[sustran] URGENT: arrest of Jakarta pedicab activists

[SUSTRAN Network Secretariat]

Dear friends 

I have just received a troubling message from Bambang Susantono and Dodo
Sambodo of the newly-formed INFORTRANS (Indonesian NGO Forum for
Transportation) and Agus P. Sari of Pelangi Indonesia (as Joint Secretariat
for INFORTRANS).

INFORTRANS is asking for our help by sending appeals for the release of
these Indonesian activists who have been working to have pedicabs ("becak")
allowed in Jakarta. 

Below the appeal from INFORTRANS is an item from today's (1 March) Jakarta
Post explaining the background and describing their trial yesterday (29
Feb). The article does not make clear whether or not the activists have
been released but it appears that they have not.  

I will send any updates as I receive them.

Paul

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STATEMENT -  INFORTRANS (Indonesian NGO Forum for Transportation)


Our friends, Ms. Wardah Hafidz from Urban Poor Consortium (UPC) together
with several other friends, Mr. Edi Saidi, Mr. Afrizal, Mr. Congki, and Mr.
Anto have been and are still being held by Jakarta Special District Police
Department due to their support for pedicab (becak in Indonesian word)
drivers since Monday, 28 February 2000.

The problems on the existence of BECAK in Jakarta in fact, as everybody
knows, is still being legally processed (class action) through the Central
Jakarta Courts. We therefore are disappointed that our friends are being
held by the Jakarta Special District Police Department (Polda Metro Jaya).

Therefore, due to the above mentioned reason, we, from INFORTRANS
(Indonesian NGO Forum for Transportation) would like to ask for your kind
attention and interference by involving international community support in
order to put pressure on concerned agencies not to hold them any longer.

Your kind support and request for not holding Ms. Hafidz and friends any
longer could be addressed by fax to the following:

1. Polda Metro Jaya (Jakarta Special District Police Department)		
    Jl. Jend. Sudirman No. 45
    Jakarta Pusat
    Fax: +62 (21) 522-5646

2. Gubernur Kepala Daerah Tingkat I Jakarta
    Mr. Sutiyoso
    Jl. Merdeka Selatan No. 8 - 9
    Jakarta 10110
    Fax: +62 (21) 389-8653
 	
3. DPRD Jakarta (Jakarta Regional House of Representative)	
    Jl. Kebon Sirih No. 18
    Jakarta Pusat
    Fax: +62 (21) 350-8781  

Bambang Susantono & Dodo Sambodo on behalf of INFORTRANS (Indonesian NGO Forum
for Transportation): WALHI, UPC, LpiST, YLBHI, ISJ, ICEL, YLKI, and PELANGI
Indonesia
Agus P. Sari on behalf of PELANGI Indonesia as Joint Secretariat of INFORTRANS
Jalan Danau Tondano A4, Pejompongan, Jakarta 10210
Tel: (62-21)-571-9360, 573-2503.  Fax: (62-21)-573-2503

	*	*	*	*	*	*	*

http://www.thejakartapost.com:8890/myrender?menu_name=article_details&id=659
678&category_code=j

JAKARTA POST
City News     
March 01, 2000 

Courth declares activists guilty of illegal rally

JAKARTA (JP): A judge at the Central Jakarta District Court declared on
Tuesday that Wardah Hafidz and four other activists of the Urban Poor
Consortium (UPC) were guilty for their failure to notify the police before
organizing a rally the day before. 

Judge I Gde Sumitra said the five defendants were guilty for not notifying
the police of their intention to lead a street rally of some 100 becak
(pedicab) drivers in front of the Presidential Palace on Jl. Medan Merdeka
Utara in Central Jakarta on Monday. 

"Wardah Hafidz, Afrizal Malna, Subroto Ahmad Muswanto, Edi Saidi, and Yan
Adiputra are guilty of violating articles 510 and 511 of the Criminal Code
and article 10 of the 1998 Law No. 9 on Demonstration," Sumitra said. 

"The defendants are fined Rp 2,250 (30 U.S. cents) and are obliged to pay a
trial fee of Rp 500 each," he told the hearing in the absence of the
defendants, who earlier left the courtroom in protest of the ongoing
prosecution. 

More than 200 becak drivers showed up at Tuesday's hearing in support to
the defendants. 

At the hearing, the defendants rejected all the charges, denying the
legality of the 1998 law. 

"The law is a product of a regime that didn't appreciate its residents'
rights to deliver their opinion," said Wardah. 

She renewed her earlier statements that it was the city administration
which violated its own City Bylaw No. 11/1998 on Public Order by inviting
becak drivers in 1998. 

The defendants were arrested on Monday evening when they refused to
disperse as ordered by the police. 

The UPC's struggle for the becak to resume operation in the city received
support from the National Awakening Party (PKB). 

A. Effendy Choirie, a PKB legislator for the House of Representatives'
Commission I on Defense, Foreign and Political affairs, Andi Naimi Fuaidi,
a PKB legislator for the House's Commission III on Agriculture and Food
Affairs and Rustin Ilyas of PKB's central board said President Abdurrahman
Wahid had the same commitment and orientation with UPC's struggle. 

"The President has allowed the becak to operate in residential areas," they
said in a written statement, copies of which were made available to the
press on Tuesday. 

Earlier in the morning, Wardah told The Jakarta Post the reason she wanted
to meet with President Abdurrahman Wahid, was to ask him to live up to his
statement of Jan. 23, in a TV interview with host Jaya Suprana, when he
said he did not mind if pedicabs operated in housing complexes.

"I wanted to clarify that matter with him. On Feb. 22, a raid of pedicabs
was conducted in the capital, where pedicabs were even confiscated from the
homes of the drivers. So, why did the President make a statement like that
on TV?" 

She said that while protesting outside the palace, some 200 police officers
had surrounded them at about 8:30 p.m. on Monday. 

"Via a megaphone, an officer announced that according to a Law, we were not
supposed to be protesting there. He did not mention which law," Wardah told
the Post. 

"The police officers gave us 15 minutes to clear the area. I asked the
pedicab drivers if they wanted to leave, or stay. They said stay, so we
stayed." 

"At 8:45 p.m., the officers assisted 13 of us, including LBH lawyer Daniel
Panjaitan and myself, to get onto a police truck." 

"I reached Polda (city police headquarters) at about 9 p.m. I was brought
to the City Police Intelligence office, where an intelligence officer
questioned me. I told him, I wouldn't speak, since I don't know why I was
brought to Polda in the first place," she said. 

"So, they made me and my friends wait in the lobby of the city police
detectives, from about 11 p.m. When it reached 2:30 a.m., I went to that
office (points at office of Lt. Col. Syahrul Mamma, chief of detectives for
general crime) and told the officer that I was tired, I wanted to go home
and sleep, and that I would come back fresh in the morning for
interrogations," she said. 

"An officer by the name of Bambang said that if I did not want to be
interrogated now, I might as well sleep here. I really, never expected them
to be so difficult." (nvn/ylt) 
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A. Rahman Paul BARTER
Sustainable Transport Action Network for Asia 
and the Pacific (the SUSTRAN Network)
P.O. Box 11501, Kuala Lumpur 50748, Malaysia.
E-mail: sustran at po.jaring.my
URL: http://www.malaysiakini.com/sustran (under construction)

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