Allow students to protest at Soeharto's house: Gus Dur

Allow students to protest at Soeharto's house: Gus Dur

JAKARTA (JP): President Abdurrahman Wahid said in Caracas on
Tuesday evening that security personnel should allow students to
protest outside Soeharto's Central Jakarta house even if it meant
stones being pelted at the former president's residence.

"The most they (protesters) can do is throw stones at the
windows. Leave them be, I mean, Soeharto was very corrupt, wasn't
he?" Abdurrahman was quoted by Antara as saying while speaking to
members of the Indonesian community in Caracas.

The President was in the Venezuelan capital to attend the
Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Summit.

Students, calling for the former strongman to be jailed for
corruption, often clashed with police guarding his house on Jl.
Cendana, Central Jakarta.

The President's comments were made ahead of the third session
of Soeharto's corruption trial on Sept. 28. The trial started on
Aug. 31 but he has so far failed to attend, claiming ill-health.

An independent team of doctors examined Soeharto last week to
determine whether he was fit to stand trial and they are expected
to present their findings at Thursday's hearing.

Abdurrahman, who is renowned for making controversial
statements, said security personnel had no right to stop
demonstrators marching to Soeharto's house.

Meanwhile in Jakarta on Wednesday, Yogyakarta Governor Sultan
Hamengkubuwono X deplored the President's statement saying the
remark was inappropriate.

"It is unethical for a president to say such thing," he was
quoted by Antara as saying on the sidelines of an economic
seminar.

"I have nothing against student protests but vandalism is
another thing and it is not right," he added. (byg)