Demonstrations Monday in support of the detained nurses

Bintang Papua, 21 March 2011

[Abridged in translation by TAPOL]

Thousands could demonstrate Monday in support of the detained nurses

The promise by the chief of police to release the five detained nurses
has not yet been kept, even though there were reports last Wednesday
that they were going to be released following a meeting between the
Papuan legislative assembly, the DPRP, the police and several NGOs.

Anum Siregar, the director of ALDP (Democratic Alliance for Papua) said
that she greatly regretted that the police had not yet responded to the
letter from the legal counsel, the nurses' union and the families of the
nurses calling for their release. She said that she had also been
assured by the DPRP chairman that they would be released because
healthcare services were being affected.

On 16 March, at a meeting attended by members of the DPRP and the deputy
police chief, hospital personnel had been told that the nurses would be
released once administrative processes had been completed. However, on
the following day no further action had been taken because the chief of
the criminal investigation unit of the police was not present in
Jayapura, and he was still not present.

Anum Siregar said she had the impression that the police were delaying
action without explaining why. She said that the police were not
handling the case with the seriousness that it merited, with the result
that the five nurses are still in police custody. This was despite the
fact that their legal counsel, the DPRP, the nurses' union, the PPNI, as
well as the families of the nurses had taken all the necessary measures
to ensure that this case would not drag on.

She also said that the police were still refusing to reveal who was
their informant who had led to these nurses being accused under the
incitement law.'It is very strange that the nurses have been accused of
incitement even though the police are refusing to say what they had done
which could be categorised as incitement.'

According to Anum Siregar, the correct way to handle this case was under
the law on administration which is applicable to state employees, rather
than dealing with the matter in accordance with criminal procedures.

In view of the continued detention of the five nurses, there were
plans to hold a demonstration attended by some 1,500 people from the
nurses union and from a number of NGOs in Jayapura to demand the release
of the five nurses and call for improvements to be made in healthcare
services, according to M. Maulana, co-ordinator of the planned action.
He referred to the press release issued on 17 March calling for dialogue
to resolve the problem.

ENDS

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