Spanish punks Accidente were deported from Indonesia while on tour and have told the story of what happened via Facebook, great to hear that the punk community came together and help pay for overpriced plane tickets.
We met Talib a year ago in Tokyo and he invited us to play 8 shows in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines with the help of people and DIY projects from the local punk scene. After Bandung’s concert in Indonesia, police arrived to harass the organizers and called the immigration office. We were held back and the police took our passports, they told us they were following us from Tangerang claiming that we did not have a work visa or permission to play (despite knowing that we had not earned money with that and those who surround the concerts were punk kids and not companies or promoters). They told us to return the next day to open the investigation and they took the identity documents from them too. They told us that calling a lawyer would take too long. They started exhibiting their threats, their teasing, hesitant and absurd interrogations and after a strenuous waiting they told us that we were going to be deported to Madrid, babbling an incomprehensible English, laughing, without any negotiation and under the permanent threat of dungeon and jail (5 years for the crime we were accused of, according to article 122 of their Law). The attitude of the police was arrogant and completely useless (forced us to sign a statement in Sonanese because they barely spoke English). Nothing we didn’t expect from authority, only that the sense of lack of protection and vunerability were greater than at home. We left the place without the passports again, they forced us to buy flights to Madrid (despite having the accounts at 0) and cancel the two remaining concerts in the Philippines. For the third day in a row we went to the Immigration police station and they told us that an officer would give us our passports at the Jakarta airport that same night before the flight (Jakarta is 6 hours bus ride from Bandung) and we had to cope with that, even though the Embassy alerted us that they didn’t trust them. With the little confidence we had in the immigration police in Bandung, we bought flights to Madrid at exorbitant prices. For this, some relatives requested a loan from the bank but the flights had risen and many companies did not admit sports on their flights. After hours of stress and with a precarious wifi we managed to buy them and we left for Jakarta. At night three policemen escorted us to the plane gate, again between mockery and shitty attitudes.
Accidente Facebook
Throughout this process we had the help and support of the people of Bandung, who did their best best for us. A whole punk coordinated network raised the flights costs in 48 hours to cover the loan and return the money. We will always remember that and we are forever in debt for your attitude and efforts. Talib (Detonation Hardcore) and the punk community of Southeast Asia (including Phillipines, were we didn’t even play) have also helped us in this process, with an extraordinary effort to protect us and keep us accompanied. This incredible solidarity has been the most valuable of all. Big thank you to all the people and projects for your support and your words of encouragement.
We are sad for not being able to finish the tour, for asking for such a big amount of money and for the stress experienced so many days in a row; but also relieved to end this crap situation. In spite of all this, we are conscious that we are coming from a white colonialist western country, and have access to resources, thus, we have experienced the lowest level of repression at the institutional sewers.
Thanks to Delpi, Juju, Talib, Rizkan, Tatir Emmanuel, and the crews and bands of Kuantan, Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Tangerang, Manila and San Fernando (we owe you one). To all the SEA punks who despite and against everything keep struggling to maintain a scene in a hostile and repressive environment.
