"Stupid" remark causes riot in Indonesia

[Shaihulud]

4 years in jail for saying stupid?!

Indonesia accuses Indian exec over 'stupid' slur
Indonesian police said Friday they have named an Indian company executive as a suspect over an insulting remark that triggered a riot by thousands of factory workers.

Ghesa Prabaharan, a 27-year-old Indian executive at the factory, is alleged to have called Indonesian people "stupid," and could risk up to four years in jail, police deputy spokesman Zainuri Lubis told reporters.

Nine people including five Indians were injured when about 5,000 workers set fire to dozens of cars and buildings belonging to PT Drydock World Graha in Batam city, a special economic area south of Singapore.

"The riot was triggered when the suspect called Indonesian people 'stupid'," Lubis said, adding that the executive was among the injured and still being treated in hospital.

Around 400 police were rushed to the seaside factory to calm the furious protesters and the Antara news agency said more than 40 unidentified foreign staff were evacuated in boats.

Stupid law, stupider even than the Thai Law against insulting their King.

 

[Masada]

An expanded version from the Jakarta Post.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/04/24/batam-calm-amid-indian-apologies.html

The Indian expatriate association extended Friday their apologies for the “indecent statement” that provoked rioting at Batam dockyard.

“We earnestly apologize for the incident… for the statement by our member. We have been living here and [up until this incident] it has gone well. We have learned a lesson from this,” emotional community leader Devalajan Prakash said during a meeting Friday.

The meeting was attended by Denis Welch, the CEO of Drydocks World Southeast Asia, Batam deputy Mayor Ria Saptarika, Batam Police chief Leonidas Braksan and Mustofa Widjaja, the chairman of the Batam Free Zone Authority.

According to Prakash, there are 500 Indian people residing and working in Batam. Fifty of them, he added, have taken refuge to Singapore since Thursday night for fear of a possible backlash by local people in the wake of rioting at a dockyard, managed by PT Drydocks World Graha.

The riot in the Dubai-owned dockyard company in Tanjung Uncang area on Thursday started when an Indian supervisor, who was upset by a poor evaluation, allegedly made a racist remark toward a local worker during a morning meeting.

Other workers in the room then attacked the Indian supervisor, the incident quickly escalated as news of the dispute spread across the docks.

Local workers, who armed themselves with weapons ranging from hammers to iron rods, stormed the main office searching for Indian workers.

The rioting left about 20 cars belonging to company employees and warehouses damaged and six workers injured, four of whom were Indian citizens.

Welch, during Friday’s mediation to calm the situation, said all parties deeply regretted the incident.

“Our investigation into this incident is ongoing and we do not wish to presume any outcome. All parties wish to confirm that the multi-national/ethnic workforce employed in Batam has enjoyed excellent relations for a long time and the incident is an isolated one-off,” Welch said in a release.

Meanwhile, after questioning 38 expatriate workers and eight local workers over the riot, the police have named one suspect of Indian nationality, who is believed to have instigated the riot.

Riau Islands Police chief Brig. Gen. Pudji Hartanto Iskandar said they were expecting a long investigation because the incident involved thousands of workers. He said a thorough investigation was important to ensure investor confidence.

“We will take those who caused damage in the dockyards to court. It is important to maintain legal supremacy,” he said.

He claimed that security in Batam had been restored and there had been no police sweeps after the riot
Barelang Police chief Sr. Comr. Leonidas Braksan said the suspect, who is still in hospital, faced charges of humiliation and hostility against the unitary state of the Indonesia and was liable to up to seven years in jail.

Labor advocate Setia Tarigan has appealed to the police not to acquit the suspect and warned against implicating local workers for the riot.

“This is an accumulation of partiality sentiments between local workers and expatriate workers the government has never heeded. This incident may be an catalyst to resolving labor problems in Batam,” he said.

In Jakarta, the government said the disturbance at PT Drydocks between workers had been isolated and would not perturb investors, and the company’s management had taken steps to reach a settlement.

“It’s a corporate problem. The management has cooperated with the Manpower and Transmigration Ministry and the labor union. We don’t want this kind of thing to make investment in Indonesia look risky,” Coordinating Economic Minister Hatta Rajasa told reporters Friday.

PT Drydocks employs almost 20,000 workers with operational sites in Pertama, Nanindah and Graha with total investment of US$54 million. The operations in Pertama and Nanindah are scheduled to resume Monday.

Aditya Suharmoko contributed to this story from Jakarta

Context is everything. If you pulled all the African-American employees from your firm into a room and called them 'monkeys' you would expect some ill-feeling. A foreigner calling an Indonesian stupid would have similar problems.

EDIT:

Here's another article from earlier.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/04/22/45-indian-workers-evacuated-riot-batam-dockyard.html

At least 45 Indian workers were evacuated from a riot at shipbuilding company PT Drydocks World Graha dockyard at Tanjung Uncang in Batam, Riau Islands province, Thursday.

Riau Island Police deputy chief Sr. Comr Bambang BS said that the 45 people were evacuated by a police patrol boat to the local police headquarters for safety reasons.

The police, he said, were still investigating the riot, which was reportedly caused by a humiliating statement by one of the Indian managers at the company, who said that Indonesians were "stupid".

Hari Ariadewa of the company's quality control unit said that the riot was sparked by a statement by an Indian supervisor, identified as Mr. Ganesh, who berated one of the Indonesian workers for making a mistake.

This statement was frequently uttered by the Indian supervisor to his subordinates, Hari said.

“The derogatory remark sparked anger among [thousands of] Indonesian workers. A riot then spread to other units,” he added.

Two of the Indian workers were seriously injured, dozens of vehicles and other facilities were set alight and a storage warehouse was destroyed.

And another from the Jakarta Globe:

http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/lessons-must-be-learned-from-batam-riot-minister/371245

As top officials assured the public on Friday that the violent race-related riot in Batam the day before was an isolated incident, police named an Indian manager a suspect for triggering the violence.

Manpower Minister Muhaimin Iskandar said authorities had concluded that “this is purely an internal case of bad communication between the Indian and Indonesian workers.”

National Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) chief Gita Wirjawan stressed that the riot would not affect investment.

“This will not influence our policies, and we have been seeing a very positive trend in our investment climate in the past four to five years,” he said. “The problem in Batam is unrelated to our investment policies.”

Thursday’s riot involved about 5,000 workers at PT Drydocks World Graha. They attacked executives and foreign staff, mostly ethnic Indians, over alleged racist remarks.

National Police Chief Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri called the riot “spontaneous.”

He said nine people, including five foreigners, had been injured and hospitalized. The riot also saw five vehicles set on fire and 24 others damaged as well as an office and a canteen burned.

Yesa Prabaharan, 27, one of the company’s scores of Indian employees, was suspected of triggering the riot with an insult, National Police spokesman Comr. Zainuri Lubis said. “Prabaharan, who suffered minor injuries, is allegedly the man who said Indonesians were stupid. He was a manager at that company,” Zainuri said.

The company’s 49-hectare facility, formerly known as Labroy Marine’s shipyard, is managed by Singapore-based Drydocks World SE Asia, a Dubai-owned firm.

Muhaimin, speaking after a meeting on the riot at the vice president’s office, said it was “clearly apparent that the main factors are the results of traditions and cultures.”

Home Affairs Minister Gamawan Fauzi called the incident “a lesson for our future” and said he would send a letter being drafted on Friday to regional governors, heads of districts and mayors to tell them to take action over racial and cultural differences in the workplace, “so that cases such as this one do not happen again.”

The letter would ask regional chiefs to be “quicker in monitoring developments” on their turf. “We need to be responsive to what’s happening in the regions,” Gamawan said. “A problem should not exist for some time and suddenly erupt.”

House Speaker Marzuki Alie called for a government inquiry into the riot and a review of outsourcing practices.

“There are many problems, such as discrimination. I think unclear regulations over outsourcing have become one of the main factors. Many employees working at the dock are contract workers,” he said.

 

[Shaihulud]

Hmm, the workers are overly passionate and the supervisor was stupidly incendiary. I htink there is some other history in this incident. Regardless, did anyone notice that the police chief was named Leonidas?

 

[Masada]

I htink there is some other history in this incident.

Yep, some of this issues are hinted at in the article.

 

[Lord Baal]

By the sound of things the supervisor deserves to be fired at least. I don't know the relevant Indonesian laws, but I imagine this is considered racial vilification. Four years seems a little steep. The rioters, on the other hand, deserve far more punishment. They've committed assault and battery, perhaps even attempted murder. Including on completely innocent third parties who just happened to be of the same ethnicity as the supervisor.

 

[Masada]

By the sound of things the supervisor deserves to be fired at least. I don't know the relevant Indonesian laws, but I imagine this is considered racial vilification.

He's facing charges of humiliation and hostility against the unitary state of Indonesia which is analogous to racial vilification but with the added burden of insulting the state as well.

Four years seems a little steep.

He's liable for up to seven years in jail. He won't get close to that. A substantial fine. An open apology to his workers. Some token jail time with day release. I don't expect much more. He will likely be deported after that. Although, I would expect to see a stiffer sentence from the regional or provincial court initially with an appeal to a higher court commuting the sentence. That saves face and doesn't stand to scare away foriegn business.

The rioters, on the other hand, deserve far more punishment. They've committed assault and battery, perhaps even attempted murder. Including on completely innocent third parties who just happened to be of the same ethnicity as the supervisor.

We don't know enough to draw that conclusion. They may have been parties to earlier abuse for instance.

 

[amadeus]

They rioted?

Maybe the executive was right.

 

[useless]

They do appear to be immature, and a little rash...

 

[Masada]

They do appear to be immature, and a little rash...

I would imagine in the coming days we will find out more facts which will show that this was not an isolated incident and that this was merely the straw that broke the camels back. People don't riot due to one case or even a few cases of being called stupid.

 

[Tee Kay]

I would imagine in the coming days we will find out more facts which will show that this was not an isolated incident and that this was merely the straw that broke the camels back. People don't riot due to one case or even a few cases of being called stupid.

Unless they're Muslims?

This is obviously a joke.

 

[Masada]

Unless they're Muslims?

I'm surprised that hasn't been invoked yet as an explanation.

 

[azzaman333]

Stupid Indonesians.

Actually, I don't have anything against Indonesia. Just their language that I was forced to learn for a significant portion of my schooling.

 

[GhostWriter16]

I now you're in Indonesia, but there is free speech in America and ought to be everywhere. Calling Indonesian people stupid is stupid, wrong, and racist, but unfortunately, if the government can stop this they can also stop any kind of speech, such as speech against them, and it becomes totalitarian government. This is wrong. Let him talk, even if what he says makes no sense, he has the right to be dumb and should not be punished for it.

 

[Tee Kay]

Stupid Indonesians.

Actually, I don't have anything against Indonesia. Just their language that I was forced to learn for a significant portion of my schooling.

Well you can now communicate with 3% of the world's population.

 

[Tarquelne]

Let him talk, even if what he says makes no sense, he has the right to be dumb and should not be punished for it.

I agree. ESPECIALLY if a riot is the result. The whole "Fire in a crowded theater" exception should be re-thought.

They're just words, after all. They don't *mean* anything.

 

[holy king]

Well you can now communicate with 3% of the world's population.

his mother tongue is english, what does he care?

 

[azzaman333]

Well you can now communicate with 3% of the world's population.

I would be able to, except I've forgotten pretty much everything I once knew.

 

[Karalysia]

The calling of the name was not the issue that lead to the riot, rather it was the inherent systematic exploitation that is present in the relationship between a capitalist and his laborers. The Indonesian workers were compelled to take revolutionary action against their continued exploitation and oppression. The capitalist in question ideally should be shot for his crimes.

 

[Bill3000]

I now you're in Indonesia, but there is free speech in America and ought to be everywhere.

No, I'm pretty sure this would be part of the American equivalent of fighting words, especially since by their utterance they incited an immediate breach of the peace. Inciting a riot is most certainly unprotected speech in America.

 

[aelf]

Stupid law, stupider even than the Thai Law against insulting their King.

Do you think I'd get away with burning the Singapore flag in Singapore?

Anyway, you'd rather it be an offense to insult the sovereign if it is a man than if it is the nation?

I now you're in Indonesia, but there is free speech in America and ought to be everywhere. Calling Indonesian people stupid is stupid, wrong, and racist, but unfortunately, if the government can stop this they can also stop any kind of speech, such as speech against them, and it becomes totalitarian government. This is wrong. Let him talk, even if what he says makes no sense, he has the right to be dumb and should not be punished for it.

Look, buddy. I don't care what happens in America. You want to argue for a principle, you don't take America as the starting point. It's irrelevant and invites the sentiment that you should take the American flag and shove it up your arse.

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