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Conflict Resolution, Prison Style WHAT’S ONLINE MOST READ, MOST COMMENTED ON AND MORE www.straitstimes.com YOUR SAY MONDAY, JULY 12 2010 A10 MOST-READ ONLINE í Malaysian Prime Minister Najib í Girl, 11, gang-raped by six Razak reminded Umno leaders not to ruin his efforts to lure Singaporean MOST COMMENTED ON investment into the Iskandar í ‘No English, no job’ development region in south Johor. He Says WongHoongHooi: “(The world’s) told the Pulai Umno division assembly relationship with English is that improved ties would bring in a lot functional... To sell, you have to of investment to the state. Air your engage their psyche beyond the views at www.straitstimes.com functional level and medium.” TO CONTACT THE FOREIGN DESK, PLEASE CALL 6319-5745 Conflict resolution, prison style Inmates at the Kedung Pane prison in Semarang, Central Java, are among those attending workshops run by three non-governmental groups to teach conflict resolution and negotiation skills. ST PHOTOS: WAHYUDI SOERIAATMADJA Inmates being taught how to resolve disputes through dialogue instead of violence BY WAHYUDI SOERIAATMADJA “We should get more as we and started to protest. The game was just one of many would be more scared of the ing the maximum-security Nu- INDONESIA CORRESPONDENT have been here longer and we are This was no post-robbery components of a workshop to guards, believing they have no sakambangan facility off the coast from the stronger group,” said a scene, however, and the men were teach conflict resolution and nego- rights, so we included a section in of Central Java. dark-skinned, bearded inmate not carrying out an illegal act. tiation skills to more than 20 in- the module on teaching them their They will hold their eighth and SEMARANG (Central Java): On a mates. rights in prison,” said Mr Agus last workshop later this month at who was surrounded by six oth- Rather, they were engaged in a sunny morning recently at the Ke- Kedung Pane prison, a Nahrowi, a trainer from Search a prison in Palu, Central Sulawesi, dung Pane prison, two scruffy ers. role-playing game that aimed to 45-minute drive from the city, has for Common Ground. which houses many convicts in- groups of men negotiated over Some of the other men nodded, teach them to use dialogue – and 890 inmates, including burglars, Another trainer, Mr Wakhit volved in religion-based violence how to split a recent haul of cash. while others shook their heads not violence – to resolve disputes. drug dealers and five men convict- Hasim from Search for Common that rocked the area some years ed for their involvement in the Ground, said they had tried to back. 2002 and 2005 Bali bombings. strike a balance between promot- So far, inmates appear to have The sessions, run by three ing positive values and under- taken to the workshops. non-governmental groups – standing the gritty reality of pris- Abdul Ghoni, 42, who is serv- Search for Common Ground, the on life. ing a life sentence at Kedung Pane Institute of International Peace For example, they acknow- prison for packaging the explo- Building and the Legal Aid Insti- ledged the existence of gangs in In- sives used in the 2002 Bali bomb- tute – lasted five days. donesian prisons, although Ke- ing, had attended the workshop as The modules included games dung Pane’s chief supervisor a way to “kill boredom”. and PowerPoint presentations on Raden Hadiwismobudi told The “But it is different and unique. how to think positively, with train- Straits Times that “extortion and I guess I would try to apply it,” he ers also talking about the different gangs do not exist in this facility”. said. religions in Indonesia and persuad- Like in many other prisons Abdul Aziz, 34, who is serving ing the inmates that respecting round the world, newcomers here an eight-year sentence for design- the different beliefs would not be often have to go through an induc- ing a website used by former ter- seen as compromising one’s own tion process, paying bribes of say, rorist ringleader Noordin Top to faith. 1 million rupiah (S$153) to win the broadcast a message after the Developed by a United States approval and protection of senior 2005 Bali bombing, agreed. company and used at prisons inmates. These proceeds are some- “The sessions have made me re- there, the programme had been times shared between prison alise that there are people with dif- adapted to Indo- guards and inmates. ferent ideologies and they should nesia’s needs, So, even while Mr Wakhit and be respected,” he said. with input from his colleagues stressed that “pro- And it is not just the inmates the govern- tection fee” extortion and split- who have been learning about con- ment, analysts ting the proceeds were wrong, flict resolution. and the public. they chose to use the real-life prac- Some 200m away in a separate “One sug- tices as examples of how dialogue hall, prison guards were also un- gestion ana- could help two groups forge a dergoing training – in their case, lysts gave greater understanding. to learn more productive ways of was that Since the beginning of the year, dealing with uncooperative in- prisoners he and four other trainers have mates. here gone to six other prisons, includ- “Prison guards tend to use threats – transfer to an isolation cell, a different prison or no pa- “The sessions have made me realise that role – to get inmates to behave,” there are people with different ideologies noted Mr Nurkholis Hidayat, a trainer from the Legal Aid Insti- and they should be respected.” tute. Abdul Aziz (left), who is serving an eight-year “That is not good. Persuasion sentence for designing a website used by former and negotiation is a better ap- terrorist ringleader Noordin Top proach.” [email protected] Terrorists’ life behind bars SEMARANG (Central Java): Ten “My area of operations at that that Kedung Pane prison is over- years ago, Sarjio, 39, was a cook time was the Philippines, not In- crowded, and cells meant for at a militant camp for the Moro Is- donesia. I was just in Indonesia as three men are already being used lamic Liberation Front in the a guest of Amrozi, so I did what to house six or seven inmates. Philippines. he told me to do,” said Sarjio. “We get greater privacy and In 2002, however, he went His fellow inmate, Abdul Gho- it’s cleaner,” said Abdul Aziz, 34, from mixing spices to mixing ex- ni, who packaged the explosives who created a website used by ter- plosives that were eventually used in the attack, however, feels ror leader Noordin Top to broad- used for the bombing of tourist remorse for his deed. cast a statement after the 2005 Ba- nightspots in Bali in October that He had fasted for 60 days, he li bombing. “We don’t have to killed more than 200. said, after the bombing. compete with each other when It earned the former cook a life “That was after I found out the meals arrive.” sentence, which he is now serv- that the bombs killed innocent But some say that keeping ter- ing out at the Kedung Pane pris- people,” said the 42-year-old, rorist convicts separate from oth- on. who is also serving a life sen- er convicts has not always Sarjio, who also goes by the tence. worked. Kept in the same block, name Sawad, said he knew his ac- Both men are now appealing to they are occasionally allowed to tions had taken innocent lives. the government to reduce their mingle among themselves, thus But he claimed he was just follow- sentences to 20 years. giving them a chance to discuss ing the orders of a key planner of Life in prison is generally bet- radical ideas. the bombings, Amrozi Nurhasy- ter for terrorist convicts than it is Some have also managed to im, who bought the explosives for regular prisoners because the bribe the prison guards to allow and a minivan to transport them former get individual cells – so as them to keep mobile phones, to Bali. to reduce the chances of them which they use to communicate Amrozi was executed by a fir- “radicalising” others. with the outside world. ing squad in November 2008. It is a rare “privilege”, given WAHYUDI SOERIAATMADJA.
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