Fuel protests turn violent<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Protests against the fuel price hike again
\nturned violent here as university students taking part in two
\nseparate demonstrations clashed with police.<\/p>\n
Students from the Indonesian Christian University (UKI) and
\nJayabaya University, both in East Jakarta, became involved in
\nrunning battles with the police in front of their respective
\nuniversities, resulting in at least five people being injured.<\/p>\n
The altercation at UKI erupted after the students and police
\napparently lost patience with each other.<\/p>\n
Stone-throwing students were greeted by tear gas and warning
\nshots. Police were seen chasing students who fled into the UKI
\ncampus, causing panic among pedestrians.<\/p>\n
A photo journalist was also injured in the violence at UKI.<\/p>\n
Antara reported that Reuters photographer Dadang Tri was
\ninjured after being struck by police as he was photographing a
\npoliceman firing tear gas.<\/p>\n
Apparently perturbed that his face might make the front pages
\nof the morning newspapers, the policeman and his colleagues then
\nset upon the photographer.<\/p>\n
Among the students who were injured was one who was hit by a
\nrubber bullet in the face.<\/p>\n
Similarly, police also had to fire warning shots and tear gas
\nto break up a student protest in front of the Jayabaya University
\ncampus.<\/p>\n
The latest incidents were manifestations of the tension
\ncreated by the government's decision to raise fuel prices by 30
\npercent last week.<\/p>\n
The fuel price hike immediately prompted public minivan
\ndrivers to demand an increase in fares. Faced with the prospect
\nof stranded commuters being unable to get to work, most local
\nadministrations quickly capitulated to these demands.<\/p>\n
But the fuel price hike has also prompted rises in the prices
\nof various consumer goods, the effects of which are quickly being
\nfelt by the public.<\/p>\n
The protests could continue as students have pledged not to
\ngive up the struggle.<\/p>\n
The University of Indonesia's Student Executive Body (BEM-UI)
\nsaid on Thursday that it was seriously considering a protest move
\nagainst the fuel price hike.<\/p>\n
BEM-UI chairman Wisnu Sunandar told journalists that they were
\nweighing up the move, but indicated that they were in contact
\nwith "a network of BEMs from other universities that have similar
\nplans over the fuel price hike."<\/p>\n
Among these were student executive bodies from the Yogyakarta-
\nbased Gadjah Mada University, the Bandung Institute of
\nTechnology, the Bogor Institute of Agriculture, along with
\nMuhammadiyah University and Trisakti University in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
"We'll soon meet to discuss plans for a possible joint rally,"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile in Central Jakarta, around 30 activists marched
\nalong main thoroughfares on Thursday calling for the public to
\njoin protests against the increase in fuel prices.<\/p>\n
The protesters distributed leaflets to passers-by as they
\nmarched from Jl. Salemba, opposite the University of Indonesia
\ncampus, to the Kampung Melayu bus station and back to Jl.
\nMatraman, where they dispersed peacefully.<\/p>\n
The protest was conducted in an orderly manner and traffic
\nalong the busy roads was only slightly affected.<\/p>\n
The leaflets they handed out called on the people to organize
\nthemselves and to join a planned mass rally, the date of which
\nhas yet to be announced, to the House of Representatives.<\/p>\n
The protesters claimed they belonged to the Anti-New Order
\nPeople's Front, a coalition of 19 organizations including the
\nJakarta chapter of the Democratic People's Party (PRD).<\/p>\n
They called for the confiscation of the assets of Golkar, the
\nruling party under the New Order regime, and for them to be used
\nto aid the poor, including paying for the fuel subsidy.<\/p>\n
In Semarang, Central Java, about 100 people grouped in the
\nSemarang People's Forum (FBRS), staged a rally outside the
\nprovincial council, rejecting the fuel price hike and calling on
\nfellow residents to strike.<\/p>\n
They unfurled banners and delivered speeches expressing their
\nconcerns over the government's decision.<\/p>\n
The demonstrators also alleged that the security forces' were
\ncontinuing to use repressive measures to curb protests.<\/p>\n
"The security forces should be on the public's side instead of
\nserving as a government tool to repress those opposing government
\npolicy," protest coordinator Wahyu Saptiaji told reporters.<\/p>\n
The role of the police in clamping down on the various
\nprotests has increasingly come under the spotlight, with
\nPresident Abdurrahman Wahid himself criticizing the methods used
\nby the police in handling the protests. (har\/04)<\/p>",
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