From: Human Rights Coordinator <hrcoord@igc.apc.org>
Newsgroups: soc.rights.human
Date: 24 Jan 93 09:25 PST
Subject: Indo: Terror in East Java
Nf-ID: #N:cdp:1476701028:000:8524
Nf-From: cdp.UUCP!hrcoord    Jan 24 09:25:00 1993


From: Human Rights Coordinator <hrcoord>
Subject: Indo: Terror in East Java

/* Written  3:38 pm  Jan 24, 1993 by indonow@peg.apc.org in igc:reg.indonesia */

STUDENTS AND FARMERS TERRORIZED IN EAST JAVA.
The following statements have been received by the Indonesian
Human Rights Centre, Sydney, Australia and released in English on
Sunday, January 24,1993.  As of 3.15 pm, Australian Eastern Summer
Time, the Centre has been informed that over 20 students and
farmers remain in detention.  The Australian campaign group, AKSI-
Indonesia Solidarity Action, has also issued the following brief
statement.
AKSI CALLS FOR PROTESTS IN AUSTRALIA
AKSI calls on concerned Australians to send protests against these
militarist actions to the Indonesian Embassy (Darwinia Place,
Yarralumla, ACT) in Canberra. "Again and again we receive reports
of farmers being brutally pushed off their land and of students
being arrested and harassed. This is by no means the first of such
cases. All the students and farmers should be released
immediately," said Max Lane, Sydney spokesperson for the Indonesia
solidarity committee, AKSI. "What is just as bad," said Lane, "is
that the Australian government, driven by its greed for oil money
in the Timor Gap and its desire for cheap labour in Indonesia
continues to conduct joint exercises with the Indonesian political
police, that is the Army, and continues to dole out Australian
working people's tax dollars to the regime while at the same time
Suharto and his family creams off millions from all their joint
ventures with Japanese and American business. People should also
make their views known to the Minister for Propping Up
Dictatorships, Gareth Evans at Parliament House and call for
Australian aid to be linked with improvements in human rights in
Indonesia." Send Fax Protests too: H.E. Sabam Siagian, Indonesian
Ambassador, Embassy of Republic of Indonesia. Fax No. 06-2733748
and/or Min. for Foreign Affairs, Gareth Evans, Parliament House,
Canberra 2600.

PEOPLE'S ACTION INTIMIDATED BY THE MILITARY
Statement issued by  Committee of  Solidarity  with  the People of
Blangguan  (KIRAB) Chronology of events
1) The students in the Committee of  Solidarity  with  the People
of Blangguan  (KIRAB) were planning an action of corn planting
with the Blangguan residents  on January 23, 1993. The 26 students
from Jakarta, Yogyakarta,  Semarang and Salatiga, left Yogya for
Blangguan  by chartered bus, carrying a huge  10 meter poster
stating:`Our livelihood comes from this land', as well as many
smaller posters. On January 21, 1993, at 9 pm, the bus left Yogya.
At 7 am the next morning, the group reached Pasir Putih,
Situbondo to meet with a KIRAB contact person, J. to discuss the
most recent developments in the conflict are, Blangguan.  Meetings
to discuss strategy and security matters were held from 9 am to
1pm, where D. was elected Field Commando and I., Assistant  Field
Commando, as well as the formation  of six groups.

2) At 1 pm, KIRAB left to Situbondo bus terminus to meet with
contacts from the local area, H.  and A. At 4 pm, H.  and .A.
still  had not arrived. KIRAB held a quick meeting at the
terminus and decided to proceed to the conflict area without the
assistance of the locals. While the meeting was happening, a few
intelligence officers took notes of the movement of KIRAB members.
At 4.30 pm,H.  appeared. KIRAB chartered 2 mini buses to continue
the journey to the conflict area. Intelligence  officers followed
the buses for a few kilometres, then disappeared. At 5 pm, KIRAB
reached a rest house and was placed in a small mosque built by the
people, located opposite the home of S.
3) At 6.30 pm, KIRAB members were moved to  `Safety Post 1' next
to S's place. From here, the plan was to smuggle them into the
area to help prepare the corn planting action. At 7 pm, they found
that the location was already barricaded by the military. Each
strategic point and road was guarded by between 3 and 5 soldiers.
Meanwhile, the houses of 5 farmers who were key  figures in
organizing the action, were occupied by soldiers. Their wives and
children were intimidated  to confess plans regarding tomorrow's
action and of the students'presence at the action. Two military
jeeps circled the village to intimidate the farmers from house to
house. Because of this, the students were unable to penetrate the
barricade.
4) At 8.30 pm, troops from the local area command and police came
to S's house and interrogated  the people forcefully to confess
the whereabouts of the students.  The people did not want to
disclose any information. A woman was screaming as  the military
harassed her outside `safety post 1' to obtain the information
required. Then the military proceeded to search through all the
house, some of them already asleep with their children.
5) Until 9 pm, S. who was to meet with journalists still had not
appeared. KIRAB sent two people into the conflict area to find out
what was happening. Until the time of writing, no news had been
received of the two, S.  (KIRAB) and A. There was a possibility
that the two had been captured or trapped inside due to the tight
security.
6) Between 9 pm and 3 am, KIRAB members were forced to stay
outside the conflict area, because there was no news from those
sent into the conflict area, the uncertainty of whether  the press
had arrived and the search being carried out through the village.
At 3 am, KIRAB decided to leave the conflict area, because the
military were becoming more brutal in their search. The KIRAB
members succeeded in leaving the area by wading through ricefields
and crossing a river in the rain. At 5 am, they reached the main
intercity highway. Intelligence officers were waiting there with
motorcycles, the KIRAB group then stopped a bus  which was
travelling the Banyuwangi-Surabaya route. In the middle of the
journey, between Situbondo and Panarukan, the bus was stopped by
the military. The driver and conductor were harassed for 10
minutes, accused of collaborating to help the students.

7) At 9 am, the group was divided into two, 24  got off at
Panarukan, while 3 delegates:  Webb,  Harry and Wilson were sent
to the local parliament in Surabaya to publicize the latest news
on the Blangguan farmers to Members of Parliament and the press.
The delegation arrived in Surabaya at 10.30 am. At noon, the
meeting with MP's and the press was over. KIRAB together with 5
local residents which comprised the delegation returned to the
safety house in Surabaya. At 3 pm,  Sugeng confirmed that the area
where the corn were to be planted was surrounded by military. At 3
pm, the news of KIRAB's action and their subsequent harassment was
published in Surabaya Post (the local newspaper).  This chronology
was published so that hopefully all those who support democracy
and the people can help by publicizing this information.
 Surabaya, 23 January 1993.
(KIRAB)
*********
STATEMENT AGAINST THE FASCISM THAT HAPPENED  AT
BLANGGUAN
************ Since the beginning of the New Order, which  began
with  the mass killings and continued with a variety of human
rights abuses, the people of Indonesia, mainly composed of
workers and  peasants,  still live below the poverty line.  Since
the people of Blangguan lost the rights to their land, they found
it difficult to  live through farming.  The people  proceeded to
demand the right to their land that had been confiscated by force.
They were made to receive the low compensation of 200 rupiah per
metre of land.  On January 23, 1993, they tried to replant on
their land. However the military, consisting of police from Banyu
Putih sector, the local military area command Banyu Putih-
Situbondo and Marines from the Sugeng Harjo Taruno division, began
to intimidate each  house, so that the people failed to replant
their land, due to the inhumane threats of the military.  We,
therefore, demand and emphasize:
1) The behaviour of the military is  inhumane and fascistic.
2) The confiscation of land under cover of low compensation only
serves to push the people into further poverty.
3) Give the people freedom to own and cultivate their land as a
means of livelihood.
4) The continuing oppression of the people becomes a flame
inciting them to rise up and fight the fascism of the New Order.
This is our statement!  The people will win!  Committee for
Solidarity with the People of  Blangguan.  Note: This statement
was published at 11 pm Indonesia time, January 23, 1993 based on
the latest information received from the location.