Brawl mars Islamic students' congress

YOGYAKARTA (JP): A brawl added insult to injury, marring the 21st congress of the Association of Islamic Students (HMI) here over the weekend.

An Ujungpandang representative, identified as Iwan, needed two stitches to his head after the flare-up that followed protests by some participants about chairman Taufik Hidayat's accountability speech at Saturday's session.

An exchange of words turned into an exchange of punches when an HMI executive lost his temper and attacked a protester who was standing on a desk, instead of the podium, to express his disappointment to Taufik, who is completing his three-year term.

The protester, who was representing the Purwokerto, Central Java branch, criticized Taufik for letting the country's biggest student organization get too close to the government.

Only after another participant chanted a Holy Koran verse did the violence stop.

A cool Taufik later said that HMI had maintained its independence without having to become a government opposition group.

The congress finally agreed on Taufik's accountability speech.

A minor spat surfaced as the session ended at dawn yesterday, when the chairman of the session failed to read out the notes which accompanied Taufik's accountability report.

Later yesterday, dozens of HMI activists from Tasikmalaya, West Java demonstrated outside the congress, demanding support for their colleague, Asep Ilyas, who is standing trial for allegedly inciting riots in the town last year.

The trial which began Wednesday saw Asep and other three defendants charged with subversion, a crime which carries a maximum penalty of death.

Another suspect, Cicih Haeruman, is still at large and is being tried in his absence. (23/amd)