Anti-elite protest mars VP visit
Anti-elite protest mars VP visit
YOGYAKARTA (JP): Twelve students were arrested by Yogyakarta
Police on Saturday following a protest against the political
elite to mark the visit of Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri
to the Gedung Agung on Jl. Ahmad Yani here in the afternoon.
They were arrested around 2 p.m. after marching from the
Indonesian Islamic University on Jl. Cik Di Tiro to the Gedung
Agung, where Megawati made a brief stopover to rest after
visiting Mount Merapi, an active volcano near Magelang, some 30
kilometers from here.
Some of the protesters marched along the streets while many
others rode on motorbikes and reportedly tried to breach the
security cordon in front of the Gedung Agung.
"Suddenly, the police charged the protesters and it became
chaotic. Many of the students fled while 12 were arrested," a
local journalist said.
The protesters were demanding that all four political leaders,
President Abdurrahman Wahid, Megawati, People's Consultative
Assembly (MPR) Speaker Amien Rais and House of Representatives
(DPR) Speaker Akbar Tandjung resign from their respective posts.
As of 5 p.m., the students were still being detained by
Yogyakarta Police.
"We hope the police will release them by midnight.. some of us
were also injured during the incident," said Basyar, a protest
coordinator for HMI-MPO, a splinter group of the Indonesian
Muslim Student Association (HMI).
The eight arrested students were from the Yogyakarta State
Institute of Islamic Studies (IAIN Yogyakarta), identified as
Nanang Kosim, Yusrim Toha, Ihwan Mustofa, Taufik Simandjuntak,
Lasunadin, Thomas Herlando, Ade Asad, Al Sahrowi; two others,
Gaguk Suprapto and Okte, were from the Yogyakarta Institute of
Agriculture and the other two, named Prayogi and Alan, were from
Yogyakarta's Muhammadiyah University.
Earlier in the day, Megawati visited the Mount Merapi
observation post in Babadan, located to the west of the volcano
near Magelang, so as to observe at first hand the preparations
for any major eruption.
Volcanic activity subsided on Saturday and most parts of the
mountain were covered by thick fog.
Ratdomo Purbo, section chief of the Volcanology Research and
Development Agency (BPPTK) said on Saturday that Merapi was still
on an Awas Merapi red alert status
"Lava was flowing up to 2.7 kilometers from the peak of the
mountain and gas clouds were being spewed up to three kilometers
away from the volcano," Ratdomo said.
"We are also closely monitoring Lava Dome 2001 as it is very
fragile and could collapse anytime," he added.
Although there was no evacuation, residents at the foot of the
2,968-meter Mount Merapi remained on alert Saturday as lava and
gas clouds blanketed its southwestern slopes.
Minister of Energy and Natural Resource Purnomo Yusgiantoro
presented a picture of Megawati's father, founding president
Sukarno as a gift from the Directorate of Volcanology. The
picture was taken in 1954 when Sukarno inaugurated the Babadan
post.
Earlier, Megawati also visited a shelter in Salam, Magelang
regency which is available in case of the evacuation of people
from around the volcano and the Dukun area, the nearest
subdistrict to Merapi.
Megawati was accompanied by Minister of Home Affairs and
Regional Autonomy Surjadi Soedirja, Minister of Health Achmad
Sujudi and Yogyakarta Governor Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X.
(44/edt)