Students, lecturers take to the streets across the nation<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The number of students protesting skyrocketing
\nprices and demanding political and economic reforms swelled
\nyesterday as more university students and lecturers joined
\ndemonstrations across the country.<\/p>\n
No serious clashes between protesters and security personnel
\nwere recorded.<\/p>\n
A small incident, however, took place on Jl. A. Yani in the
\nEast Java capital of Surabaya when antiriot police blocked the
\npath of 1,000 Sunan Ampel Islamic Institute students wishing to
\ndisperse after staging a peaceful rally at their campus.<\/p>\n
Police apparently thought the students were going to march on
\nthe street.<\/p>\n
A few incensed students threw stones at the security
\npersonnel, inciting some officers to attack groups of students.<\/p>\n
The institute's chairman of the student senate, Baidowi,
\nquickly cleared up the misunderstanding, ending the short clash.<\/p>\n
During the protest at the campus earlier in the day, Baidowi
\ntold the crowd: \"We'll continue to stage these rallies (started
\nWednesday) until March 11 to express our concerns.\"<\/p>\n
He was referring to the closing date of the ongoing General
\nSession of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Like similar protests at other universities held across the
\ncountry over the past two weeks, the rally was strongly supported
\nby the school's deans and lecturers.<\/p>\n
About 2,000 students from the Airlangga University (Unair) and
\nDr. Soetomo University (Unitomo) in Surabaya also rallied at
\ntheir campus grounds yesterday morning.<\/p>\n
Unair rector Soedarto told hundreds of demonstrating students
\nthat he would take full responsibility over student protests.<\/p>\n
\"I've told the security apparatus that this demonstration is
\nmy full responsibility, and that there's no need for them to
\ninterfere,\" he told the crowd.<\/p>\n
Unitomo rector Pontjo Marjadah, accompanied by his staff, led
\nhis students' rally yesterday.<\/p>\n
Over the past two weeks, students at several universities
\nacross the country have rallied on their campus grounds, all
\ncalling for lower prices of basic food essentials and accelerated
\npolitical reforms.<\/p>\n
Authorities have banned public gatherings during the MPR's 11-
\nday General Session underway here in Jakarta, but have been
\ntolerant of student protests as long as they have remained on
\nuniversity grounds.<\/p>\n
So far, student rallies have taken place in several towns in
\nJava, North Sumatra and South Sulawesi. Seven Unair students have
\neven gone on hunger strikes over the past three days.<\/p>\n
Yesterday, over 2,000 students of state-run Andalas University
\nin Padang, West Sumatra, rallied at their campus.<\/p>\n
They called the economic crisis \"a catastrophe\" and said the
\ngovernment was responsible for the situation.<\/p>\n
In Semarang, Central Java, hundreds of Diponegoro University
\nstudents handed out thousands of packages containing rice, sugar,
\nmilk and cooking oil to needy local people yesterday.<\/p>\n
Students of the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) in
\nBandung also handed out commodities yesterday.<\/p>\n
While being entertained by musician Harry Roesly, hundreds of
\nBandung Islamic University (Unisba) and Pasundan University
\n(Unpas) students staged a free speech forum at the latter's
\ncampus where they called for reforms.<\/p>\n
In Salatiga, Central Java, hundreds of Satya Wacana Christian
\nUniversity students rallied at their campus.<\/p>\n
In Jakarta, more than 200 University of Indonesia (UI)
\nstudents held a discussion on the crisis yesterday.<\/p>\n
Earlier, the university students joined with scores of fellow
\nstudents from two Bandung-based universities, Padjajaran
\nUniversity and the Indonesian Technology Institute, to stage a
\nfree speech forum at the UI campus where they urged the
\ngovernment to implement reforms.<\/p>\n
Dozens of Institute of Social and Political Science (IISIP)
\nstudents also staged a two-hour free speech forum here, strongly
\ncriticizing the country's leaders and demanding political reform.<\/p>\n
Some 10,000 students and lecturers from Gadjah Mada University
\nin Yogyakarta, and about 600 students at Soedirman University in
\nPurwokerto, Central Java, also staged similar demonstrations.<\/p>\n
In Bali, dozens of Udayana University students staged a
\ndemonstration in front of the local council's office in Denpasar.
\nThey called for political reforms and handed out hundreds of
\npackages of basic foodstuffs to local people.<\/p>\n
Commenting on the series of rallies across the country, social
\nobserver Hotman Siahaan of Unair said: \"It is the echo of
\nsociety.\"<\/p>\n
\"If the country's intellectuals are silent, the hegemony in
\nthis country will be complete. Their aspirations should serve as
\nthe much-needed flame of truth in this age of darkness,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The continuous student protests have sent a loud and clear
\nmessage concerning the nation's \"moral concerns\" over the
\ndeepening economic crisis, he said.<\/p>\n
He said, however, that street protests were no longer
\nnecessary.<\/p>\n
\"The message of the protests have clearly been sent, with
\ncalls for political reform and lower prices of basic essentials,
\nwhich Senayan seemingly has failed to address,\" he said,
\nreferring to the MPR's General Session.
\n(09\/45\/43\/nur\/har\/emf\/23\/26\/aan\/bsr)<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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