Armed troops flush students out of House building

JAKARTA (JP): The five-day occupation of the House of Representatives (DPR) by some 3,000 anti-government students ended abruptly this morning after hundreds of armed troops entered the compound.

The operation caused a commotion, but witnesses said it ended peacefully.

There were no casualties, according to medical staff sent to the area. Several ambulances were on stand by.

The military operation was mounted from the rear entrance to the building on Jl. Gelora at about 11:30 p.m. Twenty minutes later, troops marched in through the front gate.

Roads leading to the DPR building had earlier been closed to traffic by the police. A large crowd of local people who had gathered outside were moved away by security personnel.

A group of journalists were also told to leave the area but managed to slip into the grounds when students standing guard at the gate arranged for their passage.

Then soldiers forced their way into the DPR compound.

About 100 students guarding the back gate at first tried to resist the soldiers, but fled into the building when they heard the shouted order "attack" above the surrounding commotion.

As the operation got underway, an announcement was made through a loud speaker: "Fellow students, we ask you to leave the building peacefully in the name of the reform movement."

Just after midnight, between 100 and 200 students left the building peacefully and were taken under military escort toward the front gate. However, once they reached the gate, they refused to go any further and sat on the ground.

Lt. Col. Nachrowi, spokesman for the Jakarta Military Command, said the students had agreed to leave peacefully.

Nachrowi had told the students that the building had to be repaired because House members wanted to resume work today.

All the students, estimated to be 3,000 in number, eventually agreed to leave and marched towards about 50 buses waiting in the parking lot.

Students said they had asked to be taken to Atmajaya University on Jl. Sudirman.

Independent witnesses confirmed that the military operation passed without any serious incident.

Paulus Mahulete, a lawyer from Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH), who was inside the building, said most students were asleep when troops entered the building.

They banged their truncheons on the door to wake the students, then told them to leave peacefully.

The students put up no resistance and left obligingly.

Andre, from Gunadarma University, said he was the last student to leave the building. "Not a single shot was fired," he said.

Col. Mazni Harun, an intelligence officer from the Jakarta Military Command, told reporters: "I confirm that there was no standing order to open fire."

The building saw a different kind of battle earlier in the day, when 1,500 supporters of President B.J. Habibie barged into the compound to confront hundreds of students staging an anti- Habibie rally.

No serious incidents were reported, but some light scuffles and heated arguments occurred when the supporters of the new President hauled down banners erected earlier by the students.

The atmosphere in the complex was tense the entire day.

Some female students and other women, including those who voluntarily distributed free meals and medical services, hurriedly left the area.

"These people come so suddenly without our knowledge," a Trisakti University student told The Jakarta Post while escorting some female students.

Attired in Moslem dress, such as turbans, peci (Moslem hats) and jilbabs and carrying prayer mats, most of the Habibie supporters -- which included housewives and girls -- arrived at the House compound after their midday Friday prayers by buses.

They repeatedly chanted "Allahu Akbar (God is the greatest)! Long live Moslems! Long live Indonesia! Long live Habibie," as they entered the complex.

Those arriving earlier had already lowered some banners criticizing Habibie and raised theirs.

Some of their banners read "Support Habibie, respect Constitution" and "Moslem Society from Banten supports President B.J. Habibie".

Judging from the lettering on the buses, the groups came from different Islamic societies, including Al-Istiqomah Mosque congregation of Tanjung Priok in North Jakarta and Moslems of Tanah Abang in Central Jakarta, Banten and Padeglang in West Java.

Other participants also claimed themselves as being members of the Islamic Youth Movement (GPI), the Indonesian Communication Forum of Youth and Teenager Mosque Activists and the Indonesian Committee for World Moslem Solidarity (KISDI).

"We're here not to create unrest. We bring no weapons or stones," said K.H. Abdul Rasyid Abdullah Syafi'ie, leader of the Assyafi'iyah Islamic organization.

"We came here just to pray together with hundreds of ulemas for the sake of Moslems, this nation and Habibie," he said.

While he was speaking, other Habibie supporters -- wearing headbands reading "Constitutional Reform" -- took down banners defaming Habibie.

Some of the Habibie supporters yelled at students, who held their ground, and asked them to pull down banners that said "Soeharto and Habibie are one package, both of them must step down".

"Why don't we just give Habibie the chance to accomplish his duties?" yelled M. Halawi of Tanah Abang.

"We Moslems support Habibie because he is intelligent and is a good Moslem," he said.

Knowing that their fellow protesters could get mad, some students repeatedly shouted: "Friends, don't get easily provoked."

The students, who have been reduced in number but still occupied the House, hastily set up a hand-to-hand line to delineate themselves from Habibie's supporters.

"We don't know what to do. We just don't want to provoke any disputes with that group, who are here with their religious status," said a Moslem student.

However, some students were upset and loudly shouted to the visiting group "Reject Habibie!".

Most members of both groups remained calm, however, and incidents of violence were prevented.

The pro-Habibie group later dispersed peacefully in the evening after 200 security officers arrived at the scene and worked with the students to prevent any fighting.

The mood at the House calmed down again in the evening as the Habibie supporters left the area. Laughs and cheers from the students echoed from many parts of the buildings as fellow students entertained them in various ways.

The pro-Habibie banners were also replaced with anti-Habibie banners.

But Abdul Rasyid pledged yesterday that he would lead another large group of Habibie supporters to the House today to make their message clear "if necessary".

A similar tense situation had also taken place at the House on Tuesday when dozens of Soeharto supporters from the Pemuda Pancasila youth organization met face to face with anti-Soeharto protesters.

No incidents occurred at that time either.

In a statement, the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), concerned about yesterday's tense stand-off, said that such incidents could divide the people at a time when reform had just been started. (team)