JakartaPost-Aug 30, 2023
Political exiles who were rendered stateless while abroad during the 1965 communist purge demanded that the government guarantee the continuity of a nonjudicial settlement program after President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo ends his second and final term next year. Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud MD and Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly were in Prague, the Czech Republic on Monday to reach out to Indonesian exiles and speak about the program that aims to compensate victims of past atrocities. The policy offers reparations and state-sanctioned benefits to those who suffered in 12 officially recognized historic cases of serious human rights abuses. Karsidi Rantiminpoetro, a political exile who attended the meeting on Monday night, raised a question about whether the sitting government could ensure that its successor carries on the program. He also pushed for the judicial part of the resolution to run in parallel. But Mahfud was vague in his response, apparently trying to appease them with promises that the next government could not take back what has been given to victims of past atrocities. He was referring to the benefits of nonjudicial settlements, such as visa fee exemption and a temporary stay permit (KITAS), as well as the option to restore political exiles’ citizenship. According to the latest data, there are at least 130 political exiles who were stripped of their citizenship in 1965 and are living abroad in 12 countries. The Netherlands and the Czech Republic are among those with the largest exile communities, with 67 and 14 exiles, respectively. Read more at: https://www.thejakartapost.com/indonesia/2023/08/29/political-exiles-push-for-guarantee-of-continued-nonjudicial-resolutions.html.
