Four Filipina activists were detained by Bali police and are facing possible deportation for participating in a protest against the Asean Summit attended by the world’s leaders, including US President Barack Obama, in Indonesia.
According to the Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC), the four Filipinas — Lidy Nacpil, Malou Tabios, Rhoda Viajar and Manjette Lopez – and three Indonesians were arrested after they participated in a rally that passed through several foreign consulate offices in Bali, including those of the US and Japan last Friday.
Although released earlier yesterday, the four activists — three from the regional group Jubilee South Asia Pacific Movement on Debt and Development (JS-APMDD) and one from the FDC, are facing possible criminal charges or are in danger of being deported.
The rally was organized by Indonesian Civil Society Coalition.
FDC Secretary General Milo Tanchuling, in a statement, condemned the clampdown on the protesters.
The civil society coalition called for Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) to defend their people’s rights and sovereignty and meet the needs of their people first before servicing rich countries’ drive to plunder and control the remaining natural resources of Asean countries.
It also asked other groups and individuals for their solidarity to send messages to the Indonesia and local Bali authority “to get back to their senses and respect the freedom of expression as guaranteed by the Indonesian law.”
The Southeast Asia Fish for Justice (SEAFish), a network of fisheries non-government and people’s organization in the region also protested the arrest of the so-called “Bali 7.”
The group noted that the arrest is a violation of their basic civil rights and it demanded that both Asean and Indonesian authorities should respect the rights of protesters as they held peaceful assemblies and expressed their views.
Beyond the protesters’ civil rights, SeaFish believes in the legitimacy of the issues raised against free trade and its destructive impact on local economies in Southeast Asia
The organization also supports to the demand for Asean leaders to claim reparations and restitution of the ecological debt, including climate debt, owed by industrial countries to the peoples of the South. AFP
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