[Kabar-indonesia] Indo News - 12/5/05

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- Freedom, up in the air!
- Repression of information, again
- Shopping with Empty Pockets
- Indonesians Ask Why Muslims Turn to Bombs
- Correcting misperceptions of jihad
- Jakarta call to fingerprint 3.5m Islamic pupils
- U.S. takes on key project in tsunami-devastated Indonesian province
- Slack aid groups face boot from Aceh
- Muslim Mob 'Terrorizes' Children in Indonesian Sunday School
- Soldiers interrogated over village attack
- Winston Peters urged to call for release of Timor Leste Truth Commission
Report
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The Jakarta Post.com
Editorial
December 5, 2005
Freedom, up in the air!

This nation is learning -- the tough way -- the hard lessons of democracy.
Each new challenge brings forth a new response that either regresses or
propels this nascent democracy forward.

One of the most important lessons is the dangers of complacency. That the
inherent values that make a true democracy work need continuous
cultivation and activism. We are beginning to understand that no matter
how benevolent our leaders, it is the innate nature of government to
strive to expand its control and assume total domination of the levers of
influence. Even if the ultimate result flies in the face of the very
principles these leaders initially fought for.

Sometimes a sense of righteousness compels so-called "democratic leaders"
to commit the sins of their oppressive predecessors.

Hence, one of the primary components of a democracy is the existence of a
system of checks and balances involving the parliament, judiciary,
electoral system and the media.

Not surprisingly, the corruption of the legislature, emasculation of the
judiciary, manipulation of the electoral system and the cowering of press
were all hallmarks of the New Order's Machiavellian nature.

In 1984, the Ministry of Information issued a regulation that would be the
bane of the Indonesian press for the next 14 years.

The regulation placed a dark cloud of anxiety over the freedom of
expression as the regulation gave the government the absolute right to
summarily revoke the publishing licenses of media outlets, which would
effectively shut offending publications down. Five years later, similar
rules were applied to private TV stations.

It took the fall of the New Order regime and a long overdue wave of
political reform to ensure that freedom of expression began to gain
respect once again in this country. A month after the resignation of
President Soeharto in May 1998, the Ministry of Information regulation was
revoked and replaced a year later by a new Press Law that relieved media
outlets of the need to seek publishing permits from the government.

In 2002, Law No. 32 was passed removing the government's authority to
issue and revoke broadcasting licenses by transferring this power to a new
independent body called the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI).

Commission members must not be members of political parties or the
government, and are selected by the House of Representatives to serve
three-year terms.

In spite of these "milestones", there is ample proof that freedom of
expression and freedom of the press remain more in the way of slogans
rather than actual convictions.

The criminalization of the press during the Tempo court saga and the
conviction of protesters for "slandering" the President are some recent
examples of this reality.

The signing by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of four regulations on
broadcasting (Government Regulations No. 49-52/2005) last month is another
blatant affront to the basic right of expression over the airwaves.

Without going into the details, the regulations -- particularly Government
Regulation No. 50/2005 -- demotes the role of the KPI to that of an
administrative body, while the power to censure and shut down broadcasters
is given to the government. All of which is in violation of the 2002
Broadcasting Law.

The extent of the government's intrusion is such that even changes in
internal rules or appointments to the executive boards of broadcasters
must first be reported to the government (the Minister of Communications
and Information), before being approved by the company's shareholders.

There is also a clear intent to limit the information received by the
public as the regulation forbids the scheduled relay of foreign news
programs.

Unfortunately, these tactics and methods are, sadly, all too familiar.
Control of the print media and airwaves is always the first pillar of
democracy to come under attack.

Like the air we breath, freedom of expression and thought are inalienable
God-given rights that no human being has a right to summarily abrogate.

Only those who sup with the devil -- tyrants and despots -- would say
otherwise.

We applaud the members of the House who have criticized these misconceived
regulations.

We roundly condemn the dismissive manner in which Minister of
Communications and Information Sofyan Djalil brushed off these criticisms
by suggesting that those who object could still challenge the regulations
in the Supreme Court.

We -- all people who believe in freedom of expression -- will certainly
act on Sofyan's suggestion. And maybe at the same time consider the need
for the replacement of a minister who could so blindly defend such
blatantly retrograde regulations.

At a time when we thought freedom of expression was finally becoming
safely anchored in our nation, we suddenly realize that everything is
still up in the air.

We can never afford to be so complacent again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Jakarta Post.com
Opinion
December 5, 2005
Repression of information, again
Abdullah Alamudi, Jakarta

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has turned the clock back more than 40
years to the time when the late President Sukarno, during the height of
his Ganyang (Crush) Malaysia Campaign in 1963, orally banned Indonesians
from listening to western broadcasts.

Susilo went even further. He issued regulations that prohibit private
broadcasting stations from relaying regular news broadcasts transmitted by
foreign media, depriving the public the right to immediate and direct
access to information. Millions of Indonesians throughout this vast
archipelago will soon be unable to get alternative sources of information.
Voice of America's Indonesian language service is relayed by some 160
private radio stations, the BBC has 86 partners; It is not clear how many
private radio stations relay Radio Australia, Germany's Deutsche Welle and
the Netherlands' Radio Hilversum.

It will be interesting to see the reactions of taxpayers from Indonesia's
donor countries when they realize that this government is imposing a
blanket censorship on news and current affairs broadcast by their
respective radio and television stations.

The local private radio stations are merely trying to meet their audiences
continuous demand for more international news and news about Indonesia as
seen from a non-Indonesian perspective. The vast majority of Indonesians
are hungry for information -- a commodity they were deprived of for 32
years during the Soeharto's era and further during parts of the Sukarno
era. They want to know more about sports, especially reports on
international soccer, and they want the program English on Radio, which
usually follows the news and current affairs broadcasts by the western
radio stations. They also want to listen to the Science and Technology
program, one of the most popular after the news.

Soon, there will be no more relays of regular news programs for local
radio stations when the regulation is implemented. It may also deprive
viewers of Kabelvision and Indovision, which broadcast ABC, BBC, CNN, Fox
News, CNBC, and many other international television stations.

Article 17 (5.a.) of the Government Regulation No. 50/05 on Private
Broadcast Institutions, signed by President Susilo on Nov. 16, stipulates
that: "Private Broadcasting Institutions are forbidden to relay regular
broadcast programs originating from foreign broadcasting institutions,
which include program types: a. news; b. music programs with improper
performances; and c. sports broadcasts which show sadistic acts."

Those who violate this ruling will be given administrative sanctions in
the form of a temporary ban, article 51 of the Regulation states.

It is not clear why the government took such a repressive act in this age
of press freedom and the public outcry for freedom of information. What is
clear, though, is that in its dictum on consideration, the regulation only
mentioned Article 5 (2) of the 1945 Constitution, which empowers the
government to issue regulations. It did not, however make any reference
whatsoever to Article 28 and 28-F of the Constitution, which acknowledge
the right of every person to communicate and to seek information. Article
28-F is more or less adopted from Article 19 of the UN Charter on Human
Rights.

The regulation also fails to include in its consideration Article 28-I of
the Constitution, which deals with human rights. The article stipulates:
"(1) The right to live, the right not to be tortured, the right to a free
mind and conscience ... are human rights that can not be taken away
regardless of the situation."

Back in the 2001-2002 period, during the deliberation of the Broadcast
Bill (now Law No. 32/2002 on Broadcasting), the Coalition for the Public's
Right to Information, which includes the Indonesian Press and Broadcast
Society (MPPI), Komunikasi Universitas Indonesia, Alliance of Independent
Journalists (AJI), the Institute of Free Flow of Information Studies
(ISAI) and many more NGOs, strongly rejected the inclusion of an article
in the Bill which limits news relays. But the coalition was defeated and
that became Article 40 of Law No. 32/2002.

Point (2) of the article stipulates that, "Broadcast relays used as
regular programs, be they domestic or foreign products, shall be limited."
Point (3) states: "Broadcast relays as regular programs from foreign
broadcasting institutions, should be limited in duration, type and
number."

The new regulation does not limit news programs regularly relayed by local
radio stations, it bans them entirely. One then may ask, how repressive
can this government get?

The enactment of the four Regulations (Concerning: Guidelines for Foreign
Broadcasting Coverage; Private Broadcasting; Community Broadcasting; and
Pay TV), has boosted the power of the Department of Communication and
Information (Kominfo), and usurps some of the power of the Independent
Broadcasting Commission (KPI), making it a mere messenger boy. Many media
observers say that Kominfo has now become the reincarnation of the
repressive Department of Information (Deppen) under former President
Soeharto.

The KPI, when first established by the Broadcast Law of 2002, was
originally to be become an independent regulatory body, similar to that of
the FCC in the U.S., or the Office of Communication (formerly Independent
Television Communication and Radio Authority) in UK, or the Australian
Broadcasting Authority, or the Canadian Radio and Television Commission.
But KPI's power and authority have now been stripped away by the latest
government regulation on broadcasting, to be mere a body to receive
application documents for radio spectrum frequency allocations, make
recommendations to the Kominfo Minister and pass on the minister's reply
to the applicants.

Media observers here also believe that legally, Kominfo cannot deprive KPI
of its power because under the Indonesian legal system, the position of
the Broadcast Law is higher than the Government Regulation. Its rulings
must not supercede a higher law. However, many will recall that Article 28
of the 1945 Constitution, which respects press freedom, was also highly
regarded during the Soeharto era, but at the same time it was still
violated. Many newspapers and magazines were closed down during his
32-year reign. So, since President Susilo has turned the clock back more
than 40 years, will history repeat itself?
-- The writer is a lecturer at the Dr. Soetomo Press Institute, Jakarta,
and member of the Press and Broadcast Society of Indonesia (MPPI). He can
be reached at abdullahalamudi@
.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tempo Magazine
No. 14/VI/Dec 06 - 12, 2005
National
Post-Military Embargo
Shopping with Empty Pockets
-- Indonesia is ready to go shopping after the US withdrew its military
embargo. Spare parts for existing aircraft will be prioritized.

THE thunder of jet engines shook the Madiun skies on Wednesday last week.
The deafening noise came from the engines of Indonesian Air Force fighter
jets that were flying from the Iswahyudi Air Base. From the observation
tower, dozens of robust young men on the ground could be seen absorbed
watching the maneuvers of the Skyhawk Mk-53s, F-5s and F-16s. They were
the pilots who failed to get a turn to fly today and instead were ordered
to observe their colleagues’ performance in the air.

This is a routine activity at the base. When a group of pilots is
struggling out of their cockpits, most of their colleagues can only
observe from the ground because the base has been forced to economize on
flight quotas.

Whereas in reality a jet fighter pilot should fly an aircraft every day,
the military embargo imposed by the United States since 1999 has made
intensive training prohibitive because the lack of spare parts has
prevented many aircraft from flying.

At the Iswahyudi Air Base for example, there are three fighter squadrons
of 30 aircraft. Since the embargo however, only 50 percent remain
airworthy. The remainder must lie idle in the hangers or must be
“cannibalized” in order that others remain operational.

As a result, the base can only afford to fly six to eight sorties (takeoff
and landing) a day meaning only six to eight planes can be used for daily
training. This is despite the fact that the number of pilots at the base
is three times the number of aircraft.

The problem has even had an impact on the pilots’ careers. Those who have
recently graduated from flight school—provisional pilots—now need
one-and-a-half to two years to rise to the rank of a senior pilot. If all
of the aircraft were operational they would need less than six months to
achieve the minimal level of 100 flying hours.

“Even target practice, which should be able to be conducted every month,
is now only able to be conducted once every two months,” Air Force Third
Squadron Commander Lt. Col. Andyawan told Tempo.

Washington’s military embargo has indeed weakened Indonesia’s defensive
capacity. The air force felt the heaviest blow because the majority of its
aircraft such as the F-16s, F-5s, Skyhawk Mk-53s and Hercules transport
planes are British and US-made. Department of Defense records show that 60
percent of Indonesia’s weaponry originates from Uncle Sam. The embargo has
resulted in only 40 percent of this number being operational. The
remainder are left in the hangers or cannibalized in order that others can
be kept operational.

This worrying situation, however, may be coming to an end. Two weeks ago
the US reopened the channel for weapons purchases through a special
military program. Washington has also promised it will endeavor to assist
in the modernization of Indonesia’s military.

These changes however, will not take place very soon. The Department of
Defense’s pockets—the main channel for overseas weapons purchases—appear
to be rather empty this year. Director-General for Defense Equipment, Rear
Air Marshal Pieter Wattimena, says that a budget of Rp23.64 trillion from
the State Budget is too small to purchase all of the spare parts needed.
“How can [we] buy weapons if the budget still includes soldiers’ wages?”
Pieter said to Tempo on Tuesday last week.

The inadequacy of the budget has resulted in the Defense Department not
planning to buy any new planes from America to replace its ailing fleet of
F-16s and F-5s for the next five years. Last Thursday, Defense Minister
Juwono Sudarsono said that they would instead prioritize existing
budgetary funds to “breathe life” back into the aircraft that are idle.

The main priority is the purchase of spare parts for Hercules C-130
transport planes. At present Indonesia has 14 C-130s although only six of
these can take to the air. With the withdrawal of the embargo says Juwono,
it is hoped that around two or three more C-130s can be operational within
six months to a year.

In addition to C-130 spare parts, the department will also purchase spare
parts for the F-16s. It is hoped that in this way two aircraft a year can
be made operational again so that by 2009 Indonesia’s entire fleet of
F-16s can return to their duties of safeguarding the archipelago.

These plans, however,—that will bring a wide smile to the pilots at
Madiun—are yet to be finalized as the costs and benefits are still being
calculated. The thing is that it appears that the plan to augment
Indonesia’s fleet of Sukhoi fighters from Russia has yet to be removed
from the agenda. At present the air force has four Sukhoi jets in its
hangars and the target is for Indonesia to be able to own one squadron of
Sukhoi or 12 aircraft.

The calculations also have to take into account that if the cost of
purchasing one Sukhoi is the same as repairing three F-16s, then the
choice is to repair the aging “eagles.” With regard to the Sukhoi fighters
meanwhile, the Defense Department is in the process of looking into the
possibility of purchasing spare parts from India, which already holds a
license to produce Sukhoi jets.

Air Force Chief of Staff, Marshal Djoko Suyanto, says that they are
presently sounding out the idea. “If the spare parts from India are
cheaper than from Russia, why wouldn’t we buy them there?” Djoko said at
Cilangkap on Wednesday last week. However it has been determined that the
plan cannot be realized for another four years because India is busy
meeting its domestic needs.

The Defense Department will also send a technical team to countries where
aircraft and spare parts owned by Indonesia are still being withheld as a
result of the embargo. In Los Angeles for example, an F-5E and its spare
parts have been impounded since 1990. These spare parts along with spare
parts for F-16s and Skyhawks are also impounded in Britain, Belgium,
Brazil, South Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand and Singapore.

The air force’s rush to go shopping after the embargo was withdrawn has
not taken place in the other branches of the military. The head of the
navy’s information office, First Admiral Abdul Malik Yusuf, says that the
navy has not been too worried over the embargo because Indonesia only has
10 US-made ships. Out of the 114 ships owned by the navy, 39 are
German-made while the remainder are from South Korea or produced
domestically. Nevertheless, this does not mean that the navy has never had
any plans to buy equipment from America. Malik says that they had looked
into purchasing tank landing craft made by the US but the plan has yet to
get the green light.

Be as it may, all the Defense Department and the Indonesian Military’s
plans are still dependent on the size of the budget. Joko Susilo, a member
of the House of Representatives’ (DPR) Commission on Defense, admits that
the existing budget is indeed inadequate. He believes that the amount
could be augmented providing that state finances are sufficient. According
to Joko, it is because of this that the Defense Department has acted
wisely in prioritizing the purchase of spare parts to repair existing
aircraft rather than buying new weaponry or aircraft.

When the spare parts for the old fighter planes have been purchased, the
queue of pilots waiting at the air force’s fighter jet bases will shrink
and the thundering noise in the skies of Madiun will grow ever louder.
-- Deddy Sinaga, Agriceli, Fanny Febiana, Rohman Taufiq (Madiun)
**********
What Remains from US and Allied Country Purchases
Military Equipment                 Total             Condition
Air Force
F-16 Fighter Jets                10 planes    6 non-operational
F-5 Fighter Jets                  12 planes    6 non-operational
Hawk Mk-53 Fighter Jets     8 planes    3 non-operational
Hercules C-130                  14 planes  10 non-operational
Navy  Warship                    10 ships         Good
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Indonesians Ask Why Muslims Turn to Bombs
By Robin McDowell, Associated Press Writer
Sun Dec 4, 3:45 PM ET

Pamarican, Indonesia - Aip Hidayat was a devout Muslim but showed no signs
of fanaticism. He did not force his younger sister to wear a headscarf,
chastise friends for skipping prayers or get into fiery debates about the
U.S. war in Iraq. Yet the 21-year-old became the seventh person to carry
out a suicide bombing in Indonesia, something many said was inconceivable
just a few years ago.

Hidayat's mother says al-Qaida-linked terrorists recruited her eldest son
as a foot soldier for their "holy war," poisoning his views on Islam so he
would take part in triple suicide bombings on Oct. 1 that killed 20 people
on the resort island of Bali.

"They used him," Siti Rokayah, 40, said quietly, sitting on a straw mat in
a cramped two bedroom hut, photographs of a smiling and carefree Hidayat
scattered before her. "I hope whoever did this to my son will be arrested
and punished."

Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim nation, but most people here
practice a moderate form of the faith.

Still, militant Islam appears to be gaining a strong foothold, with five
deadly attacks targeting Western interests since 2002. More than 240
people have died, many of them Indonesians.

The secular government has responded by launching its first-ever campaign
against hard-line interpretations of Islam — something it shied away from
doing in the past for fear of being seen as subservient to the United
States.

"What is happening is that today we arrest 10 people, but the ideology
continues and the extremists can recruit 50 more people," Vice President
Yusuf Kalla said, calling on Islamic leaders and politicians to help
change that.

For emphasis, he showed them videotaped confessions of Hidayat and the two
other Bali bombers, some of them laughing and saying they expected to go
to heaven the next day.

"Not just me, but the clerics, too, were shocked," Kalla said.

The Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist network first emerged in the early 1990s
with the goal of creating an Islamic state across Southeast Asia. But it
has been reinvigorated by U.S. foreign policy in     Israel and the wars
in Iraq and     Afghanistan.

"They see themselves as fighting a new world battle. ... They say, we can
attack civilians anywhere, just as Americans attack Muslim civilians all
over the world," said Nasir Abbas, a key Jemaah Islamiyah operative until
his arrest in 2003 on immigration charges.

"They say their intention is not to kill Muslims ... but (the) feeling is:
'We are in battle, we use anything we have, anything we are able to do, we
do,'" said Abbas, who cooperating with police to expose the inner workings
of the network.

Hundreds of Jemaah Islamiyah members have been arrested in a regionwide
crackdown and the remaining leaders are on the run, making it hard but not
impossible to find new recruits — as the Oct. 1 bombings showed.

In the past, the group relied heavily on a handful of Islamic high schools
committed to jihadist principles — the most notorious of which was founded
by the group's alleged spiritual leader, Abu Bakar Bashir. It is now under
close government watch.

They appear now to be turning to people like Hidayat who, at least
outwardly, showed no militant tendencies.

"In at least a couple of cases, it looks like they're going after the
lowest common denominator, relatively simple village boys, and recruiting
them with frightening ease and dizzying speed," said Ken Conboy, author of
several books on Southeast Asian terrorism.

"Sometimes the guy's gone for just a few weeks or months and he's
strapping bombs to his back."

Among the promises made to the would-be bombers is that martyrdom is a
fast track to heaven — not just for them, but for 72 of their relatives,
he and others say.

Such a message would resonate with many young men whose families have
lived for generations in the same poor village and see little hope of ever
making something of themselves, said Solahudin Wahid, vice chairman of the
country's largest Islamic organization Nadhlatul Ulama.

"Some of these young men don't have a deep knowledge of Islam and can
easily be brainwashed into militancy," he said. "They are easily
tantalized. Now it's our turn to teach them. Islam is not like that.
Muslims are not allowed to attack if not attacked themselves."

Still, family and friends in Hidayat's village of Pamarican, surrounded by
terraced rice paddies and rich tropical brush, do not understand how it
happened to one of their own boys.

Though they acknowledge seeing little of Hidayat after he left for Islamic
boarding school in 2000, they described the oldest of five children as a
shy but serious young man, a good student who might one day become a
teacher.

"As a father, what was happened with Aip has made me very worried. Can
terrorists do the same to my son?" said Yayat Suhayat, a neighbor and
father of three.

"All parents here have learned a very important lesson. We have to keep a
closer eye on our children. ... We can't lose contact with them for even
one day."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tempo Magazine
No. 13/VI/Nov 29 - Dec 05, 2005
Correcting misperceptions of jihad
AsiaViews, Edition: 47/II/Dec/2005
-- The Religious Affairs Department established a team to deal with
terrorism, like correcting the jihad concept to be in line with the
teachings of the Qur’an. A good move except for the inclusion of the MUI.

After repeated suicide bombings in the name of jihad, the Religious
Affairs Department has set up a team to deal with terrorism. Despite the
good intentions—explaining the true meaning of jihad, counseling errant
believers on suicides and correcting misperceptions about passages in the
Holy Book—some people oppose the establishment of this team. This shows
that the bombings are a sensitive issue for Muslims, that there is as yet
no common understanding and that efforts to create this common
understanding still have far to go.

It started with Vice President Jusuf Kalla inviting Islamic scholars to
his official residence. There, he showed a VCD of the statements made by
the perpetrators of the October 1 Bali bombings. This recording showed the
danger posed by the terrorists and their interpretation of the word jihad.
They urged jihad, and a masked man, thought to be Noordin M. Top, called
for a campaign of global terror.

The terrorism team set up by the government is led by the chairman of the
Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI) Fatwa Commission, Maruf Amin.
Organizations grouped in the team include Nahdlatul Ulama, Muhammadiyah,
the MUI, the Indonesian Association of Muslim Intellectuals and the
Indonesian Islamic Proselytizing Council. Representatives from these
organizations sit on the team as deputy chairmen, and include Ahmad Bagja,
Husni Toyar, Cholil Ridwan, Atok Muzhar, and Azyumardi Azra.

But not all components of the Islamic community support this team. The
Indonesian Mujahidin Council has already voiced its disagreement, and the
chairman of its executive council, Irfan S. Awwas, said he regretted the
involvement of the MUI in the team. He accused the MUI of being unfair
when it called the convicted Bali bombers terrorists. This is strange,
given that these people are currently on death row.

Thankfully, the team was not influenced by this “protest.” It should act
quickly because terrorism has been a problem for several years now. Apart
from condemning the bombings, there has been no systematic action by
Islamic groups to prevent the spread of the teaching that “suicide
bombings are a part of jihad justified by religion.” Religious scholars
have long been debating the meaning of jihad, but they have not produced a
solution that is needed to combat deviant opinions.

The anti-terrorism team must immediately act in the provinces, including
visiting Islamic boarding schools to correct misperceptions of jihad and
terrorism. This activity should not be seen as labeling these schools as
nests of terror, but an effort to involve them in spreading the correct
teachings about jihad and terrorism.

In the context of a nation safe from war such as Indonesia, jihad must be
interpreted not as taking up arms, but as fighting poverty and ignorance,
pursuing knowledge, using wealth in the way of Allah, donating land for
religious purposes and all actions that increase human dignity—especially
that of Muslims.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Australian
Jakarta call to fingerprint 3.5m Islamic pupils
Sian Powell, Jakarta correspondent
December 06, 2005

Indonesian Vice-President Jusuf Kalla has called for the compulsory
fingerprinting of 3.5 million students in the country's Islamic boarding
schools – a move that has sparked outrage across the archipelago.

Attempting to deflect criticism, Mr Kalla told reporters the move was not
related to terrorism.

"Don't connect this with terrorism – this is only in relation to
identification," Mr Kalla said.

However, the move follows his decision to ask Indonesia's ruling Islamic
body, the extremely conservative Muslim Council of Scholars (MUI), to
monitor the curriculums of Islamic boarding schools and to publicise an
anti-terror fatwa, or decree.

There are about 15,000 Islamic boarding schools across Indonesia. Despite
their numbers, however, they are on the defensive because so many
extremists connected with the terror network Jemaah Islamiah are the
alumni of certain Islamic boarding schools.

Mr Kalla's steps to contain militant schools have been closely watched in
Indonesia, the fourth-most populous Islamic nation in the world, where
extremist Islam is closely connected with militants and where Muslims
remain wary of any criticism of their religion.

Indonesia has yet to formally ban the JI organisation, but measures to
restrict the teaching in extremist schools have been welcomed.

Conservative Muslims, however, have slammed Mr Kalla's moves.

"Why search for terrorists with terror?" asked Israd Fikria, a teacher
from the notorious Ngruki boarding school, which has educated as many as
30 militants accused and convicted of terrorism.

"We should be partners. We are only providing a normal education. It is
said there are alumni of Islamic boarding schools who later become
terrorists, but how can one or two people represent thousands?"

MUI secretary-general Mohammad Ichwan Sam said fingerprinting had already
occurred in one Islamic boarding school, or pesantren.

"It has happened," he said. "Don't let it spread. It has to be stopped.
What happened in Cianjur (a town in West Java) must be the first and
last."

The International Crisis Group has reported on an "ivy league" of Islamic
boarding schools, which produced militants.

More than 30 accused and convicted militants attended the Ngruki Islamic
boarding school in Central Java, founded by convicted extremist preacher
Abu Bakar Bashir.

Since the second Bali bombings in October, the Indonesian Government has
taken steps to crack down on the schools.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
U.S. takes on key project in tsunami-devastated Indonesian province
By Denis D. Gray, Associated Press
9:54 a.m. December 3, 2005

On the Banda Aceh-Meulaboh Road, Indonesia – Concrete bridges weighing
hundreds of tons were swept away like bathtub toys. The roadbed vanished
or was chopped up into islands of asphalt to which homeless, hungry and
injured survivors retreated, waiting for U.S. helicopters to spot them and
deliver aid.

This was the scene along a vital lifeline in the days after the Indian
Ocean tsunami devastated the western coast of Indonesia's Aceh province,
killing more than 130,000 people.

Today, children are again being bused to school and vendors motor fish to
markets via this coastal artery, which passes by tents, crude huts and
makeshift houses for villagers still reeling from the Dec. 26 disaster. It
skirts tsunami-spawned pools of fetid seawater and twists around
spectacular headlands that plunge into the sea.

"We consider the road, as do all the Acehnese, the economic backbone of
the province," said William M. Frej, director of USAID operations in
Indonesia. "I cannot think of a more vital project that any government can
undertake now in that province."

It was the U.S. government that latched onto the $245 million road project
as the centerpiece of a post-tsunami aid package that Frej says is
benefiting nearly 600,000 victims.

By mid-2009 a new 149-mile road will link the provincial capital of Banda
Aceh to the key port town of Meulaboh. For now, a 50-mile stretch of the
old road has been patched up or built anew, with 70 percent of the workers
recruited from the jobless roadside villagers.

Anti-American feelings can still run high in the world's largest Muslim
nation, but B. Lynn Pascoe, the U.S. ambassador to Jakarta, said it's
notable that he's not hearing any conspiracy theories about the aid.

"I don't know the last time when we had someone say or write something
like, 'The Americans are doing something devious with that road.' If they
did, the Acehnese would laugh them out of the room," he said.

As three fishing boats in the village of Kuala unloaded their catch and
vehicles prepared to drive it to market, Adami, a young sailor, said
reopening the road has raised incomes and hopes in his village which lost
350 of its 800 people, including 13 members of his family.

"We don't care about American policies or politics. We care that the
Americans are helping us and that makes us very happy," said Adami, who
like many Indonesians uses only one name.

With two wicker baskets full of crabs slung across the back seat of his
motorcycle, Rusdi Junus stopped to rest after plowing through pools of
high-tide water on the old tsunami road. The 32-year-old merchant said he
didn't know which country had restored the road, which now provides him
access to markets but is still slow and difficult going.

"I don't care who will build this new road," he said. "All I want is a
good one."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Courier Mail
Slack aid groups face boot from Aceh
By Sian Powell in Jakarta
06dec05

Non-Performing aid organisations could soon be thrown out of Indonesia's
tsunami-devastated province of Aceh, the chief of the Government's Aceh
reconstruction agency, Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, said yesterday.

"I've just got a list of NGOs that don't perform, don't deliver. I'm still
finalising it," he said.

Aid organisations registered in Aceh, and with staff in Aceh, must have
continuing projects, he said. If they had no approved projects, visas for
their staff would be revoked.

Dr Mangkusubroto also said aid organisations - including large ones - that
had promised to build a certain number of houses, and had failed in their
aims, would be dealt with.

Their projects would be taken away from them and reallocated.

As many as 480 aid organisations have registered in Aceh, and many are
awash with donations, but deficient in expertise, development experts say.
Reconstruction aid has become critical with the looming monsoon.

Dr Mangkusubroto said the lack of housing in Aceh was still critical, with
570,000 people still homeless, including 67,000 still living in tents,
many of them in appalling conditions.

As many as 170,000 people were killed in Aceh in the Boxing Day tsunami
last year, and tens of thousands more lost their land and livelihoods.
Eleven months on from the disaster, criticism has begun to sharpen at the
slow pace of renewal.

The Aceh Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency (BRR), in charge of the
massive job of co-ordinating the reconstruction effort, has the power to
expel aid organisations.

No aid organisations were named yesterday, but it is understood that
certain Christian-based organisations are on Dr Mangkusubroto's list.

He is known for plain speaking and for his energetic push to get
reconstruction moving in Aceh.

"I found out that only a small fraction of (the NGOs who had pledged
housing) had already delivered the houses," he explained at a press
briefing in Jakarta yesterday. "I can say that in general, the small NGOs,
they actually are the performers; they are the ones who build houses.
Those who pledged more than 1000 houses, they don't deliver."

Part of the problem lay with aid organisations that expected their staff
to oversee massive building projects, when actually they were more expert
in social work, Dr Mangkusubroto said.

"Sometimes those NGOs don't have the capacity to build houses," he
explained, adding that BRR had set up a department to assist aid
organisations deficient in building expertise.

Dr Mangkusubroto said 16,000 houses had been built in Aceh, a number
disputed by development experts, who argue that fewer than 3000 permanent
houses have been built. A further 70,000 houses were planned next year.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[note: date for this article was not available on CrossWalk.com’s website]

Crosswalk News
Muslim Mob 'Terrorizes' Children in Indonesian Sunday School
Sherrie Gossett
Staff Writer

(CNSNews.com) - Approximately 30 Christian children fled in panic after a
mob of Islamic militants raided and vandalized their Sunday school class,
which was being held in a private home last weekend in Curug, Indonesia,
according to a Christian group called Voice of the Martyrs (VOM).

The violence came less than a month after three teenaged Christian
schoolgirls were attacked and beheaded as they walked through a cocoa
plantation on their way to school. One girl's severed head was reportedly
placed in front of a church, eight miles from where the bodies were found,
in what locals viewed as a stark warning to Christians.

VOM reported that in the most recent incident, the mob "terrorized" the
children at the Curug Sunday school class and destroyed several desks and
chairs, guitars, a keyboard, organ and fan in the classroom. Voice of the
Martyrs is a Christian organization that documents persecution of
believers.

The children began to flee in panic, according to VOM, after which the mob
then allegedly evicted the remaining adults and children from the home "by
force" and "sealed" it by plastering posters denouncing the school over
the doors of the building.

Glen Penner, spokesman for VOM, forwarded a detailed message he received
about the incident to the Cybercast News Service .

The email quoted Peter Mendrofa, one of the Sunday school teachers as
saying, "That incident was so quick. ... Some of them asked us to stop our
Christian activities there while the rest were destroying our inventory
inside the house."

Anton Neta, one of the Sunday school workers, said a few months ago that
the Christian group signed an agreement with "local inhabitants" promising
the house "would be emptied on January 1st 2006."

Neta said that despite the agreement the mob went ahead and raided the
house anyway.

The Christian group has been using the house for religious activities
since 1992. Sunday's reported raid was the first such incident against the
home.

Local authorities in Indonesia are coming under increasing criticism for
insisting that recent attacks in the area were due to political rather
than religious motivations. However, the region has a long history of
religious motivated violence. Others suggest that the two motives can't
always be separated.

Julian Dobbs, New Zealand director of the humanitarian group, Barnabas
Fund, returned this week from meeting with the families of the beheaded
schoolgirls. Dobbs said that government officials and other leaders are
"terrified by the more radical elements of Islam," resulting in
persecution of Christians going unreported and unnoticed by western
governments and much of the public.

The Barnabas Fund provides financial aid and prayer for persecuted
Christians around the world.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Jakarta Post.com
National Scene
December 5, 2005
Soldiers interrogated over village attack

Makassar, South: Five days after dozens of soldiers rampaged through a
village in Jeneponto regency, South Sulawesi, the military has identified
just three of the attackers.

The head of the Wirabuana Military Command overseeing Sulawesi island,
Maj. Gen. Arief Budi Sampurno, said on Sunday the three soldiers were
being interrogated by the Military Police.

He said one of the soldiers had admitted to taking part in last Tuesday's
attack on Banri Manurung village in West Bangkala district by about 25
members of the 700th Infantry Battalion.

"He called me up and confessed to carrying out the outrageous act, as well
as apologizing to me," Arief said.

However, he said asking for forgiveness did not mean the soldier would not
be punished.

Arief said it would be difficult to identify everyone involved in the
attack, which left five villagers injured and 82 houses damaged, because
those suspects who had been identified were reluctant to inform on their
fellow soldiers.

The rampage was triggered by a rumored attack on a soldier who reportedly
hit a villager with his vehicle.
-- JP
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Press Release: Indonesia Human Rights Committee
Monday, 5 December 2005, 2:39 pm
Winston Peters urged to call for release of Timor Leste Truth Commission
Report

The Indonesia Human Rights Committee has called on the Foreign Minister
and the Prime Minister to urge the Government of Timor Leste to release
the report of the Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation

The 2,500 page report of the independent truth commission has just been
presented to Timor Leste's parliament and it does not spare the western
nations who gave military and diplomatic backing to Indonesia as well as
the role of arms corporations that profited from the sale of weapons to
Indonesia. The report recommends that these nations and corporations pay
reparations to the victims of human rights violations as part of their
duty to "uphold the highest principles of world order and peace."

President Xanana Gusmao is reluctant to release the report, presumably for
fear of offending Timor Leste's neighbours. However, New Zealand should
indicate that it is in support of truth and not afraid to face up to its
complicity in the Indonesian invasion and occupation of Timor Leste.

New Zealand gave Indonesia military training and vital diplomatic support
throughout the whole period of the Indonesian occupation. New Zealand
tailored its responses carefully to avoid all but the mildest criticism of
Indonesia's action at the time of the invasion. In 1978 while a brutal war
was at its height New Zealand declared that the occupation was
"irreversible". New Zealand did not vote for a single one of the ten UN
resolutions supporting the right of the Timorese people to
self-determination.

The report also recommends that those responsible for war crimes in Timor
Leste are brought justice. This would help to end the dangerous culture of
military impunity in Indonesia and would support the people of West Papua
who continue to live under conditions of harsh military oppression.

New Zealand should add its weight to the calls of human rights groups in
Timor Leste, Indonesia and around the world who are calling for the
release of the report and for justice for all the victims of human rights
abuses.