E37 UNCLASSIFIED CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 01 ACTION EAP-Ol JAKART 04388 01 OF 02 PTQ0096 190652Z RELEASED IN PART Bl 1 4 B 1 4 D ACDA-08 ACDE-OO AID-OO AMAD-Ol ACQ-Ol DINT-OO DODE-OO DOEE-OO SRPP-OO DS-OO H-Ol IM-Ol IO-OO TEDE-OO INR-OO ADS-OO NRRC-OO NSAE-OO NSCE-OO OIC-02 PA-OO PM-OO PRS-OO P-OO SP-OO T-OO USIE-OO PMB-OO DSCC-OO PRM-Ol MR-OO NFAT-OO SAS-OO 024W ------------------60AOAO 190652Z 38 R 190648Z AUG 98 ZDK FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA TO SECSTATE WASHDC 3146 INFO ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS AMEMBASSY CANBERRA USMISSION GENEVA USCINCPAC HONOLULU HI INFO LOG-OO SMEC-OO FBIE-OO L-Ol OPIC-Ol TRSE-OO G-OO ClAE-OO EB-OO LAB-Ol OMB-Ol STR-OO DRL-04 CON F IDE N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 004388 USCINCPAC FOR FPA AMB SALMON E O 12958 DECL 08 19 08 TAGS PHUM PGOV PINR PINS ID SUBJECT GOVERNMENT RELEASES MORE POLITICAL PRISONERS 1 U CLASSIFIED BY POLCOUNS ED MCWILLIAMS REASON 2 SBU SUMMARY 1 5 D THE GOVERNMENT OF INDONESIA HAS RELEASED 27 CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 JAKART 04388 01 OF 02 190652Z POLITICAL PRISONERS AS PART OF A LARGER RELEASE OF CRIMINAL PRISONERS TO MARK NATIONAL DAY THE POLITICAL PRISONERS INCLUDED MOSTLY THOSE ALLEGED TO HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN SEPARATIST ACTIVITY IN ACEH EAST TIMOR AND IRIAN JAYA FOR THE FIRST TIME THREE ELDERLY PRISONERS WITH ALLEGED AFFILIATION TO THE INDONESIAN COMMUNIST PARTY JAILED SINCE THE LATE 1960'S WERE AMONG THOSE RELEASED OTHER POLITICAL PRISONERS WERE INCLUDED AMONG THE GENERAL PRISON POPULATION WHICH RECEIVED SLIGHT REMISSIONS IN THEIR SENTENCES PROMINENT POLITICAL PRISONERS WERE NOT AMONG THOSE RELEASED RELATIVES AND SUPPORTERS CONTINUE TO BE CRITICAL OF THE GOVERNMENT'S PIECEMEAL RELEASE OF POLITICAL PRISONERS DETERIORATING PRISON CONDITIONS ARE CLAIMED TO BE HEALTH AND EVEN LIFE THREATENING PARTICULARLY FOR THE OLD AND INFIRM END SUMMARY UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE REVIEW AUTHORITY DONALD A JOHNSTON CLASSIFICATION CONFIDENTIAL REASON 1 4 D DECLASSIFY AFTER 19 AUG 2018 DATE CASE ID 24 MAY 2006 200502501 UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED U IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE CELEBRATION OF THE 53RO ANNIVERSARY OF INDONESIAIS FOUNDING THE GOVERNMENT AS IN THE PAST 'ANNOUNCED PRISONER RELEASES REMISSIONS OF SENTENCES AND SOME II REHABILITATIONS II UNLIKE THE PRACTICE DURING THE SOEHARTO ERA THE UU3IBIE GOVERNMENT INCLUDED OUTRIGHT RELEASES OF POLITICAL PRISONERS NOT THROUGH REMISSION OF SENTENCES MANY POLITICAL AND CRIMINAL PRISONERS RECEIVED REMISSIONS OF SENTENCES OF UP TO SEVERAL MONTHS 3 4 U IN ALL THE GOVERNMENT FREED 27 POLITICAL PRISONERS AND REHABILITATED FOUR SENIOR ACT IVISTS ONE OF WHOM LT GENERAL DHARSONO IS DECEASED AMONG THE POLITICAL PRISONERS RELEASED WERE THREE WHO WERE ALLEGED TO HAVE AFFILIATIONS WITH THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF INDONESIA PKI AND TO HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN THE ABORTED COUP OF 1965 IT WAS THE FIRST PRISONER RELEASE BY THE HABIBIE GOVERNMENT TO HAVE INCLUDED npKI PRISONERS I JUSTICE MINISTER MOLADI IN ANNOUNCING THE RELEASES SAID IICONSIDERING THE LENGTH OF CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 JAKART 04388 01 OF 02 190652Z THE JAIL TERMS THAT HAVE BEEN SERVED BY THE PRISONERS AND FOR HUMANITARIAN CONSIDERATIONS IT IS DEEMED NECESSARY TO GRANT CLEMENCY TO THESE PRISONERS I MOLADI HAD TOLD CONGRESSMAN CHRISTOPHER SMITH DURING THE SUBCOMMITTEE CHAIRMANIS JUNE VISIT THAT HE WOULD SEEK TO INCLUDE ELDERLY OR ILL POLITICAL PRISONERS AS A II SPECIAL CATEGORY AMONG THOSE CONSIDERED FOR RELEASE 5 U ALSO RELEASED WERE NINE PRISONERS ACCUSED OF MEMBERSHIP IN THE FREE ACEH ACEH MEROEKA MOVEMENT SIX EAST TIMORESE ACCUSED OF BEING SEPARATISTS SIX ASSOCIATED WITH THE 1989 ISLAMIC-ABRI CONFRONTATION IN LAMPUNG AND THREE ALLEGED SEPARATISTS FROM IRIAN JAYA IN ADDITION 1 587 PRISONERS SERVING CRIMINAL SENTENCES WERE RELEASED THROUGH REMITTED SENTENCES A TOTAL OF 7 101 PRISONERS SAW THEIR SENTENCES REDUCED 6 U PROMINENT AMONG THOSE POLITICAL PRISONERS NOT RELEASED WERE EAST TIMORESE LEADER XANANA GUSMAO PRO LEADER BUDIMAN SUDJATMIKO LABOR LEADER DITA INDRA SARI AND PKI-ERA PRISONER ABDUL LATIF GUSMAO AND SUDJATMIKO AND POSSIBLY OTHERS DID RECEIVE SENTENCE REMISSIONS 7 SBU POLCOUNS AND A DUTCH DIPLOMAT WERE ON HAND AT CIPINANG PRISON IN JAKARTA AUGUST 17 TO MONITOR A DEMONSTRATION BY APPROXIMATELY 200 PERSONS INCLUDING PRO SUPPORTERS AND BACKERS OF MEGAWATI SOEKARNOPUTRI THE TWO-HOUR PROTEST CALLED FOR REL EASE OF ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS WITH SPECIAL EMPHASIS ON XANANA GUSMAO BUDlMAN SUDJATMIKO AND WEST PAPUAN JACOB RUMBIAK AN ATTEMPT BY TWO DEMONSTRATORS TO LAUNCH A HUNGER STRIKE IN THE PRISON COURT YARD WAS FRUSTRATED BY SECURITY OFFICIALS POLICE SHOWED RESTRAINT IN HANDLING THE DEMONSTRATION WHICH BLOCKED SEVERAL LANES OF THE UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED H1GHWAYIN FRONT OF THE PRISON MILITARY PERSONNEL WERE POSITIONED CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 04 JAKART 04388 01 OF 02 190652Z NEARBY BUT REMAINED ON STAND-BY IN MID-AFTERNOON XANANA AND BUDIMAN WERE ALLOWED BRIEFLY TO ADDRESS THE DEMONSTRATORS THEY CALLED FOR CONTINUED PRESSURE ON THE GOVERNMENT FOR RELEASE OF ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS AND REJECTED THEIR TOKEN SENTENCE REDUCTIONS FOUR MONTHS FOR XANANA AS IRRELEVANT XANANA CALLED FOR RELEASE OF POLITICAL PRISONERS WITHOUT REGARD TO CATEGORY OR CONDITION 8 I K I C NO PRISONERS WERE RELEASED FROM CIPINANG --P_R_I_S_O_N _ _ _ _ _-- HA TINGSJJPPORTERS INCLUDING FAMILY' MEMBERS 9 U REINFORCING THAT CONCERN WERE REPORTS CARRIED IN THE MEDIA AUGUST 19 THAT THE CHIEF WARDEN AT A GOVERNMENT PRISON IN MERAUKE IRIAN JAYA HAD A BUDGET TO FEED 100 PRISONERS BUT THAT THE PRISON POPULATION WAS 162 RECENTLY RELEASED PRISONERS HAVE TOLD US THAT CONFIDENTIAL END OF DOCUMENT CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 01 ACTION EAP-01 INFO JAKART 04388 02 OF 02 PTQ0095 190651Z LOG-OO SMEC-OO FBIE-OO ADS-OO PA-OO T-OO NFAT-OO ACDA-08 ACDE-OO AID-OO AMAD-01 ACQ-01 DINT-OO DODE-OO DOEE-OO SRPP-OO DS-OO H-01 10-00 LAB-01 TEDE-OO INR-OO NRRC-OO NSAE-OO NSCE-OO OIC-02 OMB-01 PM-OO STR-OO PRS-OO P-OO SP-OO DSCC-OO PRM-01 USIE-OO PMB-OO DRL-04 SAS-OO 023W ------------------60A09C 190651Z 38 R 190648Z AUG 98 FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA TO SECSTATE WASHDC 3147 UNCLASSIFIED ClAE-OO EB-OO L-01 OPIC-01 TRSE-OO G-OO Bl UNCLASSIFIED INF9 ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS AMEMBASSY CANBERRA USMISSION GENEVA USCINCPAC HONOLULU HI CON F IDE N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 JAKARTA 004388 USCINCPAC FOR FPA AMB SALMON E O 12958 DECL 08 19 08 TAGS PHUM PGOV PINR PINS ID SUBJECT GOVERNMENT RELEASES MORE POLITICAL PRISONERS THE ONLY MEDICINES AVAILABLE THROUGH THE PRISON SYSTEM TO CRIMINAL PRISONERS IN JAKARTA'S CIPINANG PRISON ARE nVITAMINsn OF QUESTIONABLE CONTENT CIPINANG PRISON IS REPUTED TO BE ONE OF THE CONFIDENTIAL JAKART PAGE 02 GOI'S BEST PRISONS 04388 02 OF 02 190651Z 10 C COMMENT THE GRADUAL NATURE OF THE RELEASE OF POLITICAL PRISONERS EMPLOYED BY THE HABIBIE GOVERNMENT IS GENERATING ANGER AND IRRITATION AMONG THOSE WHO SEE THEIR RELATIVES AND FRIENDS AS THE VICTIMS OF DISCRIMINATION BY A nCATEGORyn APPROACH THEY CLAIM IS AP BI TRARY AND UNFAIR THE REGIME HAS EEN CRITICIZED ALSO FOR TREATING PRISONERS AS HOSTAGES RELEASING GROUPS AT IMPORTANT JUNCTURES TO GAIN INTERNATIONAL GOOD WILL SUCH AS THE RELEASE WHICH IMMEDIATELY PRECEDED THE PARIS CGI ON THE OTHER HAND THE RELEASE OF PKI-ERA PRISONERS REPRESENTS AN IMPORTANT EXPANSION OF THE CATEGORY OF PRISONERS TO BE RELEASED AND OWENS CONFIDENTIAL END OF DOCUMENT UNCLASSIFIED Bl This document is from the holdings of The National Security Archive Suite 701 Gelman Library The George Washington University 2130 H Street NW Washington D C 20037 Phone 202 994-7000 Fax 202 994-7005 nsarchiv@gwu edu