Dispelling claims by critics that it operates illegally in Indonesia following two high-profile incidents with its non-Indonesian campaigners, Greenpeace Indonesia said it is legally registered to operate in the country.
“Greenpeace Indonesia is legally registered with the Ministry of Law and Human Rights of the Republic of Indonesia, No: AHU-128.AH.01.06. year 2009,” Nur Hidayati, Greenpeace’s country representative for Indonesia, told mongabay.com. “This registration legalizes Greenpeace Indonesia as an Indonesian legal entity.”
Nur said that business-as-usual interests targeted by Greenpeace’s anti-deforestation campaign are looking for any way they can to shut down the organization.
“This kind of accusation has political background as now Parliament wants to re-enact Law No.8 year 1985 on community organizations (“ORMAS”).”
The law — which is strongly opposed by Indonesian civil society organizations — would give the Ministry of Home Affairs the authority to monitor the activity of non-profit groups. The law, which is written to be interpreted broadly, was used during the Suharto era to crackdown on critics of the government. The Ministry of Home Affairs controls provincial Satpol PP security forces.
Nur says Greenpeace may be a test case for parliament members seeking to re-enact the law. Indonesia Corruption Watch — which has exposed corruption at high levels of government — is also targeted.
Anti-Greenpeace rhetoric in Indonesia has increased since the group began targeting pulp and paper companies for deforestation in Sumatra. Last month, two prominent Greenpeace campaigners experienced immigration problems while at Jakarta’s international airport. Greenpeace director John Sauven was barred from entering Indonesia despite holding a valid business visa, while forest campaigner Andy Tait’s passport was stamped with a notice requiring him to leave the country within seven days as he departed for his flight back to the U.K. According to insiders, neither incident was authorized by the national police, the military, or the executive branch.
Curiously Sauven’s rejection at immigration was preceded by an unconfirmed report published in the media that he had been banned from the country. It also occurred the same day as the launch of an anti-Greenpeace site by a U.S. group that advocates for Indonesia’s pulp and paper industry.
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