Injuries reported in Dili commotion<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Several people were injured yesterday when a
\nstudent demonstration turned into a commotion when police tried
\nto disperse them, the local military said yesterday.<\/p>\n
Maj. L. Simbolon, spokesman for the East Timor military
\ncommand, said 10 people were held for questioning and eight
\nothers were treated for injuries.<\/p>\n
\"Security forces did not hurt any demonstrator in the
\nincident. Most sustained their injuries when they tried to jump
\nover a wall during the scuffle,\" Simbolon told The Jakarta Post
\nby telephone.<\/p>\n
The incident occurred just outside the state-run East Timor
\nUniversity when some 30 policemen attempted to stop the
\nprotesters from marching to the nearby Provincial Legislative
\nCouncil.<\/p>\n
\"They were stopped because they did not have the official
\npermit to hold such a rally,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He said those detained were not students as they claimed,
\nwhich suggested that the protest might have been incited by
\n\"outsiders.\"<\/p>\n
Eyewitnesses said security personnel in anti-riot gear
\nforcibly tried to break up the demonstration by some 500
\nuniversity students.<\/p>\n
The protesters were on their way to complain about a July 13
\nincident that occurred on the campus in which three non East
\nTimorese students were attacked for allegedly offending two nuns
\ntaking admission tests.<\/p>\n
The incident prompted immediate intervention by local
\ngovernment and military officials. But students were unhappy with
\nthe mediation efforts and planned to refer the problem to
\ncouncilors.<\/p>\n
They decided to march to the council building, located about
\n500 meters from the university, after councilors failed to come
\nto the campus yesterday as promised.<\/p>\n
Eyewitnesses said scores of security officers forcibly
\ndispersed the poster-waving demonstrators while campus sources
\nclaimed up to 30 protesters were injured and another 60 were
\ndetained.<\/p>\n
Data at the Dili police precinct showed that only 15
\nprotesters were injured and another 14 were detained. Chief of
\nthe regional police said not a single protester was killed in the
\nincident but according to the victims' parents, three people were
\ndead.<\/p>\n
The protesters said they planned to hold demonstrations in
\nDili until Monday, when a ceremony will be held in conjunction
\nwith celebration of the anniversary of East Timor integration
\ninto Indonesia. (yac\/pan)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/injuries-reported-in-dili-commotion-1447893297",
"image": ""
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