More teachers quizzed over regent's ouster<\/p>\n
Haidir Anwar Tanjung, The Jakarta Post, Pekanbaru, Riau<\/p>\n
Police here questioned three more educators on Wednesday in
\nconnection with weeks of protests that resulted in the recent
\nouster of Kampar Regent Jefri Noer in Riau province.<\/p>\n
The three concerned were Facrul Rozi, Yusailin and Abunawas
\nwho are respectively the heads of education and sports offices in
\nTambang, in West Bangkinang, and Kampar Kota subdistricts.<\/p>\n
The three teachers were quizzed at the Riau Police detective
\nunit in Pekanbaru, the capital of Riau.<\/p>\n
Riau Police spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. Syarif Pandiangan said
\nthe suspects were summoned for their role in deploying students
\nto protest against the regent from Jan. 10 in Bangkinang, the
\ncapital of Kampar.<\/p>\n
He argued that the students involved in the demonstrations
\nwere under the age of 17.<\/p>\n
\"That's why the educators are charged with Article 87 of Law
\nNo. 23\/2002 on child protection. They are threatened with a
\nmaximum penalty of five years in prison,\" Syarif said.<\/p>\n
He said the investigation would determine whether the suspects
\nhad deliberately deployed underage students to protest against
\nthe regent.<\/p>\n
Syarif said that more teachers could be summoned for
\nquestioning in the case.<\/p>\n
\"Our investigation will develop based on witnesses'
\nstatements. However, we cannot determine how many educators in
\nKampar will be questioned,\" he said.<\/p>\n
On Monday, the police questioned three other educators in
\nrelation to the protests. They were Kampar's Indonesian Teachers
\nAssociation (PGRI) chairman M. Yasir, Siak Hulu subdistrict
\neducation and sports office head Abdul Muis and former Kampar
\neducation and sports head Basrun.<\/p>\n
Separately, lawyer for the teachers Yuwilis said that 20
\nquestions were posed to his three clients on Wednesday, all of
\nwhich were related to the manipulation of students in the
\nprotests.<\/p>\n
He denied that the educators had ordered their underage
\nstudents to take part in the protests, claiming that the students
\nhad participated willingly.<\/p>\n
\"Teachers in Kampar even asked their students to continue
\nstudying in schools, but they protested of their own volition,\"
\nYuwilis added.<\/p>\n
However, the police claimed that they had obtained evidence
\nincluding a circular dated March 21 that asked teachers and
\nstudents in Kampar to stage a strike.<\/p>\n
Local civil servants also participated in the strike, which
\nparalyzed classes and public services in the regency. The strike
\nwas engineered to press the central government to approve the
\ndismissal of Jefri Noer as regent by the Kampar legislative
\ncouncil.<\/p>\n
On March 25, Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno issued a
\ndecree endorsing Jefri's ouster, sparking joyful celebrations
\ninvolving thousands of teachers, students and civil servants.<\/p>\n
Riau Governor Rusli Zaenal, who was appointed to take over the
\nKampar regency, said on Wednesday he had ordered local
\nadministration secretary Zulher to act as the caretaker of the
\nregental administration.<\/p>\n
Jefri had been under fire since February, when he reportedly
\nexpelled a teacher from a meeting for questioning the
\nadministration's low budget for education.<\/p>\n
The expulsion was seen as an insult to the teaching
\nprofession.<\/p>",
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