Four photographers, dozens of students injured in clash
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Four photographers and dozens of student activists were injured in a clash between protesting students and police officers during a demonstration at the front gate of the House of Representatives (DPR) here on Monday.
Some 300 students staged the demonstration in a bid to pressure the House to form a committee of inquiry to probe a Rp 40 billion scandal at the State Logistics Agency (Bulog), allegedly involving House Speaker and Golkar chairman Akbar Tandjung.
As expected, a majority of legislators failed to back the proposal to form a transparent inquiry into the Rp 40 billion Bulog scandal.
The largest faction in the House, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) faction with 153 seats, played a major role in the rejection of the move to set up an inquiry.
Upon hearing that the House had failed to institute a committee of inquiry, the students tried to enter the House compound to lodge a direct protest with legislators, but were blocked by police.
The police and the students pushed and shoved each other, and eventually a short brawl erupted in which four photographers were beaten by police officials.
Two police water cannon were used to disperse the protesters.
After the clash, the students moved to the Merdeka Palace to protest against President Megawati Soekarnoputri and Vice President Hamzah Haz for failing to uphold the reform agenda.
Rico Marbun of the University of Indonesia (UI) vowed he would consolidate with student activists from other universities to monitor if the reform agenda were being implemented.
"We will keep on protesting until the annual session in August," Rico told the press.
He claimed that 15 protesters were injured, but he did not identify the students involved.
During their protest outside the Merdeka Palace, the students urged Megawati and Hamzah to resign on account of their inability to live up to the reform agenda.
They said the failure of Megawati and her Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) to support the proposal to establish the inquiry committee was a betrayal of the reform movement.
The students also urged People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Speaker Amien Rais and House Speaker Akbar Tandjung to step down, saying that both leaders were "political clowns".
The protesters buried posters featuring the four leaders -- Megawati, Hamzah, Amien and Akbar -- outside the Merdeka Palace.
Meanwhile, the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) called for a thorough investigation into the incident that injured four photographers.
The four photographers were Indra Shalihin from the detik.com internet news portal, Cahyo Paksi Priambodo from the Sinar Harapan afternoon daily, Saptono from the Antara news agency and M. Sholeh from the Media Indonesia daily.
"We urge the Jakarta Police chief to investigate this incident. Violence against journalists will never end if the brutality of police officers isn't punished," AJI's Jakarta chapter advocacy coordinator, Bayu Wicaksono, said in a statement.
Monday's attack on photographers by the police came just a few days after police in Sidoarjo regency in East Java beat up a reporter from the Kompas daily while the latter was covering a demonstration by workers of a factory belonging to PT Maspion in the area.
The police have arrested seven police officers suspected of beating up the reporter, Wisnu Dewabrata.