30,000 students take over the House

JAKARTA (JP): Around 30,000 students demonstrating for reform stormed the House of Representatives/People's Consultative Assembly building in Senayan yesterday in their biggest show of force yet.

Arriving in waves of buses and clad in various varsity colors, the students had a field day in the compound where security was virtually non-existent. They chanted slogans for reform, shouted criticism of the government and demanded that President Soeharto step down.

The students stuck mostly to their own university groupings, their college jackets forming small groups of red, yellow, green, gray and other colors that looked like clusters of flowers from the top floors of the building.

Some milled about under the scorching sun, others ate lunches provided by a group of women activists who called themselves Suara Ibu Peduli (Voice of Caring Mothers), while yet another group queued in front of pay phones to call home and tell their parents they would spend the night camping in the grounds of the House.

More than 100 paramedics and medical students -- all volunteers, stood by ready to help students. They joined the others in jeering when a military helicopter momentarily hovered above the twin-domed building.

"We are in control of this building," one student said excitedly. "No military!"

One student leader, upon hearing from a reporter that President Soeharto would not step down, said: "Was that what he said? Fine! Then we won't back down either. We're staying here until I don't know when."

Nearby, several soldiers passed the time reading newspapers and watching events unfold. Bottled tea and rujak fruit salad vendors sold out in a short time; one of the vendors said it was the first time they had entered the House of the people.

Scavengers had a field day collecting garbage and plastic bottles left lying by students which they would later sell.

Among the students which joined the demonstration were those from the University of Indonesia, who traveled in more than 30 buses from their Depok campus in West Java, Bandung Institute of Technology and Bogor Institute of Agriculture. There were also representatives from various cities outside Java, including Palu in Central Sulawesi.

Many of the students waved posters and unfurled banners calling on Soeharto to resign and for a special session of the People's Consultative Assembly to elect a new president and vice president.

Hilarity erupted every so often. On one occasion, debating students began to giggle after condemning the legislative body for being weak and ineffective, only to call on it to "tough it out" only seconds later.

Some of the more daring students climbed onto the roof of the building and flew the national flag. Some draped a banner from the roof which said: "Live honorably or die martyrs."

Yesterday's demonstration was boosted by the presence of 1,000 labor activists who marched to the House and met with Golkar legislators in order to deliver their demand for a change in the national leadership.

"We want Soeharto and Habibie to step down," Datuk Bagindo, chairman of official Federation of All Indonesian Workers Union (FSPSI) labor union, said.

"Because of the economic crisis (caused by Soeharto's administration), workers are facing mass dismissals, lay-offs and the worst hardship for the last 30 years," he said. "Not only is unemployment rising, workers are also facing political and economic uncertainty."

Tension

Tension rose briefly when a group of activists from the Golkar-affiliated Pemuda Pancasila (Pancasila Youth Organization) entered the compound in their black-and-orange, military-like fatigues. Some carried daggers while others unfurled banners that read: "Down with (House Speaker) Harmoko!"

The students jeered the delegation led by Yapto Suryosumarno and Yorris Raweyai. "Bandits!" the students shouted, causing fears that a clash was imminent.

Yapto then led the delegation in to meet with members of the Golkar faction in order to express their support for Soeharto. They also gave strong backing to the statement made by Armed Forces Commander Gen. Wiranto, who on Monday night said that Harmoko's call for Soeharto to resign had no legal basis.

The delegation left immediately after the meeting.

By nightfall, some 10,000 students remained at the House out of fear that if they left, they would not be able to get back in today. Some of those who stayed planned to join today's mass demonstration at the National Monument Square in Central Jakarta.

Elsewhere, hundreds of young professionals gathered at the Jakarta Stock Exchange (JSX) building and urged President Soeharto to step down immediately.

"He must step down now. We don't need fresh general elections," yelled one security broker. He was seconded by analysts and banking employees in ties and business suits.

The President's promise to step down after seeing through political reform and fresh general elections was made to "buy him time," one protester said.

However, unlike the young professional, the stock market cheered the President's announcement, with most shares surging in active trade.

The JSX Composite Index, which has been on a downward slope in recent days, jumped 6.4 percent to close at 413.82. The rupiah also rallied to Rp 11,000 against the U.S. dollar right after the President's announcement from a morning low of Rp 17,000. (team)