Court martial for soldiers

JAKARTA (JP): Twelve soldiers will be court martialled for their role in the military's handling of a student demonstration that led to the death of three students in the South Sulawesi capital of Ujungpandang last month.

The soldiers will be charged with "excessive response" to a flurry of violent demonstrations that involved an estimated 10,000 students of various universities in Ujungpandang, chief of the local military command Maj. Gen. Sulatin said yesterday.

He said the soldiers will be brought to court by the end of this month, Antara reported.

A string of protests against the government's policy to raise the transport fare by 66 percent culminated on April 22 when students went on a rampage, blocking streets, pelting stones at soldiers and vandalizing buses.

Chief of the Armed Forces (ABRI) general affairs department, Lt. Gen. Soeyono, said three students died after they plunged into a river in their desperate efforts to avoid arrest.

Sulatin did not specify the "excessive" reactions that the soldiers used toward the demonstrators.

It is understood that the security authorities used armored vehicles to disperse the April 22 demonstration, a maneuver which has received widespread criticism, notably from student groups.

Sulatin said a preliminary investigation into the soldiers actions has found sufficient evidence to bring them before a tribunal.

He said that protesters who resorted to criminal acts, such as throwing stones at the soldiers and vandalizing public facilities should also brought to court.

The National Commission on Human Rights, which had formed its own investigation team, announced last week that it found violations of human rights in the way the military handle the demonstrations. (pan)