bullets talk! Today on July, 1999 at 4 p.m. the People's Democratic Party (PRD) was holding demonstration to protest against the cheating and manipulation on the result of the unfair and undemocratic election. Around three hundreds people were mobilized in front of the National Election Commission (KPU) office in Central Jakarta. At the gate of the KPU, the masses are blocked by hundreds of anti riot police and the military so that the masses can not enter the office and meet the KPU officers to talk about the cheating and manipulation of the election. In the speech in front of the KPU office, the masses demanded the KPU to disqualify Golkar Party from the election for the cheating and manipulation it does in many regions in Indonesia. They also sharply criticized the military and police who were blocking them as anti democracy and murderer. In this peaceful demonstration, the masses insisted on going inside the office but the police and military refused. Consequently, line of PRD masses pushed the barricade of military and police. The masses was about to succeed in breaking the military barricade but the situation was getting critical as the police and military start using violence. They used stick for beating the PRD masses. The masses defended and resisted as they can. They fought the military but the military and police went more brutal. Beside beating and kicking the masses, they suddenly also shot the unarmed massed. The masses dispersed and ran away to different directions. Four people fell to the ground. One of them identified as Budi was shot at his right chest but still alive. The others are Syailendra, also shot at his right hand. His T-shirt was red for blood. Then there is Kukun whose legs are totally broken. Rustiningsih, a woman aged 26 was also lying on the ground. Her neck was wounded. Blood was squeezing in it. They are all in the Emergency Room of Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital now. Eyewitness says that there are more people injured some brought to different hospital but not yet identified. During this time, arrest also happened when the masses dispersed. With this incident we call for the international community, human rights groups, political parties to support and demand: 1. Condemn the brutality of Indonesian military and government which shows no commitment to democratization and total reform. 2. The release of all arrested people after the demonstration. 3. The police and military to stop violence and shooting to people fighting for democracy, social justice and human rights. 4. The government and military to be responsible for the shooting Amidst this incident, the PRD will keep demanding for a fair and democratic election and fighting for genuine democracy, social justice and human rights through mass mobilization. Amsterdam, July 1, 1999 Mugiyanto European Representative For more information, please contact Mugiyanto: Remmerdenplein 67 1106 LS Amsterdam Phone: 31-20-6970076 or 0628432572 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] People's Democratic Party Partai Rakyat Demokratik PRD Jl. Basuki Rahmat No. 7B Jakarta INDONESIA Phone/Fax: 62-21-8561542, Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ______________________________________ URGENT ACTION The military and police brutality by shooting peaceful demonstration organised by the People's Democratic Party indicates that there is not any change in terms of the nature of the Habibie administration which is militaristic. To expect political will from the government to promote and respect democracy and human rights is a dream in a daylights. Accordingly, human rights violations, killings, kidnappings and shooting are keep happening like in East Timor, Aceh, West Papua and other regions in Indonesia where there are people fighting for democracy, human rights and social justice. As a concrete evidence, today, Thursday on July 1, 1999 hundreds of members and supporters of the People's Democratic Party were shot brutally by the police and military in a peaceful demonstration criticising unfair and undemocratic election and demanding disqualification of the Golkar Party from its participation in the election due to its cheating, manipulation and money politic practice. July 1, 1999 incident is noted as the biggest incident with most victims after the Semanggi incident in November last year. Ironically, this happened when the Indonesian Police is celebrating its 53 anniversary. As an update of the previous Urgent Appeal, now that more victims were found (many still missing) in different hospitals in Jakarta, we are calling for the international community, political parties, human rights groups, parliament members to support and do urgent action, demonstrations, petitions and any humanitarian and medical supports. Here we call for: 1. Condemnation the brutality of Indonesian military and government which shows no commitment to democratization and total reform. 2. The release of all arrested people after the demonstration. 3. The police and military to stop violence and shooting to people fighting for democracy, social justice and human rights. 4. The government and military to be responsible for the shooting, c.q. President Habibie and General Wiranto to step down Amidst this incident, the PRD will keep demanding for a fair and democratic election and fighting for genuine democracy, social justice and human rights. Amsterdam, July 1, 1999 Mugiyanto European Representative For more information, confirmation and contributions, please contact this address: MUGIYANTO Remmerdenplein 67 1106 LS Amsterdam Phone: 31- 20-6970076 or 0628432572 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ GREEN LEFT WEEKLY Australia's leading alternative newsweekly Break the media monopoly: read it, buy it, write for it, sell it. http://www.peg.apc.org/~greenleft [EMAIL PROTECTED] SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY SUBSCRIPTION: $10 FOR 10 ISSUES ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -- Leftlink - Australia's Broad Left Mailing List mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.alexia.net.au/~www/mhutton/index.html Sponsored by Melbourne's New International Bookshop Subscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=subscribe%20leftlink Unsubscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20leftlink
