(Jakarta, 18 September 2006) Two Via Campesina activists were detained by
the Singapore authorities last night at Changi international airport and
were deported this morning to Jakarta. They were interrogated for 14 hours
continuously. They were not doing anything criminal and they had come to
Singapore without any intention of disturbing the people of Singapore. But
the officers kept saying that they were just obeying orders.

Irma Yanni and Achmad Ya’kub, both working for the Federation of
Indonesian Peasant Unions (FSPI)/Via Campesina, entered Singapore to
prepare a Via Campesina Press Conference. Other representatives were
supposed to follow them to address the media, so the world could hear the
peasant’s voice. Peasants are among the first victims of the World Bank
and IMF policies. But they were silenced.

This incident clearly reveals the criminal character of the World Bank and
the IMF. The twin institutions have deported millions of peasants from
their farmland through their program of Market Assisted Land Reform (MALR)
and other large projects. And instead of being listened to, farmers have
been deported: the World Bank and the IMF are not able to create the
conditions to listen to dissenting views.

Farmers Rally in Front of World Bank Office in Jakarta

On their return to Jakarta, both deported activists joined an action
against the World Bank and the IMF that started at 10 AM. About 1000
people, led by peasant members of FSPI, labors group, youth organizations,
environmental groups and other social movements, marched to the office of
the Finance minister. The IMF meeting in Singapore had just nominated the
Indonesian Finance minister, Sri Mulyani, “the best finance minister”.
This clearly indicates that the Indonesian government is "the good boy of
the IMF". Yet recent statistics show that poverty is increasing in
Indonesia. It is ironical that a minister whose policies have created
poverty is granted this award.

The rally continued to the presidential palace, demanding Indonesia to
stop its collaboration with the World Bank and the IMF and ended up in
front of the World Bank’s office that is the largest office in South-East
Asia. Protestors shouted: “Reject the IMF, Oust the World Bank!”. Several
international farmers leaders members of La Via Campesina joined the
rally, expressing their solidarity with the Indonesian people: they were
coming from MST - Brazil, Paragos - Philipine, UNORKA - Philipine, KRRS -
India, and Monlar - Sri Lanka.

More information:
Achmad Yakub : 62 (0) 817712347
Irma Yanni : 62 (0) 816306331

Available on www.viacampesina.org

La Via Campesina is the international movement of peasants, small and
medium sized producers, landless, rural women, indigenous people, rural
youth and agricultural workers active in 56 countries in Asia, Africa,
Europe and the Americas.