Eight students injured in clash with Riau Police

Haidir Anwar Tanjung, The Jakarta Post, Pekanbaru, Riau

Thousands of protesting teachers and students clashed with police on Thursday in Kampar regency, some 60 kilometers west of Pekanbaru, leaving eight students injured.

The clash began when the protesters, demanding the resignation of Regent Jefri Noer, marched to the Kampar regency council building at 9 a.m., where they were met by about 400 police officers who had formed a security cordon around the building.

The protesters and the officers began to shove each other when the protesters attempted to enter the building.

One of the protesters threw a rock, which hit an officer in the head, and the situation quickly degenerated into violence.

Officers began to hit the protesters with batons, firing tear gas to disperse the crowd.

"None of the protesters threw rocks at the police. It must have been thrown by some irresponsible party," said Nurhadi, the protest coordinator.

He said the eight students injured in the incident had been taken to Bangkinang Hospital in Kampar regency for treatment.

The deputy chief of the Riau Police, Sr. Comr. Soewadji, said officers were forced to disperse the protesters after they attempted to force their way into the council building.

Soewadji said police had arrested five people for taking hostage several councillors.

"None of them were students or teachers. Probably they were people who were trying to take advantage of the situation," he said.

The teachers and students began their protests on Tuesday, after Kampar Regent Jefri Noer threw principal Abdul Latief out of a meeting.

The principal was ordered to leave the meeting because he questioned the regency's Rp 700 billion (US$82.8 million) budget, of which only 5 percent is reportedly allocated for education. According to those present, Abdul told the regent that he was not dedicating enough attention or money to education.

The Constitution requires a regional government to allocate at least 20 percent of its total budget for education.

Jefri responded to this criticism by throwing the principal out of the meeting with representatives of teachers and educators in the regency.

This outburst caused a backlash and teachers and students began protesting on Tuesday, condemning the regent for insulting the teaching profession and demanding his resignation.

The protesters again took to the streets on Wednesday, demanding that councillors hold a plenary meeting to dismiss the regent.

The councillors bowed to the protesters' demand and held a session on Thursday, which was attended by 35 of 45 councillors. The councillors agreed to summon Jefri on Friday for questioning about the incident.

Jefri has said that he is ready to face the consequences of his actions. He defended himself by saying that he asked Abdul to leave the meeting because the principal accused him of corruption.