Activists from the Indonesian Student League for Democracy (LMND) and the National Liberation Party of Unity (Papernas) in the East Kalimantan city of Balikpapan have been the targets of harassment by the local government officials, police and the military (TNI).
The harassment began on June 11 when the LMND’s local office received a letter from the Balikpapan City Islamic Activities Center (Puskib) asking them to “control” the activities of those residing at the secretariat following a report by local Puskib members that it was disturbing the local community. Copies of the letter – which noted that Papernas was an “unregistered” organisation – were also sent to local government officials, the sub-district military command (Koramil), the Babinsa (non-commissioned military officer posted in villages and public security officers (Linmas).
On June 13 the regional leadership board of Papernas was summoned by the local National Elections Commission (KPU) to answer questions about its organisational structure in Balikpapan. However when Papernas member Sa’I went to the KPU offices he was met by a police officer who ask him to write down details of Papernas’s structure and the cell phone numbers of local activists.
On June 14 Papernas treasurer Maria Zahro was contacted on a number of occasions by a police and TNI intelligence officers and asked to meet and discuss Papernas.
At around 2pm on the same day, the LMND secretariat was visited by a Babinsa, two Koramil officers, three security officers, two police officers and two Linmas members who claimed they were checking ID cards. The LMND activists suspected they were conducting a sweep for Papernas members based on the odd nature of the questions asked such as:
Where the Balikpapan Papernas chairperson Ruben was, what are LMND’s activities, whether LMND is a political party, was the Papernas office was located at the LMND secretariat, where the Papernas secretariat is located, why they had no signpost, were they registered with the National Unity and Social Protection Agency (Kesbang), why there were posters on the wall depicting communist figures such as Che Guevara and Hugo Chaves and posters opposing the draft law on the TNI and referring to former President Suharto as a dictator.
Five “punk” members from the Caratecer Arts Studio of the Balikpapan Urban Poor Union (SRMK), Rey, Said, Ono, Andi and Napi, were then taken to the Department of Social Services office on the grounds that they had no ID cards. They were likewise subjected to unusual questions about the Caratecer Arts Studio’s aims and goals, pressured to fill out police reports, asked why they were associating with student activists and about their activities at the LMND secretariat.
On June 15 at around 10.30pm, around 10 civil service police arrived asking questions about where the “punks” were, claiming that they were conducting a law and order campaign against people without ID cards. Several forced their way into the secretariat. This is despite the fact that the LMND secretariat is located alongside the Indonesian National Students Movement (GMNI) secretariat that was not visited.
LMND believes that the series of incidents that have taken place represents physical and psychological intimidated by security personnel against LMND activist, dispute the fact their office is not located close the Papernas offices.
[Abridged translation by James Balowski.]
