Bakti Buwono Budiastyo, Bantul – Scores of people from Parangkusumo beach in Bantul district, south of the Central Java city of Yogyakarta, besieged the Bantul regent’s office on the early hours of Thursday May 19. At around 1.30am they gave speeches and conveyed their demands in front of the office of the Number 1 person in Bantul.
“We [are] here to demand that the eight residents of Parangkusumo who were arrested by public order agency officers (Satpol PP) must be released immediately”, shouted the coordinator of the action from Free Women (Perempuan Mahardika) and the Parangtritis People’s Alliance Against Evictions (ARMP), Aslihul Fahmi Alia.
The action was marred by tensions when the demonstrators tried to force they way through the entrance gate guarded by PP Satpol officers. The attempt stopped when several local residents, who had been disturbed by the action which had being going on since early morning, arrived unexpectedly and approached the protesters.
The angry residents told the demonstrators to disburse. “[You’re] disturbing us, why [are you] demonstrating for middle of the night. Don’t [you] know the regulations”, shouted a Wintolo (40), a resident of Purahan (sic), Krajan, Bantul. The altercation lasted for around 30 minutes after which local residents made the protesters disburse and return to Parangkusumo.
The protest action was linked to a raid on commercial sex workers (PSK) by Satpol PP officers on Wednesday May 15 at 10pm in Parangkusumo. During the raid, local people resisted with several residents waylaying a Satpol PP vehicle.
Of the 10 sex workers netted in the raid, two were rescued from the Satpol PP officers by the crowd. According to Aslihul, the Satpol PP officers acted in an anarchic manner, injuring several local people who tried to block their way.
“Several of the victims who were injured have already reported to the police (Kretek sectoral police – Ed.)”, she said. Watin, another Parangkusumo resident, they would be coordinating again with their colleagues to decide on what follow up action to take.
Source: Warga Parangkusumo Protes Razia PSK – Tribun Jogja. Kamis, 19 Mei 2011
[Translated by James Balowski.]
