Court martial for soldiers

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)