KP Solidarity

State-corporation-police-military are the real terrorists. “Social insurgency will always continue [as] the sun continues to shine”.

This time we tell you that what we have done is the culmination of our anxiety and anger towards the system.

The very system that worships money, the system that disturbs society with television, so for them to buy things they don’t need so they will continue to work like machines.

The system that forces us and others in society to lose the control of our own life. The system that gives advantage to the bourgeois, the businessmen and the state bureaucrats who have become their allies.

To us, this is not the time to be silent, not the time to watch the television and say that “everything is okay”.

For every oppressions in West Papua. For every oppressions in Kulonprogo. For every historical oppressions in Aceh. For every oppressions in Wera, Bima. For every forced evictions and land grabs in Takalar and Pandan Raya in Makassar.

For every oppressions against our friends who struggle. For Tukijo and other social combatants behind the bars just because they are fighting for their rights. For every concession [sic] in the forest which will destroy the bio diversity in the name of money and business!

And for every prisons that must be burned down flattened to the ground! So long as the state and capitalism remain, THERE WILL BE NO PEACE BETWEEN THOSE WHO HAVE AND THOSE WHO HAVE NOT.

Attacks against financial centres: ATM, banks, corporate buildings are important targets [sic], because they are collaborators that cause the suffering on earth. This is not terrorism because we do not advocate for attack against people.

Terorrism is war between states. Terrorism is [when] rice and foodstuff in your kitchen deplete. Terrorism is uniformed assholes who carry their guns everywhere. Terrorism is the slaughter of the have nots.

So we say: enough! And this is also for you! Those combatants who never give up in their struggle out there, even if you have to be prisoned because of your belief in freedom: Conspiracy cell of fire (Greece), Chile combatants: Tortuga! Lives on! Gabriel Pombo da Silva, Thomas Meyer Falk (Germany) Polikarpus Georgiadis, Revolutionary Straggle! [sic] Respect to combatants from Manado, Makassar and Bandung, you are the inspiration among the helplessness of society and their uncertain life.

“Let the fire burn inside the darkness!” Long Live Luciano Tortuga Cell – International Revolutionary Front – FAI.

The Jakarta Globe has more here.

…stolen from slackbastard blog…

On September 8, 2011, [Indo Mines Ltd] announced that it had “successfully manufactured the first iron ingots” from Kulon Progo. The company also claims that “URS Australia have completed an Initial Environmental and Social Scoping Study that identified no unmanageable community or environmental issues with the development of the Project”, although local farmers–especially members of the PPLP-KP (Paguyuban Petani Lahan Pantai Kulon Progo/Coastal Farmers Association of Kulon Progo)–beg to differ.

Note that members of the local Indonesian ruling elite have significant investments in the project, and critics have been jailed for speaking out against it. In its report ‘Turning Critics into Criminals: The Human Rights Consequences of Criminal Defamation Law in Indonesia’ [PDF], Human Rights Watch notes that “Tukijo, a farmer in Kulon Progo regency of Yogyakarta, was convicted of criminal defamation in January 2010 for asking the head of his sub-district for information about the results of a land assessment”; similar proceedings have been used against other critics in an attempt to intimidate opposition to the project. In May Day of this year, Tukijo was again arrested/kidnapped by police. As I write:

Hunger Strike Continues for Third Day Over Tukijo Arrest
Hangga Brata
Jakarta Globe
September 23, 2011

Six activists camped outside the Yogyakarta provincial legislature marked the third day of their hunger strike on Friday in protest against the detention of Tukijo, a farmer arrested for opposing an iron mine in Kulon Progo in Yogyakarta.

Agung, the strike coordinator, said the mine operated jointly by Australia’s Indo Mines and Jogja Magasa Mining, a local outfit, would deprive farmers in four subdistricts of vast swaths of farmland.

“The mine will reduce the area of rice paddies by 72 percent from the current 4,005 hectares,” he said. “Hundreds or even thousands of farm workers will be rendered jobless.”

He added that more than 21,000 smallholders stood to lose their land if the government allowed the mining operation to expand.

He also called for the immediate release of Tukijo, who was reportedly kidnapped by police while working in his fields in May and since sentenced to three years in prison for disorderly conduct following his vocal opposition to the mine.

“This hunger strike is a real action to support Tukijo and the Kulonprogo people in rejecting the mine,” Agung said…

Further background reading:

The Battle for Bugel’s Sand Treasures
Nivell Rayda& Candra Malik
Jakarta Globe
June 13, 2011

WHEN : 6:30pm–9:30pm, Wednesday, September 28th, 2011
WHERE : 62 St Georges Rd, Northcote (Melbourne, Australia)

**6.30pm for 7:00pm films**

Thousands of farmers across the communities of Kulon Progo, Central Java, Indonesia, are fighting for their land and very survival.

A joint Australian-Indonesian consortium is seeking to mine iron-ore, and with a pilot project running and the full backing of the state they look set to go ahead.

The people of Kulon Progo are calling for global solidarity in their struggle against the mining and dispossession, and for self determination. But they especially call on us in Australia to take action to stop Australian involvement in the project.

For generations oppressed by colonial occupiers and impoverished by the very land they live on, the communities of Kulon Progo have turned marginal coastline into a farming success story. Something they describe as a blueprint for communities across Indonesia.

Come find out about one of the most amazing untold stories of community agriculture, grass-roots organising, and the fight for land rights and self determination.

On June 30, 2011, an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) was destroyed in Bandung, West Java. The attack follows similar incidents in March and April in North and South Sulawesi. The bank targeted (BNI), and the banking system generally, play a key role in financing the destruction of the lands and farming communities of Kulon Progo and elsewhere in Indonesia… and, of course, the world.

Below are accounts of the incident in Indonesian and English translation.

Indonesian:

BANDUNG, KOMPAS.com — Di antara serpihan anjungan tunai mandiri milik Bank BNI yang hancur lebur akibat ledakan yang terjadi pada Kamis (30/6/2011) dini hari di Jalan Dipatiukur, Bandung, Jawa Barat, tersebar sejumlah kertas seperti selebaran yang berisi pesan yang diduga terkait dengan ledakan. Kertas-kertas itu berserakan di halaman Toko Rabbani, dekat pintu aluminium.

Pesan dalam kertas itu seluruhnya ditulis dengan huruf kapital. Berikut pesan tersebut:

“(Lambang bintang) International Conspiracy for Revenge PT Indomining (BIMA) telah lakukan represi brutal terhadap masyarakat lokal. PT Jogja Mangasa Internasional ingin mengenyahkan 50 ribu petani Kulonprogo. Petani Takalar terancam dirampas lahannya dan semua ini dilakukan secara brutal, termasuk penembakan, teror, pelecehan seksual, serta berbagai penindasan yang tidak pernah kita dengar dari media massa. Tak heran bahwa perusahaan-pemodal-birokrat ini tidak perduli apapun selain hanya menebalkan kantong mereka! Penyerangan kami terhadap ATM (Bank) merupakan target penting dikarenakan bank senantiasa terlibat dalam pendanaan ekstraksi sumber daya alam serta penindasan masyarakatnya atas nama kapital! Kami tidak berniat untuk melukai siapapun, perusakan terhadap benda bukanlah kekerasan! Tiada ampun bagi penindas! Tiada ampun bagi negara dan kapitalisme! Negara, institusi militer, polisi, sert pemodal adalah teroris yang sebenarnya!”

Seperti diberitakan, sebuah anjungan tunai mandiri (ATM) milik Bank BNI di Jalan Dipatiukur, Bandung, meledak dini hari tadi. Tidak ada korban dalam kejadian yang disaksikan dua orang petugas satpam, yaitu Arminto dan Ahmad Sulaeman.

Menurut pantauan Kompas, ATM milik BNI hancur lebur dan seisi ruangan gosong. Pintu aluminiumsteel ATM terlempar sampai sepuluh meter di depannya. Dua ATM di sebelahnya, yakni milik Bank BJB dan BRI, masih utuh.

English:

BANDUNG, KOMPAS.COM – Among the debris of Bank BNI ATM that was destroyed by an explosion on Thursday (30/06/2011) early morning on Jalan Dipatiukur, Bandung, West Java, scattered papers with messages allegedly link to the explosion are found. These papers are found scattered in the front entry of Rabbani store.

The message is written fully in capital letters. The following is the message:

(A picture of a star) [the] International Conspiracy for Revenge PT Indomining (BIMA) has been acting brutally repressive against local communities. PT Jogja Mangasa Internasional is intending to get rid of 50 thousand Kulonprogo farmers. Farmers in Takalar are threatened to have their land confiscated and all of this is done brutally, including shooting, terror, sexual abuse, and other kind of abuses that we never hear from the mass media. It is not surprising that these corporations-investors-bureaucrats do not care about anything other than thickening their own pockets! Our attack against [sic] an ATM (Bank) is an important target because banks are always involved in financing the extraction of natural resources and the oppression of communities in the name of capital! We did not wish to harm anyone, destruction of properties is not violence! No mercy to oppressors! No mercy to the state and capitalism! The state, the military, the police and the investors are the real terrorists!

As reported, an ATM owned by Bank BNI on Jalan Dipatiukur, Bandung, was exploded early in the morning today. No casualty in the incident that was witnessed by two security officers, Arminto and Ahmad Sulaeman.

According to Kompas, the ATM was completely destroyed and the interior scorched. The aluminium steel door was blown away up to ten meter in front of the machine. The two adjacent ATMS, owned by Bank BJB and BRI, are still intact.

On March 30, Indo Mines announced to the Australian Stock Exchange that it had entered into an agreement with Japanese corporation Mitsui & Co. “to explore the future development of a pig iron facility at the Iron Project” and another with Indonesian corporation PT Tri Mitra Bayany “to work together in exploring and developing mineral assets in Indonesia with initial emphasis on coal to support Indo Mines future iron making requirements”.

In London…

To Farm or to Die, Resist the Iron Mine! Indonesian Embassy Visit.
solidarity with the people of kulon progo | 21.04.2011

On the afternoon of Thursday the 21st of April 2011 we visited the Indonesian Embassy in London, UK to deliver a letter to the Indonesian Government in Jakarta. This was done in solidarity with the people of Kulon Progo, whose lives and land are threatened by the Iron Sands Mining Project being carried out by the Australian Mining Company PT Indomine and the Indonesian State. We also visited the London offices of the Anglo Pacific Group round the corner in Mayfair to deliver the same letter to be sent to Indonesia and Australia. Anglo Pacific Group holds royalties in PT Indomine…

Earlier in the month, a BCA (Bank Central Asia) ATM in Manado (capital of the North Sulawesi province) was set on fire by arsonists. The action was claimed on behalf of the ‘International Conspiracy for Revenge’ and a letter allegedly written by those responsible stated that the action was taken in opposition to various development projects around Indonesia, including Kulon Progo.

In late March, another ATM was attacked in Makassar (the provincial capital of South Sulawesi).

INILAH.COM, Makassar – Actor combustion BCA ATM machine at Jalan Raya Rappocini, campus of the University of East Indonesia (UIT), Friday (3/25/2011) left a piece of paper containing the message.

Paper bearing the hand [mengenggam] bomb titled “The State, Military and Police Institutions and Terrorist Financier Is Actually”.

Here are the contents of the letter:

PT Indomining (Bima) has carried out brutal repression against local communities, Jogja International Mangasa want to get rid of 30 thousand farmers Kulon Progo. Takalar threatened farmers deprived of land. And all this is done brutally, including shootings, terror, sexual harassment and other persecution we never heard from the media. No wonder that company-bureaucrat-capitalists are not concerned about anything other than just thicken their pockets!”

All of the above article was written with capital letters that are large.

“Our attack against ATM (bank) is an important target because the bank is always involved in the funding of natural resource extraction and suppression of its people on behalf of the capital! We do not intend to hurt anybody, destruction of objects is not violence! There is no forgiveness for the oppressors! There is no forgiveness for state and capitalism!”

Source: Pembakar ATM BCA Tinggalkan Pesan, http://www.inilah.com, March 25, 2011.

[News from the Kulon Progo Solidarity Network, February 2011. Source: hidup biasa.]

Dear Comrades,

We are small loose collective (informal) in Yogyakarta, located in central Java, a region considered as “special territory” inside the democratic state due to its historical role as a Kingdom of Java, and for the same reason, some of the old feudal rules still preserved inside the so called democratic state. Since 2007 we have involved in creating solidarity with the peasant struggle in Kulon Progo which located inside Yogyakarta region. The struggle was about resisting iron mining which are a joint cooperation of Australian Kimberly Diamond (Indomines) and its local “puppet” branch company named “Jogja Magasa Iron (Mining)”. Jogja Magasa Iron are owned by the Sultan of Yogyakarta’s (Sri Sultan Hamengkubowono X) daughter, GKR Pembayun.

The Mega-Project

The planning of Iron mines are just a gateway for other mega-project to come, that we recognised as a development proposal from Asian Development Bank. Kulon Progo territorial are a crucial point in making further capitalist infrastructure in Java, that is to create alternative highways, international airport, and other industrial infrastructure that would be a pivotal role for other minings and industrial project in surrounding area. These projects involved companies and investors from other countries include: Czech, Australia, and South Korea (some of the foreign investor that we already acknowledge).

Agrarian Conflict

As laws are easily made up by the ruling class. The former agrarian laws that protects peasants land after the independence were threatened to change due to the political-economic interest of the elites:

In according the original to state laws, the peasants have the most legality to cultivate the land. But it is not really permanent since there is also a law that says “Every natural resources are owned by the state”. Feudal claiming of the land by the Sultan also create a mystification of “Special Territory” and its historical justification as a kingdom. Which fortunately until now, no law were officially justifying the Sultan’s need to officially owned all of the land in Yogyakarta: Wonosari, Bantul, Sleman, Kulon Progo.

Political Atmosphere

Recently there have been a political “fight” between the pro’s and con’s of the democratic-state take over of Yogyakarta since Sultan wanted the government to approved its feudal inheritance of land (so that the mining project and other mega-project would be smoothened by him and he himself will play the major role for other mega-projects planned in Yogyakarta). This create an illusion of the democratic state versus the special territory of Yogyakarta. Some important point to be considered is that Yogyakarta accommodates intellectual life and the city received the central reputation for student city due to the existence of the most good education and universities across Indonesia. For example, in urban areas of Yogyakarta, most of its inhabitants are students from all over Indonesia. This creates a multicultural relationship and a growing intellectual life and lively art scene. In the recent spectacle of opposition between Sultan and President, the Sultan were praised by the “bribed” progressive academics, the so called “radical artists”, and the opportunist leftist, as more democratic, progressive, pluralist (and other nonsense) than the president on chair. This tendency were falsely seen by many “progressives” as true fight against the regime and most of them were rallying in solidarity for the “eternal” preservation of special territory of Yogyakarta and the eternal authority of the Sultan’s blood to rule Yogyakarta inside Indonesian democratic state and of course with some hidden from public planned laws, that is: an eternal ownership of the so called Sultan and Paku alaman’s ground. To our view, as one of its inhabitants, if pluralism and multiculturalism, and also the freedom of expression were really exist, it has nothing to do with the Sultan. It simply an urbanised life of the students with various backgrounds of culture that made it possible, and in some cases cultural and ethnic clashes also appear, just as in other major cities in Java. But since most of Yogyakarta’s inhabitants are students and not workers, its already explained that free-time can create “special” atmosphere and not because of its feudalistic special territory where a very low-wage were praised as dedication and loyalty to the Sultan.

The Struggle

(See: ‘A Tale of Sand & ‘The Government Forces us to Fight Back’.)

Approximately 10 thousand people will lose their land and house due to the feudal claiming of Sultan and Paku alaman ground. Ever since the issue of the mining project and its preliminary operation were conducted, the peasants of Kulon Progo were resisting very fiercely, these peasants notable came from several villages: Trisik, Karangwuni, Bugel, Pleret, Garongan, Karang Sewu. The mining projects threatened to make use of the land as much as 2987 – 3000 acres of land. The struggle which was started since 2007 creates a peasant umbrella group named PPLP-KP (Coastal Farmers Association of Kulon Progo). PPLP-KP such as the daily organizing of the noted Kulon Progo’s village, though still had informal hierarchy (such as those who are considered as elders), were very horizontal in nature. These villages have their tradition of consensual meetings where every village send their delegates and were responsible back to its people, and this is not function as leader. Oftenly in some serious events, these informal leaders cannot do anything to calm down the peasants anger.

PPLP-KP have conducted lots of demonstration, and in almost every demonstration, thousands of people always showed up. These solid network of village people were pure and sterilized from outside interference such as NGOs, political party, and leftist organisation. And the peasants council have made it clear that to maintain their solid unity, PPLP-KP and the struggle of Kulon Progo’s peasants should be controlled by the peasant itself and not some organisation or other specialist. This strategy were seen as crucial so as to avoid any danger in the future if there’s any hidden political interest in every political organisation that would want to interfere the struggle. And by time it is proven right, as the struggle became more solid through the years and some of the political organisation have showed their true face. Also to be noted, since the struggle have emerged, local authority belongs to the local or central state were no more functioning as the villagers decided to control everything into their own hands.

Criminalisation and the so called “Independent Advocates” (LBH)

In recent cases of struggle, some incidents have occurred. Every night and day, men and women patroled their villages if there’s any government or other institution responsible come to their village without any permission from the villagers. During December last year and January this year, two incidents happened where the investor’s car’s were damaged and some of the person inside the car were held hostages for three hours. The villagers have made their own laws, and according to them, if any institution wants to come to the area, especially those who are involved in the megaproject, should face the community first, otherwise it would be an offense to the community law.

16 December 2010: Held hostaged six car belong to the investors and damage some of the cars
17 December 2010: The outrage community destroyed the mining office and made it sure it cant be operating again
12 January 2011: Community destroyed researcher’s of the company car

These action conducted by the villagers were criminalised and the company have hired a well known lawyer in Indonesia to sue the community. Every time there’s a case such as this, the law aid institution officially named LBH (Lembaga Bantuan Hukum) were trying to convince the community that a successful struggle would be inside the law and further illegal acts should be stopped—although police only issue a warrant and never able or dare to pick-up the suspect or witness, as the community would be the human shield if there’s any individuals would be hostages of the state because of defending their own rights. LBH is a problem for the struggle, not only because they believe in political struggle in front of the court, and they firm attachment to the laws and state, but because most of the individual lawyers in that institution involved in the network of institutional leftist and leftist-environmental organisation which historically have bad reputation in the grassroot: political intrigues, corruption, dependency, etc. In recent cases they were trying to influence some of the community members to expel the small minority of anti-authoritarians who are deeply involved with the PPLP-KP but didn’t have any organisation whatsoever. Fortunately, the conversation were recorded by the community itself, and it was heard in their internal meetings. The LBH were trying to expel the small minority of anti-authoritarians because of its hostile position to every network of NGOs and other institutional leftist that is so oftenly in close connection with the elites and politicians. LBH were accusing the anarchists of provoking the villagers to conduct illegal actions, of which all of these accusation are based on lies, because most of these actions were conducted spontaneously and that the community itself are already hot headed in their position against the minings and its people. LBH also wanted their network to infiltrate the struggle but were at pains because of the agreement of the PPLP-KP councils to not accept any interference of NGOs or other political institution. LBH are problematic to the struggle, which its narrow political interest cannot be an independent help for the movement. It only can make intrigues to the whole movement and threathening its solid and self-organised struggle.

Global Solidarity

Considering these political implications and the revolutionary tendency of the peasant struggle, we urge to have a solid international solidarity. And on the behalf of the peasants, we need input on how to challenge these laws on international scale. We have made infrastructure of struggle in the village: community radio and social center. And also there’s twice of solidarity actions conducted by our comrades in Melbourne and Perth (due to the involvement of Australian Kimberly Diamond). We are in dire need for help to make this struggle successful without any interference of the leftist institution and its disgusting network. Please contact us for further collaboration and we will update you with a more extensive and comprehensive data of the struggle. This letter are not our own initiative but were a result of our meetings with the PPLP-KP.

On behalf of the peasants,

Kulon Progo Solidarity Network / S.A.K.S.I
Web: http://petanimerdeka.tk/
Email: petanimerdeka@yahoo.com
Mobile: +6285729818518

The October edition of Melbourne Black (No.4) contains the article ‘A Tale of Sand’ by SAKSI, the Free Association of Anarchists and Friends of Kulon Progo.