Hunger strike staged to protest military<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Seven students, including one female, began a
\nhunger strike yesterday in protest of the military's handling of
\nrioting in Ujungpandang, the capital of South Sulawesi, which led
\nto the deaths of three students.<\/p>\n
Calling themselves the Indonesian Students Solidarity for
\nDemocracy, the students demanded that those guilty be punished as
\nsoon as possible.<\/p>\n
"We'll have a sip of water if we can't stand the thirst, but
\nwe won't eat," said one of the students.<\/p>\n
The students camped outside the Legal Aid Foundation and wore
\n"Oposisi Indonesia" headbands. They set up posters and placards
\nwhich said, among other things, "We demand justice for the
\nstudents who became victims of military violence".<\/p>\n
The students come from some of the most prestigious colleges
\nin Indonesia, including the Diponegoro University in Semarang and
\nGadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta.<\/p>\n
"We haven't heard whether the authorities will soon hold
\ntrials for those guilty in the demonstrations in Ujungpandang,"
\nsaid Nezar Patria, a student of philosophy from Gadjah Mada.<\/p>\n
Chief of the Wirabuana regional military command Maj. Gen.
\nSulatin announced on Saturday that 12 officers would be court-
\nmartialled. His chief spokesman, Lt. Col. Mochtar Darise, said
\nthe proceeding would start at the end of this month.<\/p>\n
The soldiers will be tried for what Sulatin called an
\n"excessive response" to a flurry of violent demonstrations that
\ninvolved an estimated 10,000 students from various universities
\nin Ujungpandang.<\/p>\n
Despite the fact that some military leaders admitted their
\nsoldiers "erred" and promised to take swift action against them,
\nthe waves of student protests over the case have continued.<\/p>\n
Also yesterday, in Denpasar, Bali, a group of members of the
\nAssociation of Catholic Students staged a noisy protest for the
\nsame cause.<\/p>\n
They also criticized Minister of Education and Culture
\nWardiman Djojonegoro for allegedly condoning the military's
\ndecision to move into the campuses during the rioting.
\n(swe\/prs\/23)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/hunger-strike-staged-to-protest-military-1447893297",
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