Jayapura, Jubi – The Indonesian Advocates Association (Peradi) in Jayapura City is going to file a class-action lawsuit against state-owned telecommunication giant PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia (PT Telkom) for recent internet disruption in the city.
Jayapura Peradi head Anthon Raharusun said PT Telkom had no concrete steps to overcome the internet disruption in Papua.
“Peradi is among the disadvantaged groups because we use an online system to register [legal] cases. Representing the public interest, Peradi will file a lawsuit [against PT Telkom],” Raharusun said, as quoted by a local media earlier this week.
“We urge the people who feel aggrieved to register [their losses] to Peradi to file a lawsuit,” he added.
Besides filing a class-action suit, the Jayapura Peradi will also write to President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and the state-owned enterprises minister regarding the frequent cases of internet blackout in Papua.
Raharusun said that despite the frequent internet blackout, PT Telkom seemed to leave the matter unsolved while the public continued to suffer the consequences of a collapsed internet network.
Papuan lawmaker Emus Gwijangge confirmed that internet disruption had been reoccurring in Papua and causing the people trouble. “PT Telkom should have anticipated similar disruption. That way, neither the customers nor the public are harmed,” he told Jubi on Tuesday, May 18, 2021.
Gwijangge asked PT Telkom to evaluate the performance of PT Telkom leaders in Papua deemed unable to fulfill the consumers’ rights by solving the internet problems quickly.
“I speak out because many people have complained about the matter. They feel aggrieved, especially those who use the internet to make a living such as online sellers, online taxi drivers, and others,” he said, adding that internet blackout had also affected public service by the government.
Meanwhile, PT Telkom’s Papua General Manager Sugeng Widodo said currently there are several hotspots in Jayapura City to access the 4G internet network while the full recovery of the internet network was expected to be finished in the first week of June.
The internet service in Jayapura has been down for almost three weeks since April 30, 2021 due to broken submarine cables of PT Telkom. It is still not known how the cables get broken. The broken cables caused internet disruption amid the escalated armed conflict between the Indonesian Military (TNI) and police and the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) in Beoga, Ilaga, and other districts.
Reporter: Arjuna Pademme
Editor: Edho Sinaga
