Sukoharjo – A tense situation developed at the declaration of the National Liberation Party of Unity (Papernas) in Sukoharjo, Central Java, that was to be held yesterday afternoon. Even before Papernas members had begun the meeting, dozens of members of the Sukoharjo Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) had occupied the Gajah Tanjung Anom Building where the event was to be held.

Led by Ustad (Islamic teacher) Khoirul, the FPI members, who had been arriving since 10am, began to pour into the venue where the event was to be held. They immediately moved towards the auditorium that had been set aside by the Papernas organising committee.

FPI’s arrival caused confusion among some of the Papernas members. “We have come here to break up this event. We are asking that Papernas be disbanded and not be allowed to exist in Indonesia. Because Papernas is an embryo of the PKI (Indonesian Communist Party – Ed.). Where is the committee chairperson, I want to meet them”, ordered Khoirul in a shrill voice.

Not wanting to create a problem, several of the Papernas members that were already present left the venue one by one. Unfortunately the FPI members prevented this. “Don’t let them leave. The ones that were here earlier, order them all back inside”, Khoirul instructed his subordinates.

It was not just members of Papernas that were harassed, but also other people in the vicinity who they considered suspicious. Tensions reached a climax when the FPI frisked a Sukoharjo district police intelligence officer that had been guarding the venue from the start. If he was indeed a police officer, the FPI asked the man to show them his identity card.

A National Unity and Social Protection Agency (Kasbang Linmas) official also suffered a similar fate. Becoming suspicious about his actions, the FPI immediately accosted him. As well as examining his identification papers, they also asked for the photographs on his cell phone to be erased. The FPI members even asked the man to take off his shirt and show them a tattoo on his body.

“This is a picture and symbol of the PKI. Because we know that earlier you were inside and now you are going back inside”, asserted one of the FPI members while pointing at the tattoo on the Kasbang Linmas official’s body.

After a short while Sukoharjo Regent Bambang Riyanto arrived. He had come to facilitate a dialogue between the two camps in order to resolve the problem peacefully. This was because Riyanto wanted the situation in Sukoharjo to remain ‘conducive’.

The two parties met at around 11.30am. Papernas eventually agreed not to go ahead with the event and asked its members who were already present to return home. Following this, one by one the FPI members left the location. (mg2/mg3)

[Translated by James Balowski.]