Makassar residents blockade road

Following a decision by the Makassar municipal
government in South Sulawesi to implement a one-way
system on Jl. Sungai Saddang Baru, local residents
responded by blocking the road for a length of one
kilometer on April 17. They also set fire to tyres
at either end of the road forcing police to redirect
traffic though an alternative route.

One of the residents, Gasing, told Detik.com that
they could not accept the government’s decision
because it would destroy local people’s source of
income. The majority of residents are street traders
and shop owners and the road is one of the business
and trade centres of Makassar. This is the second
such protest with residents organising a similar
blockade two weeks ago. (Detik.com, 17/4/2006)

Volunteer teachers in Depok protest

Around 50 volunteer teachers protested at the Depok
city hall in West Java on April 17 demanding to
become civil servants. "We are honorary labourers,
so [we] must be treated in accordance with the
government regulation on candidate state civil
servants", said Natalius, the head of the Depok City
Education Concern Forum.

Natalius said that according to the regulation
volunteer teachers must be guaranteed to become
state civil servants by 2009. Suliana, a 35-year-old
primary school teacher said that she had served as a
sports teacher for four years but her honorarium was
only 250,000 rupiah per month. "It’s not enough, it
is because of this that I must also work at a
motorbike showroom", she said. (Tempo Interactive,
17/4/2006)

Former Texmaco employees clash with police

A peaceful demonstration by around 1,000 former
Texmaco employees on April 18 ended in chaos. The
incident occurred at around 2.15pm when the former
employees were holding an action at the department
of finance in Central Jakarta demanding the
immediate payment of outstanding severance pay.

The protest became headed when the action
coordinator called on the protesters to enter the
finance department building. When they tried to
force their way past a police cordon protesters and
police began pushing and shoving each other.
Demonstrator then began throwing bamboo sticks then
anything else they could lay their hands on.

Fortunately the confrontation did not last long and
police were able to contain protesters after the
action coordinator appealed to demonstrators not to
be provoked. One protester was arrested in the
incident. (Detik.com, 18/4/2006)

Blue Bird taxi drivers protest Bandung government decision

Hundreds of Blue Bird taxi drivers demonstrated
together with their children and wives in the West
Java capital of Bandung on April 17. The protest was
organised after a recent decision by the Bandung
municipal government to cut the number of Blue Bird
taxis operating in Bandung from 200 to 100. In
speeches the protesters said the decision to cut the
number of taxis by half will destroy their income.
(Liputan 6, 18/4/2006)

Leprosy sufferers protest in Makassar

Dozens of leprosy sufferers in from Jongaya,
Tamalanrea and Makassar in South Sulawesi
demonstrated on April 18 over the distribution of
direct cash subsidies to compensate for last years
fuel price increases.

They were protesting against government officials at
the Makassar Central Bureau of Statistics because
they had failed to register leprosy sufferers as
recipients of the cash subsidies. Based on SCTV’s
observations, out of the 130 leprosy sufferers in
Jongaya not one has been registered by the BPS or
the Makassar municipal government despite the fact
that they work as beggars. (Liputan 6, 18/4/2006)

Makassar students protest draft law on the TNI

Dozens of students from the Anti-RUU TNI Student
Circle demonstrated at the Regional House of
Representatives (DPRD) in Makassar on April 18. The
protesters were opposing the draft law on the
Indonesian military (RUU-TNI) because they say it
will flow on to repressive military acts against
civilians.

On arriving at the DPRD the students immediately
tried to enter the building through the main gate
but were blocked by security personnel. Unable to
enter the students held speeches. "The TNI as an
institution that is obliged to safeguard national
defense, should be neutral and a-political", said
action coordinator Ibnu Hajar.

Still unable to enter students began pushing and
shoving security personnel and the situation only
calmed down after an assembly member met with the
students. The dialogue did not last long however and
the students, who were angered because the member
would not give an clear response to their demands,
left and closed off one half of the road. The
students even chased a TNI owned truck that passed
nearby. They later moved to a nearby intersection
and set fire to tyres before returning to their
respective campuses at around 1pm. (Detik.com,
18/4/2006)

Jambi farmers call on regent to fulfil electionpromises

Hundreds of residents from the Bungku Village in the
Batanghari regency of Jambi protested on April 18
calling on Regent Syahirsyah to fulfil the promises
he made during his election campaign five months
ago. One of the demands was for a resolution to be
found to a protracted dispute between farmers and
the palm oil company PT Asiatic Persada. As of
Tuesday evening the protesters had yet to meet with
Syahirsyah who is believed to be in Jakarta.
(Liputan 6, 19/4/2006)

Residents call for village head to be sacked

Around 150 residents from the Petunjungan Village in
the Bulakamba sub-district of Brebes Regency,
Central Java, protested at the local DPRD on April
18. They were demanding that the head of their
village be dismissed accusing him of manipulating
direct cash subsidies for his own interests.
Residents complained that deductions of between 50-
150,000 rupiah had been taken from the subsidies.
(Liputan 6, 19/4/2006)

Bekasi workers oppose revisions to labour law

Demonstrations against revisions to the labour law
continue. On April 20 thousands of workers in the
West Java city of Bekasi protested at the Bekasi
DPRD condemning the government for not siding with
workers. The protest ended after the speaker of the
DPRD received demonstrators. (Liputan 6, 20/4/2006)

Nurses occupy hospital in Medan

Around 51 nurses demonstrated and occupied the
Santha Elizabet hospital in the North Sumatra
provincial capital of Medan on April 20. The nurses
were protesting because they said they had been
arbitrarily dismissed after taking part in a civil
service entrance exam. The nurses were demanding to
be re-employed saying that they had served the
hospital for many years. (Liputan 6, 20/4/2006)

Meeting over land dispute ends in chaos

A meeting between farmers from the North Mamuju
regency and representatives of the company PT Unggul
that was held at the North Mamuju DPRD in West
Sulawesi on April 19 ended in chaos. The farmers
were accusing the company of taking over 780
hectares of oil palm land owed by farmers. PT Unggul
however countered the farmers’ claims by accusing
them of annexing the land. (Liputan 6, 20/4/2006)

Hereditary landowners protest at Bitung districtcourt

Dozens of hereditary landowners of disputed land
being used as a depot by the state-owned oil company
Pertamina protested at the Bitung district court in
North Sulawesi on April 20. They were urging the
court to evict Pertamina from the land because the
court had still not executed a 2004 Supreme Court
decision that found in favour of the hereditary
owners. They court is refusing to execute the order
as the dispute is still being negotiated. (Liputan
6, 20/4/2006)

Poso residents demand compensation

On April 20, around 300 residents from North Pamona
in the Poso regency of Central Sulawesi protested
again at the site of a hydroelectric generator
project at the Sulewana Village. They were demanding
compensation for their land after they were evicted
to make way for the project. Responding to the
action, a spokesperson for the company PT Bukaka
Utama promised they would resolve the issue within
two weeks. (Liputan 6, 20/4/2006)

Plywood farmers ’close’ bank in Banjarmasin

Around 70 former employees of PT Guci held an action
at Banjarmasin branch of the Bank Negara Indonesia
in South Kalimantan on April 20. They were demanding
that the bank release funds resulting from the sale
of PT Guci’s assets that were auctioned off
following bankruptcy. The former plywood company
employees, who said that they had been dismissed two
years ago but PT Guci had failed to pay them
severance pay, then “closed” the bank. (Liputan 6,
20/4/2006)

Workers blockage Pulogadung traffic circle

Around 300 workers and activists from the East
Jakarta Worker and Student Alliance blockaded a
traffic circle in the Pulogadung industrial zone in
East Jakarta on April 20. The action was held as
part of preparations for a national general strike
on May Day. "The May 1 action is to [demand] the
annulment of Law Number 13/2006 [on Labour] and the
formulation of a new law", said action coordinator
Jumisih.

The alliance represents a coalition of trade unions
including the Indonesian Automotive Trade Union, the
Jonsons Trade Union, the Automotive Trade Union
Forum, the Indonesia 92 Trade Union, the Indonesia
Youth Struggle forum and the Democratic Student
Network. The group plans to hold a joint action
tomorrow with an alliance from North Jakarta at the
Cakung industrial zone in East Jakarta. (Tempo
Interactive, 20/4/2006)

Palembang bus drivers protest over new routes

Hundreds of bus drivers in the city of Palembang,
South Sumatra, demonstrated on April 20 at the
Palembang mayor’s office demanding the restoration
of formerly designated pubic transport routes. The
drivers said that with the new routes that have been
in operation for two month their income has declined
dramatically. They are threatening to go on strike
and leave passengers stranded if their demands are
not met. (Liputan 6, 21/4/2006)

Residents blockade road leading to rubber plantation

Hundreds of residents from the Tambangan village in
the Bulan Tengah Suku Ulu sub-district of Musirawas
in South Sumatra blockaded a road leading to a
plantation owned by PT Musi Hutan Persada on April
20. The residents were angry because the company has
failed to fulfil a promise to establish rubber
plantations for some 103 families and instead their
land has been turned into an acacia tree plantation.
They are also disappointed because the company
called in fully armed Mobile Brigade troops to
intimidate residents. (Liputan 6, 21/4/2006)

Rangkasbitung Market traders reject new rental rates

A protest by traders from the Rangkasbitung Market
in Lebak, Banten regency, who were opposing new
kiosk rental rates almost ending in chaos yesterday.
Police prohibited the traders from holding an action
at the offices of the Lebak regent. At the
Rangkasbitung Market meanwhile, thousands of kiosks
were closed and abandoned by traders in protest over
the new rates. (Liputan 6, 21/4/2006)

Housewives set fire to tyres and blockade road

Dozens of farmers set fire to tyres and blockaded
the entrance to the Naringgul Kampung in Cisolok in
the West Java city of Sukabumi on April 20. The
protest was triggered after the plantation company
PT Perkebunan Nusantara VIII cut down thousands of
trees owned by residents on the pretext of using the
land for a rubber plantation.

Based on SCTV reports, the majority of protesters
were housewives who that the trees represented their
main source of income. In speeches protesters said
that the company’s actions showed it had no sense of
right or wrong and had violated an earlier promise
to only cut down a certain number of trees.
(Liputan 6, 21/4/2006)

Residents blockade Jakarta toll road

On April 23 residents from the Pamahan in the
village of Jatimekar blockaded access to the outer
Jakarta toll road circle at Jatiasih. The residents
said they would keep the two access lanes closed
until the company PT Jasamarga and the public works
department pay compensation for land owned by the
late Matin Anam.

The department of public works said in a letter that
compensation for the land cleared for the toll road
project was paid in 1997 and therefore there is no
need to pay additional compensation as demanded by
residents. The blockade has now been in place for
two days. (Kompas Cyber Media, 22/4/2006)

Komnas HAM offices pelted with rotten eggs

A number of people from the Indonesian Association
of the Families of Missing Persons (Ikohi) pelted
the offices of the National Human Rights Commission
(Komnas HAM) with rotten eggs on April 21. They said
they were disappointed with the commission’s
performance in dealing with cases of missing persons
and victims of violence.

They called on Komnas HAM to immediately release
findings of their investigations and to have the
courage to summon and question those suspected of
being involved including military and police
personnel.

The protesters had wanted to meet with commission
chair Abdul Hakim Garuda Nusantara but he was not at
the offices so they instead sealed off Nusantara’s
office on the second floor. The families of the
victims say they plan to continue to protesting at
Komnas HAM until they receive a satisfactory
explanation about the disappearance of their family
members. (Liputan 6, 22/4/2006)

Residents threaten to boycott local elections

Hundreds of victims of a land eviction protested at
the Makassar DPRD on April 22. The demonstrators
demanded that the local government pay them suitable
compensation for their land. They threatened that if
their demands were not met they would boycott the
elections for the governor and vice governor next
year. (Liputan 6, 22/4/2006)

Presidential visit to Makassar greeted by protests

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono?s arrival for a
two-day visit to Makassar on April 22 was greeted by
protests by around 200 students from the Association
of Islamic Students (HMI) and the Student Executive
Council (BEM). The students were accusing the
government of being unable over come the problems of
poverty, the economy, politics and security.

The students also called on the government to
complete the process of reformasi, solve horizontal
conflicts in various parts of the country and
resolve corruption cases that have occurred in the
regional and central government.

Initially the protests failed to disrupt the visit
but when students attempted to approach the Aryaduta
Imperial Hotel where the president was staying, they
were blockaded by tight security surrounding the
hotel. At one stage in the demonstration students
even hijacked a fuel truck that was passing by that
was only released after three hours. (Liputan 6,
22/4/2006)