Note: with the increased pace of political events in Indonesia, sometimes outpacing the ability to analyse, I will post translations of various documents on the blog.
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EMERGENCY: Attack on the secretariat of the Political Committee of the Poor (KPRM) in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, Saturday, May 17, 2008 – 00.10 local time.
20 thugs brutally attacked the KPRM offices at 10 minutes past midnight in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan on Saturday May 17. Poice and intelligence agents, who had the offices under survaillance, were seen to join the attack. At the time of the attack there were activists from the Indonesian Street Buskers Union – SPI; National Student League for Democracy – Politics for the Poor - LMND PRM, Political Committee for the Poor - KPRM-PRD) at the offices..
The afternoon before the attack, 3 members of the SPI: Lasai, Pice, and Akbar, were suddenly seized off the street in front on the Balikpapan No 3 high school, while they were on their way to fetch some friends. They were taken to the police station accused of carrying out “anarchistic actions”. However, during the interrogations it became clear that the apparatus wanted to intimidate them not to continue theirporotest actions over fuel price rises. They were beaten during the interrogations. One activist (Pice) had his beard set onfire. They were relesed at 8.00pm.
The two brutal incidents are cleary part of attempts to intimidate and terrorise in order to stop the major actions against the fuel price rises planned nationally for May 21. Demands raised at preceding actions include: Reject the fuel price rise; Lower prices; Reject the forces of the New Order era remnants, the Fake Reformasi Supporters and the Military.
The activists are now consolidating preparing to resis such acts and are not retreating an inch from their plans for the mobilization aksi to demand the cancellation of the fuel price rises.
This kind of terroristic action was normal during the era of the Suharto dictatorship. Militarism and the remnants of the New Order are still infiltrating into civilian life. There is only one word: RESIST!
Your solidarity is needed to strengthen the front of resistance and to pressure the authorities to to take legal action against those carrying out these acts of intimifation/terror and vandalism.
Send you messages of solidarity to:
SMS text short messages to No: +62 856-52208434; or +62 815-8126673
Email: pembebasan.kprm@gmail.com ; dan front.pembebasan.nasional@gmail.com.
There is only one word: RESIST!