Indra Subagja, Jakarta – The University of Indonesia (UI) will not be giving permission for a concert event titled “Tribute to Munir” at its Depok campus in West Jakarta on February 20. Not surprisingly this has given rise to protests by the wife of the late Munir, Suciwati.

“Their reasons were brief, odd. Their reasons have no grounds, the event is political, what’s political about it?”, said Suciwati when contacted by telephone on Wednesday February 18.

The university has asked that the event be postponed until December 10, 2009. “They say its [too] close to the elections and security disturbance, this is in fact a humanitarian concert. Our event is very different”, she explained.

Suciwati also plans to send a letter explaining the nature of the event to the University of Indonesia rectorate. “The thing that is saddening is this kind of behaviour by campus officials”, she explained. (ndr/nrl)

[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the report was “Suciwati protests banning of Munir event at UI”.]