Flare-up in Ujungpandang<\/p>\n
Reports of the violence that rocked South Sulawesi's
\nprovincial capital of Ujungpandang last week have been confusing.
\nThree students died during four days of rioting, reportedly
\nbecause they fell into a river while being pursued by soldiers.
\nAccording to Lt. Gen. Soejono, the Armed Forces chief of staff
\nfor general affairs, no shots were fired by the soldiers.<\/p>\n
According to the latest press reports quoting a member of the
\nUjungpandang chapter of the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute, at
\nleast six have died, while scores of other protesters -- some
\nreports say more than 200 -- were injured.<\/p>\n
The riots erupted on Monday, when thousands of students took
\nto the streets to protest the 62-percent hike in public
\ntransportation fares that went into effect there this month. The
\ninitially peaceful protest turned violent when the students
\nclashed with riot police and troops who tried to stop the
\nprotesters from marching.<\/p>\n
What happened exactly is still not clear. Apparently the
\nsecurity personnel tried to push the students back toward their
\ncampus where they could be contained. Then, according to Lt. Gen.
\nSoejono, several students fell into a river near campus, "not
\nbecause of shots fired by the security officers but because they
\ntried to jump a fence".<\/p>\n
That is all that can be reconstructed thus far. One could ask
\nhow mature students could have died from falling into a river.
\nPerhaps they were already injured when they fell, though Soejono
\ndenies that force was ever used. The questions will hopefully be
\nanswered when more information comes to light.<\/p>\n
The violence that consumed several young lives is shocking and
\nwe should ask ourselves if the cause was really worth the
\nsacrifice. Perhaps the tendency towards strong action is innate
\namong young people in that part of the country. One might recall
\na similar violent protest that broke out in Ujungpandang in 1987
\nover a law requiring motorists to wear helmets.<\/p>\n
It could also be the spirit of the times. One only has to look
\nat the frequent worker strikes, citizen protests over disputed
\nland plots and student demonstrations in front of the House of
\nRepresentatives to conclude that protests are occurring with more
\nand more frequency in this country.<\/p>\n
This week's violence in Ujungpandang forces us to ask whether
\nwe are really prepared to face emergencies of this kind without
\ncausing serious casualties. Perhaps our security officers need
\nmore appropriate equipment and training to help them cope with
\nprotests in a more restrained manner. In the wake of so much
\nviolence, we think all sides would agree that no family problem
\nshould be solved by sacrificing our own children.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/flare-up-in-ujungpandang-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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