ABRI says no force used in riot

JAKARTA (JP): Armed Forces (ABRI) chief of sociopolitical affairs Maj. Gen. Syarwan Hamid says the military's handling of the recent student demonstration in Ujungpandang, during which three students died, was not a case of repression.

"It's not a case of the military repressing students or the public," he said in a seminar on the military's role in the country's political life at the Surabaya Institute of Technology on Saturday.

"The approach used during the incident was actually a persuasive one," he said. "There was no instruction from the ABRI commander or me that our soldiers should just hit the students if they did this or that. Not at all."

The clashes between students and the military which took place on April 22 and 23 occurred because of "provocation", he said. The students were protesting an increase in public transport fares.

The military were trying to help the students and the public transportation drivers reach some sort of agreement, when "a psychological condition developed and provoked the troops to enter the campuses", he said.

During the incident, hundreds of soldiers reportedly entered some campuses, used tear gas and chased students with rattan sticks. The military claimed they entered to restore order after the protesting students went on a rampage.

Around 60 students were injured in the incident, while Syaiful Bya, Adnan and Sultan Iskandar died, reportedly after plunging into the Pampang river while evading arrest.

However, an investigation conducted by the National Commission on Human Rights revealed indications of military violence in the form of blood stains, spent bullets as well as damaged buildings. There were also reports of bruises on the dead students' bodies.

Another investigation team, established by the Wirabuana regional military command, also found indications of military error.

Syarwan said the incident in Ujungpandang, the capital of South Sulawesi, should be seen in its whole context. "There were other occurrences which made some of the soldiers angry," he said.

"Let's say a person is hungry. Another person then hits him with a stone. The first person would of course be angry, because he's just a human being, not an angel," he said. "If it was me who was hit, a general, I probably wouldn't be as easily provoked."

He called on the public, especially students, to evaluate the incident clearly and proportionately. "If you wish to show your solidarity toward them, by all means," he said.

Also on Saturday, about 100 students of Indonesian Moslem University in Ujungpandang staged a demonstration in front of their campus.

Held in anticipation of the return of South Sulawesi Governor H.Z.B. Palaguna and the commander of the Wirabuana military command Maj. Gen. Sulati from the haj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, the students said they wished to once again air their discontent of the military's response during their previous demonstrations.

Ostaf Al Mustafa from the state-run Hasanudin University said the military's reaction caused the deaths of fellow students and this would be difficult to forget.

Another student, Mukhmaral from the Ujungpandang Teachers' Training Institute, again protested the military's move of entering the campuses and "beating up people".

The demonstration ended quietly as they soon found out that the governor was not returning as scheduled. They then disbanded without incident.

A similar demonstration was held on the campus of the State Institute for Islamic Studies in Yogyakarta. Around 100 students gathered and attempted to march to the provincial legislative council.

However, 200 riot police blocked their way. The placard-waving and shouting students were then forced to stay inside the campus for about three hours before they dispersed quietly.

"We demand that the government and the ABRI commander find and punish the soldiers who were responsible for the deaths of our fellow-students in Ujungpandang," the students said in a statement. (20/har/mds/swe)