Students hold anti-MPR session protest warmup<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): At least 500 students staged a rally on Thursday
\nat the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Central Jakarta, calling
\nit a rehearsal for a massive demonstration to be held on Monday
\nahead of the Nov. 10 to Nov. 13 People's Consultative Assembly
\n(MPR) Special Session.<\/p>\n
Unfurling banners and red-and-white national flags, the
\nprotesters grouped in the Greater Jakarta Student Forum, or
\nForkot, staged a free-speech forum before marching to the campus
\nof ABA-ABI (Foreign Languages and Banking Academy) on Jl.
\nMatraman Raya, East Jakarta.<\/p>\n
The Forkot activists, who include students from at least six
\nuniversities here, vowed to continue to air their demand that
\npeople reject the Special Session despite the threat from
\nMinister of Defense and Security\/Armed Forces Commander Gen.
\nWiranto on Wednesday to crack down on any attempt to disrupt the
\nproceedings.<\/p>\n
\"We'll proceed with our plan to rally at the MPR complex, even
\nif we have to shed our blood,\" Forkot spokesman Fadhil said.<\/p>\n
But he quickly added that Forkot would try its best to stage
\ntheir planned rally in a peaceful way without becoming involved
\nin a bloody clash with the security authorities.<\/p>\n
\"We'll face the security officers and the civilians with a
\ncool head. We're intellectuals and against violence,\" said
\nFadhil, who is a student at Sahid University.<\/p>\n
He was referring to the 20,000 heavily armed police and
\nmilitary personnel and 125,000 civilians deployed in and around
\nthe MPR complex since Monday to safeguard the MPR session.<\/p>\n
Fadhil, however, refused to disclose his group's strategy to
\nreach the MPR compound.<\/p>\n
Determination<\/p>\n
He said Forkot would proceed with its plan together with other
\nstudents and activists that grouped themselves in the United
\nPeople's Action (AKRAB).<\/p>\n
AKRAB includes students from the University of Indonesia, the
\nBandung Institute of Technology, the Forum of Greater Jakarta
\nStudent Senates (FKSMJ), the Students Front for Reform and
\nDemocracy (Famred), and workers in the Workers Committee for
\nReform Action (Kobar) and activists of the National Coalition for
\nDemocracy.<\/p>\n
FKSMJ spokesman Ridwan echoed Forkot's plan, saying that
\nmembers of his forum would also try their best to avoid physical
\nclashes with the security force, including the civilian groups
\nenlisted by the authorities, during their planned massive rally,
\nwhich is also scheduled for Monday.<\/p>\n
\"If we clash with the civilian group, the public would have
\nthe opinion that members of civilian society are fighting among
\nthemselves and those involved in the fight are pro-Habibie and
\nanti-Habibie groups,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Ridwan said that his group members were still discussing the
\nbest strategy to avoid any possible clash, but they stressed that
\nthey would stick to their agenda.<\/p>\n
\"But we're sure there will be a clash, anyway. That's the
\nrisk. We cannot avoid that. If we just sit back and watch, the
\npeople will continue to suffer,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The military and police personnel are armed with guns, rifles,
\nbatons, tear gas and shields and the civilians -- some of whom
\nare attired in military fatigues -- are equipped with rattan
\nsticks.<\/p>\n
Agung, an activist from the People's Democratic Party (PRD),
\nbelieved that the presence of the civilians in securing the
\nunpopular MPR session would only cause further harm to the
\npublic.<\/p>\n
\"If chaos does happen, it could be used to prove that
\ncivilians are incapable of governing the country and this, in
\nturn, would provide the military with a legitimate basis to take
\nover the government,\" he said.<\/p>\n
On Oct. 28, the country's Youth Pledge Day, about 10,000
\nstudents and activists grouped in AKRAB staged an anti-Habibie
\nrally in front of the MPR building.<\/p>\n
When asked to comment on the large number of troops deployed
\naround the MPR building, National Police spokesman Brig. Gen.
\nTogar M. Sianipar defended the policy, saying that the number
\n\"was not too great and still proportional\".<\/p>\n
\"The MPR members (and all invitees to the session) need to
\nconvene and work in a quiet atmosphere as they're about to decide
\nthe fate of 200 million Indonesians,\" Togar said.<\/p>\n
\"It's not showing off. We just need to guard the special
\nevent,\" he added.<\/p>\n
Togar also denied reports and photographs of the electrified
\nbarbed wire installed near the gates of the MPR complex.<\/p>\n
\"No, there is no such electrified barbed wire around the
\nbuilding because it would surely endanger people.<\/p>\n
\"The police wouldn't do that, it's dangerous,\" he said.
\n(ivy\/emf)<\/p>",
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