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We wish our Muslim brothers and
sisters a happy new Islamic year! INFID News INFID organises an international
conference on Indonesia’s external debt in Paris, April 8, 2002. Details
available at: http://infid.ngonet.be/conference.html Bonnie Setiawan is appointed
Co-ordinator of the newly formed Institute of Global Justice (IGJ). He was
INFID’s Programme Officer of Structural Reform and Trade Monitoring before
appointed to his new assignment. Congratulations,
Mas Bonnie! General News Baligate Bank Indonesia Governor Sjahril Sabirin
became the first to be convicted of corruption in the Baligate scandal that
scuttled the 1999 re-election bid of former President B.J. Habibie. After a
14-month trial, Judge Subardi found the Indonesian central-bank governor
guilty of corruption for approving the transfer of about US$80 million out of
the central bank. The scandal erupted in mid 1999 when it was revealed that
Bank Bali made use of the brokerage service of PT Era Giat Pertama (EGP) to
recoup some Rp3 trillion (about US$300 million) in interbank claims. The bank
did reclaim Rp900 billion, but had to pay Rp550 billion in ‘brokerage fees’
to EGP, which turned out to have been set up by the then ruling Golkar party
to fund its political campaign machinery. The decision, which surprised many
observers, represented another body blow to the credibility of Indonesia's
most important financial institution, which has been accused by government
auditors of overseeing the theft of billions of dollars by well-connected
Indonesian business tycoons at the height of the 1997-98 financial crisis.
The conviction could, however, boost the antigraft credentials of President
Megawati Sukarnoputri. The past week has seen several steps by Indonesia's
justice system to bring politically powerful figures to account for alleged
offenses. Among them: murder charges filed against former President Suharto's
youngest son, and the detention of the speaker of Parliament over a
corruption accusation. Sources: JP 14/02, AWSJ 14/03 Buloggate II House Speaker Akbar Tandjung says
he has been made a fool by a fellow suspect’s returning the bulk of alleged
missing funds. "It’s clear that I have been fooled, because I know
absolutely nothing about the funds being returned," the Golkar Party
leader, who is now in detention, was quoted as saying on March 11. Akbar was
referring to 32.5 billion rupiah of the missing 40 billion rupiah which was
returned to the Attorney-General’s Office last week. The case took a bizarre
turn on March 9 when the office announced that one of the suspects in the
case, Winfried Simatupang, returned Rp32.5 billion of the allegedly stolen
funds "in instalments several days ago". Investigators said that
Winfried had retracted his earlier statements in which he said the money was
used to finance the government’s project for the poor by distributing 1.6
million food packages in Java. Speaker of the People’s
Consultative Assembly (MPR) Amien Rais said the returning of Bulog funds to
state investigators showed that the money was never spent for food
distribution as originally claimed, which meant that the suspects had fooled
the public. Chairman of the National Awakening Party (PKB) faction Ali
Masykur Musa shared Amien’s remarks, saying that the return of the money
clearly showed there was deception regarding the humanitarian project in
1999. Both Amien and Ali agreed that the latest development already
constituted solid enough ground for legislators to demand the establishment
of a special inquiry committee into the high-profile scandal. Sources: ST 14/03, JP 12/03 Human Rights Terror on Activists Human rights activists were
cautioned on March 13 of what they called an escalation of terror against
them after dozens of people attacked the office building of the Commission
for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) on Jl. Mendut
in Central Jakarta. Two
activists were beaten up in the attack. The attackers also ripped up
documents related to several cases Kontras is probing. They complained that
Kontras had failed to investigate the deaths of four pro-military civilian
guards during the 1998’s political turmoil. Kontras member Doni Ardianto
rejected this as an excuse and said the attack was designed to intimidate
activists involved in high-profile trials of senior Indonesian officials
accused of East Timor rights abuses. Prior to the incident, some 200
people claiming to be relatives of four members of the military-backed Muslim
vigilantes (Pamswakarsa) who were lynched by a mob protesting the Special
Session of the People's Consultative Assembly in November 1998, came to
protest "Kontras’ systematic discrimination at the expense of
Muslims". They said that Kontras paid too much attention to the shooting
of dozens of students and residents in 1998 and 1999, known as the Trisakti,
Semanggi I and II incidents, which allegedly involved the military and police
top brass, including former Armer Forces chief Gen. (ret) Wiranto. "We
cannot tolerate Kontras who has terrorised Pak Wiranto," one of
the people yelled before breaking in the office and smashing windows and
glass panels. Separately, Wiranto denied his involvement in the incident and
said he would sue those who accused him of masterminding it. Munir said that he had no idea
whether the vandalism was related to the ongoing dispute between the Human
Right’s inquiry Commission on the Trisakti and Semanggi cases (KPP HAM
Trisakti and Semanggi) and the military/police. He said the incident perhaps
was related more to the response of a group of people who resented the visit
to Wiranto’s house on March 12. TNI Head of Law Development Body (Kababinkum)
Maj. Gen. Timor T. Manurung rejected it saying it was not possible that
Wiranto was not so stupid to be behind the attack. "It could not be
Wiranto. I am not convinced that he is so low and stupid. He would never send
people to attack Kontras just because the day before there were people sent
to his house" he argued. He also said that it was of too little
importance for TNI to meddle in Kontras business. The police apparently shares
this opinion. They came minutes after the incidents took place. Sources: JP 13-14/03, AP 13/03, KCM
13/03 Rights trial The country’s long-delayed human
rights trial commences on March 14 amid public scepticism that justice will
be done to those responsible for gross human rights violations in East Timor
in 1999. One police general and a senior official are to stand trial on March
14 for their role in a massacre at a church in Suai where at least 26 people
were killed in September 1999. They are all charged with crimes against
humanity, including genocide, which carries a maximum penalty of death. The
Suai church massacre is the first of a series of trials for 18 suspects
accused of gross human rights violations in East Timor in 1999. The 18
suspects include three Army generals and one police general. Gen. (ret)
Wiranto, who was the chief of the Indonesian Military (TNI) when the
bloodshed occurred, is not included on the list. The government had initially
planned to commence the rights trial in September 2001, but due to technical
reasons it was pushed back to November. Without a reason given, the date was
pushed back again to December and then January 15, 2002, before it was
finally moved to March 14, 2002. A corrupt judicial system,
ill-equipped state prosecutors and judges as well as a severe lack of
understanding of human rights among Indonesians have raised doubts that
justice will prevail in the country's first ever human rights trial. 10 reasons why Indonesian courts
will not bring justice to Timor: http://infid.ngonet.be/tenreasons.html Source: JP 17/02 Abbreviations AP Associated Press Stichting TitanE |