The Philippine Online Chronicles

Four Filipina activists were detained in Bali, Indonesia yesterday in a rally during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations 2011 Summit.

The four were identified as Lidy Nacpil, regional coordinator of Jubilee South-Asia Pacific Movement for Debt and Development and widow of the late Lean Alejandro; Manjette Lopez, vice president of Freedom from Debt Coalition and secretary-general of Sanlakas; and Malou Tabios and Rhoda Viajar of Jubilee South.

Three Indonesians, Sri Ranti, Teguh Surya, and Gendo Suardana, were likewise arrested during the rally.

"The Indonesian and Filipino activists were merely protesting against the far more deadly and dangerous anti-people policies oppressively and undemocratically imposed upon most countries of the world today. These basically destructive neoliberal-oriented economic and social policies are also imposed among the ten ASEAN member-states, of which the Philippines is a charter-member. As such, various Indonesian, international and regional activist and progressive groups organized this mass action to coincide with the 2011 ASEAN Summit being held in Bali today. After peacefully marching in front of various consulates in Bali on November 18, the local police cracked down on the marchers and eventually arrested the seven global justice activists," Sanlakas reported in a statement.

In a letter to Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Philippine left party Partido Lakas ng Masa (Power of the Masses Party) chair Sonny Melencio requested for the immediate release of the activists. "The Indonesian and Filipino activists were mainly exercising their freedom of expression, guaranteed even by the Indonesian law," Melencio wrote.

According to its official website, the 2011 ASEAN Summit will focus on four central agenda--the participation of the US and Russia in strengthening its positive involvement in the region; recovery of the region from the global financial crisis; resilient economic growth in the region; and peace and stability in Asia Pacific.

ASEAN also reaffirmed more liberalized trade in services ties with China and the territorial issue on the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea) were likewise discussed.