PERSONAL: Father of kidnapped student activist fears for democracy following Prabowo win

Record ID: 1766899

  • Title: PERSONAL: Father of kidnapped student activist fears for democracy following Prabowo win
  • Date: 15th February 2024
  • Summary: DEPOK, WEST JAVA, INDONESIA (FEBRUARY 15, 2024) (REUTERS) FATHER OF MISSING STUDENT ACTIVIST, PAIAN SIAHAAN, WALKING WITH VOTING CALL PAPER SIAHAAN SHOWING VOTING CALL PAPER FOR MISSING STUDENT ACTIVIST, UCOK MUNANDAR SIAHAAN VOTING CALL PAPER SAYING (Bahasa Indonesia): LETTER OF ADVISE OF VOTING TO VOTER SIAHAAN TAKING PHOTO ALBUM OUT OF DRAWER SIAHAAN WALKING TO LIVING R
  • Embargoed: 29th February 2024 09:37
  • Keywords: Indonesia Kamisan PERSONAL Prabowo Subianto activist human rights kidnapping protest student violations
  • Location: DEPOK, INDONESIA
  • City: DEPOK, INDONESIA
  • Country: Indonesia
  • Topics: Asia / Pacific,Government/Politics,Elections/Voting,Editors' Choice
  • Reuters ID: LVA001064015022024RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Every five years a letter arrives at Paian Siahaan’s house reminding his son to vote in Indonesia’s presidential election.
    But Paian hasn’t seen his son, Ucok, in 25 years.
    This year, the notice served an even more painful reminder, with the presumed winner of Wednesday’s (February 14) vote, ex-commander Prabowo Subianto, the same man allegedly involved in the kidnapping of Ucok and 12 others, their bodies still missing but their names stuck on the electoral roll.
    Unofficial quick counts from Wednesday’s polling point to a sweeping victory for 72-year-old Prabowo, a former soldier turned defence minister, with the result met with both triumph and trepidation in the world’s third-largest democracy.
    Prabowo was dismissed from the military in 1998 amid allegations of human rights abuses, including the kidnapping of 13 student activists who joined protests against Indonesia’s then dictator Suharto. Among them was Paian’s second-born son.
    The former head of a special forces team known as Team Mawar, or the Rose Team, Prabowo has always denied the accusations, but was for years banned from entering the U.S. on account of them. Indonesian authorities have never investigated, and Prabowo and other generals implicated have never been tried.
    Each Thursday for the past 17 years the loved ones of alleged human rights abuses gather at the State Palace in Jakarta to joining a silent protest to demand the government resolve past atrocities.
    Prabowo’s apparent victory has come as a shock to those who attend.
    “We’re stressed,” said Paian, adding “How did he get elected? This is all Jokowi's fault. If Jokowi hadn't played a part, I'm sure this wouldn't have happened."
    Aside from the 13 still missing, nine others kidnapped in 1998 were eventually found — some even joining Prabowo’s political party.
    Among them are figures like Budiman Sudjatmiko, one of the most vocal student critics of the Suharto regime who is now on Prabowo’s team. He now describes Prabowo as a “visionary” and says he joined his team because “people change”.
    For Paian though, there is no change to his son’s missing status.
    "I'm more worried now that he's won, but what else can we do, we keep each other strong,” he said,’ “We feel afraid, but I'm fighting for my son.”
    (Production: Zahra Matarani)
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