Three civil society activists from Indonesia and four from the Philippines were detained by Bali police for more than 12 hours starting Friday November 18 at 3:00 afternoon until 4:15 am November 19.
The incident happened after the local police clamped down on a rally that passed several foreign Consulate offices in Bali including those of the US and Japan on the morning of Friday, 18 November 2011. The rally was organized by Indonesian Civil Society Coalition to coincide with the ASEAN Summit attended by world’s most powerful countries’ leaders including Barack Obama.
The civil society coalition called for ASEAN countries to defend their people’s rights and sovereignty and meet the needs of their people first before servicing rich countries’ drive to plunder and control the remaining natural resources of ASEAN countries.
They further called on the ASEAN country leaders to claim reparations and restitution of ecological debt, including climate debt, owed by industrial countries to the peoples of the South. Acknowledgment of the past and present wrongs by the rich countries and their taking action based on respect for rights and needs of people in the majority world - most of them former colonies - is fundamental to ecological and climate justice.
Schemes being set up as solution to climate change, such as REDD, allow rich nations to go on with business-as-usual, instead of addressing their responsibilities and obligations including tackling the problem in their own backyard first and foremost. Without climate justice, very little progress would be made to solve the dire problem of climate change. And we are running out of time.
The peaceful rally was organized to address these concerns and, ironically, was met by narrow-mindedness of the Indonesian authorities who did not respect the protestors to right to freedom of expression. The authorities clearly were not interested in the state of our common future to prevail.
As of press time, four activists of the Philippines - 3 from Jubilee South- APMDD and 1 from the Freedom from Debt Coalition, are facing possible criminal charges or of deportation. The police have yet to decide the fate of the 3 activists of Walhi (Indonesian Friends of the Earth). Final decision will be made by the police by 8:00 am Bali time.
We urgently ask your solidarity to send messages to the Indonesia and local Bali authority below to get back to their senses and respect the freedom of expression as guaranteed by the Indonesian law.
1. Indonesian Chief of Police: General Timur Pradopo (Mobile number: +628128102123)
2. Bali province Chief of Police: Inspector General Totoy Herawan Indra
3. Bali province Vice Chief of Police: Ketut Untung Yoga (Mobile: +62 811 386 9994)
4. Director of Intelligence of Bali Police: Commissioner General Oman Sunarya (Mobile: +62 811 898 171)
5. cc to Chair of Human Rights Commission of Indonesia IFDHAL KASIM (+62811196579) and Chair of Human Rights Committion of the Philippines LORETTA ANN ROSALES (+639189334356) and Philippine Embassy in Jakarta (+62213100334)
The three activists from WALHI are:
1. Sri Ranti
2. Teguh Surya
3. Gendo Suardana
The four activists from JSAPMDD & FDC are
1. Lidy Nacpil
2. Manjet Lopez
3. Malou Tabios
4. Rhoda Viajar
Contact Persons:
Ahmad SH (WALHI)
Milo Tanchuling (representative of Filipino activists)