Sulawesi students occupy airport, legislatures, gubernatorial hotel<\/p>\n
UJUNGPANDANG, South Sulawesi (JP): Around 300 students
\nprotesting the Special Session of the People's Consultative
\nAssembly (MPR) occupied the runway of Hasanuddin Airport here on
\nFriday.<\/p>\n
The students, who arrived on board five trucks, entered the
\nairport through the cargo entrance and demanded the airport
\nauthorities issue them with tickets to Jakarta so that they could
\njoin students demonstrations there.<\/p>\n
They also took the opportunity to condemn former president
\nSoeharto and the Armed Forces' (ABRI) role in politics. The
\nstudents arrived at 11 a.m. and stayed for about six hours before
\nsecurity personnel dispersed them using tear gas.<\/p>\n
The gas knocked some students unconscious. Other students
\nhurled stones at security officers while they retreated. The
\nsecurity forces were led by South Sulawesi Police chief Brig.
\nGen. Mudji Santoso.<\/p>\n
Airport officials said they had to cancel 14 incoming and
\noutgoing flights scheduled by Garuda, Merpati and Mandala while
\nthe students were occupying the runway. Some students even
\nthreatened to camp there overnight.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, in Medan, the capital of North Sumatra, hundreds of
\nstudents led by Marcos Simaremare failed to force the state-owned
\nTVRI station to broadcast a statement they had issued. The
\nstation head told them it was not possible because the Special
\nSession was being broadcast from Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Marcos said the students wanted former president Soeharto be
\nbrought to trial.<\/p>\n
Friday marked the students' second day in occupation of the
\nprovincial legislative council building. They denied they were
\nholding legislators hostage and said they only wanted to use the
\ncouncil as a stage from which to make their point.<\/p>\n
They said they also wanted to teach members of the Assembly
\nfrom North Sumatra a valuable lesson, adding that they planned to
\nintercept them when they arrived back from Jakarta at Polonia
\nAirport on Saturday or Sunday.<\/p>\n
Police officers put the number of demonstrators at over 1,000,
\ndown slightly from the number counted on Thursday.<\/p>\n
The students held firm in their demand for the Armed Forces to
\nbe stripped of its political role and for Soeharto and his
\ncronies to be brought to trial.<\/p>\n
In Yogyakarta, around 500 students and local youths staged a
\nrally to deliver the same demands as their contemporaries in many
\nother cities. They also called on civilians to beware of what
\nthey believe to be a campaign organized by the military and
\nremnants of Soeharto's New Order regime to divide and thereby
\nrule the country's civilian population.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Antara reported that clashes occurred between
\nstudent protesters and security personnel in front of the RRI
\nradio station in Malang, East Java.<\/p>\n
Muhammadiyah Moslem Youth demanded access to the station's
\nfacilities to air their demands, but were prevented from entering
\nthe building by security personnel.<\/p>\n
No serious injuries were reported.<\/p>\n
In the East Java capital of Surabaya, apparently inspired by
\nthe actions of independence fighters in November 1945, dozens of
\nstudents scaled the Mandarin Majapahit Hotel building.<\/p>\n
They waved flags from the roof and later held a free speech
\nforum to air their demands.<\/p>\n
In Salatiga, Central Java, around 300 students from
\nSatyawacana Christian University staged a protest on their
\ncampus. They denounced Soeharto, criticized ABRI and said that
\nthe Constitution guaranteed that any capable person, regardless
\nof sex, ethnicity and religion, is eligible to become president
\nof Indonesia.<\/p>\n
In Bandung, the capital of West Java, hundreds of students
\nrallied and unsuccessfully attempted to occupy the provincial
\nlegislative council. Undeterred, they sat in the middle of Jl.
\nDiponegoro and held a free speech forum.<\/p>\n
Later in the day, they marched through the city's main
\nthoroughfares. No clashes were reported.<\/p>\n
Separately, at the Bandung Institute of Technology campus,
\nstudents prepared to set out for Jakarta after hearing reports
\nthat a student had been killed in a clash with security personnel
\nin the nation's capital. (30\/21\/43\/har\/swa\/nur)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/sulawesi-students-occupy-airport-legislatures-gubernatorial-hotel-1447893297",
"image": ""
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