China willing to ease ASEAN rift on disputed sea | The Jakarta Post
Bagus BT Saragih, The Jakarta Post, August 11 2012
The government once again looked to be playing it safe with China, a country currently in the world spotlight over a number of important regional and global issues, such as the South China Sea and the civil war in Syria.
Following recent discord among member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which was inflamed by maneuvers from Chinese forces in the region’s disputed waters, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono opted not to openly defend the interests of
Indonesia’s Southeast Asian partners when he met with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi on Friday.
Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa was tight-lipped when asked about the details of his discussion with Jiechi concerning the same issue.
“The [South China Sea] issue that we discussed took place in a private setting, so I have no right to disclose the details of the discussion,” Marty told reporters following the meeting with Jiechi at his office late on Friday.
However, Marty did maintain that any approach adopted to resolve the South China Sea issue had to be “special”, particularly given the complexities involved and the number of countries affected.
“Regarding the South China Sea, we all need to be wiser now, in the sense that we should not conduct ‘megaphone diplomacy’ or make unilateral public statements,” the minister said.
“The issue needs to be managed within the confines of calm and steady diplomatic efforts. Our approach must be measured and effective. It will need all of us to adopt that kind of mind-set.
“I hope in the months to come there will be fewer public statements that could have a detrimental effect,” he added.
Marty did, however, claim that his meeting with Jiechi had resulted in positive progress. “Having met and enjoyed a very positive discussion with Minister Jiechi, I feel much better this afternoon than I did this morning, as I have been assured that diplomatic channels are now open,” he said.
“Our discussion was useful for me in order to ascertain where China stands [on the issue] and to better understand China’s world view, so that we can put ourselves in their shoes. In that way, we can try to build bridges between the parties with vested interests in the South China Sea,” Marty added.
Jiechi only briefly referred to the South China Sea in his statement, which was delivered during a joint press briefing with Marty.
“To maintain regional peace and stability in the South China Sea is the shared of responsibility of all the countries in the region. China is willing to work with Indonesia and other ASEAN countries to fully and effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea,” Jiechi said.
Yudhoyono, meanwhile, reiterated to Jiechi his concerns over the long-running Syrian crisis, which has resulted in the deaths of thousands of civilians.
The President had delivered a statement two weeks ago, only hours after Russia and China vetoed for the third time a Western-backed UN Security Council resolution that threatened Syrian authorities with sanctions if they did not desist in using heavy weapons or withdraw their troops from towns and cities.
Yudhoyono slammed the failure, which he put down to “debates about who will lead [Syria] in the future”, while the situation in the Middle Eastern country continued to worsen.
Marty, who accompanied Yu-dhoyono in the meeting with Jiechi, said the President had been blunt with the Chinese minister .
“The President conveyed his views regarding this matter in a decisive and straightforward way. He impressed upon the Chinese minister the necessity for the UN Security Council to take concrete action to establish peace in Syria,” he said.
Also on Friday, Marty and Jiechi co-chaired a second meeting of the Indonesia-China Intergovernmental Joint Committee on Bilateral Cooperation at the Foreign Ministry in Central Jakarta.
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Friday, August 10, 2012
Youths tried for torching Central World | Prachatai English
Youths tried for torching Central World | Prachatai English
8 August 2012
On 6 Aug, the Central Juvenile and Family Court held a hearing in the case of Attaphol and Phasakorn (family names withheld), who were accused, among other charges, of setting fire to the Central World shopping complex two years ago.
Both were 16 years old when they were arrested in the late afternoon of 19 May 2010.
They were charged with robbery, violating the Emergency Decree and committing arson resulting in the death of Kittipong Somsuk whose body was found inside the shopping mall.
Pol Capt Piya Raksakul, investigator from the Department of Special Investigation in charge of the case, testified as a prosecution witness that security staff of the Central World had identified the defendants from photographs as accomplices in the arson.
They were seen running and firing catapults into the mall, and the mall was later burned down. As the defendants denied the charges, but could not produce any witness to support their claims, he considered the case valid for prosecution.
During cross-examination by the defence, he said that the arson occurred after the red-shirt rally had been dissolved and the defendants were arrested at about 5pm on the 4th floor, Zone C, inside the mall.
They resisted arrest by the authorities, and were initially charged with robbery. Only later were they further charged with arson after witnesses identified them through photographs, he said.
The Police’s Office of Forensic Science and the Ministry of Justice’s Central Institute of Forensic Science examined the scene after the incident, when the area had already been secured by the military. Examination of video recordings showed no photographic evidence of the defendants ‘carrying gas containers or behaving in a manner to commit arson’, he said.
The trial will continue on 7 and 8 Aug.
Two others have been charged with burning down Central World; Saichol Phaebua, 29, a resident of Chainat, and Phinit Channarong, 27, from Chaiyaphum. They have been detained at Laksi Political Prison.
In the case of the robbery at Central World, in which the two juveniles have been implicated, on 1 Dec 2011, the South Bangkok Criminal Court acquitted Phinit and other 5 defendants of the charge, citing a lack of evidence to show that they had stolen 18 items worth 95,430 baht.
Only one defendant Khomsan Sudchanham, who was found to have illegally acquired mobile phones and batteries from the shops by Central World security personnel, was sentenced to 3 years in prison.
The court sentenced all defendants to one year in jail for violating the Emergency Decree, but reduced the term by half as they had pleaded guilty.
The court dismissed the charge of using firearms against the authorities, as there was no evidence showing that they had possessed firearms and used them against the authorities.
8 August 2012
On 6 Aug, the Central Juvenile and Family Court held a hearing in the case of Attaphol and Phasakorn (family names withheld), who were accused, among other charges, of setting fire to the Central World shopping complex two years ago.
Both were 16 years old when they were arrested in the late afternoon of 19 May 2010.
They were charged with robbery, violating the Emergency Decree and committing arson resulting in the death of Kittipong Somsuk whose body was found inside the shopping mall.
Pol Capt Piya Raksakul, investigator from the Department of Special Investigation in charge of the case, testified as a prosecution witness that security staff of the Central World had identified the defendants from photographs as accomplices in the arson.
They were seen running and firing catapults into the mall, and the mall was later burned down. As the defendants denied the charges, but could not produce any witness to support their claims, he considered the case valid for prosecution.
During cross-examination by the defence, he said that the arson occurred after the red-shirt rally had been dissolved and the defendants were arrested at about 5pm on the 4th floor, Zone C, inside the mall.
They resisted arrest by the authorities, and were initially charged with robbery. Only later were they further charged with arson after witnesses identified them through photographs, he said.
The Police’s Office of Forensic Science and the Ministry of Justice’s Central Institute of Forensic Science examined the scene after the incident, when the area had already been secured by the military. Examination of video recordings showed no photographic evidence of the defendants ‘carrying gas containers or behaving in a manner to commit arson’, he said.
The trial will continue on 7 and 8 Aug.
Two others have been charged with burning down Central World; Saichol Phaebua, 29, a resident of Chainat, and Phinit Channarong, 27, from Chaiyaphum. They have been detained at Laksi Political Prison.
In the case of the robbery at Central World, in which the two juveniles have been implicated, on 1 Dec 2011, the South Bangkok Criminal Court acquitted Phinit and other 5 defendants of the charge, citing a lack of evidence to show that they had stolen 18 items worth 95,430 baht.
Only one defendant Khomsan Sudchanham, who was found to have illegally acquired mobile phones and batteries from the shops by Central World security personnel, was sentenced to 3 years in prison.
The court sentenced all defendants to one year in jail for violating the Emergency Decree, but reduced the term by half as they had pleaded guilty.
The court dismissed the charge of using firearms against the authorities, as there was no evidence showing that they had possessed firearms and used them against the authorities.
Cambodia recalls its ambassador to Philippines | Asia News – Politics, Media, Education | Asian Correspondent
Cambodia recalls its ambassador to Philippines | Asia News – Politics, Media, Education | Asian Correspondent
AP News, Aug 10, 2012
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine officials say Cambodia is recalling its ambassador to Manila. No reason was given for the departure.
Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said Friday that a diplomatic note from Phnom Penh said Ambassador Hos Sereythonh will be replaced and leave Manila next week.
Cambodian officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
The ambassador stirred controversy when he said in letter published in a Philippine newspaper last month that Manila and Hanoi tried “to sabotage and hijack” the foreign ministers meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Phom Penh in July by insisting on mentioning the South China Sea dispute in the joint communique.
He accused the Philippines and Vietnam of playing “dirty politics” in their territorial row with China.
The Philippines protested his remarks.
AP News, Aug 10, 2012
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine officials say Cambodia is recalling its ambassador to Manila. No reason was given for the departure.
Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said Friday that a diplomatic note from Phnom Penh said Ambassador Hos Sereythonh will be replaced and leave Manila next week.
Cambodian officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
The ambassador stirred controversy when he said in letter published in a Philippine newspaper last month that Manila and Hanoi tried “to sabotage and hijack” the foreign ministers meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Phom Penh in July by insisting on mentioning the South China Sea dispute in the joint communique.
He accused the Philippines and Vietnam of playing “dirty politics” in their territorial row with China.
The Philippines protested his remarks.
Vietnamese teacher jailed after criticizing Hanoi | Asia News – Politics, Media, Education | Asian Correspondent
Vietnamese teacher jailed after criticizing Hanoi | Asia News – Politics, Media, Education | Asian Correspondent
AP News, Aug 10, 2012
DANANG, Vietnam (AP) — A court in central Vietnam has sentenced a high school chemistry teacher to six years in prison after he criticized the government.
Judge Nguyen Van Uy says Dinh Dang Dinh was sentenced in a half-day trial Thursday on charges of conducting propaganda against the state.
The official Vietnam News Agency reported Friday that police in central Dak Nong province arrested Dinh last October, confiscating his computer and documents calling for multi-party democracy.
U.S.-based Human Rights Watch said Thursday that Dinh is a former army officer who wrote online commentaries alleging police harassment and signed a petition opposing a planned Chinese-led bauxite mine in Vietnam’s restive central highlands.
Vietnam is a one-party state that does not tolerate challenges to its authority. Dissidents frequently receive long prison terms for speaking out.
AP News, Aug 10, 2012
DANANG, Vietnam (AP) — A court in central Vietnam has sentenced a high school chemistry teacher to six years in prison after he criticized the government.
Judge Nguyen Van Uy says Dinh Dang Dinh was sentenced in a half-day trial Thursday on charges of conducting propaganda against the state.
The official Vietnam News Agency reported Friday that police in central Dak Nong province arrested Dinh last October, confiscating his computer and documents calling for multi-party democracy.
U.S.-based Human Rights Watch said Thursday that Dinh is a former army officer who wrote online commentaries alleging police harassment and signed a petition opposing a planned Chinese-led bauxite mine in Vietnam’s restive central highlands.
Vietnam is a one-party state that does not tolerate challenges to its authority. Dissidents frequently receive long prison terms for speaking out.
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Thai court delays bail ruling for top Red Shirts | Asia News – Politics, Media, Education | Asian Correspondent
Thai court delays bail ruling for top Red Shirts | Asia News – Politics, Media, Education | Asian Correspondent
AP News Aug 09, 2012
BANGKOK (AP) — A Thai court Thursday postponed a verdict that could put some Red Shirt leaders back in jail for violating the terms of their bail two years after the group’s street protests paralyzed the Thai capital.
AP News Aug 09, 2012
BANGKOK (AP) — A Thai court Thursday postponed a verdict that could put some Red Shirt leaders back in jail for violating the terms of their bail two years after the group’s street protests paralyzed the Thai capital.
Hundreds of Red Shirt supporters had gathered peacefully outside the Criminal Court in Bangkok to await the ruling.
Delaying the case until Aug. 22 will allow defendant Yoswarit Chooklom to add more witnesses and evidence to defend himself, a judge said.
Yoswarit is among 24 Red Shirt leaders and key members being tried on terrorism charges in connection with the 2010 protests, which deteriorated into violence that left at least 91 people dead and more than 1,700 injured. Five of them are lawmakers now and have parliamentary immunity.
The conditions of their releases on bail had barred the defendants from instigating chaos through speeches or creating disturbances in Thai society.
A political opponent filed a complaint alleging Yoswarit threatened Constitutional Court judges in political speeches made to crowds in front of Parliament in June. Another Red Shirt leader, Jatuporn Prompan, also is accused of violated his bail terms by speaking at the same rally.
The comments were made as the Constitutional Court was deliberating on the legitimacy of efforts to amend the charter, and the court could have ruled to dissolve the Red Shirt-backed ruling party just a year after it won landslide elections.
Yoswarit admitted to the court he was “negligent” in giving out home addresses and phone numbers of the judges and their families members to the Red Shirt supporters although quickly apologizing and discouraging the crowds from calling the numbers.
“I never intended to instigate any disturbances,” said Yoswarit.
The Red Shirt movement mostly consisted of supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 coup. Some of the leaders have become cabinet ministers in the current government, led by his sister, Yingluck Shinawatra.
The court is closely identified with a conservative, elite establishment that sees Thaksin’s popularity as a threat to its own power and influence. The court’s members have removed two Thaksin-allied prime ministers in the last four years, and they have dissolved major political parties and banned top politicians from politics.
Delaying the case until Aug. 22 will allow defendant Yoswarit Chooklom to add more witnesses and evidence to defend himself, a judge said.
Yoswarit is among 24 Red Shirt leaders and key members being tried on terrorism charges in connection with the 2010 protests, which deteriorated into violence that left at least 91 people dead and more than 1,700 injured. Five of them are lawmakers now and have parliamentary immunity.
The conditions of their releases on bail had barred the defendants from instigating chaos through speeches or creating disturbances in Thai society.
A political opponent filed a complaint alleging Yoswarit threatened Constitutional Court judges in political speeches made to crowds in front of Parliament in June. Another Red Shirt leader, Jatuporn Prompan, also is accused of violated his bail terms by speaking at the same rally.
The comments were made as the Constitutional Court was deliberating on the legitimacy of efforts to amend the charter, and the court could have ruled to dissolve the Red Shirt-backed ruling party just a year after it won landslide elections.
Yoswarit admitted to the court he was “negligent” in giving out home addresses and phone numbers of the judges and their families members to the Red Shirt supporters although quickly apologizing and discouraging the crowds from calling the numbers.
“I never intended to instigate any disturbances,” said Yoswarit.
The Red Shirt movement mostly consisted of supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 coup. Some of the leaders have become cabinet ministers in the current government, led by his sister, Yingluck Shinawatra.
The court is closely identified with a conservative, elite establishment that sees Thaksin’s popularity as a threat to its own power and influence. The court’s members have removed two Thaksin-allied prime ministers in the last four years, and they have dissolved major political parties and banned top politicians from politics.
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Seven Dead in Southern Philippines Clashes | The Irrawaddy Magazine
Seven Dead in Southern Philippines Clashes | The Irrawaddy Magazine
JIM GOMEZ / AP WRITER, August 8, 2012
MANILA, Philippines—Philippine troops were pursuing Muslim rebels on Tuesday after their attacks on multiple army outposts in the south left seven people dead and paralyzed a major highway that was in the path of rebel sniper fire.
More than 200 fighters from the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Movement launched simultaneous attacks on army camps and detachments in four towns in Maguindanao province and two outposts in North Cotabato province late on Sunday.
The fighting continued on Monday and into Tuesday as troops tried to track down the gunmen. The pursuit was complicated by rebel snipers taking aim at soldiers. MG-520 helicopters fired rockets toward the retreating rebels and killed an unspecified number of gunmen, the army said.
Maguindanao Governor Esmael Mangudadatu, citing military reports, said two attackers were killed during the initial clashes. Eight people, including five soldiers and militiamen, were wounded.
Army Col Mayoraldo dela Cruz said one of his soldiers was killed and two others were wounded when the gunmen fired grenades on his brigade headquarters in Maguindanao late on Monday.
Two off-duty and unarmed soldiers were stopped and killed by rebels Monday on a highway near Maguindanao’s Datu Unsay town and a third soldier was abducted, said army spokesman Maj Harold Cabunoc. Two villagers were found dead on the same highway.
“One of the soldiers was repeatedly struck on the face with rifle butts before being shot in the head, while the other had many hack wounds,” said Cabunoc.
The rebel group, led by commander Ameril Umbra Kato, broke off last year from the larger Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which is involved in peace talks with the government brokered by Malaysia. Kato’s group has opposed the negotiations.
Kato has vowed to continue fighting for an independent homeland for minority Muslims in the south of the predominantly Roman Catholic nation. He had a stroke in November, plunging his group into uncertainty.
Abu Misri Mammah, a spokesman for the breakaway rebels, said they were avenging the death of a fellow militant who was killed when army troops advanced on a guerrilla stronghold in Maguindanao last June.
“This is our revenge and this is part of our jihad [holy war],” Mammah told The Associated Press by telephone on Monday, adding his group has no further plans to carry out attacks unless government forces assault its hinterland strongholds.
The 11,000-strong Moro Islamic Liberation Front ordered its rebels to remain in their encampments as government forces battled the breakaway guerrillas. Spokesman Von Al Haq said his group did not want to be accidentally drawn into the fighting.
The Philippine government said the attacks by Kato’s forces were meant to derail the negotiations but added the violence would not affect the peace talks with the larger Moro group. The talks resumed Tuesday in Malaysia, said presidential peace talks adviser Teresita Deles.
The fighting is among the worst since 2008, when the peace talks bogged down, igniting clashes between Moro Islamic Liberation Front forces and government troops in Maguindanao and outlying provinces. That fighting killed hundreds and displaced 750,000 people before the two sides agreed to a ceasefire.
JIM GOMEZ / AP WRITER, August 8, 2012
MANILA, Philippines—Philippine troops were pursuing Muslim rebels on Tuesday after their attacks on multiple army outposts in the south left seven people dead and paralyzed a major highway that was in the path of rebel sniper fire.
More than 200 fighters from the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Movement launched simultaneous attacks on army camps and detachments in four towns in Maguindanao province and two outposts in North Cotabato province late on Sunday.
The fighting continued on Monday and into Tuesday as troops tried to track down the gunmen. The pursuit was complicated by rebel snipers taking aim at soldiers. MG-520 helicopters fired rockets toward the retreating rebels and killed an unspecified number of gunmen, the army said.
Maguindanao Governor Esmael Mangudadatu, citing military reports, said two attackers were killed during the initial clashes. Eight people, including five soldiers and militiamen, were wounded.
Army Col Mayoraldo dela Cruz said one of his soldiers was killed and two others were wounded when the gunmen fired grenades on his brigade headquarters in Maguindanao late on Monday.
Two off-duty and unarmed soldiers were stopped and killed by rebels Monday on a highway near Maguindanao’s Datu Unsay town and a third soldier was abducted, said army spokesman Maj Harold Cabunoc. Two villagers were found dead on the same highway.
“One of the soldiers was repeatedly struck on the face with rifle butts before being shot in the head, while the other had many hack wounds,” said Cabunoc.
The rebel group, led by commander Ameril Umbra Kato, broke off last year from the larger Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which is involved in peace talks with the government brokered by Malaysia. Kato’s group has opposed the negotiations.
Kato has vowed to continue fighting for an independent homeland for minority Muslims in the south of the predominantly Roman Catholic nation. He had a stroke in November, plunging his group into uncertainty.
Abu Misri Mammah, a spokesman for the breakaway rebels, said they were avenging the death of a fellow militant who was killed when army troops advanced on a guerrilla stronghold in Maguindanao last June.
“This is our revenge and this is part of our jihad [holy war],” Mammah told The Associated Press by telephone on Monday, adding his group has no further plans to carry out attacks unless government forces assault its hinterland strongholds.
The 11,000-strong Moro Islamic Liberation Front ordered its rebels to remain in their encampments as government forces battled the breakaway guerrillas. Spokesman Von Al Haq said his group did not want to be accidentally drawn into the fighting.
The Philippine government said the attacks by Kato’s forces were meant to derail the negotiations but added the violence would not affect the peace talks with the larger Moro group. The talks resumed Tuesday in Malaysia, said presidential peace talks adviser Teresita Deles.
The fighting is among the worst since 2008, when the peace talks bogged down, igniting clashes between Moro Islamic Liberation Front forces and government troops in Maguindanao and outlying provinces. That fighting killed hundreds and displaced 750,000 people before the two sides agreed to a ceasefire.
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Condemnation increases against Israeli bully-boy tactics | The Jakarta Post
Condemnation increases against Israeli bully-boy tactics | The Jakarta Post
Margareth S. Aritonang, The Jakarta Post, August 07 2012
Reactions against Monday’s move by the Israeli authorities to stop Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa and his fellow envoys from Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) nations entering Ramallah have piled up, with lawmakers calling for the Indonesian government to bring the case to the United Nations.
“Indonesia and 12 other members of NAM condemn the Israeli government for arbitrarily disbanding the Ramallah meeting of the NAM committee on Palestine, on Sunday. The meeting was to review Israel’s policy on occupied Palestine, and to express solidarity with the suffering of the Palestinian people,” the NAM committee on Palestine said in a statement made available to The Jakarta Post on Monday.
The committee said that NAM accused Israel of violating international principles by refusing to allow the NAM delegation to enter Ramallah.
The move has confirmed that Palestinians, who have been fighting for independence since 1967, have indeed been through great suffering under the Israeli occupation, the statement said.
“NAM will not bow down to Israel. We will discuss the matter with our New York-based coordination bureau before deciding on further action,” the statement said.
Separately, members of the House of Representatives called upon the Indonesian government to bring the issue to the UN and put pressure on the Israeli government.
“We cannot accept such humiliating treatment of our officials by the Israeli government. The country should respect representatives from all countries, despite their bilateral relations. The NAM representatives came to Ramallah for peace,” Deputy House Speaker Priyo Budi Santoso told reporters on Monday.
Chairman of House Commission I overseeing foreign affairs, Mahfudz Shiddiq, encouraged the government to deliver a strongly worded statement against the Israeli government.
“Such a protest is important to highlight the fact that Israel has no political intention of promoting peaceful solutions in its dispute with the Palestinian government. Indonesia must encourage fellow NAM members to appeal to the United States, a close ally of Israel, to put pressure on the Israeli government, and find a peaceful solution to the problem,” Mahfudz told The Jakarta Post.
Mahfudz also said that it would be an opportunity for the US to prove its commitment to world peace by convincing Israel to drop its iron-fist policy toward the Palestinian people.
The Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) politician encouraged the government to continue with its plan to open a representative office in Ramallah.
“I hope the incident will not impact on our plan to open a representative office or a honorary consulate in Ramallah in the near future,” he said.
Separately, political analyst Dewi Fortuna Anwar of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) said that Israel’s refusal to grant entry to the NAM representatives reflected the country’s refusal to interact with NAM members, an important part of the global community.
“Israel has obviously failed to express any intention to build peaceful relations with countries that have ties to Palestine. It has besmirched its image in the eyes of the countries with the largest Muslim populations in the world, such as Indonesia.
“Indonesia could have built ties with Israel in the future, but the recent incident has closed all doors. As the country with the largest Muslim population in the world, Indonesia is really important for Israel, as well as for its ally, the US,” Dewi said.
Margareth S. Aritonang, The Jakarta Post, August 07 2012
Reactions against Monday’s move by the Israeli authorities to stop Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa and his fellow envoys from Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) nations entering Ramallah have piled up, with lawmakers calling for the Indonesian government to bring the case to the United Nations.
“Indonesia and 12 other members of NAM condemn the Israeli government for arbitrarily disbanding the Ramallah meeting of the NAM committee on Palestine, on Sunday. The meeting was to review Israel’s policy on occupied Palestine, and to express solidarity with the suffering of the Palestinian people,” the NAM committee on Palestine said in a statement made available to The Jakarta Post on Monday.
The committee said that NAM accused Israel of violating international principles by refusing to allow the NAM delegation to enter Ramallah.
The move has confirmed that Palestinians, who have been fighting for independence since 1967, have indeed been through great suffering under the Israeli occupation, the statement said.
“NAM will not bow down to Israel. We will discuss the matter with our New York-based coordination bureau before deciding on further action,” the statement said.
Separately, members of the House of Representatives called upon the Indonesian government to bring the issue to the UN and put pressure on the Israeli government.
“We cannot accept such humiliating treatment of our officials by the Israeli government. The country should respect representatives from all countries, despite their bilateral relations. The NAM representatives came to Ramallah for peace,” Deputy House Speaker Priyo Budi Santoso told reporters on Monday.
Chairman of House Commission I overseeing foreign affairs, Mahfudz Shiddiq, encouraged the government to deliver a strongly worded statement against the Israeli government.
“Such a protest is important to highlight the fact that Israel has no political intention of promoting peaceful solutions in its dispute with the Palestinian government. Indonesia must encourage fellow NAM members to appeal to the United States, a close ally of Israel, to put pressure on the Israeli government, and find a peaceful solution to the problem,” Mahfudz told The Jakarta Post.
Mahfudz also said that it would be an opportunity for the US to prove its commitment to world peace by convincing Israel to drop its iron-fist policy toward the Palestinian people.
The Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) politician encouraged the government to continue with its plan to open a representative office in Ramallah.
“I hope the incident will not impact on our plan to open a representative office or a honorary consulate in Ramallah in the near future,” he said.
Separately, political analyst Dewi Fortuna Anwar of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) said that Israel’s refusal to grant entry to the NAM representatives reflected the country’s refusal to interact with NAM members, an important part of the global community.
“Israel has obviously failed to express any intention to build peaceful relations with countries that have ties to Palestine. It has besmirched its image in the eyes of the countries with the largest Muslim populations in the world, such as Indonesia.
“Indonesia could have built ties with Israel in the future, but the recent incident has closed all doors. As the country with the largest Muslim population in the world, Indonesia is really important for Israel, as well as for its ally, the US,” Dewi said.
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