* Right wing, military-linked groups mobilise to
prevent Papernas declaration

* Scores injured in clashes between Papernas and
right-wing thugs

* Papernas calls on police to fully investigate FPI
attack

* Despite FPI attack, Papernas to go ahead with
launch in June

* Gus Dur urges police to take action against right-
wing thugs

---

 Right wing, military-linked groups mobilise to prevent Papernas declaration

Media Indonesia - March 29, 2007

Wisnu, Jakarta — Around 2,000 people from various
mass organisations from East Java, West Java and the
Greater Jakarta area gathered at the Proclamation
Monument in Central Jakarta on Thursday March 29 to
prevent the National Liberation Party of Unity
(Papernas) from holding a declaration there later in
the day. The groups accused Papernas of being a new
manifestation of the Indonesian Communist Party
(PKI).

The groups from East Java consisted of some 60
people from the Islamic Youth Front (FPI), the Forum
for Unity among Muslim Communities (FUI) and the
Red-White Forum (FMP). The West Java groups
comprised around 100 members of the Anti-Communist
Front (Permak) and the Community Forum for Sons and
Daughters of the Armed Forces (FKPPI). The remainder
meanwhile came from the Greater Jakarta area and
were made up of the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI),
the Betawi Brotherhood Forum (FBR), the Indonesian
Movement of National Patriots (GNPI) and the
Community of Sons and Daughters of the Police
(KBP3).

FBR general chairperson KH Fadloli El Munhir said
that the action was held to prevent the Papernas
declaration that is scheduled to be held at 11am
today at the monument. According to Munhir, the new
political party is tangible evidence that the
communist movement has started to revive in
Indonesia. "This party is based upon the Three
Banners(1), the same principles as the PKI", he
asserted.

Munhir argues that if the Papernas declaration goes
ahead it means that the government is allowing
communist ideology to grow and develop in Indonesia.
Moreover he continued, this communist party has
consistently spread hostility against the New Order
regime of former President Suharto, the army and has
been campaigning to bring down Pancasila as the
state ideology. "Because of this, we will use any
means to thwart the revival of communism in
Indonesia. Even if it requires violence", asserted
Munhir.

Initially the action proceeded in a peaceful and
orderly manner guarded over by personnel from the
Metro Jaya police. At around 11.30am however, around
200 people from one of the FPI groups separated and
moved off towards Jl. Sudirman. "They are conducting
a sweep for Papernas members", Central Jakarta
District Police Deputy Chief Henri Wibowo said at
the Proclamation Monument.

Wibowo said that many as 1,500 Papernas members are
planning to gather in front of the Department of
Education on Jl. Sudirman in Central Jakarta. He
went on to explain that the people conducting the
sweep ran into the Papernas members and a clash
broke out. "But it took place in Dukuh Atas,
Setiabudi, in the area covered by the South Jakarta
district police", he added.

Wibowo went on to say that the Central Jakarta
police had deployed 500 officers to maintain
security. According to Media Indonesia’s
observations, aside from uniformed police officers,
three were at least 30 intelligence officers in the
vicinity of the monument and two units of fully
armed anti-riot police.

Based on field reports the group conducting the
sweep at Jl. Sudirman succeeded in stopping 16 Metro
Mini busses being used by Papernas. In the ensuing
clash, five of the busses were severely damaged.

At around 1.30pm most of those gathered at the
monument were pulled out because according to Munhir
they had received a guarantee from the head of the
Central Jakarta district police that the Papernas
declaration had been canceled. "Our struggle has
succeeded, I appeal to our members to return to
their respective areas and not be provoked so that
another clash occurs", he instructed before leaving
the monument.

The chairperson of GNPI’s central leadership board,
Alfian Tanjung asserted that their members will
continued to be ready at any moment to return to the
Proclamation Monument if Papernas goes ahead and
holds a declaration. "The thing is, the
demonstrators from Papernas are going to the offices
of the Nahdlatul Ulama’s Central Board to meet with
Gus Dur [former President Abdurrahman Wahid] to
obtain support so that they can declare the party
today", he said.

Notes:

1. Papernas’ Three Banners of National Unity are
abolishing the foreign debt, nationalising the
mining industry and building the national industry
for the welfare of the people.

[Slightly abridged translation by James Balowski.]

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 Scores injured in clashes between Papernas and right-wing thugs

Media Indonesia - March 29, 2007

Bagus BT. Saragih, Jakarta — Members of the Islamic
Defenders Front (FPI) and the Betawi Brotherhood
Forum (FBR) clashed with demonstrators from the
National Liberation Party of Unity (Papernas) in the
Dukuh Atas area on Jl. Sudirman in Tanah Abang,
Central Jakarta on Thursday March 29.

Scores of people suffered minor injuries and one
person was seriously hurt in the clash. Police
meanwhile have detained five people suspected of
being provocateurs. One of those seriously injured
was Ahmad Sobari from the FPI who suffered cuts to
their neck after being hit by glass. He is now being
treated at the Tarakan Public Hospital in Central
Jakarta.

As of late this afternoon, four people had been
detained by the Tanah Abang sectoral police and one
other, FPI militia member Mohamad Rofik was detained
by the Central Jakarta district police.

The clash itself took place at around 10.30am when a
convoy of Papernas demonstrators heading towards the
Proclamation Monument encountered a group of FPI and
FBR members in Dukuh Atas.

According to one eyewitness, Iwan, the FPI and FBR
members had been marching around the area near the
Hotel Indonesia roundabout since morning. "They
brought weapons, wooden and metal truncheons. There
were some who brought sickles", said the motorbike
taxi driver who is usually based at Dukuh Atas when
speaking with Media Indonesia.

A clash was clearly unavoidable. The FPI and FPI
members greeted the Papernas demonstrators with a
hail of rocks. The Papernas members, the majority of
whom were housewives and small children ran and
scattered trying to save themselves. "The fled into
the alleyways", said eyewitness Ibut.

Even though the Papernas demonstrators retreated the
angry FPI and FBR members continued to pursue them
shouting, "You’re PKI! [Indonesian Communist Party]
You’re PKI!".

A short time later around 400 Papernas members
riding three Mayasari Bakti busses arrived. This
time most of them were men.

Seeing that their colleagues were under attack, the
newly arrived Papernas members immediately began
chasing after the FPI and FBR. "Counter attacked it
was the FPI’s turn to be chased", continued Iwan.

The FPI and FBR members were eventually forced back
as far as the Shangri-La Hotel on Jl. Karet Pasar
Baru Timur alongside the West Flood Canal River
around 500 meters from where the clash first broke
out.

The Papernas demonstrators who had not brought any
weapons used broken pieces of glass from the damaged
buses which they threw at the FPI and FBR. "Many
suffered head injuries because of being hit by rocks
and glass", said Iwan.

The police arrived at around 11am. "Six hundred
personnel were deployed from the Metro Jaya
municipal police and the Central Jakarta district
police", said Tanah Abang Sectoral Police Chief
Superintendent Budiyanto. Seeing the arrival of
security personnel, the protesters disbanded at
round 11.30am.

When asked to comment on the incident, FPI general
secretary Irwan admitted that they stopped the
Papernas convoy. "We asked them to turn back but
they didn’t want to, yeah so we can’t be held
responsible for what happened", he said when
contacted by Media Indonesia.

According to Irwan, the FPI mobilised as many as 700
people while the FBR mobilised around 1,200. This
does not include people from 14 other mass
organisations that were part of the coalition
opposing the planned Papernas declaration at the
Proclamation Monument.

Irwan said that they oppose Papernas because they
are PKI. "I have read the statues and rules of
association, and I also have evidence that they are
PKI. We don’t want the country to be infiltrated by
the PKI again", he said. (*/OL-06)

[Translated by James Balowski.]

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 Papernas calls on police to fully investigate FPI attack

Detik.com - March 29, 2007

Arifin Asydhad, Jakarta — The National Liberation
Party of Unity (Papernas) is calling on the national
police to fully investigate the attack on its
members by the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI). The
attack should be categorised as a criminal act.

The head of Papernas’ Legal and Human Rights
Department, Iwan Dwielaksono, conveyed this request
when contacted by Detik.com on Thursday March 29.
"We are calling on security forces, the national
police in particular to immediately investigate this
criminal act", he said.

The FPI attack on Papernas is a form of anarchy and
intimidation. On account of the attack, Papernas has
clearly been adversely affected. "Our members were
injured, while many busses were damaged. A mobile
sound system was also damaged", he said.

According to Iwan, in order to hold the mass rally
at the Proclamation Monument Papernas had already
submitted an official notification to the national
police. Papernas was exercising its freedom of
expression in accordance with procedures. Because of
this therefore, if a group then disrupts the event,
it become the responsibility of security forces.

Contrary to accusations from a number of groups,
Iwan also asserted that his party is not communist.
"In our statues and rules of association, the
principles of our party are the principles of
populist democracy based on [the state ideology of]
Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution", explained
Iwan.

Iwan said he keeps wandering why his party’s events
are constantly disrupted and attacked by certain
groups. Prior to the attack in Jakarta, Papernas was
also attacked as many a three times at events held
in Surabaya, Yogyakarta and Malang. "There are
indications that the attackers are from the same
group", he said. (asy/asy)

[Translated by James Balowski.]

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 Despite FPI attack, Papernas to go ahead with launch in June

Media Indonesia - March 29, 2007

Agustinus, Jakarta — Despite being attacked by
right-wing thugs on March 29, the National
Liberation Party of Unity (Papernas) will declare
itself in June. This was confirmed by Papernas
general secretary Haris Sitorus during discussions
with Media Indonesia in Jakarta on Thursday March
29.

The Papernas mass rally to declare the party that
was to be held in Jakarta ended in a clash after it
was attacked by members of the Islamic Defenders
Front (FPI) and the Betawi Brotherhood Forum (FBR).

According to Haris, Papernas is taking up a number
of issues including fighting for the abolition of
the foreign debt, the nationalisation of the mining
industry and building an Indonesia that is strong
and independent.

Haris said that Papernas currently has local
leadership boards in 23 provinces and 185
regencies/municipalities. The preparatory committee
for the formation of Papernas has been working since
June 2006.

"There many struggles happening on the ground. One
of these is that we will take part in the 2009
general elections", he said. Haris added that the
existing political parties have become contaminated
with broker type mentality. He said that have no
hesitation about pawning of the states interest for
personal gain. (Aka/Ol-03)

[Translated by James Balowski.]

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 Gus Dur urges police to take action against right- wing thugs

Detik.com - March 30, 2007

Ramdhan Muhaimin, Jakarta — Former President
Abdurrahman Wahid (Gus Dur) has condemned the attack
on the National Liberation Party of Unity (Papernas)
by the Islamic Defenders Militia (LPI) which is
affiliated with the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI).

"If in this case the government just stays quiet it
will be extremely dangerous for the future life of
the nation. I am asking for Pak Sutanto (National
Police Chief General Sutanto) to [act] firmly", said
Gus Dur who was wearing a brown batik shirt.

Gus Dur conveyed this when answering journalists’
questions at the offices of the Nahdlatul Ulama’s
Central Board on Jl. Kramat Raya in Central Jakarta
on Friday March 30.

Gus Dur said that the attack, which took place
yesterday in the Dukuh Atas area of Jl. Sudirman was
an unconstitutional act. "The FPI’s actions against
a political party that was to declare itself
yesterday was unconstitutional", said the former
president. (nik/nrl)

[Translated by James Balowski.]