ABRI says no force used in riot<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Armed Forces (ABRI) chief of sociopolitical
\naffairs Maj. Gen. Syarwan Hamid says the military's handling of
\nthe recent student demonstration in Ujungpandang, during which
\nthree students died, was not a case of repression.<\/p>\n
\"It's not a case of the military repressing students or the
\npublic,\" he said in a seminar on the military's role in the
\ncountry's political life at the Surabaya Institute of Technology
\non Saturday.<\/p>\n
\"The approach used during the incident was actually a
\npersuasive one,\" he said. \"There was no instruction from the ABRI
\ncommander or me that our soldiers should just hit the students if
\nthey did this or that. Not at all.\"<\/p>\n
The clashes between students and the military which took place
\non April 22 and 23 occurred because of \"provocation\", he said.
\nThe students were protesting an increase in public transport
\nfares.<\/p>\n
The military were trying to help the students and the public
\ntransportation drivers reach some sort of agreement, when \"a
\npsychological condition developed and provoked the troops to
\nenter the campuses\", he said.<\/p>\n
During the incident, hundreds of soldiers reportedly entered
\nsome campuses, used tear gas and chased students with rattan
\nsticks. The military claimed they entered to restore order after
\nthe protesting students went on a rampage.<\/p>\n
Around 60 students were injured in the incident, while Syaiful
\nBya, Adnan and Sultan Iskandar died, reportedly after plunging
\ninto the Pampang river while evading arrest.<\/p>\n
However, an investigation conducted by the National Commission
\non Human Rights revealed indications of military violence in the
\nform of blood stains, spent bullets as well as damaged buildings.
\nThere were also reports of bruises on the dead students' bodies.<\/p>\n
Another investigation team, established by the Wirabuana
\nregional military command, also found indications of military
\nerror.<\/p>\n
Syarwan said the incident in Ujungpandang, the capital of
\nSouth Sulawesi, should be seen in its whole context. \"There were
\nother occurrences which made some of the soldiers angry,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
\"Let's say a person is hungry. Another person then hits him
\nwith a stone. The first person would of course be angry, because
\nhe's just a human being, not an angel,\" he said. \"If it was me
\nwho was hit, a general, I probably wouldn't be as easily
\nprovoked.\"<\/p>\n
He called on the public, especially students, to evaluate the
\nincident clearly and proportionately. \"If you wish to show your
\nsolidarity toward them, by all means,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Also on Saturday, about 100 students of Indonesian Moslem
\nUniversity in Ujungpandang staged a demonstration in front of
\ntheir campus.<\/p>\n
Held in anticipation of the return of South Sulawesi Governor
\nH.Z.B. Palaguna and the commander of the Wirabuana military
\ncommand Maj. Gen. Sulati from the haj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia,
\nthe students said they wished to once again air their discontent
\nof the military's response during their previous demonstrations.<\/p>\n
Ostaf Al Mustafa from the state-run Hasanudin University said
\nthe military's reaction caused the deaths of fellow students and
\nthis would be difficult to forget.<\/p>\n
Another student, Mukhmaral from the Ujungpandang Teachers'
\nTraining Institute, again protested the military's move of
\nentering the campuses and \"beating up people\".<\/p>\n
The demonstration ended quietly as they soon found out that
\nthe governor was not returning as scheduled. They then disbanded
\nwithout incident.<\/p>\n
A similar demonstration was held on the campus of the State
\nInstitute for Islamic Studies in Yogyakarta. Around 100 students
\ngathered and attempted to march to the provincial legislative
\ncouncil.<\/p>\n
However, 200 riot police blocked their way. The placard-waving
\nand shouting students were then forced to stay inside the campus
\nfor about three hours before they dispersed quietly.<\/p>\n
\"We demand that the government and the ABRI commander find and
\npunish the soldiers who were responsible for the deaths of our
\nfellow-students in Ujungpandang,\" the students said in a
\nstatement. (20\/har\/mds\/swe)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/abri-says-no-force-used-in-riot-1447893297",
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