BY MAX LANE
In moves which confirm activists' appraisals that her government represents a return to power of those allied with former dictator Suharto, the government of newly-elected president Megawati Sukarnoputri is escalating a targeted program of political arrests.
Following the arrests of political activists in Bandung, Jakarta and Bondowoso, police have now arrested Purwadi, the chairperson of the East Java branch of the People's Democratic Party.
Purwadi was picked up on the morning of August 9 at the East Java PRD office in Surabaya. He was arrested by six plain-clothes police intelligence officers, who showed him a letter from East Java police headquarters ordering his arrest for inciting recent protest actions in the province.
The police intelligence agents also confiscated materials from three rooms of the PRD office. Purwadi was then taken to East Java police headquarters, accompanied by other PRD officials.
A few days later, the police also issued an arrest warrant for the chairperson of the West Java branch of the PRD.
In both cases the democracy movement leaders are being accused of agitating people to acts of disorder or hatred against the government.