Bali bombing suspect extradited to Indonesia

The Jakarta Post, Niniek Karmini, Associated Press, Jakarta

Top dog: In this 2007 file photo obtained by the Associated
Press  from a Philippine security official, Indonesian militant
 Umar Patek addresses fellow militants in an Abu Sayyaf mountain
 encampment on Jolo island in southern Philippines. Patek had a
US$1 million bounty on his head when he was captured in the
Pakistani town of Abbottabad Jan. 25, four months before Osama bin
Laden was killed there in a US commando attack. (AP/File)

AnIndonesian militant who allegedly made the explosives used in the 2002 Balibombings was escorted home under tight security Thursday, more than six monthsafter he was captured in northwest Pakistan.

Umar Patekhad a $1 million bounty on his head when authorities caught up with him Jan. 25in Abbottabad - the same town where Osama bin Laden was killed in a U.S.commando attack four months later.

Indonesia'santi-terrorism chief, Ansyaad Mbai, told The Associated Press it did not appearto be a coincidence that they were in the same place.

"It'sfurther evidence of the link between the Southeast Asian terror network andal-Qaida," he added, hours before the 41-year-old boarded an Indonesianplane sent to a Pakistani air force base.

Patektouched down outside Indonesia's capital, Jakarta, on Thursday morning and wastaken straight to a police detention center in the West Java town of Kelapa Duawhere he will await trial, he said. No date has been announced.

Indonesianofficials say Patek has confessed to playing a key role in the 2002 Balibombings, which killed 202 people, many of them foreign tourists, including 88Australians.

He alsoadmitted to making the bombs used in a string of Christmas Eve attacks onchurches in 2000 that claimed 19 lives, they say.

But becausetough anti-terror laws passed after the Bali blasts cannot be applied retroactively,he will likely be charged with illegal possession of explosives, Mbai said.

Even thoughthat charge also carries a maximum penalty of death, there are concerns hemight get off easy.

Indonesia,the nation with the most Muslims in the world, has been hit by a string ofterrorist attacks blamed on Patek's regional militant group, Jemaah Islamiyah,but none as deadly as the Bali blasts.

A highlypraised anti-terrorism campaign in the country of 240 million has seen hundredsof suspects arrested and convicted in recent years, but Patek is one of thebiggest to have been captured alive.

His arrestin Abbottabad raised questions over whether he was there to meet bin Laden,something that would challenge theories that the al-Qaida chief was cut offfrom his followers.

U.Sofficials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the issue, have saidit appeared to be a coincidence.

But Mbaicountered that Wednesday.

Severalother militants - from Asia and Europe to the Middle East - also were arrestedin the same region of northwest Pakistan at the time of Patek's arrest, hesaid.

They hadgathered there in hopes of meeting bin Laden, but it was not clear if they'dsucceeded or were planning a new terror strike.

"Patekwas very valuable for the U.S.," Mbai said. "He helped leadauthorities to bin Laden."

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Indonesia torture case vs Exxon Mobil revived

Reuters, byJonathan Stempel, NEW YORK, Fri Jul 8, 2011

(Reuters) -Indonesian villagers who accused Exxon Mobil Corp's security forces of murder,torture and other atrocities have regained their right to sue the giant oilcompany in the United States.

A federalappeals court said on Friday that companies are not immune from liability undera 1789 U.S. law known as the Alien Tort Statute for "heinous conduct"allegedly committed by its agents in violation of human rights norms.

The 15villagers contended in their lawsuit that family members were killed and thatothers were "beaten, burned, shocked with cattle prods, kicked, andsubjected to other forms of brutality and cruelty" amounting to torture inIndonesia's Aceh province between 1999 and 2001, a period of civil unrest.

A dividedpanel of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals said Exxon Mobil should be forced todefend against such charges.

Given thatlaws in civilized nations hold corporations responsible for lesser wrongs,"it would create a bizarre anomaly to immunize corporations from liabilityfor the conduct of their agents in lawsuits brought for shockingly egregiousviolations of universally recognized principles of international law,"Judge Judith Rogers wrote for a 2-1 majority.

Friday'sdecision reversed part of a ruling by the federal district court in Washington,D.C.

It is alsoat odds with a landmark ruling last September by the federal appeals court inNew York, raising the prospect that the U.S. Supreme Court could try to resolvethe dispute.

"Theruling basically says that corporations are not above the law," saidJennifer Green, a University of Minnesota law professor and director of thatschool's human rights litigation clinic, who submitted a brief on theplaintiffs' behalf. "When corporations have knowledge that they are aidingand abetting human rights abuses, they can be held liable in a U.S.court."

ExxonMobil, based in Irving, Texas, said it is reviewing Friday's decision, callingthe plaintiffs' claims "baseless." Indonesia's government has alsoopposed the lawsuit.

"NOTABOVE THE LAW"

Thevillagers sought to hold Exxon Mobil responsible for having retained soldiersfrom Indonesia's military as guards for a natural gas facility in Aceh, despiteknowing of past human rights abuses by Indonesia's army and that the contractwould lead to human rights violations against Aceh villagers.

In itsruling, the D.C. Circuit also upheld the district court dismissal of claimsunder a different law, the Torture Victim Protection Act.

It returnedthe case to that court, where a jury could decide liability and anycompensatory or punitive damages.

"Wehave fought these baseless claims for many years," Exxon Mobil spokesmanPatrick McGinn said in a statement.

"Whileconducting its business in Indonesia, ExxonMobil has worked for generations toimprove the quality of life in Aceh through employment of local workers,provision of health services and extensive community investment. The companystrongly condemns human rights violations in any form."

AgnieszkaFryszman, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said the decision makes clear thatcorporations would be "as liable as anyone else" for violatinginternational human rights norms.

DISSENT

Friday'sdecision puts the D.C. Circuit in agreement with the 11th U.S. Circuit Court ofAppeals, which has jurisdiction in Alabama, Florida and Georgia.

It also putboth courts at odds with the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which saidcompanies are not liable in U.S. courts for violating international humanrights law.

That casewas brought against Royal Dutch Shell Plc by the families of seven Nigeriansexecuted by a former military government. They accused Shell of helpingNigerian authorities violently suppress protests against its oil explorationand development in the 1990s. [ID:nN04244684]

The 2ndCircuit decision applies in New York, Connecticut and Vermont.

Judge BrettKavanaugh dissented from Friday's decision, saying it would be "quiteodd" for a U.S. court to allow Alien Tort Statute claims against acorporation based on customary international law, when no internationaltribunals would.

He alsosaid the ruling could harm U.S.-Indonesian relations, and perhaps damage thewar on terrorism.

Kavanaughwas appointed to the bench by President George W. Bush. Rogers and Judge DavidTatel, who comprised the majority, were appointed by President Bill Clinton.

Exxonshares closed up 6 cents at $82.42 on the New York Stock Exchange.

The case isJohn Doe VIII et al v. Exxon Mobil Corp et al, D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals,No. 09-7125.

(Reportingby Jonathan Stempel; additional reporting by Anna Driver in Houston and JamesVicini in Washington, D.C.; editing by Tim Dobbyn, Andre Grenon and Matthew Lewis)

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Indonesian Rights Group Says Caning Unconstitutional

Jakarta Globe, May 27, 2011

A Sharia law official caning a man convicted of unlawful contact between
unmarried man and woman in Jantho, Aceh province, in April 8. Aceh adopted
a form of Shariah law in 2001 as part of the regional autonomy offered to
help quell separatist sentiment. Amnesty International recently argued that caning
violates the UN Convention against Torture, which Indonesia ratified in 1998, and
urged Indonesia to bring Aceh’s bylaws in line with international and national human
rights laws and standards. (AP Photo/Heri Juanda)

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An Indonesian human rights group on Friday condemned the use of caning in staunchly Islamic Aceh province, saying the punishment violated the country's constitution.

The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) urged the government to repeal a bylaw used by the partially autonomous province to carry out the punishment under Muslim sharia law.

Dozens of men have been publicly caned there for gambling this month.

Kontras said that caning should be barred by clauses in the country's constitution which grant citizens freedom from torture and from acts that detract from human dignity.

"The Indonesian government has to review the use of caning as punishment," deputy coordinator Indria Fernida said in a statement.

"A slow response by the government will indicate that they neglect this matter and adhere to a kind of punishment that violates the constitution and human rights principles," she said.

On Thursday, 19 people were being lashed in public after being caught gambling. Twenty--one people were also lashed earlier this month for gambling, while the punishment is also used for offenses including adultery.

Sixteen people were reportedly caned in Aceh last year, according to rights group Amnesty International, which said last week that the punishment violated the UN Convention against Torture.

"It seems that Aceh's authorities are increasingly resorting to public caning in violation of international law," Amnesty's Asia--Pacific director Sam Zarifi said.

Aceh, on the northern tip of Sumatra island, adopted partial sharia law in 2001 as part of an autonomy package aimed at quelling separatist sentiment.

Caning carried out there is mainly aimed at causing shame rather than injury.

AFP

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JG Photographer Recognized for Gayus Photo

Jakarta Globe, April 19, 2011

This photograph of Gayus Tambunan, wearing a wig and glasses,
watching a tennis tournament in Bali in early November when he should
have been behind bars, won Jakarta Globe chief photographer Jurnasyanto
Sukarno a National Press Day award on Tuesday.

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A photograph that unravelled deep-rooted corrupt practices in law enforcement institutions earned a Jakarta Globe photographer a National Press Day Award on Tuesday.

The photograph, taken by the Globe's chief photographer, Jurnasyanto Sukarno, and published on the Nov. 6, 2010, issue, depicted a wig-wearing man among the spectators in a tennis tournament in Bali bearing an uncanny resemblance to disgraced former taxman Gayus Tambunan.

The publication of the picture, and a similar one in Kompas newspaper a few days later, led to the discovery that Gayus, who should have been behind bars pending a graft verdict, had been able to bribe his way out of his detention cell at will, including to go on vacations overseas with his wife.

"The picture spoke volumes about the corruption plaguing this country," Globe chief editor Bhimanto Suwastoyo said.

Gayus will soon face trial for bribery charges related to the illicit jaunts, while the former chief warden at the Brimob detention center and several other correctional officers are currently on trial for receiving bribes to let him out of the heavily guarded facility.

The award was also given to Kompas photographer Agus Susanto, who also took the same picture, and Suara Hidayatullah journalist Surya Fachrizal for his extraordinary coverage of the sending of humanitarian aid to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on board the Marvi Marmara boat.

Indonesia Corruption Watch was also presented with the National Press Day Award for its extraordinary efforts in fighting corruption and its close partnership with the press in these efforts.

The awards were presented by the 2011 National Press Day Community during a gathering at the TVRI building in South Jakarta that also saw the awarding of the Gold Medal for Journalism Spirit to veteran journalist Jacob Oetama and the “Press Card Number One” to 35 journalists in recognition for their professionalism, integrity and contributions to press freedom.

'Dancing Cop' Asked to Entertain His Colleagues

Jakarta Globe, April 06, 2011

First Brig. Norman Kamaru, the Gorontalo Mobile Brigade (Brimob) officer
who gained online fame after the video of him lip-synching and dancing
to a Bollywood song went viral on the Internet, at the taping of 'Bukan
Empat Mata' at the Trans7 studio in Jakarta on Thursday. The episode
is expected to air at 9:45 p.m. on Friday. (JG Photo/Afriadi Hikmal)

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Indonesia’s National Police chief says he can see the funny side to a wildly popular YouTube video featuring a uniformed officer dancing to a Hindi song but insists disciplinary action was still necessary.

Gen. Timur Pradopo, speaking at the Presidential Palace on Tuesday, conceded that First Brig. Norman Kamaru had “good creativity” but said “the sanctions would serve as guidance for him.”

The video featuring Norman, a member of the Gorontalo Mobile Brigade (Brimob), lip syncing and dancing to Hindi song Chaiyya-Chaiyya” has already attracted more than 500,000 views.

Timur, who laughed as he was questioned by journalists, said he would let Gorontalo Police determine the punishment.

“It is funny,” he said. “If the public consider it as good, it means he’s creative. But he was on duty, so we will let the police chief guide him, meaning to direct him to express his creativity while he is not on duty.”

Norman, meanwhile, told Metro TV that he had accepted his reprimand and vowed not to repeat his actions.

He admitted that he took the video himself but said he did not upload it to the video-sharing Web site.

Gorontalo Police, however, do not seem to concerned about the controversy.

Norman said one of his superiors had asked him to perform the song in front of his colleagues.

One of Norman’s fellow officers said Norman had a love for Bollywood music and film.

“He sings and dances to entertain us, he makes us laugh. He’s a star,” the officer said.

Experts said police had other, more important things to concentrate on.

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Churches Ablaze in Protest in Central Java

Jakarta Globe, Candra Malik | February 09, 2011

Cars were set on fire in the parking area of a church that was attacked by
Muslim mobs in Temanggung, Central Java, on Tuesday. Hundreds of Islamic
hard-liners first ran amok outside a courthouse to protest what they considered
too mild a sentence for a man convicted of blaspheming Islam. (Antara Photo)

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Temanggung, Central Java. Roving mobs of Muslims on Tuesday attacked and vandalized five buildings, including two churches, in the small Central Java town of Temanggung following the sentencing of a man on trial for contempt of Islam.

Judges at the district court in Temanggung on Tuesday sentenced Antonius Richmord Bawengan, 58, to five years in jail, as the prosecutors had requested.

The verdict angered members of hard-line Islamic groups, who thought it was too lenient, setting off the spasm of violence.

Two churches, a school and two police stations were vandalized by the mobs and a number of cars and motorcycles were set on fire. Nine people were injured in the violence, most by thrown stones, police said.

The defendant and the judges and prosecutors had to be rushed out of the courtroom by police officers after hundred of people rushed toward them amid shouts of “Allahu Akbar” after the verdict was announced.

Djoko Suyanto, the coordinating ninister for political, legal, and security affairs, said President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono condemned the violence, which came just days after a violent attack on an Ahmadiyah community in Pandeglang, Banten, that left three people dead and five injured.

“The Central Java Police have been instructed to immediately find the perpetrators of the anarchy and deal with them through the legal process,” Djoko said in a written statement.

National Police Chief Gen. Timur Pradopo said shortly after returning from Temanggung that one person had been arrested. “We have arrested one suspect and may name more as the investigation continues,” he said. “We will uphold the law against whoever breaches it.”

He said that like many of the others involved, the suspect was not from Temanggung, which he said pointed to the violence being orchestrated by outsiders.

The rioting ended some five hours after it started when hundreds of police reinforcements arrived from other regions.

Antonius, a resident of Manado, North Sulawesi, who holds a Jakarta identity card, was convicted of distributing a book titled “Ya Tuhan, Tertipu Aku” (“Oh My God, I Was Fooled”) and leaflets titled “Selamatkan Diri Dari Dajjal dan Kiamat” (“Save Yourself from the Antichrist and Doomsday”).

They were distributed in Kranggan village in Temanggung in October.

The book said the Kaaba, Islam’s holiest shrine, is a symbol of the female genital organ while the Jamrah pillar — another significant object in Islam — is the male equivalent. The texts also described Islam as violent.

Siti Mahanim, who prosecuted the case, said Antonius was guilty of violating the Criminal Code on insulting Islam and recommended the maximum sentence for the offense, five years in jail.

“I regret my deeds and plead guilty. To the religious people, especially Muslims in Indonesia, whose hearts were hurt by my actions, I apologize,” Antonius said in court. With the admission, the judges immediately announced their verdict.

The Temanggung Police had deployed more than 400 officers in and around the court building, and limited the number of people allowed inside the courtroom, police spokesman Adj. Comr. Marino said.

Police fired three warning shots and tear gas canisters outside the court but the mob then split up and attacked a Pentecostal church, St. Peter and Paul Catholic Church and the Shekinah school in the complex of Bethel Indonesia Church. They burned vehicles and later set fire to two police trucks.

Benny Susetyo, head of the Indonesian Bishops Conference (KWI), told the Jakarta Globe that reports from Temanggung indicated the rioters were probably not locals. “Our team reported that they were transported to the locations in trucks. It seems like they were from outside the district,” he said.

Benny called on the government to “arrest the perpetrators, whoever they are and whatever their motivation was.”

Additional reporting by Farouk Arnaz, Dessy Sagita, Markus Junianto Sihaloho & Hartono

Blasphemy effect: (Krisna Krisna Sumargo/Tribunnews)

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Muslim youths guard Christmas celebration in Kupang

Antara News, Friday, December 24, 2010

Kupang, E. Nusa Tenggara (ANTARA News) - Muslim youths in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, joined security personnel to secure Christmas and New Year`s eve celebrations, a police spokesman said.

A total of 530 security personnel consisting of policemen, servicemen and members of the society, including Muslim youths, had been deployed to guard the celebrations, Kupang police chief Adjunct Senior Commissioner Bambang Sugiarto said here Friday.

Those involved in this joined security scheme had agreed to set up security checks in 14 security-prone locations with each secured by four guards, he said.

Besides this, 116 churches in the East Nusa Tenggar province`s capital of Kupang would also be secured by policemen and servicemen to ensure that they were free from security disturbance, he said.

The security personnel would effectively work from Friday to December 31, he said.

"This security measure has been taken in response to the national police chief`s order," he said.

The security threats and situation that need to be anticipated included acts of terrorism, conventional crimes, traffic jams, use of fire crackers, and natural disasters, he said.

The same security procedures were also taken by policemen in the West Java town of Cirebon.

Each church in the town would be guarded by ten policemen to secure Christmas eve and celebrations, Cirebon police chief Adjunct Senior Commissioner Herukoco said.

At least 600 security personnel had been deployed to secure Christmas and New Year holidays in the city, he said.

In Tasikmalaya, West Java, 17 churches were also secured by 481 security personnel ahead of Christmas eve.

The presence of policemen and servicemen was expected to create a secure and peaceful condition for church goers, Tasikmalaya district police`s spokesman Commissioner Yono Kusyono said.

Indonesia has been fighting terrorist cells since 2000. On December 24, 2000, a string of attacks on churches were carried out by terrorists on Christmas eve in several Indonesian cities.

The attackers targeted a number of churches in the Indonesian cities of Batam, Pekanbaru, Jakarta, Sukabumi, Pangandaran, Bandung, Kudus, Mojokerto, and Mataram.

Two years after the Christmas eve bombings, terrorists attacked Bali Island in 2002, claiming 202 lives, including 88 Australian holiday makers.

The latest deadly incident happened on July 17, 2009 when two suicide bombers attacked JW Marriott and the Ritz-Carlton hotels in South Jakarta.

FPI Promises No Disruptions Over Christmas in Indonesia

Jakarta Globe, Zaky Pawas & Ulma Haryanto | December 15, 2010

Jakarta. In a surprise move, the head of the hard-line Islamic Defenders Front on Tuesday said Christians should be allowed to celebrate Christmas in peace and happiness.

Rizieq Shihab, who heads the organization better known as FPI that has been behind attacks on churches and minority sects in the past years, also gave the assurance that his followers would not disturb or disrupt Christmas celebrations.

“I think, let Christians celebrate Christmas in merriment and happiness. That is their right of worship, right of faith that should be respected by all of the Indonesian nation,” Rizieq said at the Jakarta Police headquarters.

However, he said that guarantee of peacefulness came with the conditions that the celebrations should avoid controversy.

“As in the past years, we are calling on the Indonesian Bishop’s Council and the Indonesian Church Union to celebrate Christmas according to the procedures and rules; there should nothing that invites controversy,” he said without giving details.

Rizieq said the conflict between the FPI and believers of other faiths was not over acts of worship but rather had to do with the building of houses of worship that did not follow the rules.

“I call on believers of other religions not to violate the SKB,” he said, referring to the joint ministerial decree that regulates the building of houses of worship.

The regulation demands that houses of worship be built in areas where their religion is the dominant one.

They require a host of approvals from residents and officials.

Rights activists have lashed at the decree as being discriminative and restricting the right to worship as guaranteed by the Constitution.

Rizieq acknowledged that the Constitution guaranteed the right to worship, but added: “Do not forget that the Constitution is implemented through the SKB.”

Ramlan Hutahaean, national secretary general for the Batak Christian Churches (HKBP), with which FPI has clashed, said he expected religious tolerance all the time, not only during Christmas.

He also bristled at Rizieq’s used of the word “controversial” during Christmas celebrations.

“I don’t think there’s anything controversial during Christmas. It’s a celebration of peace. From his statement it seems that he simply does not want his Christian brothers to celebrate Christmas,” he said.

“In this world we don’t live alone. We have to sit down with others who might not have the same faith. It’s the essence of living in a pluralistic society. If he can’t accept someone from a different faith, that shows the quality of his own,” Ramlan added.

Jakarta Police Spokesman Sr. Comr Baharudin Djafar said Jakarta Police Chief Insp. Gen Sutarman took the initiative to meet with the FPI at the headquarters.

“This is an important form of coordination so that we can together work for a conducive situation,” Baharudin said.

Between 10,000 and 20,000 police personnel would be deployed to safeguard churches during Christmas and New Year, he said.

Indonesian Cleric Gets 4 Years Jail Over Sex With Child Bride

Jakarta Globe, November 24, 2010

Jakarta. An Indonesian court sentenced a wealthy Muslim cleric to four years in prison on Wednesday for having sex with a 12-year-old girl he took as his unofficial wife.

Pujiono Cahyo Widiyanto, center in white, a wealthy
Muslim cleric was sentenced to four years in prison
on Wednesday for having sex with a 12-year-old girl
he took as his unofficial wife. (AFP Photo)

Pujiono Cahyo Widiyanto, 45, from the Central Java city of Semarang, sparked nationwide controversy over his decision to wed Lutfiana Ulfa in August, 2008.

"The defendant has been proven to have had a sexual relationship with an underage girl, Lutfiana Ulfa. We sentence him to four years in prison," judge Hari Mulyanto said.

Lutfiana screamed hysterically when she heard the sentence read out in court.

"We'll appeal against the decision," Widiyanto's lawyer OC Kaligis said.

Widiyanto — also known as Sheikh Puji — said the girl had reached puberty when he married her in an unofficial religious ceremony, and claimed his actions were acceptable under Islam.

The age of consent in Indonesia is 16 for married females and 18 for males.

Indonesian law has harsh penalties for pedophilia, but unregistered marriages between older men and under-age girls are common in rural areas.

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Govt steps up heat on Saudi Arabia over worker abuse

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sat, 11/20/2010

In reality, it will be worse: Activists from the Indonesian Workers Association and Migrant Care stage a theatrical performance with a theme of torturing Indonesian maids in Saudi Arabia in front of the Royal Saudi Arabia Embassy in Jakarta Friday. Sumiati bini Salan Mustapa, an Indonesian maid, was inhumanly tortured by her Saudi employer recently. JP/Nurhayati

Indonesia’s fury over the abuse and murder of migrant workers has found no relief. A regional government has imposed a complete moratorium while the President considered reviewing the practice of sending workers to Saudi Arabia.

Indonesia would review sending migrant workers to “uncooperative, non-transparent” countries, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono told reporters at the State Palace after a Cabinet meeting on Friday.

The President said “all out diplomacy” would be deployed against non-transparent countries to protect the interests of Indonesian workers.

Indonesian migrant worker Sumiati binti Salan
Mustapa after she was brutalized by her Saudi
Arabian employers. (Photo courtesy of the Saudi
Gazette)

Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said that “uncooperative, non-transparent” countries were generally in the Middle East, and included Saudi Arabia.

Marty summoned Saudi Arabian Ambassador Abdurrahman Mohammad Amen Al-Khayyat on Friday for the third time this week on yet another incident involving a migrant worker.

He previously summoned the ambassador twice and sent a letter to the Kingdom’s foreign minister following the case of 23-year-old Sumiati, a West Nusa Tenggara resident who was allegedly abused by her Saudi Arabian employer.

East Nusa Tenggara (NTB) Governor Zainul Majdi imposed a moratorium Friday on sending female domestic workers from the province to Saudi Arabia following the news on Sumiati. Sumiati was reportedly tortured and sustained cuts around her mouth that suggested she was attacked with scissors. She also reportedly has burns that may have been caused by a hot iron.

“Today [Friday], we’ll also call the Saudi Arabian ambassador, again. It is not because of the case of Ibu Sumiati, but another case that was just revealed last night [Thursday],” Marty said, referring to Kikim Komalasari, another Indonesian migrant worker who was found dead in garbage bin.

Kikim’s neck was reportedly slashed, and she also had cuts to the rest of her body.

Marty said it had taken longer than usual for the Kingdom’s police to inform the Indonesian Embassy about Kikim’s death because she was previously misidentified as a Bangladeshi.

“Saudi Arabia and Middle Eastern countries in general don’t recognize [bilateral] MoUs in the informal sector. They only want to sign ones on the formal sector,” Marty said.

Manpower and Transmigration Minister Muhaimin Iskandar cited Saudi Arabia and Jordan as two countries Indonesia had not yet managed to sign good agreements on migrant workers with.

The result of the review might lead to a decision to halt the sending of workers to these countries, he added.

President Yudhoyono also said the government was mulling the prospect of equipping Indonesian migrant workers with cell phones to help them reach officers more easily when they face problems.

“Based on our experiences, we often receive reports on what has happened with our migrant workers [after it] is too late,” the President said.

Muhaimin explained afterward only migrant workers sent to Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan had been equipped with cell phones.

“Cell phones should be a means of an open communication system included in the MoUs. Agents abroad must provide the phones, and the employers should not be allowed to take them [away],” the minister said.

Yudhoyono said currently about 4,300 Indonesian workers overseas are facing various hardships, ranging from being denied their salaries, overwork, and physical and even sexual abuse. Approximately 3.27 million Indonesians are now registered as migrant workers.

A protest over the torture of Sumiati Binti Salan Mustapa, outside
the Saudi Arabian embassy in Jakarta. on Nov. 18. (Photo: CNN)

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Reggae Ringtone Sparks Tribal Violence in Papua

Jakarta Globe, Banjir Ambarita | November 17, 2010

Jayapura, Papua. Dozens of homes and motorcycles were burned and three people suffered serious wounds on Wednesday following tribal violence in the city of Jayapura.

One of the houses burned by mobs during the riots
between Wamena and Yoka tribes in Yoka village,
Papua. (JG Photo/Banjir Ambarita)

Hundreds of residents of the Wamena tribe attacked the neighboring Yoka tribe on Wednesday morning, burning 23 homes, 12 motorcycles and two cars, with another 56 homes damaged during the violence, according to the local administration.

The weapons that caused the serious injuries were identified as a bow, an axe and an air rifle.

As hundreds of members of the Wamena tribe descended from the mountains in a fury on Wednesday morning, those in the Yoka tribe could only attempt to save themselves.

Police arrived shortly after the attacks occurred, and fired warning shots into the air. The shots brought an end to the violence.

The attack was triggered by an offensive ringtone circulating among the Yoka tribe that allegedly contained insulting lyrics directed at the Wamena tribe, playing to a reggae beat.

Residents of Wamena decided that they would not tolerate the insults, and therefore made plans to attack the Yoka tribe at 9 a.m. on Wednesday.

“Hundreds of them could no longer accept it. They felt it was an insult to their dignity,” Jayapura Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Imam Setiawan said, adding that the man who created the ringtone and sang the lyrics to the reggae beat has already been detained in police custody for questioning.

Imam Setiawan confirmed that the major cause of the attack was the offensive ringtone created by the locals of the Yoka tribe.

“No fatalities were caused as a result of this incident. But we need to check which tribe the three injured victims belong to.”

Tribal wars still happen from time to time in West Papua, where many people live according to indigenous traditions.

In July, the district of Tolikara managed to end a tribal war that saw 75 people wounded by arrows, and one by an axe. The conflict was triggered by a family quarrel and violence, he said.

Local man Apius Wenda had a quarrel with his wife, Betina Wendik, in July and beat her . Betina later ran away to her relatives’ house complaining of her husband’s violent behavior.

The wife’s relatives retaliated by assaulting Apius Wenda when he came to pick her up. Fighting among the relatives eventually escalated into a communal war.

Police seized six cleavers, 13 knives, 50 arrows and six bows used in the attacks.