Thailand sends RI scholar home

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Mon, 11/13/2006 12:03 PM

Ary Hermawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Noted Indonesian scholar George Junus Aditjondro, who was staunchly critical of former president Soeharto's administration, said Sunday he was briefly detained in Bangkok and deported back to Jakarta.

He said Thai immigration authorities told him he was still on a blacklist issued by Soeharto in 1998.

""You are on the blacklist, so you may never enter Thailand,"" George told a press conference in Jakarta, quoting a Thai official he encountered in Bangkok.

George said he was held for one night in the Impermissible Persons Detention Center before being deported.

He initially planned to attend a meeting of researchers in Pattaya, west of Bangkok, to discuss democracy in 10 ASEAN countries. The meeting was organized by the Manila-based South East Asian Committee for Advocacy (SEACA).

The deportation shocked the pro-democracy scientist, who said he had never been banned by any country while researching Soeharto's ill-gotten wealth overseas.

""They asked me to look at the blacklisting letter on a computer. It was dated March 9, 1998. It was issued during the Soeharto era,"" George said.

He said the Thai authorities ignored his explanation that he had no knowledge of the Indonesian government's list.

Thai Embassy officials in Jakarta could not be reached for immediate comment Sunday.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Desra Percaya said George was not banned from leaving Indonesia, since he had been allowed to travel to other countries.

""This is a bit strange. I need to clarify this first with Thailand,"" he told The Jakarta Post.

""The ban by the Thai government has nothing to do with Indonesia. They have their own reasons to ban people from entering their country,"" Immigration Office spokesman Cecep Soepriyatna said.

The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), which hosted the press conference with George, criticized the deportation, saying the political reasons behind it were unjustifiable.

""We also regret that the Indonesian authorities in Thailand appeared to be unwilling to clarify the case,"" said Kontras coordinator Usman Hamid.

He said the Kontras would send a letter to the Foreign Ministry and the Immigration Office to rectify the matter. ""This should not have happened. The blacklist of all political prisoners should have been lifted,"" Usman said.

George said the repression against him indicated a setback for democracy in Southeast Asia.

""How can the democratic rights of ASEAN citizens be enhanced if cross-boundary repression of pro-democracy activists is not stopped?"" he asked.

He said Thailand is maintaining limits on democracy following a bloodless coup to oust prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

""The Thais are still debating when to lift martial law in their country. Under martial law, there is no freedom to form a union or a party,"" he said,

George lived in exile in Australia for seven years to escape the Soeharto dictatorship, which wanted him arrested for his opposition academic and political activities. He returned to Jakarta in 2002.

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