Fate of Indonesian Volunteers to Gaza Still Unknown

(News Today) - The fate of Indonesian volunteers aboard "Mv Mavi Marmara", a ship carrying humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, was still unknown and no information on their condition was available following the Israeli attack which had reportedly killed 16 people on board.

Three Indonesian embassies, namely those in Jordan, Beirut and Turkey were reported to be coordinating with the Palestinian authority to determine the fate of Indonesian volunteers aboard the "Mv Mavi Marmara" aid ship attacked by Israeli troops on Monday (May 31), Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Tengku Faizasyah said here on Monday.

"The coordination is being led by our embassy in Amman (Jordan) as the Indonesian representative office located closest to Palestine territory. We intend to find out the condition of Indonesians and all passengers on the ship as well as determine the number of casualties and those who were wounded. We will organize the evacuation of all Indonesians on the ship," he said.

Israeli Navy troops opened fire on pro-Palestinian activists aboard a six-ship aid flotilla sailing to the Gaza Strip, killing at least 16 and wounding 30 others in the small hours of Monday (May 31). The ships were attacked in international waters or about 65 kilometers from the Gaza coast. Gaza`s Al-Aqsa television showed footage of Israeli commandos descending from helicopters and clashing with activists, as well as several wounded people lying on the deck of the ship.

In response to this tragedy, the Indonesian government had strongly criticized the Israeli government’s action of attacking a convoy of humanitarian ships Freedom Flotilla in the Mediterranean on Monday morning.

"We obviously criticized and condemned the Israeli action of ambushing the humanitarian convoy, and they did this outside their territorial waters," Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said.

He said the Israeli attack is a violation of international law because they had no reason for their action against the ships with volunteers on board who are helping the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.

The Indonesian government’s firm stance, he said, will be followed with cooperation of the international community, including Palestine itself, and the non-aligned movement member countries as well as the United Nations.

The foreign minister said it was obvious that Israel had violated international law, not only by its attack, by its blockade as well, so that its mistake had become multi-dimensional.

With regard to the possibility of Indonesians on board Mavi Marmara in the convoy killed, Marty said his office was still contacting Indonesian representative missions in Turkey, Cairo, Aman, and Jordan to collect information on the fate of Indonesians on the vessel.

"It was reported that some 12 Indonesians were on the humanitarian ship. The Indonesian embassy in Ankara said there were five Indonesians on the ship, we are still asking for confirmation on their condition," he said.

Marty said the Indonesians on the ship who came from group Mer-C had contacted the foreign ministry when joining the ship, and the foreign office appreciated their humanitarian effort, but reminded of the high risk they were taking by their action. However, Marty said he maintained contact with the Head of State to keep his constantly informed of the latest development of the incident.

In the meantime, the barbaric slaughter of humanitarian workers by Israeli troops on international waters also drew strong reactions from many parts of the world. The international community had to impose concrete sanction on Israel over its military action against the humanitarian aid carrier "MV Mavi Marmara" which was trying to reach the Gaza strip in Palestine, House of Representatives (DPR) Commission I member I Al Muzzammil Yusuf said in response to the Israeli attack.

"I think, Israel’s action against the unarmed peace convoy was reckless, and will no doubt come into the international spotlight because it has led to casualties although their number has yet to be confirmed," here Monday.

"The Israeli forces’ attack on the ship carrying humanitarian aid is evidence of their violent character. It was an attack not only on Muslims but on the world community also. And the world must take a stance. The governments and parliaments of all countries must condemn Israel’s action," he said.

"The world needs to impose concrete sanctions on Israel, Petitions won’t make a difference, and the Indonesian government should also make efforts together with the world community to have Israel punished," he said.

Muzamil who is also coordinator of the Indonesian Parliamentary Caucus for Pelestine added the incident was also a test case for US President Barack Obama. Obama’s efforts to reach out to the Islamic world could be considered to have failed if his government did not defend humanitarian and human rights after Isreal’s arrogant attack.

Muzzamil also said the Egyptian government would also be following a bad diplomatic path if it failed to open its border with Gaza Stripe for the transportation of humanitarian aid into Gaza. The exact number of victims in the attack on the MV Mavi Marmara was still unknown due to a breakdown in communication with the Insani Yardim Faki (IHH) Turkish ship leading the convoy.

Several websites mentioned that the number of casualties had risen from three to 10 and later to 16 but the validity of the data and the victims’ identities remained uncertain. A number of Indonesian volunteers were also reported be on board the MV Mavi Marmara consisting of four activists of Indonesian Committee for Solidarity with Palestine (KISPA), four of the Medical Emergency Rescue Committee (MER-C), and a TVOne journalist.

The MER-C volunteers were "project officer" Nurfitri Taher (Upi), medical practitioner Dr Arief Rahman, mechanic Nur Ikhwan Abadi, non-medical staffer Abdillah Onim who would be involved in a hospital building project in Gaza, and TVOne journalist M Yasin. The KISPA volunteers were KISPA Chairman H Ferry Nur SSi, Vice Chairman Muhendri Muchtar, PR Hardjito Warno, as well as KISPA volunteer Oksianto.

Source : kompas.com

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