Monthly Archives: November 2014

Imanuddin Razak

The Jakarta Post

Publication Date : 04-11-2014

The Cabinet of President Joko Jokowi Widodo has drawn severe criticism from the general public in regards to the new Cabinet members capacity and track records. Among those under the microscope is Defence Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu.

The eventual appointment of Ryamizard, a 1974 graduate of the Army Academy and a retired four-star general, has been strongly criticised as going against the post-1998 reformist and democratic tradition of the last three Indonesian presidents who had appointed civilians for the defence minister portfolio a tradition intended to demonstrate civilian supremacy over the military. Ryamizards appointment, according to some rights activists, showed the new presidents lack of commitment to human rights, especially in conflict areas.

Ryamizards professional background as an Army general is also in sharp contrast to President Jokowis maritime-oriented national development strategy, which will concentrate on the exploration and exploitation of maritime resources as well as the development of naval forces, in view of the countrys archipelagic geography, which sees water account for two-thirds of its territory. It is feared that Ryamizards Army background would lead to Army-biased policies and significantly reduce development programmes for the other two branches of the armed forces the Navy and the Air Force.

Throughout his military career, particularly during his terms at the top of the Army leadership, Ryamizard was criticised for his controversial and frequently harsh statements on some military- and security-related issues. To be frank, his statements oftentimes benefited journalists seeking bold and newsworthy quotes for their news reports.

The general has, for example, branded the Armys Special Forces (Kopassus) soldiers convicted of killing Papuan independence fighter Theys Hiyo Eluay in 2002 as heroes and even accused rights groups of contributing nothing to the country. He always argued that he made such statements in his capacity as a member of the state security apparatus and in view of the state-people relationship, in which the state is responsible for protecting its people and the countrys territorial integrity.

Ryamizard is also known for revealing his nationalistic identity and sentiment, a feat frequently deemed by his critics as overrated. As an example, on some occasions, he was reported to have expressed his preference for Indonesia-trained officers rather than those trained overseas.

Read more:
Indonesia's handpicked defence minister: Between strategy and keen interest

DAVAO CITYA human rights spokesperson said the tribal warrior Bagani forces in Surigao del Sur are controlled and supported by the military.

We maintain our position that Datu Calpet Egua is supported and is even instigated by the Armed Forces of the Philippines. This is substantiated by the current conduct of combat operations in various areas where they operate, said Dr. Naty Castro, spokesperson of Karapatan-Caraga.

Castro issued this statement Tuesday after the military has reportedly disowned the acts of Bagani forces led by Datu Calpet Egua when it conducted operations against the communist guerillas.

In an Inquier.net report, Col. Gregory Cayetano, head of the Armys 401st Brigade said that Bagani forces led by Egua was not part of paramilitary groups allowed to fight the rebels.

Cayetano said that Eguas armed group had no authority to conduct operations against New Peoples Army (NPA) rebels and had not been given orders to recruit from among the villagers.

But for the human rights group Karapatan, the Calpit Egua paramilitary group has ties with and is armed by the military especially by the 3rd Special Forces Battalion and the 401st Infantry Brigade.

The Egua group is said to be involved in criminal acts like land grabbing, rape and killings of lumads. They are also known as forcibly collecting money from small businesses and small scale miners in the Agusan del Sur and Surigao del Sur boundaries, the group said.

Castro said Karapatans claim is supported by the testimonies of the relatives of Henry Alameda and of the tribal communities displaced by intensified operations against the rebels.

Even if the military disowned Eguas group, we have proof to point that military forces are closely associated with Eguas group which is responsible for committing various human rights violations, said Castro.

Failure of the military to arrest the perpetrators is a tacit permission and instigation of such acts against the MAPASU tribal communities, said Castro.. (Mart D. Sambalud/davaotoday.com)

Excerpt from:
Military supports Surigao tribal warriors, human rights group say

04-11-2014 15:59 | Daniela Lazarov

The minister for human rights and minorities, Ji Dienstbier, has announced his intention to run for the post of deputy chair of the Social Democratic Party. Mr. Dienstbier said he wanted to more actively contribute to the internal reform and revitalization of the party. The ruling Social Democrats are to elect a new party leadership in the spring. The party leader, Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka is expected to run for the top post unchallenged.

For the daily news summary, available after 8pm CET, click here.

Several dozen people on Tuesday demonstrated in support of a Czech mother who had her two young sons taken away by the Norwegian authorities in 2011 on suspicion of sexual abuse. Although this was later disproven in court, the two children remain in foster care in Norway. The mother appealed to the European Court of Human Rights but failed to win them back. The Czech minister of labour and social affairs, Michaela Marksov says she has requested an explanation from her Norwegian counterpart. The case has also received attention and support from the head of the Our Children Fund and newly elected senator Zuzana Baudysov.

The Czech finance minister, Andrej Babi, is featured by Forbes Magazine as being the richest Slovak. His property is estimated at two billion euros. Billionaire Petr Kellner remains the richest Czech with assets estimated at 9.6 billion US dollars.

Police in Brno are looking for vandals who set on fire thirteen cars in the course of the night. According to a police spokesman no one was injured and it appears that the cars were chosen at random. Four of them burnt to the ground, nine were severely damaged.

The minister for human rights and minorities, Ji Dienstbier, has announced his intention to run for the post of deputy chair of the Social Democratic Party. Mr. Dienstbier said he wanted to more actively contribute to the internal reform and revitalization of the party. The ruling Social Democrats are to elect a new party leadership in the spring. The party leader, Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka is expected to run for the top post unchallenged.

The forex interventions launched by the Czech National Bank last year, in order to weaken the crown, have brought a higher number of tourists to the Czech Republic. In the first two quarters of 2014 the number of tourists from neighbouring countries rose on average from 6 to 10 percent, with the highest number of visitors from Austria and Slovakia. However the interventions negatively affected the profit margins of travel agencies.

The European Commission has released its economic growth forecast for the Czech Republic which predicts a growth of 2.5 percent for 2014 and 2.7 percent for the next two years. The deficit in public financing is expected to stay well below the recommended 3 percent of GDP. In 2014 the Commission predicts a gap in spending of 1.4 percent of the GDP, 2.1 percent next year and 1.7 percent in 2016. The forecast is slightly more optimistic than the one released by the Czech Finance Ministry which recently reviewed its economic growth forecast for this year down from 2.7 to 2.4 percent of the GDP. Its growth forecast for the next two years is 2.5 percent.

Czech scientists say they have found a way to detect Alzheimer in its early stages. Researchers from Pragues Psychiatric Care Centre and Vinohrady hospital in Prague based their research on the heightened presence of certain anti-bodies in a given part of the brain which they believe signals the development of Alzheimers disease before other symptoms become apparent. Early treatment can significantly slow down the progression of the disease for which there is no cure. Approximately 140,000 people suffer from Alzheimers disease in the Czech Republic.

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Human rights minister Ji Dienstbier to run for party deputy chair