Students stage protests to demand ABRI quit politics<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Thousands of students across Java greeted the
\nArmed Forces' (ABRI) 53rd anniversary on Monday with street
\ndemonstrations to demand the military quit the country's
\npolitical stage.<\/p>\n
They insisted ABRI do away with its dwifungsi (dual role)
\ndoctrine \"right away\", referring to the military's 40-year-old
\nconcept that justifies its involvement in socio-political affairs
\nalong with its national defense role.<\/p>\n
The protests in Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Surabaya, Semarang and
\nBogor all proceeded smoothly. No clashes or arrests were
\nreported, although the rallies were closely watched by security
\nforces.<\/p>\n
In Jakarta, some 300 students from various universities
\nconverged at the front gate of the House of Representatives on
\nJl. Gatot Subroto, Central Jakarta. They carried banners, posters
\nand staged anti-military speeches.<\/p>\n
Over 100 police officers and soldiers observed the rally but
\ndid not intervene. Some were even seen joking with students who,
\nin return, offered bottled water to the officers.<\/p>\n
Messages against ABRI's dual role were harsh despite the
\nseemingly good relations with the security personnel on hand.<\/p>\n
\"Reject Militarism\", said one large red banner.<\/p>\n
Others read: \"People Unite, Revoke ABRI's Dual Function\" and
\n\"Civilian postings are for civilians, not for ABRI\".<\/p>\n
A poster reading \"Go Back to Your Barracks\" was carried by a
\ngroup calling itself the People's Coalition for Anti-Dual
\nFunction Strategy, whose acronym, Kostrad, is also that of the
\nArmy's crack Strategic Reserves Command.<\/p>\n
Pande Trimayuni, a fourth-year political science student of
\nthe University of Indonesia, said the demonstration included East
\nTimorese youth activists of the Timor Leste group.<\/p>\n
Another protest in Jakarta by some 60 young executives and
\nartists was held near the city's busy traffic circle in front of
\nHotel Indonesia in Central Jakarta. Passersby stopped to watch
\nthe protester's street theater production depicting a figure
\ndressed in an Army uniform surrounded by skull-like forms.<\/p>\n
The group's posters and banners read: \"The barracks are more
\nhonorable than the political stage\", \"Best for the People, Best
\nfor ABRI\" and \"Let Us Leave Behind Dwi-fungsi\".<\/p>\n
A huge banner spanning five meters wide read \"Happy Birthday
\nABRI -- Stop Your Domination.\" The protesters dispersed after
\nstaging a series of poetry readings and orations.<\/p>\n
In Bogor, some 50 Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB)
\nstudents raised similar demands.<\/p>\n
They named their group the People's Anti-Militarism Coalition,
\nor Koramil, which is also the acronym for the military's lowest
\ncommand unit. \"Revoke ABRI's Dual Role\", \"Lower Basic Essential
\nPrices\" and \"People Unite, Scrap ABRI's Dwifungsi\" were among
\nmessages on their posters carried in the march from their campus
\nin Baranangsiang to the city's legislature.<\/p>\n
Scores of security personnel closely watched the rally.<\/p>\n
Yogyakarta and Surabaya were the scenes of the day's largest
\nprotests.<\/p>\n
In Yogyakarta, a town famed for its student population, at
\nleast seven university campuses were the sites of separate
\ndemonstrations. As many as 1,000 students gathered near Gadjah
\nMada University's traffic circle.<\/p>\n
In Surabaya, 1,000 students of 19 universities also cried out
\nsimilar demands in a joint street protest.<\/p>\n
In Semarang, some 70 students grouped in the Semarang Youth
\nGroup staged a protest in front of the Semarang Military Command.
\n(23\/44\/har\/aan\/emf\/25)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/students-stage-protests-to-demand-abri-quit-politics-1447893297",
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