Muchtar Pakpahan and up to 35 other labour activists were arrested after participating in training meetings on labour rights in Medan, North Sumatra. The meetings held at the end of November 1995 were organized by the independent trade union, Serikat Buruh Sejahtera Indonesia (SBSI), and were broken up by the security forces on the grounds that they did not have proper authorization and that they could “disturb public order”. While all those detained have been released, there is concern that the arrests indicate a crackdown by the government on peaceful labour activities.
