24 arrested in labor protests face charges
SURABAYA (JP): The number of activists arrested rose to 24 yesterday as the massive student-led street labor protests entered their second day here yesterday.
Chief of the Brawijaya local military command Maj. Gen. Imam Utomo threatened to bring the student activists to court on charges of subversion, which carries a maximum penalty of death.
The military singled out student activists of the Democratic People's Party (PRD) as the prime movers of the industrial strike that involved thousands of workers from 10 major factories.
Yesterday, the demonstration began at about 7. a.m. at Tandes industrial estate where workers demanded that their daily wage be raised to Rp 7,000 (US$3). The minimum daily wage for Surabaya set by the government last April is Rp 5,200 (US$ 2,26).
The protest was halted after troops blocked the demonstrators' way to the local manpower office in the heart of the city. Clashes were unavoidable as troops forcibly dispersed them.
Student sources said most of the 24 detained protesters were admitted to hospital suffering a variety of injuries.
Imam charged that students masterminded the demonstrations, instigating workers into taking to the streets and insulting the military.
He showed journalists two of the posters the troops said they seized from the protesters. They read "Reject military intervention" and "Only one option: Fight!"
"We will thoroughly investigate their (students') involvement. If necessary, they will be charged with subversion," he said.
He said the 24 students from various universities in Java were detained because they had illicitly distributed brochures, instigating workers to revolt against the government.
In a statement signed by PRD leader Budiman Sudjatmiko, the "party" demanded the overhaul of the political system, an end to the military intervention in labor disputes and the dismantling of the military's role in politics, Imam said.
The military commander said the students had politicized the labor strike and meant to use laborers to achieve their political agenda. They also charged that the government killed 2,000 people in the aftermath of the 1965 aborted coup blamed on communists.
"The industrial action was no longer 'original' because they were adulterated by people wanting to overhaul the whole political system," he said.
In Monday's protest, the authorities rounded up 14 students. They picked up 10 more yesterday.
"We would never had halted the rally if its genuine cause was only asking for a raise,' said Imam, who also heads the East Java internal Security Agency.
Antara put the number of protesters taking to the streets yesterday at 4,000 while the Legal Aid Institute said that there were more than 12,000 demonstrators.
Among those detained were Ditasari from the University of Indonesia, Ricardo Simarwoto from the Yogyakarta-based Gadjah Mada University, M.Rizal from the Malang-based Muhamadiyah University and Lilik Astuti from the Surakarta 11 Maret State University.
The Antara news agency reported there were no fatalities but that the two students who led yesterday's rally were seriously wounded. They were Zaenal Abidin from Wijaya Kusuma University and Taufiqqurahman from Cokroaminoto University.
The local branch of the Legal Aid Institute demanded the military release the protesters unconditionally.
"In our opinion the effort that has been made by the workers and students to express their concern about the laborers' low wages to the Ministry Manpower is democratic and legal," said the institute's labor division chief, Teten Masduki. (06/15)