Successful Indonesian/East Timor actions in Jakarta

By James Balowski In successful joint actions, Indonesian and East Timorese activists have managed for the first time to focus the spotlight — in the Indonesian press and public — on their demand that Indonesia withdraw from East Timor. The joint actions began on December 7 in the Dutch and Russian embassies in Jakarta. The 58 activists, who entered the Russian embassy on December 7, were arrested when they left the next day. They were later released, and the Indonesian leaders of the action were able to hold a press conference in Jakarta. The East Timorese were taken to inter-city bus stations and set back to their campuses in East Java. Twenty nine Indonesian and 27 Timorese activists in the Dutch embassy were arrested on December 9 when Dutch diplomats allowed Indonesian police into the compound. They were still in custody on December 10, but are expected to be released also. Another nine people, including seven activists, were arrested attempting to enter the embassies. They are still being detained. Budiman Sudjatmiko, president of the People's Democratic Union (PRD), told Green Left Weekly after his release that the PRD would not give up on its campaign against the Indonesian government's occupation in East Timor. "We will continue this struggle and the struggle for democratisation in Indonesia, including the repeal of all repressive political laws. We are now demanding that all our members and East Timorese friends still detained be released immediately." The PRD, which coordinated the embassy occupations, was formed in 1994 and is an umbrella organisation supported by the Centre for Labour Struggle (PPBI), Student Solidarity for Indonesian Democracy (SMID), National Peasants Union, the Peoples Art Network and the Indonesian People's Solidarity Struggle with the Maubere People (SPRIM). For several months PRD and its affiliated organisations have been building an East Timor solidarity campaign in Indonesia. In a pre-recorded video interview sent to Green Left Dita Sari, the PPBI general secretary explained that the December 7 embassy sit-ins were a part of a campaign to raise awareness among Indonesian workers, students and farmers about the similarity between their struggle for greater freedoms and the repression and violence experienced by the East Timorese. "The bullets which riddle the bodies of Maubere patriots are the same bullets which kill Indonesian pro-democratic activists", she said. Both embassy break-ins began around 4.20am. Shortly after, large numbers of military and police surrounded the embassies. A number of other Timorese activists, not associated with the PRD occupations were arrested on the same day. Amnesty International reported that one person was arrested on his way to Jakarta and another outside the Thai embassy. Fifty others are believed to have been arrested outside the French Embassy. Unlike other recent embassy break-ins, the protesters did not request political asylum. Dita Sari told Green Left Weekly that this was quite intentional. "The actions were specifically designed to pressure the government to address our demands and to promote an awareness in Indonesian society of the plight of the East Timorese people." Placards and banners erected at the embassies took up similar demands. Around mid-afternoon on December 7 pro-government thugs had arrived at both embassies and began yelling pro-integration slogans and abusing and threatening the activists inside. Many were armed with knives, clubs and sticks. Although there were no incidents at the Russian embassy, violence erupted at the Dutch embassy after youths began by throwing rocks and then forced their way into the building to search for the activists who, by then, had been taken inside by the embassy staff. During the ensuing confrontation, eight activists and four embassy staff were injured. The first incident took place while security personal stood by. A second attack, at 5pm, resulted in more injuries. Again, police took no action. Foreign minister Ali Alitas initially dismissed the incidents, but later said that "it did not need to have happened". He did not comment on the security forces' lack of action. On December 8, the duplicity of the Indonesian regime was revealed again. Under pressure from embassy staff, activists negotiated with the military and reached an agreement for them to be taken by bus to the nearby Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation. Police prevented the bus, which arrived at 6pm, from entering the embassy grounds and forced the demonstrators to walk through the abusive crowd of youths outside. Contrary to the agreement, five police forced their way onto the bus just before it departed. The bus did not reach its destination. Instead, it veered off just before the Indonesia Hotel and took the protesters to army intelligence headquarters. They were released the next day.