Violence mars protests over fuel price hike<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Violence marred protests here on Monday when
\nscores of people were wounded by police who fired tear gas and
\nrubber bullets to disperse a student rally protesting the 30
\npercent increase in fuel prices.<\/p>\n
Angered by continuous jeering, police fired rubber bullets and
\ntear gas at student protesters outside the State Institute of
\nIslamic Studies (IAIN) campus in Ciputat, Tangerang.<\/p>\n
At least two students sustained gunshot wounds according to
\npolice. Ten other people, including IAIN students, suffered minor
\nwounds when rocks were being thrown prior to the shooting.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, students claimed that eight people, were shot
\nduring the rally. Most of them were IAIN students.<\/p>\n
"The National Police chief (Gen. Surojo Bimantoro) must take
\nresponsibility for these shootings," an IAIN student demanded.<\/p>\n
The students identified those who sustained gunshot and other
\nminor wounds as Lutfi, Khaidir, A. Supriyanto, Mustamiin, Willa,
\nSyamsul, Ojay and Ryan, who they said was shot in his back.<\/p>\n
The already tense atmosphere erupted into chaos in Ciputat at
\nabout 3:45 p.m. on Monday, when IAIN students, having burned
\ntires and completely blocked Jl. H. Juanda, started jeering at
\npolice officers.<\/p>\n
In response to the taunts, police officers lost control and
\nchased the students, who took refuge in a nearby mosque.<\/p>\n
Police followed the students into the mosque, causing them to
\nscatter. The incident was then followed by rock-throwing which
\nprompted the police to use tear gas and then rubber bullets.<\/p>\n
The situation had returned to normal by 5 p.m. when police
\nofficers finally cleared Jl. H. Juanda in front of the IAIN
\ncampus.<\/p>\n
Clashes between police and students also became tense at the
\nUniversity of Indonesia (UI) in Salemba, Central Jakarta, and the
\nIndonesian Christian University (UKI) in East Jakarta, the latter
\ncausing an extremely heavy traffic congestion in the Cawang area.<\/p>\n
During their protest, UI students burned tires on Jl.
\nDiponegoro near their campus in Salemba, causing a traffic jam
\nalong Jl. Diponegoro.<\/p>\n
"We just have a single demand, lower the fuel prices right
\nnow," a student repeatedly shouted through a microphone.<\/p>\n
About 200 police officers, deployed to control the protests in
\nSalemba, managed to drive the students back into their campus.<\/p>\n
With their demonstration thwarted, students then turned
\nagainst the police, pointing and jeering at them. The officers,
\nhowever, were not provoked.<\/p>\n
Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Anton Bachrul Alam said on
\nMonday that the police had arrested at least 32 people during
\nMonday's protests and public transportation strike in the
\ncapital.<\/p>\n
Those arrested included students and angkot public
\ntransportation drivers. Nobody has been charged yet, Anton said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, three of 12 people arrested during Saturday's
\nstrike in Ciputat have been officially charged. All three are
\nmembers of the City Forum (Forkot), Anton noted.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, thousands of people were left stranded as public
\nbuses and minivans normally plying several routes to and from the
\nKampung Melayu bus terminal in East Jakarta began to leave the
\nstreets at 7 a.m. on Monday.<\/p>\n
Terminal chief Abdul Rauf said that public vehicle drivers had
\nreturned to their respective pools in protest of the fuel price
\nhike.<\/p>\n
"The strike has totally paralyzed seven routes, namely routes
\nto and from Bekasi, Pondok Kelapa, Perumnas Klender, Pondok Kopi,
\nCakung and Lampiri," he told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
He added that operators of buses and minivans serving the
\nKeranji-Klender and Rawamangun-Klender routes had also joined the
\nstrike. The Mayasari buses which serve the Pulogadung and Mangga
\nDua routes also stopped operating at 9 a.m.<\/p>\n
In Central Jakarta, public vehicles servicing the Tanah Abang-
\nKebon Jeruk, Tanah Abang-Kebayoran Lama, Tanah Abang-Kota and
\nSenen-Kota routes had stopped by 1:30 p.m.<\/p>\n
Following the strike, representatives of the city's
\nOrganization of Land Transportation Owners (Organda) met with
\nGovernor Sutiyoso to convey their proposal to increase angkot
\nfares by 15 percent, an additional Rp 100 to Rp 300 on the
\ncurrent fares.<\/p>\n
The city administration and city council approved the increase
\nbut said that the exact amount would need further consideration.<\/p>\n
Strikes also hit Depok and Bogor where thousands of people
\nwere left stranded when public transport drivers began their
\nstrike at 8 a.m. on Monday.<\/p>\n
The police deployed a number of trucks to transport people
\nbetween Citeureup and Pasar Anyar and between Bojonggede and
\nPasar Anyar in Bogor.<\/p>\n
Following the massive shutdown, the Bogor administration
\nagreed to increase public transportation fares by 30 percent to
\nRp 800 per trip for the general public and Rp 500 for students.<\/p>\n
"The fare increase to Rp 800 is just too high for us, it is
\nfar exceeding the increase of fuel prices," said Yati, 35, a
\nresident of Ciomas, Bogor. (ylt\/01\/21)<\/p>",
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