Rights abuse in Ujungpandang<\/p>\n
Strong indications have been found of human rights violations
\nduring the protests by students in Ujungpandang. That, in part,
\nwas the gist of the statement made by the Secretary-General of
\nthe National Commission on Human Rights, Prof. Dr. Baharuddin
\nLopa, before his departure from Ujungpandang for Jakarta on
\nFriday.<\/p>\n
The previous day, the Coordinating Minister for Political and
\nSecurity Affairs, Soesilo Soedarman, appealed to all parties
\nconcerned to be patient. \"There will be no cover-up. If in the
\nongoing investigations errors are found in the application of
\n(anti-riot) procedures by security officers, measures will be
\ntaken against those who are guilty,\" he said in Jakarta. The
\nminister, apparently, found it necessary to appeal for patience
\nbecause demonstrations of solidarity with the Ujungpandang
\nstudents, questioning the handling of the case, broke out in a
\nnumber of places. In Bandung, clashes occurred between students
\nand security personnel. In several other cities similar
\ndemonstrations also occurred.<\/p>\n
Basically, the many actions of solidarity flared because of
\nthe prevailing disarray of information. The official Armed Forces
\nstatement said three students died because they drowned when they
\nwere chased by pursuing officers. This explanation was apparently
\nseen as premature. As a result, rumors began to circulate about
\nthe way in which the security officers tried to control the
\nstudents, about armored cars and troops invading the campuses and
\nacts of violence by security officers that resulted in
\nfatalities.<\/p>\n
It is this confusion which needs to be immediately cleared up.
\nThe statement by the Coordinating Minister for Political and
\nSecurity Affairs that measures would be taken against whoever was
\nfound guilty is a good start. There has to be no cover-up. Only
\nby giving a candid explanation can the emotion-provoking issues
\nbe dealt with.<\/p>\n
There is another lesson contained in this incident: how risky
\nit is to try to put down a protest by force. Many previous cases
\nhave already demonstrated the truth of this. Violence always
\ninvites more violence. At the very least expressions of
\ndissatisfaction can easily spread. The Marsinah case and the
\nNipah incident should have taught us not to repeat the same
\nmistake again. Therefore, we should all try to restrain ourselves
\nand let the authorities conduct a thorough investigation of this
\nincident.<\/p>\n
-- Republika, Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/rights-abuse-in-ujungpandang-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }