Eight students injured in clash with Riau Police

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.