Jakarta – As many as 18 people from the People’s Struggle Front (FPR) were arrested by the Metro Jaya police at a protest action in front of the US Embassy in Gambir, Central Jakarta.
The arrests were made after scores of demonstrators from the FPR opposed the 60th Asia-Africa Conference (KAA) being held in the West Java provincial capital of Bandung saying it has deviated from the principal ideals of the founding conference in 1955 that opposed all forms of domination and colonialism.
The FPR said that the KKA is now no more that a ceremonial even and is ridden with political interests seeking to consolidate countries under the domination of US imperialism. The KAA no longer has any sensitivity towards of the suffering of the ordinary people in colonised and semi-colonised countries in Asia and Africa, which have simply become cash cows for other countries.
People’s Movement Alliance for Agrarian Reform (AGRA) secretary general Rahmat Ajiguna stated that the arrest of the FPR activists is an anti-democratic act by the administration of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo.
“Jokowi is blocking the Indonesian people’s democratic movement, expressing an opinion is a right and the state is obliged to protect it, but in fact it is instead muzzling it just because we are opposing foreign domination of Indonesia”, he said when MRB contacted him by phone.
FPR coordination Rudi HB Daman meanwhile stated that they would defend and advocate for the arrested protesters. Daman also said that “Jokowi has shown that his government places more importance on investment than people’s development and the KAA is only a stage for Jokowi to further promote Indonesia to investors”.
The KAA is indeed take place at the same times as the World Economic Forum that will be held at the Shangri-la Hotel in Jakarta.
As of going to print, all of the arrested protesters were still being held by the Metro Jaya regional police.
The following is a list of those arrested by police: Ali Paganum, Marjenab, Wahyu, Rendy, Harto, La Ode Nuralim, Yopihari, Aswin, Juned, M Saiful, Juyun, Ujang Abdul Gafur, Arif Triyamayadi, Siti Habibah, Azwin, Unai Sugiarto and Helda Prasetya. (MRB)
Notes
The first Asia-Africa Conference was held in Bandung in 1955 by Indonesia’s first president Sukarno and led to the birth of the Non-Aligned Movement.
[Translated by James Balowski for the Indoleft News Service. The original title of the report was 18 Orang ditangkap Polda Metro Jaya, Dilarang Aksi Menentang KAA.]
