[Kabar-indonesia] Indo News - 3/8/06 (Part 2 of 2)

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- Ambon and law enforcement
- The Situation in Ambon / Moluccas – Report No. 505
- The Situation In Ambon / Moluccas – Report No. 506
- Why Indonesia is of much interest to a leading US commander
- Indonesian women rally against anti-pornography bill
- Exxon says Aceh torture lawsuit sets dangerous precedent
- Indonesia: Jakarta's Economic Jump Start
- Oil money needed to stop Timor's spiral into poverty
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The Jakarta Post.com
Editorial
March 07, 2006
Ambon and law enforcement

During the years of bloodshed in Maluku and North Maluku one of the most
fervent wishes of residents was for law enforcers to do their jobs, and do
them properly. At one point "An eye for an eye" became a common motto and
the Ambonese feared for their survival, with the death of at least 6,000
people out of a total population of about 2.1 million in the two
provinces.

Maluku has faded out of the headlines in the past three or four years and
the people live in relative peace, although over 15,000 families are still
refugees and only minor players in the violence, not the masterminds, have
been prosecuted.

Several violent incidents during the last week have caused much concern,
with people fearfully watching every seemingly trivial scuffle,
particularly in Ambon, the province's small capital. A fight between a
public transportation driver and a passenger in Ambon in the early 1999
sparked incidents in the other islands of Maluku, causing rumors that
Christians were attacking Muslims and vice versa.

Late Friday a police officer was stabbed to death by eight unidentified
attackers and the next day a soldier was killed, while a student sustained
serious injuries after police fired into a crowd. There were reports of
tires being burned and a main street blockaded by residents angry at the
police shooting of their neighbor. Locals removed the blockade Sunday
after gaining assurance from the police that they would name the officer
who shot student Saiful Wakano.

Since a government-brokered peace agreement was signed Feb. 12, 2002, a
number of incidents have threatened the sense of security that Ambon
residents are trying to maintain. Thus, with every explosion or shooting,
bystanders keep a distance and allow the police to do their job. After
last week's incidents, if anyone was looking for hostile motivations from
a religious group, they kept such thoughts to themselves.

Locals have said they know from experience that war between Muslims and
Christians is just what some troublemakers are looking for, given that
Maluku was for decades the nation's showcase for religious and ethnic
harmony.

With the latest incidents, we applaud the job of the law enforcers in
keeping the precious peace in Maluku, the once famed spice islands.
Following what could only be described as the criminal neglect of law
enforcers in 1999, we have seen efforts to assign the best available
officers to Maluku, particularly in Ambon. These new personnel know that
apart from keeping law and order they also have a stained legacy to
overcome, that of both the military and police virtually standing by as
crowds engaged in violence and destruction, and often making it worse by
lending or selling weapons to the warring parties.

In Ambon appreciation has grown for law enforcers. Once given a clear
mandate they managed to end the scenes of machete and gun-toting
youngsters in the streets, which for a few years became common.

Nowadays, letting sparks fly beyond even a single scuffle puts the
reputation of law enforcers at stake, for locals have seen firsthand the
damage done by those who take the law into their own hands. They have
learned to trust the men in uniform, with people now willing to resume
business and return to their homes. And with that trust locals have had
little patience with the usual excuses for any flaw in keeping the peace,
such as a lack of funding or other resources.

Locals in Ambon seem to be concentrating more on rebuilding their lives
than demanding justice for their losses, which they rightly deserve. When
one's life has been turned upside down with the deaths of loved ones, and
the destruction of property and livelihoods, an assurance that one can
live free from fear is the least the state can provide.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Crisis Centre Diocese Of Amboina
Jalan Pattimura 32 - Ambon 97124 - Indonesia
Tel 0062 (0)911 342195   Fax 0062 (0)911 355337
E-mail crisiscentre01 at hotmail.com

Ambon, February 28, 2006
The Situation in Ambon / Moluccas – Report No. 505

1. Judicial Sentences – On February 13, 2006, Asep Djaja, alias Aji or
Dahlan or Yahya, was convicted by the Ambon District Court of terrorism
because of his involvement in the attack at Wamkana village, island of
Buru, in which two died and another one on the Loki Brimob post, island of
Ceram, in which six died (see Report 504). He was sentenced to death, but
may appeal to a higher court. Asep’s relatives protested against the
verdict by placing a roadblock on the Sultan Hasanudin street in the
Batu-Merah area, city of Ambon, thus causing slight panic among local
residents. An hour later the police, by explaining the judicial procedure,
could persuade the family, most of whom women, to end their action.

Three days later, Fatur Datu Armen, for whom the prosecution had asked the
death sentence (see Report 504) was sentenced to imprisonment for life.

On February 20, Idi Amin Tabrani Pattimura alias Ongen Pattimura was also
sentenced to lifelong imprisonment. Though the verdict was lighter than
the prosecution had asked (see Report 504), nevertheless his family
protested vehemently. Ismael Yamsehu, companion in the same terrorist
action, too, was sentenced to imprisonment for life a week later.

2. Bomb Explosion At Laha Airport Forestalled – On February 26 three
cleaning service employees on Pattimura International Airport Laha/Ambon
stumbled on two active home-made bombs, concealed in two Khong Guan
biscuit tins. One of the bombs had a timer, the other had an off- and on
switch. The police has no clue yet on the persons behind it.

3. Malra Website – On various occasions we advised those who asked for
more specified information, to visit www.malra.org/posko. For several
reasons, that excellent website is scheduled to be restructured and is
closed for the moment being. It will probably be reopened in a simpler
form and aimed solely at the Moluccas. These Crisis Centre reports will
continue to be included in it.

C.J. Böhm msc
Crisis Centre Diocese of Amboina
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Crisis Centre Diocese Of Amboina
Jalan Pattimura 32 - Ambon 97124 - Indonesia
Tel 0062 (0)911 342195   Fax 0062 (0)911 355337
E-mail crisiscentre01 at hotmail.com

Ambon, March 6, 2006
The Situation In Ambon / Moluccas – Report No. 506

1. Discord Between Security Forces – Disagreement between military
personnel and police servicemen is quite common in Ambon and perhaps
elsewhere in Indonesia as well. A recent clash between personnel of these
two forces in the city of Ambon resulted in two casualties: one policeman
(Arnold Wakole) and one military (Afrizal) got killed by being stabbed
with knives; others were seriously wounded. Now wonder both parties were
(are still?) craving for revenge. As for now it seems not to be over yet.
Consequently a certain tenseness has came over the city of Ambon since
March 4th and 5th. Roadblocks were placed and tyres were burned in the
Sudirman Street area, Batumerah, following the shooting of a civilian,
Saiful Wakano, who was seriously wounded. Of course police and military
chiefs immediately started discussing the unpleasant affair and trying to
ease the mutual rivalry. Meanwhile security posts and other vigilance
activities are now being taken care of by combined teams, consisting of
both military men and policemen of less involved units.

2. Storm Ruins Roads And Houses In Ambon – High tides and heavy rain,
sparked by a tropical storm, have destroyed hundreds of houses since
February 1. Also a number of sea barriers and roads along the coastline
have been badly damaged. All the way from Hative Besar, around the bay up
to Latuhallat suffered a lot of destruction, caused by waves as high as 4
meters. A number of people that lost their houses, will probably be
relocated to safer places. There have been no casualties.

3. Website – Those that were used to look for further information on the
Posko Zwolle website, we may advise to switch to
www.geocities.com/ambon67.

C.J. Böhm msc
Crisis Centre Diocese of Amboina
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Taipei Times
Tuesday, March 7, 2006
Why Indonesia is of much interest to a leading US commander
By Richard Halloran

>From Manado on the northern tip of the sprawling Indonesian archipelago to
Banda Aceh on its western edge, the commanding officer of US forces in the
Pacific and Asia has been out inspecting a front line in the war on
terror.

"I wanted to see for myself," Admiral William Fallon said after a long
flight from Jakarta to the far end of the island of Celebes next to the
Celebes Sea. The islands surrounding that sea have become highways, or
what some Americans call "ratlines," for terrorists moving men and
materiel to and from Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.

Similarly, he flew to the island of Sumatra that stretches alongside the
vital and vulnerable Straits of Malacca to look at Indonesian defenses.
Through that strait and the South China Sea pass more ships every year
than through the Panama and Suez Canals combined, making those sea lanes
crucial to the economies of East and Southeast Asia and, indirectly, to
the rest of the industrialized world.

Piracy has been rampant in those waters for more than five years, although
US and Indonesian officials say it has dropped recently. US and Southeast
Asian intelligence services have been watching for possible links between
the pirates, who are criminals, and terrorists, such as Jemaah Islamiya,
who may seek to close the straits to cause political and economic
disruption.

Terrorists struck the island of Bali in 2002, Jakarta in 2003 and 2004,
and Bali again last October. Moreover, Indonesia is the world's largest
nation in which the Islamic religion dominates. US and Indonesian
officials worry that it may have become a source of terrorist recruits.

Fallon began his journey in Jakarta where he conferred with Indonesian
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and senior defense officials.

"I came to solidify our relationship and to see where we go from here," he
said in an interview.

He referred to military relations recently revived when the US lifted
restrictions imposed several years ago to protest human rights violation
by Indonesian forces.

In Manado, Fallon conferred with local political, military and police
leaders and was piped aboard an Indonesian frigate just before she went
back on patrol in the Celebes Sea.

"I was surprised," he said later, "at how much security they have up here.
The police chief told me that if anyone comes ashore in that area, the
police will know about it within 24 hours."

Even so, Fallon underscored his concerns about terrorists in the region
just by his presence. The Celebes Sea is remote from the capitals of
Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur and Manila and therefore seems to be out of sight
and out of mind of the leaders there. Fallon's subtle message was that
they should pay more attention to the threat of terror from the Celebes
Sea.

In Medan, on Sumatra, Fallon heard Indonesian naval and police officers
say they had only 32 small boats and three larger boats to chase pirates
and told the admiral that the US could help them best with training and
equipment. They were adamant, however, that they should do the patrolling
themselves.

"Indonesia and Singapore," which is just across the strait, "want to solve
this issue ourselves," said an Indonesian officer. As with all Southeast
Asian nations,the anti-colonial legacy is still strong and they are
sensitive to actions they perceive to be an intrusion on their
sovereignty.

Fallon readily agreed, pointing out that the US Navy had extensive
commitments elsewhere and that he wanted only to help the Indonesians
acquire the capabilities they need.

"It's your neighborhood," he said, "and you should do it yourselves," he
said.

Critical to defending the strait against pirates and terrorists will be
the success of a peace agreement between the Indonesian government and
separatists in the Free Aceh Movement, known as GAM, which fought each
other for more than a decade. A memorandum of understanding between them
was signed in August last year.

In Banda Aceh, which was devastated by the tsunami of December 2004,
Fallon met with local officials of the Indonesian government, leaders of
the GAM, and the international mission that is monitoring the execution of
the peace agreement. It includes provisions for disarming the GAM and
reducing the number Indonesian troops and police in this region.

The admiral encouraged them to continue working together, asserting that
in the complicated world today, "Little is ever settled by force of arms."
-- Richard Halloran is a writer based in Hawaii.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PM / Radio Australia
Indonesian women rally against anti-pornography bill
PM - Wednesday, 8 March, 2006  18:48:00
Reporter: Peter Cave

MARK COLVIN: Several hundred demonstrators took to the streets of Jakarta
today to mark International Women's Day with a protest against a new
anti-pornography bill that the National Parliament is considering.

Pornography is generally regarded as anti-women, but many Indonesian women
see this particular bill as part of growing tendency in the world's
largest Islamic nation to introduce systemic discrimination by the state
against women.

Foreign Affairs Editor Peter Cave reports from Jakarta.

(sound of protesters chanting)

PETER CAVE: The anti-pornography bill being championed by a bloc of
Islamic legislators is aimed not only at publications and movies but at
outlawing immodest dress and also displays of affection such as kissing in
public, dancing and any behaviour that could provoke lust.

Those at the demonstration, many of them in Islamic headscarves, say the
bill will not protect women but subjugate them.

DEMONSTRATOR: Because it discriminate woman, and it's not right. It
irregulates how woman should dress, how they should act, and we don't want
that.

(sound of music)

The bill has been under attack in mainly Hindu Bali, where naked statuary
forms part of the culture and religious tradition. The Balinese see the
bill not only as an attack on their culture but also as a threat to their
economy, because it could force foreign tourists to hide their thighs,
breasts and even navels on the beach.

That, they say, could kill the tourist industry, already suffering the
after affects of terrorism stone dead.

(sound of music)

There are also concerns in Papua, where women regularly go bare breasted
and men often wear little more than a penis gourd.

But the women marching today were keen to link the bill to growing
violence against women in Indonesia.

They say that reported cases of violence against women increased by 45 per
cent last year, and they say laws like the pornography bill will only make
things worse. They say seven cities and local government areas have
already introduced their own bylaws, regulating how women should act and
dress, and attacking women's rights under the guise of morality, decency
and religion.

DEMONSTRATOR 2: Our body is our body, so it's our government don't have
the right to tell us what to do with our body. That's it.

PETER CAVE: This is Peter Cave reporting from Jakarta.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Exxon says Aceh torture lawsuit sets dangerous precedent
Associated Press
11:36 a.m. March 8, 2006
By Slobodan Lekic

Jakarta, Indonesia - Exxon Mobil Corp. warned that a U.S. judge's decision
to allow villagers to file a lawsuit against the oil giant for alleged
abuses by Indonesian troops in Aceh province could set a precedent for all
American companies operating abroad.

But the Irving, Texas-based company has not yet decided whether it will
appeal the ruling, spokeswoman Susan Reeves said Wednesday in a telephone
interview.

The Washington D.C.-based International Labor Rights Fund filed a lawsuit
in 2001 on behalf of 11 Acehnese villagers who said Exxon's Indonesian
subsidiary allowed its facilities to be used by soldiers to torture locals
and to commit other human rights abuses.

The hearings were postponed in 2002 after the State Department said the
lawsuit could harm American interests, but U.S. District Judge Louis
Oberdorfer ruled last week the case could proceed.

"The lawsuit created the potential for any U.S. company operating overseas
to be held vicariously liable for host government actions," Reeves said.
"Such action would risk interference with U.S. foreign relations and
diplomacy."

Aceh, a province of 4 million people on the northern tip of Sumatra
island, has seen a series of guerrilla wars since the Dutch occupied it in
the 1870s.

The latest round of fighting, which broke out in 1976 when insurgents
picked up arms to carve out an independent state, claimed 15,000 lives
before it ended with the signing of a peace agreement last year.

Exxon's executives had previously said the military deployed four infantry
battalions and an armored cavalry unit during the conflict at a natural
gas field and pipeline operated by the company on behalf of Indonesia's
state-run Pertamina energy conglomerate.

"Exxon Mobil condemns human rights violations in any form," Reeves said.

She noted that a federal court last October ruled the case could not
proceed under the Alien Tort Claims Act, which allows citizens of foreign
countries to file lawsuits in U.S. courts for wrongs "committed in
violation of the law of nations."

"There are many (legal) steps involved before the case could proceed on
the basis of state law claims," she said.

However, a representative for International Labor Rights Fund hailed the
ruling, saying it was important to set a precedent by which "victims of
torture could hold their torturers accountable."

"We're delighted by the ruling," Bama Athreya, the group's deputy
director, said Wednesday.

"We are now past the procedural hurdles and can finally proceed to the
discovery stage, which means we can subpoena Exxon Mobil documents
revealing how much and for how long they paid the Indonesian military."

"It's also significant that the intervention of the (U.S. President George
W. ) Bush administration on behalf of Exxon has now been overcome," she
said in a telephone interview.

Exxon's troubles are the latest example of the challenges U.S. firms have
faced in recent years while operating in Indonesia.

Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. was forced to temporarily shut its
mine in Papua province last month after protesters blockaded a road,
demanding they be allowed to sift through the mine's waste ore.

And the American director of Newmont Mining Corp.'s local subsidiary faces
a possible 10-year prison sentence for allegedly allowing the company to
dump arsenic and other heavy metals into a bay on Sulawesi island.

Separately, the Denver-based company agreed last month to pay $30 million
(25 million euros) in an out-of-court settlement to fund environmental
monitoring and community development around its massive gold mine.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Stratfor
Indonesia: Jakarta's Economic Jump Start
March 08, 2006 19 14  GMT

Summary
Indonesia replaced the president of its state oil firm, Pertamina, on
March 8, raising hopes that the country's oil income will enjoy a much
needed revival. The move, which is part of a broader effort to stimulate
foreign involvement in the Indonesian economy as a whole, will not reverse
the broad decline of the Indonesian energy industry.

Analysis
Ari Soemarno replaced Widya Purnama as the third president of Indonesia's
state-run oil company, Pertamina, in five years. Soemarno's rise triggers
hopes that Indonesia will begin a broad modernization of its oil complex.
It also constitutes part of a broader effort to stimulate foreign
involvement in the Indonesian economy as a whole.

Indonesian oil output has been slowly sliding since the fall of the
Suharto government in 1997, as political instability and nationalist
energy management have dissuaded foreigners from investing in oil assets
the Indonesians lack the technology and capital to develop. Meanwhile,
uneven economic growth in Indonesia has proven sufficient to boost oil
consumption by more than 30 percent. Taken together, falling production
and rising demand have transformed Indonesia into the only member of the
Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries that is a net importer
of oil.

Jakarta hopes the development of the 600 million barrel Cepu field will
mitigate that. While in the best of circumstances, the first oil will not
flow from Cepu until 2009, development plans call for the production of
170,000 barrels per day (bpd) to 180,000 bpd of crude. Combined with
broader foreign technology applied across the industry, the Cepu
production should prove sufficient to reverse Indonesia's oil slide.

Until the present, strong nationalist sentiment has hobbled Indonesia's
ability to counter its oil fall. Under Purnama, Pertamina insisted on more
managerial control of the development of Cepu field. ExxonMobil, which
would supply the bulk of the technology and the $2.5 billion in investment
capital needed to tap the field that Pertamina lacks, was unwilling to
grant this control. So lacking the ability to develop Cepu itself,
Indonesia left its largest untapped oil field dormant.

But even in the best-case scenario, the successful development of Cepu
will not return Indonesia to the ranks of the significant oil exporters.
With a population of 210 million and a majority of its producing fields at
or near maturity, the best Indonesia can hope for is oil self-sufficiency,
and a broadening of economic activity in other sectors.

That is actually what the changing of the guard at Pertamina is all about.
Since the fall of Suharto, sound political management has been hard to
come by in Indonesia, with most governance consisting of reflexive
nationalism. This is not meant as a criticism. Indonesia is home to more
than 1,000 ethnic groups. Without a firm grounding in a nationalist cause,
political disintegration is a very real threat.

But investors -- many of whom vividly remember the chaos of the country's
1997-1998 financial collapse -- have long seen the Pertamina-ExxonMobil
clash over Cepu as a test case. No wonder that within hours of Soemarno's
taking the reins, rumors began circulating that a deal between the two oil
companies had been reached.

The announcement of the leadership change comes at the same time that a
U.S. judge has decided to allow villagers to file a lawsuit in federal
court against ExxonMobil for abuses by Indonesian troops protecting its
facilities. Although Jakarta had said it would announce its decision in
the ExxonMobil/Pertamina debate this week, it is probably not a
coincidence that the Indonesian government publicly sided with ExxonMobil
in the villager-ExxonMobil dispute at the same time the U.S. oil company
said the lawsuit would hurt foreign investment in Indonesia.

Since President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's inauguration in late 2004,
Indonesia has slowly recovered something that might be graciously called
stability, and the government of late has begun taking steps to get the
country's economy pumping again. To do so, Jakarta has sided with foreign
investors like ExxonMobil against nationalist initiatives.

Recently, the U.S. corporation Freeport-McMoRan, which operates in the
eastern Indonesian province of Papua, has come under fire for removing
illegal miners prospecting through tailings at Freeport's immense Grasberg
mine. The Indonesian government, however, continues to side with the U.S.
company, and says it will honor its contract with the company.

The Indonesian government had previously filed a civil case against
another U.S. mining company, Newmont Mining Corp., for water pollution. No
such case has yet threatened Freeport, despite the fact that the protests
over removing illegal miners have morphed into environmental complaints
against Freeport.

These shifts suggest Indonesia is sincere in its efforts to attract
foreign investors and to reshape its image in the international community
as investor friendly, even if the investments, such as ExxonMobil's foray
into the Cepu oil field, do not necessarily jibe with nationalist economic
goals.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Age (Melbourne)
Oil money needed to stop Timor's spiral into poverty
By Rob Taylor, Jakarta
March 9, 2006

EAST Timor must use billions of dollars from undersea oil and gas reserves
wisely or continue its downward spiral into poverty, a report has warned.

Four years after independence and a bloody retaliatory rampage by
pro-Indonesian militia, the tiny nation is still one of the world's
poorest, with an average annual income of about $A500 and falling — the
lowest in Asia.

Amid chronic unemployment, the average life expectancy of Timorese is 55
years and 60 babies out of every 1000 die before their first birthday, the
United Nations Development Program says in its Path out of Poverty report.

The country also faces security challenges after 600 soldiers — almost
half East Timor's 1500-strong army — went on strike over poor conditions
and discriminatory promotions.

But a crucial Timor Sea oil and gas deal struck with Australia in January
after a bitter dispute is a potential saviour.

Under the deal, East Timor will get half the tax and royalty revenues from
the $40 billion Greater Sunrise field, which lies in disputed waters to
Australia's north-west.

To get the project started after developer Woodside Petroleum threatened
to pull out, both countries agreed to defer a row over maritime borders
that give Australia two-thirds of the sea area between the two nations
under a 1972 agreement struck with Indonesia.

The UN report says that while the reserves will be difficult to tap, the
revenues will be central to East Timor meeting UN development goals to cut
poverty by a third by 2015.

"Given the likely revenues from oil and gas, (the poverty goal) is
technically feasible and financially affordable, so it would be difficult
to justify any plan that did not aim to achieve the poverty goal," the
report says.

Half of East Timor's population does not have access to safe drinking
water and malnutrition affects 46 per cent of children.

International investment and spending is overly concentrated in the
capital, Dili, leaving the majority of rural people living on about $1 a
day.

The report says oil and gas revenues, which the East Timorese Government
has promised to place in a national petroleum fund, will reduce poverty
only if channelled towards rural development, education, health care and
job training.

The report calls for the Government to set up a Rural Development Bank for
farmers and give more help to entrepreneurs.
-- AAP