Police pursue bottle-thrower<\/p>\n
Evi Mariani and Dewi Santoso, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The Jakarta police chief has revealed that his officers charged
\ninto and severely beat dozens of protesting students in front of
\nthe Supreme Court building on Thursday because a single bottle
\ntossed toward the police line made them lose control and deviate
\nfrom procedures.<\/p>\n
Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Makbul Padmanagara said that
\nthe police would launch an investigation to determine who the
\n\"provocateur\" was behind the clash that left 73 protesters
\ninjured, mostly students.<\/p>\n
\"I am deeply sorry and regret the incident ... The police are
\ninvestigating the incident to find out who the provocateur was,\"
\nhe said on Friday.<\/p>\n
Makbul pointed out that the objectives were to firmly ensure
\nthat people from both sides of the debate could voice their
\nopinions in a peaceful way during the court rallies.<\/p>\n
He said procedures to disperse the crowd did not include
\nbeatings. However, he seemed to justify his men's actions when he
\nsaid they were \"provoked\" by a tossed bottle, which apparently
\nemanated from the student section.<\/p>\n
In terms of casualties, Thursday's clash was the bloodiest
\nsince the police force became independent from the military in
\n2000.<\/p>\n
Of the 73 protesters reportedly injured, 53 were taken to the
\nCipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital (RSCM) and Gatot Subroto Army
\nHospital (RSPAD) and six had severe enough injuries to stay more
\nthan one night, said Hermawan Ibnu Nurdin, chairman of Indonesian
\nMuslim Students Action Front (KAMMI).<\/p>\n
Five of those six hospitalized students have been discharged
\nfrom the hospital but Yudi Santoso, 23, a student from Jakarta
\nState University, was transferred to the Pondok Indah Hospital
\nfrom RSCM by his parents due to his fractured skull presumably
\ncaused by the police baton beating.<\/p>\n
An activist with the Poor People's Front (LPRM) Firman --
\nafter receiving some stitches to his torso because of a nasty
\ngash -- was unable to pay the bill for further treatment, after
\ntaken home by fellow activists from RSPAD.<\/p>\n
\"Actually Firman still needs medical treatment for his wound
\nbut we have no money. For the time being, he's just resting at
\nour office,\" the chairman of LPRM, Marlo Sitompul, said.<\/p>\n
A doctor at the RSPAD confirmed that dozens of the casualties
\nhe treated were for wounds caused by beatings with blunt objects.<\/p>\n
Hundreds of police officers flailed wildly with their batons
\nas they charged the defenseless students in a swift, efficient
\nretort to the bottle that was tossed in their general direction
\non late Thursday as the justices read their decision to overturn
\nHouse of Representatives speaker Akbar Tandjung's corruption
\nconviction.<\/p>\n
Such violence was contrast to the treatment of the Golkar
\nparty's youth wing who also rallied on the other side of Jl.
\nMedan Merdeka Utara.<\/p>\n
The National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Basyir Ahmad Barmawi
\nmade a public apology hours after the clash erupted but claimed
\nthat 10 police officers were also wounded in the incident.<\/p>\n
Later on Friday, a joint meeting among elements of the
\nprotesting students at the compound of the University of
\nIndonesia on Jl. Salemba, Central Jakarta, agreed to report the
\nviolence to the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM)
\non Saturday.<\/p>\n
\"We are completing the draft report that will carry the data
\non the wounded students and pictures of the violent acts. The
\nreport will be submitted to Komnas HAM tomorrow,\" said Hermawan.
\n\"We are aware that it is unlikely we can meet Komnas officials on
\nSaturday, but we want to submit the report ASAP.\"<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/police-pursue-bottle-thrower-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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