Police beat students for flag-burning<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Riot police beat nine university students after
\nthey burned the flags of the ruling Golkar Party and the United
\nStates of America and tried to enter the Merdeka Palace compound
\non Monday.<\/p>\n
The youths, who identified themselves as members of Mercu
\nBuana University Students Action Union (KAM-UMB), were taken to
\npolice headquarters.<\/p>\n
The police were yet to issue a statement on the incident as of
\nMonday afternoon.<\/p>\n
\"With the flag burning, we declare war on the New Order
\ngovernment and with new imperialists' undertakings in Indonesia
\nby industrial countries such as the U.S.,\" the students said in a
\nstatement released on Monday.<\/p>\n
Accusing the government and the U.S. of causing bankruptcy to
\nIndonesia, the students branded the government a corrupt
\nadministration that deprived the people of their rights.<\/p>\n
They also denounced Washington as taking advantage of the
\nconcept of globalization to dominate the Indonesian market.<\/p>\n
The clash occurred at about 2 p.m. when a bus carrying the
\nnine students stopped at a traffic light opposite the
\npresidential palace. The students burned the flags inside the bus
\nbefore alighting from the vehicle and rushing toward the palace.<\/p>\n
The bus driver quickly extinguished the fire with water he
\nbrought for the radiator.<\/p>\n
\"It never occurred to me that the students would burn the
\nflags inside my bus, and luckily I saw the fire.\" He said the
\nstudents hired the bus from Blok M Bus Terminal in South Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Troops, who have been put on alert around the palace,
\narrested the students and forced them into a van to take them to
\nthe headquarters in South Jakarta. (04)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/police-beat-students-for-flag-burning-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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