Tatchell on Indonesia's human rights

[xmasdale]

Indonesia - Democracy without justice

Indonesia has made the transition from dictatorship to democracy, but
without justice for millions of victims of President Suharto's
tyranny. Peter Tatchell interviews Indonesian human rights
campaigners, Carmel Budiardjo and Adriana Siti Adhiati.

Watch the interview here:
http://snipurl.com/1titn

Peter Tatchell writes:

President Suharto ruled Indonesia with an iron fist for 30 long, dark
years, from 1967 to 1998. During this period, millions of Indonesians
were massacred, jailed, tortured or forced to flee their homes to
escape murderous rampages of the armed forces.

President Suharto's bloody rule was backed by the West. The UK and US
sold him the weapons that he used to repress his own people. We
colluded with his human rights abuses.

In 1998, economic downturn and mass protests forced Suharto from
office. Since then, Indonesia has embraced democracy, holding largely
free and fair elections.

Democracy has not, however, bought justice for the millions of victims
of Suharto's tyranny. They have no redress. The government and
military officials who authorised or committed murder and torture live
openly and freely; never called to account.

Colonel Burhanuddin Siagian, for example, was responsible for many of
the worst atrocities after Indonesia invaded and occupied East Timor.
He was recently rewarded with the post of district military commander
in the city of Jayapura, the capital of Indonesian-annexed West Papua.

During the period of Indonesian occupation of East Timor, nearly
200,000 people - around a third of the population - died. In West
Papua, an estimated 100,000 people have been killed.

East Timor is now independent. But West Papua is a nation that still
suffers Indonesian oppression and exploitation, with the collusion of
western oil and mining companies. They are looting West Papua's
immense natural riches.

Suharto and his cronies embezzled billions of taxpayers' money. Hardly
any of it has been recovered; depriving the government of desperately
needed funds for economic development and education and health
facilities to uplift Indonesia's impoverished people.

New democratic Indonesia has failed to bring Suharto to justice.
Instead of being tried for crimes against humanity, he is allowed to
live out his days in luxury, enjoying the fabulous wealth plundered by
him and his family during the thirty years he terrorised the country.

Note:
Carmel Budiardjo is a former Indonesian political prisoner and the
founder of TAPOL, the Indonesia human rights campaign.
http://tapol.gn.apc.org/

Adriana Siti Adhiati works with Down to Earth, the International
Campaign for Ecological Justice in Indonesia.
http://dte.gn.apc.org/

--
Peter Tatchell is the Green Party parliamentary candidate for Oxford East
http://www.greenoxford.com/peter and http://www.petertatchell.net