Demontrations spread in several big cities
JAKARTA (JP): Students continued on Tuesday with their demonstrations demanding that former president Soeharto be tried, and that recent riots be investigated thoroughly.
Hundreds of students from the University of Indonesia held a peaceful rally at the intersection near the National Monument (Monas) calling President B.J. Habibie and Armed Forces Commander Gen. Wiranto to a dialog with them. However, they demanded that Wiranto resign over the alleged failure of his men in their task of maintaining security in the capital.
They also demanded a fair and free general election, and an end to the military representation in the lower House of Representatives.
They further warned against the politicization of religions leading to the disintegration of the nation. Marching from the Hotel Indonesia roundabout to Monas, the students were prevented by a security personnel barricade and police line from advancing.
The students, who had notified the police about their plan to demonstrate as required by the newly established law on freedom of expression, dispersed peacefully afterwards.
Meanwhile, two other groups of students from Trisakti University and the Communication Forum of Jakarta Student Senates (FKSMJ) forced their way into the Attorney General's Office to demand that Soeharto be tried for past wrongdoings.
They also urged Habibie and Wiranto to take responsibility for the bloodshed in the Semanggi Cloverleaf when security personnel opened fire on student protesters, 16 of whom have died so far.
"The power holder is trying to divert attention from the main issue of responsibility for the tragedy by creating others, including allegations of treason... We will push Ghalib to keep his own word to investigate Soeharto thoroughly," Ridwan of FKSMJ said. The students insisted to camp out at the office, but were flushed out by security late Tuesday. Several students were injured.
Some 20 representatives of the students were received by Attorney General Andi Muhammad Ghalib but they ended their talks by presenting the official with a chicken to represent his "cowardly manner."
Hundreds of students grouped in the City Forum (Forkot) marched from Cawang in East Jakarta to the Pancoran intersection in South Jakarta where they were blocked by security personnel in their attempt to reach the House of Representatives building on Jl. Gatot Subroto in South Jakarta.
Meanwhile, students from the Jakarta Arts Institute demonstrated at the Hotel Indonesia Roundabout to seek government account for unrest on Sunday when a number of churches were burned and 14 people were killed.
In Semarang, Central Java, around 100 students rallied in front of the Diponegoro Military Command Headquarters, also demanding that Wiranto take responsibility for the Semanggi tragedy. They also demanded the phasing-out of the military's political role by terminating its presence at the House of Representatives.
In Denpasar, Bali, hundreds of women grouped in the Indonesian Women's Alliance, protested the repressive approach of the security personnel in handling student movements. They blasted the military for the shooting at the Semanggi Cloverleaf.
The women, who had notified the police beforehand, staged their demonstration at the Badung Puputan Square, Antara reported.
In Padang, West Sumatra, more than 200 students from the People's Mandate Forum also demanded the phasing-out of the Armed Forces' dual function which had "retarded democracy."
The demonstrators also condemned repression by the security personnel of the student movement. They also criticized fellow students who, during one demonstration last week, held Minister of Agriculture Soleh Solahuddin hostage at the Tabing Airport in Padang. The minister was forced to meet the student protesters for hours. He was afterwards rudely dismissed and told to leave the city immediately.
On Monday, rectors of 10 universities in the province gathered in Padang and declared their support for the student movement. However, they also blasted the students for their ill-treatment of Soleh. (rms/edt/har/25)